A different kind of conversation
What a new conversation
can look like
On the path
“What do you
want to be?”
Their whole future made to feel like one decision. Pressure to choose before they know who they are.
When you pathbreak
“What do you want
to try first?”
One experience gives them something to build on. They learn, gain confidence, and see what they want to try next.
Houston, we have a problem
Young adults
aren’t doing well.
Good grades and a degree don’t guarantee the confidence, direction, or adaptability young people need to thrive.
See the sources and context →of U.S. teens feel a great deal or a fair amount of pressure to get good grades.
Pew Research Center · March 2025of recent college graduates are underemployed, working jobs that do not typically require a degree.
Federal Reserve Bank of New York · 2026:Q2of U.S. young adults lacked meaning or purpose in their lives in the past month.
Harvard Making Caring Common · 2023A pathbreaking story
Languishing at 19.
Thriving by 23.
A year after high school, Brooke felt lost and directionless. A year later, she had found her game: building a life that made her happy and earning income doing work she truly enjoyed. Along the way, she transformed her daily habits and lost 90 pounds. Today, she leads WeightWatchers workshops and shares recipes and cooking tips with more than 50,000 followers.
Read the whole story →One kid is not a study. Brooke’s story illustrates the approach; it doesn’t establish that the same decision is right for every family.
The book
It starts with
new conversations.
The book gives you the actual words to help your teen build confidence, create value, and shape a life of their own.
Explore the full book →Available in paperback or audioGet the first
4 chapters free.
A 20 minute read. The struggle, the path, the lie about college, and the first of the new conversations.
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Download the first four chapters
Who’s writing this
What my career taught me
about raising teens
Seth Marlowe
Across thirty-two years in business, the people I wanted to hire, work alongside, or work for were self-directed. Their value came from what they could do, not how well they followed instructions.
That experience inspired Pathbreaker Parenting: helping teens become capable, independent people we’d want to work alongside.
More about Seth →
For event organizers
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