Sarah Kate Ellis has spent more than a decade as President and CEO of GLAAD, the nation's largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization. She's a TIME 100 honoree. She's testified before Congress. She's had two audiences with Pope Francis.

She's also a mom of two teenagers.

In this conversation, Dr. Sheryl and Sarah Kate get into what parents actually need to know — not the policy, not the politics, but the real stuff. What does it mean when your kid starts watching shows with queer characters? What do you say when they come to you? What do you do when you already said the wrong thing?

Sarah Kate's answer to almost all of it: love out loud, and leave room for exploration. Kids are watching everything — your reactions to the neighbor who just came out, the stranger at the store, the character in the movie. They're taking notes.

You don't have to have the perfect words. You just have to stay close.

Topics covered:

• Why kids test the waters before they ever come out to you — and what to do in those moments
• The terminology parents trip on (and what "queer" actually means)
• What to do when you've already had a bad reaction
• What trans kids actually need from their parents (Sarah Kate's left-handedness analogy is one of the best things in this episode)
• Whether to celebrate when your kid comes out — and how to do it right

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Looking for more support in the in-between years of parenting? Good Inside Teen gives you practical tools, scripts, and expert guidance for the moments that can feel most overwhelming with tweens and teens.

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What do you do when you give your teen a phone and everything you were worried about comes true? They stopped reading books like they used to. They never leave their room without their phone. Their grades slip. They’re getting into trouble socially. Can you take the phone away? Should you? And if you do, how should you go about it? This week, we're resurfacing a fan favorite from the flagship Good Inside podcast feed, in which Dr. Becky fields a few phone concerns and questions from her producer, Jesse.

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Looking for more support in the in-between years of parenting? Good Inside Teen gives you practical tools, scripts, and expert guidance for the moments that can feel most overwhelming with tweens and teens.

Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible:

• *Kt by Knix:** Use the code GOODINSIDE for 15% off period underwear

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What happens to friendship when one person has kids—and the other doesn’t?

In this episode, Dr. Sheryl sits down with two of her longtime friends, Lisa and Nancy, to talk about a friendship that has lasted through marriage, parenthood, illness, career shifts, busy seasons, and very different life choices. One of them became a mom. One of them chose not to have children. And somehow, instead of drifting apart, they kept finding ways back to each other.

Together, they talk about jealousy, flexibility, showing up, opting out, making room for someone else’s reality, and why adult friendship takes more intention than we often want to admit. This is a conversation about friendship—but it’s also about identity, parenthood, loneliness, and the quiet work of staying connected through change.

Looking for more support in the in-between years of parenting? Good Inside Teen gives you practical tools, scripts, and expert guidance for the moments that can feel most overwhelming with tweens and teens.

Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible:

• Kt by Knix: Use the code GOODINSIDE for 15% off period underwear

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What happens when your teenager is deep in puberty, your tween is just starting to feel the first shifts — and meanwhile, you're navigating perimenopause on your own?

In this episode, Dr. Sheryl talks with Camille, a single mom of two outside Nashville, who's living that exact season right now. They talk about what it really means to parent alone — not just the logistics, but the emotional weight of having no one to tap out to, no one to download the day to at night. They get into the "mom AND dad" myth (and why letting go of it changed everything), the strange grief that comes from giving your kids what you never had, and what it actually looks and feels like to repair yourself while you're raising them.

Good Inside now supports the entire parenting journey: pregnancy, babies, big kids, tweens, and teens — because the questions change as kids grow, but parents still need support.

Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible:

• Kt by Knix: Use the code GOODINSIDE for 15% off period underwear

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Tweens and teens today are growing up without something many of us took for granted: an off switch.

No break from comparison. No break from group chats, social pressure, performance, opinions, or the feeling of always being “on.”

This week, Dr. Sheryl talks with producer, writer, and Amy Poehler's Smart Girls co-founder Meredith Walker about what years of listening to girls has taught her about confidence, belonging, perfectionism, identity, and the exhausting pressure so many girls feel to get everything “right.”

They talk about:

• why “just be yourself” can feel impossible for teens
• what social media has changed about growing up
• how girls learn to trust themselves
• why experimentation and awkwardness are actually healthy
• the importance of self-compassion
• and what happens when kids feel genuinely listened to

Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible:

• Kt by Knix: Use the code GOODINSIDE for 15% off period underwear

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You ask your kid to do something simple — put their shoes away, come downstairs, stop snapping at their sibling — and suddenly you’re in a full blown argument about your tone, your words, or whether you’re being “mean.”

In this episode, Dr. Sheryl sits down with Emily, a mom of five navigating life with her 12-year-old son, Cooper, who was recently diagnosed with ADHD. But what starts as a conversation about missing assignments and emotional reactions becomes something much deeper: a conversation about sensitivity, literal thinking, overwhelm, repair, and what happens when a parent realizes they might actually share their child’s brain.

Together, they unpack:

• why some kids seem to hear criticism everywhere
• what “deeply feeling” can actually look like in tweens
• why ADHD doesn’t always look hyperactive
• how overwhelm changes the way both kids and parents communicate
• and how repair — even after the hardest moments — can become the foundation of connection

If you’ve ever felt like you’re walking on eggshells with your tween, this episode will help you understand what may really be happening underneath the conflict.

Looking for more support navigating the tween and teen years? Good Inside Teen gives you practical tools, scripts, and expert guidance for the moments that feel hardest at home.

Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible:

• Kt by Knix: Use the code GOODINSIDE for 15% off period underwear

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When should you start talking to your child about puberty and periods? What’s actually normal when it comes to cramps, mood changes, and cycle symptoms — and what’s not?

In this episode, Dr. Sheryl sits down with pediatric and adolescent gynecologist Dr. Charis Chambers, also known as “The Period Doctor,” for a conversation that every parent of a tween or teen needs to hear.

Together, they talk about:

• why puberty conversations need to start earlier than most parents think
• the signs puberty has already begun
• how to talk about periods without shame or fear
• what severe period pain can signal
• the truth about endometriosis in adolescents
• the myths we’ve inherited about girls’ bodies
• how parents can help kids feel informed, calm, and connected to their changing bodies

This episode is both deeply practical and unexpectedly emotional — especially for parents realizing how little support they themselves received growing up.

Dr. Charis Chambers's new book is called The Period & Puberty Parenting Revolution.

Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible:
Equip: Learn about Equip's at-home eating disorder treatment at equip.health/goodinside

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One minute they're playing, the next they're snapping or shutting down. When your kids are fighting, it’s easy to wonder: What am I doing wrong? Should I step in… or stay out of it?

In this episode, Dr. Sheryl sits down with therapist and mom of seven Bridget KerMorris to unpack what’s really happening between siblings — especially when one child is entering the tween years and everything starts to shift.

Together, they explore:

• Why your older child may suddenly seem mean, distant, or unpredictable
• What younger siblings are actually experiencing (and often not saying)
• The difference between a pattern and a moment
• How to respond without taking sides or shutting things down
• What “repair” looks like, and why it matters more than getting it right

You’ll also hear simple, real-life language you can use in the moment—especially when your child says things like “It’s not fair” or “You love them more.”

Sibling conflict isn’t a sign that something is wrong — it’s where your kids are learning how relationships actually work.

Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible:

• Equip: Learn about Equip's at-home eating disorder treatment at equip.health/goodinside

Follow Dr. Sheryl on Instagram

Learn more about Good Inside

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.