Empower Your Teens: Top 3 Soft Skills They Need Now

We chat with Brent Williams, CEO & Founder of Empower U; Australia's #1 life skills program for Teens and Young Adults. Our founder Lawrence Ellyard sent his son to this event with incredible results.

1. In a world where parents are stretched for time and teens are overstimulated with screens and social pressures, what are the 3 biggest issues you see teens facing today?

We’re raising a generation that’s more connected than ever, yet lonelier, more anxious and unsure of who they really are. The world moves fast, and teens often feel left behind emotionally.

• Emotional fragility – Anxiety, self-doubt and burnout are on the rise. Many teens haven’t been taught how to sit with discomfort or bounce back from failure, so even small setbacks can feel overwhelming.

• Distorted identity – Social media often replaces self-reflection with comparison. Teens curate an image rather than build a self and that disconnect eats away at their confidence.

• Disconnection from purpose – They’re busy, but not anchored. Many teens are chasing grades or followers without knowing why, which leads to a sense of emptiness.

This is the emotional climate our young people are growing up in, and it demands more than just academic achievement. It demands human skills.

2. What led you to begin these Empower U seminars?

Empower U was born from a life-changing moment. Just weeks after finishing school, I was robbed at gunpoint. That experience forced me to think deeply about my life, what I was doing and where I was going. I wanted to be a film director and I thought, 'If I can learn how to build wealth early, I can fund my creative freedom later.'

That journey led me to a personal development seminar that changed everything. I was 18. Adults came up to me with tears in their eyes saying, I wish I had this at your age. That stuck with me. Why weren’t we teaching these life skills to teenagers? Why wait until someone hits crisis in adulthood to give them the tools?

Over 24 years ago, I ran my first Empower U seminar with a handful of teenagers. Today, we’ve worked with over 30,000 young people across six countries. But the mission hasn’t changed: to give teens the skills and belief that too many people only find later in life.

3. What sorts of soft skills should we be focusing on teaching our teens?

We focus so much on IQ and almost none on EQ, but in real life, it’s emotional intelligence, not test scores, that defines your path. Soft skills are what allow young people to build relationships, handle setbacks and carve out meaningful lives.

• Emotional regulation – Teens need the tools to understand and manage strong emotions like anger, anxiety and shame. Without these, they react rather than respond, and often spiral.

• Critical communication – Being able to speak with confidence, listen without defensiveness and navigate conflict calmly is a lifelong skill. Teens often default to avoidance or aggression because they’ve never been shown a better way.

• Goal-setting and self-leadership – It’s not enough to dream. Teens need frameworks to set goals, follow through, adapt to setbacks and stay accountable. These are muscles that grow with use.

By giving teens these skills, we’re not just helping them cope, we’re helping them thrive, with a sense of agency over their future.

4. Can you explain the importance of neuroplasticity to this stage of teens’ lives?

Neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to rewire itself, is at its peak during adolescence. This means the beliefs, habits and emotional patterns teens adopt now become the foundation for how they respond to life later on.

But here’s the key: plasticity doesn’t discriminate. If teens are constantly exposed to anxiety, toxic comparison or failure without reflection, those become ingrained responses. Conversely, if they’re guided through positive challenge, emotional self-awareness and growth-based thinking, those new neural pathways take root.

This is why adolescence is such a powerful and sensitive window. If we can reach teens with the right mindset tools now, we’re not just changing how they feel today, we’re shaping how they think for decades.

5. How does the Empower U seminar transform teens’ attitudes in 2 days?

Empower U works because it understands the teen psyche. We know many young people arrive skeptical, sometimes resistant, often dragged by their parents. So we meet them where they’re at: with humour, energy, stories and experiences that disarm and engage.

The weekend is fast-paced, interactive and emotionally resonant. My team is made up mostly of young people who’ve completed the program themselves, which creates immediate credibility and relatability. Over the two days, we take teens through activities that challenge their thinking, help them see past limiting beliefs and reconnect them with what matters.

By the end, the shift is visible: eyes lifted, shoulders back, a spark reignited. It’s not magic, it’s the power of being truly seen, challenged and believed in, often for the first time.

Empower U have been gracious to send our IICT Members an amazing deal. Instead of paying $660 per ticket, you can receive a 2 for 1 deal. If you'd like your teen to attend, you could share the cost with their bestie's family and pay $330 each. Just use this promocode: EU2for1 when you book. 

Links: 

Next round of seminars are here. 

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