I am so excited to share this week’s podcast episode with you. I had the absolute joy of interviewing my daughter, Ella, for her seventeenth birthday, and it turned into one of the most honest and moving conversations we have ever had on the podcast. We went deep into what it is really like to be a teenager today, how she has built her own confidence, and what she has taught me about being a mother.

This was one of those conversations that I know I will carry with me for a long time. Ella’s wisdom and grace at seventeen is something to behold, and I am so proud to be her mom. We talked about her dreams of going to Brown University and living in New York City, her current obsession with reading Toni Morrison, and the lessons she has learned about friendship, failure, and trusting the journey.

We also got very real with each other. She called me out on needing to stay calm, and she was completely right. It was a beautiful reminder that one of the best things we can do as parents is to grow right alongside our children. And then she said something that completely undid me: that my parenting has shaped her into a good person. I am not sure there is a greater gift a mother can receive.

Here are some of the key things you will hear us talk about in this episode:

→ How Ella built her confidence this year by proving to herself that she can do hard things, and why that is a gift we need to let our children earn for themselves.

→ What she wishes adults understood about the pressure and information overload that teenagers are navigating in the age of social media.

→ Her powerful strategy for managing overwhelm: focus on what you can control and make a plan for the future.

→ The lesson her dad and I have always tried to teach her that she says has truly helped her face her fear of failure: it is the effort, not the outcome.

→ The advice she would give her thirteen year old self, and what she wants me to remember as her mom as she continues to grow up.

This is a conversation for every parent who wants to understand their teenager a little better, and for every young person who needs to hear that they are so much more than they realize. I hope you will come listen. It is a special one.

You can find the full episode on whinypaluza.com or wherever you get your podcasts. And if this conversation moves you, it would mean the world to us if you would share it with a friend.

Episode 527: Ella 17th Birthday Special