Calm Connection Parenting | Neurodivergent, Meltdowns, Emotional Regulation, DMDD, Tantrums, SPD, Defiance, Angry Behaviors
Ranked in the top 2.5% of podcasts globally! Tired of walking on eggshells… dreading the next meltdown? Exhausted by big emotions. defiance, and disobediance? Wondering why “traditional" parenting advice backfires with your strong-willed child?
I’m glad you’re here. This podcast helps you understand what’s behind your child's behavior, so you can respond with calm, stop second-guessing yourself, and build real connection with your neurodivergent or uniquely wired child.
Hi, I’m Jami… a mom of seven, professional counselor turned parenting coach, speaker, and author. And yes, even with training, I found myself stuck in the same cycle so many parents live in: meltdown… reaction… guilt… repeat. I was doing all the things that were “supposed” to work… but they didn’t.
Everything changed when I stopped treating behavior like the problem and started looking underneath it. When I learned to understand my child’s unique wiring (personality, sensory processing, executive functioning, and emotional needs), I finally had a roadmap. I didn’t need more tips… I needed clarity and a plan. And that clarity changed things.
If you’re ready to ditch the overwhelm and stop parenting in survival mode, you’re in the right place. We’ll talk meltdowns, emotional dysregulation, defiance, ADHD, DMDD, anxiety, and more… along with practical steps that help your family move from chaos to calm… one episode at a time.
So grab your coffee, find your quiet spot (if you have one), and let’s jump in.
Start here: Take the FREE Emotional Forecast Quiz at CalmConnectionParenting.org and find your next best step.
Episodes
85 episodes
Is Your Child Struggling at School… or Is Something Being Missed? Emotional Dysregulation, DMDD, ADHD, and the Signs Often Overlooked
Why is your child struggling at school? Learn what may be happening beneath ADHD behaviors, DMDD, emotional dysregulation, school refusal, shutdowns, executive functioning challenges, and after-school meltdowns. Is your child str...
84. Parenting Burnout, Anxiety, and PTSD: How to Calm Your Nervous System and Get Out of Survival Mode with Lori Owens
Are you feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or stuck in survival mode as a parent?If you’re parenting a child with big emotions, emotional dysregulation, ADHD, or neurodivergent needs, it can feel like you’re constantly holding e...
83. When Your Space Adds to Your Stress: How Clutter, Overwhelm, and Home Organization Affect Moms Parenting Neurodivergent Kids (with Bee Organized and Megan Gervais)
Is your home adding to your stress? When you are parenting a child with big emotions, neurodivergent needs, or constant unpredictability, clutter and disorganization can quietly add to the overwhelm you are already carrying.In...
82. How to Stay Calm During Your Child’s Meltdowns (Nervous System Regulation for Parents of Emotionally Intense Kids) with Hunter Clarke Fields
How to stay calm during your child’s meltdowns. Learn nervous system regulation tools for parents of emotionally dysregulated or ADHD kids—and what actually helps. How DO you stay calm when your child is melting down… ...
81. Why Your Child Overreacts and Takes Everything Personally (Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria and Emotional Dysregulation in Kids) with Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge
Why your child takes everything personally. Learn how emotional dysregulation and rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) impact kids with ADHD, DMDD, or mood disorders—and what you can do to help. Why does your child take everything...
80. Why Your Child’s Meltdowns Aren’t Bad Behavior- Emotional Dysregulation in Kids Explained with Kirk Martin
Why your child’s meltdowns aren’t bad behavior. For kids with emotional dysregulation, DMDD, or ADHD, these moments are opportunities—not problems. For many children, especially those with emotional dysregulation, ADHD, or strong...
79. Why Your Child Struggles with Tasks, Motivation, and Follow-Through --Executive Function Explained with Leslie Josel
Why does your child struggle with tasks, focus, and follow-through? For kids with ADHD, DMDD, SPD, PDA, and executive function challenges, it’s not laziness—it’s how their brain works.In this episode of the Calm Connection Parenting P...
78. Sensory Processing and Meltdowns in Kids – Understanding the Out-of-Sync Child with Carol Kranowitz
Why does your child have such big meltdowns and emotional reactions? For kids with sensory processing challenges, ADHD, DMDD, or emotional dysregulation, behavior may be a signal—not defiance.In this episode of the Calm Connection Par...
77. Why Some Kids Have Big Emotions and Challenging Behaviors: A Fresh Look at Emotional Dysregulation with Penny Williams
Why do some children experience emotional dysregulation, explosive meltdowns, and challenging behaviors that seem bigger than the situation?In this episode of the Calm Connection Parenting Podcast, I’m joined by parenting expert Penny Wi...
76. How Do I Choose the Right Support or Parent Coaching for ADHD and Emotional Dysregulation? What You Need to Know
If you’re parenting a child with ADHD, DMDD, emotional dysregulation, or intense meltdowns and wondering whether parent coaching or parenting support could help your family, this episode will help you discern the right next step.
75. How Do I Help My Emotionally Intense Child Build Emotional Regulation Skills? Three Easy Ways to Start Today
If you’re parenting a child with ADHD, DMDD, emotional dysregulation, or intense meltdowns and wondering how to actually build emotional regulation skills… this episode will give you hope and a practical starting point.Emotional regulati...
74. When You’ve Tried Everything for Your Emotionally Dysregulated Child and It Still Isn’t Enough- Maggie Diemer
Have you ever felt like you’ve tried every therapy, every strategy, and every parenting tool for your child with emotional dysregulation… and it still isn’t enough?Parenting a child with emotional dysregulation, ADHD, or DMDD can feel ex...
73. How Do I Parent My Child Without Yelling When I’m Overwhelmed Too? Three Simple Ideas If You Feel You're Losing It
If you’re parenting a child with ADHD, emotional dysregulation, or intense meltdowns and you find yourself yelling even when you don’t want to, this episode will help you understand why it happens and what to do instead.Parenting an emot...
72. Why Does My Neurodiverse, ADHD, or DMDD Child Fall Apart After School or Activities?
If your child has after-school meltdowns, falls apart after activities, or seems emotionally exhausted the moment they get home, this episode will help you understand why.In this episode, we unpack after-school meltdowns, emotional dysre...
71. Why DoesTraditional Parenting Advice Make My ADHD or DMDD Child’s Meltdowns Worse?
Why does traditional discipline make meltdowns worse for an emotionally dysregulated, ADHD, neurodivergent, or DMDD child?If consequences, time-outs, and typical parenting advice escalate behavior instead of improving it, this epi...
70. What Do I Do Before, During, and After a Meltdown With An Emotionally Dysregulated Child?
What should you do before, during or after a meltdown when parenting an ADHD, DMDD, neurodivergent or emotionally intense child?If meltdowns leave you feeling panicked, unsure, or afraid of doing the wrong thing in the moment, thi...
69. How Do I Calm My Child When Nothing Seems to Work? Parenting Guidance for Meltdowns
How do you calm a neurodivergent or strong-willed child when nothing seems to work — especially during meltdowns and emotional dysregulation?If your child’s big emotions escalate no matter how consistent, calm, or prepared you try to be,...
68. The Fastest Way to Escalate a Meltdown…Why Saying “Calm Down” To A Child With ADHD or DMDD Backfires
Emotional dysregulation, meltdowns, and neurodivergent kids can make even well-intended parenting responses backfire, especially when you tell your child to “calm down” and everything escalates.In this episode of the Calm Connection ...
67. Meltdown vs.Tantrum: What's the Difference in this Emotional Dysregulation (And Why It Matters)
Is your child having a tantrum… or a meltdown? And does that distinction actually matter?For parents raising a neurodivergent child or an emotionally intense, strong-willed child, confusing a tantrum with a meltdown can...
66. Parenting Through Anxiety and Uncertainty: How to Stay Calm When Your Child’s Needs Affect Your Mental Health
Parenting a child with emotional, medical, or mental health needs can quietly affect your own mental health too. When uncertainty is constant, anxiety can build — and it can feel like you’re always bracing for the next hard moment. Whether you ...
65. Am I Doing Something Wrong… or Is My Neurodivergent Child Wired Differently? Understanding Meltdowns
If you’ve ever looked at your child’s meltdowns or emotional outbursts and thought, “I must be doing something wrong,” this episode is for you. We’re talking emotional dysregulation, meltdowns, and why common parenting advice often bac...
64. Why Does My Child Have Such Big Reactions to Small Things? Emotional Dysregulation Explained
Why does your child have huge reactions to things that feel small? The wrong color cup. A change of plans. A simple “no”… and suddenly it’s full emotional overload.In this episode, we’re unpacking emotional dysregulation in kid...
63. When One Parent Wants Help for Your Child's Emotional Dysregulation or ADHD and the Other Hesitates
Feeling like you’re doing all the research and your partner is on a totally different timeline? Parenting gets lonely fast when you’re raising a child with big emotions - and you’re not on the same page.In today’s episode, I’m ans...
62. Parenting Emotional Dysregulation: Why Your Word for the Year Matters More Than Another Resolution
As the year comes to a close, many parents find themselves exhausted by resolutions that promise change but add more pressure. If you’re parenting emotional dysregulation or big emotions, this episode offers a different way forward.In th...
61. When Life Doesn’t Give You What You Expected: Christmas Through the Eyes of Mary
What if the very first Christmas didn’t look anything like the peaceful, picture-perfect scene we often imagine?In this special Christmas episode, I reflect on the birth of Jesus through Mary’s eyes… a young mother whose journey into mot...