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Beautifully Complex — Kids & Family
Beautifully Complex

Parenting a neurodivergent kid is one of the hardest things you will ever do. If you are exhausted, overwhelmed, and wondering why nothing seems to work, this is the place for you.

I am Penny Williams, parenting coach, author, and mom who’s in the trenches alongside you. Each week on Beautifully Complex, I bring you honest conversations and real strategies for raising kids with ADHD, autism, anxiety, and learning differences. Our kids aren’t broken, just wired differently.

My work is grounded in the SIGNAL Framework™, a nervous-system-first approach I developed around one core truth: regulation is required before any skill or strategy can take hold.

Every episode delivers insights you can actually use to reduce your stress, rebuild your confidence, and create a family life that feels good for everyone in it. I’ve helped thousands of families worldwide, and this community is here for you too.

New episodes drop every week. Subscribe so you never miss one.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex–6137613/support.

Copyright: © Copyright Penny Williams

Latest Episodes:

PAP 165: Helping Kids Accept Their ADHD and Be Their True Selves, with Mallory Band Mar 23, 2022

Show notes

An ADHD diagnosis can come with a lot of emotions, especially shame. So many kids and adults feel ashamed of their ADHD and lack confidence to be their true selves as a result. In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, ADHD Adult and Executive Function Coach, Mallory Band shares her story of growing up with ADHD, accepting her brain and its differences, and learning to live authentically. Mallory has tips for parents on how to help your kids gain the confidence it takes to live as their true selves too.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com. It's not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

PAP 164: Helping Teens with Stress & Anxiety at School, with Natalie Borrell & Alison Grant Mar 16, 2022

Show notes

It has always been tough to be a teenager, which has been exacerbated by the COVID pandemic and schooling at home for long periods. Teens are struggling more with their mental health than ever, which means they need more support and guidance in this area than ever. But teens aren’t always open to talking with their parents about the hard stuff, or talking to anyone about it. In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, Natalie Borrell & Alison Grant of Life Success for Teens share the stress and anxiety they are seeing today in their school and among their clients. They also offer tips and strategies to help teens who are struggling.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com. It's not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

PAP 163: Helping Kids Build Emotional Skills, with Nadine Levitt Mar 10, 2022

Show notes

Emotional intelligence is a learned skill set. We must teach our kids about feelings — what they are and what they mean — as well as how to manage them and communicate them to others. In her work with children and her emotional toolkit, Nadine Levitt teaches that emotions are trying to help us. They’re messengers. Some emotions are more challenging to feel but they’re all natural and necessary. It’s our job to figure out what the message means and what to do about it. Tune in to this episode to learn how to talk to your kids about their emotions and teach them the skills necessary to navigate their feelings in productive and healthy ways.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com. It's not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

PAP 162: Let’s Talk About Control! with Penny Williams Mar 03, 2022

Show notes

American culture implies that if you are in control of your child’s behavior, you are a “good parent.” But that is extremely flawed logic. Our job as parents is to guide our kids to create a life of joy, fulfillment, and success for themselves. It’s not to have little people that we control. It’s not to have someone to exert authority over. How would that benefit our kids? How would that benefit us? So we have to relinquish some control to our kids to teach them independence and set them up for success. But we also have to relinquish control to our kids for the benefit of their confidence and sense of competence. Kids can’t do well if we don’t allow them to make their own choices and take charge of themselves (and they can’t develop those skills either). Join me as I talk about the benefits of relinquishing control to our kids, and the importance of accepting what we cannot control and focusing our energy instead on what we can influence.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com. It's not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

PAP 161: The Benefits of Affirmations for Kids and Parents, with Jaeden Schafer Feb 24, 2022

Show notes

Scientific research shows us that affirmations are a powerful tool to combat negative limiting beliefs and reshape our neural pathways in the brain for the positive. Kids with ADHD (and/or autism) get exponentially more negative messages throughout their days which has a damaging impact on their confidence, sense of competency, and self-esteem. They need tools and strategies like affirmations to counterbalance the negative input and self-beliefs that commonly impact them. In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, I’m joined by the co-founder of Self-Pause, Jaeden Schafer, to discuss what effective affirmation practice looks like and why it’s so beneficial to adults and kids alike. Listen in to learn how you can support your child and their self-confidence with affirmations.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com. It's not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

PAP 160: What Do Your Reactions Say About You?, with Penny Williams Feb 17, 2022

Show notes

We don’t naturally think about how much of our parenting is actually about our kids and their needs, and how much of it is actually about ourselves. Yet, it’s crucial that we do build an awareness around when our own experiences, challenges, fears, and traumas are getting in the way of seeing our kids’ needs clearly and providing for their needs. More often than not, our reactions and responses are more about us than about our kids. In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, I’m talking about how to determine what is about your child and what is more about you, and how to use that information to be adequately focused on your child’s struggles to be a better parent. One strategy is to ask yourself, “What does my reaction say about me?” We cover more insights and strategies in the show, as well.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com. It's not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

PAP 159: Supporting a Transgender Journey, with Wynne Nowland Feb 02, 2022

Show notes

Gender diversity is more common among neurodiverse kids and teens, especially those on the autism spectrum. People who do not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth are three to six times as likely to have autism as people who don’t question their gender assignment, according to the latest studies on the subject. Neurodivergent kids have trouble fitting in and they often explore different communities to discover where they fit, including the transgender community. In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, I have an open and honest conversation with transgender woman, Wynne Nowland, about how parents, friends, and families can support a child or teen who is questioning their assigned gender or has reached the realization that they are transgender. One of the most important aspects is getting mental health experts involved to help you and your child navigate gender exploration and gender identity. A humanistic approach is key to a healthy journey. This episode is for every human! It’s time to open our hearts and minds to accept every single person as their authentic selves.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com. It's not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

PAP 158: What We Learned from 27 Experts on Behavior, with Sarah Wayland, Ph.D. & Penny Williams (The Behavior Revolution) Jan 27, 2022

Show notes

We’re working on our next free online Parenting ADHD & Autism Summit — Decoding Behavior Summit February 11-13, 2022. In interviewing all these experts on behavior, parenting, ADHD, autism, and anxiety we have had our own lightbulb moments. In this episode of the podcast, we’re sharing some of what these experts will be offering during the Decoding Behavior Summit and letting you know how you can participate in this online conference for free.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com. It's not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

PAP 157: REPLAY! Strategies to Help Your Anxious Child with Dawn Huebner, Ph.D. Jan 06, 2022

Show notes

Many individuals with ADHD struggle with anxiety as well, wether it be an additional condition or the result of the challenges that come with ADHD. Anxiety is often misunderstood by parents and other adults in a child’s life, and can feel like it should be easily rationalized away. But, those with anxiety know no amount of rationalizing can just “turn off” an anxiety attack. In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, Psychologist, Dr. Dawn Huebner offers both insights for understanding anxiety, as well as strategies to help your child through the difficult challenges of anxiety.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com. It's not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

PAP 156: New Year, New Parenting Mindset Dec 30, 2021

Show notes

Your parenting mindset is the #1 most important aspect of parenting kids with ADHD, autism, or other neurobehavioral disorders. Being the best parent you can be for your neurodiverse kid is 90 percent about changing yourself — it’s never about changing your kid. This episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast is part of our Behavior Revolution series. Penny and Sarah outline the perspective you need to adopt to address behavior in a compassionate and effective way, while honoring your child’s neurodiversity (instead of trying to change it). Let’s start 2022 by getting your mind right for parenting your neuro-atypical child.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com. It's not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

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