GOAT TALES #14
PETRA ZLATEVSKA - Founder of Z Media, International Speaker, Facilitator, Coach and Lawyer.
15 NOVEMBER 2024, WRITTEN BY JACKIE BARON
The 'Goat' Legacy: If your teen son were to take over Neon Goat for a day, what innovative or outrageous product do you think he would create, and why?
Teen hair-gel!
The Teenage Perspective: Living with a teenager can be like riding a roller coaster in the dark. What's one challenge you've faced while living with your teen son, and how did you turn it into a positive experience?
The explosion of phones, devices and gaming amongst his 12 year old school friends has been the most difficult to grapple with while being consistently told I am uncool and annoying because “everyone else has a phone mum”. My sons were born in Berlin and we lived there for a decade, just until Covid started.
German parenting culture is very much focused on the core family (not extended family), outdoor play and letting kids get dirty through falling, climbing, bike riding, respecting social structure and creating family-centric rituals.
Quite different to my own Macedonian upbringing whereby the extended family (including grandparents) are expected to be involved in raising the child. There are set social, cultural and religious norms everyone has to follow and there is quite a patriarchal Balkan mindset where children, especially sons are allowed to get away with anything and there is no minimal sense of accountability.
I have tried to fuse these two cultures/parenting styles into our low-screen family life… alternatives during school holidays include mountain biking and hiking in Thredbo, football-themed experiences - he just participated in a football training camp with Toni Kroos and we saw matches at the Euro Cup in Germany. We like giving him ownership over an idea for an overseas trip and asking “Where would you like to go in 1-2 years?” In Sydney: cinema dates or sports matches with my pre-teen, letting him self-organise playdates with school friends to dilute the fixation of screen time!
Admirable Traits: Teenagers often teach us more about life than we realise. What's one thing you admire most about your teen son, or what have you learned from him that's been surprisingly profound?
Noah's sense of empathy and his ability to read people or a situation and tell me “That is not right!”. This makes me realise that I often can be too quick to assess a person or a situation myself!
Shared Passions: What's an activity or hobby you love doing together with your teen son that brings out the 'cool' in both of you, Neon Goat style?
Going to theme parks and water parks. I earnt my mama stripes through going with my kids on the cool rollercoasters at Legoland Germany two years consecutively!
Time-Travel Tips: If you could step into a time machine and visit your teenage self, what cheeky piece of advice would you give yourself about navigating the future, especially knowing what you do now about business and life?
Funnily enough I was at my parents’ house not long ago and found one of my diaries from 1995 (Year 9) with a self-made diary cover of Christian Slater. I used to write a lot as a teen!
I read out parts of it aloud to my sons and even gave the whole diary to my pre-teen for him to read on a “no shame” basis. I realised whilst re-reading how low in confidence I was back then, how unsure and insecure about boys I was. Going to an all girls school certainly didn’t help! I want my sons to be confident within themselves, to respect women and treat people with respect. Being in a co-educational school environment is part of nurturing these values.
I would tell my 15 year old self to believe in me and stop worrying about what everyone else is doing. I would tell 15 year old Petra "You will be just fine!”
Navigating the Teen Terrain: Teens are known for their mood swings and monosyllabic responses. What's your secret to getting your teen son to open up and engage in meaningful conversations, especially about life and your business?
Firstly I try to never ask "What’s wrong ?” or "Do you want to talk?” I may mention experiences from my own teen life that really annoyed me or how my parents dealt with it as a way to open a topic… doing that in the car without pressure and with their choice of music playing often sets the tone! Failing that, a neutral comment at bedtime “I love you and want you to know that I always will, no matter what…" eventually they will open up.
The Ultimate Collaboration: Imagine you're launching a special Neon Goat product inspired by your journey as a parent to a teen son. What would it be, and what story would it tell?
It would be some kind of Neon Goat custom teen grooming kit/travel kit with Neon Goat teen facial cleanser, deodorant, hair gel, mini tweezers, suncream, bandaids (for all their soccer blisters) in a funky pouch bag with a print design by an indigenous artist and with Chris Hemsworth as the brand ambassador!
Petra is the founder of Z Media and is an International Speaker, Facilitator, a communication “alchemist” and Coach who works with young professionals and executive leaders to accelerate and celebrate their unique and non-linear path in work and life. A qualified lawyer, she worked in Berlin for a decade across the worlds of legal, start up and media with keynotes at the Australian Embassy Berlin, Huawei, Soho House amongst others and reported for Voice of America and Deutsche Welle TV.
GOAT TALES #14: PETRA ZLATEVSKA
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