This episode is a fun one! I’m delighted to welcome Stephanie Silverman to the podcast. Stephanie is the co-founder of Your Teen Media, along with Susan Borison who I interviewed in episode 77. Stephanie brings multiple perspectives to our conversation. Through her role at Your Teen, she is immersed in all things raising teens and bonus, she also happens to be a mom to three young adults. So she has a lot of experience and insight, both personal and professional, to share. During our conversation, Stephanie gives a great analogy about why parenting is like running your own little business. She also shares what she calls her most defining parenting moment. Be sure to listen all the way through when Stephanie offers the advice she gives her kids when they feel butterflies in their stomachs. There’s lots of great info and quite a few laughs in this episode, so I hope you enjoy!
About Stephanie Silverman
An east coast native, Stephanie Silverman is the co-founder and co-publisher of Your Teen Media. She earned a Bachelor of Science as a Finance major at Miami University (Oxford Ohio) and began her career at NBD Bank in Detroit Michigan (MANY iterations later is now CHASE) in their commercial bank loan officer training program. Stephanie’s clients included middle market companies in Michigan. After 7 years, Stephanie exited corporate America for 10 years and settled into managing the needs of 3 small stakeholders (currently 22, 20 and 17), keeping her hand in banking, marketing and other short-term projects for clients and meaningful community work.
In 2008 Stephanie and her business partner founded Your Teen Media – and produced its first product, a niche publication for PARENTS. With a resounding WE NEED THIS from the community, the company added a website, social media, live events, webinars, podcasts, custom publications, branded content and lead generation over the next decade. The brand is known and trusted for its award winning content and authentic voice, giving like-minded brands a platform for sharing their stories, and building their audience and brand.
A strong advocate for women in leadership positions, entrepreneurship and occupying more board seats, Stephanie was THRILLED when her Alma Mater launched its Advancement for Women in Entrepreneurship program in the fall of 2018. She was honored to be part of the panel that kicked off the program, and is passionate about helping more young women see their paths to leadership in many forms.
Stephanie serves on the executive board of Bellefaire JCB, a child welfare agency in Shaker Heights, Ohio which serves 30,000 children per year. Bellefaire’s services include residential treatment, foster care and adoption, the Monarch School for Autism, Lifeworks (young adults living with Autism), and Transitional Living. She also serves on the overseas committee at the Jewish Federation in Beachwood Ohio.
In her spare time (ha), she can be found hiking, listening to a podcast, falling asleep to said podcast, chillin’ with the family, laughing at just about anything, and planning the next girls trip to do something restorative. She counts on her husband’s support and sense of humor, and the musings of Zach, Ethan and Laine to keep things lively and fun.
Oh, and if she’s lucky enough, can be found wearing her pajama bottoms, puzzling and holding a glass of red wine.
Episode Highlights
- How Stephanie and Susan first connected
- The origin of Your Teen Media
- Approaching the empty nest phase
- Teens years vs. toddler years
- Parenting kids for who they are
- How parenting is like managing your own little business
- What REALLY matters in your teens’ friendships
- What Stephanie would do differently while her kids were growing up
- The parenting balancing act – it takes two
- Stephanie’s teens spent time on the hamster wheel
- Stephanie’s defining moment of parenting
- When our kids push us out of our comfort zone
- What COVID has taught our kids this year
- Reminding our kids they can make it through hard times
- Stephanie’s advice to her kids about “butterflies”
- Stephanie’s advice to her teenage self