Why Enabling Your Kid Feels Like Love (But Isn't) with Mike Koenigs

Why Enabling Your Kid Feels Like Love (But Isn't) with Mike Koenigs

Twenty-five years of marriage, and the hardest thing we ever did together wasn't staying in love. It was learning to stop rescuing our son. In this episode I sit down with my husband, Mike Koenigs, an entrepreneur and AI educator, and we get brutally honest about the years we were terrified our family was coming apart.  The thing I had to face is that I'd been a bad mom by over-enabling, and Mike walks through his concept of Relationship Velocity, the "hard absolutes" a skilled interventionist helped us build when things got scary, and his blunt take on how reaching for the easy fix, whether that's the phone or a pill too soon, can quietly become the habit.  Here's what Mike knows that most parents don't: the harder you make it for your kid in the short run, the better it goes for everyone over the long run, and a unified front between parents matters more than being right. You'll walk away knowing why boundaries don't always look kind but are the greatest gift you can give, and how to do the next right thing instead of carrying all of it yourself. FOR FULL SHOW NOTES & TO WATCH THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE, GO TO: badmompodcast.com/mike [http://badmompodcast.com/mike] KEY TAKEAWAYS: * The phrase Mike uses for handing a screaming kid the phone, and why he says you're feeding something far more dangerous than a tantrum * "You can influence, you cannot control." The four words that change everything about parenting a teen * Relationship Velocity: the formula Mike swears is the only reason our 25-year marriage didn't snap under the pressure * Why a "unified front" meant our son could never once say "but Mom said" or "but Dad said" * Mike's blunt take on the phone and the pill, and how the easy fix quietly becomes the habit * The hard absolutes a professional interventionist gave us, and why they were black and white on purpose * The moment I admitted I'd been a bad mom by giving my kid too much of the easy way out 📌 Connect with Mike * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikekoenigs * Website: https://www.mikekoenigs.com RESOURCES & NEXT STEPS: 👉 If you’ve ever thought, “Am I doing this right?” or felt the pain of wanting to do everything but not having the tools, this episode is for you. Listen, share it with another parent who needs healing and guidance, and subscribe to The Bad Mom Podcast: Parenting The Anxious Generation. And remember: you are not a bad mom; you’re a bada$$ in a broken system. Keep fighting.  📌  Connect with Vivian Glyck & The Bad Mom Podcast: Parenting The Anxious Generation * The Bad Mom Podcast on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/badmompodcast/?hl=en] * Vivian on Instagram  [https://www.instagram.com/vivianglyck/?hl=en] * The Bad Mom Podcast on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579494953451#] * The Bad Mom Podcast on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@TheBadMomPodcast] * The Bad Mom Podcast on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@thebadmompodcast?_t=ZT-8zmOqrATaZL&_r=1] The Bad Mom Podcast: Parenting The Anxious Generation is a Project Grit initiative: fortifying mental wellness for the next generation. Just Like My Child Foundation is a proud nonprofit partner of Project, committed to equipping today's youth with the tools they need to thrive and build a better future.  For Moms Running on Empty…This Coffee Hits Different  We are so excited to welcome Dave Asprey’s Danger Coffee as the first official sponsor of Project Grit and Bad Mom Podcast. The truth is that I am addicted to Danger Coffee and I won’t drink any other coffee so it’s a good thing there are so many great benefits to it! The flavor is way better than other premium brands and I get the caffeine support without the jitters. Get 10% off your next purchase here and keep Project Grit and Bad Mom Podcast afloat: https://dangercoffee.com/

The Hidden Risk In The Drugs Kids Buy Online, with Regan Archibald

A dad walked up to me at an event and asked what I thought about a 14-year-old injecting themselves with a weight-loss drug, and then his fidgety, insecure son stepped out from behind him. I had no idea this world even existed, so I called Regan Archibald, founder of Ageless Future and author of The Peptide Blueprint, because he has been the OG voice on peptides for years.  Here's the thing most parents don't know yet: kids as young as 12 are now chasing GLP-1 drugs to "get cut," trials are being planned for far younger children, and the stuff a lot of them buy online is contaminated junk that can quietly poison them for months before anyone notices.  Regan walks me through the exact script he'd use with his own son, why you never lead with the downsides, and the one thing that actually works better than any injection. You'll walk away knowing the red flags to watch for, why shame sends kids underground, and how to point them toward doing hard things instead of taking a shortcut that costs them their health. FOR FULL SHOW NOTES & TO WATCH THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE, GO TO: badmompodcast.com/peptidekids [http://badmompodcast.com/peptidekids] KEY TAKEAWAYS: * The question one dad asked me at an event opened a door I didn't even know was there * Why kids as young as six are about to be in the conversation, and what's driving it * The "anhedonia" risk nobody is warning these kids about, and what it quietly steals * 100% the wrong move: why leading with the downsides actually pushes your kid toward it * The exact first sentence Regan would say to his own son, and it's not what you'd expect * Why most of what's sold in gyms and online is not what these kids think it is * The shame trap that sends kids underground, and the curiosity move that keeps them talking to you * The free, ancient "peptide" your kid can switch on with 20 minutes of effort 📌 Connect with Regan * Website: https://agelessfuture.com * Book: The Peptide Blueprint https://www.amazon.com/Peptide-Blueprint-Achieving-Optimal-Performance/dp/B0C7JFYT4H * YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ReganArchibald RESOURCES & NEXT STEPS: 👉 If you’ve ever thought, “Am I doing this right?” or felt the pain of wanting to do everything but not having the tools, this episode is for you. Listen, share it with another parent who needs healing and guidance, and subscribe to The Bad Mom Podcast: Parenting The Anxious Generation. And remember: you are not a bad mom; you’re a bada$$ in a broken system. Keep fighting.  📌  Connect with Vivian Glyck & The Bad Mom Podcast: Parenting The Anxious Generation * The Bad Mom Podcast on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/badmompodcast/?hl=en] * Vivian on Instagram  [https://www.instagram.com/vivianglyck/?hl=en] * The Bad Mom Podcast on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579494953451#] * The Bad Mom Podcast on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@TheBadMomPodcast] * The Bad Mom Podcast on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@thebadmompodcast?_t=ZT-8zmOqrATaZL&_r=1] The Bad Mom Podcast: Parenting The Anxious Generation is a Project Grit initiative: fortifying mental wellness for the next generation. Just Like My Child Foundation is a proud nonprofit partner of Project, committed to equipping today's youth with the tools they need to thrive and build a better future.  For Moms Running on Empty…This Coffee Hits Different  We are so excited to welcome Dave Asprey’s Danger Coffee as the first official sponsor of Project Grit and Bad Mom Podcast. The truth is that I am addicted to Danger Coffee and I won’t drink any other coffee so it’s a good thing there are so many great benefits to it! The flavor is way better than other premium brands and I get the caffeine support without the jitters. Get 10% off your next purchase here and keep Project Grit and Bad Mom Podcast afloat: https://dangercoffee.com/

What a 94-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor Knows About the Anxious Generation with Mirta Glyck

My mom, Mirta Glyck, a retired New York City public school teacher with two master's degrees and 29 years in the classroom, opens this conversation by compressing her life into less than a minute: the war started when she was eight or nine years old, her mother counted more than 20 cousins, aunts, and uncles killed by the Nazis, and when she couldn't leave a difficult marriage, she gave herself a 10-year program.  This is what 94 years looks like when you had to build grit you weren't born with, and she has been watching parents and children across four generations ever since. Here's what Mirta knows that most parents today don't: that where there is more, children often feel less secure, and that every time we do too much for our kids, we take something away from their ability to believe in themselves.  What she has observed across a lifetime confirms what Dr. Daniel Amen shared with me in a recent episode, that the most effective parents are involved, firm, and kind, and she has seen firsthand what happens when that balance tips. You'll walk away from this conversation knowing that grit isn't born, it's forged, and that doing the next right thing, one day at a time, is exactly the philosophy that kept this woman standing through things most of us will never face. FOR FULL SHOW NOTES & TO WATCH THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE, GO TO: badmompodcast.com/mirta KEY TAKEAWAYS: * What Mirta says in the first 60 seconds that every parent needs to hear, and why it changes how you hear everything that comes after * The overprotection paradox a 94-year-old Holocaust survivor cannot stop thinking about: where there is more, children seem less secure * Why grit isn't something you're born with, and what Mirta's own story proves about how it actually gets built * The quiet 10-year survival plan Mirta made when she had nothing, and what it teaches every parent who feels stuck right now * How Dr. Daniel Amen's three pillars of effective parenting map to the wisdom Mirta has lived out across a lifetime * What four generations of watching parents and children in and out of the NYC public school system actually taught Mirta about what works * Why an unlikely matriarch, once a shy, spoiled only child from a nearly decimated family, turned out to be the most hopeful guest this show has ever had RESOURCES & NEXT STEPS: 👉 If you’ve ever thought, “Am I doing this right?” or felt the pain of wanting to do everything but not having the tools, this episode is for you. Listen, share it with another parent who needs healing and guidance, and subscribe to The Bad Mom Podcast: Parenting The Anxious Generation. And remember: you are not a bad mom; you’re a bada$$ in a broken system. Keep fighting.  📌  Connect with Vivian Glyck & The Bad Mom Podcast: Parenting The Anxious Generation * The Bad Mom Podcast on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/badmompodcast/?hl=en] * Vivian on Instagram  [https://www.instagram.com/vivianglyck/?hl=en] * The Bad Mom Podcast on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579494953451#] * The Bad Mom Podcast on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@TheBadMomPodcast] * The Bad Mom Podcast on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@thebadmompodcast?_t=ZT-8zmOqrATaZL&_r=1] The Bad Mom Podcast: Parenting The Anxious Generation is a Project Grit initiative: fortifying mental wellness for the next generation. Just Like My Child Foundation is a proud nonprofit partner of Project, committed to equipping today's youth with the tools they need to thrive and build a better future.  For Moms Running on Empty…This Coffee Hits Different  We are so excited to welcome Dave Asprey’s Danger Coffee as the first official sponsor of Project Grit and Bad Mom Podcast. The truth is that I am addicted to Danger Coffee and I won’t drink any other coffee so it’s a good thing there are so many great benefits to it! The flavor is way better than other premium brands and I get the caffeine support without the jitters. Get 10% off your next purchase here and keep Project Grit and Bad Mom Podcast afloat: https://dangercoffee.com/

Why Gen Z Isn't Dating (And Why It Should Scare Us) with Christine Emba

When Christine Emba, writer and author of "Rethinking Sex: A Provocation," told me about a young man who took crystal meth to hollow out his cheekbones, I felt that familiar 3am dread, because underneath every bit of that bravado is fear, and I see it in our kids.  So here's the thing: this episode is about why Gen Z has stopped dating, stopped connecting, and started "optimizing" themselves into total isolation, and what that loneliness is costing an entire generation.  Here's what Christine knows that most parents don't: the boys disappearing into looksmaxxing forums and AI companions aren't broken, they're scared and unmoored, raised in a world where the old social norms simply dissolved out from under them.  She gave me the most beautifully simple framework I've heard in a long time, and it starts with two words: "touch grass”, getting our kids off the screen and into third spaces, real rooms with real people. You'll walk away knowing how to ask your kid the one question that cracks the door open instead of slamming it, and why connection, not control, is still 100% the cure. FOR FULL SHOW NOTES & TO WATCH THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE, GO TO: badmompodcast.com/looksmaxxing [http://badmompodcast.com/looksmaxxing] KEY TAKEAWAYS: * Why a meth-and-steroids "looksmaxxing" influencer has a stranglehold on young men, and what it reveals about their fear * The substitution effect that's quietly stealing your son's ability to connect, one screen at a time * "You're optimizing yourself, but you're not connecting with anyone." The line that stopped me cold * Why the AI companion who never says no might be the most dangerous relationship your kid has * The "touch grass" approach Christine swears by * The one question to ask your teen that opens the door instead of starting a war * Why the social norms we took for granted have vanished, and what we owe our kids now 📌 Connect with Christine Emba * Christine’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christineemba/ * New York Times (contributing writer): "The Reason Gen Z Isn't Dating": https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/opinion/gen-z-dating-clavicular.html?unlocked_article_code=1.QVA.yJ7i.SQdR5N-Lf96Z&smid=url-share * Washington Post (essay): "Men Are Lost": https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/07/10/christine-emba-masculinity-new-model/ * Book: Rethinking Sex: A Provocation:https://www.amazon.com/Rethinking-Sex-Provocation-Christine-Emba/dp/0593087569 RESOURCES & NEXT STEPS: 👉 If you’ve ever thought, “Am I doing this right?” or felt the pain of wanting to do everything but not having the tools, this episode is for you. Listen, share it with another parent who needs healing and guidance, and subscribe to The Bad Mom Podcast: Parenting The Anxious Generation. And remember: you are not a bad mom; you’re a bada$$ in a broken system. Keep fighting.  📌  Connect with Vivian Glyck & The Bad Mom Podcast: Parenting The Anxious Generation * The Bad Mom Podcast on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/badmompodcast/?hl=en] * Vivian on Instagram  [https://www.instagram.com/vivianglyck/?hl=en] * The Bad Mom Podcast on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579494953451#] * The Bad Mom Podcast on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@TheBadMomPodcast] * The Bad Mom Podcast on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@thebadmompodcast?_t=ZT-8zmOqrATaZL&_r=1] The Bad Mom Podcast: Parenting The Anxious Generation is a Project Grit initiative: fortifying mental wellness for the next generation. Just Like My Child Foundation is a proud nonprofit partner of Project, committed to equipping today's youth with the tools they need to thrive and build a better future.  For Moms Running on Empty…This Coffee Hits Different  We are so excited to welcome Dave Asprey’s Danger Coffee as the first official sponsor of Project Grit and Bad Mom Podcast. The truth is that I am addicted to Danger Coffee and I won’t drink any other coffee so it’s a good thing there are so many great benefits to it! The flavor is way better than other premium brands and I get the caffeine support without the jitters. Get 10% off your next purchase here and keep Project Grit and Bad Mom Podcast afloat: https://dangercoffee.com/

He Was My Biggest Fear. Now He's Teaching Me. | with Zak Koenigs

When my son Zak Koenigs, founder of Prospect Forge, walked back into the studio for this second conversation, I could feel immediately that something had shifted in him, and honestly, that shift is the whole reason I brought him back.  We went deep on the data that should be keeping every parent of a son up at night: Scott Galloway's finding that 1 in 7 young men now reports zero friends, Gen Z unemployment running at 8.3% (more than double the national average), and the Federal Reserve's recent report that 41% of recent college graduates are underemployed right now.  Here's what Zak knows that most parents don't: the looks-maxing obsession, the nihilism, the incel rabbit holes, they all trace back to the same root, and once you understand that root, 100% of the conversation with your son changes.  He also breaks down how Prospect Forge is built on "democratizing nepotism," giving young people access to the networks and mentors they were never born into, and shares what he calls the most underrated tool for parents right now, the "cellular fast."  You will walk away from this episode knowing what your son might not be saying out loud, what community, forgiveness, and surrender look like as a practical action plan, and the next right thing you can do to open the door. FOR FULL SHOW NOTES & TO WATCH THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE, GO TO: badmompodcast.com/zak2 [http://badmompodcast.com/zak2] KEY TAKEAWAYS: * The number that will stop you cold: 1 in 7 young men has zero friends, and I finally understand what that silence actually looks like inside our homes. * The looks-maxing rabbit hole is not about vanity. What Zak says it's really about will completely change how you see your son. * Discover how Prospect Forge is "democratizing nepotism" and why a 23-year-old building this business might be one of the most important things happening for Gen Z right now. * Why Zak believes that almost all of Gen Z's nihilism, anger, and purposelessness traces back to a single missing ingredient, and what parents can actually do about it. * The "cellular fast": what it is, why it works, and why it is not about screen time rules at all. * Three words Zak left me with that I keep coming back to: community, forgiveness, and surrender. He calls it the bow on everything. I call it a lifeline. * There is a question you can ask your son right now that will tell you more than any lecture, any app blocker, or any conversation you have tried before. 📌 Connect with Zak and Prospect Forge * Prospect Forge: https://prospectforge.us [https://prospectforge.us/] RESOURCES & NEXT STEPS: 👉 If you’ve ever thought, “Am I doing this right?” or felt the pain of wanting to do everything but not having the tools, this episode is for you. Listen, share it with another parent who needs healing and guidance, and subscribe to The Bad Mom Podcast: Parenting The Anxious Generation. And remember: you are not a bad mom; you’re a bada$$ in a broken system. Keep fighting.  📌  Connect with Vivian Glyck & The Bad Mom Podcast: Parenting The Anxious Generation * The Bad Mom Podcast on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/badmompodcast/?hl=en] * Vivian on Instagram  [https://www.instagram.com/vivianglyck/?hl=en] * The Bad Mom Podcast on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579494953451#] * The Bad Mom Podcast on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@TheBadMomPodcast] * The Bad Mom Podcast on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@thebadmompodcast?_t=ZT-8zmOqrATaZL&_r=1] The Bad Mom Podcast: Parenting The Anxious Generation is a Project Grit initiative: fortifying mental wellness for the next generation. Just Like My Child Foundation is a proud nonprofit partner of Project, committed to equipping today's youth with the tools they need to thrive and build a better future.  For Moms Running on Empty…This Coffee Hits Different  We are so excited to welcome Dave Asprey’s Danger Coffee as the first official sponsor of Project Grit and Bad Mom Podcast. The truth is that I am addicted to Danger Coffee and I won’t drink any other coffee so it’s a good thing there are so many great benefits to it! The flavor is way better than other premium brands and I get the caffeine support without the jitters. Get 10% off your next purchase here and keep Project Grit and Bad Mom Podcast afloat: https://dangercoffee.com/