On May’s episode of PrepTalks, Ned speaks with Katey McPherson, an Arizona-based educational advocate with more than 25 years of experience as a teacher, guidance counselor, and school administrator. They talk about strategies for addressing the anxiety that so many of our middle and high school students suffer from, including the importance of parents and school staff providing a non-anxious presence (or NAP). They also dive into the need to cultivate resilience rather than taking it for granted, and how showing vulnerability and validating our teens’ and tweens’ emotions is critical for building authentic connections. Likewise, Ned and Katey discuss how important it is to allow students the space to develop skills in moving through conflict rather than sweeping it away or just ignoring it. Follow Ned at @nedjohnson and Katey at @KateyAZ1 on Twitter.