Academic Coaching for Parents with Dr Anna York-Weaving

Have you ever felt confused or overwhelmed by your teenager’s behaviour and emotional reactions?In this episode of Academic Coaching for Parents, I am joined by Dr Bettina Hohnen, Clinical Psychologist and Lecturer at University College London, to explore what is really happening inside the teenage brain, and how understanding brain development can transform the way parents communicate, set boundaries and support learning during adolescence.Adolescence is a period of profound neurological change. Emotions feel stronger, behaviour can seem unpredictable and motivation often fluctuates. Drawing on neuroscience, clinical experience and her work on The Incredible Teenage Brain, Dr Hohnen explains why the teenage brain is often described as being “under reconstruction” and how this perspective helps parents respond with empathy rather than frustration.We discuss how conversations can become one of the most powerful tools parents have to support emotional regulation, resilience and wellbeing, alongside the role of boundaries, daily habits, sleep and routine in shaping attention, memory and mood. We also explore how understanding the developing brain can help parents better support neurodiverse children.🎙️ In this episode, you’ll learn:✅ What is happening in the teenage brain during adolescence✅ Why emotions, behaviour and decision-making can feel so intense✅ How brain development influences motivation and learning✅ How to set boundaries that support safety, trust and independence✅ Practical strategies to support emotional regulation and resilienceThis episode is for parents who want to move beyond power struggles and towards connection, confidence and evidence-based support, while protecting both learning and wellbeing.Dr Bettina Hohnen:https://drbettinahohnen.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/bettina-hohnen-412776194/?originalSubdomain=ukBooks - The Incredible Teenage Brain & How to Have Incredible Conversations with Your Child📩 Enjoyed this episode? Share it with another parent or educator, and don’t forget to subscribe for more conversations on academic success and student wellbeing.👉 Interested in personalised academic coaching? Book a free 30-minute consultation via my website: https://www.york-weaving-education.co.uk/

In this episode of Academic Coaching for Parents, I am joined by Kristina Karlsson, founder of the global stationery brand Kikki. K, bestselling author and creator of the Your Dream Life Starts Here coaching programme.Kristina’s journey is extraordinary. From a single 3am list that sparked a global brand, to navigating the loss of Kikki. K and stepping into a completely new chapter of her life, her story offers powerful lessons on resilience, intention and purposeful living.🎧 In this conversation, we explore:✅ How Kristina’s 3am list shaped the direction of her life and career✅ The habits and mindset behind building Kikki K✅ What losing a business taught her about resilience and growth✅ How to rethink failure as a foundation for progress✅ The power of dreaming as a practice for life direction and purpose✅ How reflection and small intentional actions turn dreams into reality✅ How Your Dream Life Starts Here supports people through change and uncertaintyWhether you are a parent supporting your child, a student facing uncertainty, or someone navigating a period of change, this episode offers reassurance that you don’t need everything figured out. Creating a dream life isn’t about overnight transformation, it’s about clarity, reflection and taking small steps forward, wherever you are.🎧 If you’ve ever asked yourself “what’s next?” - this episode is for you.🔗 Links & ResourcesYour Dream Life Starts Here Coaching Programme https://www.yourdreamlifestartshere.com/Your Dream Life Starts Here Book https://www.amazon.co.uk/Your-Dream-Life-Starts-Here/dp/064831720XDream Life https://www.thedreamlifestore.com/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-karlsson/?originalSubdomain=auInstagram https://www.instagram.com/kristinadreamlife/?hl=en 📩 Enjoyed this episode? Share it with another parent or educator, and don’t forget to subscribe for more conversations on learning, motivation and student wellbeing.👉 Interested in personalised academic coaching? Book a free 30-minute consultation via my website: https://www.york-weaving-education.co.uk/

Have you ever looked at your child’s academic struggles and felt an urgent need to explain why?Because one of the most consistent patterns I see in my academic coaching work is this: when students struggle, parents understandably rush to explanations, before checking whether the foundations for learning are actually in place.In this episode, I introduce a foundations-first approach to academic success and start with the most practical, and most overlooked, skill of all, which is planning.Planning isn’t about being organised or controlling your child’s time. It’s about reducing cognitive overload, creating structure and giving students a system they can fall back on when learning feels overwhelming.🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:✅ Why academic struggles are often a systems problem, not an ability problem✅ Why planning is cognitive scaffolding - not just organisation✅ What I see again and again when students don’t have a planning system✅ How lack of planning can look like poor focus, low motivation or overwhelm✅ A simple, realistic planning framework you can start using immediately:yearly overviewsideal weekly structurestask lists and time allocationvisual clarity and weekly resetsAt the beginning of the year, if you’re looking to improve and accelerate your child’s learning and success, this is the place to start.🔗 Links & Resources📩 Enjoyed this episode? Share it with another parent or educator, and don’t forget to subscribe for more conversations on learning, motivation and student wellbeing.👉 Interested in personalised academic coaching? Book a free 30-minute consultation via my website: https://www.york-weaving-education.co.uk/

How do the brain’s natural rhythms shape attention, memory and learning?In this episode of Academic Coaching for Parents, I am joined by Professor Ole Jensen, Professor of Translational Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Oxford, to explore how brain oscillations - rhythmic patterns of neural activity - underpin attention, learning and reading. We discuss how these brain rhythms help to coordinate attention, what happens when these processes become disrupted and how this research can help parents and educators better understand attention difficulties, learning challenges and differences in how children engage with learning.🎙️ In this episode, we discuss:✅ How brain oscillations contribute to attention, memory and information processing✅ How oscillatory activity supports reading and visual exploration✅ How brain oscillations change across development and differ between children and adults✅ What research shows about disrupted modulation of brain oscillations in ADHD✅ How theories of neural communication explain coordinated brain function during learningWhether you are curious about how learning works in the brain or interested in evidence-based perspectives on education, this episode offers a research-informed exploration of the neuroscience behind learning.Professor Ole Jensen: https://www.psy.ox.ac.uk/people/ole-jensenhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ole-jensen-53b69014/📩 Enjoyed this episode? Share it with another parent or educator, and don’t forget to subscribe for more conversations on academic success and student wellbeing.👉 Interested in personalised academic coaching? Book a free 30-minute consultation via my website: https://www.york-weaving-education.co.uk/

Have you ever wondered why some of your child’s biggest learning moments happen in conversation - when they are explaining an idea, asking questions or debating something with friends?In this episode, I am joined by Professor Andrew Tolmie, Chair of Psychology and Human Development at UCL’s Institute of Education and Deputy Director of the UCL–Birkbeck Centre for Educational Neuroscience.Professor Tolmie is a developmental psychologist whose research explores how children’s thinking and reasoning develop through social interaction - how attention, dialogue and collaboration shape learning.Together, we unpack what it really means to learn together: how talk and shared attention support understanding, why some children benefit more from group learning than others and how teachers and parents can help children think more deeply and independently.🎙️ In this episode, you will learn: ✅ What shared attention means and why it’s a foundation for effective learning and focus✅ How productive dialogue helps children reason, reflect and build deeper understanding✅ Why social interaction and peer collaboration are essential for developing thinking and problem-solving skills✅ What research reveals about spaced learning, reflection and avoiding cognitive overload✅ Practical ways to nurture focus, curiosity and meaningful discussion at home and in the classroomWhether your child is in primary or secondary school, this conversation offers research-based insights into how attention, dialogue and shared learning experiences shape understanding.🔗 Links & ResourcesProf Andrew Tolmie https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/48122-andrew-tolmiehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-tolmie-1ab21522/?originalSubdomain=ukhttp://www.educationalneuroscience.org.uk/about-us/cen-research-group-2/prof-andrew-tolmie/ 📩 Enjoyed this episode? Share it with another parent or educator, and don’t forget to subscribe for more conversations on learning, motivation and student wellbeing.👉 Interested in personalised academic coaching? Book a free 30-minute consultation via my website: https://www.york-weaving-education.co.uk/

Is your child drifting through the school week - rushing homework at the last minute, staying up too late and never quite finding balance?In this episode of Academic Coaching for Parents, I share how to design your child’s ideal week: a simple, flexible framework that helps them know what to do and more importantly when. Not a rigid timetable, but a rhythm that reduces stress, supports focus and builds healthy habits for the school year ahead.🎧 In this episode, you’ll discover:✅ Why predictable routines help children feel secure and reduce procrastination✅ How to structure after-school time: breaks, homework, dinner and evening wind-downs✅ The surprising link between family mealtimes, connection and academic outcomes✅ Why phones should be set aside in the evening to protect rest and focus✅ A simple starting point: protecting one anchor routine (like homework start time or bedtime) before building the restWhether your child is just settling into secondary school or preparing for exams, this episode will give you practical strategies to bring structure, balance and calm into the week.🔗 Links & Resources📩 Enjoyed this episode? Share it with another parent or educator and subscribe for more practical strategies.👉 Book a free 30-minute consultation to explore how academic coaching can transform your child’s learning: https://www.york-weaving-education.co.uk/

Why does your child’s learning sometimes surge ahead, only to stall or even dip the next year? And what’s really happening in the brain during these uneven stages of growth?In this episode of Academic Coaching for Parents, I’m joined by Professor Rogier Kievit, Professor of Developmental Neuroscience at the Donders Institute, Radboud University Medical Center. Rogier’s groundbreaking research reveals how children’s and teenagers’ brains develop, why cognitive growth doesn’t follow a straight line and what this means for learning and academic success.🎧 In this conversation, you’ll learn:✅ Why children’s learning often comes in spurts and plateaus, and what’s really happening in the brain when progress seems to stall.✅ How vocabulary, reasoning and numerical skills reinforce one another through a process called mutualistic coupling.✅ The role of white matter and cortical changes in shaping how adolescents learn and think.✅ Why adolescence is such a distinctive, and sometimes challenging, period for executive function, motivation and decision-making.✅ How lifestyle factors like sleep, physical activity and social experiences influence brain development.✅ The Watershed Model of intelligence: how brain structure, executive functions and reasoning abilities connect like streams flowing into a river.Whether you’re supporting a child through secondary school, preparing for exams or simply trying to understand the ups and downs of adolescence, this conversation will give you science-backed insights into how the brain develops - and how you can nurture your child’s learning along the way.🔗 Links & ResourcesProfessor Rogier Kievithttps://www.mps-ucl-centre.mpg.de/people/rogier-kievithttps://oecs.mit.edu/pub/lcfp611b/release/2?readingCollection=9dd2a47dhttps://lifespancognitivedynamics.com/people.html📩 If you found this episode helpful, share it with another parent or educator, and subscribe for more science-based conversations on learning and student success.👉 Interested in personalised academic coaching with me? Book a free 30-minute consultation via my website: https://www.york-weaving-education.co.uk/

Why do teenagers sometimes struggle to plan ahead, stay focused or see things from someone else’s point of view? And how can parents support them through these changes?In this episode of Academic Coaching for Parents, I’m joined by Professor Iroise Dumontheil, Professor of Psychology and ARC Future Fellow at the University of Melbourne. Her groundbreaking research explores how the adolescent brain develops - from executive function and working memory to metacognition, social cognition and peer influence, and what this means for learning and education.🎧 In this conversation, you’ll learn:✅ What executive function is, how it develops in adolescence and why it matters for school success✅ Why metacognition - “thinking about thinking” - is a key ability that shapes how teenagers learn and grow✅ Why maths and science concepts can feel “counterintuitive,” and how the Stop and Think approach helps students master them✅ How being watched by peers affects teenagers’ performance at school and behaviour✅ How teenagers develop empathy and perspective-taking, and how parents can nurture this growth at homeThis episode is packed with insights from neuroscience to help you understand the teenage brain and practical ways to support your child’s learning, confidence, and wellbeing.🔗 Links & ResourcesProfessor Iroise Dumontheil https://cbcd.bbk.ac.uk/people/affiliated/iroise-dumontheilhttps://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/1059318-iroise-dumontheilhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/iroise-dumontheil-3301362a4/?originalSubdomain=auhttps://sites.google.com/site/idcnlab/?pli=1https://unlocke.org/📩 If you found this episode helpful, share it with another parent or educator, and subscribe for more science-based conversations on learning and student success.👉 Interested in personalised academic coaching with me? Book a free 30-minute consultation via my website: https://www.york-weaving-education.co.uk/