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The Teen Anxiety Maze- Parenting Teens, Help for Anxiety, Anxious Teens, Anxiety Relief
Struggling to grasp the root causes of your teen's anxiety?
Finding it tough to communicate effectively with them about their struggles?
Feeling overwhelmed by the stresses of everyday life?
Look no further. I've got you covered.
🎙️ Welcome to The Teen Anxiety Maze, where I delve into the heart of teen anxiety to bring you practical solutions and heartfelt support. Ranked in the top 10% globally, my podcast is your go-to resource for understanding and managing teen anxiety.
👩👧👦 With 33 years of experience working with young people and families, including 25 years as a school counselor and 2 years as a teen anxiety coach, I bring a wealth of knowledge and insight to the table. Having raised an anxious teen myself, I understand the challenges firsthand.
💡 In each episode, we'll explore effective coping mechanisms and strategies tailored to manage anxiety, drawing from both professional expertise and personal experience. Together, we'll uncover the root causes of anxiety, process it, and create a unique plan for your teen based on their strengths and values.
👨👩👧👦 But this podcast isn't just for teens. Parents, this is your opportunity to gain valuable insights into understanding and supporting your anxious teen. By listening together, you'll find conversation starters that bridge the gap and foster open communication.
🌟 Subscribe now so you never miss an episode packed with actionable advice and heartfelt support. Connect with me on social media or via email to have your questions answered. Let's navigate the journey of teen anxiety together, one episode at a time. Your teen's well-being starts here.
The Teen Anxiety Maze- Parenting Teens, Help for Anxiety, Anxious Teens, Anxiety Relief
The One Word that Can Change 2026 for You and Your Teen
What if a single word could change the entire direction of your year?
In this episode, I share one of my favorite year-end rituals: choosing a Word of the Year — a simple, powerful practice that helps teens, parents, and school counselors move into 2026 with clarity, intention, and emotional grounding.
Instead of setting resolutions that fade by February, one word becomes a compass. A filter. A steady anchor you return to when life gets overwhelming.
You'll learn:
✨ Why choosing one word is more effective than traditional resolutions
✨ How parents and counselors can guide teens through a meaningful reflection process
✨ Easy activities to bring your word to life (vision boards, lock screens, micro-goals, and more)
✨ The questions that help kids identify what they truly need in the year ahead
✨ My personal word for 2026 — GUIDED — and the story behind why I chose it
This episode will help you and the young people in your life release the pressure of perfection, connect with inner wisdom, and step into the new year feeling calmer, clearer, and more empowered.
What’s YOUR word for 2026?
Send me a DM or email and share the word that will guide your year.
Perfect for:
Parents • Teens • School Counselors • Educators • Anyone craving a fresh start in 2026
Find my podcast
Email me: ccoufal@cynthiacoufalcoaching.com
Text me: 785-380-2064
More information
Have you ever noticed that one tiny shift, one word, one intention, one mindset can change the entire direction of your year? Or, let me ask it this way. If 2026 could feel completely different from this past year, what one word would you want guiding you? That's what we're talking about today. In this episode, it is gonna be all about my most favorite ear and ritual, which is choosing a single word to shape the year ahead.
So this practice is simple, meaningful, and incredibly powerful for adults, teens, and school communities. And today. I'm not only going to walk you through how to help your child or students choose their own word, but I'm gonna [00:01:00] share what my word is for 2026, which came through loud and clear after I did some of this, these exercises.
Every December people set resolutions full of rules and pressure and perfectionism, and most of those fade away before February. But choosing one word that's different, one word becomes a lens for your whole year. A compass, a filter, a grounding moment when life gets chaotic. The data shows that resolutions have about a 9% success rate, but one word is sustainable, memorable, and emotionally resonant, one word for the new year.
Mm.
And this is, especially for teens. It removes that pressure [00:02:00] and replaces it with direction. It's not do this perfectly every day. It is actually move in this direction as you grow and for parents and school counselors, this practice becomes an anchor, a tool that you can model, teach, and use to start honest conversations with your kids.
So here's a simple process that you can use at home in counseling sessions or in classrooms. Start with three reflection questions. What do I need, what got in my way this year, and what do I want to feel more of next year? So have your child or students write this out and tell 'em not to overthink it.
Just let the thoughts come and then ask. If [00:03:00] you could choose one word to guide you in 2026, what would it be? And you can actually get lists of words online. I mean, you can. There are so many different people and companies and places that are doing one word for the year that you can get a list of all sorts of words in case they need something to help jog their memory, which I usually need to.
I, and as you write these things out, a lot of times, certain ideas and patterns and words actually just jump off the page. So if they wrote about stress, their word might be calm. If they want deeper friendships, maybe connect might be their word. And if they're hoping for more courage, maybe brave or shine would be a good word.
And once they [00:04:00] find that word, you can help them bring their word to life with activities like vision boards, a word wall in your home or classroom. They can put their word on their phone lock screens and have monthly micro goals that reflect their word. These small touches will help the word become real.
So now I'm gonna share my word for 2026 this year. The word that after doing some of this work and going through some different exercises, I finally came up with the word guided. And I chose guided because I want to make decisions differently this year.
I want to move from my intuition, not urgency. I want to move from my inner wisdom, not worrying, [00:05:00] and I've really been listening into my inner knowing recently and so I really, I just, I wanna spend a lot of time this year being guided by the truth I already know inside. And I just wanna be more in tune with myself listening to my sacred rebel.
That's something I've been working on. I can talk more about that later. Trusting my body cues and trusting that a higher wisdom is always available to me. I want to believe deeply that I am supported, supported by my faith. Supported by my ancestors, supported by the decades of experience I've gathered working with teens and parents.
I don't want my business to feel forced anymore. I want it to feel guided. I want my creativity to feel guided. My choices guided my days guided full [00:06:00] of purpose and not just busyness. Maybe you want a little more of that too. A year where you don't push so hard a year where you trust the signs, where you let things unfold, where you let yourself be led.
That's what guided means to me. So now it's your turn. What's your word for 2026? What's the word that reflects who you are becoming, not just what you want to accomplish? I would love it if you sent me a dm. Or find my text number in the show notes. If you get my newsletter, reply to my newsletter.
Leave a comment wherever you can, wherever you're listening about the word that you want for 2026. And if you're a school counselor or educator and you try this in the classroom. Tell me about that [00:07:00] too. I would love to know, uh, how that's working for you in counseling offices and classrooms. I can't wait to hear the word that chooses you.
