Eps 669: Margot Bisnow on Raising Entrepreneurs

Eps 669: Margot Bisnow on Raising Entrepreneurs

Author: Casey O'Roarty August 25, 2026 Duration: 50:55
This week I'm sharing a conversation I had with Margot Bisnow, who interviewed more than 70 families raising wildly self-driven kids. She went looking for a formula and found something more ordinary. We get into how to tell a real passion from checking out, and what parents do in the moments after their kid fails. She also tells the story of biting her tongue when her son left college halfway through. If you're white-knuckling your teen's path, my friend, this one's for you. Guest bio Margot Machol Bisnow is the author of Raising an Entrepreneur: How to Help Your Children Achieve Their Dreams, 99 Stories from Families Who Did, written after sitting down with more than 70 families whose kids grew into wildly self-driven adults. Before that she spent 20 years in government, including serving as an FTC commissioner and as staff director of the President's Council of Economic Advisers. Her two grown sons found their own paths: Austin is a musician who founded the band Magic Giant and the folk duo Somewhere in Between, and Elliot founded the Summit conference series for young entrepreneurs and led the purchase and revival of Powder Mountain in Utah. When she isn't talking about parenting, she's traveling or with her family. For more show notes and info go to: https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-669-margot-bisnow-on-raising-entrepreneurs/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Parenting adolescents often feels like navigating a landscape without a reliable map, where the old rules no longer apply and connection can feel just out of reach. Joyful Courage for Parenting Teens, hosted by Casey O'Roarty, meets you right in that uncertainty. This podcast operates from a simple, powerful belief: the challenges of raising tweens and teens, while deeply personal, are also a shared human experience. Instead of offering quick fixes, conversations here focus on the foundational work of building and repairing relationships, fostering essential life skills in our kids, and perhaps most importantly, doing the internal work required of us as parents. You’ll hear honest discussions that blend practical strategies with compassionate insight, all aimed at transforming this demanding season from a battle of wills into an opportunity for mutual growth. Tuning into this podcast feels like gaining a thoughtful, experienced friend who reminds you that courage isn't about being fearless, but about finding joy and resilience within the beautiful mess of family life. It’s a resource for anyone who wants to move beyond reaction and toward a more intentional, connected approach with the young adults in their home.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Joyful Courage for Parenting Teens
Podcast Episodes
Eps 671: "Is This Normal? Teenage Behavior and What's Underneath It [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:39
Every parent of a teen has asked some version of this: Is this normal teenage behavior, or is something actually wrong? This week I go under your teen's closed door, attitude, screens, and secrecy. What's driving all of…
Eps 670: Knowing Better Isn't Enough [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:50
I thought I knew everything about co-regulation and the nervous system when my daughter texted me from across the country to say she was dropping out. None of it was available to me. In this solo show I get into what hap…
Eps 668: Your 2026 Back To School Reset [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:29
I'm back from a couple weeks off and I'm fired up about the intentional ecosystem, the model I've been carrying around all summer. It's four layers, and you work them from the outside in: you, your relationship with your…
Eps 667: Trish Gower on Regulated Leadership [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:18
Even if you don't run a business, you're running something. In this conversation with business coach Trish Gower, we talk about what happens when your nervous system is driving the car. Over-functioning, boundaries that…
Eps 666: Robynn Powers - Food Without Rules [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:43
Our kids are watching how we talk about our bodies, and they're deciding what that means about theirs. In this episode I sit down with health and wellness coach Robynn Powers to talk about body image, food rules, and wha…
Eps 665: Marriage and the teen years with Shilo Minor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:01
Parenting teens has a way of surfacing everything we've been avoiding in our marriage. This week I'm talking with Shilo Minor about what happens when the connection thins out and you start feeling more like roommates tha…
Eps 664: Parenting and launching your teen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:45
In this solo episode, I answer a question from a mom whose oldest is heading off to college across the country. How do you show up for your kid in the months before and after they launch? I talk through letting them prac…
Eps 663: Moving through crisis without losing yourself [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:28
This week I'm getting honest about being in my own season of crisis and what it's teaching me about the fawn response, that fourth survival instinct after fight, flight, and freeze. If you've ever walked on eggshells wit…
Eps 662: PART TWO of Teen Cannabin Use with Susan Notis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:50
In part two of my conversation with parent coach Susan Notis, we move past the information about teen cannabis use and into what you can actually do about it. We get into regulating your own nervous system before you tal…
Eps 661: Diane Sorensen on Lifelong Motherhood [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:57
I loved this convo! My guest, Diane Sorenson shares what shifts when you stop performing motherhood and start treating it as a lifelong relationship. We talk boundaries as an expression of your truth, why holding a firm…