Parenting Beyond Meltdowns is ranked in the Top 3% of podcasts globally!

Have you ever found yourself stuck in the same cycle — your child melts down, you react, and afterward you think, “Why did I do that again?”

If so, this episode will speak straight to your heart.

We’re diving into a powerful concept called the Hero, Victim, and Villain lens and how it can completely change the way you approach parenting your strong-willed or neurodivergent child.

When meltdowns happen, it’s easy to slip into old patterns: feeling powerless (the Victim), trying to control (the Villain), or losing hope altogether. But what if you could step into a new story one where you become the Hero?

In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

• Recognize when you’re parenting from fear, shame, or frustration
• Understand how emotional regulation helps you respond instead of react
• Rebuild peace and connection with your child, even during the hardest moments

Partner with the Holy Spirit to take your thoughts captive and renew your mind

We’ll walk through real-life examples like handling defiant behavior, PDA-style refusals, or emotional meltdowns common in kids with ADHD, Autism (ASD), or ODD in a way that protects your peace and builds lasting connection.

Because here’s the truth: you can’t always control the chaos, but you can anchor yourself in calm. You can create emotional safety for both you and your child no matter how strong-willed, neurodivergent, or overwhelmed you both feel in the moment.

Mama, this isn’t about perfection. It’s about choosing peace, walking in grace, and remembering that with God’s help… you can be the calm in your child’s storm.

• The difference between reacting in fear and responding in faith

• How to identify whether you’re in the Hero, Victim, or Villain role

• What emotional regulation looks like in real-life parenting moments

• How to rebuild trust and connection with your child when things go wrong

Faith Anchor:

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22–23

Challenge of the Week:

This week, I want to challenge you to notice which story you’re living from when things get hard.

When your strong-willed or neurodivergent child has a meltdown, pause for a moment and ask yourself:

• “Am I showing up as the Victim, the Villain, or the Hero?”

• “What thought is driving my reaction right now?”

Then, take a deep breath and pray:

“Father, help me take this thought captive. Help me see my child — and myself — the way You do.”

Your only goal is awareness. You don’t have to get it perfect — just start noticing.

Because every time you pause, reflect, and invite God into the moment, you’re strengthening your emotional regulation and creating space for deeper connection with your child.

Links & Resources:

Join Insiders List: https://amandacalfee.com/page/insider-list

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/amandacalfee/

Email:

amandacalfeecoaching@gmail.com

Facebook Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/anchoredmamas

Megan Fate Marshman Quote

Parenting Beyond Meltdowns is Ranked in the Top 3% of Podcasts Worldwide!

Do you ever feel like you’re living in constant reaction mode just trying to survive one meltdown, defiant moment, or emotional storm after another?

In this episode, we’re diving into The Creation Cycle — the #1 tool that will help you renew your mind, regulate your emotions, and rebuild connection with your strong-willed or neurodivergent child (ASD, ADHD,ODD, PDA, Autism).

You’ll learn how your thoughts, feelings, and actions work together and how shifting your thoughts can change the atmosphere of your entire home.

This simple, faith-based framework will help you take your thoughts captive, calm the chaos, and parent with confidence and compassion even when big emotions rise.

• What the Creation Cycle is and how it helps you partner with God to renew your mind

• The difference between un-captured/un-renewed (false self) and renewed (true self) thoughts

• How to identify the patterns keeping you stuck in survival mode

• How to process emotions with grace so you can respond from love, not reactivity

• Real-life examples of what this looks like for moms of strong-willed, defiant, or neurodivergent kids

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” — Romans 12:2 “Take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.” — 2 Corinthians 10:5

You don’t have to keep reacting from fear or frustration. You can renew your mind, regulate your emotions, and rebuild connection one faith-filled thought at a time.

Challenge of the Week:

This week, I want you to:

1. Do a Thought Download. Get every thought out of your head and onto paper.

2. Pick one thought or emotion that feels the most charged.

3. Run it through your Creation Cycle.

Then ask yourself:

“What do I want to believe on purpose?”

Write that new thought down every day and practice it until it becomes the truth you live from.

• Thought: What am I thinking?

• Feeling: What emotion does that thought create in me?

• Action: What do I do when I feel that way?

• Result: What does that action create in my life—internally and externally?

Links & Resources

Join Insiders List: https://amandacalfee.com/page/insider-list

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/amandacalfee/

Email:

amandacalfeecoaching@gmail.com

Facebook Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/anchoredmamas

Parenting Beyond Meltdowns is Ranked in the Top 3% of Podcasts Worldwide!

Mama, what if your actions could tell you everything you need to know about your thoughts, your feelings, and even your true identity in Messiah?

In today’s episode, we’re talking about the choices we make—the ones that keep us stuck and the ones that move us forward—so you can step fully into being the mama the Father created you to be.

This week, we’re exploring the action part of the Creation Cycle—how your daily choices flow directly from your thoughts, emotions, and identity in Christ.

You’ll learn:

• What buffering looks like (and how it keeps you stuck in survival mode).

• How to recognize when you’re living from your false self (old man) instead of your true self (new man).

• Why emotional regulation matters when raising a strong-willed or neurodivergent child (ADHD, ASD, ODD, PDA).

• What it means to take faith-filled action—even when it feels uncomfortable.

• How to let the Father renew your mind so your actions reflect who He says you are.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” — Romans 12:2

Taking action in faith isn’t about striving harder—it’s about surrendering deeper.

When we act from our renewed identity, our choices begin to reflect love, patience, and connection instead of fear, frustration, or control.

• Buffering (scrolling, snacking, overworking, etc.) is how we often avoid emotions—but awareness helps us face what’s really going on.

• True Self vs. False Self: Your true self lives from love, grace, and abundance; your false self reacts from fear, lack, and self-protection.

• Faith-Filled Action: Growth happens when we take imperfect action—when we show up with courage even in the middle of hard moments.

• Emotional Regulation: You can’t control your child’s behavior, but you can control how you respond. This is what rebuilds connection and peace at home.

Identify one area of your life where you’ve been buffering or numbing out—maybe through social media, food, or busyness.

This week, instead of avoiding the emotion, pause and allow it.Then take one small action that aligns with your true self—something that moves you closer to peace, presence, and connection with your child.

Ask yourself:

“Am I acting from fear, or am I acting from love?”

Every time you choose love, you’re becoming more of who the Father created you to be.

“Your child doesn’t have to change for you to reclaim your peace. When you regulate your emotions and act from your true identity, you become the calm in your child’s storm.”

If this episode encouraged you, share it with another mama who’s walking through the storms of parenting a strong-willed or neurodivergent child.

Don’t forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts—it helps other moms find Parenting Beyond Meltdowns and reminds them they’re not alone.

Links & Resources

Join Insiders List: https://amandacalfee.com/page/insider-list

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/amandacalfee/

Email:

amandacalfeecoaching@gmail.com

Facebook Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/anchoredmamas