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Beautifully Complex

Beautifully Complex

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 & Families Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships
Episodes
  • 328: Behavior Is a Signal: How to Decode What It’s Telling You, with Penny Williams

    328: Behavior Is a Signal: How to Decode What It’s Telling You, with Penny Williams
    Sep 18 2025
    Behavior isn’t random. It’s not about disrespect, laziness, or a “bad attitude.” Every outburst, shutdown, or refusal is your child’s nervous system sending a signal.

    In this episode of Beautifully Complex, I’m unpacking what those signals really mean and why the labels we often put on behavior — defiance, aggression, avoidance — miss the mark. You’ll learn how to look past the surface to see the need underneath, and how shifting from control to curiosity changes everything.

    When you learn to decode behavior as a signal, you stop fighting the symptom and start supporting your child where they actually are. That’s the foundation of raising regulated, resilient kids who feel seen and understood.

    Press play and discover how to start listening to the signals beneath your child’s behavior.

    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/328

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
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    18 mins
  • 327: How Animal Instincts Signal What's Underlying Behavior, with Penny Williams

    327: How Animal Instincts Signal What's Underlying Behavior, with Penny Williams
    Sep 10 2025
    What if your child’s meltdowns weren’t about defiance, disrespect, or “bad behavior” at all—but simply their nervous system doing what it was designed to do? In this episode, I unpack how animal instincts like Lumi the Owl, Prickles the Porcupine, Bolt the Cheetah, and Tuck the Possum signal what’s happening beneath the surface. When you learn to spot the state and meet the need, you stop wrestling with behavior and start tending the roots.

    We’ll talk about how to recognize each instinct, what your child actually needs in those moments, and how to support without shame, blame, or power struggles. These aren’t loopholes; they’re nervous-system-savvy ways to bring safety and connection back online.

    Take a deep breath with me. Let’s step into a gentler, more effective way to parent your beautifully complex child.👉 Tune in now to learn how animal instincts can transform the way you respond to your child’s behavior.

    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/327

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
    Show More Show Less
    30 mins
  • 326: Hidden in Plain Sight: Misdiagnosis & Missed Diagnosis with Monica Garty Juice, PNP, PMHS

    326: Hidden in Plain Sight: Misdiagnosis & Missed Diagnosis with Monica Garty Juice, PNP, PMHS
    Sep 4 2025
    Your child’s biggest struggles might be the very things no one else sees.

    In this powerful conversation with pediatric nurse practitioner and mental health specialist Monica Garty Juice, we explore how subtle signs of neurodivergence often get dismissed, misdiagnosed, or go completely unnoticed — and what that means for our kids. Monica shares why so many complex kids are “hidden in plain sight,” how masking shows up in daily life, and what it looks like to finally be seen.

    We also talk about how parents often become the “quarterback” of their child’s care team — even when they’re exhausted and overwhelmed — and why slowing down and tuning into the full picture is one of the most powerful things we can do.

    If your child looks like they’re holding it together, but then melting down at home… this episode will feel like a deep exhale.

    Listen now and let this be your reminder: You’re not imagining it. You’re not alone. And you can trust your gut.

    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/326

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
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