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Untypical Parenting One Year On

The best stories start where the script stops working. Marking a full year of The Untypical Parent Podcast, we sit down with two people who helped shape it from day one, Charlotte from Badger Education, my first-ever guest, and Sam, from Something Profound, the first sponsor, to explore what it really takes to raise neurodivergent kids without a rulebook. This is a celebration, yes, but it’s mostly an unfiltered look at brave choices, messy progress, and the surprising wins that rarely make it into glossy parenting advice.

We dig into the heart of “doing it differently”: stepping away from social norms when they don’t serve your child, surviving the dread of school phone calls and local authority emails, and finding strength in a community that refuses to pretend everything is fine. You’ll hear how Charlotte reframed untypical parenting as courage in action, why Sam chose to pull her daughter from school, and how honest phrases like “we’re figuring this out together” can lower the temperature in hard moments. Along the way we talk sensory regulation that works in real life, running, texture rituals, movement, and small routines that calm busy brains.

There’s plenty of laughter, too. From coaching a bra fitting through a changing-room door to a disastrous upside-down roller coaster, we celebrate family humour as co-regulation and connection. We unpack the mental load behind dinner decisions, the secret superpower of finding lost things, and the micro-milestones that matter: a shorter outburst, a new food tried, a trip that softens a phobia. These stories don’t claim perfection; they show progress you can feel.

If you’re parenting outside the lines, or love someone who is, this anniversary episode offers practical empathy, relatable stories, and a reminder that small steps add up. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs to feel seen today, and leave a review to help other untypical families find us.

Badger Education: Facebook and Instagram

Something Profound: Facebook and Instagram

The Untypical Parent Podcast needs you.

If you've got a question you want answered. If you want to let me know your favourite episode. Or just want to reach out & say hi. Your message could be featured on the podcast.

You can either use the email address in the show notes or you can message me on The Untypical Parent Podcast Instagram account. Just click here

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:
contact@untypicalparentpodcast.com.

Enjoyed the episode, got a suggestion or a question send me a text

What if “perfect” parenting is the wrong goal, and honest repair is the real superpower? I sit down with David, the Dad behind NeuroDad’s Diary, to explore what changes when a late ADHD diagnosis reframes years of anxiety, overwhelm, and self-critique. He shares how sensory triggers, bedtime chaos, and the relentless unpredictability of young kids land in a neurodivergent nervous system.

We unpack the invisible load many neurodivergent parents carry: the thoughts you bottle during meltdowns and the guilt that piles up when you can’t process in the moment. David’s therapy-informed micro-journaling—quick notes you revisit later—turns swirling stress into a map you can actually navigate. We also talk masking as a parent: when to contain, when to be real, and why repairs matter more than flawless reactions.

David names the isolation many fathers feel at parent groups, the stigma that says men shouldn’t struggle, and the logistics that make support hard to access. He’s candid about burnout, seasonal lows, and the rituals that help him reset—decompression time, honest check-ins with his partner, and knowing when to tag out.

If you’re a neurodivergent parent—or love one—this is the episode for you. Listen, share with a dad who needs to hear this, and if it resonates, please follow podcast and leave a review so more families can find the support they deserve.

You can find David here on Instagram - neurodadsdiary

We also spoke about David's t-shirt on the podcast, so here is a shout-out to Born Anxious. You can also find them on Instagram here

The Untypical Parent Podcast needs you.

If you've got a question you want answered. If you want to let me know your favourite episode. Or just want to reach out & say hi. Your message could be featured on the podcast.

You can either use the email address in the show notes or you can message me on The Untypical Parent Podcast Instagram account. Just click here

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:
contact@untypicalparentpodcast.com.

Enjoyed the episode, got a suggestion or a question send me a text

In this episode I sit down with Steph Simpson, a late-identified ADHD mom on a pathway for autism assessment, to explore how a simple language shift—calling ADHD “squirrels” and autism “penguins”—reshaped her family’s daily life. Instead of labels that freeze kids in place, her home uses playful cues to redirect with warmth. When she glitches mid-task, a quiet “Mom, squirrels” brings her back without shame. The same approach helps her children navigate transitions, toothbrushing, and sensory overload.

Steph takes us through the emotional whiplash of diagnosis: the relief of being seen, the shock of a double whammy, and the end of the “I’m making it up” refrain.

We also dive into her book, Squirrels, Odd Socks and Side Quests—born as a manual for her husband and now a neurodiversity-affirming series. Bite-sized chapters, black-and-white illustrations for colouring, hidden squirrels for fidgety focus, it’s built for real brains in real homes.

Steph closes with the habits that anchor her parenting: model the mess, own the repair, and let kids watch you be kind to yourself so they learn to do the same.

If you’re navigating ADHD, autism, masking, or just the relentless side quests of family life, this conversation offers language, tools, and a gentler way to measure progress. Listen, share with a friend who needs the reframe, and leave a review to help more families find us.

You can connect with Steph on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SquirrelSideQuests

And you can find her book in places like Amazon.

The Untypical Parent Podcast needs you.

If you've got a question you want answered. If you want to let me know your favourite episode. Or just want to reach out & say hi. Your message could be featured on the podcast.

You can either use the email address in the show notes or you can message me on The Untypical Parent Podcast Instagram account. Just click here

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:
contact@untypicalparentpodcast.com.