Accidental Experts with Bryce Hamilton

Special Education Advocate and Author Vicki Christensen meets with Bryce Hamilton LSCSW to talk about IEPs and IEP advocacy. They tackle knowing when to push back against the school, how to advocate for your child and identify signs that you need to go beyond the traditional IEP process to get assistance for your child. They talk about how to find additional resources and help for you and your child. 

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Additionally, Vicki shares her own personal story and navigating the process of your child being diagnosed and how to begin the IEP process with the school. Vicki talks about common mistakes and gives advice on what to do instead or how to recover from these pitfalls.

Check out our video chat here!

#executivefunction #adhd #audhd #neurodivergent #neurodivergentkids #highschool #iep #504plan #parentingteens #teentalk #ParentingAdvice #ChildDevelopment #FamilyWellness #ParentingSupport #TherapyTalk #accidentalexperts #brycehamiltonlcsw #teenadvice  #parenting #therapytips #brycehamiltonlscsw #neurodiversity #adhdteens #autismteens #neurodiverse #neurodivergent #neurotypicalparent #adhd #autism #parentinghelp #iepkids #adhdteens #adhdparenting #iepadvocacy

Vicki Christensen is a parent of two neurodivergent sons. Luke, 21, has a rare chromosome disorder. By necessity, Vicki became a special education advocate over 15 years ago to assist her family. She now helps support families in special education at schools across Southern California. Her recently published book, Uniquely, Fully, Enough:The Neurodivergent Parenting Journey, A Memoir and Handbook contains additional resources for getting a diagnosis, navigation school, siblings, marriage, and adulthood. 

To learn more about Vicki, order her book, or contact her, visit her website:
www.blueglassesadvocacy.com

Instagram: @blueglassesadvocacy 

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In today’s episode, mental health advocate, mother, and burnout expert Rachel Massa joins Bryce Hamilton, LSCSW in a critical conversation about burnout in motherhood and how it can change the trajectory of a mom’s entire life path (at least temporarily). Rachel discusses how being high-achieving at work fueled her sense of accomplishment, but left her feeling like she lost sight of her purpose and questioned her parenting role. 

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Bryce asks Rachel about the difference between burnout and exhaustion. The two women discuss how it seems many people are living in a state of burnout which impacts a broad set of well-being elements such as mental, emotional and physical. It can feel like living on autopilot or in a constant state of fight or flight. Burnout is survival mode and most likely has a feeling of not being happy or seeing no end in sight, much like depression. Exhaustion on the other hand may feel like completely being drained and needing constant sleep but there are still some happy feelings at your core. 

The women discuss how to gain control back and strategies for overcoming burnout. Often this requires off-loading some of the duties to lessen the burdens of everyday life. Leaning on others is hard but finding a balance is crucial in overcoming burnout and getting back to a happy existence. Setting time boundaries and prioritizing your physical and emotional health is also imperative in letting yourself recover. Remember, nobody has the same exact circumstances so doing what is best for your family is most important!

Check out our video chat here!

#burnout #parentingburnout #parentingpodcasts #accidentalexperts #brycehamilton #familypodcast #burnoutinmotherhood #neurodivergence #ADHD #autism #parentingchallenges #accidentalexpertspodcast #accidentalexpertsfamily #exhaustion #depression #settingboundaries 

Rachel Massa is a proud University of Michigan graduate with more than two decades of experience at the intersection of technology, innovation, and leadership. She spent 23 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers, beginning her career advising clients on cybersecurity and technology and later leading firm-wide initiatives in AI, product management, digital communications, and culture and change. Throughout her career, Rachel was known for her ability to drive transformation and bring people along through it—an inspiring champion with a strong, trusted network.

Outside of work, Rachel is a mom to three sons, each with their own neurodivergence and support needs. For many years, she worked relentlessly to balance a demanding, high-visibility career with being a deeply engaged parent. At home, she was lovingly referred to as “Superwoman” by her husband. At work, she mentored other women and was often seen as someone who had “figured it out.” Behind the scenes, however, she was pushing herself beyond her limits for far too long — quietly holding everything together while becoming increasingly depleted and often feeling like it was all hanging on by a thread.

As her responsibilities expanded both professionally and with her family, the pace became unsustainable, and Rachel experienced severe burnout. She is now on a formal career pause, intentionally slowing down and rebuilding her sense of identity and self-worth beyond productivity and professional achievement. Through sharing her story, she has been connecting with others in similar situations, normalizing conversations around burnout, while supporting women and caregivers facing similar struggles.

Rachel lives in New York with her husband, Pete, Brendan (16), Hunter (12), and Ethan (9)—and their dog, Mookie. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees at her synagogue and finds joy in playing tennis, practicing yoga, hiking, skiing, and playing guitar. 

Website:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelbmassa
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/putting-down-my-cape-now-rachel-massa-j0jxe

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In today’s episode, Bryce Hamilton, LSCSW, asks athlete CJ Smith, LCMHA, all about the pressures of athletics on kids. CJ talks about how parents are their kids’ first leaders, teachers, and coaches. Kids learn from parents and the way in which parents react and respond to failure is what teaches their kids how to respond. In sports, there will always be failure along with successes and kids will go further when they know how to handle the pressures and failures in a healthy way. CJ highlights the importance of focusing on the mental health of the athlete which will in turn strengthen performance. He urges parents to see their kids as more than just an athlete and helps us understand the difference between healthy challenges and harmful pressure. 

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Along with high pressure comes burnout. Bryce asks CJ about burnout and how it affects athletes long-term. From the outside it may look like athletes are happy, successful, and at the top of their performance, but with all of the pressures of society, the media, and lack of coping skills, athletes at all levels can reach burnout and lose their “joy for the game.” CJ suggests that parents tune in to their kids and ask how they are doing, take their answers seriously, and be supportive. Kids are more than just their athletic ability and they need to know it’s ok to fail and they are loved regardless of performance.

Check out our video chat here!

Hashtags: #kidssports #childrenssports #collegefootball #collegesports #studentathletes #burnout #professionalfootball #parentingpodcast #burnoutinsports #accidentalexpertspodcast #accidentalexpertsfamily #accidentalexperts #parenting #healthyparenting #collegeathletes #brycehamiltonlscsw #athleticburnout #fosteringresilience #buildkidsup #goodcoaches

CJ Smith is a former Division I football player from Jacksonville, Florida. He played at both the University of Minnesota and Campbell University. After his playing career, he went on to earn his Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. CJ is passionate about serving student-athletes and helping bridge the gap between performance and mental health, with a focus on supporting athletes in their identity, mindset, and overall well-being on and off the field. 

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Basic needs rely on money. Health and wellness also rely on money. Dr. Darla Bishop, founder of Finansis, LLC, and Bryce Hamilton, LSCSW, sit down to talk about how to handle the overwhelming feelings families may have around money and how to get clear about finances. From forgotten subscriptions to uncommon expenses, credit scores and savings accounts to credit cards and budgeting, Darla and Bryce discuss how to stay ahead of finances by planning ahead, finding ways to cut back on expenses, and ways to increase income. How does this relate to parenting? Kids learn from those around them. Modeling financial literacy can have a big impact on our kids’ futures. And, sometimes we have to get creative to save money but still provide for our family. Darla offers several tips and tricks for taking a hold of finances and feeling financially secure while modeling healthy financial habits to our kids. 

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Here’s a look at our video chat:

This conversation isn’t your typical “save money, work hard” advice. Dr. Darla gives us so much more than that. Her work provides us valuable, creative, and helpful tips for raising wise, money-smart kids. 

Hashtags: 

#familyfinances #moneytalk #accidentalexperts #parentingpodcast #financialpodcast #therapy #accidentalexpertsfamily #accidentalexpertspodcast #generationalwealth #finances #financialwellness #familyvalues 

Show notes:

Dr. Darla is known as the ”FinanSis” founder of Finansis LLC. She founded the company to help families and communities improve their relationship with money and set their children up to be financially responsible for life. Dr. Darla is all too aware of the correlation between low credit scores and short lifespan. Her mission is to change that narrative.

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Parenting shouldn’t be a constant power struggle. Sonia Suthar, a 19 year old speaker, educator, and college student, sits down with Bryce Hamilton, LSCSW, on today’s episode of Accidental Experts to discuss what parenting looks like from a teen’s perspective, not as a teen parent, but as the teenage child of parents. Sonia gives tips on what she believes parents in today’s society are doing well (loving their children), and maybe not so well (listening and trusting kids to have good insight, and asking the RIGHT questions). This conversation is SO important in helping parents understand their kids a little better. Not only does Sonia give her insight from her perspective as a teenager, but she also cites research into what teens actually need (and want) in a parent/teen relationship. Listen to Bryce and Sonia as they discuss supporting and guiding teens through a healthy, productive model of parenting.Teamwork, compromise, and truly listening to each other will get you on the right track of successfully parenting teens and having reciprocal trust.

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Check out our video here!

Hashtags: #modernparenting #parentingteens #opencommunication #parentteenrelationship #parentingpodcast #accidentalexpertspodcast #accidentalexpertsfamily #accidentalexperts #teenageperspective #teenagers #teenpressures #

Sonia is a 19-year-old founder of Cloud 9 and an educator dedicated to helping teens develop leadership, emotional intelligence, and entrepreneurial life skills. Through workshops and speaking engagements, she supports adolescents and parents in building confidence, communication, and real-world readiness while strengthening connection at home. 

Sonia’s social links:

@cloud9go – instagram

www.linkedin.com/in/soniakatara
https://www.facebook.com/cloudninenow2023

Book mentioned by Bryce:

The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More by Jefferson Fisher

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Today’s episode is with Cristine Hull, PhD, Integrative Mental Health expert and natural medicine practitioner. Bryce Hamilton, LSCSW, asks Cristine how her practice combines psychology, modern science, natural medicine, and ancient wisdom. Cristine explains how she uses the model of a “Wellness Diamond” with four corners which include: physical (medicine), emotional, mental (cognitive), and spiritual. Cristine gets vulnerable with how she started her practice and found this wellness path by being a recovering addict. Her experiences help us understand how to work through our own traumas, not just by following one set program, but by using what we learn and integrating it into our own self-determined motivation. Cristine’s work leads clients to the self-actualization that there is hope in recovery from trauma, substance abuse, or whatever they may be seeking help for, but it should be a specialized approach for each individual person. She emphasizes that it is possible to stop diseases in their tracks if caught early enough, citing her time as a school psychologist and working with kids and their families to promote healthy lifestyles early on.

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This conversation will help parents understand what to look for when helping their own kids through hard times, how to recognize when a kid needs support, and how to ensure the child gets the correct support for their specific struggle. Taking care of one’s overall health is not a one-size-fits-all, and Cristine is here to help us understand how to approach situations through a whole body, mind, and spiritual model. 

Check out our video chat here!

#westernmedicine #mindfulness #naturalmedicine #psychology #ancientwisdom #accidentalexpertspodcast #accidentalexpertsfamily #parenting #parentingpodcast #substanceusedisorder #addictionrecovery #spiritualawakening #spirituality #emotionalintelligence #holistichealing #brainbalance #brainintegration

Cristine Hull, Ph.D., is an Integrative Mental Health Expert with over 30 years of experience. She integrates modern science and ancient wisdom in her practice, offering breakthrough techniques and quantum tools. Author of 10 Ways to Balance Your Brain Chemistry and more, Cristine isn’t afraid to challenge the current system in an effort to awaken listeners and support the evolution of mental health. 

Cristine’s Website:

Cristine’s book links: 

https://10waysbook.com

Other links mentioned by Cristine:

Book: Potatoes Not Prozac by Kathleen DesMaisons 
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Potatoes-Not-Prozac-Revised-and-Updated/Kathleen-DesMaisons/9781982106478

Vitamins: Catalyn Chewable Vitamins by Standard Process
https://a.co/d/02bBBGQK

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On this episode of Accidental Experts, Bryce Hamilton, LSCSW, and Kristen Jacobsen, LCPC, discuss the complexities of anxiety, perfectionism, and childhood trauma. Kristen deep-dives where anxiety and perfectionism in kids start, and how they can spill into adulthood. Parenting kids with anxiety, perfectionism, OCD, or through trauma can be extremely difficult. We can make changes in our expectations as parents but it requires some “re-wiring” as well as open communication. Kristen explains that we often praise kids for accomplishing a desired outcome rather than praising the effort that goes into the task, therefore creating an environment where kids strive to please others rather than being proud of themselves. Bryce asks the question, “how do we shift to [praising] the effort” in relation to this concept. Kristen explains the importance of celebrating and praising the effort first, while also celebrating the outcome.

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Bryce and Kristen also discuss how being a parent who experiences anxiety or perfectionism can impact our kids.They talk about the science and environmental factors such as our own childhood experiences that contribute to anxiety and other conditions our kids may be experiencing and how helping ourselves first can ultimately help us help our kids.

This episode is packed with helpful information for working through anxiety, perfectionism, and other related conditions alongside our kids, so be sure to listen to the full episode to learn more!

Check out our video chat here!

Hashtags: 

#perfectionism #anxietyinkids #anxiety #childhoodtrauma #accidentalexpertsfamily #accidentalexpertspodcast #parentingpodcast #parentingpsychology #brycehamilton #lscsw #lcsw #intrinsicvalidation #externalvalidation #subconsciousbeliefs #becurious #raisingresilientkids

Kristen Jacobsen, LCPC, is a psychotherapist, adjunct faculty at National Louis University, professional speaker, and business owner. She is the founder of Cathartic Space Counseling (est. 2013) and provides continuing education and mental health training for other clinicians and professionals. Her areas of expertise include anxiety, perfectionism, and childhood trauma. She has been featured on the TEDx stage and countless media outlets, including Verywell Mind, Chicago Tribune, Psych Central, and CBS News. She recently published her first self-help book, titled Unpacked: How to Detach from the Subconscious Beliefs that are Sabotaging Your Life. 

Kristen’s website:
https://www.catharticspacecounseling.com

Link to Kristen’s book:
https://www.kristen-jacobsen.com/upackedbook

Kristen’s social media links:
https://www.facebook.com/KristenJacobsenLCPC
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-jacobsen-lcpc
https://www.youtube.com/@theanxietytherapist
https://www.instagram.com/kristen.jacobsen.lcpc
https://www.tiktok.com/@kristen.jacobsen.lcpc

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On today’s episode, Dr. Robyn Koslowitz, Clinical Psychologist, introduces Bryce Hamilton, LSCSW, and our listeners to the concept of “post-traumatic parenting.” As parents, oftentimes we may feel like we aren’t doing a good job. We may yell at our kids, say something we wish we wouldn’t have, or give in when we said we wouldn’t. Robyn explains that this behavior has been learned at some point in our lives and usually that is through some type of trauma. Robyn identifies trauma as “any experience that is too big for our brain to metabolize.” Bryce relates to this with anecdotes from her own childhood that may be considered traumatic to some but maybe not to others. This is helpful when understanding our own traumas as we become parents and figure out our own parenting styles. Robyn’s work focuses on helping parents to break the cycle of traumatic parenting and become the parent they have always wanted to be. Robyn’s advice: “If we can recognize where our traumas come from, we can intentionally reprogram how we react.”

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Hashtags: #PTSD #posttraumaticstress #breakingthecycle #secureconnections #accidentalexpertsfamily #outsourcingparenting #breakthecycle #parentwithconfidence #parentingsupport #hiddentrauma #overcomingperfectionism #overcomingparentingperfectionism #overcomingdisengagedparenting #disengagedparenting #parentingpodcast #accidentalexpertspodcast #brycehamilton #lscsw #lcsw #parentingpsychology #parentingattachment #repairingrelationships #attentiveparent #parentingyourinnerchild

Dr. Robyn Koslowitz is a psychologist and author of Post-Traumatic Parenting: Break the Cycle, Become the Parent You Always Wanted to Be. She helps parents break inherited patterns and build secure connections. Her message: Your inner child can’t raise a child, but raising your real-world child can heal your inner child. She lives in New Jersey, practicing post-traumatic parenting with her own children. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.koslowitzpsychology/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drrobynkoslowitz/
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@dr.koslowitzpsychology
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@posttraumaticparenting
Podcast: https://posttraumaticparenting.com/podcast/
Website: https://posttraumaticparenting.com/about/
Post-Traumatic Parenting Book: https://bit.ly/4lRIyuL

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In this episode with Dr. Danielle Dowling, Bryce and Danielle explore the paradigm shift that happens when moms reflect on the conditioning they had as young girls to be “good” and the realization that being a “good” mom actually happens when they are healthy. Being a healthy mom doesn’t mean forgetting who they are as a person outside of being a mom. Danielle explains that girls often learn that they need to be agreeable, impressive, low-maintenance, helpful, and generally, not to be a burden to others. Danielle’s work provides women, and especially moms, the ability to re-write their stories so that worth isn’t tied to productivity, but rather prioritizing their nervous systems so they can be healthy moms without the underlying guilt of being a burden. 

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Hashtags: #ParentingAdvice #ChildDevelopment #FamilyWellness #ParentingSupport #TherapyTalk #accidentalexperts #brycehamiltonlscsw #therapyadvice #prioritizerest #meetingyourownneeds #burdenofparenting #sharetheparentingload

Dr. Dowling is a therapy-trained life coach, boy Mom with nearly 12,000 hours of 1:1 coaching. She helps women rewrite old stories, build bold boundaries and stop disappearing into their to-do lists. She believes in raising children without losing ourselves and claiming space for contentment not just survival. 

Website: https://danielle-dowling.com

Link to Danielle’s book: https://discover.danielle-dowling.com/good-girl-bad-mom/

Instagram: @iamdanielledowling

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Content warning: conversation surrounding death and loss

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In today’s episode, Bryce Hamilton, LSCSW, sits down with Carol Banens, a grief educator, coach, author, and speaker to discuss the complexities of grief, including in children. Carol shares her personal experience with grief at a young age and how it shaped her grief journey through adulthood. The conversation explores different types of grief, from grieving the death of a loved one, moving to a new place, or losing a friendship. Bryce emphasizes the importance of recognizing different types of grief in children which may be a new concept for parents and caregivers. Carol defines grief as “any significant loss” and explains that recognizing early grief in kids sets them up for a better understanding of grief as they go through more life experiences into adulthood. Carol gives clear instructions on talking with kids about death using age-appropriate language. The conversation also covers the physical aspects of grief and how to recognize how challenging grief really is which leads into spirituality and how, no matter what a person’s belief system is, being open to exploring different types of healing can guide us through grief.

Check out our video chat here!

Hashtags: #griefinchildren #expressinggriefthroughplay #playtherapy #stagesofgrieving #griefsupport #developmentalstages #modelinghealthygrieving #griefisnormal #supportingothersthroughgrief #validatinggrief #beliefsystems #accidentalexpertsfamily #guiltduringgrief #movethroughgrief #askforhelp

Carol Banens is a grief educator, coach, speaker, and author who supports people navigating life after loss. Widowed in 2018, and shaped by earlier losses, Carol brings both lived experience and professional insight to her work. A former physical therapist of over 36 years, she understands how grief impacts the body as well as the heart. Carol is the author of five grief-focused books, including Kintsugi Your Heart: The Art of Living with Grief, and co-founder of The Grief Gurus community.

Www.carolbanens.com 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-banens-6a575432
https://www.facebook.com/carol.banens
https://www.youtube.com/@carolbanens7544
https://www.instagram.com/carol.banens

Book mentioned: Where Did You Go? By Christina Rasmussen

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