N.E.T. Collective - Navigating Everything Together from Classroom to College to Careers and Beyond
N.E.T. Collective—Navigating Everything Together is a podcast for teens, college students, new graduates, young adults AND the people guiding and supporting them on their adulting journey. From classrooms to college to careers and beyond, two experienced professionals - a licensed school psychologist in private practice, and a career coach, both mothers in our target audience - break down life's transitions, challenges, twists and turns with clarity, warmth, and generous touch of humor. The topics we cover range from Executive Functions, ADHD, Learning Disabilities, Test Prep, Essay Writing to Networking, Career Challenges and so much more. We talk candidly, lovingly, and realistically about topics that may have our listeners scrounging around the web at 2AM for reliable information. More importantly, we offer real conversations, practical strategies, and thoughtful perspectives to help you get informed, empowered, and supported—because the journey of life is easier when we navigate it together!
Episodes
Your teenager has two weeks to write a paper. You mention it, and they tell you they know. A week later you mention it again. Then it's 7:30 the night before it's due, and the same kid who couldn't get started is typing at the kitchen table like their life depends on it. And you're standing there wondering where this freny was two weeks ago.
In the first episode of our two-part series on ADHD, we walk through one of ...
You Don't Have to Pay Full Price For College — If You Know Where To Look
“We make too much money, so we won't qualify for any aid — why even bother?” It's one of the most common myths about paying for college, and today we're busting it wide open.
In this episode of NET Collective, Kay McBrearty and Vinita Patel sit down with Todd Weaver, President of Strategies For College, Inc. Todd'...
Finding Your Fit: Why It Matters More Than You Think
Two out of every three people at work are unengaged — not fully checked out, but not thriving either. What if that's not a laziness problem? What if it's a fit problem?
In this episode of NET Collective, Kay McBrearty, career coach and founder of Waterville Partners, and Vinita Patel, school psychologist in private practice, dig into why smart, capabl...
When a bright, capable child is struggling, parents often know something isn’t adding up long before they understand why.
In this episode of NET Collective, Vinita Patel, licensed school psychologist, draws on more than 30 years of assessment experience across school settings and private practice to help parents understand what comprehensive neuropsychological testing can actually reveal.
Vinita and Kay walk thr...
The college admissions process can feel overwhelming before it even begins. When should students start? How involved should parents be? What are colleges actually looking for? And how do families find the right college fit without getting consumed by rankings, deadlines, and pressure?
In this episode of NET Collective, Kay and Vinita sit down with Dr. Jill Maraldo, founder of High Performance Academics, to break down...
Navigating Obstacles: What To Do When the Plan Didn't Work!
Season 2, Episode 3 (203)
Who is this for: For students, young adults, and the parents and educators supporting them.
You organized the space. Built the systems. Steadied your mindset. Lined up your people. And then… a bump happened anyway.
In this episode, Kay and Vinita tackle what happens when you've done everything right and it still goes sideways &m...
What does real self-confidence look like in a teenager—and can it actually be taught?
In this episode of NET Collective, Kay McBrearty and Vinita Patel sit down with Leslie Randolph, self-confidence coach for teen girls, TEDx speaker, and host of the Why Didn’t They Tell Us? podcast, for a powerful conversation about how confidence develops, what quietly chips away at it, and what parents can do to help t...
You can have the backpack packed, the calendar organized, and the dorm room ready—and still not actually be ready.
In the season 2 opening episode of NET Collective, Vinita Patel and Kay McBrearty go beyond the traditional back-to-school checklist to explore what it really means to be ready for a new school year, college semester, career transition, or season of life.
Vinita introduces four pillars of readiness:...
In this Season 1 finale of NET Collective, Vinita, Kay, and Ruth pause to reflect on the conversations, questions, and themes that shaped the first season. What began as a shared idea — creating a practical, compassionate resource for parents, students, young adults, and professionals — has grown into a collection of conversations about executive functioning, writing, career readiness, self-awareness, an...
Interviews can feel intimidating—but they don’t have to. If they make you nervous, this episode is for you. In this episode of NET Collective Podcast, we break down the different types of interviews students and young professionals may encounter, from informational interviews to behavioral job interviews to video interviews.
Drawing on decades of experience in staffing, college recruiting, career coaching...
If you've ever sat among a stack of library books wondering how to will them into a cohesive essay or struggled to produce advice for a teen embarking on their first major research paper, this episode is for you!
Research is a broad and varied collection of skills required for a multitude of academic and professional tasks. While we can't discuss all of them, in this conversation we offer simple, actionable tip...
Working memory is one of the invisible skills we use all day, every day — often without realizing it. It helps us hold information in mind while using it, whether we are following directions, writing, solving a problem, staying organized, participating in a conversation, taking notes, cooking dinner, or simply trying to remember what comes next. In this episode, Vinita leads a practical and relatable conversat...
Think your resume is “good enough”? Think again. In this episode of NET Collective, we break down what makes a resume stand out in today’s competitive job market—for college students, recent grads, and the parents supporting them.
We cover basic tips to get started and share what hiring managers are really looking for (and what causes resumes to get rejected in seconds). From understanding wha...
Do you want to start working on your Common App essay but don’t know where to start? Are you a parent wondering how to guide your child through the process most effectively? Join us as we walk you through the ins and outs of crafting an effective essay!
In this episode, we discuss the challenging, sometimes fraught, utterly unique writing task that is the college admissions essay. At the nexus of academic, auto...
Why do some highly capable students, teens, and young adults seem to have so much potential, yet struggle to perform in ways that actually reflect it?
In this episode, we take a deep, compassionate look at one of the most misunderstood patterns parents, educators, and students face: underperformance in students with clear strengths. We unpack why intelligence alone is often not enough, and why strong reasoning, insig...
Navigating Networking: How to Build Connections, one conversation at a time.
Who is this for: For students, young professionals, and parents supporting them, looking for simple and approachable tactics to begin networking, expand your network, or learn healthy networking habits.
- How do you network if you don’t feel confident walking into a room full of strangers?
- What if you’re an introvert ...
Why do some people care deeply, mean well, and still struggle constantly with time? In this episode, we explore time blindness — the often-overlooked difficulty of sensing, predicting, and mentally holding time in mind.
When time does not feel concrete internally, planning, pacing, starting, and finishing tasks can become much harder than they appear from the outside. What is often mistaken for procrastination,...
Have you ever stared down a blank page, unsure of how to attack it? Have you ever sat among a pile of library books wondering how to turn them into a research paper? If so, tune in to learn how to approach any writing task confidently!
In this conversation, we discuss what leads up to a strong first draft: choosing a topic, gathering materials, and turning loose notes into a solid outline. We’ll explore...
How do you tell your “story” concisely, yet leave them wanting to know more? Sort of like reading a well written, enticing book jacket and wanting to read the first chapter. While the concept of the elevator pitch may sound a bit corporate, it is incredibly useful in everyday life.
An elevator pitch is a short, clear introduction that explains who you are, what you do, and what you care about &mdash...
We’ve all been there.
You make a plan.
You know exactly what you should do.
You even want to do it.
And yet… somehow you still can’t start.
Why does that happen?
In this episode of NET Collective: Navigating Everything Together, we explore the often-frustrating gap between planning and execution—that moment where good intentions stall and action feels surprisingly difficult.
We break down ...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.