Colleen O'Grady LPC, LMFT, author, speaker & C-Suite Radio
347 episodes
4 days ago
Colleen O'Grady, MA. is a speaker, trainer and author of the award-winning and best-selling book Dial Down the Drama: Reduce Conflict and Reconnect with Your Teenage Daughter---A Guide for Mothers Everywhere. Colleen shares her wisdom from twenty-five years of experience as a licensed marriage and family therapist which translates into over 50,000 hours of working with parents and teens. Colleen, known as the parent-teen relationship expert helps you raise the bar of what's possible for the teenage years. Colleen not only knows this professionally she has been a mom in the trenches with her own teenage daughter. You really can improve your relationship with your teen and dial up the joy, peace, and delight at home and work. Every episode is geared to uplift you, give you practical parenting tips that you can apply right away and keep you current on the latest in teen research and trends.
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Colleen O'Grady, MA. is a speaker, trainer and author of the award-winning and best-selling book Dial Down the Drama: Reduce Conflict and Reconnect with Your Teenage Daughter---A Guide for Mothers Everywhere. Colleen shares her wisdom from twenty-five years of experience as a licensed marriage and family therapist which translates into over 50,000 hours of working with parents and teens. Colleen, known as the parent-teen relationship expert helps you raise the bar of what's possible for the teenage years. Colleen not only knows this professionally she has been a mom in the trenches with her own teenage daughter. You really can improve your relationship with your teen and dial up the joy, peace, and delight at home and work. Every episode is geared to uplift you, give you practical parenting tips that you can apply right away and keep you current on the latest in teen research and trends.
# 367 Vaping, Delta-8, and Teens: What Moms Need to Know
Power Your Parenting: Moms With Teens
33 minutes
4 days ago
# 367 Vaping, Delta-8, and Teens: What Moms Need to Know
Are you worried about how easy it is for your tween, teen, or college-age child to get alcohol, weed, vapes, or “wellness” gummies—and not sure where to even start the conversation?
In this episode of Power Your Parenting: Moms of Teens, Colleen talks with Pam Jenkins, Chief Executive Officer of Shatterproof, a national nonprofit dedicated to reversing the addiction crisis in the United States. Pam explains how today’s substances (like Delta-8, synthetic THC products, and vaping) are more accessible and more potent, why mental health and substance use are so tightly linked, and why clear parental expectations are one of the strongest protective factors. You’ll hear practical, hopeful ways to start ongoing conversations, monitor wisely (without turning into the “drug police”), and support your child’s mental health so they’re less vulnerable to addiction.
About Pam Jenkins
Pam Jenkins is the Chief Executive Officer of Shatterproof, the leading national nonprofit focused on preventing and treating addiction and supporting long-term recovery. With a lifelong career in public health and health communication, Pam has led large-scale initiatives in areas such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and substance use. She has worked on government campaigns about marijuana, youth alcohol use, and created widely recognized public-health symbols like the red dress for women’s heart disease. Today, Pam leads Shatterproof’s policy advocacy, prevention programs, and family resources, all aimed at transforming how America understands and addresses addiction.
3 Key Takeaways for Moms
Access and potency have changed—your expectations still matter.
Teens can easily access highly potent substances (like Delta-8 and other synthetic THC products, vapes, and stronger marijuana) in gas stations, convenience stores, and online. Even so, clear parental disapproval is one of the strongest protections against teen use. Don’t assume your kids “just know” how you feel—say it plainly and repeat it often.
Mental health and substance use are inseparable.
Anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, and social isolation all increase a teen’s vulnerability to drugs and alcohol—and drug use can, in turn, worsen or even trigger serious mental health issues like crippling anxiety, depression, and psychosis. Monitoring your child’s mood, behavior, friendships, grades, and social connectedness is as important as watching for the substances themselves.
Monitor early, talk often, and stay curious—not panicked.
Effective prevention starts young: secure medications at home, know your child’s friends, stay engaged with school, and watch for changes in behavior or peer groups. Have many short, specific conversations—especially before parties or transitions—using curiosity (“What usually happens at those parties?”) rather than accusations. You don’t have to be an expert; you just need to be present, clear about your values, and willing to keep the dialogue going well into their college years.
Find out more at: https://shatterproof.org/
Follow at: https://www.instagram.com/weareshatterproof/
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Power Your Parenting: Moms With Teens
Colleen O'Grady, MA. is a speaker, trainer and author of the award-winning and best-selling book Dial Down the Drama: Reduce Conflict and Reconnect with Your Teenage Daughter---A Guide for Mothers Everywhere. Colleen shares her wisdom from twenty-five years of experience as a licensed marriage and family therapist which translates into over 50,000 hours of working with parents and teens. Colleen, known as the parent-teen relationship expert helps you raise the bar of what's possible for the teenage years. Colleen not only knows this professionally she has been a mom in the trenches with her own teenage daughter. You really can improve your relationship with your teen and dial up the joy, peace, and delight at home and work. Every episode is geared to uplift you, give you practical parenting tips that you can apply right away and keep you current on the latest in teen research and trends.
