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

Today we’re exploring unschooling—not just as an educational choice, but as a deeply personal and often healing journey for parents themselves. My guest is Esther Jones, an unschooling mother of three, the founder of The Unschool Space podcast, and the author of The Parent’s Handbook to Unschooling Yourself. Esther was led into unschooling by her own children, who challenged her to unravel long-held beliefs about parenting, learning, and neurodiversity. Esther and I talk about what it really takes to step away from conventional expectations and learn to trust children’s natural learning processes. We also explore the emotional work parents often need to do along the way, the importance of self-care and community support, and how mindfulness and self-compassion can become essential tools as families build lives beyond traditional schooling—ones where both kids and parents can truly thrive.

About Esther Jones

Esther Jones is an unschooling mother of three, founder of the The Unschool Space podcast and author of the recently published The Parent’s Handbook to Unschooling Yourself.Esther was led into unschooling by her children, who have helped her unravel years of conditioned beliefs around parenting, children, learning and neurodiversity. Today, she supports other parents in transforming their mindset and building a life beyond traditional schooling in which their children and themselves can thrive, using mindfulness and self-compassion as the foundational tools for change.

Things you'll learn from this episode  

How unschooling requires parents to unlearn old beliefs and embrace the discomfort that signals growth

Why trusting children to lead their own learning allows them to explore in organic, joyful ways

How self-care and community support strengthen a parent’s ability to show up for their child in an unschooling environment

Why each child’s needs may look different from their parent’s—and how modeling our own passions supports their learning

How online resources can expand support networks and deepen confidence for unschooling families

Why the unschooling journey often becomes a healing process for parents as much as a learning journey for kids

Resources mentioned

Esther Jones’ website


The Parent’s Handbook to Unschooling Yourself by Esther Jones

The Unschool Space Podcast

Esther Jones on Instagram

Esther Jones on Substack


A Conversation with Dr. Naomi Fisher on Self-Directed Learning (Tilt Parenting podcast)


Blake Boles and His Book, Why Are You Still Sending Your Child to School? (Tilt Parenting podcast)


Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids to School? The Case for Helping Them Leave, Chart Their Own Paths, and Prepare for Adulthood at Their Own Pace by Blake Boles


The Art of Self-Directed Learning: 23 Tips for Giving Yourself an Unconventional Education by Blake Boles


Blake Boles on the Gift of Unschooling (Tilt Parenting podcast)

 

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This week I’m talking with Dr. Lynyetta Willis about navigating the journey when a child is newly diagnosed with a neurodifference. A psychologist turned family coach, Lynyetta specializes in empowering women in their relationships, as well as combines her foundation in psychology and trauma healing with best practices in empowerment coaching to help her clients strengthen their parenting, partnerships, and personal growth to create joyful, connected, and harmonious families. 

There are so many things I could have talked about with Lynyetta, but I wanted to dig into what happens to a couple, and a family, when a child is newly diagnosed — an often challenging and real process for many parents of differently wired kids. We talk about the sister emotions of grief and
guilt, the importance of self-compassion and self-care in the process, how to handle different reactions in partnerships, and more.

 About Lynyetta

Dr. Lynyetta G. Willis, psychologist and family empowerment coach, helps frustrated families break unhelpful patterns and cross-generational cycles so they can move from stable misery into peaceful harmony. She helps her clients and audiences learn to strengthen their parenting, partnership, and personal growth practices so they can feel harmony in their hearts and homes.

 

What You'll Learn in this Episode:

The difference between practicing clinical psychology and coaching work

What are the common emotions after a diagnosis and how to process them in a healthy way

Lynyetta’s PATHS framework: Perspective, Awareness, Tools, Healing, Self-Empowerment

Tips for getting on the same page as parenting partners

What is meant by the term “stable misery”

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Today we’re digging into executive function — what it really is, why it matters so much for neurodivergent kids (and adults!), and how we can better support these skills without judgment or overwhelm. Sarah and I talk about how awareness around executive function has evolved, why self-regulation is foundational, and how different skills — emotional, cognitive, and behavioral — are all interconnected. She shares her supportive, nonjudgmental coaching philosophy, along with practical ideas for helping kids with lagging executive function skills and navigating resistance when it shows up. Most importantly, Sarah reminds us that there is so much hope here: executive function skills can grow, and there are concrete steps we can take to help our kids thrive.

About Sarah Kesty 

Sarah Kesty helps amazing neurodivergent people create strategies to thrive! She is an executive function, autism, and ADHD coach and host of the Executive Function Podcast. A 4-time teacher of the year, Sarah’s Brain Tools School coaching and learning programs support high schoolers, college students, adults, and coaches in developing executive function skills to smooth out life.

Sarah specializes in translating research into real-life, actionable strategies. She regularly writes and presents for international groups and publications, including The Humane Society, State Departments of Education, Psychology Today, and Edutopia. Sarah’s trainings teach businesses and schools to create environments and systems that support executive function. Her mission is to make the world brain-friendly, inclusive, and a little more fun. An avid birder and local Trail Guide, she and her family live in San Diego, surrounded by nature. Her book for teachers, Growing Executive Function, was released September 2025 (Solution Tree).

Things you'll learn from this episode 

How executive function serves as a foundation for success and why self-regulation is central to these skills

Why “living in hard mode” can hinder executive functioning and how environmental factors play a major role

How executive function skills can be taught, supported, and improved over time

Why non-judgmental, supportive coaching helps children build confidence and reduce avoidance

How visual aids and small, structured supports can make time management more accessible

Why recognizing and celebrating small wins reinforces progress and builds hope for continued growth

Resources mentioned

Sarah Kesty’s website


Growing Executive Function: Empowering Secondary Students With Skills for Lifelong Success (Executive function made easy for teachers) by Sarah Kesty


Stop Playing in Hard Mode (Psychology Today)

Sarah Kesty on Psychology Today

Sarah Kesty on Instagram

Sarah Kesty on YouTube

Sarah Kesty on Edutopia

Sarah Kesty on Facebook


Seth Perler (executive function coach)

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This week I’m bringing back to the podcast Dr. Devon MacEachron, a New York-based psychologist specializing in assessment and educational planning for gifted and twice-exceptional learners. The last time Devon
was on the show, we talked about the assessment process for 2e learners, but today we’re moving on to the next natural step of this conversation, and actually, the next step for a parent whose child has been identified as having any sort of neurodifference, from dyslexia and ADHD to a processing speed or sensory issue.

And that step involves really exploring this question: What now? As in, what should I do with this information? How should I feel about it? Where do I begin? How can I figure out a way to navigate this unknown path in a way that’s in alignment with my values and will best support my child?

This is a very practical episode intended to give you a framework for processing what can be overwhelming or unexpected information and then moving forward with confidence.

 

THINGS YOU’LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

If and when to disclose a diagnosis to a child

A step-by-step breakdown for what parents should do once they receive a diagnosis for their child

Whether or not parents should consider getting a second opinion

How to vet advice and therapies and other approaches for addressing a child’s unique challenges

Why it’s critical that we view children through a strengths-based lens

Dr. Devon’s best practices for navigating the journey of raising a differently wired child

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Today’s conversation is all about shifting from a mindset of limitation to one of empowerment and possibility. My guest is Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman, a psychologist, professor, and bestselling author whose work focuses on helping all kinds of minds live creative, fulfilling, and self-actualized lives. In our conversation, Scott shares insights from his latest book, Rise Above, which explores the concept of the victim mindset and how we can move beyond it. We talk about the role of neurodivergence in shaping perspective, the traps of learned helplessness and rejection sensitivity, and the character strengths that help us cultivate resilience and personal growth. Scott also reflects on his own journey toward empowerment and what it means to truly rise above our limitations—both real and perceived.

About Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman

Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman is a psychologist, coach, professor, keynote speaker, and best-selling author who is passionate about helping all kinds of minds live a creative, fulfilling, and self-actualized life. He is a professor of psychology at Columbia University and director of the Center for Human Potential. He hosts The Psychology Podcast, which has received over 30 million downloads and is widely considered among the top psychology podcasts in the world.

Things you'll learn from this episode

How Scott Barry Kaufman’s personal experiences shaped Rise Above and his exploration of the victim mindset

Why a victim mindset is not fixed—and how self-empowerment and learned hopefulness can transform it

How rejection sensitivity and cognitive distortions can reinforce feelings of victimhood, especially in children

Why leveraging character strengths and modeling emotional flexibility builds resilience and growth

How an empowerment mindset helps individuals take ownership of their challenges and personal development

Why self-compassion and realistic expectations are essential parts of the ongoing journey toward self-actualization

Resources mentioned

Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman’s website


Rise Above: Overcome a Victim Mindset, Empower Yourself, and Realize Your Full Potential by Scott Barry Kaufman, PhD

Via Institute on Character


VIA Youth-103 (Age 13-17) (Currently being tested)


Dr. David Yeager on the Science of Motivating Young People (Full-Tilt Parenting)


10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People: A Groundbreaking Approach to Leading the Next Generation―And Making Your Own Life Easier by David Yeager, PhD


Mindset: How We Can Learn to Fulfill Our Potential by Carol Dweck


Dr. Tamar Chansky on Children & Negative Thinking (Tilt Parenting episode)


Freeing Your Child from Negative Thinking: Powerful, Practical Strategies to Build a Lifetime of Resilience, Flexibility, and Happiness by Dr. Tamar Chansky


Dr. Sharon Saline on Understanding Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) in Tweens and Teens (Tilt Parenting episode)


Dr. David Yeager on the Science of Motivating Young People (Tilt Parenting episode)


10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People: A Groundbreaking Approach to Leading the Next Generation―And Making Your Own Life Easier by David Yeager, PhD


Victim Culture & Self-Actualization (Scott on the Last Meal with Tom Nash podcast)

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