Playing with our kids doesn’t always come naturally to parents. For some of us, it might feel uninteresting, repetitive, or as though the only way to participate is by taking over. But today’s conversation might just change the way you think about play. We’re diving into the transformative power of play as a form of communication that allows our kids to feel safe while exploring what’s going on inside them. Joining me is Georgie Wisen-Vincent, an expert in play therapy and co-author, alongside Dr. Tina Payne Bryson, of the new book The Way of Play: Using Little Moments of Big Connection to Raise Kind and Confident Kids.

In today’s episode, Georgie shares insights from The Way of Play and explains why play is a universal language that helps kids express their feelings and navigate life’s challenges. We discuss how parents can intentionally use play to strengthen bonds, nurture sibling relationships, and reconnect after time apart. Georgie also offers practical strategies for engaging in play effectively, such as mirroring your child’s play to deepen connection and understanding. Plus, we explore how play isn’t just for kids—it’s a lifelong skill that can enhance relationships at every stage of life.

About Georgie Wisen-Vincent

Georgie Wisen-Vincent, LMFT, RPT-S, ECMHS is a nationally recognized play therapy expert and co-author (with Dr. Tina Payne Bryson) of the new book -- THE WAY OF PLAY (Penguin Random House, January 2025). Georgie is the Founder/Director of The Play Strong Institute, a center devoted to the study, research, and practice of play therapy through a neurodevelopment lens, along with Dr. Bryson, the Founder/Executive Director of The Center for Connection, a multidisciplinary clinical practice in Southern California. Georgie is also a child, adolescent, and family psychotherapist and maintains a private practice at The Center for Connection.

The Play Strong Institute offers the Certificate in Play Therapy with a Neurorelational Emphasis, an educational pathway toward becoming a credentialed play therapist. Through the Institute, the Play Strong approach was developed using child-led, adult scaffolded connection and play to help parents, therapists, educators, and care providers augment intervention aimed at the social, emotional, developmental, and learning needs of children from infancy to early adolescence. Play Strong Parenting (a component of Neurofilial Therapy) has been validated by empirical research and is currently being studied with non-parental caregivers and early childhood educators, among other research investigations currently underway.

Things you'll learn

• Why play is a natural language that fosters social-emotional development, allowing children to express their feelings and process difficult experiences
• How parents can strengthen connections by intentionally setting aside time for play and becoming active observers rather than controllers
• How little moments of play can lead to big connections, helping to nurture sibling relationships and strengthen bonds after time apart
• How to engage in play effectively, mirroring our child’s play to enhance connection and understanding
• Why play is a lifelong skill that not only supports children’s growth but also enriches adult relationships and communication

Resources mentioned

• The Way of Play: Using Little Moments of Big Connection to Raise Kind and Confident Kids by Tina Payne Bryson and Georgie Wisen-Vincent
• The Play Strong Institute
• Tina Payne Bryson’s website
• Georgie Wisen-Vincent on Instagram
• Tina Payne Bryson on Instagram
• The Way of Play on the Play Strong Institute website
• The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind by Dr. Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson PhD
• No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind by Dr. Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson PhD

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Zach Morris joins Debbie to answer a listener question on how to address a 17-year-old with ADHD and executive function challenges who is vaping, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing trust, open communication, education on risks, and understanding the motivations behind the behavior while fostering a strong parent-child connection.

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Clinical psychologist, life coach, and author Dr. John Duffy talks about his new book, "Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety" and shares insights for how parents raising teens can be the emotional support they need and crave.

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Today we’re diving into a topic that’s not just timely but that can transform education for all students: creating neurodiversity-affirming schools. Joining me to share their vision for what’s possible in education are two extraordinary advocates and experts, Amanda Morin and Emily Kircher-Morris who have collaborated on a wonderful new book on the topic, just out today in fact, Neurodiversity Affirming Schools: Transforming Practices So All Students Feel Accepted & Supported.

In today’s episode, we explored why embracing neurodiversity in schools benefits every student, not just those with IEPs. Amanda and Emily unpacked the barriers to change in education, including stigma and fear, and introduce how strategies like Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can be used to create inclusive classrooms. We also discussed the Neurodiversity Affirming Teacher's Compact, a framework for educators to embrace diverse learning needs, and finally, the importance of fostering self-advocacy skills in neurodivergent students.

About Amanda Morin

Amanda Morin is a neurodivergent neurodiversity activist, an award-winning author of six books, early childhood specialist, and nationally known speaker, deeply committed to fostering accessible and inclusive environments for neurodivergent individuals. She leverages her expertise in learning and child development, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), special education, advocacy, and mental health to distill complex data into easily digestible information for parents, educators, and employers who want to advance the mission of creating inclusive content, programs, and strategies to make the world accessible to all. Amanda proudly serves as a subject matter expert for the DUCC (Developing & Using Critical Comprehension) project for the Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab (PERIL) at American University, sits on the advisory board of Digital Promise’s Learner Variability Project, the professional advisory board of Matan, and the Technical Expert Panel of the American Academy of Pediatrics Center of Excellence on Social Media & Youth Mental Health.

About Emily Kircher-Morris

Emily Kircher-Morris, LPC, is a mental health professional and advocate for neurodiversity, with a deep commitment to creating inclusive and supportive environments for all students. As a Licensed Professional Counselor, she has spent over a decade working with neurodivergent individuals, specializing in providing therapy and resources that empower her clients to thrive. Her passion for this field is deeply personal, as she herself navigated the educational system as a twice-exceptional (2e) student, experiencing firsthand the challenges and misunderstandings that often accompany neurodivergent experiences. This early insight fueled her dedication to transforming educational practices to be more affirming and supportive. In addition to her clinical work, Emily is the host of the popular Neurodiversity Podcast, where she explores a wide range of topics related to neurodivergence, often interviewing leading experts, educators, and individuals with lived experience.

Things you'll learn

• Why neurodiversity-affirming practices in schools benefit all students, not just those with IEPs
• Why recognizing and supporting diverse learning styles is essential for effective teaching and how it’s possible to do so in traditional classrooms
• Why fear of stigma and change remains a major barrier in education, and what we can do about it
• What schools and educators can do to create inclusive, neurodiversity-affirming classrooms
• What Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is and why it’s a critical framework neurodivergent learners

Resources mentioned

• Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools: Transforming Practices So All Students Feel Accepted & Supported by Emily Kircher-Morris and Amanda Morin
• The Neurodiversity-Affirming Teachers’ Compact of Shared Beliefs (PDF)
• Neurodiversity University Education Hub

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Dr. Jill Emanuele, senior director of the Mood Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute, talks about how parents can best support their children who are struggling in the dynamic with their sibling.

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Today, we’re diving into a complex and nuanced topic—raising daughters in today’s world. Joining me for this conversation is Cathy Adams, a longtime friend of the pod, powerhouse in the parenting space, and champion of mindful, connected parenting.

Her latest book, which takes center stage in today’s discussion, is Restoring Our Girls: How Real Conversations Shape Our Daughters' Lives, Help Them with Teen Challenges, and Remind Them That They Matter. With her background as a clinical social worker, certified parent coach, and former child and family therapist—as well as her experience as a mom of three daughters and university professor—Cathy brings a rich, multifaceted perspective to this important topic.

In this episode, Cathy and I explore the unique challenges girls face today, from societal pressures and cultural conditioning to navigating a fast-paced, often judgmental world. We discuss the importance of parents addressing their own emotional baggage, being mindful of their reactions, and recognizing how fear can hold us back from having the messy but meaningful conversations our daughters need. Cathy also shares strategies for creating judgment-free spaces where girls feel heard, validated, and supported in becoming their authentic selves.

About Cathy Adams

Cathy Cassani Adams, LCSW, co-hosts the long-running Zen Parenting Radio podcast and founded the Zen Parenting Conference in Chicago. She is the author of Zen Parenting and Living What You Want Your Kids to Learn (both Nautilus Award and International Book Award winners) and her upcoming 2025 release, Restoring Our Girls. Cathy is a clinical social worker, certified parent coach, former elementary school educator, and yoga teacher. She was a blogger for The Huffington Post and a former columnist for Chicago Parent Magazine. She previously worked as a Child and Family Therapist and Clinical Educator at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and now teaches in the Sociology and Criminology Department at Dominican University. She lives outside Chicago with her husband, Todd, and their three daughters.

Things you'll learn

• How cultural conditioning and societal expectations on girls can impact them (and what we need to know about it)
• Why parents must address their own emotional baggage to avoid projecting it onto their children
• How being mindful of our own reactions in the moment will help us communicate more effectively with our children
• The role fear plays in preventing meaningful conversations which leads to missed connection opportunities
• The benefits of engaging in messy and imperfect conversations for promoting authenticity
• How to create a judgment-free space where girls feel heard and validated to support their emotional growth

Resources

• Zen Parenting website and resources
• Restoring Our Girls: How Real Conversations Shape Our Daughters' Lives, Help Them with Teen Challenges, and Remind Them That They Matter by Cathy Adams
• Zen Parenting: Caring for Ourselves and Our Children in an Unpredictable World by Cathy Adams
• Zen Parenting 2025 Summit
• Zen Parenting on Instagram
• Cathy Adams on Zen Parenting & Caring for Ourselves and Our Children in an Unpredictable World (Tilt Parenting podcast)
• Zen Parenting on Facebook
• Zen Parenting Radio podcast
• Getting Aligned Through Parenting and Marriage Challenges, with Zen Parenting’s Cathy and Todd Adams (Tilt Parenting podcast)
• Pop Culturing Podcast
• Rescuing Our Sons: 8 Solutions to Our Crisis of Disaffected Teen Boys by Dr. John Duffy

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Creativity coach, speaker, and author Kathryn Haydon talks about the benefits of bringing more creativity into our parenting lives raising differently wired kids.

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Happy New Year, and welcome to the podcast's winter season! I have some really special conversations to share with you this year, and I’m thrilled to kick things off with what I can only describe as an absolutely fascinating conversation with Dr. Amy Laurent about ENERGY—specifically, the power and freedom in shifting the focus from emotional regulation to energy regulation when supporting neurodivergent individuals, including ourselves.

You might remember Amy from her last appearance on the show with Dr. Jacquelyn Fede, where they shared about their autistic-allistic partnership Autism Level UP!—a collaboration dedicated to providing education, accessible resources, and practical strategies to increase active engagement for autistic individuals and their communities. If you haven’t heard that one yet, it’s a great listen! You can find it at tiltparenting.com/session328 or through the link in the show notes for this episode.

In this conversation, we dive into Amy and Jacquelyn’s latest resource, Energy: The Framework, Tools, Strategies & Logic to Support Regulation manual, a comprehensive guide to the Autism Level UP! tools and their innovative approach to energy regulation. Designed with autistic and neurodivergent people in mind—but perfectly suitable for all neurotypes—this manual introduces ways to understand and support energy levels for yourself or others through tools, worksheets, and practical strategies.

I LOVE this resource, so it was a real treat to explore its concepts with Amy. In our chat, Amy shares why energy regulation is often a more accessible and relatable framework than emotional regulation for many autistic people, how the “Energy Meter” helps individuals identify their energy states and foster self-awareness, and how parents can better co-regulate and connect without judgment by recognizing and reflecting on energy states. We talk a lot on the show about becoming fluent in your child, and what we’re covering today takes that concept to an entirely new level.

About Dr. Amy Laurent

Amy Laurent, PhD, OTR/L is the co-director of Autism Level UP! an autistic / allistic partnership dedicated to the provision of education, accessible resources, and practical strategies focused on increasing active engagement for autistic individuals and the members of their communities. She is a co-author of the SCERTS Model and frequently lectures internationally. She is passionate about neurodiversity and helping others to honor and understand the implications of “different ways of being” in relation to navigating the physical and social world. Dr. Laurent strives to practice what she preaches and uses her love of play and movement to meet her own regulatory needs.

Things you'll learn from this episode

• Why energy regulation is a more accessible and relatable framework than emotional regulation for many autistic people
• How the “Energy Meter” helps individuals in identifying their energy levels and needs fostering self-awareness and practical strategies for balance.
• How parents can better co-regulate, connect, and support (without judgment) through recognizing and reflecting on energy states
• Why it’s critical that we tailor tools to meet unique needs of our children (ie: there is no one size fits all)

Resources mentioned

• Energy: The Framework, Tools, Strategies & Logic to Support Regulation by Dr. Amy Laurent and Jac Fede
• Autism Level UP!
• Autism Level UP! on Facebook
• Autism Level UP! on Instagram
• Autism Level UP! Co-founders Amy Laurent & Jacquelyn Fede on Learning From Autistic Self-Advocates (Tilt Parenting Podcast)

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Dr. Stuart Shanker, author of Self-Reg, shares his expertise on self-regulation, offering practical strategies and compassionate insights to help neurodivergent kids and their families manage stress and build self-awareness.

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Jonathan Mooney, author and advocate, explores the neurodiversity movement, scaling advocacy, Universal Design in education, and intergenerational trauma, offering thought-provoking insights and inspiring reflections.

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In this episode, Phyllis L. Fagell, LCPC, shares actionable insights on fostering identity development, belonging, and resilience in children, with a focus on navigating social challenges, promoting inclusivity, and supporting neurodivergent and marginalized kids.

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