Is this counselling or therapy?

No. It is a practical evening about work, money and independence, run by somebody who coaches teenagers on careers rather than a clinician. If what is going on at home needs real support, we will say so and point you somewhere that offers it.

Does my teenager come?

Not usually. Some months there is a joint half hour at the end where young people present what they built, and that part is optional on both sides — a teenager who would rather their parent were not there gets to say so.

Free, and it stays free. Parents are already carrying the cost of everything else about this; a conversation about how to help should not be another invoice.

Do I have to read the book?

No. Some months there is no book at all, just the question and the people. When there is one, you will get more out of the evening having read some of it, and nobody is quizzed.

What if I want more than one evening?

Then you probably want one-to-one help, which is Career Launch — a six-week sprint with your teenager. It is paid, and the Parent Lab is not a sales pitch for it.

Launch League Parent Lab

Preparing your kid for work, money and independence.

One evening a month for Ontario parents. Some months a book, some months just the question everybody is stuck on — phones, money, first jobs, what comes after school.

Ask about the next one

Published October 1, 2026Last reviewed October 1, 2026How we research and correct this

What you leave with

Not a discussion. A thing.

A clearer view of what your teenager actually needs next, and one specific thing to change at home.

One evening, one question, and parents who are dealing with the same thing.
Practical: what to say, what to stop saying, and what to hand over this month.
No judgement about phones, screen time or grades. Everybody in the room is improvising.
Nothing about your child is discussed with anyone, and nothing is recorded.

The practicals

Who it is for: Parents and guardians
Shape: One evening, ninety minutes
Cost: FreeFree, and it stays free. Parents are already carrying the cost of everything else about this; a conversation about how to help should not be another invoice.
Who it is not for: Anyone looking for counselling or a diagnosis. This is practical parenting around work and money, not therapy.

The shape

What an evening looks like go

The question
One real question — how do I get them off the phone, how do I teach them about money, how do I stop doing it all for them.
What is actually known
What the research or the book says, including where it is argued over. We say which is which.
What other parents do
The useful half. People in the room who have tried something that worked, and something that did not.
One thing to change
You leave with a single specific change, and a way to tell in a month whether it worked.

What we read

Books worth arguing with

One a month. Bring or borrow your own copy — we do not sell them and we are not affiliated with anyone who does.

The Anxious Generation
Jonathan Haidt
Agree one change about phones, independence or unsupervised time — and how you will hold it.
Worth knowing: The book's central claim is argued over by researchers. We read it as a strong argument worth taking seriously, not as settled science.
The Anxious Generation is Jonathan Haidt's book. Launch League is not affiliated with the author or publisher, teaches nothing as theirs, and asks everyone to bring or borrow their own copy.
How to Raise an Adult
Julie Lythcott-Haims
List what you still do for your teenager that they could do themselves, and hand one of them over.
How to Raise an Adult is Julie Lythcott-Haims's book. Launch League is not affiliated with the author or publisher, teaches nothing as theirs, and asks everyone to bring or borrow their own copy.
Atomic Habits
James Clear
Build one family routine that survives a bad week.
Atomic Habits is James Clear's book. Launch League is not affiliated with the author or publisher, teaches nothing as theirs, and asks everyone to bring or borrow their own copy.

Questions people ask

Straight answers

Is this counselling or therapy?: No. It is a practical evening about work, money and independence, run by somebody who coaches teenagers on careers rather than a clinician. If what is going on at home needs real support, we will say so and point you somewhere that offers it.
Does my teenager come?: Not usually. Some months there is a joint half hour at the end where young people present what they built, and that part is optional on both sides — a teenager who would rather their parent were not there gets to say so.
Is it really free?: Free, and it stays free. Parents are already carrying the cost of everything else about this; a conversation about how to help should not be another invoice.
Do I have to read the book?: No. Some months there is no book at all, just the question and the people. When there is one, you will get more out of the evening having read some of it, and nobody is quizzed.
What if I want more than one evening?: Then you probably want one-to-one help, which is Career Launch — a six-week sprint with your teenager. It is paid, and the Parent Lab is not a sales pitch for it.

Launch League Labs

Come to one. Bring the question.

Tell us the thing you are actually stuck on and we will tell you when the next evening is on.

Ask about the next one One-to-one help instead

How consent, photographs and a young person's information are handled is set out in full on the parents page.

All three Labs, and the themes for the year