Jen Landis is an artist, author and assistant professor of practice in graphic design at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her organization Pincurl Girls, started in 2009, creates products and services to help young girls find their confidence, including a podcast, art classes, a scholarship program, and a text club that sends daily words of affirmation to members.
Landis published the tween and teen self-help book “Skip the Bad Songs! The Art of Rocking a Happy Mindset” in July. “Skip the Bad Songs” is a workbook with activities and guides to help young girls through common challenges during that stage of life. The book includes advice on fostering new friendships, creating healthy routines, recognizing accomplishments and more tactile things like step-by-step instructions for making a zine. Landis’s former student Rachel Dempsey did the book’s illustrations.
In this episode, Landis talks about her own mental health journey, how parents and caregivers can empower their teens, and why it’s important for everyone to talk about their feelings.