The OpenEd Podcast Sidekick to Hero: Joey Mascio on Empowering Teens Through Self-Development with Joey Mascio | OpenEd
Chapters
00:00 Understanding Negative Thinking in Kids
00:21 Introduction to the OpenEd Podcast
00:23 Meet Joey Mascio of Sidekick to Hero
01:07 The Importance of Open Education
01:53 Joey's Journey from Teacher to Sidekick to Hero
02:36 The Missing Piece in Education: Self-Development
04:35 Teaching Self-Development Through Humor and Stories
05:18 Joey's Disney and Improv Background
07:05 The Impact of Sidekick to Hero on Kids
09:20 The Power of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
14:14 From Sidekick to Hero: Teaching Teens to Reframe Their Mindset
17:06 Introduction to the Hero Arenas
17:15 Exploring the Four Hero Arenas
18:07 Gamification and Real-World Application
19:34 Balancing Screen Time and Real Life
20:49 Teens and Technology: A Deep Dive
29:22 Improv Game: One Sentence Summaries
30:47 Wrapping Up and Final Thoughts
In this episode of the OpenEd podcast, we sit down with Joey Mascio, founder of Sidekick to Hero, a program designed to teach self-development skills to teenagers. Joey, a former middle school teacher and Disneyland performer, shares his insights on the importance of teaching cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and other personal growth techniques to young people.
Key Themes
- The gap in traditional education around self-development and resilience
- Using storytelling and gamification to engage teens in personal growth
- The impact of technology on teen mental health and productivity
- Reframing negative thoughts and building self-confidence
- The importance of real-world action in learning and growth
Highlights
The Missing Piece in Education
Joey reflects on his time as a teacher: "There's no education, no class, no curriculum that really teaches self-development, resilience, or anything like that. We find this stuff as adults, and we always say, 'I wish I knew this when I was a teen.'"
Rewriting Our Stories
Drawing from his own experiences with bullying, Joey explains: "I was rewriting my unhelpful thoughts that weren't getting me the results I wanted. Teens are capable of doing this, but they don't know they can. They're not aware of the difference between the facts around them and their stories or thoughts about those facts."
The Hero's Journey in Personal Development
Joey describes his approach: "Sidekick to Hero is my way of teaching CBT and other self-development concepts to teens. The hero is the person in the story who rises up to change the ending. Nobody else in the story does that – it's the hero."
Technology as a Tool, Not a Lifestyle
On the impact of excessive screen time, Joey notes: "If you play Fortnite for four hours and get to level 95, when you turn it off and look around in your real life, there's been no change, no improvement. It doesn't transfer over, and your real life is not improving."
Closing Thought:
"Teens can do so much more than they're currently doing. They just have to change their mind about themselves so they can change their story."
This episode offers valuable insights for parents, educators, and teens themselves on the importance of self-development skills and how to cultivate them in a world full of distractions. Joey Mascio's Sidekick to Hero program presents an innovative approach to teaching these crucial life skills, emphasizing real-world application and personal growth.