Lucero’s wellness app is designed to make the journey of self-discovery easy and fun,  because self-discovery creates confidence, maintains mental health, and leads to lifelong well-being. Here are four key ways self-discovery guides tweens and teens towards confidence:

1. Self-discovery strengthens their capacity for self-care.

Learning how to take care of themselves mentally, physically and emotionally is a big part of tweens and teens becoming independent young adults. Self-care requires figuring out what they need to maintain their own well-being, manage stress, and find balance. As they come to value their uniqueness, adolescents get more skilled at identifying their own needs and understanding how their needs may differ from those of other people. Increased confidence also helps tweens and teens get comfortable meeting their own needs and asking others for support.

2. Self-discovery supports self-regulation.

Lucero’s model draws from the research of Albert Bandura, who found that people learn to change their behavior, in part, through self-reflection. Reflecting on feelings and how they affect behavior begins with naming emotions, a strategy Dan Siegel calls “Name it to tame it.” Neuroimaging research shows that labeling an emotion reduces activity in the amygdala, an area of the brain responsible for processing emotions. As tweens and teens get better at managing their emotions, they learn that they have control of their emotional state, which leads to more confidence.

3. Self-discovery helps them make better decisions.

The prefrontal cortex– responsible for self-control, impulse regulation, and other executive functioning skills– is still developing in teens. At the same time, increased hormones fire up the brain’s pleasure-seeking mesolimbic system. This Dual Systems Model explains why tweens and teens often struggle with making wise decisions. Self-discovery helps them make decisions based on their own beliefs, values, and goals instead of looking to others for answers. Anchored in self-awareness, a confident adolescent is less likely to just “go along with the crowd” or take a risk that jeopardizes their physical or emotional safety. And practice making decisions expands tweens’ and teens’ capacity for responsibility and confidence.

4. Self-discovery leads to a sense of purpose.

“The biggest problem growing up today is not stress, it’s meaninglessness,” says Stanford School of Education professor and psychologist William Damon. “We all need a purpose, but at that formative period of life, when you don’t even know who you are, you really need it.” Damon defines purpose as a goal that’s both “meaningful to the self and consequential to the world beyond the self.” Thus, self-discovery and purpose are intrinsically linked. When tweens and teens have opportunities to explore their curiosities, talents, and passions, they’re more likely to find activities and connections that give them a sense of purpose and build their confidence.

Lucero helps adolescents engage in self-discovery with gamified, bite-sized tools to explore their inner and outer worlds, created by licensed clinical therapists and a team of youth advisors. Our approach to self-discovery makes it easy for tweens and teens to develop self-awareness and learn emotional regulation skills, growing their confidence with each and every step.

1. Problem-solving Skills

How do you read a subway map? Communicate in a language you’ve only practiced on Duolingo? Do laundry while backpacking? By exposing teens to unfamiliar situations, travel stretches their cognitive flexibility. The right kind of travel provides some support and supervision – like an itinerary and a local host – but also gives teens independence to explore and figure a few things out for themselves. Troubleshooting and navigating unfamiliar circumstances builds confidence and creativity. Lots of parents report that teens return from trips suddenly seeming more mature, responsible and capable: definitely a win-win.

2. Executive Functioning Skills

During the teen years, the brain undergoes explosive growth in the executive neural network. The skills governed by this area include planning, organization, time management, focus, and self-regulation of emotions and impulses. While teens vary in the pace of development, carefully tailored travel experiences can boost these critical skills. If your teen wants to travel, take advantage of their motivation and involve them in planning the trip. Decide on tasks they can be responsible for, like creating a packing list or day trip itinerary. Fundraising and saving money for a trip also develops their executive functioning skills.

3. Resilience & Self-Confidence

According to Merriam-Webster, resilience is an ability to recover from or adjust easily to change. Researchers at the University of Melbourne say that teen resilience comes from a combination of social skills, optimism, purpose, an attachment to family and learning, problem-solving and coping skills, and a positive self-image. Travel allows teens to uplevel each of these skill sets as they learn to adapt to change. To help your teen cultivate resilience, plan a trip that keeps them safe but takes them a little out of their comfort zone. Encourage them to stretch themselves and take on slightly scary experiences, even if it’s just a week without Wi-Fi. After a little discomfort, they’ll quickly discover just how much they are capable of.

4. Empathy & Cultural Awareness

Travel opens up the world, exposing teens to worldviews and ways of life that are different from the ones they grew up in. When traveling, teens from privileged backgrounds may feel more gratitude for their blessings, and teens with a background of struggle can reach beyond their everyday reality. Meaningful interactions with people who experience the world differently build empathy and give teens first-hand appreciation for diversity. Look for trips that emphasize relationship-building and volunteering, like service-learning projects or cultural exchange programs, and make sure your teen has time to spend time with locals in addition to seeing the sights.

5. Purpose

According to Anthony L. Burrow of Cornell University, “purpose is a forward-looking directionality, an intention to do something in the world.” It’s a major predictor of long-term health and happiness for teens. “We are confronted with the ups and downs of life, but purpose is an active ingredient that helps us stay stable,” says Burrow. Travel helps teens develop a sense of purpose by sparking their curiosity and passion and showing them how they can make a difference. Transformative travel experiences often provide direction and shape teens’ lives in profound ways. To help your teen find a sense of purpose in travel, make sure their trip allows them to explore something meaningful, like their heritage, a career they’re interested in, or a cause they’re passionate about. And when they get back home, support them in taking what they’ve learned to the next level.

2019

The idea for Lucero was born in 2019 when three friends decided to combine their philanthropy, business and education technology expertise to address the youth mental health crisis. Founders Tom Murphy, Jim Hoover and Jeff Eastman envisioned a holistic, scalable solution that would bring mind-body-spirit well-being to the 1.2 billion adolescents around the world. The Personal Excellence Foundation was created to research the problem, identify potential solutions, and raise funds. Fun fact: the name Lucero was chosen because it means “light-bringer,” and to honor one of our founders’ former teachers!

2020 

From the very beginning, Lucero’s goal has been to make sure all the experts are involved, including mental health professionals, parents and other caregivers, and – most importantly – tweens and teens themselves. In early 2020, a pilot group of adolescents, parents, teachers and therapists at KIPP Austin College Prep Middle School and Samaritan Center helped develop our core curricula in the form of Quest Kits. The paper kits contained many of the self-care activities and self-reflection questions you’ll now find in the app.

2021

In 2021, over 200 Quest Kits were distributed to Boys & Girls Clubs throughout Austin to use for a 10-week period. The Boys & Girls Club pilot proved that tweens and teens who used the kit at least once per week showed an average of 20% growth in self-confidence and sense of purpose. We knew we were onto something, because multiple studies show that a sense of purpose is one of the most powerful protectors of mental health. That’s when we knew we needed to get Lucero in the hands of more tweens and teens.

2022

2022 was a big year for Lucero… we went digital! We started by asking tweens and teens, “If you had a magic app that could solve the problems you face, what would it do?” Then we built the safe space they asked for: an app that supports mental health by helping young people build healthy habits, gain tools for emotional resilience and connect with others who radically support them. We’re proud of the fact that all of Lucero’s content is co-created by trauma-informed therapists from Ensemble Therapy and Austin ISD who work hand-in-hand with our Youth Advisory Board. In fact, over 50+ youth, therapists, game designers and developers worked together to bring Lucero to life.

2023

So what’s next? 2023 will bring the launch of individual and family subscriptions and a pro dashboard for schools, community programs, and therapist networks. You can look forward to new features and more worlds to discover, all created with our uniquely youth-driven, gamified approach. We’re continuing our mission to become the go-to resource where tweens, teens and caregivers can find the skills, language and tools to navigate hard topics. We’re growing our community and supporting youth mental health with positive, proactive solutions that are fun, engaging, and take just a few minutes a day. So stay tuned and grow with us! The best is yet to come.

Lucero is a gamified wellness app for tweens, teens and their crew. It works like a digital daily self-care vitamin, making it easy and fun for adolescents to practice emotional regulation, boost self-confidence and connect with others who radically support them. Instead of a crisis-intervention approach, Lucero builds daily habits over time: a science-backed strategy that protects teens’ mental health and helps them grow into self-care savvy, purpose-driven adults. Here’s how we do it:

1. Give youth and families the tools to talk about hard topics.

Research shows that tweens, teens and their caregivers want to talk about mental health but lack skills, language and resources. Lucero ensures that all our content is co-created and approved by trauma-informed licensed therapists and grounded in evidence-based methods like Solutions-focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. Whether you’re a teen or a caregiver, Lucero puts simple solutions in hand and makes it easy to talk about hard topics and reach out for support.

2. Make it youth-driven, fun and engaging.

We asked teens, “If you had a magic app to solve the problems you face, what would it do?” Then we built the safe space they asked for. We believe there’s no better source of data about the support teens need than young people themselves. That’s why we recruited a panel of 27 tweens and teens to create, review and approve all our content. And everything inside Lucero’s world makes emotional regulation fun and engaging, including evolving avatars, 84+ gamified micro-lessons on topics like confidence and self-awareness, 600+ self-care ideas, and badges to track progress.

3. Make it affordable and accessible. 

Two of the biggest barriers to mental healthcare are accessibility and cost. Licensed community therapists often have a 5- to 8-month waitlist and cost between $75-150 per session and school counselors serve an average of 464 students each. There’s a clear need for solutions that streamline support for youth and families regardless of income or location. To use Lucero, all teens need is access to a smartphone. The app will always have a free individual account version available, and Crew subscriptions are just $10/month.

4. Cultivate connection.

Strong relationships with peers and caregivers protect teens’ mental health more than any other factor. Connection with others boosts teens’ confidence and helps them develop social skills, emotional resilience and self-awareness. Lucero makes it easy to strengthen relationships by giving teens the option to connect with up to 7 family members as part of their Crew. Family is inclusive of any combination of youth and adults who want to radically support each other.

5. Build healthy habits by making it bite-sized.

The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain responsible for planning, prioritizing and impulse-control. Since it’s still developing in teens, adolescence is the perfect time to lock in healthy habits for self-care and emotional regulation. Behavior scientists say the best way to build those habits is to start small and reward progress, so that’s just what Lucero does. It’s a safe space where teens can just be themselves and gain tools for a lifetime of healthy habits… all in just a few minutes a day.

You could say that to be confident is to trust yourself. Confidence gives teens faith in their own abilities and a secure sense of self-reliance. It’s the cornerstone quality that helps them navigate the changes of adolescence, make good choices and thrive in a rapidly-changing world.

Why Confidence is Key

Teens who lack confidence miss out on critical growth opportunities because they are less likely to take risks, join in activities and speak up for themselves. They may expect to fail or become overly perfectionistic. They’re also more susceptible to depression, anxiety, substance-use, self-harm and being negatively influenced by peers.

High levels of confidence, in contrast, are proven to protect teens’ mental health. Confident teens are more emotionally resilient, optimistic, persistent and self-compassionate. They have more social support and lower levels of common mental health problems like depression and anxiety. And confident teens are more likely to get the most out of opportunities for growth and self-discovery, like challenging classes and team sports. In short, teens who lack confidence struggle, and teens who have confidence thrive.

The Perfect Storm

Adolescence challenges kids’ confidence in multiple, intersecting ways. In the span of a few years, teens undergo seismic shifts in their bodies, brain chemistry, and emotional and social landscapes. In the midst of all that change, they are tasked with crafting their identities and taking on new levels of independence and responsibility. And because they\’re neurologically wired to seek belonging with peers, the opinions of others suddenly matter much more.

These rapid-fire changes test even the most well-adjusted teens. In a study of 1,300 tween and teen girls, authors Claire Shipman, Katty Kay, and JillEllyn Riley discovered that, between the ages of 8 and 14, confidence levels dropped by 30%. “The change can be baffling to many parents,” they write in The Atlantic. “Their young girls are masters of the universe, full of gutsy fire. But as puberty sets in, their confidence nose-dives, and those same daughters can transform into unrecognizably timid, cautious, risk-averse versions of their former self.”

Why You Need a Proactive Plan

Because of the multiple factors that can damage teens’ confidence, it\’s not enough to leave it up to chance. Teens need a proactive plan to gain tools, strategies and habits that build their confidence and keep it high. Here are three things parents can do to put a solid plan in place:

1. Keep communicating.

Confident teens know their parents and caregivers are on their team, and they feel comfortable communicating about what matters most to them and any challenges they’re going through. It’s natural, though, for teens to become more guarded and private during adolescence. To keep the lines of communication open, stay curious about your teen’s interests. That’s where they feel most confident and, when they know you care about what’s important to them, they’ll see you as an ally in other areas, too.

1. Support them in getting out of their comfort zone.

Taking on a challenge can be scary at any age, but it’s one of the best ways to build confidence. Author Alex Malley says, “Take a risk and take action despite your fear of failure, messing up or embarrassment. If things work out, then you now know you can do more than you think. If things don’t work out, you now know that you can handle more than you think. Either way, you’re better off.” Help your teen explore the world around them and get comfortable taking positive risks. When you know they really want to try something new, be their cheerleader.

1. Build healthy habits.

Teens need daily practice to keep their confidence high. Healthy habits like positive self-talk, mindfulness and self-care are essential tools to protect teens’ confidence and boost their self-awareness. Our gamified wellness app, Lucero, was designed with teen confidence in mind; in fact, it’s a key topic in World 1. It’s a fun, no-pressure way for teens to get daily inspiration and encouragement and build healthy habits.

• Travel

“Young people do not usually develop a specific purpose and then go become an expert in that thing,” says Project Wayfinder founder Patrick Cook-Deegan. “Rather, they are exposed to something new that helps them develop their own sense of purpose.” According to Deegan, travel is one of the most powerful ways teens find purpose, a big component of confidence.

Why does travel make such an impact? First, it takes teens out of their comfort zone and eliminates self-imposed limitations. Encounters with new people, places, and ideas expand their sense of what’s possible and often spark new passions. Travel also helps teens learn how to plan, problem-solve, and deal with unexpected challenges. Beyond the typical family vacation, travel gives teens the opportunity to take on a new level of self-responsibility. Each time teens successfully solve a problem or overcome a challenge, their confidence gets a big boost. Look for exchange programs, teen-focused tours, wilderness programs, and service-learning experiences to help your teen find the adventure that’s right for them.

• Team sports

A recent survey of more than 10,000 adolescent girls found that playing sports correlates with increased confidence, better body image and academic performance, and stronger interpersonal relationships. Teen girls experience an overall drop in self-confidence during middle school, but girls of all ages who play sports report consistently higher levels of self-confidence. “Girls who participate on a sports team are more likely to have learned healthy ways to handle stressful situations, have more effective and supportive friendships with other girls and have increased career and leadership aspirations,” said ROX founder Dr. Lisa Hinkelman. Don’t count sports out if your teen isn’t into the mainstream options offered at school; community clubs offer everything from skateboarding to quidditch to kickball.

• Public speaking

Confidence comes from doing hard things, and one of the most challenging things for many people– including about a third of Americans– is public speaking. But research from North Carolina State University shows that teens who participate in some kind of public speaking program feel more courageous.

Public speaking helps teens face their fears and develop communication skills that boost their confidence in lots of situations. They learn how to advocate for themselves and causes they care about, listen to others, and stay steady when challenged. There are lots of ways for teens to practice public speaking, from debate and 4-H clubs to theater or improv classes. And many coaches and teachers now incorporate stress strategies for teens who are fearful of public speaking, so they can feel supported and take it at their own pace.

• After-school and summer jobs

Worried that a job might distract your teen from all-important academic and extracurricular activities? A Harvard longitudinal study of 1,000 teens says those fears may be unfounded. In fact, teens who work part-time were shown to be more confident, responsible and successful than their peers without jobs. Work responsibilities push teens to test their abilities, learn new skills, problem-solve, prioritize and stick to a schedule.

Jobs are a great place to meet mentors and make new friends. And of course, earning their own money increases teens’ confidence, too. If your teen is interested in getting a job, talk to their school counselor about work-study options, aptitude tests and practice interviews. Look for internships or entry-level jobs that will help them cultivate career skills in industries they’re interested in learning more about. With a little luck, your teen may find a job that boosts their self-confidence and starts them off on a path toward a fulfilling future.

Teens who dream big have an optimistic outlook, and optimism in teens correlates with lower rates of depression and mood disorders and higher levels of goal setting, coping skills, and self-confidence. Optimism is a mindset that can be cultivated and helping your teen dream big is a great place to start. Here are some ways you can support your teen in reaching for the stars!

Expand their worldview.

Nothing helps teens dream big like being exposed to new experiences, places, people, and ideas. The teenage brain is wired to absorb information from diverse sources and weave it together in exciting ways. When introduced to something that inspires them, teens often experience states of awe and wonder that spark their creativity and shape their sense of what’s possible. Travel is a major motivator for many teens: a trip to a national park might get them curious about conservation, or a summer abroad might inspire them to become fluent in a foreign language. Volunteering and summer or after-school jobs also rank high for “a-ha” moments, as does exposure to art, music, history, nature, or new technology. It’s best to let your teen take the lead and tell you what they’re interested in learning, but don’t underestimate the power of the unexpected. One teen we talked to was surprised to fall in love with horticulture during a summer job on the farm of a family friend. The more new and diverse experiences you can share with them, the better.

Help them meet mentors.

Even teens who have one or more caring, engaged parents on their team can experience great benefits from mentorship. Mentors provide support and guidance and can help teens discover and nurture their passions. According to MENTOR, teens with a mentor are 55% less likely than their peers to skip a day of school, 78% more likely to volunteer, and a whopping 130% more likely to hold leadership positions. Lots of mentor relationships get started in informal ways, with relatives, neighbors, or family friends. If your teen is interested in a particular field, maybe you know someone with expertise in that area. Could your teen meet up to chat or spend a day shadowing them? Teens can also meet mentors through volunteer opportunities, jobs, and internships. Since teens may lack confidence in approaching adults, parents can help them identify organizations and people they would be excited to learn from, plan how they’ll reach out, and set goals to get the most out of the experience.

Seek out stories of inspiring teens.

A quick Google search is all it takes to discover almost endless examples of teens who are dreaming big and changing the world. Check out scientist and Time’s first Kid of the Year Gitanjali Rao, Klothes 4 Kids founder Nijel Murray, and punk band The Linda Lindas. Teens are inspiring others as entrepreneurs, activists, content creators, artists, gamers, and inventors. While they are making their mark in different ways, most say they started with a passion or curiosity and just decided to go for it. Peer role models inspire other teens to ask, “If they can do it, why not me?” Many share advice for other teens on how to take action via podcasts, YouTube videos, and TED Talks. Try watching or listening with your teen to spark a conversation about where their own passion and curiosity might lead. Note that lots of successful teens credit their parents for supporting them and helping them set their projects in motion.

Finally, and most importantly, help your teen discover and nurture their passion. Give them space to explore, try new things, and learn from any mistakes they make along the way. Let them know you’ll always be there to help and that nothing could make you prouder than cheering them on. And be an example of someone who’s not afraid to take risks to make your own dreams come true. Your teen probably has some ideas to inspire you, too!