What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making Life Better, with Two Funny Moms

Kids (and adults) with ADHD don't actually have a deficit of attention. Today, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is more properly understood as a deficit of executive function— and as this week's guest ⁠Michael McLeod⁠, founder of GrowNOW ADHD and author of ⁠THE EXECUTIVE FUNCTION PLAYBOOK⁠, explains, executive function means a whole lot more than a messy backpack.

To help kids with ADHD succeed, Michael argues, parents need to help children strengthen the internal skills that lead to lifelong independence. In this interview, drawing from his decades of experience working with families whose kids are growing up with ADHD, Michael explains his four-pillar framework for developing executive functioning skills: self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, and self-evaluation.

In this episode, you'll learn:

How self-awareness and "time blindness" can affect daily life when you have ADHD

Why novel experiences are crucial opportunities for kids with ADHD

How exposure to screens intensifies ADHD symptoms

Why negative attention feels great to the ADHD brain

How to support ADHD kids without lowering expectations for their capability

Here's where you can find Michael:

www. grownowadhd.com

@grownowADHD on IG, FB, and YouTube

Buy THE EXECUTIVE FUNCTION PLAYBOOK: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781394309153

Buy the accompanying workbook: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781394364589

What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you certain that people are only pretending to enjoy cilantro? Or mah jongg? We asked our listeners to tell us the things they're convinced no one actually likes. From complicated board games to high school graduations, we discuss the most nominated to be overrated.

Here's the link to all of the hilarious answers people gave in our Facebook group!

What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This "Deep Dive" series revisits a few of our past episodes on back-to-school challenges such as the morning rush, school projects which require lots of parental oversight, and how to help our kids navigate intensifying academic pressure.

Getting-ready playlists? Choosing outfits the night before? Bringing snacks to the pickup line? We asked our audience about their favorite back-to-school tips... and we also allowed some venting about back-to-school craziness as well.

Amy and Margaret discuss:

To make lunch or not to make lunch

How to keep outfits clean at breakfast

The best time to grocery shop

Here are links to resources mentioned in the episode:

Read the full Facebook thread here and if you're not already part of our amazing group, you can join at www.facebook.com/groups/whatfreshhellcast!

Watch the short film Amy mentions: "How Was Your Day?" directed by Allison Hadar and Maddie Corman

What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Childhood anxiety is on the rise. Parents are often unsure how to respond, and in their well-intentioned efforts to reassure their kids, can sometimes reinforce the anxious patterns. In this interview Kristen McNeely,
LMFT, explains how parents can start to help their kids build resilience by taking small, manageable steps toward the things that might scare them.

We also discuss school refusal—why it's more complicated than simply not wanting to go to school; the warning signs parents should watch for; and why collaboration between parents, schools, and mental health professionals is essential.

Kristen explains why school refusal often begins with school avoidance, how transition years like kindergarten and middle school increase risk, and why pulling kids out of school is rarely an effective long-term solution.

Amy, Margaret, and Kristen also discuss:

Why parental accommodations can unintentionally fuel anxiety

The difference between validating feelings and reinforcing fear

Why gradual exposure works better than avoidance

The four common drivers of school refusal

How ADHD, autism, and separation anxiety can increase risk

Why helping kids feel connected to their school community matters

How parent-focused treatments like SPACE can improve childhood anxiety—even without the child in therapy sessions

Here's where you can find Kristen:

https://kristenmcneely.com/

@childhood.empowered on IG

https://schoolcapable.kristenmcneely.com/

What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All too often, we leave our kids' pediatric appointments only to remember what we really wanted to ask when we're on the drive home. Fear not: Dr. Mary Martin is in, and she's answering all our burning pediatric-medicine questions.

Margaret and Dr. Mary Martin cover all the the topics most likely fill parents' search histories and social media feeds, separating medical facts from internet misinformation and offering practical, judgment-free advice.

You'll learn:

How to navigate vaccine misinformation

Why pediatricians continue to recommend the "ABCs" of safe sleep

When it's OK stop comparing your child to everyone else's

The babyproofing essentials that actually matter

Why reading to babies is so powerful, even before they can talk.

How to handle picky eating without turning every meal into a battle

The leading causes of preventable childhood injuries and simple ways to reduce risk

Practical guidance on screen time, social media, vaping, caffeine, and substance use

How to build trust so your child feels comfortable talking about difficult topics like sex, drugs, mental health, and body changes

Why finding a pediatrician you trust may be one of the best parenting decisions you make

Here are links to some of our other episodes we mentioned:

Christina Martin on How Children Learn Through Play

How To Deal With Picky Eaters

Screen-Free Week: How To Survive and Why It's Worth It

Ash Brandin, The Gamer Educator

Catherine Price, THE AMAZING GENERATION

Emily Cherkin on Tech-Intentional Parenting

Mallory Thomas on How to Get Off Our Phones

Gaia Bernstein on Gaining Control Over Addictive Technologies

Susan Linn on How “Big Tech” Targets Our Kids

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/⁠
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices