Positive World, Positive People
PoWoPoPe episodes are designed for teenage audiences, specifically covering various unique topics that relate to early life and development. Episodes range from discussions on the impacts of social media to discovering one's true self.
Episodes
32 episodes
Activist - Benton Schroeder
In this series, we highlight activists, innovators, and leaders who used their voices and actions to create real change, reminding us that you are never too young to make a difference. At its core, this series is about showing that change doesn...
How External Factors and Identity Shape Teen Motivation with Dr. Chris Hulleman
The teenage years are full of change. We’re asked to think more seriously about our futures, take on more responsibility, and define who we want to become. But somewhere in the middle of all that, motivation can start to feel unpredictable. You...
Revealing the Origin of Adolescent Depression with Dr. Michael Scheeringa
As we move through our teenage years, emotions can feel heavier, more complex, and sometimes harder to understand. For some teens, those feelings go beyond stress and become something deeper: something harder to explain, like a lingering sadnes...
The Surprising Role of Self-Compassion in Adolescence with Dr. Ronald Siegel
One thing that comes up again and again in life is how complicated self-esteem can feel. There are moments where you feel confident and secure, and others where your self-worth feels tied to things like grades, friendships, or how you think oth...
Activist - Sagarika Sriram
In this series, we highlight activists, innovators, and leaders who prove that meaningful change often begins with a single idea and the courage to act on it. These stories are meant to inspire you, because no matter how small your beginnings s...
Conceptualizing the Effects of Motivation with Dr. Kaplan
Something I notice constantly, in my friends and in myself, is how unpredictable motivation can feel during the teenage years. Unfortunately, motivation is not something adolescents can ignore as it shapes our academic performance, ambitions, f...
The Science Behind Prosocial Behavior with Dr. Daniel Fessler
As we grow into our teenage years, life becomes fuller and more complicated. School and hobbies get harder. Expectations rise. Social dynamics shift. And sometimes, the small, natural acts of kindness that once felt easy begin to feel harder to...
The True Outcomes of Nature Connectedness with Dr. Caroline Harvey
Today’s episode feels especially grounding, literally. When we think about teen well-being, we usually address topics such as friendships, school stress, social media, or family dynamics. But we don’t always think about something much quieter, ...
Leader - Juliet Zakaryan
In this series, I highlight young activists, innovators, and leaders who are already shaping a more just and equitable future through their voices, values, and actions. These interviews show that meaningful change doesn’t require waiting for th...
Motivation and What It Truly Means With Dr. Allan Wigfield
One question that comes up a LOT is: Why does motivation sometimes feel like a wave, strong one day and completely gone the next? Why does it feel easy to care about something at one moment and impossible the next, especially during school or g...
A New Perspective on Friendships with Dr. Bukowski
If you’ve ever looked at your phone and realized you don’t talk to someone the way you used to, or felt like a friendship quietly changed without a clear reason, you’re not alone. One of the strangest parts of growing up is watching relationshi...
Solitude & Belonging with Dr. Coplan
Today’s episode focuses on something many young people experience but don’t acknowledge: loneliness. Even though we’re constantly connected through social media, texting, and school, lots of teens still feel isolated, unseen, or emotionally alo...
Activist - Lily Niederhofer
Today’s episode is part of our “Change Starts Small” series, where young activists, innovators, and leaders who are proving that age is never a limitation to creating meaningful change join our podcast. This series is rooted in the belief that ...
Choosing Kindness and Authenticity with Dr. Tyrone Howard
The teenage years come with moments that test us. Whether it’s pressure, loss, failure, or uncertainty, difficult experiences can make us feel disconnected from ourselves and others. However, doing simple things, such as staying open-minded, ki...
Learning to Let Go and Grow with Dr. Olga Kornienko
As we move through our teenage years, friendships often begin to change. People we once felt inseparable from might drift away, friend groups shift, and sometimes we’re left wondering what we did wrong or if something is wrong with us. These ch...
Rewriting Your Story: Julia Garcia on Self-Esteem and Hope
In our previous episode, we sat down with Jenny Garrett to talk about building self-esteem, what it means to find confidence from within, and how to navigate identity in a world full of comparison. We explored how self-worth connects to authent...
Leader - Jahkil Jackson
Our guest today is Jahkil Jackson, who turned his own curiosity, empathy, and sense of purpose into a global movement. Jahkil is a three-time best-selling author, youth philanthropist, student-athlete, and social entrepreneur. When he was eight...
Identity, Purpose, and Self-Esteem with Jenny Garrett
In our last episode, we explored the topic of self-esteem with Sadie Sutton and discussed what it truly means to find confidence from within. We talked about how anxiety and self-worth often overlap, and how learning to accept ourselves can be ...
Becoming Who You Are: Teen Self-Esteem with Sadie Sutton
As teenagers, self-esteem does not always come naturally. Being able to be confident in who we are, who we want to be, and what we want to become is incredibly difficult. Between social media pressures, academic stress, and the constant compari...
The Journey to You: Self-Discovery with Julie Lythcott-Haims
Through our teenage and young adult years, we begin to take the steps to discover our true identities and passions. Discovering who our true selves are makes an incredible difference in our everyday lives, but sometimes that journey of discover...
Leader - Nate Wilbourne
I’m thrilled to welcome today’s guest for our first episode of the newest PoWoPoPe series, Change Starts Small. Nate Wilbourne is a youth and nature advocate from New Zealand. Nate has done incredible work in environmental conservation, climate...
The Kindness Blueprint: Insights from Dr. Karen Bluth
As we develop into our teenage years, life begins to move at lightning speed. School becomes more demanding, extracurriculars fill up our afternoons, and social pressures seem to grow by the day. Amid all of this, the simple acts of kindness an...
The Balancing Act: Managing Anxiety as a Teen with Dr. Amanda Jensen Doss
As we begin our teenage years, schoolwork begins to pile up, activities become more demanding, and thoughts about college consume every waking minute. In all, life becomes more anxiety-inducing and sometimes frightening. Thinking about all this...
Jeffrey Arnett and Deciding Our Futures
Teenagehood is the beginning of the rest of our lives. From diving into rigorous classes at school to developing meaningful friendships, teenagers prepare for the future in multiple ways. However, why does it always feel like the future is too ...
A Deep Dive into Media Literacy with Renee Hobbs
Being exposed to the media is something that we can all relate to. From social media to news articles, the media surrounds us through every waking moment. As we are constantly dealing with the media, what are some tactics and ways that we can b...