You didn’t waste your degree. You didn’t fail your kid. And you’re not behind. You just bought into someone else’s definition of success. This episode? It’ll help you rewrite it.

What if your major doesn't match your job? What if your career doesn’t look like your resume? What if being a great parent isn't about getting it right — but about listening right?

In this episode of Mental, Nick sits down with Laura Ollinger, a teen and parent well-being coach who helps both sides of the dinner table breathe, reset, and finally hear each other again. She’s got four teens of her own (yes, FOUR), so she’s not guessing.

You’ll hear:

• The difference between goals and pressures

• Why expectations can either build trust… or break connection

• What fear of failure is really about (and how to face it)

• How to be present without trying to fix everything

This one’s for every teen who’s ever been misunderstood… and every parent who’s trying.

Your family’s not falling apart because of politics. It’s falling apart because no one knows how to talk anymore. Antonia didn’t wait for peace—she built it herself at 18.

This one’s for anyone who’s ever wanted to scream at the dinner table.

Antonia is 18. Her family's got 8 people, 0 chill, and a dinner table that becomes a political battlefield every Sunday. But one night? She snaps. And what happens next? You’ll wish you had the guts to do it too.

This isn’t just about a pot roast—it’s about the cost of silence, the weight of emotional labor Gen Z carries, and the tiny rules that might just save your family.

If you've ever felt stuck between two sides you didn’t choose—this one’s for you.

Everyone’s posting their wins. You’re just trying to remember the WiFi password from high school.

Myles isn’t failing to launch. He’s j

ust honest enough to say:

“I don’t know if I’m burnt out, or if this system is just fire.”

This episode is for anyone feeling stuck between who they thought they’d be by now… And who they actually are. Spoiler: You’re not behind. You’re just awake.

This isn’t a motivational episode. This is a brutally honest one.

Myles has a computer science degree, a mountain of debt, and zero job offers. He’s 22, living at home, and surrounded by siblings “crushing it” in cities with skylines and salaries. He spends his days rewriting résumés, scrolling LinkedIn, and wondering if his future ghosted him.

This episode dives headfirst into the "failure to launch" myth, post-grad paralysis, comparison culture, and the quiet panic of feeling like everyone else has their life figured out—except you.

But here’s the flip:

Maybe uncertainty isn’t failure. Maybe it’s the first sign you’re thinking for yourself. And maybe living at home isn’t a setback—it’s just the only rational response to a broken system.

If you’ve ever laid in bed wondering when dreaming turned into dreading… If you’ve ever wanted to throw your phone across the room because someone got a promotion and you just got out of bed… This one’s for you.

47,000 followers. And not one of them noticed she was drowning. You ever been so online that you forgot what it felt like to be here? Mallory didn’t think she had a problem… Until the people who loved her most couldn’t get her to look up. This isn’t just a story about screen time. It’s about what happens when your phone becomes your personality. And your life becomes a performance.

Seventeen-year-old Mallory Smith has it all: a 4.2 GPA, a scholarship on the line, and nearly 50,000 followers hanging on her every post. But while her online presence skyrockets, her real life starts falling apart. Missed passes on the court. Missed dinners at home. Missed moments with her 13-year-old sister Chloe, who sees the warning signs before Mallory does.

What starts as brand-building turns into addiction—silent, sneaky, and disguised as ambition. She thinks she’s working on her future. But what she’s really doing… is missing her present.

This episode explores social media dependency, dopamine addiction, and the moment Mallory finally wakes up—on the night she loses everything she thought she wanted.

If you’ve ever said “real quick” before a scroll session that lasted hours… If you can name your top followers but forgot your sibling’s last win… This one’s for you.

You ever say yes to something small… then wake up in a nightmare?

That was Tyler. One favor. One bag. One lie to protect a friend—nearly cost him his sister, his family, and his future. Sometimes it’s not the big choices that break you. It’s the tiny ones that sneak in and blow up everything.

Tyler’s just a regular 17-year-old—honors student, softball-practice chauffeur, and go-to big bro. But one decision to “help out” his best friend by holding a bag of Adderall turns into a life-altering chain reaction.

When his 12-year-old sister finds the pills and ends up in the hospital, Tyler is forced to confront the truth: loyalty can be lethal when it blinds you to what matters most. What starts as a favor spirals into threats, police reports, and a full-on investigation.

This episode is about choices—the kind you think won’t matter until they ruin everything. And how speaking up, even when it’s scary, might be the only thing that saves you.

I built a box for myself. Everything neat. Everything controlled. Then life, betrayal, and depression came in like a wrecking ball. The box shattered—so did I.

This is the episode about what happens when the people you trust break you… and the tools that keep you from breaking yourself.

Sometimes the people you count on the most let you down the hardest.

In this raw conversation with Jeb Brofsky, we unpack what happens when your identity, friendships, and mental health collapse at the same time—and how to build real resilience before you need it.

We talk about: • Feeling betrayed and boxed in by your own expectations • Why “just tough it out” is a myth (and what to do instead) • How to support a friend who shares dark thoughts without feeling like you have to “fix” them • Simple, immediate, quick (“S.I.Q.”) tools for staying grounded when your world tilts

Whether you’re a teen, a young adult, a parent, or a coach, this episode gives you real techniques, not just ideas—breathwork, micro‑habits, and mindset shifts you can start today.

⚠️ TW: Suicide / depression is discussed. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 or text HOME to 741741. You are not alone.

They say becoming a parent changes everything.

What they don’t say?

Sometimes… ‘everything’ includes your will to keep living.

I was 20. My baby was 2 pounds. And I was ready to give up.

Until one text—with a stupid little heart emoji—changed everything.

On December 18th, Tara Williams became a mom. By March 15th, she almost wasn’t here to be one.

This is the unfiltered, emotional story of a 20-year-old NICU mom navigating postpartum depression, medical bills, isolation, and total exhaustion—until a text from her boyfriend’s mom changed the trajectory of three lives.

India, born 10 weeks early, weighed just over 2 pounds. Tara, still bleeding, still healing, returned to work after two weeks. Kobe, India’s dad, took on three jobs to pay the bills.

And somewhere between breast pumps, hospital alarms, and 3AM Google searches like “Does my baby hate me?”—Tara began to believe that her daughter would be better off without her.

But as Tara sat on the ledge of a parking garage, ready to give up, her phone buzzed. One message. One emoji. One person who didn’t look away.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever felt invisible in their pain. For the ones who smile through survival. For the ones searching for a reason to keep going.

You don’t have to fight alone.

TW: This episode contains real stories of postpartum depression and suicidal thoughts. If you or someone you know is struggling, please call/text 988 or text HOME to 741741. You are not alone.

I was 20, sleep-deprived, broke, and convinced my baby hated me.

I wasn't scrolling at 3am. I was on the edge of a parking garage.

Then I got a text.

From his mom.

That stupid little red heart emoji might've just saved my life.

What if the person who saves your life… isn’t your partner, your best friend, or even your therapist… but your boyfriend’s mom?

This is Tara's story.

20 years old. A mom too soon. NICU alarms at 2am. No sleep. No money. No map.

Her breaking point? A 7th floor parking garage ledge.

The person who noticed? Kobe’s mom, Kim.

In this unforgettable episode, we follow Tara’s spiral through postpartum depression—and the woman who pulled her out. This story isn’t just about surviving the darkest moments…

It’s about how love can show up unexpectedly, awkwardly, and just in time.

Because sometimes, saving someone doesn’t look like therapy.

Sometimes it looks like sandals on concrete. A NICU hug. A heart emoji.

TW: This episode contains discussions of suicide and postpartum depression. If you or someone you know is struggling, text HOME to 741741 or call/text 988. You're not alone.