Beautifully Complex

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364: PDA Through a Problem-Solving Lens: Moving from Power Struggles to Partnership, with Stacey Curnow, LCMHC

June 25, 2026

"It wasn't a demand, it was just a request. What's so hard about this?" If you’ve thought that about your own kid, you’re not alone, and your nervous system reaction makes complete sense.In this episode, I sit down with Stacey Curnow, LCMHC, founder of Asheville Family Counseling, to talk about PDA: what it is, what it isn't, and why she reframes it as a persistent desire for autonomy rather than a pathology. We get into why even a gentle request can register as a threat to a PDA kid's nervou...

363: Raising Problem-Solvers: Lessons from the Co-Creator of Blue's Clues & Daniel Tiger, with Angela Santomero

June 18, 2026

There is research behind that four-beat pause on Blue's Clues. It wasn’t a creative choice or a lucky accident . It was Angela Santomero, co-creator of Blue's Clues, Super Why!, and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, standing on set and asking herself how long it actually takes a child to formulate a real answer. That pause — the one your kids leaned toward the screen for — is the same pause that can change everything about how you talk to your neurodivergent kid.In this episode, I sat down with An...

362: The Science and Soul Behind Raising Joyful Kids, with Kira Willey

June 11, 2026

Joy is not a luxury, it’s a nervous system need for adults and kids alike.I had to really sit with that reframe fro a while. When we talk about raising joyful kids, we are not talking about giving them everything they want or making sure they are happy every minute of the day. We are talking about creating the conditions where they feel safe, connected, and regulated enough to actually experience joy. And it turns out, that is something we can actively nurture.In this episode, I am joined by ...