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
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.
Dec 8, 2022 • 30min
199: Internal Self-Care, with Sarah Sanders, MA, MFT
There’s a cultural misconception that self-care is treating yourself to something, like a spa day or a weekend away with friends. While that is a type of self-care, it doesn’t sustain you through the day-to-day like internal self-care does, managing our stress, our mindset, and our thoughts and emotions. Don’t discount internal self-care as “fluff” — I can personally attest that it’s life-changing, as can my guest for this episode, licensed psychotherapist, Sarah Sanders, MFT. Sarah outlines the three main areas of internal self-care and teaches us how to go about internal self-care and why it matters so much. Making internal self-care a priority is a key ingredient to being the parent you want to be.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
Dec 1, 2022 • 33min
198: Setting Learning Priorities for Your Child, with Beth Liesenfeld
It can be difficult to secure accommodations and services for your child at school. It requires that many people agree on a shared vision and how to make that student’s vision for their education a reality through necessary support. Getting everyone on the same page is key, along with focusing on a few priorities in the here and now. In this episode of Beautifully Complex, I’m joined by Beth Liesenfeld of The IEP Lab. Beth shares her 3-part process to setting priorities for your child around school/education. She walks us through taking those priorities and creating a vision statement to share with your child’s school team to help everyone collaborate for a common goal.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
Nov 17, 2022 • 27min
197: Breaking Free from Reactive Parenting, with Laura Linn Knight
Did you know that we are reactive by nature? That’s right! Our brains are wired to respond in kind for protection. But responding in kind — like yelling at your child after they yelled at you — is rarely needed in today’s modern world. And it’s never helpful, which is why we need to reduce our reactivity with our kids and parent from a place of calm intention. My guest on this episode of the Beautifully Complex podcast is parenting and mental health educator, Laura Linn Knight. Laura shares her insights and strategies on reacting less, addressing behavior and struggle with intention a lot more, and giving ourselves grace and amending our own behavior when we make mistakes. The calmer you are, the more power you actually have.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
