In this special episode of From Burnout to Balance, I sit down with my son Theo for an honest conversation about one of the biggest parenting stressors of our time: screen time.
Together, they reflect on their family’s journey from strict screen limits to a more relaxed, trust-based approach, and Theo shares candid insights about what life online is really like for young people today.
From gaming and streaming to online friendships, predator safety, and even the role screens play in mental health, Theo offers a perspective many parents rarely get to hear directly from their kids.
You’ll hear about:
🌿 Why limiting screens too tightly can sometimes isolate kids.
🌿 The positives (and risks) of online communities and friendships.
🌿 How gaming builds creativity, problem-solving, and even coding skills.
🌿 Practical tips for helping kids transition off screens without battles.
🌿 Theo’s personal journey as a streamer and what he’s learned along the way.
This is a heartfelt, eye-opening episode that will help you see the online world through your child’s eyes—and maybe even ease some of your own anxieties about screen time.
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Takeaways
Hygiene can feel simple to some, but for many neurodivergent children and teens, especially those in burnout, it can be one of the hardest daily tasks.
In this episode of From Burnout to Balance, Tanya is joined again by Laura Hellfeld, a neurodivergent nurse and parent educator, to explore the layered challenges of hygiene and how parents can support their children with compassion, creativity, and flexibility.
Together, we discuss:
Why hygiene often becomes inaccessible during burnout.
The role of interoception and sensory processing in everyday self-care.
How trial-and-error, choice, and autonomy can make hygiene less overwhelming.
Gentle, practical alternatives to showers and baths (like wipes, shower caps, and simple sensory tweaks).
Navigating parental worries about social expectations and rejection.
Why honouring autonomy and co-creating routines is key to building lifelong skills.
This conversation is full of validation, real-life stories, and practical ideas to make hygiene less of a battle and more of a supportive, safe experience for your child.
📌 Resources & Links:
Follow Laura’s work and writing via Substack and her books
Laura’s Newsletter & Articles on Substack
Gabby’s Glimmers: An Affirming Story of an Autistic Child and their Favourite Food
Creating Safe Spaces for Autistic People, book
Explore more support inside From Burnout to Balance, Tanya’s parent membership community.
FREE Burnout 101 mini-course - tanyavalentin.co/101
Explore the healthcare products mentioned in this show: Simply Nootropics - https://glnk.io/ovx5q/tanyavalentinnz
In this heartfelt episode of From Burnout to Balance, I sit down with Jade Thompson, an everyday Australian mum with an extraordinary story.
Jade opens up about her family’s journey through her son’s autistic burnout, the heartbreak of early school trauma, and the heavy weight of navigating broken systems. Instead of following conventional advice, Jade chose something different: to trust her intuition, listen deeply, and build a life centred on connection, love, and hope.
Together, we talk about:
This is a conversation for any parent who has felt alone, unseen, or unsure of how to keep going.
Jade’s story is a reminder that you are not broken—and neither is your child.
Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode:
✨ Free Grief Guide for Parents
✨ Join From Burnout to Balance Membership
Check out: Simply Nootropics - Use The Coupon Code: TANYAVALENTINNZ15 and get an additional $15 off your first order.https://glnk.io/ovx5q/tanyavalentinnz
Connect with Me:
Instagram: @tanyavalentinnz
Website: tanyavalentin.co
In this raw and deeply validating episode, I’m joined by Emma Gilmour, coach, counsellor, parent of two neurodivergent teens, and founder of Hope Rising Coaching.
Together, we explore the invisible intersections between neurodivergence, alcohol, trauma, unmasking, and parenting through burnout.
Emma shares her powerful journey of redefining her relationship with alcohol, discovering her own late-diagnosed neurodivergence, and parenting her children through autistic burnout.
We unpack how masking, cultural conditioning, and shame impact our ability to advocate for ourselves and how choosing self-compassion over self-judgment can be a radical and life-saving act.
This is an episode about being honest with ourselves. About acknowledging what we didn’t know, what we coped with the best we could, and how healing often begins in the places we’ve been told to hide.
This conversation is both an invitation and a lifeline, especially for parents walking a similar path.
Trigger Warning: This episode contains open and honest conversations about:
Childhood trauma and emotional neglect
Alcohol use as a coping mechanism
Self-harm and suicidal ideation (including among teens and women in midlife)
Unsafe social situations and consent
Burnout, shutdowns, and parent-child relational trauma
Please take care while listening. Press pause, come back later, or skip this episode entirely if needed. Your nervous system safety matters most.
In this episode, we explore:
Emma’s journey from corporate marketing to sobriety and coaching
The link between late-diagnosed neurodivergence and alcohol use
How alcohol often acts as a mask and survival tool for neurodivergent people
Parenting two PDA children through burnout
What it really means to support kids who can’t yet advocate for themselves
Breaking generational cycles around emotions, shame, and compliance
How grief, guilt, and growth coexist in parenting
Why awareness—not self-blame—is the first step to change
The freedom that comes from seeing behaviour as data, not failure
🔗 Resources & Links:
Tanya’s membership: From Burnout to Balance
In this rich and affirming conversation, Tanya sits down with UK-based neurodivergent therapist and community builder Jade Farrington to explore what truly neuroaffirming support looks like. Together, they unpack the harms of the pathology-based model still dominant in therapy and education, and how shifting toward a neurodiversity paradigm can transform identity, healing, and parenting.
You'll hear about Jade’s journey as a late-identified neurodivergent person, the importance of creating spaces for diverse neurodivergent voices, and her incredible collection of free and low-cost resources that support individuals, families, and professionals alike.
✨ Topics include:
How to spot red flags (and green flags) in therapy
The power of identity-first language
Resources for supporting positive autistic identity in young people
Why Jade’s monthly newsletter is a treasure trove of support
Creating community through collaboration, not compliance
🔗 Resources mentioned:
Jade’s Substack Newsletter
Happy Neurodivergent Christmas Guide
Neurodivergent Healthcare Passport
Glimmers Resource (with Teo from Sendwise)
Exploring Your Neurotype Starter Guide
Jade's website: https://jadefarrington.com/
You can find these and more in Jade's Substack
Follow Jade on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
Additional Resources:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6486ea0c69b5b76396e7d5ca/t/6848339cd5b847639e5e4006/1749562268957/Is+your+provider+neurodiversity+affirming.pdf
https://www.chronicresilienceot.com/blog/neurodiversity-affirming-practice-for-mental-health
https://divergentdialogues.substack.com/p/demystifying-therapy-a-neurodivergent
https://www.facebook.com/100064806159710/posts/1116701613833367/
https://nait.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/NAIT-Key-Messages-for-Neuro-affirming-Health-Practitioners-Adults-2025.pdf
Kieran Rose: https://theautisticadvocate.com/
Grove Autistic Community: https://www.gr0ve.org/
In this episode of From Burnout to Balance, family coach Tanya Valentin dives deep into one of the most distressing experiences parents of neurodivergent children face: hearing their child say things like “I hate you,” “I hate myself,” or “I want to die” during meltdowns.
These moments can feel shocking, hurtful, or even terrifying. But they’re not personal attacks—they're distress signals from an overwhelmed nervous system.
Tanya explains what limbic utterances are, why they happen, and how parents can respond with empathy, understanding, and practical strategies to help their children (and themselves) feel safe.
If you'd like more resources and support on parenting with a low-demand approach, understanding your child’s nervous system, and creating a compassionate home environment, check out Tanya’s parent membership From Burnout to Balance.
Laura Hellfeld – Neurodivergent Nurse & Consultant
In this tender and validating episode of From Burnout to Balance, host Tanya Valentin shares eight powerful, research-backed protective factors that support parent mental health, especially for those parenting neurodivergent children and teens in burnout.
Drawing from lived experience and a neuro-affirming, trauma-informed lens, Tanya explores what helps and why these supports can feel complicated, inaccessible, or even unsafe, particularly for neurodivergent parents who’ve been dismissed, judged, or burned by support systems in the past.
Inside this episode, you’ll hear about:
Why self-compassion is a radical (and often difficult) practice
How nervous system regulation starts with noticing, not perfection
The grief of the community that never came, and the hope of finding a new kind
The healing power of meaning-making, validation, and reparenting
Why we need low-demand parenting for parents, too
This episode is a soft place to land.
A reminder that you're not alone — and you never were.
✨ Learn more about Tanya's membership and parent community: From Burnout to Balance
In this episode, Tanya chats with Teo Byrne from SENDwise Hub. They discuss the challenges and triumphs of navigating neurodiversity as parents.
Teo shares her personal journey as a late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD parent, emphasising the importance of creating safe spaces for neurodivergent individuals.
They explore the significance of self-care for parents, the need for community support, and the delicate balance between providing support and allowing autonomy for children. The discussion highlights the importance of listening to children, understanding their unique experiences, and fostering a sense of belonging within the neurodivergent community.
Connect with Teo:
Join the From Burnout to Balance Community
What if the well-meaning wish, “I just want my child to be happy”, is quietly fuelling shame, disconnection, and burnout?
In this heartfelt episode of From Burnout to Balance, Tanya unpacks how emotional suppression, rooted in generational trauma and cultural expectations, gets stored in the body, passed through parenting, and misunderstood as failure.
You’ll explore:
Why the nervous system reacts so strongly to your child’s big emotions
How grief becomes shame, for both parent and child
What nervous system safety really means (it’s not being calm all the time)
Why reparenting yourself is the key to supporting your child’s emotional world
What it sounds like to co-regulate instead of control
How grief, when welcomed, becomes the gateway to deeper trust and connection
This is not easy work, but it’s sacred work. And you don’t have to do it alone.
💞 Learn more about the From Burnout to Balance membership and join the community:
Download your FREE Guide to navigating grief
In this episode, Tanya shares her journey of parenting through burnout, focusing on the challenges faced by neurodivergent children and the lessons learned along the way.
She introduces the seven pillars that form the foundation of her work, emphasising the importance of nervous system safety, low-demand parenting, community support, reparenting, practical resources, repairing connections, and soul-level parenting.
Tanya encourages parents to explore these pillars as a means of healing and support in their parenting journey.
You can join our From Burnout to Balance Community HERE
In this episode of From Burnout to Balance, Tanya explores the often overlooked inner work of parenting, particularly in the context of children experiencing burnout.
She emphasises the importance of emotional healing, reparenting, and understanding the resistance many parents feel towards addressing their own emotions.
Tanya discusses how childhood experiences shape our responses to our children's emotions and the significance of creating a safe emotional environment for them.
The conversation highlights the transformative power of self-awareness and compassion in breaking generational cycles of emotional neglect.
If you would like to explore this more deeply for yourself, join us in our parent community
Chapters:
00:00 The Inner Work of Parenting
02:27 Understanding Resistance to Emotional Work
06:55 Healing Through Compassion and Connection
10:32 Gentle Beginnings in Emotional Awareness
In this episode, Tanya explores the profound impact of burnout on both children and parents, emphasising the spiritual awakening that often accompanies such experiences.
She discusses the importance of soul care, the challenges of navigating identity and beliefs during difficult times, and the need for creating sacred spaces for healing and connection.
Tanya shares her personal journey and insights on how to embrace the messiness of transformation and find deeper meaning in the process.
Explore Held - A Soul Circle for Burnout Parents - What's Lost (And What's Emerging)
Join us in From Burnout to Balance
Chapters
00:00 Navigating Parental Burnout and Spiritual Awakening
08:12 The Goo Stage: Embracing Transformation
12:34 Creating Sacred Spaces for Healing
14:54 B2B Outro.mp4
In this episode of 'From Burnout to Balance', we explore the challenges faced by neurodivergent children regarding everyday demands and how these can feel overwhelming or unsafe.
Tanya discusses the importance of understanding the nervous system's role in these experiences, the distinction between demand avoidance and pathological demand avoidance (PDA), and offers strategies for parents to support their children with compassion and awareness.
The conversation emphasises the need for lowering demands, recognizing the cumulative effect of expectations, and fostering a safe environment for both children and parents.
If you would like to receive deeper support with this in your own parenting check out my on-demand training: Understanding Demand Avoidance: WhyDemands Feel Unsafe and What We Can DoYou can purchase the training HERE
Chapters
00:00 Understanding Demands and Neurodivergence
05:20 Demand Avoidance vs. Pathological Demand Avoidance
09:35 Supporting Children with Demand Avoidance
12:13 The Role of Parents' Nervous Systems
17:52 B2B Outro.mp4
In this episode, Tanya explores the metaphor of gardener versus mechanic parenting, emphasising the importance of creating a supportive environment for children experiencing burnout.
She discusses the pressures parents face in a behaviourist society that prioritises compliance over connection, and how this can lead to harmful parenting practices.
Tanya advocates for a gardener approach, focusing on nurturing and understanding children's needs rather than trying to 'fix' them.
The conversation highlights the significance of trust, safety, and compassion in the healing process for children.
Join us in From Burnout to Balance
Comments, questions or want to be a guest on the show?
📩 tanya@tanyavalentin.com
Instagram and Facebook: @tanyavalentinnz
Chapters
00:00 Gardener vs. Mechanic Parenting
07:10 Understanding Burnout in Children
13:30 The Pressure of Compliance
20:25 Creating a Safe Environment for Healing
In this podcast episode, Tanya discusses the challenges and emotional discomfort that arise when parents attempt to change their parenting approaches.
She shares personal experiences and insights into how our past experiences and emotional responses, influenced by neurotags, affect our parenting styles.
Tanya emphasises the importance of understanding these dynamics, particularly in the context of gender roles and emotional expression. She offers practical grounding techniques to help parents navigate their nervous system responses and encourages open communication between co-parents to honour individual journeys in parenting.
Join From Burnout to Balance with your free 7-day trial
Chapters
00:00 Navigating Parenting Changes
03:10 Understanding Neurotags and Emotional Responses
05:51 The Impact of Past Experiences on Parenting
11:50 Gender Roles and Emotional Expression in Parenting
17:56 Grounding Techniques for Nervous System Safety
25:08 Honouring Individual Parenting Journeys
In this episode, Tanya discusses the dark thoughts and complex emotions parents face when navigating their child's burnout.
She addresses feelings of guilt, grief, jealousy, fear, and isolation, emphasising the importance of self-compassion and acceptance.
Tanya provides insights into the healing journey for both parents and children, encouraging listeners to embrace their struggles and seek community support.
Would you like gentle guidance as you navigate this path to deeper acceptance? Subscribe to my email series - The Space Between Knowing and Letting Go
Join From Burnout to Balance with your 7-day free trial
Chapters
00:00 Navigating Parental Guilt and Shame
03:04 Grieving Expectations and Acceptance
05:59 Jealousy and Comparison in Parenting
08:52 Fear of the Future and Identity Loss
11:45 Understanding Recovery and Isolation
15:00 Burnout and Self-Care Strategies
17:49 Embracing Self-Compassion
20:57 Radical Acceptance and Community Support
In this conversation, Tanya discusses the Burnout Recovery Roadmap, emphasizing the importance of awareness in understanding the stages of burnout recovery for children, particularly those who are neurodivergent.
She outlines the five distinct stages of burnout recovery, from daily burnout to the new normal, and highlights the emotional and practical challenges parents face during this journey.
Tanya encourages parents to embrace the transformation process, recognizing that recovery is not linear and requires patience and understanding.
CLICK HERE for your copy of my Burnout Recovery Roadmap
Join From Burnout To Balance with your 7-day free trial
Chapters
00:00 Understanding the Burnout Recovery Roadmap
02:29 Daily Burnout: The Pressure Cooker Stage
05:48 Breaking Point: Recognizing Burnout
09:41 Chronic Burnout: The Empty Tank Stage
13:17 Fragile Reset: Signs of Recovery
16:20 Embracing the New Normal
20:46 The Transformation Process: From Caterpillar to Butterfly
Summary:
This episode delves into the complexities of parenting autistic children, particularly focusing on the challenges of burnout, the emotional toll on parents, and the need for greater awareness and understanding within the community.
Tanya shares her personal experiences, highlighting the importance of recognizing burnout, navigating feelings of guilt and shame, and advocating for systemic change to better support neurodivergent families.
Keep the conversation going, share your experience in the comments.
If you would like to get support for your family while navigating burnout, visit: https://tanyavalentin.co/parent-membership/ to claim your 7-day free trial.
This conversation delves into the complexities of burnout in parenting, exploring the hidden barriers to recovery, the impact of parental pressure, and the importance of emotional health.
Tanya emphasizes the need for self-care and compassion, providing practical strategies for parents to support both themselves and their children in the recovery process.
To access the recording of the Hidden Barriers to Recovery Coaching session as well as other burnout recovery supports and resources, join From Burnout To Balance risk-free with your 7-day trial.
In this episode, Tanya discusses the often-overlooked issue of parent burnout, emphasizing the importance of self-care and mental health for parents.
She introduces the concept of low-demand parenting, which involves reducing both parental and child demands to foster a healthier family dynamic.
Tanya also explores the metaphor of juggling responsibilities, categorizing tasks into 'glass balls' and 'rubber balls' to help parents prioritize effectively.
She provides practical strategies for creating a bare minimum plan to manage daily tasks while encouraging self-compassion and boundary-setting as essential components of parenting.
Start you From Burnout To Balance 7-day Free Trial
Here's the link to Download Your Bare Minimum Plan