About Growing Into You!™

Honest, Shame-Free Education for Families

Growing Into You!™ provides virtual interactive workshops and self-paced courses for tweens, teens, and trusted adults – of all genders – to learn about puberty, bodies, consent, media, porn literacy, and sex.

Our programs help families connect without taboo!

Our Team

Melissa Pintor Carnagey, LBSW
Founder & Lead Educator

Melissa is the visionary behind the Growing Into You!™ virtual workshops and self-paced courses and is the author of Growing into You!: An Inclusive, Shame-Busting, Get-Real Guide to Your Changing Body and Mind.

Caitlin Long, M.Ed.
Head of Curriculum & Educator

Caitlin (they/them) co-designs and co-facilitates virtual workshops and self-paced courses in our Growing Into You!™ education programming.

Aubrey Hanus, RN, BSN
Educator & Course Designer

Aubrey (she/her) co-designed the original self-paced puberty course, co-facilitates live workshops, and provides valuable insights that guide the direction of our programs. As Melissa’s oldest daughter, she is also the inspiration for this work.

Ashley Gutierrez, BA
Virtual Assistant

Ashley (she/her) moderates all Growing Into You!™ virtual workshops and has provided administrative and content management support to the program.

Tyson Carnagey
Youth Consultant

Tyson (he/him) co-facilitated one of our first in-person puberty workshops and regularly provides valuable insights that inform the direction of our programs. He is also Melissa’s oldest son and inspiration for the work.

Our History

2019

Our First Workshop

The first Growing Into You!™: Puberty workshop was held in a school cafeteria in Austin, Texas in 2019 for a group of 3rd graders and their parents. It was such a hit, they invited us back a few months later to teach a group of 4th graders and parents.
2020

Virtual Workshop Creation

In March 2020, at the start of the pandemic lockdowns, Growing Into You!™ went fully virtual serving tweens and families with interactive, gender-inclusive puberty education while they sheltered in place.
2021

Self-Paced Course Added

In August 2021, we created Growing Into You!™: Puberty as a self-paced course to allow families to participate in their own timing. This version has served over 700 families.
2023

Additional Self-Paced Course Added

In September 2023 we designed and began offering Growing Into You!™: Media & Porn Literacy virtual workshops- by popular request from our GIY Community- which teaches 9-15 year olds and their trusted adults how to stay safer and develop a critical lens in this highly digital world.
Now

Current Status

Since 2019, Growing Into You!™ has served THOUSANDS of tweens, teens, and trusted adults from around the globe! We are honored to be a leading resource helping families learn and connect in shame-free ways!
Next

Coming soon!

More learning content is on the way including: Growing Into You!™: Sex and Reproduction (a virtual workshop coming Fall 2024) and Growing into You!: An Inclusive, Shame-Busting, Get-Real Guide to Your Changing Body and Mind (a book for tweens and young teens coming May 2025).

Growing Into You!™ is an initiative of Sex Positive Families, which provides education and resources that help families raise sexually healthy children using a shame-free, comprehensive, and pleasure-positive approach.

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