Welcome to the home of The Balanced Parent Podcast!

Parenting is often lived in the extremes. It's either Great Joy or chaotic overwhelmed. In one moment you’re nailing it and the next you're losing your cool I want to help you find your way to the messy middle, to a place of balance. You see, balance is a verb not a state of being. it is a thing you do not a thing you are. it is an action a process a series of micro-corrections each and every day to keep ourselves feeling centered. We are never truly balanced. We are engaged in the process of balancing.

Hello, I’m Dr. Laura Froyen and this is the Balanced Parent podcast, where overwhelmed stressed out and disconnected parents go to find tools, mindset shifts and practices to help them stop yelling at the people they love and start connecting on a deeper level, all delivered with heaping doses of grace and compassion. Join me in conversations that will help you get clear on your goals and values and start showing up in your parenting, your relationships, YOUR LIFE, with open-hearted authenticity and balance. Let’s go!

What does it look like to parent when you’re neurodivergent… and your kids are too?

In this week’s episode, I am joined by Sarah Hartley—author, coach, and neurodivergent mom of two—to explore the beautifully complex (and often misunderstood) experience of raising neurodivergent children as a neurodivergent parent.

Here are the main takeaways:

Neurodivergent parenting challenges and learning emotional regulation strategies while raising neurodivergent children
How late-diagnosed ADHD and motherhood disrupt coping systems
How parenting reshapes identity, challenges perfection, and requires new strategies and self-compassion
How to stay calm during parenting stress using a step-by-step emotional regulation method (ALIGN) to manage overwhelm and respond effectively.
Repairing and regulating after parenting meltdowns through co-regulation and reflection
Timing emotional conversations when children are calm and receptive
Using grounding techniques and routines to support children’s emotional regulation

You can connect with Sara Lewis Hartley at saralewish-hartley.com and on Instagram @saralewishhartley and Facebook @saralewishartley for parenting tools, guides, books, and resources.

Remember, parenting when you and your child are neurodivergent isn’t about getting it perfect—it’s about learning regulation, repair, and connection in the middle of real-life overwhelm.

Tune in to explore practical emotional regulation tools like the ALIGN method, understand ADHD and late-diagnosis in motherhood, and feel more confident navigating big feelings with calm, connection, and compassion.

Laura Froyen, PhD

Laura Froyen, PhD

Balanced Parent Podcast

Laura Froyen, PhD

Welcome to the home of The Balanced Parent Podcast!

Episode 258: What It’s Like to Be a Neurodivergent Parent Raising Neurodivergent Kids With Calm and Connection with Sara Hartley