Able to Care

In this solo episode, Andy Baker challenges one of the most common (and damaging) assumptions in behaviour support: “He knows better.” Drawing from a real-life situation involving a boy with ADHD, Andy explores the crucial difference between knowing right from wrong and being able to act on it in the moment – especially for neurodiverse or traumatised individuals.

Packed with real stories, reflective questions, and practical guidance for parents, carers, and teachers, this episode invites us to replace judgement with curiosity and see behaviour for what it really is – communication.

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A wellbeing hub and carers community

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Perception is not deception

Knowing isn’t the same as doing

Be a guide, not a judge

00:00 – Intro: Right vs Wrong... or is it?

For parents who feel stuck between discipline and understanding

For carers supporting young people with ADHD, trauma, or neurodivergence

For teachers rethinking behaviour as more than a checklist of rights and wrongs

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In this moving and deeply insightful episode, Andy Baker is joined by Jenny Clark, who shares her powerful journey of supporting her sister Liz, who had Down’s syndrome and was later diagnosed with young onset dementia. This conversation is a heartfelt look at the realities of caregiving, family advocacy, and navigating health and social care systems when your loved one doesn’t fit the typical mould.

Whether you're a parent, carer, educator, or health professional, Jenny's story sheds light on the intersection of learning disability and dementia, highlighting the gaps, the grief, and the deep love that fuels family-led support.

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Young Dementia Network: https://www.youngdementianetwork.org

Down’s Syndrome Association: https://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk

DEEP – Dementia Engagement and Empowerment Project: https://www.dementiavoices.org.uk

Management systems, audit and training www.elliem.co.uk

Diagnosis is not the end – it's a transition.

Family advocacy is vital and exhausting.

We need better systems, not better families.

00:00 – Welcome and introduction

If you support someone with a learning disability, this episode will help you spot the early signs of young onset dementia.

If you are a sibling carer, Jenny’s story offers validation, support, and solidarity.

If you work in health, education or social care, this episode highlights the vital need for person-centred thinking and joined-up support.

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@AbleTraining

In this episode of the Able To Care Podcast Andy Baker challenges one of the most common assumptions in caregiving and education: that quiet, compliant behaviour means a child or adult is okay. From classrooms to care homes, we often confuse a lack of disruption with emotional wellbeing—but the two aren't always connected.

This episode explores how masking, compliance, and people-pleasing can be signs of distress, not progress. It’s a must-listen for parents, teachers, and carers who want to better understand what behaviour really tells us—and when silence might be a red flag.

This episode is proudly sponsored by  Order your card today

Able Hub – Free tools, training, and community for carers, parents, and educators

Andy Baker’s Book: Targeting the Positive with Behaviours That Challenge

Mood Monitoring Tools – Consider using apps or visual emotion charts

Behaviour ≠ Wellbeing – Quietness and compliance can sometimes be signs of masking or distress.

Check in Emotionally, Not Just Behaviourally – Emotional check-ins should be part of daily practice, not just reserved for crisis moments.

Masking is Not a Sign of Progress – Children and adults may learn to “be good” to avoid punishment, not because they feel safe or happy.

[00:00] – Introduction: “She’s been so good lately…”

[01:00] – Sponsor Message: Carers Card UK

[02:00] – Behaviour vs. Wellbeing: What Are We Really Measuring?

[04:00] – The Masking Effect in Trauma and Neurodivergence

[05:30] – Real-Life Examples: When ‘Good’ Isn’t Good News

[07:00] – What to Ask Instead of “Have They Been Good?”

[08:00] – Emotional Check-ins: Why Staff Should Model Too

[09:00] – Looking Beyond the Surface: Signs of Emotional Safety

[10:00] – Final Thoughts: Moving from Behaviour to Belonging

If you work with or care for children, young people, or adults—this episode could shift your entire perspective. Andy Baker shares practical insights and powerful real-life scenarios to help you move beyond behavioural assumptions and start seeing the person underneath. Whether you're a parent, educator, or care professional, you’ll walk away better equipped to ask the right questions and support emotional wellbeing more effectively.

📲 Instagram: @AbleTraining

If this episode made you pause and think, share it with your team, your school, or your care community. Start a conversation. Let’s build a culture of curiosity, not just compliance.

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In this compelling episode of the Able to Care podcast, I’m joined by Belinda Eddington, Executive Function Coach and founder of MindSpark CIC. Together, we unpack one of the most misunderstood and essential aspects of human development – executive functioning. From how children plan, organise and regulate emotions, to how adults can support growth through understanding, Belinda shares her passion, research and practical strategies for educators, carers and parents.

Whether you’re raising a child, working in a school, or simply trying to understand your own thinking a bit better – this episode is full of lightbulb moments.

We’re proud to be sponsored by Carers Card UK – the UK’s #1 discount card for unpaid and paid carers.

💷 Enjoy thousands of pounds worth of savings

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MindSpark CIC: Find Out More 

Books:

Smart but Scattered series – Peg Dawson

The Developing Mind – Dr Dan Siegel

The Body Keeps the Score – Bessel van der Kolk

Via Strengths Questionnaire: www.viacharacter.org

Executive function is not just academic – it’s foundational. These brain-based skills shape behaviour, learning, self-regulation and relationships.

Understanding comes before intervention. Rather than focusing on the ‘what’, shift your mindset to ask ‘why’ – be a detective, not a judge.

Support builds from strength. Executive functioning challenges are real – but with compassion, coaching, and the right scaffolds, growth is absolutely possible.

00:00 – Sponsored message: Carers Card UK

You’ll finally understand what executive functioning means – and why it matters for every child and adult.

Belinda offers practical examples for supporting children who struggle with memory, planning, or emotional control.

If you work in schools, care, or parenting – this episode will help you spot challenges earlier and respond more compassionately.

Plus, we explore how your own regulation as a professional or parent influences your ability to support others.

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🌐 Website: AbleHub.uk

We’re always told to “catch them being good”—but what about the people doing the catching? In this solo episode of the Able to Care podcast, host Andy Baker shines a spotlight on the forgotten ingredient of exceptional care: the carers, teachers, support workers, and parents doing the daily work of holding everything together. If we want positive outcomes, we must nurture positive environments—and that starts with recognising and valuing the people behind the care.

🎧 This is a free, listener-focused resource for anyone who wants to build stronger, more compassionate cultures from the inside out.

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PERMA Model by Dr. Martin Seligman

Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan)

Targeting the Positive by Andy Baker

Recognition isn’t optional—it’s fuel for performance, morale, and retention.

Motivation thrives when staff feel autonomous, competent, and connected.

Positive team culture is contagious—model it, and it spreads to every pupil, resident, and family.

00:00 – Catching Them Being Good: Why it matters more than you think

If you're a parent, teacher, or care provider, this episode is your reminder that you matter too. You can’t pour from an empty cup, and culture starts with what you model. Whether you lead a classroom, manage a shift, or support someone at home, Andy’s insight will leave you equipped—and inspired—to build teams and families that thrive on recognition, not just responsibility.

📲 Instagram: @AbleTraining

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In this enlightening episode of the Able to Care podcast, I’m joined by Lara Barnes—a functional neurology specialist and passionate parent—who shares her remarkable journey into brain development, sensory processing, and retained reflexes. We explore how these often-overlooked factors can profoundly influence a child’s behaviour, focus, speech, and learning.

Whether you're a parent, teacher, or caregiver supporting a neurodiverse child or simply curious about alternative approaches to child development, this episode is packed with insight. Lara’s perspective combines personal experience, evidence-based strategies, and deeply compassionate care.

This is a free resource from the Able to Care podcast, created to be both accessible and practical for those supporting children and young people.

Proudly supporting carers with discounts, ID, wellbeing tools, and community—Carers Card UK recognises the unseen work of those who care.

Lara’s website: https://braindevelopment.co.uk

Reflex-focused workshops and support: https://braindevelopment.co.uk/events

Disconnected Kids by Dr Robert Melillo – the book that inspired Lara’s journey

Lara's training: Certified in Dr Melillo’s Brain Balance Program

Retained reflexes can explain challenges in learning, speech, and behaviour – addressing these root causes can shift a child’s trajectory.

Neuroplasticity is real and hopeful – the brain develops until around age 20, so early intervention isn’t the only option.

Small, sensory-based exercises at home can make huge differences – you don’t need to be a specialist to support your child’s brain growth.

00:03:00 – What are primitive reflexes and why they matter beyond babyhood

00:10:00 – Lara’s personal story: helping her son with retained reflexes

00:20:00 – The building blocks of the brain: grey matter, white matter and roadmaps

00:28:00 – How to identify signs your child might have retained reflexes

00:37:00 – Real-life success stories from Lara’s clinic

00:46:00 – Supporting your child: practical tips and parent encouragement

00:54:00 – Final reflections: What every caregiver should know

If your child struggles with speech, behaviour, or focus—and you’ve been told to "wait and see"—this episode will offer a fresh perspective and tangible hope. Lara’s approach is especially valuable for parents navigating neurodiversity, educators trying to better understand behaviour in the classroom, and carers seeking new ways to empower the young people they support.

You’ll walk away with new tools, renewed belief, and a powerful reminder: every behaviour has a root cause—and you can help change the outcome.

📲 Instagram: @AbleTraining

Please subscribe, leave a review on Podbean, or share this with someone who cares for or teaches children. Let’s build a world where we all better understand the behaviours we see.

Have you ever replied to a late-night message just to keep the peace or taken a call on your day off because you felt you had to? In today’s solo episode of the Able to Care Podcast, Andy Baker explores the toll of being “always on” — and why saying no might just be the most powerful act of self-care.

From WhatsApp work groups to 24/7 notifications, our phones are blurring the line between support and burnout. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or carer, this episode gives you practical strategies to set boundaries, reclaim your downtime, and build a culture that respects rest.

This episode is proudly sponsored by Carers Card UK – the UK’s number one carers card providing support, recognition and exclusive discounts.

Whether you're a paid or unpaid carer, enjoy:

Discounts on gyms, days out, clothing, glasses & more

A wellbeing hub and Carers Circle community app

An emergency ID card you can carry with pride

👉 Order yours today: carerscarduk.co.uk/promocode/abletocare

Dopamine Nation by Dr. Anna Lembke

www.ablehub.uk – free wellbeing tools & resources for caregivers

Andy Baker’s Book: Targeting the Positive with Behaviours That Challenge

Digital boundaries aren’t optional — they’re essential. Constant availability chips away at wellbeing, empathy, and connection.

Model what you expect. Children, teams, and peers follow what they see, not what they’re told.

Unplug with purpose. Creating tech-free zones and curfews helps rebuild clarity, peace and presence.

[00:00] – Welcome: The danger of being “always on”

[01:00] – Sponsor Message: Carers Card UK

[01:56] – Digital Boundaries: Why this matters now more than ever

[03:30] – How tech affects your stress, dopamine and burnout

[05:00] – Examples from schools, care homes, and parenting

[06:17] – The emotional toll: Empathy, guilt and over-identification

[07:00] – 6 Practical tips to reclaim your peace

[08:42] – Boundaries at home and work: Lead by example

[09:10] – One small step to start today

[09:34] – Final thoughts: Rest isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity

If you’re a teacher checking emails at bedtime, a carer replying to shift rotas on your day off, or a parent glued to notifications while trying to be present — this episode is for you. Andy shares relatable stories and actionable strategies to help you protect your time, mental health and relationships. Let’s normalise rest in a world that never stops.

📲 Instagram: @AbleTraining

Please share with colleagues, friends, or family who may be struggling to set digital boundaries.

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In this powerful episode of the Able to Care Podcast, host Andy Baker is joined by Roger Mitchell, long-standing headteacher at Ripple Primary School in Barking and Dagenham — a pioneering Emotionally Available School where inclusion and belonging aren't just buzzwords, but lived values.

Together, they explore how schools can go beyond behaviour management, focusing instead on trauma-responsive education that meets children where they are. Whether you're a parent, teacher, carer or education leader, this conversation offers practical insight into why behaviour is communication — and how empathy, structure and trust are the foundations for learning.

This episode is proudly supported by Carers Card UK — the UK’s number one carers card offering real benefits to both paid and unpaid carers.

Get discounts on gyms, days out, tech, clothing and more. Access a wellbeing hub, an emergency ID card, and a strong support network — all for less than the price of a box of chocolates per year.  🎟️ Order your card today

Nurture UK

The Able Hub: www.ablehub.uk tools and training for carers, parents and educators

Andy Baker’s Book: Targeting the Positive with Behaviours That Challenge

“If you lose a child from their school, you lose the child.”

Inclusion is not policy, it’s practice.

Being Emotionally Available is a responsibility.

[00:00] – Introduction: Reframing school culture

This isn’t just an education episode — it’s a wake-up call for every adult supporting children. You’ll walk away understanding:

Why “naughty” behaviour might be fear in disguise

How trauma affects learning and behaviour

What emotionally available adults can do to build trust and connection

Whether you're in the classroom, at home, or working in social care — this episode will reshape how you see and support children.

📲 Instagram: @AbleTraining

Created to support carers, parents, and teachers across the UK. Share it widely and help build a more compassionate world for those who care — and those they care for.

If this episode moved you, helped you, or taught you something new:

Let’s keep the conversation going. Because every child deserves to belong.

In this powerful solo episode of the Able to Care podcast, Andy Baker challenges the way society responds to behaviour across ages. Why do we offer compassion to crying babies but demand self-control from teens, adults, and elders in distress?

Drawing on attachment theory, trauma, neurodiversity, and polyvagal theory, Andy explores how the instincts we have for infants could (and should) shape how we support older children and adults. This is a free, thought-provoking resource for parents, teachers, and carers looking to better understand behaviour, promote emotional safety, and respond with empathy instead of judgement.

This episode is proudly sponsored by Order your card today

Andy Baker’s Book: Targeting the Positive with Behaviours That Challenge

More resources at: www.andybaker.xyz

Behaviour is communication, not manipulation.

Use regulation before reasoning.

Ask better questions.

00:00 - The crying baby analogy that changes everything

00:48 - Sponsor: Carers Card UK

01:56 - Why this approach matters in behaviour training and care

02:19 - Babies = compassion. Adults = control?

03:05 - Reframing tantrums, shutdowns, and aggression

04:25 - Attachment theory, trauma, and the brain

05:58 - Real-world examples: school, care homes, and beyond

07:02 - Expectations vs. actual ability

08:07 - Knowing better isn’t the same as being able to do better

08:47 - Rethinking “attention seeking” and “manipulation”

09:27 - What if they were two years old? Try that lens

10:03 - Calm first, logic later

10:49 - Create space for emotion; model empathy

11:24 - A reflection challenge: how do your expectations shape your reactions?

12:04 - Closing thoughts: honouring the humanity behind behaviour

Whether you're raising children, teaching pupils, or supporting vulnerable adults, this episode invites you to rethink your response to distress. If you’ve ever wondered why someone’s reaction feels "too much", this will shift your lens from judgement to compassionate curiosity.

You’ll leave with a simple but powerful framework to approach behaviour not as something to “fix”, but as something to understand – because what we call difficult behaviour is often a difficult experience in disguise.

📲 Instagram: @AbleTraining

Designed to support all those who care – paid or unpaid, in schools, homes or workplaces.

Enjoyed this episode? Please consider:

Let’s rewrite the rulebook together – one episode at a time.

In this powerful and eye-opening episode of the Able to Care Podcast, I’m joined by Alison Armstrong - a leading voice in drug education, prevention and community training - to unpack the shocking rise of two substances changing the landscape of youth and adult addiction: vapes and spice.

We explore how synthetic cannabinoids are being misrepresented and misused, why vaping is becoming more dangerous than smoking, and how caregivers, teachers and parents can better respond to these emerging risks.

This is not just a conversation about drugs - it’s a vital discussion about prevention, societal responsibility, and how we create environments where healthier choices are the easier ones.

The Able to Care Podcast is proudly sponsored by Order your card today

Andy Baker’s Book: Targeting the Positive with Behaviours That Challenge

AbleHub.uk – Free & low-cost resources for carers and educators

Spice is not cannabis - it's a highly potent synthetic compound often misrepresented, lacking the natural balance that protects the heart and mind.

Vaping isn’t safer - it’s increasing nicotine consumption, making addiction easier, especially among children and young people.

Prevention is powerful - models like Planet Youth prove that long-term investment in young people’s environments can change the future of substance misuse.

00:00 - Sponsor: Carers Card UK

Whether you’re a parent, carer, teacher or professional working with young people, this conversation is a must-hear. You’ll come away with:

A clear understanding of the real dangers of spice and vaping

Practical knowledge on how to spot signs and start better conversations

Hopeful insight into what works – and what we can all do to be part of the solution

Let’s keep the conversation going – join us on social media:

📲 Instagram: @AbleTraining

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