{"podcast":{"title":"The Almost Empty Nest—Letting Go, Redefined: Parenting Teens and Finding Yourself Again—with Small Jar Coach","slug":"the-almost-empty-nest-letting-go-redefined-parenting-teens-and-finding-yourself-again-with-small-jar-coach-4890904","podcast_index_feed_id":4890904,"rss_url":"https://app.kajabi.com/podcasts/2147495559/feed","website_url":"https://www.thesmalljar.com/podcasts/the-almost-empty-nest-letting-go-redefined-parenting-teens-and-finding-yourself-again-with-small-jar-coach","image_url":"https://kajabi-storefronts-production.kajabi-cdn.com/kajabi-storefronts-production/file-uploads/site/163391/podcasts/c4ff1ef-fc17-f50-d4d-d80ecfb00676_Motivation_Podcast_Cover_1_.png","author":"Master Coach Jennifer Collins","episode_count":275,"summary":"Are you stuck between wanting to guide your teen or college kid and knowing it’s time to start letting go? Welcome to The Almost Empty Nest Podcast, where moms of teens and college kids reframe what ‘letting go’ really means and stop second-guessing themselves to feel more connected, confident, and at peace in this chapter of motherhood. Each week, you’ll learn how to: • Break free from mindset traps like catastrophizing, mom guilt, and the illusion of control • Build a stronger relationship with your teen—even when they pull away or test boundaries • Strengthen your self-trust as you set boundaries, let go of anxiety, and explore your own purpose beyond parenting Hosted by master life coach—and mom of two college kids—Jennifer Collins, this show offers grounded, relatable support and mindset shifts to help you stop overthinking and start showing up as the mom and woman you truly want to be. 🎧 Start with listener favorite Episode 85: The Empty Nest Straddle — The Emotional Tug of Parenting Teens and Facing the Empty Nest.","last_synced_at":"2026-08-02T10:20:03.232061+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-almost-empty-nest-letting-go-redefined-parenting-teens-and-finding-yourself-again-with-small-jar-coach-4890904"},"episode":{"title":"Mindset Traps of Parenting Teens and the Empty Nest—Trap #9: Validation Seeking—Letting Go of Needing Your Big Kid to Make You Feel Okay | Ep. 249","slug":"mindset-traps-of-parenting-teens-and-the-empty-nest-trap-9-validation-seeking-letting-go-of-needing-your-big-kid-to-make-you-feel-okay-ep-249","published_at":"2026-05-02T11:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-almost-empty-nest-letting-go-redefined-parenting-teens-and-finding-yourself-again-with-small-jar-coach-4890904/mindset-traps-of-parenting-teens-and-the-empty-nest-trap-9-validation-seeking-letting-go-of-needing-your-big-kid-to-make-you-feel-okay-ep-249","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-almost-empty-nest-letting-go-redefined-parenting-teens-and-finding-yourself-again-with-small-jar-coach-4890904","url":"https://www.thesmalljar.com/podcasts/the-almost-empty-nest-letting-go-redefined-parenting-teens-and-finding-yourself-again-with-small-jar-coach/episodes/2149200305","audio_url":"https://app.kajabi.com/podcasts/medias/2149200305.mp3","summary":"Have you ever noticed how much better you feel when your teen or adult child is open, responsive, or appreciative… and how quickly your mood drops when they’re distant or uninterested? Like you’re okay when they’re okay with you, but unsettled when they’re not? Today, I’m continuing the Mindset Traps of Parenting Teens and the Empty Nest series with a focus on validation seeking—the habit of relying on your child’s responses to determine how you feel about yourself. In this episode, I unpack why this pattern is so common for moms in this stage of motherhood, especially as you’re navigating letting go and redefining your role. You’ll start to see how easy it is to tie your sense of connection, purpose, and even identity to how your child shows up. But more importantly, I’ll show you what’s possible when you shift this. When you stop relying on your child’s responses to feel steady, you open the door to a deeper kind of confidence—one that allows you to set boundaries, trust yourself, and stay grounded no matter what. This is the work that changes how you experience both parenting teens and the empty nest, helping you feel more at peace, more connected, and more like yourself again. 💡 Interested in learning more about how to create peace, confidence and connection as you raise and launch your teen? Join me for my next free masterclass:  https://www.thesmalljar.com/class . 💪 Curious about coaching with Small Jar?  Check out our Mom 2.0 coaching program:  www.thesmalljar.com/Mom-2-0 . ❓ Have questions or want to share your feedback? I'd love to hear from you! You can email me at  jennifer@thesmalljar.com . This empowering podcast offers life coaching for moms and parenting support for midlife mothers raising teens as they approa…","meta_description":"Have you ever noticed how much better you feel when your teen or adult child is open, responsive, or appreciative… and how quickly your mood drops when th…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1605,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-almost-empty-nest-letting-go-redefined-parenting-teens-and-finding-yourself-again-with-small-jar-coach-4890904/episodes/mindset-traps-of-parenting-teens-and-the-empty-nest-trap-9-validation-seeking-letting-go-of-needing-your-big-kid-to-make-you-feel-okay-ep-249/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-almost-empty-nest-letting-go-redefined-parenting-teens-and-finding-yourself-again-with-small-jar-coach-4890904/mindset-traps-of-parenting-teens-and-the-empty-nest-trap-9-validation-seeking-letting-go-of-needing-your-big-kid-to-make-you-feel-okay-ep-249.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}