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PODCAST

Beautifully Complex

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

kids & family parenting

All Episodes

40:46

336: ENCORE: Lessons Learned: From Mom and Her...

Beautifully Complex ·

2025/11/27

Every once in a while, a conversation lands in your heart in a way that stays. This encore episode is one of those for me. Luke was around twenty when we recorded it, and listening back now, I’m struck all over again by the grounded clarity he had about his neurodivergence, even in the places where life still felt messy or confusing. He spoke with such quiet certainty about seeing his differences as differences, not deficits. That mindset didn’t come from easy experiences. It came from years of

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27:26

335: Navigating Existential "Crises" with...

Beautifully Complex ·

2025/11/20

Some of the hardest questions our teens wrestle with don’t have answers. Why am I here? What’s the point? Who am I becoming? When your neurodivergent tween or teen starts circling those big, existential questions, it can feel unsettling and even a little frightening. But what if this discomfort isn’t a crisis to fix—what if it’s an opening for connection?In this conversation, I talk with therapist and fellow neurodivergent parent Matthew Fishleder about helping teens navigate the messy,

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47:14

334: The Real Work of Raising ND Young Adults (Part...

Beautifully Complex ·

2025/11/12

Launching a neurodivergent young adult rarely looks like what we imagined. It’s not a straight line toward independence but rather a winding journey filled with scaffolding, support, and deep personal growth for both parent and child. In this heartfelt conversation with my friend Debbie Reber of Full Tilt Parenting, we get real about what it means to companion our kids into adulthood, not push them off a cliff toward “independence.”We talk about the delicate dance of helping without overstepping,

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43:19

333: 5 Ways to Help Students with Writing Challenges,...

Beautifully Complex ·

2025/11/06

When writing becomes a daily battle, it’s not about laziness or lack of effort. It’s about overwhelm. Writing is one of the most complex tasks our brains can do. For kids with dysgraphia or other writing challenges, that cognitive load can feel crushing. In this episode, I talk with occupational therapist and handwriting expert Kelli Fetter about how to spot writing struggles early, what dysgraphia really looks like, and how you can support your child in simple, practical ways right now.Kelli shares

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27:38

332: When the Honeymoon Period Ends — What to Do When...

Beautifully Complex ·

2025/10/23

The first few weeks of a new school year can feel like a fresh start — hopeful, organized, maybe even easy. And then, just as the weather begins to cool, everything begins to unravel. Mornings turn chaotic again. Homework becomes a battle. The spark in your child’s eyes starts to fade. That October crash isn’t a failure, it’s actually biology.In this episode, I unpack why so many neurodivergent kids hit a wall a few weeks into the school year. The novelty that once lit up their brains fades,

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10:48

331: 5 Truths Every Parent of a Neurodivergent Kid...

Beautifully Complex ·

2025/10/09

What if the most powerful shift isn’t a new strategy, but a new story about you and your child? In this heart-forward episode, I offer five truths every parent of a neurodivergent child needs to hear — reminders that land like a soft place to rest: you’re not failing; your child isn’t broken; you don’t have to do this alone; you matter too; and healing takes time. These truths aren’t platitudes. They’re anchors for those messy, brave moments when the plan falls apart, the behavior feels bigger than

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14:19

330: When Behavior Pushes Your Buttons (And How to...

Beautifully Complex ·

2025/10/02

What if instead of asking, “Why is my child being so difficult?” you asked yourself, “What is my child’s nervous system trying to tell me?” That small shift changes everything.As parents of neurodivergent kids, we’ve all had those moments when our child’s behavior pushes every button we have. The yelling, the defiance, the meltdowns! It’s easy to feel disrespected, rejected, or even attacked. And when that storm hits, our own nervous system often gets swept up, too.In this episode, I share a

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16:58

329: Tools That Work Better Than Consequences, with...

Beautifully Complex ·

2025/09/25

What if the “problem behavior” isn’t the problem at all, but a signal? This week, we flip the script on rewards and punishments and lean into tools that actually help neurodivergent kids (and their parents) feel safer, calmer, and more connected. When a child’s nervous system is in fight/flight/freeze, the “thinking brain” goes dim. That’s why lectures, sticker charts, and lost-screen-time threats fall flat. They assume choice and control that a dysregulated brain just doesn’t have.In this episode,

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17:36

328: Behavior Is a Signal: How to Decode What It’s...

Beautifully Complex ·

2025/09/18

Behavior isn’t random. It’s not about disrespect, laziness, or a “bad attitude.” Every outburst, shutdown, or refusal is your child’s nervous system sending a signal.In this episode of Beautifully Complex, I’m unpacking what those signals really mean and why the labels we often put on behavior — defiance, aggression, avoidance — miss the mark. You’ll learn how to look past the surface to see the need underneath, and how shifting from control to curiosity changes everything.When you learn to decode

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29:44

327: How Animal Instincts Signal What's Underlying...

Beautifully Complex ·

2025/09/10

What if your child’s meltdowns weren’t about defiance, disrespect, or “bad behavior” at all—but simply their nervous system doing what it was designed to do? In this episode, I unpack how animal instincts like Lumi the Owl, Prickles the Porcupine, Bolt the Cheetah, and Tuck the Possum signal what’s happening beneath the surface. When you learn to spot the state and meet the need, you stop wrestling with behavior and start tending the roots.We’ll talk about how to recognize each instinct, what your

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37:19

326: Hidden in Plain Sight: Misdiagnosis & Missed...

Beautifully Complex ·

2025/09/04

Your child’s biggest struggles might be the very things no one else sees.In this powerful conversation with pediatric nurse practitioner and mental health specialist Monica Garty Juice, we explore how subtle signs of neurodivergence often get dismissed, misdiagnosed, or go completely unnoticed — and what that means for our kids. Monica shares why so many complex kids are “hidden in plain sight,” how masking shows up in daily life, and what it looks like to finally be seen.We also talk about how

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32:16

325: Unlocking the Best Possible Outcomes in Special...

Beautifully Complex ·

2025/08/21

Ever walk into a school meeting and feel like you're already behind before you even sit down?In this episode, I’m talking with special education consultant Michelle Pianim about how we shift from feeling powerless in IEP meetings to taking proactive, confident steps for our neurodivergent kids. We unpack the culture of inclusion (or the lack thereof), how to become the expert in the room about your child, and what to do when you feel like you've hit a wall with your school team.Michelle brings

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34:09

324: How to Step Back Without Letting Go, with...

Beautifully Complex ·

2025/08/14

What if the way you help your child is actually holding them back?In this powerful conversation with Kristin Lombardi and Christine Drew, co-authors of Spectrum of Independence, we unpack the hard-to-navigate space between support and overdoing. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering, “Am I empowering or enabling?” — this episode is a must-listen.We explore how to slowly and compassionately fade our support, why independence isn’t about going it alone, and how morning and bedtime routines can

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30:13

323: Using Breathwork to Facilitate Regulation, with...

Beautifully Complex ·

2025/08/07

What if the most powerful regulation tool for your child has been sitting right under their nose all along?In this episode of Beautifully Complex, I’m joined by breathwork facilitator and trainer Kurtis Lee Thomas to talk about the overlooked power of the breath — not just for calming down in the moment, but for deep emotional healing and nervous system regulation. Kurtis breaks down how breathwork helps both parents and kids release stuck emotions, build emotional intelligence, and move from chaos

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31:39

322: Your Child’s Big Emotions Are the Way Through,...

Beautifully Complex ·

2025/07/31

In this powerful episode, I sit down with parenting coach and boys' emotional ally, Tosha Schore, to unpack something most of us were never taught: our emotions — especially the messy, loud, uncomfortable ones — hold the key to healing.We talk about what it really looks like to bear witness to our child’s (and our own) pain, why your “just calm down” instincts might be backfiring, and how to show up for your neurodivergent child in a way that builds emotional intelligence, resilience, and lasting

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33:51

321: Your Kid’s Quality of Life Starts with You, with...

Beautifully Complex ·

2025/07/24

Your child’s behavior isn’t the problem — it’s the clue.So often we’re handed behavior plans, sticker charts, and systems that totally ignore what our neurodivergent kids are trying to tell us. In this powerful conversation with RDI Consultant Nancy Gilette, we dig into what really shapes your child’s quality of life — and spoiler alert: it starts with you.We talk about shifting from task-based parenting to experience-based connection, what “feeling good” actually looks like for neurodivergent

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34:38

320 Less Stress, More Success for Back-to-School

Beautifully Complex ·

2025/07/17

Is your back-to-school plan just a fresh stack of notebooks and high hopes? Let’s talk about what really makes or breaks a smooth transition for your neurodivergent child. In this episode, I’m sharing the top three things I wish I had known when my son was in school — the things that could’ve saved us from years of chaos, meltdowns, and overwhelm.We’re ditching the myth that buying the right planner will fix everything. Instead, I’ll walk you through how to prep your systems (not just your

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29:38

319: Using Music for Emotional Regulation, with...

Beautifully Complex ·

2025/07/10

What if the secret to helping your child regulate their emotions… is already playing on your speakers?In this episode, I’m joined by board-certified music therapist and fellow neurodivergent mom, Samantha Foote, to explore how music can be a powerful (and joyful!) regulation tool for kids with ADHD, autism, and other complex needs. We chat about everything from angry drumming sessions between siblings to writing silly blues songs to cueing transitions with the right rhythm.Samantha shares how rhythm

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27:14

318: Neuroscience, Mental Health & Sleep...

Beautifully Complex ·

2025/06/26

What if just five minutes a day could lower your stress, help your child regulate, and even improve sleep? Sounds too good to be true, right? In this episode, I’m joined by Ariel Garten, neuroscientist, psychotherapist, and co-founder of Muse — and trust me, this conversation is both science-packed and deeply personal.We talk about the real brain science behind mindfulness and meditation (spoiler: it’s not about emptying your mind), and how biofeedback technology like Muse can help kids and parents

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41:03

317: Creating Neurodiverstiy-Affirming Schools, with...

Beautifully Complex ·

2025/06/19

What if schools didn’t just accommodate neurodivergent kids, but celebrated them? In this heartfelt and eye-opening conversation with Amanda Morin and Emily Kircher-Morris, we dig into what it really means to create neurodiversity-affirming schools. From ditching moral judgments on behavior to prioritizing belonging over compliance, this episode is a must-listen for any parent or educator who wants more for our kids than just surviving school.You’ll hear powerful personal stories, practical

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338 results

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