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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 155: Using Strengths to Find Success with ADHD, with Ari Sokolov Dec 23, 2021

Show notes

Ari Sokolov grew up with ADHD, but she didn’t let her struggles in school define her. Instead, she found ways to make her strengths of creativity and problem-solving work for her. And everything changed when she accidentally walked into a computer science class in middle school and discovered coding. Coding is an outlet for her ADHD creativity and hyperfocus and she grew so passionate about it that it became her path forward. My guest on this episode is 20-year-old Ari Sokolov, a college student and app developer who founded The Trill Project, a safe space for teens and adults to get mental health support. Join us to hear Ari’s inspiring story.
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 154: The Necessity of Radical Self-Care, with Shelly Tygielski Dec 16, 2021

Show notes

Self-care is a necessity, not a luxury. Even more so for parents raising neurodiverse kids, like those with ADHD or autism. And yet, self-care is the first thing we sacrifice as parents, thinking we are doing better by our kids and our families in doing so. The reality is, the less we care for ourselves, the less we have to give to others. Sacrificing your self-care is actually making you less able to give your all to others. On this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, I’m talking to the author of “Sit Down to Rise Up,” Shelly Tygielski about radical self-care. Listen in to learn about developing compassion-based resilience and creating a community of care for yourself to prevent caregiver depletion and burnout. You’ll leave this episode feeling valued and inspired.
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 153: How Creative Parenting Helps Neurodiverse Kids, with Nina Meehan Dec 09, 2021

Show notes

Creative parenting not only helps you create moments of magic, but it also fosters trust and independence, emotional expression, out-of-the-box thinking, happiness through connection, and the ability to let go of perfection. Creative parenting can cut through the stress, anxiety, and struggle to bring more light and joy to your child, yourself, and your family, as well. In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, theater producer, Nina Meehan, shares the basics of creative parenting and the tools you need to embrace creativity in all aspects of your parenting. We all have creativity within us — Nina helps you rediscover it and use it to bring mre magic and joy to your family.
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 152: Post-Traumatic Thriving, with Randall Bell, Ph.D. Dec 02, 2021

Show notes

By college age, 66-85 percent of all people have been impacted by trauma. And marginalized populations — including those with disabilities like ADHD, autism, and anxiety — are much more likely to experience trauma, many consistently and frequently. We can’t prevent all trauma, but we can affect how our kids (and ourselves) cope with it and heal it. In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, Dr. Randall Bell, author of “Post-Traumatic Thriving,” outlines the three choices an individual faces after trauma and the strategies scientific research identifies as necessary to thrive. If you are the caregiver of a child with ADHD, autism or anxiety, I can almost guarantee your child has been traumatized — and you probably have too — just by trying to succeed as a neurodiverse person in a neurotypical world. I encourage you to listen to this episode and help your family heal.
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 151: What to Do When Your Child Gets in Trouble at School, with Robert Tudisco, Esq. Nov 18, 2021

Show notes

Kids with special needs get in trouble at school — both disciplinary action and involvement of law enforcement — far more than neurotypical students. Kids with ADHD, anxiety, learning disabilities, and autism are suspended far more than their peers. And that’s not ok. It’s downright scary for parents of kids with behavioral issues when they know the behaviors are a manifestation of the disability but the school is still taking punitive measures to try to stop the behavior. These interventions often quickly escalate to law enforcement involvement, which no parent wants for their child. In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, educational and criminal attorney (who happens to have ADHD), Robert Tudisco, walks you through what to do to prevent the escalation of behavior challenges in school and the very, very important steps you need to take if and when your child is facing disciplinary actions or arrest at school. We also talk about how to handle the threat of truancy for kids with school refusal and avoidance. You must not miss this episode!
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 150: Behavior Charts, Rewards & Punishments, with Sarah Wayland, Ph.D. & Penny Williams Nov 11, 2021

Show notes

The common advice from many clinicians for parenting kids with ADHD is to start a behavior chart and reward system to create external motivation. The problem is that these charts and systems often add more work for overwhelmed parents and kids, and often don’t produce results. And in our schools and classrooms, they end up instilling shame, blame, and fear, which is actually harming our children. Tune in to this episode of the Parenting ADHD podcast to learn a better way to help our kids do well. Afterall, kids do well when they can.
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 149: Using Play to Support Learning, with Sivanne Lieber Nov 03, 2021

Show notes

We only encourage play up to age five in our culture, but play should be lifelong, because curiosity, learning, and growth should be lifelong. We need to trust our kids (and ourselves) to follow individual interests and passions to create learning and fulfillment. In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, I’m talking with play enabler and parent coach, Sivanne Lieber, about using play to help our kids in academics and in everyday life. Listen in to learn how to shift your mindset about play and learning, and how to help your child follow their instincts for true success.
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 148: Your Child’s Brain Is Not Broken, with Tamara Rosier, Ph.D. Oct 27, 2021

Show notes

When we choose to view ADHD as a difference, we show our kids that they’re not broken and help them harness their strengths. As ADHD Coach, Tamara Rosier, Ph.D., tells us in this episode, people with ADHD eventually grow into their brains. It’s our job as parents to help them navigate big emotions and develop strategies to get things done despite having an ADHD brain. Tamara provides strategies for this and also shares many of her own methods learned from being an adult with ADHD and raising kids with ADHD.
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 147: School Avoidance and Refusal Oct 20, 2021

Show notes

Does your child avoid or flat-out refuse to go to school sometimes? School avoidance and refusal is the most stressful and upsetting thing I’ve gone through as a parent. The law says my kid has to attend school but my kid is so stressed and so pained in that environment that he couldn’t physically force himself to go many days, no matter the consequences. Listen in as I share our 9-year journey with school refusal and help you understand why it’s happening and how to handle it as effectively as possible. The struggle is real… but you are not alone.
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 146: Your Child is Not Your Enemy Oct 06, 2021

Show notes

Our culture seems to dictate that parents should have control over their kids. We should command them and they should comply. But this authoritarian parent-child relationship is harmful and not at all helpful. It sets us up to see our kids as our enemies — a mindset that is enormously damaging and actually makes our kids’ behavior worse. In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, I’ll outline how to get on the same team as your child and show you how that positively impacts your child’s behavior, self-worth, and success.
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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