Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children

Author and changemaker Courtney Macavinta (The Respect Institute) explains why differently-wired kids are especially vulnerable to the “school to prison pipeline,” and how we can make respect the status quo.Connect with Tilt Parenting Visit Tilt Parenting Take the free 7-Day Challenge Read a chapter of Differently Wired Follow Tilt on Twitter & Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is the first of several solocasts I’ll be doing focusing on homeschooling—not so much the nuts and bolts of it, although I will eventually share some strategies—but more the emotional side of what it was like to make the decision to homeschool. Because, as I’ve said in previous episodes, I was very much a ‘reluctant homeschooler.’ In this episode, I’m going to tell you exactly why that was, why I was so convinced that there was no way I could possibly homeschool Asher, and tell you how I got to a place where my thinking shifted and I was open to giving it a go. Debbie Reber, MA, is a parenting activist, New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, and speaker who moved her career in a more personal direction in 2016 when she founded TiLT Parenting, a top resource for parents like her who are raising differently wired children. The TiLT Parenting Podcast has grown to be a top podcast in Kids & Family, with more than 6 million downloads and a slate of guests that includes high-profile thought leaders across the parenting and education space. Things you’ll learn from this episode: Why Debbie was so against homeschooling in the first place What finally convinced her to give it a try What Debbie learned through the process of being a reluctant homeschooling mama  Resources mentioned for answering the question “Should I homeschool?” Alison Bower on When School Isn’t a Fit: What to Expect and How to Handle It (podcast)Support the showConnect with Tilt Parenting Visit Tilt Parenting Take the free 7-Day Challenge Read a chapter of Differently Wired Follow Tilt on Twitter & Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Educator and coach Dr. Colleen Carroll talks about the importance of fostering a love of reading in our children and offers tips for parents raising reluctant readers.Connect with Tilt Parenting Visit Tilt Parenting Take the free 7-Day Challenge Read a chapter of Differently Wired Follow Tilt on Twitter & Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, parent coach Margaret Webb offers advice for navigating a dynamic where grandparents and other extended family don’t understand our child. We talk about how to handle family who may not be as tolerant or understanding of who our kids are (or our reality in raising them) as we would like.So often big family events like weddings or graduations or holiday celebrations create situations where we’re expected to spend lots of time with family, but it might not look the way we, or they, expect. So what do we do in these scenarios? What are our responsibilities both to our children and to the family members hosting or attending these events? How can we best prep for these tricky situations?That’s what we’re covering in this episode. Margaret has a lot of experience supporting parents through this difficult dynamic, and in this episode she shares her best tips and strategies for taking care of ourselves and our children and making choices around family events that make the most sense for our reality.Margaret Webb is a certified Master Life Coach, parenting coach, nature-based coach, former teacher, wife and mother. As a life and parenting coach, she weaves together her experience as an elementary education teacher with the tools she’s learned in Martha Beck’s Life Coach Training, Sagefire Institute’s Nature-Based Coach Training, and what she’s applied to her own life as a mom of a child with special needs.Things you’ll learn from this episode How “shoulding” from other parents can lead to a judgement shame spiral How to take care of yourself and the emotions that come up in challenging situations How to practice proactive problem solving around family events that are likely to be challenging The importance of being mindful of the time and energy we spend on other people How to play “dysfunctional bingo” Margaret’s best tips for parents navigating tricky dynamics with extended family, and handling grandparents who don’t understand our child  Resources mentioned for when grandparents don’t understand our child Finding Peace in Parenting the Child You Didn’t Expect (podcast) How Parents Can Survive (and Thrive) Over the Summer Holidays (podcast) Margaret Webb Life Coach Email Margaret directly Parenting the Child You Didn’t Expect While You Were Expecting Online Course Support the showConnect with Tilt Parenting Visit Tilt Parenting Take the free 7-Day Challenge Read a chapter of Differently Wired Follow Tilt on Twitter & Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this special kid’s POV edition, Asher and I talk about having ADHD and goal setting, a topic near and dear to my heart, but also an issue we hear from parents about a lot. Asher is someone who always seems to have a lot of projects he’s working on and he sets often ambitious goals centered around those projects. Yet because of the way Ash is wired, he can often get distracted or derailed, which results in him being frustrated with himself.I know a thing or two about goal setting — it’s actually the topic of a book I wrote for teen girls in 2015 called Doable, and so I am committed to using what I know about goals to help Asher learn how to successfully set and reach his own goals while also developing his planning, organizational, and time management skills. If you have kids with lots of ideas for things they’d like to do but seem to get stuck before they finish, or maybe even struggle to begin in the first place, this would be a good episode to listen to with them. Debbie Reber is the founder and CEO of Tilt Parenting and the host of the TiLT Parenting Podcast. 11-year-old Asher is Debbie’s child and is regularly featured on the podcast.  Things you’ll learn from this episode The connection between ADHD, executive functioning challenges, and goal planning Asher’s strategy for setting, measuring, and reaching goals How Asher uses both daily and weekly goal planning to keep him on track What typically derails Asher when he’s pursuing a goal The power of the daily check-in Asher’s tips for other kids looking to set and reach their personal goals  Resources mentioned for ADHD & goal setting Debbie’s book Doable: The Girls’ Guide to Accomplishing Just About Anything by Debbie Reber A Conversation with 11-year-old Asher About His Game-Changing Morning Routine (podcast) Understood.org Productivity Planner from Intelligent Change Download a copy of Asher’s Goal Planning Worksheet The Color Run (series of 5k races) Support the showConnect with Tilt Parenting Visit Tilt Parenting Take the free 7-Day Challenge Read a chapter of Differently Wired Follow Tilt on Twitter & Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the Tilt Parenting Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Jenna Flowers, a licensed marriage and family therapist, author, and speaker, and the woman behind the fantastic new book, The Conscious Parent’s Guide to Coparenting: A Mindful Approach to Creating a Collaborative, Positive Parenting Plan.Dr. Jenna’s book is aimed at helping parents who are no longer together design a healthy alliance and share their parenting responsibilities in a way that best supports their children. In our conversation, we talk about the extra considerations for those parenting differently-wired kids, kids for whom consistency and support is critical to their healthy emotional development. Dr. Jenna also explains how parents of atypical kids can foster a structured, supportive environment in both homes, as well as shares her advice for things parents can do right now to strengthen their relationship with their co-parent, whether together or apart.  Dr. Jenna Flowers is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Author, and Speaker. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan. She then graduated with her MA in Spiritual Psychology from the prestigious University of Santa Monica, and Doctoral Degree in Psychology from the professional psychology school American Behavioral Studies Institute. Upon completing her Marriage and Family Therapy licensing board examinations in 2006, she has been in private practice in Newport Beach, California.  Things you’ll learn from this episode What exactly conscious coparenting is The importance of repairing hurts from our childhood in order to become more present with our own children How to help a child not take on responsibility or blame for their parents’ breakup What to do when both parents aren’t on the same page What a designed alliance with a coparent actually looks like  Resources mentioned for conscious coparenting Dr. Jenna Flowers’ personal website The Conscious Parent’s Guide to Coparenting by Dr. Jenna Flowers Brene Brown Samantha Ettus Parenting from the Inside Out: How a Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who Thrive by Dr. Dan Siegel Conscious Mothering Curriculum Support the showConnect with Tilt Parenting Visit Tilt Parenting Take the free 7-Day Challenge Read a chapter of Differently Wired Follow Tilt on Twitter & Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Behavior and education consultant Julie George talks about the ways in which autism presents differently in girls than in boys. Connect with Tilt Parenting Visit Tilt Parenting Take the free 7-Day Challenge Read a chapter of Differently Wired Follow Tilt on Twitter & Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this special kid’s POV edition, 12-year-old Asher talks with Debbie about the topic of diagnoses, labels, and the negative stigmas associated with different diagnoses.Connect with Tilt Parenting Visit Tilt Parenting Take the free 7-Day Challenge Read a chapter of Differently Wired Follow Tilt on Twitter & Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode I sit down with my dear friend and super talented life coach Kanesha Baynard to talk about the relationship we have with our parents and in-laws while also navigating our own journey as parents. Kanesha is an expert in multi-generational family dynamics and in this episode, we cover a lot of ground — the common challenges, tackling uncomfortable conversations, designing an alliance with our parents and in-laws, and much more.If you’ve ever had a communications fail or conflict or disagreement with your own parent or parent-in-law over some aspect of raising your own child, Kanesha’s perspective and practical strategies will undoubtedly inspire you to foster a dynamic that will best serve the whole family and meet everyone’s needs in a respectful way moving forward. Kanesha Baynard is a workshop facilitator, creativity coach, and inner wellness author who has been featured on the Dr. Oz Show. Her work has also been featured in many local and national publications. Kanesha is the author of The Self-love Playbook for #boldthinkers, 52 Powerful Questions: A Journal and Planning Guide for Creative Entrepreneurs, and Focus on What Matters: A Guided Journal.She is the founder of the Bold Living Today community focused on helping members disrupt unfulfilling patterns through creativity and navigate transition with confidence and boldness. Kanesha has created several card decks designed to help busy professionals, caregivers, and teens reconnect with activities and behaviors that foster imagination, joy, creativity, and space to refuel. Kanesha works with non-profit organizations, wellness groups, caregiving resource providers, women business owners, leadership teams, youth organizations, and individual clients to improve productivity habits, manage mental wellness through creativity, expand outreach opportunities through focused brainstorming sessions, and provide life skill mapping. Things you’ll learn from this episode How to recognize and understand generational differences between our parents parenting style and our own Strategies for handling difficult conversations with our parents How to handle it when we feel judged by our parents or in-laws How to take care of our needs and our kids needs during difficult moments How to ask for what you need from your parents and in-laws in a respectful way Resources mentioned for navigating tricky family dynamics Kanesha Baynard’s website Bold Living Today PAL Protocol: Managing Challenging Conversations in Multigenerational Settings The Self-Love Playbook for #BOLDTHINKERS by Kanesha Baynard 52 Powerful Questions: A Journal and Planning Guide for Creative Entrepreneurs by Kanesha Baynard Focus on What Matters: A Guided Journalby Kanesha Baynard Support the showConnect with Tilt Parenting Visit Tilt Parenting Take the free 7-Day Challenge Read a chapter of Differently Wired Follow Tilt on Twitter & Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this special kid’s POV edition, my 12-year-old son Asher and I get real about the impact of ADHD in our world. We’ve known since Asher was five that he has ADHD, yet the learning for both him and us continues.In our conversation, Asher shares how he felt when he first found out he had ADHD, what it means to him, and the areas of his life where it impacts him the most. I talk about my steep learning curve with understanding ADHD when I first began homeschooling Asher, and reflect on the ways in which I’m still struggling to embrace all aspects of his ADHD. We also have a frank conversation about why Asher has chosen to not take medication for ADHD and what he’s doing instead. About Debbie & AsherDebbie Reber is the founder of Tilt and the host of the Tilt Parenting Podcast. 12-year-old Asher is Debbie’s child and is regularly featured on the podcast. Find out more about Debbie and Asher by visiting the About Page. Things you’ll learn from this episode How it feels to have to fidget in order to focus, from a kid’s POV What Asher wishes all teachers, and parents, understood about ADHD Strategies Asher is currently using to help him calm his mind and focus Why many kids with ADHD are too hard on themselves The power and truth in the quote: “Kids would do better if they could”  Resources mentioned about being a kid with ADHD Blocked to Brilliant (ADHD Coaching) ADHD Video Club ADHD Kids Rock Debbie and Asher’s Miracle Morning Routine (podcast) The Productivity Planner The Creative Process (image) Support the showConnect with Tilt Parenting Visit Tilt Parenting Take the free 7-Day Challenge Read a chapter of Differently Wired Follow Tilt on Twitter & Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices