This week, I’m joined by the incredible Marissa Thompson, an Aussie, a passionate advocate for neurodivergent children and a mum to five neurodivergent kiddos.

She shares how emotional intelligence has completely changed her parenting and why so many neurodivergent children are being missed, dismissed, or even punished in schools - simply for being themselves.

We also dive into:

✨ The lens shift parents and teachers need to truly support neurodivergent kids (hello, Dr. Ross Greene!)

✨ Why the mainstream school system often fails kids emotionally and academically

✨ Why so many parents are turning to homeschooling (and whether it might be right for you)

✨ PDA: Pathological Demand Avoidance (or Persistent Drive for Autonomy!), what it is and how to parent a PDA kiddo

✨ How Marissa courageously navigates burnout as an ND family - such profound message in there.

This episode is packed with insights, eye-openers, and of course emotional intelligence at the heart of it all. Whether you're a parent, teacher, or just someone who wants to understand neurodiversity better, you neeeed this conversation in your life.

💡 Ready to rethink what’s possible for your child? Let's go.

Connect with Marissa here:

PDA Home Education AU: https://pdahomeedau.com/

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If this resonates with you, I'd love to hear from you. Email us at hello@stephaniepinto.com and send me your thoughts, feedback or questions!

Have you joined my Facebook Group for parents? There are over 130,000 parents in the community! 🎉

➡️ www.facebook.com/groups/letsraiseemotionallyintelligentkids

Hi! I am an Emotional Intelligence best-selling author, award-winning coach and international speaker. I'm also a paediatric anxiety therapist (and previous speech language pathologist!) and I love helping people use emotional intelligence to become calmer, more connected and live happier lives!

Book a consult with me to discuss coaching, support, collaborations or speaking engagements.

💡 Head to www.stephaniepinto.com

Or stalk me on the socials...

Insta: www.instagram.com/emotionally.intelligent.parent

FB: fb.com/stephpinto

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ok - big moment you guys. I’m excited (and somewhat embarrassed!) to share this special conversation with you—one that originally aired back in 2022 in my Facebook community Let's Raise Emotionally Intelligent Kids.

Looking back, I can’t help but cringe! I was SO nervous and excited to be speaking with the universal expert on parenting, education, and human behaviour: Alfie Kohn.

Let’s just say I wasn’t as polished or professional as I am now… but the insights and wisdom? They’re just as powerful today as they were then.

Alfie Kohn, renowned author of Punished by Rewards, No Contest, The Homework Myth, and my personal favourite, Unconditional Parenting, (plus many others!) brings his groundbreaking research and passion for progressive education to this chat.

In this episode, we dive into:

🔍 Why rewards can be just as harmful as punishments for children.

💡 What people really mean when they say, "I want to motivate my child" (spoiler: it’s often about compliance).

🎭 The hidden problems with praise—especially those high-pitched, "good job!" moments.

🚫 The true impact of time-outs and forcible isolation on kids’ emotional well-being.

One of the most profound ideas we explored? The belief that we need to reinforce kids to behave a certain way. This comes from a hidden assumption that children aren’t naturally inclined to do well on their own—and it’s time we rethink that.

I’m so grateful Alfie agreed to let me share this conversation here on the podcast—it’s one you won’t want to miss.

***

If this resonates with you, I'd love to hear from you. Email us at hello@stephaniepinto.com and send me your thoughts, feedback or questions!

Have you joined my Facebook Group for parents? There are over 130,000 parents in the community! 🎉

➡️ www.facebook.com/groups/letsraiseemotionallyintelligentkids

Hi! I am an Emotional Intelligence best-selling author, award-winning coach and international speaker. I'm also a paediatric anxiety therapist (and previous speech language pathologist!) and I love helping people use emotional intelligence to become calmer, more connected and live happier lives!

Book a consult with me to discuss coaching, support, collaborations or speaking engagements.

💡 Head to www.stephaniepinto.com

Or stalk me on the socials...

Insta: www.instagram.com/emotionally.intelligent.parent

FB: fb.com/stephpinto

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are We Training Kids to Perform? The Truth About Rewards, Behaviour & Connection with Megg Thompson.

We’ve all used them—sticker charts, gold stars, rewards for good behaviour. But what if these systems aren’t actually helping kids grow? What if they’re just training them to comply? (And then when we're not around, they stop "performing" because the motivation was never really theirs to begin with...)

In this episode, I sit down with Megg Thompson, a former Kindergarten teacher turned neuro-affirming Certified Behavior Consultant and Life Coach, to unpack the real impact of rewards and compliance-based parenting and teaching.

We dive into:

✨ Why kids "hold it together" at school but melt down at home

✨ The hidden problems with reward charts and behavior incentives

✨ Why compliance shouldn’t be the goal—and what to focus on instead

✨ How traditional discipline alienates neurodivergent and struggling kids

✨ What actually works to build cooperation, trust, and connection

Megg brings her signature humour and deep insight to a conversation that will challenge what you think you know about kids’ behaviour.

Also, she made me keep in the drunk-squirrel moments she and I had around 22-23 min mark - enjoy listening to us rack our brains when she lost her train of thought!

If you're ready to shift from power-over to partnership, ditch the rewards, and start building real, lasting connection with your kids—this episode is a must-listen.

Find Megg Thompson here:

http://www.instagram.com/meggthompsonbehavior

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn5Q6ZPasX6ebCZ59ClM4qw

https://meggthompson.com/

***

If this resonates with you, I'd love to hear from you. Email us at hello@stephaniepinto.com and send me your thoughts, feedback or questions!

Have you joined my Facebook Group for parents? There are over 130,000 parents in the community! 🎉

➡️ www.facebook.com/groups/letsraiseemotionallyintelligentkids

Hi! I am an Emotional Intelligence best-selling author, award-winning coach and international speaker. I'm also a paediatric anxiety therapist (and previous speech language pathologist!) and I love helping people use emotional intelligence to become calmer, more connected and live happier lives!

Book a consult with me to discuss coaching, support, collaborations or speaking engagements.

💡 Head to www.stephaniepinto.com

Or stalk me on the socials...

Insta: www.instagram.com/emotionally.intelligent.parent

FB: fb.com/stephpinto

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.