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
36 episodes
Leader - Divya Bhatia
In this series, we spotlight activists, innovators, and leaders who are shaping their communities and the world, often starting with one courageous decision to speak up and take action. Sharing these stories inspires all of us to find our own v...
Overthinking Understood with Dr. Brandon Gibb
I want to start with something that might feel familiar: you replay a conversation in your head, you wonder if you said the wrong thing, or you think about something that happened hours ago, but you can’t seem to move on. That experience of get...
Authenticity vs. Social Expectations with Dr. Rebecca Shiner
When do you feel most like yourself? For a lot of us, the answer isn’t always clear. You might feel one way around friends, another in school, and a completely different version of yourself online. That means, over time, it can get harder to te...
Harmony with Nature: Something Everyone Should Prioritize with Dr. Terry Hartig
In this episode, we are talking about something that touches all of us, whether we notice it or not: our harmony and connection to nature. Currently, we hear a lot about mental health resources, coping strategies, and support networks, and whil...
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...