Your teen isn't lazy. Their brain is just doing something you can't see — and that's exactly the problem.

Carrie Bonnett joins us to break down executive function: the invisible mental machinery behind starting, planning, and following through. When it's not working, homework doesn't get touched, assignments get "forgotten," and everyone ends up frustrated. When you finally understand what's actually going on, everything changes.

We get into why task initiation — not the work itself — is where most teens fall apart, and what parents can do to make that hidden struggle visible, concrete, and actually manageable.

If your kid can spend four hours on YouTube but can't start a worksheet, this one's for you.

Checkout Carrie's website for free goodies https://www.carriebonnett.com/

If you've ever sat in an IEP meeting and walked out feeling overwhelmed — this episode is for you.So many parents describe the same experience: a room full of professionals using language you don't fully understand, decisions that feel like they've already been made, and a quiet voice inside asking, "Am I doing enough for my kid?"You are not alone. And you deserve someone in your corner.Daphne Jolie is an educational advocate who spent years working inside the school system — as a school psychologist, a due process specialist, and a special education administrator at both LA Unified and Culver City Unified. She knows how these meetings are run from the inside. She also knows how overwhelming and isolating it can feel to be the parent on the other side of the table.In this heartfelt conversation, Daphne shares what she wishes every parent knew — how to read your child's school records, how to respond when the school says no, and how to understand who in the room is truly there to support your child. Most importantly, she reminds us that advocating for your child doesn't require a degree or a legal background. It just requires someone who believes your child deserves more — and that someone is you.Learn more at daphnejolie.com

Is Whole Body Listening outdated? What's replacing it — and why does it matter for your child?

In this episode, we welcome Elizabeth Sautter, a licensed speech-language pathologist with nearly 30 years of experience, award-winning author of Make Social and Emotional Learning Stick!, and a mom of two children with additional needs. Elizabeth is passionate about helping families support neurodivergent kids in ways that are affirming, compassionate, and actually work in real life.

We explore the evolution from Whole Body Listening to Whole Body Regulation — a shift that's sparking important conversations in schools, therapy rooms, and homes across the country. Elizabeth breaks down what prompted this change, what disability advocates and the neurodiversity community have been saying, and how parents, educators, and therapists can embrace a more strength-based approach without starting from scratch.

WE COVER

• What is Whole Body Listening and how did it become so popular?

• The shift to Whole Body Regulation — what changed and why

• Criticisms from disability advocates and the neurodiversity community

• How Elizabeth's daily work with kids has evolved

• Guidance for educators and therapists making the transition

• Key takeaways for parents and professionals

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Make Social and Emotional Learning Stick! by Elizabeth Sautter

• Elizabeth's website: elizabethsautter.com

New Workshop coming up with Emily Kircher Morris -

The way you support your child or teen’s regulation shapes their confidence, resilience, and ability to handle life’s challenges for years to come.

https://learn.elizabethsautter.com/emotional-regulation-and-resilience/

https://elizabethsautter.com/whole-body-listening

A coupon or 25% off to join our community for parents of neurodivergent kids and teens.  https://learn.elizabethsautter.com/family-offer

You've built the career. You're raising the family. You're crushing it by every measure — so why does it feel like you're running on fumes? In this episode, Wainwright Yu— technology executive, Stanford-trained leadership coach, and mindfulness teacher — gets real about the hidden energy tax neurodivergent adults pay every single day. From masking in meetings to managing a household of four multi-exceptional kids, Wainwright Yu knows firsthand what it means to spend years pouring from a cup nobody realizes is almost empty. He shares how discovering his own neurodivergence through his children reshaped his understanding of both his greatest strengths and his deepest challenges — and why the path forward isn't about pushing harder, but about spending your energy with intention. If you've ever wondered why "doing it all" leaves you with nothing left, this one's for you.

https://www.wainwrightyu.com/about

https://www.nchpad.org/resources/spoon-theory-a-new-way-to-think-about-your-daily-energy/

In this episode of Empowering Exceptional Minds, we explore Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)—a profile often misunderstood as defiance, avoidance, or oppositional behavior.

I’m joined by Dr. Alex Klein to unpack what’s really going on beneath the surface. We talk about how PDA is rooted in the nervous system, why everyday demands can feel overwhelming, and how traditional approaches often backfire.

Together, we reframe behaviors through a compassionate, neurodiversity-affirming lens and share practical strategies that support autonomy, reduce anxiety, and build connection—at home and in school.

Whether you’re a parent, educator, or provider, this conversation will help you better understand and support children who experience the world in this way.

It’s not about compliance—it’s about regulation, safety, and trust.

https://www.dralexklein.com/

• Duncan, Margaret, et al. Understanding Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome in Children: A Guide for Parents, Teachers, and Other Professionals. Unabridged ed.

• Knight, Ethan. The PDA Effect: An Autistic Teenager’s Guide to Understanding Demand Avoidance. Paperback ed., 14 May 2025.

  https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xHvNw70FCc

  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pda-parents/id1552127203

  https://pdanorthamerica.org/

  https://www.declarativelanguage.com/sunday-snippets-of-support/translations

  
  

  
  

Do you know a bright, capable student who still struggles with reading, attention, or learning—even after passing a school vision screening or getting glasses from the eye doctor? Many families are told their child’s vision is “20/20,” yet something still isn’t clicking in the classroom.

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Carole Hong from Family Vision Care and Vision Therapy, who brings over 30 years of experience in developmental and rehabilitative vision care. Dr. Hong specializes in identifying and treating visual information processing disorders—the often-missed visual challenges that affect how the brain and eyes work together.

We explore how functional vision skills influence reading, attention, coordination, and learning, and why these difficulties frequently overlap with neurodivergent profiles such as ADHD, Dyslexia, and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Dr. Hong explains how standard eye exams can miss critical visual processing skills and how targeted vision therapy can help children—and adults—build stronger connections between the brain and the eyes. The result? Learning that feels easier, greater confidence, and a clearer path forward for students who have been working twice as hard just to keep up.

If you’ve ever wondered whether there might be a missing visual piece in a child’s learning puzzle, this conversation will open your eyes.

          www.familyvisioncare.org

                www.visionhelp.org

     http://visionhelp.wordpress.com/

      http://covdblog.wordpress.com

In this episode of Empowering Exceptional Minds, we sit down with Emily Kircher-Morris, LPC — licensed counselor, author, speaker, and host of The Neurodiversity Podcast — for a conversation that every parent and educator of a twice-exceptional child needs to hear.

As a 2e adult with giftedness and ADHD herself, Emily brings rare authenticity to her work. She's the author of Raising Twice-Exceptional Children, Teaching Twice-Exceptional Learners, and her latest release, Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools (co-authored with Amanda Morin) — and she's here to help us shift from overwhelm to empowerment.

In this episode, we explore:

• Emily's personal journey and what drove her to write her books
• How her own 2e identity shaped her understanding of neurodiversity
• Surprising lessons from guests on The Neurodiversity Podcast
• The #1 takeaway from Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools for parents and educators
• Why motivation and emotional regulation are so tricky in academic settings — and what to do about it
• One neuro-affirming strategy you can try this week
• The deeper questions we should be asking ourselves and our systems to truly support exceptional minds

Emily Kircher-Morris, LPC

https://emilykirchermorris.com 

The Neurodiversity Podcast

https://neurodiversitypodcast.com 

Neurodiversity University

https://neurodiversity.university 

Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools

https://neurodiversityaffirmingschools.com 

Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools: Transforming Practices So All Students Feel Accepted and Supported https://www.amazon.com/Neurodiversity-Affirming-Schools-Transforming-Practices-Supported/dp/B0D81QWSX8 

Teaching Twice-Exceptional Learners in Today’s Classroom

https://www.freespirit.com/teaching-strategies-and-professional-development/teaching-twice-exceptional-learners-in-todays-classroom-emily-kircher-morris-2e-learners

Raising Twice-Exceptional Children: A Handbook for Parents of Neurodivergent Gifted Kids

https://www.routledge.com/Raising-Twice-Exceptional-Children-A-Handbook-for-Parents-of-Neurodivergent/Kircher-Morris/p/book/9781646322145

Emily Facebook:

www.facebook.com/EmilyKircherMorris

Emily Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/emilykm_lpc 

In this episode, we sit down with Lori Crowley, a California-based counselor specializing in somatic and sensory-informed approaches to mental health. Lori brings a unique blend of professional expertise and lived experience as a neurodivergent parent, making this conversation both deeply insightful and refreshingly relatable.We dive into polyvagal theory — what it actually means, how our nervous system moves between states of safety, fight-or-flight, and shutdown, and why understanding this can be a game-changer for neurodivergent individuals and their families. Lori breaks it down in a way that is easy to understand and immediately applicable to everyday life.We also explore sensory integration — how the way we process sensory information shapes our emotions, behavior, and overall well-being — and why this is especially important for autistic individuals and those with sensory processing differences.Lori shares her work as the creator of the Ability Awareness Program and the founder of the ExP Therapy approach, both rooted in embodied awareness and practical, body-first support. Whether you are a parent, educator, or clinician, this episode is packed with tools and perspectives to help you better understand and support the neurodivergent people in your life.Resources we mentioned in this episode:https://monadelahooke.com/beyond-behaviors/https://www.polyvagalinstitute.org/whatispolyvagaltheoryhttps://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/double-empathyhttps://shop.adapted4specialed.com/products/neurodiversity-training-handbook-resource-toolkit?variant=44603861795073Email: [email protected]: www.exptherapy.com

Graduate school and post-grad life can be both intellectually stimulating and deeply overwhelming. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Becca Güler, EdD, to explore the executive function demands of advanced education — from coursework to thesis and dissertation completion.

We unpack procrastination (and why it’s often a nervous system response rather than laziness), perfectionism, avoidance cycles, and the emotional weight of high expectations. We also discuss the unique executive function challenges involved in long-term projects like theses and dissertations — including task initiation, planning, sustaining attention, organizing research, managing feedback, and tracking multiple moving parts over time.

Dr. Güler shares practical strategies for breaking down large academic projects into manageable steps, creating realistic timelines, building accountability systems, and developing effective editing and revision workflows. We also talk about tracking resources, organizing references, managing drafts, and reducing overwhelm during the writing and revision process.

Whether you are in graduate school, working on a dissertation, navigating post-grad transitions, or supporting someone who is, this episode offers validation, practical tools, and sustainable strategies to support productivity without burnout.

There are so many tools out there—and for many parents, educators, and neurodivergent adults, figuring out where to start can feel overwhelming. New apps, new devices, new AI tools… it’s a lot.

In today’s episode, we slow it down and make assistive technology feel practical, accessible, and kinda human.

I’m joined by Joan L. Green, M.A., CCC-SLP, Speech-Language Pathologist, Assistive Technology Specialist, and founder of Innovative Speech Therapy and Tech Life Inner Circle. Together, we unpack what assistive technology really means in today’s world—especially as everyday tools like smartphones, tablets, smart speakers, and AI become powerful supports for learning, organization, and emotional regulation.

We talk about:

• What “assistive technology” actually means (and why it doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated)

• How everyday devices can support executive functioning, learning challenges and disabilities

• Where families and schools often get stuck with assistive tech and AI—and how to move past resistance

• How AI can support learning without replacing thinking

• Simple first steps for families and educators who feel overwhelmed

If you’ve ever thought, “There are so many tools… I don’t even know where to start,” this episode is for you.

👉 Don’t forget to follow and subscribe, and check out the links in the show notes for tools and resources mentioned in this episode.

See resources we mentioned here:

🤖 AI-Powered Tools & Workflows

• Wispr Flow – AI workflow & productivity support
  https://wisprflow.ai/

• Genio – Writing, summarizing, brainstorming assistant
  https://genio.co/

• Rocket – Fast creation of docs, meetings, and workflows
  https://www.rocket.new/

• Google NotebookLM – AI research & synthesis tool
  https://notebooklm.google/

• Goblin Tools – Writing, breaking down tasks, summarizing
  https://goblin.tools/

• Bookshare – Accessible ebooks for print disabilities
  https://www.bookshare.org/

• Learning Ally – Audiobook and reading support for students
  https://learningally.org/

✍️ Writing, Note-Taking & Research📘 Accessibility & Learning Supports

Speechify – Text-to-speech reader
https://speechify.com

• 🌐 Website: https://innovativespeech.com/

• 💡 Tech Life Inner Circle Membership: https://learn.innovativespeech.com/inner-circle

• 🎓 Tech for College Success Course: https://learn.innovativespeech.com/tech-for-college-success-2026

• 📚 Get Going with Google Course: https://learn.innovativespeech.com/get-going-with-google

• 🚀 Tech Possibility Academy: https://learn.innovativespeech.com/tech-possibility-academy