On today’s episode I speak with Elise Disher, early childhood consultant and advocate for thoughtful, child-centered practices. Elise dives into the concept of progressive mealtimes in early learning settings, breaking down how they work, why they matter, and how to implement them in ways that are both meaningful and practical. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone looking to reimagine mealtime routines as opportunities for connection and learning.

Elise and I speak about:

🌸 What progressive mealtimes are and how they differ from traditional group mealtimes.

🌸 How mealtimes can shift from being rushed routines to meaningful rituals that foster connection and learning.

🌸 The role of autonomy, choice, and agency in progressive mealtimes.

🌸 Practical strategies to make progressive mealtimes work.

🌸 Addressing common challenges such as food safety, chaotic transitions, and preparing children for structured school settings.

🌸 Why intentionality and context matter - ain't no one-size-fits-all approach around here.

Elise is a mum of two and an Early Childhood Consultant and Teacher. Her mission is to create a movement in the way we educate and raise children so together we can improve the mental health outcomes of our next generation. Elise is passionate about promoting the importance of healthy attachment and developmentally responsive and attuned approaches in the first five years of life - she is BIG ON LITTLE PEOPLE! 

Word of caution - this episode contains very mild explicit language. 

Connect with Elise:

💫 Send her an email: [email protected] 

💫 Find her on Instagram: @elisedisher.ed

💫 Visit her website: Elise Disher

Let's Connect!

Want to feel joy in your teaching again (and not like you're spending every moment putting out behaviour spot fires)? Join the waitlist for my course: The Behaviour Reset

Want to know how to respond to baffling behaviours better? Download my free guide with 90 behaviour scripts

Join me on Instagram: @littlebloom.consultancy

On today's episode I speak with Elise Disher, early childhood consultant and advocate for thoughtful, child-centered practices. Elise dives into the concept of progressive mealtimes in early learning settings, breaking down how they work, why they matter, and how to implement them in ways that are both meaningful and practical. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone looking to reimagine mealtime routines as opportunities for connection and learning.

Elise and I speak about:

🌸 What progressive mealtimes are and how they differ from traditional group mealtimes. 🌸 How mealtimes can shift from being rushed routines to meaningful rituals that foster connection and learning. 🌸 The role of autonomy, choice, and agency in progressive mealtimes. 🌸 Practical strategies to make progressive mealtimes work. 🌸 Addressing common challenges such as food safety, chaotic transitions, and preparing children for structured school settings. 🌸 Why intentionality and context matter - ain't no one-size-fits-all approach around here.

Elise is a mum of two and an Early Childhood Consultant and Teacher. Her mission is to create a movement in the way we educate and raise children so together we can improve the mental health outcomes of our next generation. Elise is passionate about promoting the importance of healthy attachment and developmentally responsive and attuned approaches in the first five years of life - she is BIG ON LITTLE PEOPLE! 

Word of caution - this episode contains very mild explicit language. 

Connect with Elise:

💫 Send her an email: [email protected] 

💫 Find her on Instagram: @elisedisher.ed

💫 Visit her website: Elise Disher

Join the Little Bloom community:

💫 Download a *free* copy of The Guidance Toolkit

💫 Send me an email: [email protected] 

💫 Find me on Instagram: @littlebloom.consultancy

💫 Connect with me on LinkedIn: Danica See

💫 Visit my website: Little Bloom Consultancy

On today’s episode I speak with Kathy Warwick, the Head of the TraCS Trauma Consultancy Program at the Alannah & Madeline Foundation. Kathy brings deep compassion and expertise to her work and, in our conversation, she shares powerful insights on viewing children’s behaviour through a trauma lens. This is a rich discussion for anyone supporting children in early childhood settings.

Kathy and I discuss:

🌸 The importance of adopting a trauma lens when working with children.

🌸 Recognising that challenging behaviour often signals a child’s experience of fear or stress.

🌸 The critical role of safe, supportive relationships in helping children with trauma.

🌸 How trauma can disrupt children’s developmental milestones and attachment.

🌸 The unique challenges educators face when supporting children impacted by trauma.

🌸 The value of curiosity in interpreting behaviours as potential trauma responses.

Kathy Warwick is the Head of Trauma Consulting (TraCS) at the Alannah and Madeline Foundation. Having worked her entire career with children and families who have experienced significant trauma in their lives, Kathy has a strong understanding of the impact of trauma on the development and attachment experiences of children and values the role TraCS is able to play in supporting children to reach their potential in their crucial early years. This work has also made Kathy very passionate about recognising the impact trauma can have on professionals working closely with vulnerable children and families. 

Helpful links:

💫 Explore the Trauma Consultancy Service

💫 Download their guide - Trauma-Informed Practice: A Guide for Early Childhood Organisation

Connect with Kathy:

💫 Send her an email: [email protected]

💫 Find the Alannah + Madeline Foundation on Instagram: @alannahmadeline

💫 Visit their website: The Alannah + Madeline Foundation

Let's Connect!

Want to feel joy in your teaching again (and not like you're spending every moment putting out behaviour spot fires)? Join the waitlist for my course: The Behaviour Reset

Want to know how to respond to baffling behaviours better? Download my free guide with 90 behaviour scripts

Join me on Instagram: @littlebloom.consultancy

On today's episode I speak with Kathy Warwick, the Head of the TraCS Trauma Consultancy Program at the Alannah & Madeline Foundation. Kathy brings deep compassion and expertise to her work and, in our conversation, she shares powerful insights on viewing children's behaviour through a trauma lens. This is a rich discussion for anyone supporting children in early childhood settings.

Kathy and I discuss:

🌸 The importance of adopting a trauma lens when working with children.

🌸 Recognising that challenging behaviour often signals a child's experience of fear or stress.

🌸 The critical role of safe, supportive relationships in helping children with trauma.

🌸 How trauma can disrupt children's developmental milestones and attachment.

🌸 The unique challenges educators face when supporting children impacted by trauma.

🌸 The value of curiosity in interpreting behaviours as potential trauma responses.

Kathy Warwick is the Head of Trauma Consulting (TraCS) at the Alannah and Madeline Foundation. Kathy is a qualified Social Worker who has worked with vulnerable children and families in the statutory and non-government sectors over the past 28 years. This has included working in Child Protection for 18 years in Australia and the UK and prior to her current role at AMF, managing an Early Childhood Parenting Centre delivering numerous community and family services' programs aimed at supporting highly vulnerable infants, children and their families. 

Having worked her entire career with children and families who have experienced significant trauma in their lives, Kathy has a strong understanding of the impact of trauma on the development and attachment experiences of children and values the role TraCS is able to play in supporting children to reach their potential in their crucial early years. This work has also made Kathy very passionate about recognising the impact trauma can have on professionals working closely with vulnerable children and families. 

It is important that the wellbeing needs of professionals and staff providing invaluable support to these children is given the attention it deserves. If we recognise that "it can take a village to raise a child" then we must do our best to "nurture the villagers so they can keep doing their wonderful work."

Helpful links:

💫 Explore the Trauma Consultancy Service

💫 Download their guide - Trauma-Informed Practice: A Guide for Early Childhood Organisation

Connect with Kathy:

💫 Send her an email: [email protected]

💫 Find the Alannah + Madeline Foundation on Instagram: @alannahmadeline

💫 Visit their website: The Alannah + Madeline Foundation

Join the Little Bloom community:

💫 Download a *free* copy of The Guidance Toolkit

💫 Send me an email: [email protected] 

💫 Find me on Instagram: @littlebloom.consultancy

💫 Connect with me on LinkedIn: Danica See

💫 Visit my website: Little Bloom Consultancy

On today’s episode, I speak with Jess, founder of Raising Resilience. Jess brings a wealth of insight and compassion as we explore what resilience really means for young children. Together, we dive into how educators and parents can support children through adversity, build emotional strength, and foster a growth mindset. Jess’s expertise is a gift for anyone passionate about nurturing resilience in little ones.

Jess and I discuss:

🌸 What resilience truly means and how misconceptions about "toughening up" can harm children.

🌸 The role of the window of tolerance in resilience.

🌸 How temperament influences a child’s capacity for resilience. 

🌸 The importance of emotion coaching to help children process and learn from their feelings.

🌸 Why failure is essential for growth and how adults can create safe spaces for children to experience and navigate failure.

🌸 The significance of risky play in teaching children to assess challenges and build autonomy.

Jess has a Bachelor of Social Science (amongst other training) and a background working in Case Management, Counselling and Student Wellbeing and is on a mission to support families to build resilience and emotional intelligence so that they feel empowered & equipped to face life's inevitable curveballs with confidence. Currently, Jess supports parents and any professionals working with families through psychoeducational workshops and also works as a Parenting Consultant at Childhood Rising where she provides 1:1 nuanced support for each unique family she meets with. Jess is a mum to two wonderful little people and deeply understands both the beauty and the heartache that can be felt as a parent which is why all of her services are jam-packed with compassion.

Helpful Links:

Explore Jess' workshop for educators and teachers: Thriving Classrooms

Connect with Jess:

💫 Send her an email: [email protected]

💫 Find her on Instagram: @raisingresilience_mornington

💫 Visit her website: Raising Resilience

Let's Connect!

Want to feel joy in your teaching again (and not like you're spending every moment putting out behaviour spot fires)? Join the waitlist for my course: The Behaviour Reset

Want to know how to respond to baffling behaviours better? Download my free guide with 90 behaviour scripts

Join me on Instagram: @littlebloom.consultancy

On today's episode, I speak with Jess, founder of Raising Resilience. Jess brings a wealth of insight and compassion as we explore what resilience really means for young children. Together, we dive into how educators and parents can support children through adversity, build emotional strength, and foster a growth mindset. Jess's expertise is a gift for anyone passionate about nurturing resilience in little ones.

Jess and I discuss:

🌸What resilience truly means and how misconceptions about "toughening up" can harm children. 🌸The role of the window of tolerance in resilience. 🌸How temperament influences a child's capacity for resilience. 

🌸The importance of emotion coaching to help children process and learn from their feelings. 🌸Why failure is essential for growth and how adults can create safe spaces for children to experience and navigate failure. 🌸The significance of risky play in teaching children to assess challenges and build autonomy.

Jess has a Bachelor of Social Science (amongst other training) and a background working in Case Management, Counselling and Student Wellbeing and is on a mission to support families to build resilience and emotional intelligence so that they feel empowered & equipped to face life's inevitable curveballs with confidence. Currently, Jess supports parents and any professionals working with families through psychoeducational workshops and also works as a Parenting Consultant at Childhood Rising where she provides 1:1 nuanced support for each unique family she meets with. Jess is a mum to two wonderful little people and deeply understands both the beauty and the heartache that can be felt as a parent which is why all of her services are jam-packed with compassion.

Helpful Links:

Explore Jess' workshop for educators and teachers: Thriving Classrooms

Connect with Jess:

💫 Send her an email: [email protected]

💫 Find her on Instagram: @raisingresilience_mornington

💫 Visit her website: Raising Resilience

Join the Little Bloom community:

💫 Download a *free* copy of The Guidance Toolkit

💫 Send me an email: [email protected] 

💫 Find me on Instagram: @littlebloom.consultancy

💫 Connect with me on LinkedIn: Danica See

💫 Visit my website: Little Bloom Consultancy

On today’s episode I speak with Claire Britton, a neuro-affirming occupational therapist and Director of Neuroinclusion. Claire brings incredible insight into PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance or Pervasive Drive for Autonomy) and how a neuro-affirming lens can help us support neurodivergent children better. She explains why PDA often requires a different approach to typical behaviour strategies and shares practical ways to help children feel safe and understood.

Claire and I discuss:

🌸 What the PDA profile (Pathological Demand Avoidance) is.

🌸 The significance of understanding PDA through a neuro-affirming approach and why the term "Pervasive Drive for Autonomy" is preferred.

🌸 Understanding the difference between PDA and typical demand avoidance.

🌸 Common behaviours associated with PDA, including the different "fight, flight, freeze, fawn" responses.

🌸 Supports for PDAers, including the critical role of reducing and adapting demands to support regulation.

Claire Britton is the Director and Principal Occupational Therapist at Neuroinclusion. She is passionate about educating, inspiring and empowering Australian clients and therapists to optimise best practice to facilitate their success doing their daily activities. She works with neurodivergent clients across the lifespan and also runs The Neurodivergent Occupational Therapist instagram with over 27,000 followers. She is a speaker, podcast guest, neurodiversity advocate and clinical mentor to therapists across Australia. She brings her own personal experiences being neurodivergent with over 9 years of clinical experiences to consistently provide the highest quality neurodiversity-affirming practice.

Connect with Claire:

💫 Find her on Instagram: @neuroinclusion.au

💫 Find her on Facebook: Neuroinclusion

💫 Connect with her on LinkedIn: Claire Britton

💫 Visit her website: Neuroinclusion

Let's Connect!

Want to feel joy in your teaching again (and not like you're spending every moment putting out behaviour spot fires)? Join the waitlist for my course: The Behaviour Reset

Want to know how to respond to baffling behaviours better? Download my free guide with 90 behaviour scripts

Join me on Instagram: @littlebloom.consultancy

On today's episode I speak with Claire Britton, a neuro-affirming occupational therapist and Director of Neuroinclusion. Claire brings incredible insight into PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance or Pervasive Drive for Autonomy) and how a neuro-affirming lens can help us support neurodivergent children better. She explains why PDA often requires a different approach to typical behaviour strategies and shares practical ways to help children feel safe and understood.

Claire and I discuss:

🌸 What the PDA profile (Pathological Demand Avoidance) is.

🌸 The significance of understanding PDA through a neuro-affirming approach and why the term "Pervasive Drive for Autonomy" is preferred.

🌸 Understanding the difference between PDA and typical demand avoidance.

🌸 Common behaviours associated with PDA, including the different "fight, flight, freeze, fawn" responses.

🌸 Supports for PDAers, including the critical role of reducing and adapting demands to support regulation.

🌸 We also talk a load about neuro-affirming practice and supports in general. 

Claire Britton is the Director and Principal Occupational Therapist at Neuroinclusion. She is passionate about educating, inspiring and empowering Australian clients and therapists to optimise best practice to facilitate their success doing their daily activities. She works with neurodivergent clients across the lifespan and also runs The Neurodivergent Occupational Therapist instagram with over 27,000 followers. She is a speaker, podcast guest, neurodiversity advocate and clinical mentor to therapists across Australia. She brings her own personal experiences being neurodivergent with over 9 years of clinical experiences to consistently provide the highest quality neurodiversity-affirming practice. Her extensive experience as an occupational therapist includes schools, not-for-profits, private practice and in community settings in Perth, Melbourne and Cape Town.

Connect with Claire:

💫 Send her an email: [email protected]

💫 Find her on Instagram: @neuroinclusion.au

💫 Find her on Facebook: Neuroinclusion

💫 Connect with her on LinkedIn: Claire Britton

💫 Visit her website: Neuroinclusion

Join the Little Bloom community:

💫 Download a *free* copy of The Guidance Toolkit

💫 Send me an email: [email protected] 

💫 Find me on Instagram: @littlebloom.consultancy

💫 Connect with me on LinkedIn: Danica See

💫 Visit my website: Little Bloom Consultancy

On today’s episode I speak with Lisa Burman - an author, speaker, professional learning facilitator and every-day researcher of childhood and learning. Lisa has strong roots in true early childhood pedagogy whose work is inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy and guided by honouring children’s rights. This discussion is a deep exploration of early childhood values and principles.

Lisa and I discuss:

🌸 What is meant by a culture of agency, shared power and democratic classrooms.

🌸 Common misconceptions of agency (hint: it’s not something that we ‘give’ children and it extends far beyond offering simple choices).

🌸 The critical connection between teacher agency and child agency.

🌸 Critical reflections on educational values.

🌸 The importance of finding your teacher tribe and the role that community plays in teacher agency.

🌸 Lisa’s framework for working towards a culture of agency and its five core elements. 

Lisa Burman is firstly a teacher, which means she sees herself as a constant learner, fascinated with childhood and the power and joy of learning. She is the Director and Principal Consultant for Lisa Burman Consultants, based in Adelaide, South Australia. Lisa is the author of “Are You Listening? Fostering Conversations that Help Young Children Learn” and the recently published, “Culture of Agency - Fostering Engagement, Empowerment, Identity, and Belonging in the Early Years”. Her favourite times are side-by-side with educators and children as a pedagogical partner in preschools and primary/elementary schools.  

Helpful Links:

Engage with one of Lisa's eCourses at The Authentic Educator

Buy Lisa’s book: ‘A Culture of Agency’ in Australia or internationally 

Connect with Lisa:

💫 Find her on Instagram: @lisaburmanconsultants

💫 Visit her website: Lisa Burman

Let's Connect!

Want to feel joy in your teaching again (and not like you're spending every moment putting out behaviour spot fires)? Join the waitlist for my course: The Behaviour Reset

Want to know how to respond to baffling behaviours better? Download my free guide with 90 behaviour scripts

Join me on Instagram: @littlebloom.consultancy

On today's episode I speak with Lisa Burman - an author, speaker, professional learning facilitator and every-day researcher of childhood and learning. Lisa has strong roots in true early childhood pedagogy whose work is inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy and guided by honouring children's rights. This discussion is a deep exploration of early childhood values and principles.

Lisa and I discuss:

🌸 What is meant by a 'culture of agency.'

🌸 Shared power and democratic classrooms.

🌸 Common misconceptions of agency (hint: it's not something that we 'give' children and it extends far beyond offering simple choices).

🌸 The critical connection between teacher agency and child agency.

🌸 The teacher's role as a facilitator of agency.

🌸 Critical reflections on educational values.

🌸 The importance of finding your teacher tribe and the role that community plays in teacher agency.

🌸 Lisa's framework for working towards a culture of agency and its five core elements. 

Lisa Burman is firstly a teacher, which means she sees herself as a constant learner, fascinated with childhood and the power and joy of learning.  She is the Director and Principal Consultant for Lisa Burman Consultants, based in Adelaide, South Australia.  Lisa is the author of "Are You Listening? Fostering Conversations that Help Young Children Learn" and the recently published, "Culture of Agency - Fostering Engagement, Empowerment, Identity, and Belonging in the Early Years". Her favourite times are side-by-side with educators and children as a pedagogical partner in preschools and primary/elementary schools.  

Helpful Links:

Engage with one of Lisa's eCourses at The Authentic Educator

Buy Lisa's book: 'A Culture of Agency' in Australia or internationally 

Connect with Lisa:

💫 Send her an email:[email protected]

💫 Find her on Instagram: @lisaburmanconsultants

💫 Visit her website: Lisa Burman

Join the Little Bloom community:

💫 Download a *free* copy of The Guidance Toolkit

💫 Send me an email: [email protected] 

💫 Find me on Instagram: @littlebloom.consultancy

💫 Connect with me on LinkedIn: Danica See

💫 Visit my website: Little Bloom Consultancy