TPP 481: Bonus Conversation with Heather Chauvin on Navigating Unexpected Detours

TPP 481: Bonus Conversation with Heather Chauvin on Navigating Unexpected Detours

Author: Debbie Reber December 30, 2025 Duration: 55:15
Today’s episode is an expert visit with leadership coach, author, and podcast host Heather Chauvin about navigating life’s unexpected detours, especially the ones that knock the wind out of you and make you question everything. Heather shares how her stage 4 cancer diagnosis reshaped the way she thinks about “resilience,” why so many capable, responsible women end up running on fumes, and what it looks like to stop powering through and start rebuilding your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual resources from the inside out. We talk about the shame that can come with feeling tired, how to notice the moment right before you react (so you can respond differently over time), and simple, grounding questions like “How do I want to feel?” that can become a roadmap when life gets messy. Note: This is a special release of an expert conversation held inside the Differently Wired Club. Enjoy!   About Heather Heather Chauvin is a leadership coach who helps ‘successful’ women courageously and authentically live, work, and parent on their own terms. Heather started her career as a social worker helping adults understand children’s behavior. But it wasn’t until 2013 when a stage 4 cancer diagnosis pushed her to take a deeper stand for change, uncovering how cultural expectations sabotage our dreams. She has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Real Simple Magazine, Mind Body Green, Google, and more. When Heather isn’t working, you will find her living out what she teaches which may include kayaking Alaska, snowboarding, hiking, or anything else that challenges what she believes is possible for herself (and inviting her children along the journey). Life is full of opportunities. It’s time to feel alive.   Key Takeaways Why resilience isn’t about powering through—and how numbing and over-functioning can quietly turn into fatigue and shame How starting with the question “How do I want to feel?” helps parents make more aligned, sustainable choices Why fatigue carries important information and how getting curious instead of judgmental can shift everything How noticing your yellow zone before reacting builds awareness and more connected responses over time Why detours and uncertainty often become powerful identity work, revealing where growth and change are being invited How practicing small, intentional “tiny pushes” can help parents move toward the version of themselves they’re becoming Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children is a space for parents who are moving at the speed their kids require. Hosted by Debbie Reber, an author and activist who understands the terrain, this podcast offers more than just advice-it offers a sense of shared experience. Each episode delves into the real-world challenges and joys of raising children with ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), giftedness, or twice-exceptional (2e) profiles. You’ll hear from specialists, educators, and therapists who provide actionable strategies, but the core of the conversation is always connection. Debbie guides discussions that move beyond theory to address the daily realities: managing meltdowns, advocating within school systems, nurturing a child’s unique strengths, and preserving your own well-being in the process. It’s a resource for those moments when standard parenting approaches fall short, offering insights that are both practical and deeply empathetic. Listening to this podcast feels like a conversation with a knowledgeable friend who gets it, one that leaves you with tangible ideas and the reassurance that you’re not navigating this path alone. The focus is on building a supportive framework for your family, one episode at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
Podcast Episodes
TPP 307a: Eliza Fricker Talks Parenting a Child with PDA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:55
Eliza Fricker joins me to talk about PDA or pathological demand avoidance – and in fact I know many people interpret PDA as persistent desire for autonomy. I’ve done a few episodes on PDA before but never from a parent’s…
TPP 504: Celia Bray on Staying Anchored in an Intense World [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:13
Today we’re exploring what it means to reconnect with our bodies and how that can transform not just our emotional health, but our parenting and relationships as well, with Celia Bray, a psychologist, somatic therapist,…