De Facto Leaders

In episode 013, I sit down with my husband Joe as we share how we handled conversations on some difficult topics when we first got together.  Specifically, we talk about how we handled the money conversation early on, in addition to how we continue to manage our finances and talk about money with Olivia.  I firmly believe that if you are in a relationship, one of the keys to being a good parent is...

In this episode, I sit down with writer and speaker Dr. Kate Browne to talk about the narratives being told in the media, the impact it has on our beliefs, and the way it’s effecting our kids’ health and well-being. In this interview, Dr. Browne shares both her personal experiences that led to her becoming an activist for body positivity, as well as her research on the story telling that goes on i...

In this special pop-up episode, I take a break from the regular content to talk about burnout and boundaries; and specifically how I use systems to help me set healthy boundaries and reduce burnout. Back when I started working as an SLP in 2004, I found there was one area of my life (work-related) that caused an exponentially larger amount of stress than other things in my life.   So much, in fact...

In episode 011, I sit down with Katherine Endy from The Family Life Coach . Katherine is a social worker, mom of 3, and doctoral candidate at the University of Maryland. If you’re a parent, you’ve likely spent a lot of time thinking about your kids’ behavior and mental well-being. But how much time do you spend thinking about your OWN mental health and well-being? In this conversation, Katherine s...

If you or someone you know is going through a divorce with kids involved, you’re not going to want to miss this episode of the Are they 18 yet?™ Podcast. In this episode, I sit down with my sister, Mary Leonard, and talk about how to help your kids build resiliency when coping with big life transitions like divorce. She shares her experience single parenting two young children; including how to th...

In this episode, I share the second part of my interview with speech-language pathologist and ADHD specialist Mike McLeod from GrowNow Therapy as we continue our conversation about how to support with kids with ADHD and other conditions that impact executive functioning. If you’re someone who easily estimates how long things will take so you can plan ahead, it’s often frustrating when you see othe...

When it comes to working with kids who have ADHD, it’s easy to mistake skill-based issues with behavioral issues. That’s why in this interview, I sit down with Mike McLeod, a speech-language pathologist who specializes in ADHD and executive functioning. During this conversation, Mike shares:   ✅ Red flags of executive dysfunction, how it relates to organization and time management, and why it’s s...

When I worked in the school systems, rewards and behavior charts were a common practice. Even in my training to be a therapist, “positive reinforcement” was often a go-to strategy for managing behaviors and motivating kids to do “non-preferred” tasks. The problem was that for a lot of kids it didn’t work. And what was even worse…sometimes it worked TEMPORARILY, but as soon as the reward went away,...

Do you find that using organizers, minimizing distractions, or using rewards just don't work when it comes to getting your kids to focus?  Does getting your kids to follow through with chores, homework, or other daily tasks seem like pulling teeth?   If so, you're going to love this episode. When it comes to getting kids to follow through on activities that require sustained focus and effort, most...

We all have a point where the demands of life become too overwhelming and we lose our ability to self-manage and stay disciplined. For people who have a diagnosis of ADHD, that point can come sooner rather than later.  In this episode, my husband (Joe) shares what happened when he hit his breaking point, including: His experience growing up with an "almost ADHD" diagnosis How he managed to fall th...

Can you change your child's capacity to focus? Or do they just have to play the hand they've been dealt for life?  In this episode, Dr. Karen discusses what she's learned through the last 15 years of studying the research and working with school-age kids, as well as the parents and educators who support them.   She also discusses the great "medication debate", including ways it's often mishandled...

When raising kids in elementary school, junior high, and high school, a lot of parents wonder if they're preparing their kids for what lies ahead in college and adulthood.  We can't look in to a crystal ball and predict the future, but we can bring insights from our own failures and successes to the way we parent.  That's why in this episode, Joe and I continue our conversation about his experienc...