Adam Mead on overcoming fear and anxiety

Terri talks to her son Adam about how he struggled with being bullied in middle school and how this experience has shaped him.  He still suffers from anxiety and is afraid of the unknown but he is using his newly found empathy to help others who he sees struggling as well.  They talk about everything from what to expect from college, how you don’t have to have it all figured out, and that it’s ok to change your mind.     

Who is Adam Mead? 

Adam is Terri’s 16-year old son who is a junior at Woodside High in Redwood City.  He was born in San Francisco and moved to Redwood City when he was one.  He loves performing in plays and musicals and regrets not having played water polo his freshman year.  He is a reluctant academic achiever and is taking three AP classes this year along with drama, Latin and regular history.  He has a girlfriend, Alyssa, who is also in drama with him.  They enjoy hanging out playing video games and watching movies together.  All in all, he’s a good kid.   

Show Highlights 

• Adam talks about how his terrible experience in middle school has shaped him to be cynical, resilient and empathetic 
• Adam and Terri talk about the importance of lightening up and not being afraid of looking at colleges or life in general 
• Adam turned the table and asked Terri if having a stable job has made it easier to figure out what she wants in life 
• They talk about the fear of unknown and not being afraid of taking chances 
• Adam talks about how he’s dealt with some of his lowest points including having suicidal thoughts 
• Terri talks about how she continues to develop the tools to deal with new situations and how she doesn’t expect Adam to have it all figured out either  
• Adam talks about anxiety and fear of failure and how he is trying to cope with both 
• They talk about college in terms of what to look for in searching for one and what to expect from the experience 
• Terri talks about how you don’t have to have it all figured out when you go to college, get out of college and after and how she didn’t and used being an opportunist to get to where she is today 
• Adam would wave a magic wand to make food free and have economic freedom 

Terri’s Key Takeaway 

Having conversations like this with her son fills her heart and her soul.   

References in the Podcast 

• California State University, Fresno: http://www.csufresno.edu/ 
• California State University, Chico: http://www.csuchico.edu/ 
• California State University, Hayward (now East Bay): http://www.csueastbay.edu/ 
• University California, Santa Cruz: https://www.ucsc.edu/ 

Contact 

You can reach Adam through Terri at [email protected].   

You can follow Terri on Twitter at @terrihansonmead or go to her website at www.terrihansonmead.com or on Medium:  https://medium.com/@terrihansonmead.  

Feel free to email Terri at [email protected]. 

To continue the conversation, go to Twitter at @PilotingLife and use hashtag #PilotingYourLife.