TILT Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children

Today’s conversation is all about understanding and supporting autistic identity—how it develops, why it matters, and the ways parents and educators can help nurture it. I’m joined by Rebecca Duffus and Lyric Rivera, two incredible advocates doing powerful work in this space, and the authors of the new Autism, Identity & Me workbook for kids, and the accompanying professional and parent guide...

In this episode I’m talking with Julie Green, author of the memoir Motherness , a powerful exploration of generational autism, parenthood, and radical acceptance. Julie, who was late-diagnosed herself and is raising an autistic child, takes us inside her journey of self-discovery and diagnosis, and we talk about the emotional complexities of coming to understand our own neurodivergence while paren...

Today I’m talking with Dr. Megan Anna Neff, a clinical psychologist, the host of the Divergent Conversations podcast, and the creator of Neurodivergent Insights, where she creates and shares fantastic, well-researched, and accessible resources for the neurodivergent community. Megan Anna is also the author of Self-Care for Autistic People , which we talked about in a previous episode, and her newe...

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...

Today we’re talking about dyslexia—what it is, what it isn’t, and how parents can best support their children after a diagnosis. My guest is Rebecca Bush, a Certified Academic Language Therapist, Licensed Dyslexia Therapist, and founder of Lead Changes, a private practice that supports children with dyslexia, as well as the author of the new book Dyslexia and Your Newly Diagnosed Child , a compass...

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 int...

Today we’re digging into executive function — what it really is, why it matters so much for neurodivergent kids (and adults!), and how we can better support these skills without judgment or overwhelm. Sarah and I talk about how awareness around executive function has evolved, why self-regulation is foundational, and how different skills — emotional, cognitive, and behavioral — are all interconnect...

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 a...

In this episode, I talk with psychology professor and author of the new book 10 to 25 , Dr. David Yeager, about what really fuels motivation and a sense of belonging for our kids—especially neurodivergent ones. We unpack the different mindsets adults bring to the table—like enforcer, protector, and mentor—and how shifting into a mentor mindset can help kids feel respected, understood, and more eng...

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...

Today we’re talking about Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), a deeply emotional experience that affects many individuals with ADHD and other forms of neurodivergence. My guest is Dr. Sharon Saline, a clinical psychologist who has spent over 30 years working with neurodivergent children, teens, adults, and families. In our conversation, Sharon breaks down what RSD is, how it shows up in daily lif...

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...

Would you define your family as an ADHD family? Today’s guest, Dr. Tamara Rosier, and the author of the book You, Me, and Our ADHD Family: Practical Steps to Cultivate Healthy Relationships, says that ADHD isn’t an individual experience – it’s a relational one. And the ADHD dynamic affects the entire family system. I know many listeners would identify as members of an ADHD family and so I’m excite...

In this conversation, I talk with clinical psychologist and author Dr. Naomi Fisher about self-directed education, and why it can be such a powerful approach for neurodivergent kids, especially those with a PDA profile. Naomi shares why agency is so important in learning, how traditional school can chip away at a child’s self-worth, and what it looks like when we truly support demand-avoidant kids...

In this premiere episode of the Tilt Parenting Podcast, I’m thrilled to share with you a conversation with Margaret Webb . Margaret is a Martha Beck certified Master Life Coach, parenting coach, nature-based coach, and former teacher. She’s also the mother of a twelve-year-old differently-wired son, and has spent many years helping other parents on unexpected journeys find more joy and peace in th...

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 he...

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 atypical kids. And , I also recognize that it can be a hard thing to make time for and prioritize...

This episode of the TiLT Parenting Podcast features a conversation with Allison Carmen, a life coach and business consultant and the author of The Gift of Maybe: Finding Hope and Possibility in Uncertain Times . I discovered Allison and her work while doing research for my book , and her message of embracing possibility and uncertainty deeply resonated with me. I have a feeling you’ll have the sam...

In this Parent Lean-In episode, Debbie answers a listener’s question about how she restores, recharges, and makes time for herself while balancing parenting her neurodivergent child and running Tilt Parenting. She shares her best practices and ideas for prioritizing activities and ways of processing emotions that support overall well-being and filling her emotional and energetic reserves.

Today, I’m happy to be sharing a rich conversation with strategic parenting coach Heather Chauvin about the plight many mothers of neurodivergent kids find themselves in — prioritizing everyone else’s needs over their own and why it’s so critical that we get out of this pattern. This is a deeply personal topic for Heather. The way she describes it, by living in survival mode as a parent to her thr...

For this episode, I sat down with mindfulness mentor Hunter Clarke-Fields, host of the Mindful Mama podcast and author of the book Raising Good Humans , for a conversation about the benefits of mindfulness for parents. I love Hunter’s empathetic and research-oriented perspective on the intersection of mindfulness and parenting, and I wanted to share her insight with listeners as I truly believe th...

A concept we have explored a lot on this show and in the Tilt community is agency — and always in the context of how to scaffold and support our kids in developing agency or helping them have a bigger sense of control and autonomy in their lives. But guess what? We — the parents and caregivers in our kids’ lives — we need agency too. And in this conversation, we’re going to be exploring how to exp...

Would you like to have tranquility by Tuesday? My guest, author, productivity guru, and mom of 5, Laura Vanderkam, is going to tell us how. Laura is the author of several time management and productivity books, including the one we are discussing today, Tranquility by Tuesday: 9 Ways to Calm the Chaos and Make Time for What Matters . I’ve long been a fan of Laura’s books, and so I was excited to t...

I’m excited to bring to you a conversation that every parent needs to hear, and especially parents of differently-wired kids, and especially at this moment in time. The topic is self-compassion and my guest is Dr. Kristin Neff, a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, and the author of many academic papers as well as the books Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself...

We’ve been talking a lot on the podcast about the current pandemic and all the ways it might be affecting our kids, and how to support and help them through it. But today, my fellow parents in the trenches, it’s time to talk about US. I’ve heard from many of you in the last few months, and I can certainly speak for myself as well, that we need support and help too! So, today I’ve invited parent co...