Beautifully Complex

By Penny Williams

Kids & Family

What's Beautifully Complex about?

Join parenting coach and mom-in-the-trenches, Penny Williams, as she helps parents, caregivers, and educators harness the realization that we are all beautifully complex and marvelously imperfect. Each week she delivers insights and actionable strategies on parenting neurodivergent kids — those with ADHD, autism, anxiety, learning disabilities... Her approach to decoding behavior while honoring neurodiversity, and parenting the individual child you have will provide you with the tools to help you understand and transform behavior, reduce your own stress, increase parenting confidence, and create the joyful family life you crave. Penny has helped thousands of families worldwide to help their kids feel good so they can do good.

4.7

176 ratings

Download our free app to listen on your phone

LAST EPISODE

241: Building Habits Using ...

11.30.2023

In this episode of Beautifully Complex, Leslie Josel and I explore the crucial role of emotional rewards in building habits and fostering positive behavior in neurodivergent children. We highlight the significance of specific praise, genuine curiosity, and active listening in ...

Beautifully Complex episodes:

11.30.2023 241: Building Habits Using Emotional Rewards, with Leslie Josel In this episode of Beautifully Complex, Leslie Josel and I explore the crucial role of emotional rewards in building habits and fostering positive behavior in neurodivergent children. We highlight the significance of specific praise, genuine curiosity, and active listening in ...
11.16.2023 240: Navigating Childhood OCD: A Parent’s Journey, with Brendan Mahan In this episode of Beautifully Complex, join host Penny Williams as she delves into the topic of childhood OCD with guest Brendan Mahan, M.Ed., MS. Brendan opens up about his personal journey raising a child with OCD and the challenges ...
11.09.2023 239: How to Address 5 Common Behavior Challenges at School, with Penny Williams In this episode of Beautifully Complex, I’m diving into behavior challenges at school. We'll discuss the common struggles faced by children with ADHD, autism, and other developmental delays, and explore effective strategies to help them navigate these challenges. From poor ...
11.02.2023 238: Music as Medicine, with Luke Williams In this episode of Beautifully Complex, we’re discussing the incredible power of music for those who are neurodivergent with Penny’s son, Luke. Luke shares his personal journey with music, starting from using it as a tool to assist his focus ...
10.26.2023 237 - Keeping Your Cool: Practical Strategies for Remaining Calm When Your Child Isn’t with Penny Williams In today's episode, our host Penny Williams dives deep into a topic that many parents struggle with: how to stay calm in the midst of the storm. As a parenting coach, author, and mindset mama, Penny shares her personal journey ...
10.19.2023 236: Insider View: How to Work with the ADHD Brain, with Alice Gendron I have a special guest in this episode — Alice Gendron, also known as The Mini ADHD Coach. Alice shares her personal journey of being diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 29 and the challenges she faced afterward. She ...
10.12.2023 235: De-escalating Challenging Behavior with Dayna Abraham In this episode, I’m diving deep into the topic of de-escalating challenging behavior with Dayna Abraham of Calm the Chaos. As parents of neurodivergent kids, we often face moments when our children's behaviors become overwhelming and difficult to handle. This ...
10.05.2023 234: The Reality of Frustration: Acknowledging and Normalizing Mom’s Challenges, with Stephanie Rosenfield In this episode, I’m diving deep into the reality of frustration, particularly for mothers of neurodivergent children with Stephanie Rosenfield. Stephanie shares her insights and personal experiences, highlighting the challenges and struggles faced by moms who are constantly striving to ...
09.27.2023 233F Refocus on Big Picture Goals I’m diving into the big picture goals of education and how refocusing on those overarching goals helps struggling learners thrive. Join me as I discuss how understanding the true purpose of education and the true purpose of each task or ...
09.26.2023 233E Neurobiology’s Role in Availability to Learn In this episode, I discuss the role of neurobiology in our ability to learn. Join me as we uncover the science behind how our nervous system’s state impacts our availability to learn. We will explore the concept of regulation and ...
09.24.2023 233D Offering Just Right Challenges The concept of the "just right challenge" plays a crucial role in supporting growth and success for neurodivergent kids in school. I share insights on finding the balance between pushing children outside their comfort zones and ensuring they can still ...
09.23.2023 233C Fostering a Culture of Community in Schools Connection and a sense of belonging are integral to learning. Join me as I explore strategies for creating a community that not only supports academic growth but also celebrates individual differences. Tune in to discover how building a culture of ...
09.22.2023 233B Normalizing Differences in Education Normalizing differences in education is a key topic for creating schools that are equitable to all learners. I share valuable lessons learned from experts on how to embrace neurodiversity, different learning styles, and unique needs in the classroom. Join me ...
09.21.2023 233A The Need for Flexibility in Education In this episode, I explore the crucial importance of providing adaptable approaches to education for neurodivergent children and those who struggle in school. Prepare to discover three key ways to implement flexibility in education, ranging from the flexibility of the ...
09.14.2023 232: How to Talk to Kids About School Shootings, with Julie Kaplow, PhD, ABPP In 2022, 34 students and adults died in school shootings, while more than 43,000 children were exposed to gunfire at school. These are startling statistics, but an epidemic that many Americans have grown somewhat numb to. While we’ve become accustomed ...
09.07.2023 231: Sensory Strategies for Self-Regulation, with Rachel Harrington, COTA/L, AC and Jessica Hill, COTA/L Everyone has eight senses — the five we know commonly, which are our “far” senses, and the three additional senses that are our “near” senses. The three additional senses of vestibular, proprioceptive, and interoception are vitally important to regulation. In ...
08.31.2023 230: Setting Neurodivergent Kids Up for Success at School School is hard for neurodivergent kids — there's no question about that. Traditional educational systems are not designed for kids who learn differently. That means we have to advocate for our children and take steps to provide a path for ...
08.17.2023 229: Nurturing Grit — The Art of Failing Forward, with John Willson Everyone needs grit for self-actualization. Without experiencing that we can do hard things and be okay on the other side, we don’t feel truly successful and fulfilled. Of course, we want this for our kids — we want them to ...
08.03.2023 228: Shifting Away from a Rules & Limits Mentality, with Dayna Abraham Our culture is pretty rigid and it calls for parents to be rigid in their parenting as well — you set rules and limits, kids break them, you punish them. But, this is not good parenting! Kids do need structure ...
07.20.2023 227: The Trauma of Parenting and How to Heal, with Dr. Aimie Apigian, MD, MS, MPH Parenting itself can be traumatic — it feels like the weight of the world is on your shoulders to protect your child while also teaching them to live their truth and live it fearlessly. When you add in neurodivergence, you ...
07.13.2023 226: 5 Tools to Foster Self-Regulation, with Sarah Wayland, Ph.D. & Penny Williams One of the struggles we hear from parents again and again is that their child lacks self-regulation. Being with a kid who can’t self-regulate day in and day out is challenging, no doubt. But you can help your kid calm ...
06.22.2023 225: Beating Overwhelm: Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time, with Heather Chauvin It’s hard not to get overwhelmed when parenting neurodivergent kids. The chaos, the school meetings, the appointments, the seemingly never-ending need… it’s a lot to juggle. But what our souls crave — what we need to truly live — is ...
06.08.2023 224: Hiding in Plain Sight: Understanding Less-Obvious Autism, with Donna Henderson, Psy.D. & Sarah Wayland, Ph.D. Though our understanding of autism has greatly expanded, many autistic individuals are still missed or misdiagnosed. Not all autistics are severely outwardly impacted, like Rainman. Autism is a spectrum and it can show up in many different ways — even ...
05.25.2023 223: Feeling Stuck in the Stuck of Stuck, with Penny Williams We talk a lot about strategies for when our kids get stuck, but what about us? Parents can certainly feel stuck too. I’m feeling it to the nth degree these days, and I’ve decided to share my current feelings of ...
05.18.2023 222: Managing the Overwhelm in Neurodiverse Families, with Kelly Fradin, M.D. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by your child’s behavior, numerous possible interventions, school struggles, medication trials, and your feelings about all those things when you have a child with ADHD or autism. And we can’t live our best lives, or ...
05.06.2023 221: The Suicide Epidemic, with Jonathan B. Singer, Ph.D., LCSW The rate of suicide in children is rising sharply, not at a true crisis point. It’s something we worry about as parents, and rightfully so. Especially when we’re talking about a marginalized population like neurodivergent kids. Conversations with our kids ...
05.04.2023 220: Helping with Executive Functioning While Also Empowering Independence, with Franki Bagdade, M. Ed. LLMSW Parents and teachers often worry that if they help a kid with lagging executive functioning skills that the kid won’t develop skills for independence — that they won’t be able to function on their own. But, the truth is, you ...
04.27.2023 219: Weeding Out Misinformation, with The Behavior Revolution There is a LOT online about ADHD and autism. A LOT! How do you know what to trust, what to try? It can be tough, especially when you’re searching through a lens of fear and worry for your child. In ...
04.20.2023 218: Check Your Judgment, with Penny Williams You want to help your child. So you make some assumptions as to why they’re upset, why they’re not getting things done, why they’re avoiding or disengaging… You show empathy and validation with that info, still trying to help, and ...
04.13.2023 217: How to Talk to Kids About Hard Things, with Sara Olsher There are some tough and scary things in life that we need to talk to our kids about: divorce, serious illness of a family member, moving, death of a loved one, to name a few. As parents, we don’t want ...
04.06.2023 216: Helping Kids & Teens Develop a Strengths-Based OS, with Matthew Zakreski, Psy.D. Instead of viewing ADHD and autism through the medical model, we need to view them through a strengths-based model as the neurodiversity movement does. A strengths-based model uses interests and strengths to help with challenges. We talk a lot about ...
03.30.2023 215: IEP Strategies for Parents, with Catherine Whitcher, M.Ed. If there’s one thing parents of struggling learners understand, it’s that the IEP process is complex. Between the law (IDEA), qualifications, the IEP document, goals, measurements, and formal meetings, there’s a lot to know and navigate to ensure that your ...
03.23.2023 214: Helping Teachers Understand Behavior & Neurodivergence, with Emily W. King, Ph.D. Biology influences behavior. Being neurodivergent in a neurotypical world does, too. The challenges neurodivergent kids experience at school and in their classrooms are tied to their neurological differences and how their bodies interpret their environment and gauge their safety. When ...
03.16.2023 213: Relationship Reset withThe Behavior Revolution It’s easy to fall into bad patterns with our interactions with others, especially our kids. But a better relationship is always possible, as long as you make changes and do the work. In this episode, Sarah Wayland, Ph.D. is back ...
03.09.2023 212: Twice-Exceptionality & Asynchronous Development, with Emily Kircher-Morris, M.A., M.Ed., LPC Intelligence and learning and doing are different things. An individual can be highly intelligent and also struggle with getting things done or even with learning itself. When someone has both a high IQ and a learning disability, they’re referred to ...
03.02.2023 211: My 6 Biggest Aha’s in 6 Years of the Podcast, with Penny Williams It’s the 6 year anniversary of the Beautifully Complex podcast so I’m looking back at some of the most pivotal lessons I’ve had about parenting neurodivergent kids. I’ve interviewed nearly 150 experts and also parented my son from young teen ...
02.23.2023 210: What to Do When Your Child is Aggressive, with Tosha Schore Many neurodivergent kids — including those with ADHD, autism, and anxiety — can be quite aggressive at home or at school. To cope with and improve aggressive behavior, you have to understand why it happens. In a global sense, the ...
02.16.2023 209: Foundational Principles of Behavior, with The Behavior Revolution We’ve been busy recording the sessions for the upcoming Decoding Behavior Summit, March 3-5, 2023. In this episode of the podcast, Sarah and I reflect on the common principles and strategies we heard from the experts in this Summit, including ...
02.09.2023 208: The Parenting Long Game, with Rachel Bailey The parenting long game is all about putting the right mindset and strategies in play so that kids can succeed and thrive. As parents, we often spend a lot of time in the “yuk,” overwhelmed by what’s hard and negative. ...
02.02.2023 207: Finding Your Own Path When Neurodivergent, with David Bizzaro It can be hard for our neurodivergent kids to find their path into adulthood. They often don’t yet know what they’re interested in pursuing long term, even after graduating from high school. The key is to support kids, teens, and ...
01.26.2023 206: Low Demand Parenting, with Amanda Diekman Low demand parenting doesn’t mean that we dismiss all expectations of a child and let them do whatever they want. Instead, low demand parenting means dropping demands and reducing expectations in order to meet kids with radical acceptance. AS Amanda ...
01.19.2023 205: Honoring Our Kids’ Individuality, with Kayla Taylor The challenge of raising a child with differences in a mostly intolerant world is very real. There’s both joy and heartache, as Kaylor Taylor illustrates in her book, “Canaries Among Us.” At stake in this quest to honor our kids’ ...
01.12.2023 204: The Science of Stuck, with Britt Frank “A brain that feels safe will not get stuck.” That’s how Britt Frank, author of “The Science of Stuck,” explains the connection between a sense of psychological safety and being stuck. In this episode, she not only shares that understanding ...
01.05.2023 203: When to Let Kids “Fail,” with The Behavior Revolution We’re addressing a listener question about letting kids fail in this episode of the Beautifully Complex podcast. When parents say, “Let kids fail,” they usually mean revoking all of the help and support they were providing and letting the kid ...
12.29.2022 202: Success in College and Beyond for Neurodivergent Students, with Alex Gilbert The transition into college and then out in the “real world” are challenging enough, but can be even more daunting and complex when you have ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, or anxiety. Parents want to help their kids succeed and thrive ...
12.22.2022 201: The Teen Sleep Epidemic, with Heather Turgeon and Julie Wright Did you know that only about 10 percent of U.S. high school students get 9-10 hours of sleep a night, the amount required for healthy sleep at that age? Teens who aren’t sleeping enough don’t just walk around groggy. A ...
12.15.2022 200: Lessons Learned: From Mom and Her Neurodivergent Kid, with Penny & Luke In celebration of the 200th episode of the Beautifully Complex Podcast, I have my son Luke back on the show. It’s been 14 years since his first diagnosis of ADHD, and we’ve both learned a lot of lessons along the ...
12.08.2022 199: Internal Self-Care, with Sarah Sanders, MA, MFT There’s a cultural misconception that self-care is treating yourself to something, like a spa day or a weekend away with friends. While that is a type of self-care, it doesn’t sustain you through the day-to-day like internal self-care does, managing ...
12.01.2022 198: Setting Learning Priorities for Your Child, with Beth Liesenfeld It can be difficult to secure accommodations and services for your child at school. It requires that many people agree on a shared vision and how to make that student’s vision for their education a reality through necessary support. Getting ...
11.17.2022 197: Breaking Free from Reactive Parenting, with Laura Linn Knight Did you know that we are reactive by nature? That’s right! Our brains are wired to respond in kind for protection. But responding in kind — like yelling at your child after they yelled at you — is rarely needed ...

Older episodes