506: Raising Resilient Kids in a Fragile Culture
Wire Talk with Karen Stubbs
Karen Stubbs
4.9 • 936 Ratings
🗓️ 24 February 2026
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Are you parenting a Gen Z child and wondering why everything feels so different from when you were growing up? Today Karen and Emily sit down with leadership expert Tim Elmore, founder of Growing Leaders, to talk about the unique pressures facing this generation.
From overexposure to information and technology and underexposure to real-world experiences, Tim helps moms understand what’s really happening beneath the surface in a Gen Z kid. Don’t miss his fantastic illustration of what it means to be a “velvet-covered brick” as a parent!
Episode Recap:
- Growing Leaders was created to help parents understand the next generation (00:54)
- Who is the Gen Z kid? Who is Gen Alpha? (2:00)
- Gen Z makes us better leaders (4:20)
- Gen Z is overwhelmed by their overexposure to information (8:25)
- This generation is underexposed to experiences (10:09)
- How can a generation be so connected and still so lonely? (13:06)
- How do I equip my kids to overcome hardship? (16:04)
- Parents allow their kids to risk too little, and then rescue too much. (18:54)
- What intentional habits can make a difference for this generation? (22:44)
- Enter our giveaway on @birdsonawiremoms to win one of Tim’s books (27:20)
Scripture: James 1:2-4 (NIV)
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
Discussion Questions:
- Where am I most tempted to rescue my child instead of coaching them through something hard?
- When my child says they’re overwhelmed, how do I typically respond?
- How well am I balancing “be yourself” with teaching my child to belong to something bigger than themselves?
- What is one real-life experience I could intentionally create this year to help my child grow up (not just grow older)?
Resources:
- Listen to the rest of our conversation on WT+: boaw.mom/insider
- Check out all of Tim’s books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4tQ7Iig
- Check out our BRAND NEW Bible study: How To Teach Your Kids the Bible
Want More of This Conversation?
Wire Talk+ listeners get extended conversations every week! Today Tim shares his perspective on the top 3 mistakes parents of teens are making with this generation.
Head HERE and join us for the full conversation.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey everybody and welcome to WireTalk. |
| 0:02.3 | Are you parenting a Gen Z child? |
| 0:04.7 | Well, if you are, today's episode is for you, |
| 0:07.6 | because sometimes we feel like that generation is a little too different from us |
| 0:11.8 | and we don't quite understand them. |
| 0:13.6 | But today we have leadership expert, Tim Elmore, on the show, |
| 0:17.1 | and he's going to be sharing all of his tips and tricks |
| 0:20.5 | on how to understand and |
| 0:22.4 | parent the Gen Z generation. |
| 0:27.9 | Welcome, Tim, to Wire Talk. |
| 0:29.8 | I'm so excited that you are joining us today because you are the expert in all the generations. |
| 0:35.3 | But for the moms they're listening that have never heard about |
| 0:38.4 | you, tell them a little bit about what you do and why you do what you do. Well, I founded a non-profit |
| 0:44.7 | organization, gosh, 20 plus years ago called Growing Leaders. And the design purpose was to help |
| 0:51.1 | parents, educators, coaches, youth workers understand the emerging generation |
| 0:56.7 | that was growing up very different than we were back in the day. But then also to help those |
| 1:03.2 | young people become leaders. I felt like we were being satisfied way too quickly with them |
| 1:09.4 | graduating and nobody got hurt. You know, they didn't do drugs. They didn't get pregnant. Right. And I was thinking, I think there's leadership gifts in every single young person, maybe not CEO of the company. Right. But they got influence. And I wanted to help them become thermostats, not just thermometers and the relationships of their life. So that's what I've been doing, |
| 1:28.3 | and it's been, gosh, three and a half million kids over the years that we've been able to help |
| 1:33.9 | moms and dads and teachers and coaches impact as they work with these students. Yeah. |
| 1:39.5 | Well, that's wonderful. Now we're going to bring it to the Birds on Aware moms. So I'm so excited |
| 1:43.9 | to introduce you to them. |
... |
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