Finding new purpose in 2022

Happy New Year, Everybody!

Elevated adolescence is kicking off this year by bringing a new purpose to the podcast. So that is our theme for today: What brings you purpose and what does purpose mean to you?

Usually, this time of year is all about resolutions or refreshing your life. But to me, that can start to feel like just another to-do list or something that you feel behind on before you've even started. So this year, I want you to start thinking about ways you can support yourself differently from a place of purpose rather than things you need to achieve.

And, I will say this: be gentle and loving with yourself. I hope all parents and/or adolescents listening to the podcast really understand this. Your entire life stems from the relationship you have with yourself. The more you can practice allowing yourself to feel how you feel, look how you look, and be who you are - while also holding yourself to the best you can be each day - the more love you cultivate for yourself, which is ultimately everything.

It's ok to not know what that looks like or what your purpose might be. Adolescence is to experiment - even as a parent. Remember that your purpose is evolving throughout your life stages, especially your stages as a parent.

So, in that theme of new purpose, we are changing up the format for the Elevated Adolescence Podcast. I will be bringing on more experts, parents, and even former middle schoolers to add their voices to the community. And to start us off, this week I am joined by my right-hand woman, dear friend, and treasured human being, Riley McCord.

Riley has been helping to manage the content for EA for the past year or so, but she is truly so much more than that. I wanted to bring her on once a month to hear her perspective on relevant topics as a woman in her mid-20s that is still closely connected to her experiences of being an adolescent.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What purpose means to us and how to find it.

• The importance of being gentle with yourself, and knowing that it's ok to not be ok.

• How parents can help their adolescence feel more connected to peers and the community.

Take a look at today's talking points

[7:00] Ashley mentions the Marshal Fire in Superior, CO. If you or someone you know has been affected by the fire here is a list of restaurants in the area that are providing free meals to those in need:

• Ask’Kara

• Blackbelly

• Centro Mexican Kitchen

• Chautauqua Dining Hall

• Japango

• Leaf Vegetarian Restarurant

• Lindsay’s Boulder Deli

You can also see more resources available here.

[11:20] Map of Bejing

Ashley talks about how getting out of her comfort zone helped her strengthen her own inner voice and how it relates to purpose.

[18:20] The third pandemic: the mental health crisis. Feelings are anxiety and depression are normal human emotions and there is nothing that's wrong with you, it's just a reflection of the environment.

[28:30] The website that Riley mentions for finding groups is meetup.com. Parents are advised that monitoring will be necessary.

[32:40] Parents in the Boulder area can reach out to Ashley for enriching and in-person groups and engagement.

If you have any topics you want us to cover reach out anytime! We've got a brand new podcast page with a feature, Ask Ashley where you can submit and ask a question related to parenting, educating or being an adolescent - or honestly anything related to these years. I'm focused on the early adolescent years of 5th - 9th grade, but ANYTHING GOES because all of human life is included here.

You can connect with me directly through Ask Ashley, just head to www.elevatedadolescence.com/podcast

Like what you hear? Keep listening to the Elevated Adolescence Podcast