Complex Kids, Simple Solutions
Complex Kid, Simple Solutions is the go-to podcast for parents raising neurodivergent and medically complex kids. Hosted by Michelle Choairy, a seasoned advocate and mom of a complex child, this podcast delivers clear, actionable strategies to help you navigate the chaos with confidence.
Each episode breaks down overwhelming challenges into simple, practical solutions—whether it’s advocating for your child, navigating the school system, or finding the right support team. You’ll hear expert insights, real-life stories, and empowering advice to help you become your child’s best advocate while keeping your own sanity intact.
Because raising a complex kid is hard—but finding solutions doesn’t have to be.
🎧 Subscribe now and start turning challenges into victories!
Episodes
47 episodes
Melissa Schulz — Small Steps, Real Change: Rethinking Behavior for Complex Kids
In this powerful episode of Complex Kids, Simple Solutions, Michelle sits down with parenting coach and BCBA Melissa Schulz to unpack what actually helps when parenting strong-willed, highly sensitive, and neurodiverge...
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Season 1
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Episode 45
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38:53
Robert C. DeLena — Without Restraint: Reimagining Success for Complex Kids
In this moving episode, Michelle talks with Robert DeLena about his journey parenting his son, Ryan. They discuss the evolution of a "strong-willed" child into a professional outdoor adventurer, the pitfalls of early 2000s behavioral interve...
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Season 1
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Episode 44
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35:43
Bailey Payne — The Underdog Years: Seeing Behavior Support Differently
In this episode, Michelle sits down with Bailey Payne, BCBA, to talk about what truly helps complex kids and their families when behavior feels overwhelming and unclear. They explore why behavior is rarely simple, why traditional approaches ...
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Season 1
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Episode 43
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41:10
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Melissa Schulz — Small Steps, Real Change: Rethinking Behavior for Complex Kids
In this powerful episode of Complex Kids, Simple Solutions, Michelle sits down with parenting coach and BCBA Melissa Schulz to unpack what actually helps when parenting strong-willed, highly sensitive, and neurodiverge...
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Season 1
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Episode 45
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38:53
Nicola Rose — Magnetosphere: Seeing the World Through a Neurodivergent Lens
In this conversation, Michelle sits down with Nicola Rose, independent filmmaker and writer-director of Magnetosphere, to explore how storytelling through film can deepen understanding, empathy, and awareness of neurod...
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Season 1
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Episode 42
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33:37
Lisa Watson — Reparenting Yourself: Healing Limiting Beliefs to Become a Calmer, More Conscious Parent
In this conversation, Michelle sits down with Lisa Watson, inner-child healing coach and creator of the Reparenting Method, to unpack why parenting—especially complex kids—can feel so emotionally overwhelming, and how our children often activat...
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Season 1
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Episode 41
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37:23
Jessica Setnick — Taking the Shame Out of Mealtimes for Complex Kids
In this episode, Michelle sits down with pediatric dietitian and eating-behavior specialist Jessica Setnick to talk about one of the most stressful parts of raising complex and neurodivergent kids: mealtimes. Jessica breaks down w...
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Season 1
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Episode 40
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42:05
Joanna Lilley — Rethinking 18 for Complex Kids: What Really Happens at Adulthood
In this episode, Michelle sits down with young-adult consultant Joanna Lilley to talk about the moment so many parents fear: the 18th birthday. Joanna breaks down why turning 18 doesn’t magically make a child ready for adult life—and how ...
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Season 1
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Episode 39
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33:42
Dr. Jack Hinman — The Anxious Generation: Guiding Young Adults Toward Independence and Resilience
In this conversation, Michelle sits down with Dr. Jack Hinman, licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Engage Young Adult Transitions, to unpack why so many 18- to 30-year-olds are stuck between adolescence and adulthood—and...
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Season 1
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Episode 38
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37:39
Michael Ringel — Planning for Two Lifetimes: Protect, Grow, and Enjoy (Without Losing Your Benefits)
In this conversation, Michelle sits down with special-needs family wealth strategist Michael Ringel to demystify the money side of raising complex kids—how to get organized fast, protect eligibility for services, and build a plan that ca...
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Season 1
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Episode 37
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29:17
MegAnne Ford — From “Be Better” to Feel Better: Parenting Complex Kids with CLEAR Connection
In this conversation, Michelle sits down with parent coach MegAnne Ford to flip the old script—away from forcing kids to fit our vision and toward building skills, safety, and connection so families actually feel better day to d...
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Season 1
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Episode 36
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33:40
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Sharon Dunlevy — Trauma-Wise Parenting for Foster (and All) Families
In this conversation, Michelle sits down with educational advocate Sharon Dunlevy to demystify foster-care realities—what licensing really takes, why trauma shows up like “behavior,” and how schools can (and should) support healing with ...
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Season 1
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Episode 35
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34:44
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Constance Lewis — Miles & the Colorful Capes of Feelings
In this conversation, Michelle sits down with nurse practitioner and mom-author Constance Lewis to share the story behind Miles and the Colorful Capes of Feelings—a playful, powerful system that helps kids name big emotions usin...
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Season 1
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Episode 34
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28:56
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C. S. Wyatt — From Checklists to Conversations: Preparing Neurodivergent Students for College
In this conversation, Michelle sits down with educator and accessibility advocate Dr. C. S. Wyatt to demystify the leap from K–12 supports to college reality—and how listening (not just checklists) drives real inclusion online and in the...
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Season 1
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Episode 33
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42:04
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Russell Van Brocklen — Rethinking Dyslexia: Why Typing, Not Tracing, Unlocks Reading and Writing
In this conversation, Michelle Choairy sits down with Russell Van Brocklen, founder of Dyslexia Classes, to uncover a radically different way of helping kids with dyslexia, ADHD, and learning di...
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Season 1
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Episode 32
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54:56
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Dr. Emily Levy — Unlocking Every Child’s Learning Potential with Orton-Gillingham
In this conversation, Michelle sits down with Dr. Emily Levy, founder and director of EBL Coaching, to explore how customized, multi-sensory instruction can transform outcomes for students with dyslexia, ADHD, executive functioning challenges, ...
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Season 1
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Episode 31
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35:12
Jeanine Mouchawar — Talking to Teens When “I Don’t Know” Is Every Answer
In this conversation, Michelle sits down with parenting coach Jeanine Mouchawar to unpack why the strategies that worked for little kids fall apart in the teen years—especially for neurodivergent teens—and how small shifts in tone, timin...
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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37:09
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Nicole Runyon — Why Screens Are Rewiring Our Kids (and What We Can Do About It)
In this powerful episode, Michelle sits down with former child psychotherapist and author Nicole Runyon to tackle a controversial question every modern parent faces: Is technology quietly hijacking our kids’ mental health—and what...
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Season 1
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Episode 29
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38:09
Dr. Karalynn Royster — Co-Parenting Through Chaos Without Breaking Your Kid
In this conversation, Michelle sits down with clinical psychologist and co-parenting coach Dr. Karalynn Royster to unpack one of the most loaded questions parents of complex kids face: What happens when the marriage isn’t working—bu...
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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50:39
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Andréane Gaulin — When It’s Not “Just a Speech Delay”
In this conversation, Michelle sits down with Andréane Gaulin, a rare dual-licensed SLP + BCBA, to unpack the gut-wrenching moment many parents of neurodivergent kids face: when their toddler still isn’t talking—and no one seems t...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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45:43
Samantha Foote — Music, Meltdowns & the Magic of Neurodivergent Parenting
In this conversation, Michelle sits down with Samantha Foote—music therapist, mom of three autistic children, and host of the Every Brain Is Different Summit—to explore how sound, structure, and self-compassion can transform the neurod...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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41:01
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Ryann Watkin — Rediscovering Your Feminine Energy While Raising Complex Kids
In this conversation, Michelle sits down with speaker, podcaster, and creator of the Raising Wild Hearts podcast, Ryann Watkin, to unpack the tug-of-war between strength and softness that every mom of complex kids knows too well...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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35:25
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Jeaneen Tang — Play Dumb & Sabotage: Tiny Habits that Unlock Speech
In this conversation, Michelle sits down with Los Angeles speech-language pathologist and author Jeaneen Tang to unpack why some kids stay stuck at “grunts and grabs”—and the everyday tweaks that turn requests into real words. Jeaneen sh...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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46:59
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Amanda Trisdale — Building a Dance Floor for the Kids Everyone Else Overlooked
In this heartfelt episode, Michelle sits down with Amanda Trisdale, CEO of Autistic Wings Dance Company, to spotlight what happens when a fierce mom, a fiercely talented daughter, and a fiercely broken system collide—and how they built...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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38:38
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Kanika Vasudeva — Tapping Earth & Sun to Calm Neuro-Spicy Storms
In this conversation, Michelle sits down with energy & consciousness coach Kanika Vasudeva to explore why many complex kids arrive as hyper-sensitive “old souls”—and how a one-minute grounding ritual can steady the whole household.
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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53:27
