In this episode, we take an honest look back at 2025—a year of ambitious goals that, on paper, might look like misses. But as we peel back the layers, we discover that true growth isn't always found in hitting every target; it’s found in the "long obedience in the same direction."

Join me as I share personal reflections on founding the Insight Education Academy, the messy reality of business and parenting, and the invaluable lessons learned from simply refusing to quit. We discuss why small, sustained efforts often outweigh quick wins and how to approach 2026 not with pressure for perfection, but with a commitment to consistent progress.

If you’re ready to reflect on your own journey and set meaningful, manageable goals for the year ahead, I have a tool to help you get started.

Resources Mentioned:

• State of the Family Audit: Start your 2026 journey with clarity. Download the audit here
• Nietzsche, F. (1989). Beyond good and evil: Prelude to a philosophy of the future (W. Kaufmann, Trans.). Vintage Books. (Original work published 1886)
• Peterson, E. H. (2000). A long obedience in the same direction: Discipleship in an instant society (2nd ed.). InterVarsity Press.

Connect With Us

• Insight Education Academy
• Insight Family Market

Does the "New Year, New You" messaging feel more like pressure than inspiration right now? If you are the "default parent"—especially if you are raising neurodiverse kids—you are likely carrying a mental load that doesn't reset just because the calendar did.

In this special New Year’s episode, we are skipping the resolution guilt trip. Instead, we are validating the exhaustion you feel after the holidays and offering a research-backed permission slip to rest.

Join us as we explore why this week feels so draining and how to move from "surviving" to truly supporting yourself in the year ahead.

In this episode, we cover:

• The "Default Parent" Reality: Why the mental load peaks during the holidays and why your exhaustion is valid (not a failure).
• The Anti-Resolution Approach: Why you should ditch high-pressure goals for "Approach-Oriented" intentions.
• Practical Relief: How to create "Off-Duty Blocks" and delegate tasks to actually reduce your invisible load.
• A Gentle Reset: Simple scripts and exercises to protect your peace this week.

Quote from the episode:
"Rest isn't a reward for finishing your to-do list. It's the fuel you need to keep going."

Resources Mentioned:

• Insight Education Academy
• Treat Yourself To Some Self-Care

Listen now to start your year with less guilt and more grace.

Holiday week can feel like your brain has 47 tabs open: snacks, gifts, schedules, meltdowns, and somehow you’re the only one who knows what day it is. If you’re the default parent, you’re not failing — your system just got heavier.

In this episode, I’m sharing a Holiday Week Survival Plan (Default Parent Edition): a simple, research-backed way to get the open loops out of your head and into a plan you can actually use. We’ll name what the mental load really is (and why it spikes this week), then walk through 5 practical steps to create a steadier, calmer holiday week — especially for neurodiverse families.In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why holiday week multiplies the invisible work (mental load + “remembering work”)
• How to choose your Minimum Viable Holiday Week (without the guilt)
• Two daily anchors that reduce decision fatigue
• How to create one shared “command center” so you’re not carrying everything in your head
• The shift from “help” to ownership (start-to-finish lanes)
• A 10-minute nightly close that helps you sleep

Grab the Executive Function Checklist here: https://www.insighteducationacademy.org/executive-function-checklist
If this episode helped, share it with a mom friend who’s carrying the whole plan right now.

If you’ve ever felt tired even when you “didn’t do that much,” this episode is for you. The invisible load has a name—and naming it is often the first step toward real relief.

We’re talking about what the default parent is actually carrying behind the scenes: the constant anticipating, remembering, deciding, and monitoring that keeps a family running. You’ll hear the research-backed language for this kind of mental labor, why it’s so exhausting (and so hard to explain), and a few practical, realistic ways to start making the invisible visible—without adding more to your plate.

Free resource: Grab the Executive Function Checklist to help you get the open loops out of your head and into a plan you can actually use.

Are you running on empty, struggling with decision fatigue, or feeling like rest is a luxury you can’t afford? In this episode of the Insight Education Academy podcast, Amanda unpacks the science behind why rest is not only essential for your mental health and productivity—but also a key to better decision-making, learning, and resilience.We dive deep into the latest research on:

• Decision fatigue and its real-world costs
• The proven benefits of breaks in education and healthcare
• How chronic exhaustion impacts mothers and caregivers
• The connection between sleep, trauma, and emotional well-being
• Practical, research-backed strategies for building restorative pauses into your daily life

References:

• Baer, T., & Schnall, S. (2021). Quantifying the cost of decision fatigue: suboptimal risk decisions in finance. Royal Society Open Science, 8: 201059. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.201059
• Melguizo-Ibáñez, E., et al. (2024). Classroom-based active breaks and attention: A meta-analysis.
• Sanderson, BDJ in Practice (2020). The need for breaks in healthcare.
• Calarco, J.M., Meanwell, E., Anderson, E.M., & Knopf, A.S. (2021). By Default: How Mothers in Different-Sex Dual-Earner Couples Account for Inequalities in Pandemic Parenting. Socius, 7: 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231211038783
• Socci, V., et al. (2020). Sleep, trauma, and emotional regulation.

Tune in and discover why daring to pause might be the most productive thing you do this week. Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review to help others find evidence-based support for their well-being!

What does real courage look like in everyday life? In this episode, Amanda Armstrong opens up about her journey from the safety of routine to the uncertainty of entrepreneurship, exploring what it means to take risks—big and small. Blending personal stories with research from psychology and education, Amanda unpacks why trying new things is so hard, how risk-taking fuels growth, and why celebrating our efforts matters more than ever. Whether you’re a parent, educator, or lifelong learner, you’ll walk away inspired to honor your own leaps, reflect on your year, and embrace the strength it takes to try—no matter the outcome.

Raising resilient kids isn’t about shielding them from hard things—it’s about giving them tools to bounce back when life gets messy. In this episode of the Growth Mindset Parent Podcast, Amanda Armstrong breaks down how gratitude (when we move beyond “I’m thankful for my house and my dog”) can actually build true resilience and a growth mindset in our kids.

You’ll learn:

• The surprising link between gratitude, resilience, and growth mindset
• Why traditional “What are you thankful for?” prompts often fall flat—especially for neurodiverse kids
• Five practical gratitude practices that focus on effort, mistakes, strategies, persistence, and growth
• A simple Thanksgiving (or any day) family ritual that normalizes failure and celebrates progress

Amanda also shares real-life stories from her own home—math worksheets, forgotten backpacks, school play auditions—to show what growth mindset gratitude sounds like in everyday parenting.

Whether you’re parenting a neurodiverse learner, a perfectionist, or a kid who shuts down when things get hard, this episode will give you language and tools you can start using tonight at the dinner table.

Hit play to learn how to turn gratitude from a holiday checkbox into a powerful resilience-building practice for your family.

References:

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.

Sousa, B. J., & Clark, A. M. (2025). Growth mindsets in academics and academia: A review of influence and interventions. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 47(1), 38-56.

Yeager, D. S., Hanselman, P., Walton, G. M., et al. (2019). A national experiment reveals where a growth mindset improves achievement. Nature, 573(7774), 364-369.

Gratitude isn't about pretending the hard stuff doesn't exist—it's about finding meaning in the mess. Learn how to shift from waiting for "good days" to appreciating the growth happening right now with practical strategies for neurodiverse families.

Key Takeaways:

✨ Progress doesn't happen in a straight line—setbacks and plateaus are part of learning, not evidence of failure

✨ Gratitude shifts our focus from what's missing to what's growing

✨ Praising effort (not just results) leads to greater persistence and resilience

✨ Hard days aren't failures—they're opportunities to learn how to handle challenges

✨ The messy middle IS the growth, not the obstacle to it

Resources Mentioned:

• Carol Dweck's TED Talk: "The Power of Believing That You Can Improve" (2014)
• Carol Dweck's book: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (2006)

This Week's Challenge:

Start an "end-of-day wins and tries" practice with your family

Connect with Amanda:

📧 Email: admin@insighteducationacademy.com
📱 Instagram: @insighteducationacademy
🌐 Website: insighteducationacademy.com

Subscribe & Review:

If this episode resonated with you, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening. Your reviews help other parents find this podcast and know they're not alone in the messy middle.