Is your teen driving you up the wall—or just growing up?

Kate Mason sits down with Dr. Jari Evertsz, a clinical psychologist with over 20 years’ experience, to tackle the rollercoaster of raising teenagers.

From the impact of peer pressure and social media to why your formerly snuggly preteen now grunts from behind a closed bedroom door, this episode is a lifeline for parents navigating the teen years.

Dr Evertsz offers calm, grounded insights on how to replace knee-jerk punishment with calm communication, how to build resilience and trust, and why your household must include chores—even for toddlers.

Listen For

3:16 What Jails Taught Her About Childhood

10:25 Security Matters: Why Teens Still Want Boundaries

13:33 Brain Under Construction: The Science Behind Teen Behaviour

20:54 Think Before You Punish: Creative Consequences That Work

25:20 Chores, Entitlement, and the Empathy Equation

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Connect with guest: ​Dr Jari Evertsz

Website | Email | Buy Jari's Book | LinkedIn

Contact Kate:

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This episode was first published in May 2023.

More than 40 counties and territories around the world have banned the physical punishment of children. New Zealand is on the list, but not Australia. Less than 10% of children under the age of five are living in countries where corporal punishment at home is fully prohibited.

For years, different studies have indicated smacking or spanking is linked with an increased risk of negative outcomes for children such as aggression, adult mental health problems, and does little to change undesirable behaviours.

A new study published in Australia in May 2023, recommends law reform to make corporal punishment illegal, initiate a campaign to make the public aware of its negative impacts, and help parents learn about alternative evidence-based strategies to assist in parenting.

Guest: Sophie Havigshurst, (BA Hons, Dip Clin Psych, Ph.D.)

X | LinkedIn | Corporate Punishment of children in Australia: The evidence-based case for legislative reform

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Is protecting our kids from failure actually making them weaker?

Kate Mason welcomes resilience expert and former SAS officer Tim Curtis to explore the roots of rising anxiety in children and young adults.

They dive into how societal changes, overprotective parenting, and lack of free play are quietly eroding resilience—and what we can do about it.

Tim and Kate unpack how modeling emotional regulation, allowing safe failure, and encouraging responsibility can help children (and even adult kids) grow stronger, more adaptable, and better prepared for life’s challenges.

Listen For

8:20 Risky Play and Why Broken Bones Used to Mean Growth

11:53 Growth Mindset and Learning Through Failure

18:27 Modeling Resilience: The Bobo Doll Experiment

26:11 The Lifeguard Parent: Prevent the Drowning, Not the Swimming

28:01 Chores, Independence, and Resilience-Building at Home

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Connect with guest: Tim Curtis

Website | Buy the Book | Publisher Link | Link Tree | LinkedIn

Contact Kate:

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