Making Waves: How Moanna Adams is Inspiring Teens to Thrive

Moanna Adams is a teen on a mission to inspire her peers to embrace personal growth, mental health, and self-love through her podcast, “Making Waves with Moanna Adams.” As a young creator herself, she recognized the need for a platform where teens could feel seen, heard, and supported as they navigate the challenges of adolescence. Driven by her own experiences and fueled by a desire to uplift other teens, Moanna is creating a space for young people to work on becoming their best selves—one actionable step at a time. With each episode, Moanna ensures that her audience leaves empowered, offering practical advice and the encouragement needed to turn dreams into reality.

What inspired you to create “Making Waves with Moanna Adams,” and how does it cater to the needs of teens specifically?

As a younger teen, I listened to a lot of wellness podcasts by women in their 20s, and I really loved them. They’re great podcasts—I often recommend them to my listeners because they give excellent advice. However, as a 14-year-old girl living with her family, a lot of what they talked about was difficult to implement. I felt that there was a need for a place where teens could go to work on becoming the best version of themselves. I wanted to create a space where teens could discuss mental health, self-love, personal growth, relationships, and the things that matter to us. I also wanted to provide a platform for other teen business owners, authors, models, creators, and what I call “teen wave makers” to share their stories and experiences, inspiring other teens to become the best versions of themselves, work on self-improvement, and reach their goals. I make sure to provide actionable advice at the end of every episode, whether I’m speaking with guests or doing solo episodes, to ensure listeners can implement the topics we discuss into their daily lives.
Can you share your personal journey and what led you to start a podcast focused on mental health and personal growth?

I was raised by parents who are always working on themselves, learning, and trying to grow, so I’ve developed the same mindset. As I mentioned, I wanted to create a space where teens could work on themselves, feel comfortable, and have a safe space to grow and learn. I have struggled with different mental health challenges in the past, just like many others, and I believe all of these experiences—no matter how small or big—are important to learn from and discuss. I wanted to build a space for teens to have those conversations because, while mental health resources are more accessible than ever, it’s still not enough. It’s crucial to create places for open discussion specifically for our age group.
How did your experience living in an RV for a year influence your perspective and approach to your podcast and business?

I think anytime someone travels to a place different from what they’re used to, they’re going to learn something new or change their perspective. We traveled through 48 states in 48 weeks, so we saw almost the entire country in a year. We were constantly seeing new things, meeting new people, and experiencing different cultures. I learned a lot about how different people live, from driving through New York City to visiting a small town in Texas with a population of just 100 people. This experience gave me a better understanding of the world and the diverse ways people live and experience life. It’s helped me be more open-minded and connect with people who live different lifestyles.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while traveling and living in an RV, and how did they impact you personally?

I absolutely loved traveling full-time but it was a challenging adjustment. Because most full-time RV families have young kids I saw one, maybe two teens my age the entire year we traveled. I’m such a social person and you also lose a lot of the community you have at home—family, friends, and the people you see daily. People talk about how technology helps us stay connected but nothing replaces quality time in person. The loneliness was difficult to push through, but it made me stronger. I learned to love my own company, which has given me a better understanding of who I am, what I want, and what my goals are.
How do you handle the balance between motivation and consistency in producing your podcast episodes?

I prefer to record when I’m feeling super motivated so that I’m my best self behind the mic but that’s not always an option. There are days when I have to push through, “fake it till I make it,” and record to ensure consistency and keep putting out episodes. Consistency is really important, especially in content creation, but it’s not everything. Some people say consistency is the key, but I think the quality of the content is more important. If you’re consistently putting out bad content, it won’t get you where you want to go. Quality over quantity is crucial.
What are some actionable steps you provide in your podcast that teens can implement to improve their mental health and self-love?

At the end of every episode, we have a “homework” segment where I make sure to give actionable steps that teens can implement what we discussed into their daily lives. The homework might be an exercise, activity, journaling prompt, or a step toward starting something new. I also work with my guests to provide similar actionable advice. Some past homework assignments have included trying something new, journaling, going on a solo date, and doing a self-love challenge. I do a “Self-Love February” every year, where you write down one thing you love about yourself every day for the entire month of February—that’s one of my favorites. It’s simple but effective and more challenging than most people think.
How do you stay connected with your audience and ensure that the advice and content you provide remain relevant and accessible?

Luckily, I am my own target audience. My target audience is teenagers looking to improve themselves, so I have a good understanding of what they want to hear. I also regularly ask my listeners for their thoughts on specific topics they want me to cover or guests they’d like me to bring on. I talk to friends who have similar mindsets about becoming the best version of themselves, and I always seek feedback on episodes—what people liked, what they thought could be better, and more. I’m constantly looking for ways to improve and develop the podcast to make it the best it can be.
Can you discuss a particular episode or topic that was especially meaningful to you and why?

I did an episode a few months back titled “Your Comfort Zone Will Kill You,” which was very meaningful to me. I chose “uncomfortable” as my word of the year for 2024, and my family initially thought it was a negative word. But I explained that I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone because if you’re comfortable, you’re not growing. This year, I’ve made an effort to do things that I would have thought were crazy a year ago. I competed in a pageant for the first time, became a signed working model, and did other things that were new to me. This episode was particularly important to me because it was about encouraging other teens to push themselves, try new things, and be open to new experiences and opportunities.
What role has mental health played in your own life, and how do you incorporate that experience into your work?

Mental health is one of the main focuses of my podcast, so my own mental health plays a huge role in the topics I cover. Many episodes are inspired by my personal experiences. For example, I did an episode titled “Alone, But Not Lonely,” inspired by how I learned to love my own company while living on the road. I’ve also done episodes on self-love, diet culture, and other aspects of life that stem from my experiences. These experiences greatly impact the content I put out, and they make the podcast more relatable and authentic.
How do you overcome feelings of loneliness or isolation, both in your personal life and during your travels?

It was a huge transition not being around my peers every day. I went to public school all my life before we started traveling full-time in 2022, so I was used to being around kids my age almost every day. It was tough because I’m so social, but I learned to love my own company, and I’m grateful for that experience. It taught me that being okay with being alone is incredibly freeing. It allows you to let go of negative relationships because you’re not worried about being lonely—you know you have yourself. I started journaling, doing things I loved to do with friends by myself and found joy in my own company. It just takes practice to find what you enjoy doing alone.
What advice would you give to other young women or teens who want to start their own projects or businesses?

Just start. Don’t wait or push it off because you don’t think you’re ready or good enough yet—you’ll never be fully ready. Your first podcast episode will probably be terrible, and your first ten might not be great. The sooner you start, the sooner you can grow and learn. Don’t hold yourself back because you’re wasting time that could be spent progressing. Also, work on keeping promises to yourself. If you say you’re going to do something, do it—that’s how self-confidence grows.
How do you maintain your own well-being while managing the demands of podcasting and running a business?

I have two non-negotiable habits: journaling and reading every day before bed, no matter how late it is or how tired I am. I might only read two pages or journal for five minutes, but I always make time for these practices. They keep me grounded and help me maintain consistency. Another one of my favorite self-care practices is making social media a positive space to be. You have the power to curate what you see online. I only follow people who motivate, inspire, or educate me. We all get stuck scrolling sometimes but I want to know that the time I spend scrolling is fueling me not draining me.
What lessons have you learned from the challenges you’ve faced, and how have they shaped your approach to your work?

I’ve learned so much in the nearly two years of running my podcast and starting my business. One of the biggest lessons is that it’s better to get it done than to make it perfect. Perfection doesn’t exist, and if you spend too much time editing or second-guessing, you’re procrastinating. Another lesson is not to take everything so seriously. It’s easy to get caught up in little things and think that one mistake will ruin everything, but most things aren’t as serious as they seem. If it’s not fun, there’s no reason to do it. If you can’t find the fun in what you’re doing, it may not the right path for you.
Can you share a success story from your podcast where a listener was positively impacted by your content?

I’ve had amazing young women reach out and say they’ve had positive experiences from listening to my podcast, and it’s always amazing to hear that. I’ve had people tell me they’ve worked up the courage to get out of their comfort zones, start new projects, work on themselves, or set and reach new goals because of episodes they’ve listened to. In the podcast world, it can be easy to get caught up in the analytics and comparison but knowing I’m making a difference combats that. It’s incredibly rewarding to know that my content is having a positive impact.
Looking ahead, what are your future goals for “Making Waves with Moanna Adams,” and how do you plan to continue growing and evolving your platform?

I have so many goals for the podcast. I definitely want to continue growing the community, and I’d love to bring on more teen business owners, authors, athletes, artists, models, and creators — anyone who’s making waves in their fields — to share their stories and experiences. Eventually, I’d like to host live or in-person events to help teens connect with one another. It would be great to create a space where teens who are focused on becoming the best versions of themselves can meet, network, and support each other.