We’ve come a long way in understanding how neurodivergence expresses itself in kids, compared to when I became a new mom. But even now, an Autism diagnosis can feel like some of the most dreaded words imaginable to a parent.

Can you fathom what it was like for parents in the 1980s?

Leland Vittert can. And even though his parents chose not to share his diagnosis with him until his early 20’s, he now knows the whole story of what they went through for him.

Leland is a successful journalist with his own nightly news show. But when he was a kid, Leland struggled to relate to his classmates. He was bullied by other kids, and at times, by teachers as well. After Leland was diagnosed with Autism, (now considered level 1, formerly known as Aspergers), his father made it his mission to help Leland learn the skills he’d need to function in a world that would not understand or mold to his differences.

Leland tells the whole inspiring story in his new book Born Lucky: A Dedicated Father, A Grateful Son, and My Journey with Autism. He’s here to share his gratitude to his dad, and offer hope to parents who are anxious about how to best support their neurodivergent kids.

Something clicked while listening?

We’d love to talk with you if you want to dig deeper into your family’s specific situation. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start knowing what works, it might be worth a conversation. https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-334

About Randi Rubenstein

Randi Rubenstein coaches parents raising strong-willed kids. Randi searched endlessly to find the magical resource that would help her own highly sensitive, strong-willed child. (He’s now in his 20’s, healthy and happy-ish:). She’s been passionate about helping other “cycle-breaker” parents like herself for almost two decades.

Randi’s Web and Social Links

1. Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/
2. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparenting
3. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/

About Leland Vittert

Leland Vittert is the host of On Balance with Leland Vittert and serves as NewsNation’s Chief Washington Anchor. A veteran journalist, Vittert joined NewsNation in May 2021, where he has been pivotal in covering national affairs and delivering special reports across the network’s primetime weeknight newscasts. Before joining NewsNation, Vittert worked for Fox News from 2010 to 2021, starting as a foreign correspondent based in Jerusalem and later anchor and correspondent in Washington.

Leland’s Web and Social Links

1. Born Lucky: A Dedicated Father, A Grateful Son, and My Journey with Autism: https://www.harpercollinsfocus.com/9781400254750/born-lucky/
2. On Balance with Leland Vittert: https://www.newsnationnow.com/on-balance-with-leland-vittert/
3. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lelandvittert/
4. X: https://x.com/LelandVittert

Resources Discussed/Links

Our 12-week Basics Bootcamp program is now available as a 100% online self-study course! https://mastermindparenting.com/minimasters/

Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

In this episode I discuss what gratitude really means to me as a mom and a person. I believe the ultimate gratitude practice is believing your strong willed child happened “for” rather than “to” you and I walk you through an exercise about how to do that.

Topics: 

•  Hedonic Adaptation 
•  Gratitude is a practice that can be cultivated and directly links to happiness 
•  Gratitude affects many areas of your life in positive ways - personality, health, emotional, social and career 
•  Strong willed kids happen “for” not “to” you 
•  “Future You” exercise to get you into a gratitude practice

Something clicked while listening?

We’d love to talk with you if you want to dig deeper into your family’s specific situation. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start knowing what works, it might be worth a conversation. https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/ 

Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-333

About Randi Rubenstein

Randi Rubenstein coaches parents raising strong-willed kids. Randi searched endlessly to find the magical resource that would help her own highly sensitive, strong-willed child. (He’s now in his 20’s, healthy and happy-ish:). She’s been passionate about helping other “cycle-breaker”  parents like herself for almost two decades.

Randi’s Web and Social Links

• Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparenting
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/

Resources Discussed/Links

Our 12-week Basics Bootcamp program is now available as a 100% online self-study course! https://mastermindparenting.com/minimasters/

Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

Let’s be real. Lots of dads aren’t ready (or willing) to take on their share of responsibility in their families. And for the dads who do want to step up, where are the role models of dads doing their part and showing up as strong and loving pack leaders?

Enter Jeff Hittner, leadership and fatherhood coach, and host of the Ambitious Dads podcast.

Jeff spent years teaching executives how to lead and inspire teams in the workplace. But when it came to his lifelong dream of fatherhood, he was shocked to realize how hard it was to not repeat unhelpful patterns of the past.

Now, Jeff is using his skills as a coach to help educate dads who want to lead in their families, and pass on a new definition of fatherhood to their kids.

Something clicked while listening?

We’d love to talk with you if you want to dig deeper into your family’s specific situation. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start knowing what works, it might be worth a conversation. https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/ 

Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-332

About Randi Rubenstein

Randi Rubenstein coaches parents raising strong-willed kids. Randi searched endlessly to find the magical resource that would help her own highly sensitive, strong-willed child. (He’s now in his 20’s, healthy and happy-ish:). She’s been passionate about helping other “cycle-breaker”  parents like herself for almost two decades.

Randi’s Web and Social Links

• Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparenting
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/

About Jeff Hittner

Jeff Hittner is an executive coach, leadership expert, entrepreneur and father to two amazing boys that are the light of his life. This was only possible because Jeff learned how to disassemble a lifelong definition of what fatherhood was, in order to reimagine the possibilities. Jeff believes that all of us have the capacity to transform, even around our longest-held beliefs. 

Jeff’s Web and Social Links

• Website: https://www.ambitiousdads.com/ 
• Podcast: https://ambitiousdads.transistor.fm/ 
• Substack: https://ambitiousdads.substack.com/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmbitiousDads 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ambitiousdads/ 

Resources Discussed/Links

Our 12-week Basics Bootcamp program is now available as a 100% online self-study course! https://mastermindparenting.com/minimasters/

Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

It’s no secret that kids can put a real damper on your sex life. Kids just have so many needs - the feeding, bathing, playdate coordinating…and let’s not forget all the freaking paperwork. 

Those school forms nearly about killed me with three kids. 

It seems like a small miracle if there is still desire for your partner after a long thankless day involving all that. 

My guest, Dr. Rebecca Eudy, has spent over a decade helping couples navigate the complex realities of intimacy during the parenting years. Now, she’s written a book to share her insights and help with this tough topic affecting so many of us.

If sex secretly feels like another chore in your life, you won’t want to miss this convo!

Something clicked while listening?

We’d love to talk with you if you want to dig deeper into your family’s specific situation. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start knowing what works, it might be worth a conversation. https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/ 

Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-331

About Randi Rubenstein

Randi Rubenstein coaches parents raising strong-willed kids. Randi searched endlessly to find the magical resource that would help her own highly sensitive, strong-willed child. (He’s now in his 20’s, healthy and happy-ish:). She’s been passionate about helping other “cycle-breaker”  parents like herself for almost two decades.

Randi’s Web and Social Links

• Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparenting
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/

About Dr. Rebecca Eudy

Dr. Rebecca Howard Eudy, LMHC, is an AASECT-certified sex and couples therapist and author of Parents in Love: A Guide to Great Sex After Kids (2025). She blends cutting-edge research with 15 years of clinical experience to help couples navigate sex, desire, and connection in the whirlwind of parenting, even when life (and kids) make it feel impossible. 

Dr. Eudy’s Web and Social Links

• Book link: https://a.co/d/8RcMcYJ 
• Website: rebeccaeudy.com 
• Instagram: @rebeccahowardeudy
• Substack: @parentsinlove

Resources Discussed/Links

Our 12-week Basics Bootcamp program is now available as a 100% online self-study course! https://mastermindparenting.com/minimasters/

Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

Don’t you just love how little kids play so completely? They experience fun and joy without any self-consciousness or worrying about what others might think.

But for many of us, this concept can feel elusive and far away as adults. 

If you grew up in a house where you walked on eggshells, you may not be conditioned for joy and play. I know this has been perplexing for me to think about in my own life. 

It’s even been a source of shame. I often struggle with the thought, ”What kind of person doesn’t know how to play or identify joy!?”

A person that got through childhood in a mostly survival state, that’s who. 

I’m diving into this with psychologist and podcaster, Dr. Shawn Hondorp. Shawn has been taking dance lessons recently. She’s a mom with a full plate who often juggles the demands of work and raising kids.  

And yet she makes time several times a week for her play and joy through reconnecting with her love for dance.

Her experience around a recent recital showed how hard it can be to purposefully work toward reclaiming joy. I was so lucky to be a fly on the wall of her experience (which involved terrible neck pain leading up to the performance). 

And now you get to hear us unpack what Shawn has learned, and what she’s gained, through this process.

Something clicked while listening?

We’d love to talk with you if you want to dig deeper into your family’s specific situation. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start knowing what works, it might be worth a conversation. https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/ 

Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-330

About Randi Rubenstein

Randi Rubenstein coaches parents raising strong-willed kids. Randi searched endlessly to find the magical resource that would help her own highly sensitive, strong-willed child. (He’s now in his 20’s, healthy and happy-ish:). She’s been passionate about helping other “cycle-breaker”  parents like herself for almost two decades.

Randi’s Web and Social Links

• Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparenting
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/

About Dr. Shawn Hondorp

Dr. Shawn Hondorp is a clinical psychologist whose goal is to create safe learning environments for those who want to explore innovative approaches to healing, one authentic conversation at a time. Learn more about her work, and subscribe to The Innovative Therapist Podcast, at https://drshawnhondorp.com/ 

Resources Discussed/Links

Our 12-week Basics Bootcamp program is now available as a 100% online self-study course! https://mastermindparenting.com/minimasters/

Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

Disappointment. Rejection. Failing to meet their goals. It’s so tough to watch our kids struggle when they’re feeling the discomfort of disappointment. 

I often call myself “a fixer in recovery that QUITE often relapses”. I have a joy agenda for the people I love.  

Sometimes my own discomfort over their discomfort leads to a relapse. I jump into full on fixer mode and forget that the growth mostly happens because of the messy human moments. 

Pain and uncertainty are as much a part of the human experience as success and happiness. It’s called the Law of Polarity. Life involves both the good and the bad. 

What if the real goal of parenting is to help our kiddos build resilience, so they can handle the hard things without losing hope?

My guest this time thinks so, and I think she’s onto something huge. Dr. Kate Lund is an expert on how to build resilience in ourselves and our kids. Her experience of growing up in a supportive family helped her deal with a painful chronic illness. Now, she teaches parents how to model resilience and prepare kids to navigate the world with confidence.

Something clicked while listening?

We’d love to talk with you if you want to dig deeper into your family’s specific situation. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start knowing what works, it might be worth a conversation. https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/ 

Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-329

About Randi Rubenstein

Randi Rubenstein coaches parents raising strong-willed kids. Randi searched endlessly to find the magical resource that would help her own highly sensitive, strong-willed child. (He’s now in his 20’s, healthy and happy-ish:). She’s been passionate about helping other “cycle-breaker”  parents like herself for almost two decades.

Randi’s Web and Social Links

• Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparenting
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/

About Dr. Lund

Dr. Kate Lund is a licensed clinical psychologist, resilience expert, author, and host of The Optimized Mind podcast. With specialized training from three Harvard Medical School–affiliated hospitals and more than two decades of clinical practice, she helps parents, athletes, students, and entrepreneurs thrive within their own unique contexts. Dr. Lund is the author of Bounce: Help Your Child Build Resilience and Thrive in School, Sports, and Life, and Step Away: The Keys to Resilient Parenting. Through her writing, speaking, and clinical work, she empowers people to build resilience, manage stress, and unlock their potential.

Dr. Lund’s Web and Social Links

Website: http://www.katelundspeaks.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_kate_lund/

Step Away e-book: https://www.amazon.com/Step-Away-Keys-Resilient-Parenting-ebook/dp/B0FN8D4KBT

Resources Discussed/Links

Our 12-week Basics Bootcamp program is now available as a 100% online self-study course! https://mastermindparenting.com/minimasters/

Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

Every time I learn more about Attachment Theory, it feels so eye-opening. It explains so much about me and my Mastermind moms. I hear it when we talk about how we were raised, how we relate to our parents, and how we’ve tried to fill the spaces we feel in our hearts. 

Building a secure attachment style is so important for who our kids will become in the future. But many of us are out here trying to figure out our own - let’s say “less than ideal”- attachment issues. How can we do even better for them?

My fave sage of attachment and healing, Kirby, is back to help us break it down and build it up. He says the key to security is an environment where kids feel safe to feel and express themselves, and he’s going to help us figure out how to create that space for our kids. You don’t want to miss this one!

Something clicked while listening?

We’d love to talk with you if you want to dig deeper into your family’s specific situation. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start knowing what works, it might be worth a conversation. https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/ 

Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-328

About Randi Rubenstein

Randi Rubenstein coaches parents raising strong-willed kids. Randi searched endlessly to find the magical resource that would help her own highly sensitive, strong-willed child. (He’s now in his 20’s, healthy and happy-ish:). She’s been passionate about helping other “cycle-breaker”  parents like herself for almost two decades.

Randi’s Web and Social Links

• Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparenting
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/

About Kirby Fling

Kirby is the creator of the Two Mind Method, a practical, heart-centered approach to healing attachment wounds and reshaping nervous system patterns. Drawing on years of deep personal research, lived experience, and work with clients, Kirby specializes in helping people build healthier relationships with themselves and others. His work is grounded, accessible, and refreshingly real, offering tools that truly work in the messiness of real life. Kirby brings a unique blend of neurophysiology, trauma awareness, and emotional attunement to the table, empowering people to transform their inner world and their closest connections.

Kirby’s Web and Social Links

Website: https://TwoMindMethod.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TwoMindMethod

Instagram: https://instagram.com/TwoMindMethod

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@twomindmethod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TwoMindMethod

Resources Discussed/Links

Our 12-week Basics Bootcamp program is now available as a 100% online self-study course! https://mastermindparenting.com/minimasters/

Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

I’ve got a bite-sized treat of an episode for you this week. I was recently coaching a Mastermind mama who’s struggling with the changing relationship with her own mother. 

As she changes, her relationship with her mom is changing too. 

And change is hard and can even feel scary. Especially when it feels like the people closest aren’t necessarily thrilled about the changes we are making in our lives. 

As I listened to her story, I knew exactly what she was going through. And I also felt like it would be relevant to you, no matter where you are in your parenting journey.

Something clicked while listening?

We’d love to talk with you if you want to dig deeper into your family’s specific situation. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start knowing what works, it might be worth a conversation. https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/ 

Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-327

About Randi Rubenstein

Randi Rubenstein coaches parents raising strong-willed kids. Randi searched endlessly to find the magical resource that would help her own highly sensitive, strong-willed child. (He’s now in his 20’s, healthy and happy-ish:). She’s been passionate about helping other “cycle-breaker”  parents like herself for almost two decades.

Randi’s Web and Social Links

• Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparenting
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/

Resources Discussed/Links

Our 12-week Basics Bootcamp program is now available as a 100% online self-study course! https://mastermindparenting.com/minimasters/

Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

You think you’re parenting with one mind.

You’re not.

There’s the mind that reads the books and makes the plans. And there’s the other mind—the one running the show when your kid does that thing that makes your jaw clench and chest tighten.

Kirby Fling sees this clearly. His Two-Mind Method helps you understand the two versions of yourself that show up every day. The one that wants to be patient. And the one that actually is patient.

The difference? That’s where attachment gets stronger. Where families find their rhythm. Where the hard moments become growth moments.

Something clicked while listening?

We’d love to talk with you if you want to dig deeper into your family’s specific situation. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start knowing what works, it might be worth a conversation. 

Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-326

About Randi Rubenstein

Randi Rubenstein coaches parents raising strong-willed kids. Randi searched endlessly to find the magical resource that would help her own highly sensitive, strong-willed child. (He’s now in his 20’s, healthy and happy-ish:). She’s been passionate about helping other “cycle-breaker”  parents like herself for almost two decades.

Randi’s Web and Social Links

• Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparenting
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/

About Kirby Fling

Kirby is the creator of the Two Mind Method, a practical, heart-centered approach to healing attachment wounds and reshaping nervous system patterns. Drawing on years of deep personal research, lived experience, and work with clients, Kirby specializes in helping people build healthier relationships with themselves and others. His work is grounded, accessible, and refreshingly real, offering tools that truly work in the messiness of real life. Kirby brings a unique blend of neurophysiology, trauma awareness, and emotional attunement to the table, empowering people to transform their inner world and their closest connections.

Kirby’s Web and Social Links

Website: https://TwoMindMethod.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TwoMindMethod

Instagram: https://instagram.com/TwoMindMethod

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@twomindmethod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TwoMindMethod

Resources Discussed/Links

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. https://www.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-Trauma/dp/0143127748 

Attachment Disturbances in Adults: Treatment for Comprehensive Repair

by Daniel P. Brown PhD and David S. Elliott PhD https://www.amazon.com/Attachment-Disturbances-Adults-Treatment-Comprehensive/dp/0393711528/ 

Our 12-week Basics Bootcamp program is now available as a 100% online self-study course! https://mastermindparenting.com/minimasters/

Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/

I’ve been saying for a long, long time that raising kids in the digital age is like the Wild Wild West! We are all just trying to make the best decisions for our kids with the info we currently have at any given time. 

And it’s really hard to know what the right decision is when you’re a pioneer parent (as all of us are here - raising kids at a time in human history where tech is causing us to move at a more rapid pace than ever before). 

In his book “The Anxious Generation,” Jonathan Haidt pulls back the curtain on how online content streams and everywhere screens have changed the experience of growing up in a tech-addicted world.

Adolescence has always been a tough time for kids AND parents. They’re struggling with changing bodies, raging hormones, and the pressure to prepare for adulthood; we’re trying to find the balance between keeping them safe and letting them learn from their mistakes. But modern teens and tweens are surrounded by algorithmically curated content that’s targeted at their fears of inadequacy.

My daughter, Avery, and I lived through the explosion of social media targeted at teens. This time on the pod, we break down “The Anxious Generation,” and how Avery is one of the unfortunates described in the book - a card carrying member of The Anxious Generation. Sigh. 

As always, thanks for listening. Head over to Facebook, where you can join my free group Mastermind Parenting Community. We post tips and tools and do pop-up Live conversations where I do extra teaching and coaching to support you in helping your strong-willed children so that they can FEEL better and DO better. If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it!

Get all the links, resources, and transcripts here: https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-325

About Randi Rubenstein

Randi Rubenstein coaches parents raising strong-willed kids. Randi searched endlessly to find the magical resource that would help her own highly sensitive, strong-willed child. (He’s now 26, healthy and happy-ish:). She’s been passionate about helping other “cycle-breaker”  parents like herself for almost two decades.

Randi’s Web and Social Links

• Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparenting
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/

Resources Discussed/Links

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, by Jonathan Haidt https://www.amazon.com/Anxious-Generation-Rewiring-Childhood-Epidemic/dp/0593655036

Our 12-week Basics Bootcamp program is now available as a 100% online self-study course! https://mastermindparenting.com/minimasters/

Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/