What’s Talk with Zach? Glad you asked…

(or just skip to my media bio)

It was 2020. There was a global pandemic and the world was in lockdown. My grandfather, who was a huge part of my life, had been sick and died that first month.

Everyone was dealing with something–loss, grief, anxiety, loneliness, uncertainty.

Everyone was saying that teens should talk about what they were going through, but the reality was this: not everyone felt comfortable doing that. Especially boys. The message we got was usually some version of this: “Be strong.”

But as the weeks morphed into months and then a year, I began to wonder if we needed to examine our definition of “strong.” Not just for boys, but for all of us. What if there was strength in vulnerability? What if there was bravery in the kind of honesty we don’t really post on social media?

And what if talking more about the things that mattered, the things that impacted our lives and the world around us, could not only connect our generation in a time of disconnection, but could also shape a different vision of the future?

So Talk With Zach was born.

I got out my phone, created an Instagram account, and started a community where we could open up and have those conversations.

I was surprised by what happened next. Teens from not just all over the country, but all over the world, got involved. They sent in questions they wanted to talk about. They joined my IG lives with experts. They shared their personal experiences and asked for advice on things they’d never had the courage to bring up before.

Clearly, there’s a lot we need to be talking about.

Since then, Talk with Zach has been featured in TIME, TODAY, Katie Couric Media, The Huffington Post, and Challenge Success, among others.

On Talk with Zach, I answer your questions with a combination of research and my own thoughts as a teen dealing with similar things, interview experts on topics you’ve been writing in about, and have conversations with other teens willing to share their personal experiences to help others who relate.

It’s an inclusive and diverse community, and all viewpoints are encouraged. We’ve dived into everything from racial inequity and how to deal with grief to breakups and addiction and gender identity, and everything in between. No topic is too big… or small … or uncomfortable.

We can’t change what we don’t talk about.

My goal in creating this community is not only to start talking, but to start doing. If you’d like to become a Talk with Zach Ambassador, head over here to see how you can get involved.

It’s up to our generation to create the kind of world we want to live in.

Join me in being a part of it.