Joyful Courage - A Conscious Parenting Podcast

My guest today is Dr. Matt Zakreski, an expert on neurodivergency with an eclectic approach. Dr. Matt tells me about growing up as a twice-exceptional kid himself and what he’s seeing with the teens he works with now.   I ask Dr. Matt what parents can do about the emotional intensity that comes with raising teens, especially neurodivergent teens. He reminds us that “emotions can’t be wrong,” and you know I loved it when Dr. Matt reminds us to get curious about our teen’s feelings.    Dr. Matt brings up perfectionism and why we might see more rigidity & anxiety spike during stressful times. We dig into trapdoor perfectionism, how we can invite kids to accept coaching, help, & practice when they’re resistant, and handing over energetic responsibility.  Takeaways from the show The Performance Cliff  Asynchronous development & high emotional intensity  Raising neurodivergent kids with neurotypical siblings  Neurodivergent behavior versus typical teen behavior  “Emotions can’t be wrong”  You don’t have to