Low Demand Parenting

Amanda Diekman
  • 5.0 (45)
  • PARENTING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Low Demand Parenting

The Low Demand Parenting Podcast is your space to let go of the pressure and embrace a more joyful, authentic approach to parenting. Hosted by Amanda Diekman—author, autistic adult, and mom of three—this podcast isn’t about perfection or expert advice. It’s about learning together how to drop the demands that weigh us down and find the ease we crave in our families. Whether you’re navigating neurodivergence, challenging behaviors, or simply the highs and lows of life, this show offers honest conversations, practical insights, and a whole lot of compassion. Let's thrive, even when it feels like life is on level 12 hard.

  1. What is autistic burnout?

    MAY 26

    What is autistic burnout?

    I am joined by Amelia Nagoski, co-author of Burnout, for a deep conversation about autistic burnout, systemic stress, and why traditional self-care often fails. We both reflect on our personal experiences of autistic burnout and how healing can begin by dropping unrealistic expectations—especially those rooted in systemic oppression. Episode Details: Burnout Workshop - June 12, 4-6pm - Get a ticket for $27 Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily and Amelia Nagoski Amelia and Emily’s YouTube channel with autistic insights on burnout recovery Additional Resources: Low Demand Parenting book: a love letter to exhausted, overwhelmed parents everywhere. Get the first chapter free!  Why is everything with my kid so hard?: Take the quiz to find your first step forward! Low Demand Parenting Blog: a treasure trove of low demand wisdom Follow us on social for updates on the podcast, blog, and more!  Instagram Facebook Pinterest The Low Demand Parenting Podcast is your space to let go of the pressure and embrace a more joyful, authentic approach to parenting. We hope you enjoyed this episode and would be honored if you left us a review which helps us reach more parents just like you!

    28 min
  2. Screens, Shame, and Saying Yes: Real Talk About Screen Time in Burnout

    MAY 19

    Screens, Shame, and Saying Yes: Real Talk About Screen Time in Burnout

    In this episode of the Low Demand Parenting Podcast, I’m answering your toughest, most honest questions about screen time — especially during burnout. Together, we unpack big concerns about whether screen use is “addictive,” whether dropping limits is the right choice, and how to respond when your child is glued to YouTube all day or spending your entire budget on Roblox. I offer a grounded, shame-free perspective on how screens can meet vital needs for rest, novelty, and autonomy — especially for neurodivergent kids — and how we can offer our most powerful parenting tool: a wholehearted yes. Whether you’re new to low demand or deep in phase two of burnout, this episode offers clarity, reassurance, and practical insight for one of the most emotionally loaded topics in parenting today. More details on this topic: To listen to more about burnout, check out episodes 11 and 14! I also have a mini-course on screens to get more of this compassionate, shame free approach. Screens Without Shame,    Additional low demand resources: For shame-free coaching, including a safe space to process your kid's screen use, check out coaching with the Low Demand team! We have skilled, passionate, deeply compassionate coaches ready to help you step into more acceptance and support. Find out more about coaching. Low Demand Parenting book: a love letter to exhausted, overwhelmed parents everywhere. Get the first chapter free!  Why is everything with my kid so hard?: Take the quiz to find your first step forward! Low Demand Parenting Blog: a treasure trove of low demand wisdom   Follow us on social for updates on the podcast, blog, and more!  Instagram Facebook Pinterest   The Low Demand Parenting Podcast is your space to let go of the pressure and embrace a more joyful, authentic approach to parenting. We hope you enjoyed this episode and would be honored if you left us a review which helps us reach more parents just like you!

    22 min
  3. What about the siblings?

    MAY 5

    What about the siblings?

    When you’re parenting a high-needs or PDA child, it often feels like their needs dominate the household. But what about the siblings? In this episode, I share five core truths that have helped me show up with compassion and clarity in the most impossible-feeling moments of sibling conflict. From managing competing needs, to navigating rupture and repair, to having real conversations about disability, this episode explores the messy, nuanced reality of raising multiple children in a low demand household. I’ll walk you through practical steps and hard-won insights, all rooted in deep love, radical acceptance, and the commitment to building safe, shame-free family relationships. Additional Resources: Low Demand Parenting book: a love letter to exhausted, overwhelmed parents everywhere. Get the first chapter free!  Why is everything with my kid so hard?: Take the quiz to find your first step forward! Low Demand Parenting Blog: a treasure trove of low demand wisdom   Follow us on social for updates on the podcast, blog, and more!  Instagram Facebook Pinterest   The Low Demand Parenting Podcast is your space to let go of the pressure and embrace a more joyful, authentic approach to parenting. We hope you enjoyed this episode and would be honored if you left us a review which helps us reach more parents just like you!

    30 min
  4. Mailbag: Low demand partnerships

    APR 28

    Mailbag: Low demand partnerships

    This week, I’m answering your questions about partnerships — about how to talk to your spouse about low demand parenting, what to do when they’re not on board, how to respond when they’re getting really triggered by meltdowns or moments of being hit or yelled at, and how to support a PDA partner in sharing their emotions safely. I share how I approach partnerships: with radical acceptance, deep listening, and letting go of expectations that are too hard. I also name that this conversation is based on my own experience being married to the person I co-parent with — and that things might look different if you’re navigating co-parenting after separation or with trauma present. I hope this episode gives you a fresh way to think about dropping demands for the other adults in your life and trusting that you can do your work, even when someone else is on their own journey. Additional Resources: Low Demand Parenting book: a love letter to exhausted, overwhelmed parents everywhere. Get the first chapter free!  Why is everything with my kid so hard?: Take the quiz to find your first step forward! Low Demand Parenting Blog: a treasure trove of low demand wisdom   Follow us on social for updates on the podcast, blog, and more!  Instagram Facebook Pinterest   The Low Demand Parenting Podcast is your space to let go of the pressure and embrace a more joyful, authentic approach to parenting. We hope you enjoyed this episode and would be honored if you left us a review which helps us reach more parents just like you!

    25 min
  5. From high-demand to low-demand: my journey of letting go

    APR 21

    From high-demand to low-demand: my journey of letting go

    This is a deeply personal episode. I am in the guest seat to share my transformation from high-demand, perfectionist parenting to the radical practice of Low Demand Parenting. Interviewed by my dear friend Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman, I open up about the turning point in my parenting journey, how the collapse of old paradigms gave way to deep healing, and why letting go isn’t failure—it’s freedom. Together, we explore the spiritual depth of radical acceptance, the impact of privilege on parenting choices, and why practicing low demand is never all-or-nothing. This episode is a love letter to the part of you that’s wondering if it’s okay to stop trying so hard. Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman: https://www.rabbishoshana.com The PDA Safe Circle is a new app, course, and welcoming online community designed to decrease distress and increase thriving for PDAers and our loved ones. Diane Gould of PDA North America calls The PDA Safe Circle Approach “a game changer.” No waitlist. Membership rates are equity-based and no one is turned away for financial reasons. Ross Greene and the Collaborative & Proactive Solutions model: https://livesinthebalance.org Misophonia information: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24460-misophonia

    26 min
  6. Why motherhood is killing us

    MAR 31

    Why motherhood is killing us

    In this powerful and deeply moving conversation, I am joined by Ambreia Meadows-Hernandez of Free Black Motherhood. Together, we unpack what it means to mother freely within systems built to demand your erasure. Ambreia shares how she is deconstructing martyr-based motherhood, reclaiming her identity as a liberated Black mother, and moving toward a more expansive and embodied parenting practice rooted in presence, emotional transparency, and intergenerational healing. We talk about the impossibility of perfection, the false expectations placed on mothers—especially Black mothers—and how parenting can be a radical act of justice. If you’ve ever felt like you had to disappear to be a “good” mom, this episode is for you. ~~Join the next Masterclass community group in April 2025!~~ MEET AMBREIA: Ambreia Meadows-Fernandez is a storyteller, public speaker, facilitator, and motherhood scholar who processes the world through her award-winning writing. Sometimes, these efforts are birthed as reported journalistic-style pieces. Other times, they manifest as essays where she tries to use her personal experiences as a window into larger societal trends. She found her writing voice in the aftermath of birth trauma. The experience compelled her to share her story and create Freeblackmotherhood – a way of mothering that asks 'Black mothers and others' to prioritize self-love and authentic expression in all things while asking them to imagine a world where Black women are free to feel. Her mediums change, but her passion for health, especially reproductive matters, remains the same.  • Learn more about Ambreia  • Follow her on Instagram at Free Black Motherhood  • SisterSong  • Patricia Hill Collins (Black Feminist scholarship)  • Adrienne Rich (Of Woman Born)  • Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now)  • Ambreia's article exploring Partus sequitur ventrem (status of the child follows the mother)

    28 min
  7. Mailbag: Should I pull my kid from school?

    MAR 24

    Mailbag: Should I pull my kid from school?

    I respond to a question from a parent navigating a painful dilemma: when a child is really struggling in school, how do we know when it’s time to pull them out? I explore two intertwined questions—how to recognize when it’s truly “too much,” and how to care for ourselves in the aftermath of such a big, life-changing decision. I share tools for tuning into our child’s nervous system, identifying red flags, and listening to our own inner knowing. I also talk about how to create sustainable routines, even in the chaos of burnout and unpredictability. This is an episode for anyone in the limbo of indecision, wondering if it’s “bad enough yet.” You are not alone. Additional Resources: Low Demand Parenting book: a love letter to exhausted, overwhelmed parents everywhere. Get the first chapter free!  Why is everything with my kid so hard?: Take the quiz to find your first step forward! Low Demand Parenting Blog: a treasure trove of low demand wisdom Follow us on social for updates on the podcast, blog, and more!  Instagram Facebook Pinterest The Low Demand Parenting Podcast is your space to let go of the pressure and embrace a more joyful, authentic approach to parenting. We hope you enjoyed this episode and would be honored if you left us a review which helps us reach more parents just like you!

    21 min
  8. What I Wish I Knew Sooner About My Kid's Brain

    MAR 17

    What I Wish I Knew Sooner About My Kid's Brain

    In this powerful conversation, I sit down with Robyn Gobbel, trauma therapist and author of Big Baffling Behaviors. Together, we explore how to talk to our kids about their brains, why it matters so much, and how understanding our nervous systems helps us parent with compassion and connection. Robyn shares her Owl, Watchdog, and Possum framework—a playful and accessible way to explain our brain states—and we dive deep into how nervous system science can transform the way we understand our kids’ struggles, our own reactions, and the path to healing for the whole family. This episode is for anyone who has ever felt baffled by their child’s behavior and longed for a way to explain the unexplainable—with love, curiosity, and a lot less shame. Explore the Restore Your Soul Mastermind here --> Mastermind LINKS FOR MORE DETAILS: • Robyn Gobbel’s website: https://robyngobbel.com • Robyn’s book Big Baffling Behaviors: https://robyngobbel.com/book • Polyvagal Theory by Dr. Stephen Porges: https://www.stephenporges.com • Dr. Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Model: https://www.neurosequential.com

    27 min
See All (27)

Trailer

5
out of 5
45 Ratings

About

The Low Demand Parenting Podcast is your space to let go of the pressure and embrace a more joyful, authentic approach to parenting. Hosted by Amanda Diekman—author, autistic adult, and mom of three—this podcast isn’t about perfection or expert advice. It’s about learning together how to drop the demands that weigh us down and find the ease we crave in our families. Whether you’re navigating neurodivergence, challenging behaviors, or simply the highs and lows of life, this show offers honest conversations, practical insights, and a whole lot of compassion. Let's thrive, even when it feels like life is on level 12 hard.

Information

  • Creator
    Amanda Diekman
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Amanda Diekman
  • Show Website
    Low Demand Parenting

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