Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children

Dr Nicole Tetreault was propelled to study neuroscience after her mother’s diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease. She then went on her own journey of self-discovery while supporting her twice-exceptional son, and recognizing many traits in herself. All this culminated in her new book Insight Into a Bright Mind: A Neuroscientist’s Personal Stories of Unique Thinking, which melds groundbreaking researc...

Today we’re diving into a topic that so many women experience but far too few of us are adequately prepared for—perimenopause. My guest is Dr. Mary Claire Haver, a board-certified OB-GYN, Certified Menopause Practitioner, and New York Times bestselling author of The New Menopause and her most recent book, The New Perimenopause. Through her clinical work, her online programs like The Galveston Diet...

Dr. Mike Postma joins me for a personal conversation about the many challenges facing gifted and 2e / twice-exceptional students, especially social and emotional challenges, and this is one of those episodes that just might leave you feeling pensive, concerned, and ignited all at the same time. About Dr. Mike Postma Dr. Michael Postma is an educator, author, speaker, coach and consultant dedicated...

Today we’re turning the lens inward and talking about the inner life of parents—especially those of us raising neurodivergent kids. My guest is Matthew Fishleder, a licensed marriage and family therapist who works with adults navigating anxiety, life transitions, and the emotional complexity of being human. A central focus of Matthew’s work is supporting parents in understanding their own worry, g...

Today I’m talking with neurodivergent educator Sam Young about a topic I haven’t covered on the podcast before, and that is our neurodivergent kids’ social lives. The world has changed so very much in the past few years, including in no small way how our kids relate to other kids. I get a pang of nostalgia when I think about how I used to form friendships when I was younger in a more analog world,...

Today we’re talking about motivation—what it is, what it isn’t, and why so many of our neurodivergent kids get mislabeled as “unmotivated” when the real story is far more nuanced. My guest is Dr. Ellen Braaten, an expert on motivation and the author of several books including Bright Kids Who Couldn’t Care Less, and her newest release, The Motivation Mindset Workbook: Helping Teens and Tweens Disco...

Have you ever wondered if SEL (social and emotional learning) in school and classrooms really matters? I’ve been exploring this question a lot about over the past year, as well trying to understand the recent increase in parental and political pushback in the US specifically that is putting the future of SEL in schools at risk.   I wanted to get into a deep conversation about SEL for the show, and...

In this short solo episode, Debbie responds to a question she hears from many parents navigating unconventional education paths: looking back, what would youchange—and what wouldn’t you—about your twice-exceptional young adult’s schooling journey. Debbie will share why there’s no perfect path, what she's glad she did (including embracing flexibility and a gap year), and how she's learned to let go...

Lindsay Lyons, an educational justice coach, former NYC public school teacher, and parent who helps families and educators create space for real, meaningful conversations with kids joins me to talk about the challenges educators and families face when navigating hard conversations in schools, especially around inclusion, equity, and neurodivergence. We talk about the importance of student voice, c...

Today’s episode is all about social skills, but from an updated lens that really speaks to the lived experiences of today’s kids. My guest is writer and journalist Catherine Newman, and we’re going to dive into her new book, What Can I Say? A Kids Guide to Super Useful Social Skills to Help You Get Along and Express Yourself. What Can I Say is aimed at kids ages 10 and up, and it includes practica...

Patty Laushman, a speaker, autism life coach, and the author of the book Parenting for Independence: Overcoming Failure to Launch in Autistic Emerging Adults, joins me to talk about one of the misunderstood stages of parenting: supporting our neurodivergent kids as they move into emerging adulthood. In our conversation, Patty and I unpack the concept of “failure to launch,” why that label is actua...

In this special kid’s POV edition of the podcast, Asher answers questions from listeners — specifically our kid audience — about his social life. Like many differently-wired kids, social scenes aren’t always smooth sailing for Asher. He sometimes struggles to pick-up on others’ cues and his occasionally intense emotional reactions to certain situations can be off-putting to other kids. We talk abo...

Today’s conversation is a candid, honest look at what it’s really like to parent while navigating ADHD yourself. My guest is Laura Key, Vice President of Content Strategy at Understood.org and the host of the award-winning ADHD Aha! podcast. Laura was diagnosed with ADHD at 30, and she brings both professional insight and lived experience to this conversation as a mom raising two neurodivergent ki...

Today’s episode is all about self-care for autistic people, and joining me is return guest Dr. Megan Anna Neff of Neurodivergent Insights. Megan Anna has just published a new book called Self-Care for Autistic People: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Unmask! which she wrote to help autistic people accept themselves, destigmatize autism, find community, and take care of physical and mental hea...

Dr. Ross Greene’s work has profoundly shaped how so many of us think about kids’ behavior and what they actually need from the adults in their lives, so I’m thrilled to welcome him back to the show to talk about his brand new book, The Kids Who Aren’t Okay: The Urgent Case for Reimagining Support, Belonging, and Hope in Schools. Together, we explore the urgent need to reimagine how we support chil...

Dr. Christine Koh joins me for a conversation about vulnerability, boundary setting, leaning into discomfort, and making big, messy, life pivots. Christine is a music and brain scientist turned multimedia creative. She is a fierce believer in the power of humans, small moments and actions, and vulnerable, authentic storytelling. She communicates on these beliefs through her work as a writer (she i...

Today we’re exploring something so many of us wrestle with but don’t always name out loud — the impact of our own fear and anxiety on our kids. I was actually about to record a solo episode when my friend and colleague Sheryl Stoller sent me an email, and the sentiment behind it stayed with me because it put into such simple, clear language the real impact our fears about their future, their poten...

This episode digs into the evolving understanding of ADHD and what it really means to parent with collaboration, connection, and support at the center. My guest is Cindy Goldrich, an internationally recognized expert in ADHD and executive function support and the author of 8 Keys to Parenting Kids & Teens with ADHD, a compassionate, research-informed guide that she’s just updated for today’s famil...

Dr. Kristin Neff, pioneering self-compassion researcher, author, and teacher, talks about the power and benefits of practicing self-compassion as parents to differently wired children. In our conversation, Kristin shares what she has learned about self-compassion, both through her research and her own experiences parenting an autistic child. She goes deep into what self-compassion really looks lik...

Today’s episode is a deep dive into tactile defensiveness and sensory distress, especially around clothing. My guest is Kathryn Hamlin-Pacheco, an occupational therapist who helps kids and families understand their brains and bodies through everyday neuroscience. Kathryn will break down what’s actually happening in the brain and nervous system when children experience tactile defensiveness, and wh...

This is one of only a few solocast episodes I’ve made over the past several years, but I wanted to talk one-on-one with you about self-care. If you’ve read my book or regularly listen to this show, you know I am a big proponent of self-care—I don’t think it’s even close to optional for parents raising neurodivergent kids. And, I also recognize that it can be a hard thing to make time for and prior...

Today’s show is all about navigating the school system when your child has disabilities—and how to do that with clarity, confidence, and a whole lot more support. My guest is Stacey Shubitz, author of the new book Make the School System Work for Your Child with Disabilities: Empowering Kids for the Future. In this episode, Stacey shares her journey as both an educator and a parent, and we dig into...

Picture this. You’re sitting in the neuropsych’s office after you just got your kid’s diagnosis. You’re relieved to have some information on how to help them but have no clue how to explain their neurodivergence to them. Do you talk about the science? Do you wait until they are a certain age where they might understand more about their brains? Or maybe you think about waiting for them to start ask...

Today we’re taking a fresh, much-needed look at screen time—one that moves beyond fear, shame, and power struggles and into something far more nuanced and humane. My guest is Ash Brandin, also known as TheGamerEducator, and the author of the new book, Power On: Managing Screen Time to Benefit the Whole Family. In this episode, Ash and I talk about screen time through the lenses of social equity an...

I know that there are concerns among many families that their child’s self-esteem can be negatively impacted by a label, or that others, including teachers may treat a child differently if they know they have one or more diagnoses, especially because of the stigma associated with neurodifferences. So this is what Dr. Karen Wilson and I get into — demystifying the process and offering suggestions f...