About Teen Exec
Train your brain. Build your future.
Your brain is powerful, and it’s still growing. During childhood and into your twenties, your brain goes through massive changes. The skills you’re building right now—like planning, focusing, starting tasks, and managing emotions—are called executive functioning skills, and they’re controlled by a part of your brain that’s still developing.
That’s where Teen Exec comes in. Teen Exec helps young people like you train your brain to work smarter, not harder, by strengthening executive functioning and leadership skills. Whether you’re juggling school, sports, or student leadership, we’ve got the tools to help you thrive.
Through hands-on workshops, a motivating podcast, and short blog posts, we focus on brain-based strategies that help you stay organized, manage your time, set goals, and lead with confidence.
Why I started Teen Exec
Hi! I’m Natalya, the founder of Teen Exec. I launched Teen Exec while in high school because I saw how many teens were feeling overwhelmed, distracted, or stuck.
Once I started learning more about how the teen brain works, I realized it wasn’t just about motivation or willpower. Executive functioning skills are connected to a part of the brain that’s still under construction during our teen years. That means it’s normal to struggle sometimes, but also possible to improve.
I started Teen Exec to share the tools and strategies that helped me (and that I’m still learning), and to create a space where teens could feel more in control of their schedules, their goals, and their future.
Want to learn more? Check out these features in WellesleyWeston and Weston Neighbors.
How you can get involved
Attend an in-person workshop focused on building practical executive functioning and leadership strategies with peers.
Learn how other teens, educators, and leaders are building these skills in everyday life.
Short, relatable posts about executive functioning and leadership challenges, strategies, and success stories from a teen perspective.
What makes Teen Exec different?
Teen Exec isn’t a school lecture or another homework assignment. It’s a teen-led program built with a real understanding of what it’s like to juggle school, activities, and everything else.
Our goal is to help you build habits that work, in a way that feels doable and makes sense for real life. We focus on:
- Simple tools with big impact
- Real conversations about what works and what doesn’t
- Practical support for real life—not just the classroom
Teen Exec FAQs
Teen Exec is a teen-led program that helps you build executive functioning and leadership skills so you can take charge of your time, goals, and growth. We offer workshops, blog posts, and a podcast—all created with the real-life challenges of students in mind.
These skills aren’t just “nice to have.” They’re how you manage your brain’s full potential during one of its most important growth periods: the teen years.
Your brain is going through a major transformation right now.
- You’re making more connections between neurons than at any other time in your life.
- Your prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain that helps with decision-making, time management, and emotional control—is still developing.
- Your brain is also doing some synaptic pruning, cutting back unused connections to strengthen the ones you use most.
That’s why it’s the perfect time to practice new habits and build the mental tools that will serve you in school, leadership, and life.
These are the skills your brain uses to:
- Plan ahead
- Stay organized
- Focus and avoid distractions
- Start and complete tasks
- Set and work toward goals
They’re especially important during the teen years because they shape how you manage schoolwork, friendships, emotions, and responsibilities. And the best part? They can be improved with practice.
We focus on real-world skills like:
- Time management (using calendars, blocking time, estimating how long tasks take)
- Organization (keeping track of materials, assignments, and digital tools)
- Task initiation (figuring out how to get started on big or boring assignments)
- Planning and prioritizing (deciding what to do now vs. later)
- Follow-through (finishing strong, even when motivation dips)
We also work on building confidence, self-awareness, and leadership strategies.
I’m not a licensed expert, but I’ve read a lot, led workshops, worked with adult mentors, and learned from experience. I’ve also studied books like Smart but Scattered Teens, The Organized Student, and How to Do It Now Because It’s Not Going Away. I try to base what I share on both solid research and what actually works in real life—for me and for other teens I’ve worked with.
Teen Exec offers strategies and ideas from a teen perspective, shared by someone who’s navigating the same challenges. Parents and teachers can be great sources of support, but sometimes it helps to hear from someone closer to your own experience—someone who understands what it’s like to manage school, activities, and everything else teens juggle today. The goal isn’t to replace adult guidance, but to add another layer of support that feels relatable and practical.
Absolutely. We include a “For Parents” section in every blog post with ideas for how to support their teen’s growth. We encourage parents to ask thoughtful questions, help teens reflect, and build habits together—without micromanaging. This isn’t about checking PowerSchool every hour; it’s about building confidence and independence over time