Spot Life Podcast

Summer Holiday Tips: Flourishing for your Neurodivergent Family

School holidays can be a welcome break from the demands of school, particularly for sensitive, neurodivergent and disabled children. But changes to routine, long unstructured days, increased time with siblings and the pressure to make the holidays 'fun' can also bring challenges.

In this episode of The Spot Life Podcast, Kate Broderick is joined by Laura Frampton, founder of NeuroKind, to share practical ideas for helping families navigate the summer holidays in ways that support everyone's needs and capacity.

Drawing on their professional knowledge and lived experiences, Kate and Laura explore:

• Why holidays can offer much-needed opportunities for rest, recovery and connection.

• How to maintain some predictability without overscheduling.

• Why familiar places and repeated experiences can be just as valuable as new adventures.

• Why fun can be fatiguing, and how to recognise when children are reaching their limits.

• Supporting children through long, unstructured days and the inevitable "I'm bored!"

• Navigating sibling relationships and creating opportunities for connection.

• Helping grandparents, holiday program staff and other caregivers understand your child's needs.

• Preparing for the transition back to school.

• Making sure parents and carers have opportunities for rest and support too.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Summer Holidays

To accompany this episode, Spot Therapy Hub and NeuroKind have created a free, practical resource for families.

The downloadable toolkit includes:

• 10 practical tips for planning a more manageable summer.

• All About Me - A one-page template you can complete with your child and share with grandparents, babysitters, holiday program staff or teachers. It captures what your child loves, what they find difficult, how they communicate, early signs they're struggling and what helps them feel safe and supported.

Find out more about our guest

Laura Frampton is the founder of NeuroKind, drawing on more than a decade of experience in special educational needs and her background as a UK-qualified primary teacher to support families of neurodivergent children.

NeuroKind: www.byneurokind.com

Connect with Kate and Spot Therapy Hub

Spot Therapy Hub: www.spottherapyhub.com.au

NeuroWay: www.neuroway.com.au

A final reminder: You don't need to fill every day with activities or create the perfect holiday.

Plan the holiday your family needs, not the holiday you feel you should be having.

Term 4 Tiredness: Why More Sleep Isn't the Answer

By Term 4, many children are running on empty. But the exhaustion we're seeing isn't always something that can be resolved with an earlier bedtime.

In this short-burst episode of The Spot Life Podcast, occupational therapist, speech pathologist and mum of five, Kate Broderick, explores the cumulative impact of navigating the academic, social, emotional and sensory demands of school, particularly for sensitive, neurodivergent and disabled children.

Kate explains why a child's capacity isn't fixed, why children who appear to be coping at school may fall apart at home, and why previously manageable expectations can suddenly feel impossible.

The episode also explores practical ways parents and educators can respond to Term 4 exhaustion, including reducing demands, protecting opportunities for genuine recovery and recognising when pushing through may do more harm than good.

Because sometimes what children need isn't more sleep, more motivation or higher expectations. It's fewer demands and more opportunities to recover.

Episode 34 | Carer Self-Care and Navigating the NDIS with Kate Broderick and Jen Nathan

Caring for someone you love can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be exhausting, overwhelming and, at times, incredibly isolating.

For parents and carers navigating the NDIS, there's often an additional layer of complexity. Understanding funding, preparing reports, advocating for support and trying to make sense of a system that doesn't always feel accessible can become a full-time job in itself.

In this episode of The Spot Life Podcast, Kate Broderick is joined by Jen Nathan, founder of ASISTA, to explore the realities of unpaid caring, the challenges families face navigating the NDIS, and why supporting the wellbeing of carers needs to be taken seriously.

Drawing on their professional and lived experiences, Kate and Jen discuss some of the common challenges families encounter, including understanding NDIS terminology, accessing appropriate funding, preparing documentation and managing the emotional load of ongoing advocacy.

They also explore something they are both particularly passionate about: carer self-care as a necessity, rather than a luxury.

When you're already stretched beyond capacity, being told to prioritise yourself can feel like just another demand. But Kate and Jen reflect on why recognising and responding to our own needs is so important, and why meaningful support for people with disability must also consider the wellbeing of those who care for them.

This conversation is for parents, carers, professionals and anyone who wants to better understand the often unseen demands of caring.

Connect with Jen Nathan

Jen supports individuals and families navigating the NDIS, including understanding plans, preparing for meetings and accessing appropriate supports.

Website: www.asista.com.au

Upcoming events at Spot Therapy Hub

Parent & Carer Coffee Morning | Friday 30 October 2026

Join Kate and Jen at Spot Therapy Hub's Randwick clinic for our free monthly Parent & Carer Coffee Morning.

Come along for a coffee, connect with other parents and carers, and have an opportunity to chat with Jen about navigating the NDIS.

9:00am–10:30am | Spot Therapy Hub, Randwick

Everyone is welcome. RSVPs are appreciated for catering, but you're also welcome to drop in.

RSVP: https://spot-therapy-hub.splose.com/public-form/8f94c790-b8bc-49ea-8b4a-9733dc44d266

Navigating the NDIS Workshop with Jen Nathan | Wednesday 18 November 2026

6:30pm–8:00pm | Spot Therapy Hub, Randwick

Join Jen for a practical, informative workshop exploring how the NDIS operates, what makes effective supporting documentation, understanding plans and funding, and navigating changes to NDIS requirements.

The workshop will be recorded, with ticket holders receiving access to the recording for 12 months.

Booking details: https://www.neuroway.com.au/offers/2FYGTfp2

About The Spot Life Podcast

Hosted by Kate Broderick, founder of Spot Therapy Hub and Neuroway, The Spot Life Podcast explores neurodiversity, disability, parenting, development and the experiences that shape our lives.

Through conversations with professionals, people with lived experience and other thought-provoking guests, Kate shares insights that encourage curiosity, connection and a deeper understanding of ourselves and others.

Parenting From the Inside Out What if one of the most powerful ways to support our children is to better understand ourselves? In this episode of The Spot Life Podcast, Kate Broderick is joined by counsellor Lauren Evans to explore Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, nervous system safety, and the transformative power of parent coaching. Together, they discuss what it means to parent from the inside out: learning to recognise when we're activated, understanding our own emotional responses, and finding opportunities to pause before responding to our children's distress. With more than two decades of experience each supporting children and families, Kate and Lauren reflect on why working with parents has become such a significant part of their clinical practice, and how supporting the adults around a child can create meaningful change for the whole family. This conversation isn't about becoming a perfectly regulated parent or learning how to fix your child. It's about developing greater self-awareness, curiosity and compassion, so we can respond with more intention, strengthen connection and create greater emotional safety in our relationships. An episode for parents, carers and clinicians who recognise that supporting children often starts with supporting the people who care for them. Connect with Lauren Evans

Website: www.laurenevanscounselling.com.au

Join this honest conversation with two neurodivergent founders, Occupational Therapists and mums, Kate Broderick and Claire Britton, as they explore pregnancy through a neurodivergent lens.

When they realised they were both pregnant at the same time, it felt like the perfect moment to talk about something that assumed to be a universal experience for all women - pregnancy. However, as Kate & Claire discuss, pregnancy for neurodivergent women often comes with unique challenges, ranging from sensory shifts to systemic barriers & shortcomings. That being said, motherhood for ND women can also be a source of profound joy - something they also strive to highlight.

This episode centres lived experience, validation and visibility. We hope neurodivergent women, partners and allies feel encouraged to trust their instincts, self advocate and celebrate.

Claire Britton:

www.neuroinclusion.com.au

@neuroinclusion

@claire.neuroinclusion

Kate Broderick:

www.spottherapyhub.com.au

@spottherapyhub

www.neuroway.com.au

@neuroway.learning

www.katebroderick.com.au

@katebroderick.official

In this solo episode, OT & Speech Pathologist Kate Broderick unpacks why neurodivergence can be "easy to spot" in infancy - because babies don't mask. We explore early clues that often get dismissed (sleep, feeding, reflux, sensory distress, connection, muscle tone), why stigma delays understanding, and how a neuroaffirming lens helps us meet needs, support development, well-being and flourishing. www.spottherapyhub.com.au (Therapy & Support Work) www.neuroway.com.au (Learning for Parents/Carers, Educators, Therapist & Organisation) www.katebroderick.com.au (All parents, educators - books coming in 2026!) @spottherapyhub @neuroway.learning @katebroderick.official

From Food Battles to Felt Safety: A Regulation-Based Approach to Feeding. Join Spot's Founder & CEO, Kate Broderick, for an in depth discussion with Rachel Zabel, a PhD qualified clinical dietician and feeding therapist who specialises in supporting neurodivergent children with feeding challenges, including extreme picky eating, ARFID and paediatric feeding disorders. Kate & Rachel talk about:

• Their own parenting journeys with regard to feeding.
• Why feeding is one of the most stressful parts of family life
• Why "picky eating" misses the mark for many neurodivergent kids, and what to look out for.
• What happens in the body when kids feel anxious around food.
• How polyvagal theory helps us to understand feeding challenges differently.
• Responsive feeding therapy - what it means and what progress may look like
• Advice for parents who may be feeling stuck.
• Things clinicians may miss with other approaches.
• Why feeding stress often increases around back-to-school time

Want to learn more? Rachel Zabel: Back to school lunchbox products: https://fun-family-food.kit.com/mylunchboxrules Instagram: @dr.rachelfeedingkids Website: www.funfamilyfood.com.au Kate Broderick: Therapy: www.spottherapyhub.com.au Neuroaffirming Learning: www.neuroway.com.au Parenting: www.katebroderick.com.au

Join this rich discussion with two neurodivergent Founders, therapist, and parents to ND kiddos, who know what advocacy feels and looks like on the front line. Kate Broderick and Jess Dolev explain what School Can't is (and why it's a far more accurate term than 'School Refusal'). We dive into the myriad of factors that lead to nervous system burn out, and provide explanations of concepts that are useful for all parents to know (interoception, alexithymia, RSD, prosopagnosia and gestalt processing). Jess talks about the power of protecting your own nervous system in high stakes planning meetings, by knowing your rights and preparing well. When we show us in a regulated state, true collaboration in the support process becomes possible. This is a long episode, but remember you can always hit pause and come back to it. We're hoping parents, teachers and other therapists find this one useful.

Website: https://perfectlyimperfect.net.au/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/perfectly-imperfect-au/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/perfectlyimperfectaus/ Instagram: @perfectlyimperfect.australia/ TikTok: @perfectlyimperfecttok

And of course hopefully you're already following us:

@spottherapyhub With enquiries for SP, OT and Support Work via our website www.spottherapyhub.com.au Please follow Kate @katebroderick.official and you can PRE-ORDER her first book here: https://www.katebroderick.com.au/shop/p/inourclassroom

Join Kate for a follow up episode on the topic of Gestalt Language Processing where she discusses her own learning journey, reflections around different language processing types, and the way she has observed them in the children she works with. Some topics mentioned leave a lot unanswered, but as always, Kate shows up as an authentic and open learner, driven by curiosity and an assumption that the future will always bring greater depth of understanding when we are brave enough to share our observations and ask questions. We hope you enjoy!

Kate meets with expert Marge Blanc to discuss Gestalt Language Processing and the stages of language development and acquisition.

See more of Marge's work and Information on GLP at the Communication Development Center: https://communicationdevelopmentcenter.com/