Teen Exec Podcast
Teen Exec Podcast
Podcast Description
The Teen Exec Podcast helps teens build the real-world skills they need to thrive—in school, in leadership, and in life. Hosted by high school student Natalya Lucas, founder of the Teen Exec program, the podcast offers a mix of thoughtful interviews and practical how-to conversations designed for today’s students.
In some episodes, Natalya is joined by her mom, Dr. Stacy Smith, a physician and professor, to interview professionals from a wide range of careers. Together, they explore how successful adults use executive functioning skills—like time management, planning, and goal setting—in their daily work and lives.
In others, Natalya teams up with her dad, Jeff Lucas, a business school instructor and corporate marketer, to break down leadership strategies and productivity tools that teens can apply right away—whether they’re leading a club, managing school projects, or planning for the future.
Every episode blends insightful conversations with actionable tools to help teens—and the adults who support them—develop skills they can use now and grow into over time.
Website, Email, and Social Media
teenexec.com
[email protected]
https://www.instagram.com/teen.exec/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566715093911
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on themes such as executive functioning skills, leadership strategies, and personal growth. Episodes include discussions on time management techniques, exploring effective planning methods, and goal-setting practices, alongside interviews with professionals from various fields who share their insights on utilizing these skills effectively.
The Teen Exec Podcast helps teens build the real-world skills they need to thrive—in school, in leadership, and in life. Hosted by high school student Natalya Lucas, founder of the Teen Exec program, the show features a mix of thoughtful interviews and practical how-to conversations designed for today’s students.
In some episodes, Natalya teams up with her mom, Dr. Stacy Smith, a physician and professor, to interview leaders from education, business, athletics, and the arts. Together, they explore how successful adults use executive functioning skills—like time management, planning, and goal setting—in their work and daily lives.
In others, she co-hosts with her dad, Jeff Lucas, a business school instructor and former marketing executive, to break down leadership strategies and productivity tools teens can apply right away—whether they’re leading a club, managing school projects, or planning for the future.
Every episode blends insightful conversations with actionable tools to help teens—and the adults who support them—develop skills they can use now and grow into over time.
Learn more at teenexec.com.
What does it take to build a newspaper from the ground up—and what do you learn after doing it every week for a year?
In this episode of the Teen Exec Podcast, host Natalya Lucas speaks with Melissa Russell, founding and managing editor of the Weston Observer, and Chris Larrabee, assistant editor, as the newspaper celebrates its first anniversary.
Melissa and Chris share what it was like to launch a newspaper without the systems, relationships, and institutional knowledge of an established publication. They talk about getting to know a community, building relationships with sources, creating the infrastructure needed to produce a weekly paper, and learning about Weston while simultaneously reporting on it.
The conversation also goes behind the scenes of producing the Observer. Melissa and Chris explain how they decide what is newsworthy, manage competing stories and deadlines, and adjust when plans change. Looking back on their first year, they discuss how experience has given them stronger relationships, deeper knowledge of the community, and a better sense of where to focus their attention.
For students interested in journalism, they offer practical advice about curiosity, listening, preparation, asking good questions, accepting feedback, and learning from mistakes. They also share their own paths into journalism—and why neither started college expecting to become a journalist.
Natalya closes by reflecting on a lesson that extends beyond journalism: many skills develop through experience—trying something, seeing what works, adjusting, and being better prepared the next time. She also shares what writing a student column for the Weston Observer has taught her about contributing to a larger community conversation.
Many thanks to the Weston Media Center for helping us record and edit this episode.
Resources & Links:
- For student journalists: Use our 5 Questions for Your Student Newsroom discussion guide with your journalism class, editorial board, or newspaper staff. The questions build on Melissa and Chris’s experiences and explore what you cover, how you choose stories, interviewing, handling the unexpected, and becoming a better journalist.
- You can read my reflections on the interview here: Experience Is Part of the Training
- Weston Observer
- Above the Fold, the Weston Observer podcast
- Weston Media Center
- Visit TeenExec.com for blog posts, tools, and upcoming programs
- Join Teen Exec on Instagram and LinkedIn
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