The Untypical Parent™ Podcast

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What if the smallest straw isn’t the cause of your collapse, but the clue you’ve been carrying too much for too long? We sit down with Dr Lee David, GP, CBT therapist, author, and host of The Choice Space, to make stress understandable, visible, and workable for real families navigating complex lives.

We start by ditching the myth of the perfect parent and unpack why children need different versions of us. From there, Lee maps the physiology and psychology of stress: the stress bucket that fills with daily demands, and the burnout cliff that sneaks up when we keep pushing past our limits. You’ll hear how fight, flight, freeze, and even fawn show up in kitchens, school emails, and tense bedtime routines. We draw a clear line between energising, values-led pressure and the draining strain of immovable systems, think tribunals, slow services, and endless forms, and why “pleasant persistence” can protect your health without giving up your voice.

The heart of the conversation tackles inner beliefs that magnify stress. We explore sensitivity that makes a child’s anxiety echo in your body, the inner critic that turns every misstep into a verdict, and the slide from useful guilt into corrosive shame. With insights from Brené Brown and Kristin Neff, Lee offers a fierce form of self-compassion: boundaries, pauses, and choices that prioritise well-being so you can stay connected at home and effective with professionals. We also reframe self-care as shared family care and stack practical micro-tools you can use today, even on the busiest weeks.

Lee talks about SPICE, her five-part framework: Success (small wins), Physical (gentle movement), Important (values-first tasks), Connection (micro-moments that bond), and Enjoyable (simple pleasures that help you exhale). No lofty routines, just realistic, repeatable practices designed for parents managing neurodivergent and neurotypical needs, tight schedules, and high stakes. If you’ve felt “stressy,” close to the edge, or unsure how to help your nervous system settle when the system won’t budge, this conversation offers language, tools, and real hope.

If this helped, follow the show, share it with a friend who’s carrying too much, and leave a review so more parents can find these tools. Your story might be the light someone else needs.

If you want to connect with Lee you can find her here:
Dr Lee David - Instagram
The Choice Space Podcast - Instagram
In this episode Lee and I spoke about: 
Kirsten Neff - https://self-compassion.org/
Dr Richard Duggins 
Brene Brown - https://brenebrown.com/

Support the show
I'm Liz, The Untypical OT. I support parents and carers in additional needs and neurodivergent families to protect against burnout and go from overwhelmed to more moments of ease.
🔗 To connect with me, you can find all my details on Linktree:
https://linktr.ee/the_untypical_ot

And if you'd like to contact me about the podcast please use the text link at the top or you can email at:
[email protected].

Enjoyed the episode, got a suggestion or a question send me a text
Parenting in a neurodivergent family is many things. Boring is most definitely not one of them.
In this episode, I reflect on a listener message from Carla Berlin that perfectly captures something so many of us live every day: the exhaustion, the unpredictability, and those incredible moments where our children completely amaze us. The wins that might seem small to others, trying a new food, speaking up, managing an environment they couldn’t before, can feel absolutely monumental in our families.
I talk about why comparison to “typical” can so easily make us miss the brilliance right in front of us, and why our children’s strengths so often don’t fit neatly into the systems they’re expected to succeed in.
I also share a more personal story, about my own experience of being late-diagnosed dyslexic, the lasting impact of school, and why focusing only on outcomes rather than effort can be so damaging. This leads into a wonderful email I received from a parent whose child’s future may have shifted simply because someone finally listened.
This episode is about:
Recognising and celebrating strengths
Understanding why forced pathways can harm mental health
And why those “small” moments are anything but small
If you’re parenting in a neurodivergent family, this one is for you.
Article mentioned in the episode:
More Than Words —  you can click here to read it
Chapters:

00:00 The Joys and Challenges of Neurodivergent Parenting
03:00 Personal Experiences with Dyslexia
07:19 Advocating for Strengths in Education

Support the show
I'm Liz, The Untypical OT. I support parents and carers in additional needs and neurodivergent families to protect against burnout and go from overwhelmed to more moments of ease.
🔗 To connect with me, you can find all my details on Linktree:
https://linktr.ee/the_untypical_ot

And if you'd like to contact me about the podcast please use the text link at the top or you can email at:
[email protected].

Enjoyed the episode, got a suggestion or a question send me a text
 “I learned quickly that I am my child’s voice. No one else will care the way I do.” 
 This quote from Greer captures the heart of our conversation. 
Greer shares her experience of autism, ADHD, school systems, and the realities of raising a neurodivergent child in the UK.
Originally from the US and now based in England, Greer opens up about trusting her “mama gut,” facing dismissal from professionals, advocating fiercely for her son, and discovering her own ADHD along the way. She also explores how community, therapy, and self-compassion became lifelines in what can often feel like an isolating world.
Together, we talk about the emotional toll of constant advocacy, the myths around “lazy parenting,” why parents must be included in support plans, and practical strategies that make everyday life more manageable.
This episode is for any parent who has ever felt unheard, overwhelmed, or unsure of their next step, and is a reminder that you are not alone.

Connect with Greer:
Podcast: Neurodivergent Conversations (formerly The Unfinished Idea)
Instagram: The Unfinished Idea
Support the show
I'm Liz, The Untypical OT. I support parents and carers in additional needs and neurodivergent families to protect against burnout and go from overwhelmed to more moments of ease.
🔗 To connect with me, you can find all my details on Linktree:
https://linktr.ee/the_untypical_ot

And if you'd like to contact me about the podcast please use the text link at the top or you can email at:
[email protected].

Enjoyed the episode, got a suggestion or a question send me a text
This week I share a comment from a listener. Sharon Thompson wrote what it’s like parenting in a neurodivergent family, the realities people don’t always see, and the strength it takes to keep showing up.

And in amongst that I’m bringing a little lightness too… because I’ve realised something about myself, I regulate with singing.
But I also think in songs.
Words and phrases trigger lyrics, and yes, sometimes I even treat everyone to a “perfect” song line… until my son reminds me it absolutely wasn’t perfect.

If you’re navigating neurodivergent family life, you’ll feel seen in this one.

Support the show
I'm Liz, The Untypical OT. I support parents and carers in additional needs and neurodivergent families to protect against burnout and go from overwhelmed to more moments of ease.
🔗 To connect with me, you can find all my details on Linktree:
https://linktr.ee/the_untypical_ot

And if you'd like to contact me about the podcast please use the text link at the top or you can email at:
[email protected].

Enjoyed the episode, got a suggestion or a question send me a text
Content Note: This episode includes discussion of foster care, trauma, low mood and suicidal feelings. If these topics are difficult for you, please take care while listening.
 If you are struggling, please consider speaking to someone you trust or seeking support. In the UK & ROI, Samaritans are available 24/7 on 116 123 or at samaritans.org. 
Jordan Garratt, founder of Sensory Class, joins us to tell the story few people know about: the teacher who fell in love with special education, brought AAC and sensory joy into her lessons, and opened her home to children with complex needs, and even more complex histories.
Jordan talks us through foster care: the lows and the highs. The assessment panels and nameless referrals. The school place that should have been a lifeline, but wasn’t. Jordan also shares a drawing she made of a child standing on their hands underwater, and the praise of “you’re doing great”, even though she was drowning.
If you’re a parent navigating SEND, a fellow foster carer, or a professional supporting children and young people in care, receiving respite or adopted, this episode can be a tough listen at times, but it’s also a conversation full of love, honesty and truth.
Thank you Jordan for sharing with us. 

If you would like to connect with Jordan you can find her here:
Website: https://sensoryclassroom.org/
Instagram: Sensory Class
Podcast: Sensory Classroom
Support the show
I'm Liz, The Untypical OT. I support parents and carers in additional needs and neurodivergent families to protect against burnout and go from overwhelmed to more moments of ease.
🔗 To connect with me, you can find all my details on Linktree:
https://linktr.ee/the_untypical_ot

And if you'd like to contact me about the podcast please use the text link at the top or you can email at:
[email protected].