The Empowered Parent with Dana Baltutis

Dana Baltutis
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Welcome to The Empowered Parent Podcast. This podcast is a space for parents to learn, reflect, and grow.Each week, we explore topics that help parents understand themselves and their children more deeply - from communication and connection, to supporting neurodivergent development at home and in the community. We’ve had wonderful conversations with experts, parents, and professionals - including speakers from the Neurodivergence Wellbeing Conference, and a special series following one mum’s journey in unschooling her child. Every episode is here to inspire curiosity, compassion, and confidence in your parenting journey. Don’t forget to follow along, share your reflections, and join the conversation.You can connect with me at danabaltutis.com or mytherapyhouse.com.au. Let’s celebrate neurodivergence.Let’s celebrate belonging.

  1. 3d ago

    BEN'S STORY: Episode 2 - Ben Changed How We Saw The World

    Send us Fan Mail You can love your child fiercely and still feel completely unprepared for what their body asks of you. Steve Wellings, Ben’s dad, joins us again to help you meet Ben properly: a gentle, funny, observant kid living with quad athetoid spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy, where speech and movement are limited but presence is not. We walk through the real world details of disability parenting and complex medical needs: positioning, splints, standing frames, PEG feeding, incontinence care, clearing lungs, night turns to prevent pressure sores, and the constant job of working out what a look or a mouth movement actually means. Steve shares the moments that changed everything, including the first time Ben’s eyes tracked in a quiet, dim room, and why reducing sensory overload is not a preference but a safety issue for some kids. The conversation also gets honest about seizures and medication, including the fear of dangerous infant spasms, the pressure of fast decisions, and the reality that dosages and drug mixes rarely stay “right” for long. Along the way we talk about the disability community, fighting for better services, the impact on siblings and relationships, and why the best therapists and schools are the ones who listen first and collaborate closely with families. If you care about cerebral palsy support, augmentative and alternative communication, NDIS era gaps, inclusive schooling, and quality of life, this one will stay with you. Subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more families find these stories. danabaltutis.com,  mytherapyhouse.com.au, https://mytherapyhouse.com.au/your-childs-therapy-journey/ https://www.danabaltutis.com/services

  2. Sep 23

    BEN'S STORY: Episode 1 - A Difficult Entry Into the World

    Send us Fan Mail A baby can arrive and split your life into a before and after. When Steve Wellings and his wife Marie move to Seattle for a military posting, they imagine a simple path: work, a home in the burbs, footy, and a couple of kids. Their first daughter Elizabeth is born by planned caesarean and that first year feels like bliss. Then Ben’s birth turns into a crisis that still echoes decades later. Steve takes us through the harrowing detail of a VBAC attempt that should have escalated sooner, an induction that drags on, a ripping sensation that’s later understood as uterine rupture, and a fetal heart rate that plunges into danger territory. Ben is born in severe distress, rushed to Seattle Children’s, and the family is suddenly learning a new language of neonatal ICU care. We unpack HIE (hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy), what it means when the brain is starved of oxygen, and the gut-punch uncertainty of hearing “we don’t know” even from top paediatric neurologists reading an EEG. We also talk about what happens after the diagnosis: feeding and medication support, nasogastric and jejunal tubes, the practical skills parents are expected to master, and the way trauma can create lifelong hypervigilance. Steve shares why they considered legal action, what the real barriers look like in medical malpractice, and why returning home to Australia mattered for support and services. If you’re a parent navigating disability, cerebral palsy risk, HIE, or birth trauma, this conversation gives you language, context, and permission to trust your instincts. Subscribe, share this with another parent who needs it, and leave a review so more families can find these stories. danabaltutis.com,  mytherapyhouse.com.au, https://mytherapyhouse.com.au/your-childs-therapy-journey/ https://www.danabaltutis.com/services

  3. Sep 15

    Letting Go Of The Imagined Child To See The Real One

    Send us Fan Mail Parenting can crack open the life you thought you were going to have. One day you’re holding a picture of family holidays, school concerts, easy mornings, and a child who moves through the world the way you expected. Then the real child arrives with their own nervous system, temperament, sensitivities, interests, and ways of communicating, and suddenly “simple” things can take enormous effort. When that gap shows up, it can bring fear, guilt, anger, sadness, envy, and a quiet kind of grief that many parents feel but rarely name. I take a different approach here and speak directly to the question I keep coming back to: who do you need to become in order to support the child who has come into your life? Not who your child needs to become. We explore the difference between being disappointed in a child and grieving the picture you held, and what can change when you look through your child’s eyes with curiosity instead of “should”. If you’re parenting a neurodivergent child, navigating autism, ADHD, sensory differences, anxiety, or demand avoidance (including PDA), this lens can be especially powerful because it shifts the goal from compliance to connection, regulation, and true communication. We also talk about how the urge to fix can turn a child into a project, and why parents need support too. I share reflective questions that help you notice what’s happening inside you, separate future fear from present needs, and widen your understanding of both your child and yourself. If this resonates, subscribe to the Empowered Parent Podcast, share the episode with a parent who needs a breath, and leave a review so more families can find it. danabaltutis.com,  mytherapyhouse.com.au, https://mytherapyhouse.com.au/your-childs-therapy-journey/ https://www.danabaltutis.com/services

  4. Sep 10

    YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE MY PEACE - A MOTHER'S STORY: Episode 6: Raising Kids Who Thrive

    Send us Fan Mail The hardest part of parenting isn’t the chaos, it’s what we start believing about ourselves and our kids when the chaos keeps coming. For the final chat in our Empowered Parent Program series, we sit down with Sam Primerano to talk about what helps children truly thrive, especially neurodivergent kids with big feelings, intense bodies, and shifting capacity across the day. We get honest about the moments that leave you frazzled, and the simple but powerful skills that help you release stress instead of carrying it into tomorrow. We dig into nervous system regulation in real family life: why connection matters more than striving, how self-compassion changes the tone of a household, and what “emotion is energy in motion” looks like in practice. Sam shares what helps her move through tough days, from breathing and music to noticing how the body lets go. We also explore why labels like “violent”, “manipulative”, or “liar” can be so damaging, and how a behaviour-as-communication lens protects kids’ self-esteem and keeps pathways open for learning, repair, and growth. We also talk about the bigger Australian context, including the anxiety and uncertainty around the NDIS and the upcoming Thriving Kids program. We share a grounded approach to staying informed without spiralling, plus a practical step families can take when systems aren’t meeting children’s needs: contacting your federal MP or state MP. We wrap with hopes for the next generation, the role of nature in regulation, and what being an empowered parent really means when you’re running on empty. If this resonates, subscribe, share it with another parent who needs a softer landing, and leave a review so more Australian families can find the series. danabaltutis.com,  mytherapyhouse.com.au, https://mytherapyhouse.com.au/your-childs-therapy-journey/ https://www.danabaltutis.com/services

  5. Sep 3

    YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE MY PEACE - A MOTHER'S STORY: Episode 5: From Burnout To Clarity With An Adult ADHD Diagnosis

    Send us Fan Mail A late ADHD diagnosis doesn’t just add a label, it can rewrite your entire personal history. Sam joins me for an honest, detailed chat about what finally pushed her to seek an adult ADHD diagnosis, how it landed after years of coping, and why the moment of recognition can feel both relieving and confronting. If you’ve ever wondered whether your “anxiety” is really a busy brain, or why you can function for months then suddenly crash, you’ll hear yourself in this story. We unpack ADHD burnout in the real world: returning to demanding work, parenting three kids, advocating for a neurodivergent child, and pushing until your body forces you to stop. Sam shares what it’s like when your brain can’t sequence tasks the way it used to, and how nervous system regulation becomes a non-negotiable. We also talk about masking, social overstimulation, and that strangely hollow feeling after being “on” around the wrong kind of noise, pace, or people. From there we move into identity, shame, and healing. We explore rejection sensitive dysphoria, the inner critic, and how diagnosis can depersonalise behaviours so you stop treating every struggle as a character flaw. You’ll also hear practical, down-to-earth regulation tools Sam actually uses including box breathing, feet on grass, visualisation, and sensory anchors like smell, plus how modelling these practices can support kids’ emotional regulation at home. If you’re navigating adult ADHD, neurodivergent parenting, or simply trying to live with more calm and clarity, press play and come sit with us. Subscribe for more, share this with a parent who needs it, and leave a review so more families can find these conversations. danabaltutis.com,  mytherapyhouse.com.au, https://mytherapyhouse.com.au/your-childs-therapy-journey/ https://www.danabaltutis.com/services

  6. Aug 27

    YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE MY PEACE - A MOTHER'S STORY: Episode 4 - From Migrant Childhood To Confident Parenting Boundaries

    Send us Fan Mail Your kid’s “weird” behaviour might be communication, not defiance and the same might be true of your younger self. We sit down with Sam to trace how a culturally diverse childhood, undetected neurodivergence, and unmet emotional needs shaped her school life, her relationships, and the parent she is becoming. Along the way, we talk about the stories we tell ourselves to make sense of our families, and what changes when we finally name what was really going on.  Sam shares candid reflections on sensory sensitivities, including how discomfort with clothing and touch can lead to shame and misunderstandings. We unpack why parents should pause before assuming sexualised behaviour, how to look for sensory triggers, and how calm, respectful responses can protect a child’s dignity. We also explore school experiences like fear, shutdown, selective mutism and private “quirks” that can be forms of self-regulation for autistic and ADHD kids, especially when the world feels too loud or unpredictable.  The conversation turns to family violence, dysregulation and intergenerational trauma, including what it’s like when a family system has limited emotional regulation and poor impulse control. Sam talks about the decision to end the cycle, the reality of setting boundaries with a parent who can’t meet you emotionally, and how to hold compassion without abandoning yourself. If you’re parenting a neurodivergent child or healing your own past while raising kids, you’ll leave with language, perspective and practical boundary ideas you can use straight away.  If this resonates, share it with a parent who needs it, subscribe so you don’t miss next week, and leave a review to help more families find the show. What part of your childhood are you rethinking now? danabaltutis.com,  mytherapyhouse.com.au, https://mytherapyhouse.com.au/your-childs-therapy-journey/ https://www.danabaltutis.com/services

  7. Aug 20

    YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE MY PEACE - A MOTHER'S STORY: Episode 3 - From Socks To Social Cues: Parenting Through Sensory Needs

    Send us Fan Mail A toddler who can’t tolerate socks. A child who goes quiet for hours at childcare, then suddenly finds their voice. A kid at a party who slips outside with a juice box and quietly watches the clouds because that’s what their body needs. These moments can look like stubbornness or rudeness from the outside, but Sam helps us see them for what they often are: communication from a neurodivergent nervous system. We unpack the everyday realities of neurodivergence in families, including sensory sensitivities around clothing and school uniforms, unpredictable “scratchy” days, and the challenge of dressing for the weather when temperature cues don’t land the same way. We also talk about social communication, selective mutism, and why some kids genuinely thrive with one favourite person instead of a big friend group. Along the way, we reflect on how speech pathology supports more than speech: it builds self-understanding and the ability to advocate for needs before overwhelm hits. The conversation widens to sibling differences and masking. Sam shares insights about Ambrose’s intensity and how “big and loud” can sometimes be a strategy to manage anxiety and control confusing social dynamics. We finish with grounded advice for parents at the start of the journey: talk and listen, stay curious about your own reactions, find a therapist who feels right for your child and for you, and get mental health support when grief or old shame surfaces. If this resonates, subscribe, share it with someone who needs a kinder lens on behaviour, and leave a review so more families can find the series. What’s one moment that changed how you understand your child? danabaltutis.com,  mytherapyhouse.com.au, https://mytherapyhouse.com.au/your-childs-therapy-journey/ https://www.danabaltutis.com/services

  8. Aug 13

    YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE MY PEACE - A MOTHER'S STORY: Episode 2 - What If Rest Is Part Of Parenting?

    Send us Fan Mail Sam was a full-time nurse who couldn’t stop moving, couldn’t sit with herself, and felt like rest meant failure. Then she became a mum and everything changed, not neatly, not politely, but in the way matrescence often does: it cracks you open and forces you to finally meet yourself. We talk with Sam about the woman she was before children and the mother she’s becoming now, including the hidden drivers underneath “go, go, go” energy. Sam shares how trauma and an abusive relationship shaped her need for control, and how an ADHD diagnosis later helped her make sense of what looked like anxiety. We also unpack how pregnancy and postpartum can collide with mental health, especially during COVID, when isolation and uncertainty ramped up her perinatal anxiety and left her feeling raw. Sam speaks candidly about getting support through PANDA and the Gidget Foundation, accessing perinatal mental health care via telehealth in Australia, and why medication and the right GP can be lifesaving when things get dangerous. We also get practical about the day-to-day: self-compassion when nothing gets finished, working out your real capacity, managing sensory overload, and the small transition rituals that help her shift from nurse mode to mum mode. Plus, we chat about sibling bonds, rebuilding meaning, and having a true co-parent in her husband Joseph. If this resonates, share it with a parent who needs steady hope, then subscribe and leave a review so more mums can find these stories and support. danabaltutis.com,  mytherapyhouse.com.au, https://mytherapyhouse.com.au/your-childs-therapy-journey/ https://www.danabaltutis.com/services

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About

Welcome to The Empowered Parent Podcast. This podcast is a space for parents to learn, reflect, and grow.Each week, we explore topics that help parents understand themselves and their children more deeply - from communication and connection, to supporting neurodivergent development at home and in the community. We’ve had wonderful conversations with experts, parents, and professionals - including speakers from the Neurodivergence Wellbeing Conference, and a special series following one mum’s journey in unschooling her child. Every episode is here to inspire curiosity, compassion, and confidence in your parenting journey. Don’t forget to follow along, share your reflections, and join the conversation.You can connect with me at danabaltutis.com or mytherapyhouse.com.au. Let’s celebrate neurodivergence.Let’s celebrate belonging.

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