Welcome to Headstraight, a teen mental health podcast where we cut through the noise and give young adults and teens the real talk mental health they actually need about emotions, choices, and teen mental health. If you’ve ever been hit by self doubt, stuck in cycles of overcome self sabotage, or drained by endless guilt trips and overcoming people pleasing, this season is for you.

Season 1 is called Understanding Emotions because that’s where everything starts. You’ll hear a clear approach and real-life answers for dealing with moments when emotions feel too big to handle, when you’ve completely lost motivation, or when teen troubles and pressure from other people wreck your emotional well-being. We’ll dig into the reasons behind your feelings, why your brain makes it hard to hit pause, and how you can start building self control and self reliance without shame.

Across these episodes, we’ll tackle the real stuff:

• Why self doubt makes you feel “not good enough” and how to rebuild your teen self esteem.
• Why emotions hit harder during adolescence and how understanding feelings, fear management, and self-awareness help you regain control.
• How to build a support network that makes you feel safe, instead of leaving you stuck in isolation.
• Why unsafe situations create cycles of people pleasing, guilt trip, and shame—and how to take steps that protect your mental well-being.
• And finally, how to make better choices when you’re tired of faking it, tired of being manipulated, and ready to trust yourself again.

This season isn’t about quick fixes or pretending life is easy. It’s about taking a clear approach with the mental challenges that get in your way, breaking free from shame spiral moments, and learning practical ways to move forward. Each episode is designed to give you tools you can actually use—not just theory, not just advice, but honest guidance, compassionate responses, and real steps that make life feel a little more manageable.

If you’ve ever wondered why you keep slipping into the same patterns, why shame always shows up, or why teen self esteem feels so fragile, Season 1 will help you understand what’s really going on underneath it all. Step by step, you’ll learn how to strengthen your self reliance, stop people pleasing, rebuild confidence, and make better choices for yourself.

This is your starting point. Let’s get into it.

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or send me a voice note at www.headstraight.co.uk/voicemail/

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If you need more information about helplines, services or what do to if you're in a crisis, take a look at our resource page: https://www.headstraight.co.uk/resources

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