Episode 33: Fostering Independence in Your Children, with Catherine Van Veen

August 16, 2017

Catherine is the founder and Managing Director of Personally Recommended Australia, specializing in market research and recruitment for the retail industry globally.

Catherine completed a Bachelor of Business majoring in Human Resources and Industrial Relations and has held much senior Recruitment & Human Resource positions over her 25-year career. She understands what employers look for in hiring young talent, and what makes a great candidate.

Combining industry knowledge with business street smarts, Catherine has been providing high-quality recruitment and human resource solutions to global retailers for over a decade.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • A common sense approach to raising teens who will be ready for work
  • The importance of practical skills like cooking and budgeting
  • How fostering independence needs to start early
  • Not enabling dependent behavior by over-parenting
  • Learning how to balance guidance and letting go
  • Allowing your child to look at themselves and decide who they are
  • The value of education – even if it means not pursuing college
  • Why downtime is vital for children of any age
  • Accountability and giving your child credit for their mistakes and successes
  • Why it’s OK not to be perfect
  • Self-awareness and empathy lead to having authentic conversations