Beautifully Complex
Penny Williams
Join parenting coach and mom-in-the-trenches, Penny Williams, as she helps parents, caregivers, and educators harness the realization that we are all beautifully complex and marvelously imperfect. Each week she delivers insights and actionable strategies on parenting and educating neurodivergent kids — those with ADHD, autism, anxiety, learning disabilities... Her approach to decoding behavior while honoring neurodiversity, and parenting the individual child you have will provide you with the tools to help you understand and transform behavior, reduce your own stress, increase parenting confidence, and create the joyful family life you crave. Penny has helped thousands of families worldwide to help their kids feel good so they can do good.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 16, 2023 • 28min
209: Foundational Principles of Behavior, with The Behavior Revolution
We’ve been busy recording the sessions for the upcoming Decoding Behavior Summit, March 3-5, 2023. In this episode of the podcast, Sarah and I reflect on the common principles and strategies we heard from the experts in this Summit, including your role in your child’s behavior, the importance of adult regulation, the transformative properties of a sense of control for kids, and more. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
Feb 9, 2023 • 31min
208: The Parenting Long Game, with Rachel Bailey
The parenting long game is all about putting the right mindset and strategies in play so that kids can succeed and thrive. As parents, we often spend a lot of time in the “yuk,” overwhelmed by what’s hard and negative. And we’re wired to focus on the negative as a means of protection. However, to parent with the long game, Rachel Bailey tells us that we have to shift from judgment to understanding. Judgment is often followed by a negative narrative we create. Understanding is often followed by the narrative that our child needs help. Listen in to get Rachel’s strategies to go from chaos and overwhelm to setting your child — and yourself — up for success.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
Feb 2, 2023 • 40min
207: Finding Your Own Path When Neurodivergent, with David Bizzaro
It can be hard for our neurodivergent kids to find their path into adulthood. They often don’t yet know what they’re interested in pursuing long term, even after graduating from high school. The key is to support kids, teens, and young adults in exploring their interests, as actor and puppeteer David Bizarro illustrates as he shares his story with us. You’ll gain insights on the ADHD brain and that journey and leave with a sense of hope for your child’s future.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
Jan 26, 2023 • 38min
206: Low Demand Parenting, with Amanda Diekman
Low demand parenting doesn’t mean that we dismiss all expectations of a child and let them do whatever they want. Instead, low demand parenting means dropping demands and reducing expectations in order to meet kids with radical acceptance. AS Amanda Diekman explains in this episode, the purpose of the low demand life is to find ease and joy. But how exactly do you shift from the high demand parenting that’s instinctual to most people to low demand parenting? Amanda explains that you start with radical acceptance and respecting the child’s boundaries. Listen in to hear her explain all six steps to shift to low demand parenting and see a transformation for your family.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
Jan 19, 2023 • 57min
205: Honoring Our Kids’ Individuality, with Kayla Taylor
The challenge of raising a child with differences in a mostly intolerant world is very real. There’s both joy and heartache, as Kaylor Taylor illustrates in her book, “Canaries Among Us.” At stake in this quest to honor our kids’ individuality, is the mental and emotional health of an ever-growing population of neurodivergent children. In this episode, Kayla and I discuss the injurious nature of being a misunderstood and different kid in rigid societal systems, such as education, including the lifelong impact on mental health, the ability to hold down a job, and even physical health. You’ll also learn what to do to advocate for neurodiversity and help the world celebrate differences rather than condemn them.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
Jan 12, 2023 • 31min
204: The Science of Stuck, with Britt Frank
“A brain that feels safe will not get stuck.” That’s how Britt Frank, author of “The Science of Stuck,” explains the connection between a sense of psychological safety and being stuck. In this episode, she not only shares that understanding of why we get stuck, but she outlines her step-by-step process to move through stuckness, something we’re all too often trying to help our neurodivergent kids do. Listen in and learn about the power of choice as well.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
Jan 5, 2023 • 32min
203: When to Let Kids “Fail,” with The Behavior Revolution
We’re addressing a listener question about letting kids fail in this episode of the Beautifully Complex podcast. When parents say, “Let kids fail,” they usually mean revoking all of the help and support they were providing and letting the kid handle it on their own, even if that means letting them fail (often knowing it means that a neurodivergent kid will fail). Sarah Wayland, Ph.D. and I don’t support letting kids fail in the literal sense of that phrase. This is a complex issue because kids need to feel success in order to put forth continued effort, and to feel capable and confident. Learn how to scale your support, rather than revoke it to build skills for future independence.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
Dec 29, 2022 • 31min
202: Success in College and Beyond for Neurodivergent Students, with Alex Gilbert
The transition into college and then out in the “real world” are challenging enough, but can be even more daunting and complex when you have ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, or anxiety. Parents want to help their kids succeed and thrive but are no longer able to step in to help in the ways they had while their child was under age 18. In this episode of Beautifully Complex, Alex Gilbert, who has ADHD and dyslexia herself, outlines a plan to help neurodivergent students succeed in college and during the associated transitions.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
Dec 22, 2022 • 31min
201: The Teen Sleep Epidemic, with Heather Turgeon and Julie Wright
Did you know that only about 10 percent of U.S. high school students get 9-10 hours of sleep a night, the amount required for healthy sleep at that age? Teens who aren’t sleeping enough don’t just walk around groggy. A lack of healthy sleep negatively impacts mental health, cognitive function, reactivity, emotional regulation, immune function, and relationships. Clearly, adequate sleep is important. But how do we help teens with a lot of demands and distractions prioritize sleep? That’s what Heather and Julie, authors of the new book, “Generation Sleepless,” offer in this episode of Beautifully Complex. We discuss the ramifications of sleep deprivation and how to help your teen get motivated about their sleep health.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
Dec 15, 2022 • 39min
200: Lessons Learned: From Mom and Her Neurodivergent Kid, with Penny & Luke
In celebration of the 200th episode of the Beautifully Complex Podcast, I have my son Luke back on the show. It’s been 14 years since his first diagnosis of ADHD, and we’ve both learned a lot of lessons along the way. In this episode, Luke and I each share our top 5 lessons learned — my lessons in parenting a neruodivergent child and his lessons in being a neurodivergent individual. The episode starts with Luke sharing his lessons for other neurodivergent kids, teens, and young adults, so we encourage you to have your kids listen with you. As always with Luke, it’s a fun conversation.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
