Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children

Latest Episodes:

TPP 465: How Can I Help My Kids Find Meaning When I’m Struggling to Find it Myself? Sep 18, 2025

Show notes

Debbie Reber and Zach Morris answer a listener's question about how parents can support their kids' search for meaning and connection while navigating their own struggles.

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TPP 464: Dr. Robyn Koslowitz on Post-Traumatic Parenting and Breaking the Cycles that Almost Broke You Sep 16, 2025

Show notes

Today we’re diving into the ways our own trauma can shape how we show up as parents, and how we can begin to break those inherited cycles with Dr. Robyn Koslowitz, a clinical child psychologist, trauma treatment expert, and author of Post-Traumatic Parenting: Break the Cycle, Become the Parent You Always Wanted to Be. In our conversation, Robyn shares insights from her book, including the concept of “secret ACEs,” the “trauma app” that can override our instincts, and the different subtypes of post-traumatic parenting. We also talk about how to recognize our triggers, the importance of self-care, and the role of the inner child in this work. Robyn’s approach blends research, clinical wisdom, and lived experience, and she offers practical hacks for navigating the challenges of parenting when trauma is part of our story.

About Dr. Robyn Koslowitz

Dr. Robyn Koslowitz is a clinical child psychologist, trauma treatment expert, and author of Post-Traumatic Parenting: Break the Cycle, Become the Parent You Always Wanted to Be. As the founder of the Post-Traumatic Parenting model, Dr. Koslowitz helps parents break free from inherited patterns and become the parents their children—and their inner child—need. Her core message is simple yet profound: Your inner child can’t raise a child, but raising your real-world child can heal your inner child.

Dr. Koslowitz combines research-backed tools, clinical insights, and lived experience to help parents transform trauma into growth. As she says, Adulting is hard. Adulting is especially hard if you never childed.And parenting? That’s adulting on steroids. Her “trauma app” metaphor has reached thousands, empowering parents to recognize and rewrite the patterns that no longer serve them—or their children.

Things you'll learn from this episode

How trauma can shape parenting by acting as a mirror, map, and motivator for healing

Why hidden or “secret” ACEs accumulate and impact the way parents show up with their children

How children often reveal a parent’s triggers, creating opportunities for growth and repair

Why post-traumatic parenting can manifest in patterns like paralysis, perfectionism, or disengagement

How healing begins with befriending our instincts and using the AIM method of acceptance, integration, and meaning-making

Why self-care and play are essential tools for connection, regulation, and attunement in parenting

Resources mentioned

Dr. Robyn Koslowitz’s website

Post-Traumatic Parenting: Break the Cycle, Become the Parent You Always Wanted to Be by Dr. Robyn Koslowitz

Post-Traumatic Parenting Podcast

Dr. Robyn Koslowitz on Instagram

Dr. Robyn Koslowitz on LinkedIn

Dr. Robyn Koslowitz on Threads

Dr. Robyn Koslowitz’s YouTube channel

Erik Erikson

Georgie Wisen-Vincent on Unlocking Our Kids’ Emotional Balance and Resilience with The Way of Play (Tilt Parenting podcast)

The Way of Play: Using Little Moments of Big Connection to Raise Kind and Confident Kids by Tina Payne Bryson and Georgie Wisen-Vincent

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TPP 318a: What Parents Need to Know about the IEP Process, with Therapist Beth Liesenfeld Sep 12, 2025

Show notes

If you’re the parent of a differently wired kid with a diagnosed learning disability, you likely have had experience with Individualized Education Plans, otherwise known as IEPs. And if this is you, my hunch is you have some feelings about IEPs and the whole process — the stresses, the unknowns, the fact that it might feel like you have to understand a completely different language just to get the services and supports your child needs and deserves in schools.

Occupational therapist Beth Liesenfeld, the woman behind a company, podcast, and resource called The IEP Lab, joins us to answer your questions around how parents can better prepare for an IEP meeting, what makes a good IEP, and how we can go about making changes on an IEP if we realize the accommodations aren’t being effective or if a school isn’t following through in the way the IEP outlines.

Beth Liesenfeld, MOT, OTR/L is an occupational therapist passionate about providing “insider” information of the school’s process and culture to parents in order to increase collaboration between parents and school staff! Her company, The IEP Lab, provides online workshops and courses as well as produces The Parent IEP Lab Podcast.

Things You'll Learn from This Episode:

What parents actually need to know before they go into an IEP meeting

The criteria for designing an effective and supportive IEP

The intention behind the goals written into any IEP, and how to create goals that lead to hoped-for outcomes

What parents can do if their children’s school doesn’t follow through on the accommodations provided in their child’s IEP

How to include accommodations for students who are struggling with school refusal and therefore may not be meeting attendance requirements

What the IDEA says about seeking an IEP for twice-exceptional children who may be performing “adequately” but aren’t reaching their potential

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TPP 463: Author and Advocate Julie Green on Generational Autism and Radical Acceptance Sep 09, 2025

Show notes

In this episode I’m talking with Julie Green, author of the memoir Motherness, a powerful exploration of generational autism, parenthood, and radical acceptance. Julie, who was late-diagnosed herself and is raising an autistic child, takes us inside her journey of self-discovery and diagnosis, and we talk about the emotional complexities of coming to understand our own neurodivergence while parenting neurodivergent kids. We explore the healing power of writing, the importance of storytelling and compassion, and the challenges many families like ours face along the way. Julie’s memoir is a testament to these shared experiences, and this conversation is a deeply honest look at what it means to parent—and to live—with radical acceptance.

About Julie Green

Julie Green is the author of Motherness, a memoir about generational autism, parenthood, and radical acceptance, released by ECW Press in September 2025. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, HuffPost, Parents, The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Today’s Parent, and more. She has been featured on CTV, BBC Radio, Global News, Sirius XM, and other media outlets, and was a finalist for the CBC Nonfiction Prize in 2024. Through her platform The Autistic Mom, Julie shares her lived experience as a late-diagnosed autistic woman raising an autistic child.

Things you'll learn from this episode

How Julie’s decade-long journey to understanding her neurodivergence was shaped by limited representation for autistic women

Why writing became an essential tool for Julie to process her experiences and emotions

How receiving a formal diagnosis brought relief and clarity to her life story

Why Julie’s memoir Motherness shines a light on the complexities of parenting an autistic child while navigating her own identity

How practicing self-compassion and protecting her child’s privacy are central to Julie’s storytelling

Why community, connection, and embracing one’s identity remain vital for neurodivergent individuals and families

Resources mentioned

Motherness virtual book launch on September 23 (free registration via EventBrite)

Julie Green’s website

Motherness: A Memoir of Generational Autism, Parenthood, and Radical Acceptance by Julie Green

Julie’s Substack, The Autistic Mom

The Electricity of Every Living Thing: A Woman’s Walk in the Wild to Find Her Way Home by Katherine May

Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May

Katherine May and the Electricity of Every Living Thing (Tilt Parenting podcast)

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TPP 120b: Back to School Special with Understood's Amanda Morin Sep 05, 2025

Show notes

Amanda Morin of Understood joins Debbie for a special back-to-school episode to help families prepare for easing into the coming school year with as much confidence and serenity as possible.

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TPP 462: Dr. Stephen Porges and Karen Onderko on the Safe & Sound Protocol Sep 02, 2025

Show notes

I’m thrilled to share this conversation with Dr. Stephen Porges and Karen Onderko about the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), a therapeutic approach grounded in Stephen’s groundbreaking polyvagal theory. Stephen, a Distinguished University Scientist and originator of the polyvagal theory, has spent decades helping us understand how our nervous system shapes behavior, connection, and healing. Karen, who was instrumental in bringing SSP from the lab into clinical practice, has been a tireless advocate for expanding access to polyvagal-informed care around the world.

In this episode, we dive into the origins of SSP, the science behind it, and what makes it such a powerful tool for supporting emotional regulation—especially for people navigating trauma and neurodivergence. Stephen and Karen share stories from real-life applications of the protocol, explain how co-regulation plays a central role, and highlight the many ways SSP can foster connection and resilience. Whether you’re new to polyvagal theory or already familiar, this is a hopeful and inspiring conversation about what’s possible when we work with the nervous system to support healing.

About Dr. Stephen W. Porges

Dr. Stephen W. Porges is the originator of the Polyvagal Theory, a theory that emphasizes the importance of physiological state in the expression of behavioral, mental, and health problems. He is the creator of a music-based intervention, the Safe and Sound Protocol ™. In collaboration with Anthony Gorry, he co-created a Sonocea® Enhanced acoustic technology, engineered to support homeostatic functions and embedded in the Rest and Restore Protocol™.

With Karen Onderko, Deb Dana, and Randall Redfield, he is a cofounder of the Polyvagal Institute. He has authored several books, including the Polyvagal Perspectives: Interventions, Practices, and Strategies (2024). He has coauthored Safe and Sound: A Polyvagal Approach for Connection, Change, and Healing (2025) with Karen Onderko.

About Karen Onderko

Karen Onderko is a passionate advocate for advancing the understanding and application of polyvagal principles to improve care, connection, and acceptance among people. She played an important role in bringing SSP from the laboratory to the clinical world, conducting the initial testing, developing the training, and supporting the SSP provider community. Together with Dr. Porges, she has written a book about SSP titled Safe and Sound: A Polyvagal Approach to Connection, Change and Healing. Regularly witnessing the transformative power of a polyvagal-informed approach, she is eager to support the promotion of education and access to PVT for people in diverse communities throughout the world. Karen is a founding board member of the Polyvagal Institute.

Things you'll learn from this episode

How the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) draws on polyvagal theory to support nervous system regulation

Why melodic voices and filtered music can help calm the body and mind

How SSP offers a non-invasive, evidence-based option for individuals dealing with trauma and anxiety

Why co-regulation is a key part of making SSP therapy effective

How real-life case studies show powerful transformations when SSP is used, often alongside other therapies

Why the ultimate goal of SSP is creating greater flexibility in the nervous system’s response to stress

Resources mentioned

Dr. Stephen Porges’ website

Polyvagal Institute

Karen Onderko (at PVI)

Safe and Sound: A Polyvagal Approach for Connection, Change, and Healing by Stephen Porges, PhD and Karen Onderko

Polyvagal Theory: Current Status, Clinical Applications, and Future Directions

Randall Redfield (at PVI)

Doreen Hunt (at Unyte)

Safe and Sound Protocol (at Unyte)

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TPP 223a: Parenting Bright Kids Who Struggle in School, with Dewey Rosetti Aug 29, 2025

Show notes

Author, youth advocate, and co-founder of PEN (Parent Education Network) Dewey Rosetti talks about her new book, "Bright Kids Who Struggle in School" and teaching from a strengths-based approach.

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TPP 461: Naureen Hunani on Neurodiversity-Affirming Nutrition and Food Care Aug 26, 2025

Show notes

Today we’re diving into a topic that doesn’t get nearly enough attention in parenting spaces—neurodiversity-affirming nutrition. My guest is Naureen Hunani, a Montreal-based family nutritionist, pediatric dietitian, and mom of two who brings both professional expertise and lived experience to this work. Naureen is passionate about helping families create a positive, shame-free relationship with food, using a non-diet, weight-inclusive approach that focuses as much on the feeding environment and language around food as on what’s on the plate.

In our conversation, Naureen shares her personal journey and her model of neurodiversity-affirming care, which is rooted in inclusion, acceptance, and trauma-informed practices. We talk about the unique challenges neurodivergent children can face around feeding, how societal pressures can complicate the picture, and why trusting our children’s needs is such a powerful step. Naureen also debunks common myths and offers practical ways to support our kids—and ourselves—through a more compassionate, individualized approach to eating.

About Naureen Hunani

Naureen Hunani is a Montreal-based family nutritionist, pediatric dietitian, and proud mom of two incredible children. As both a professional and a parent, she understands firsthand the challenges of feeding kids and is passionate about offering practical, easy-to-follow nutrition and feeding guidance that builds parents’ confidence rather than triggering panic, guilt, or shame.

With a deep belief that early experiences with food and the feeding environment shape lifelong eating habits, Naureen is dedicated to helping children and adults cultivate a positive relationship with food and their bodies. She takes a non-diet, weight-inclusive approach to nutrition and health, focusing not only on the food itself but also on attitudes toward food, the eating environment, and the language we use around it. She encourages investing time in meal preparation and involving children in every step—from grocery shopping to cooking.

A member of l’Ordre Professionnel des Diététistes du Québec, Naureen continually expands her expertise through seminars, workshops, and advanced courses. She also takes pride in mentoring and training other professionals in the field. When she’s not working, Naureen enjoys spending time with friends and family, listening to audiobooks, and exploring nature on long walks.

Things you'll learn from this episode

How Naureen’s personal parenting experiences shaped her neurodiversity-affirming approach to nutrition

Why neurodivergent children often face hidden or misunderstood feeding challenges

How acceptance, community, and unlearning societal pressures can support healthier family food dynamics

Why respecting each child’s unique relationship with food is critical to avoiding harm and confusion

How neurodiversity-affirming, anti-oppressive care benefits all children, not just those with diagnoses

Why trusting children’s communication about their needs is essential for building positive food relationships

Resources mentioned

Naureen Hunani’s website

RDs for Neurodiversity

A Conversation with Zoe Bisbing About ARFID and Neurodivergence (Full-Tilt Parenting)

Zoë Bisbing’s website

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TPP 221a: The Relationship Between Exercise and Mental Health for Neurodivergent Kids Aug 22, 2025

Show notes

Fitness instructor, ADHD counselor, and author Gabriel Villarreal talks about how exercise is "medicine" for kids with ADHD, autism, and more, and how to get kids motivated to exercise.

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TPP 460: How Do We Get Kids the Support They Need in School Without an IEP? Aug 21, 2025

Show notes

In this Parent Lean In episode, Debbie is joined by parent coach Margaret Webb to answer a listener's question about a challenge so many parents face—when your child seems to hold it together at school, only to fall apart at home. We get into what might be going on under the surface, including masking, the toll it takes, and how things like routines, 504 plans, and even spoon theory can help. We also explore ways to support smoother transitions from school to home and share ideas for helping your child conserve and replenish their energy throughout the day.

In this special Parent Lean In episode, I’m talking with Margaret Webb about a question I hear often—how can we support our neurodivergent kids in connecting with neurotypical peers, especially when social skills don’t quite align? We unpack one listener’s situation with her sweet, social autistic son and talk about managing our own worries as parents, scaffolding playdates so they feel more successful, and finding the right playmate fit. It’s all about creating safe, supportive opportunities for connection—without putting too much pressure on anyone involved.

Things You'll Learn from This Episode:

Why understanding the unique challenges faced by parents of neurodivergent kids is essential for developing flexible, responsive parenting strategies

How tools like 504 plans and consistent routines can support smoother transitions and reduce stress for neurodivergent children

Why introducing concepts like spoon theory and early conversations about neurodiversity helps children better understand and advocate for their needs

How recognizing and supporting your child’s masking behaviors can lead to greater emotional safety and authenticity

Why identifying flow activities and creating simple transition rituals can help children regulate and recharge throughout the day

How encouraging experimentation in parenting and promoting self-advocacy in kids fosters resilience and long-term independence

Resources Mentioned:

Dr. Mona Delahooke on the Power of Brain Body Parenting (Tilt Parenting podcast)
Autum Romano on the Safe & Sound Protocol (Tilt Parenting podcast)
Safe and Sound Protocol
Autism Level Up
The Autistic Burnout Workbook: Your Guide to Your Personal Recovery Plan by Dr. Megan Anna Neff

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