Securely Attached23 Des 2025

Is America's achievement culture fueling a mental health crisis in our kids? With Dr. Doug Bolton

Clinical psychologist, educational leader, and author of Untethered: Creating Connected Families, Schools and Communities to Raise a Resilient Generation, Dr. Doug Bolton, joins me this week to unpack the rising levels of anxiety, burnout, and overwhelm we're seeing in kids today.

Together we explore:

- How changes in education starting in the 90s have intensified academic pressure for kids of all ages.

- Why school avoidance, perfectionism, and burnout are rising, even among high-achieving students.

- The neuroscience behind why rigor, overscheduling, and constant output make it harder for kids to access curiosity, regulation, and real learning.

- How expectations have shifted, and why many kids simply aren't developmentally ready for what schools now demand.

- Realistic, achievable ways to build rest, connection, and resilience into daily family life.

- Small shifts parents can make at home to buffer their child's stress, protect their mental health, and restore balance.

If your child is melting down after school, anxious about grades, overwhelmed by homework, or feeling weighed down by pressure to perform, this episode will help you understand what's really going on beneath the surface and give you practical tools to support their wellbeing.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MY GUEST:

🔗Dr. Doug Bolton

📚Untethered: Creating Connected Families, Schools, and Communities to Raise a Resilient Generation

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM:

📱@douglasabolton

📱@drsarahbren

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

🔗 If your child is feeling overwhelmed by school demands, struggling with executive functioning, or showing signs of anxiety or burnout, you don't have to navigate this alone. Visit upshurbren.com to learn more about our therapy and coaching services designed to help kids and families move through these challenges with clarity and support.

CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about the dangers of an achievement centric approach with Jennifer Breheny Wallace

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about helping your child feel less academic pressure

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about how to handle school refusal

🎧 Listen to podcast episode about the myths of learning styles with Dr. Dan Willingham

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about the neuroscience of why boys and girls need different things with Michael Gurian

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