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Beautifully Complex

Beautifully Complex

Written by: Penny Williams
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About this listen

 Join parenting coach and mom-in-the-trenches, Penny Williams, as she helps parents, caregivers, and educators harness the realization that we are all beautifully complex and marvelously imperfect. Each week she delivers insights and actionable strategies on parenting and educating neurodivergent kids — those with ADHD, autism, anxiety, learning disabilities... Her approach to decoding behavior while honoring neurodiversity, and parenting the individual child you have will provide you with the tools to help you understand and transform behavior, reduce your own stress, increase parenting confidence, and create the joyful family life you crave. Penny has helped thousands of families worldwide to help their kids feel good so they can do good.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.Copyright Penny Williams Hygiene & Healthy Living Parenting Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships
Episodes
  • 341: Building Bravery in Anxious Kids, with Melissa Giglio, Psy.D.

    341: Building Bravery in Anxious Kids, with Melissa Giglio, Psy.D.
    Jan 15 2026
    Bravery isn’t about being fearless. It’s about learning how to move forward with fear — slowly, gently, and with support. And for anxious kids, that kind of bravery doesn’t come from pressure or pushing harder. It grows from safety, trust, and someone steady walking beside them.

    In this episode, I’m joined by child psychologist Dr. Melissa Giglio to talk about what bravery really looks like for anxious kids and how we can nurture it without overwhelming them. We unpack why confidence and capability don’t come from “just doing it,” especially for kids with anxiety, ADHD, or autism. Instead, bravery is built through validation, scaffolding, and tolerable challenges that respect each child’s nervous system.

    We talk about how to support kids without enabling avoidance, why rushing and pressure backfire, and how to strike that delicate balance between comfort and challenge. Dr. Melissa shares practical ways to help kids get comfortable being uncomfortable, without flooding their nervous system or eroding trust. We also dig into how parents’ own regulation plays a powerful role, and why fairness, predictability, and follow-through matter so much for anxious kids.

    If you’re wondering how to help your child try again after avoidance, how to respond when encouragement feels invalidating, or when to step back without pulling support too soon, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

    This is a hopeful, grounding episode about growing brave muscles over time, for our kids and for us.

    🎧 Listen now to learn how to build real, lasting bravery in anxious kids one supported step at a time.

    You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com and Regulated Kids.com — because it’s not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

    Show notes and more resources at parentingadhdandautism.com/341

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
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    26 mins
  • 340: Finding the Balance Between Supporting & Enabling, with Cindy Goldrich, Ed.M., ADHD-CCSP

    340: Finding the Balance Between Supporting & Enabling, with Cindy Goldrich, Ed.M., ADHD-CCSP
    Jan 8 2026
    There’s a quiet tension many of us carry as parents of neurodivergent kids: Am I helping my child or am I holding them back? That line between supporting and enabling can feel blurry, emotional, and constantly shifting, especially when executive function challenges are part of the picture.

    In this episode, I sit down with parent coach and educator Cindy Goldrich to bring clarity and compassion to that question. Cindy offers a powerful, practical definition that reframes everything: enabling is doing something for someone else without a plan to help them eventually do it themselves. Support, on the other hand, can include stepping in — when it’s intentional, temporary, and part of a bigger skill-building plan.

    Through real-life examples, like the familiar “forgotten violin” scenario, we unpack how parents often get labeled as enabling when they’re actually prioritizing, scaffolding, and responding to the child they have in front of them. Cindy reminds us that we can’t fix everything at once, and trying to do so only increases anxiety for both parent and child.

    We also dig into how executive function delays, working memory challenges, and developmental lags can masquerade as defiance or irresponsibility. When we understand what’s really happening in the brain, we can shift from judgment to curiosity, and from pressure to problem-solving.

    This conversation is an invitation to release guilt, trust your instincts, and give yourself permission to support your child without shame. It’s about parenting with intention, grace, and a long-term vision for independence, one small, thoughtful step at a time.

    🎧 Listen in for a grounded, validating conversation that helps you confidently navigate the balance between supporting and enabling.

    You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com and Regulated Kids.com — because it’s not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

    Show notes and more resources at parentingadhdandautism.com/340

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
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    28 mins
  • 339: When Hope Feels Heavy: Permission to Start A New Year Without Optimism, with Penny Williams

    339: When Hope Feels Heavy: Permission to Start A New Year Without Optimism, with Penny Williams
    Jan 1 2026
    There are moments in parenting when hope doesn’t feel light or motivating — it feels heavy. Like something we’re expected to carry when we’re already exhausted. If you’re walking into a new year feeling worn down instead of inspired, this episode is for you.

    I recorded this specifically for New Years, a day filled with pressure to feel optimistic, goal-driven, and ready for a fresh start. But the truth is, I wasn’t feeling hopeful. I was tired. Uncertain. Emotional. And rather than masking that or forcing a shiny version of hope, I wanted to talk honestly about a different kind of hope — one that doesn’t require belief, certainty, or high energy.

    This episode is about redefining hope in a way that actually works for parents of neurodivergent kids. Hope that sounds like: I don’t know how this will turn out, but I’m still here. Hope that lives in tiny steps, support, steadiness, and permission to begin without confidence.

    We talk about burnout as information, not failure. About why pushing harder never lifts burnout, and what actually does. About capacity instead of goals, responsiveness instead of consistency, and support instead of pressure. And about why your child doesn’t need a “new year, new you” — they just need you, depleted less and supported more.

    If you’re starting this year feeling heavy, unsure, or worn thin, you’re not alone. You don’t need optimism to take the next step. You need care. Support. And a reminder that you don’t have to do this alone.

    Listen in for a grounding, compassionate reframe that meets you exactly where you are.

    You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com and Regulated Kids.com — because it’s not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

    Show notes and more resources at parentingadhdandautism.com/339

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
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    24 mins
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