When Parenting Doesn't Come With a Roadmap
Guest: Dr. Radhika Achari | The Beauty In The Mess Podcast
What do you do when the future you planned suddenly feels out of reach? And what happens when parenting looks nothing like you imagined?
In this episode, Michele Simms welcomes Dr. Radhika Achari, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with more than 15 years of clinical experience and the founder of Analyze & Act.
Radhika's road to motherhood included a year and a half of IVF during COVID, when she was told her chances were slim to none. She decided to start her PhD at the same time, giving herself structure and something she could control. Later, as the mom of a neurodivergent son, she found herself in burnout, still having to tell her son the same things a hundred times.
So she turned the tools she used with her clients toward her own home. Instead of micromanaging, she started asking what one skill was missing, and taught it one small step at a time. Morning checklists, packing his own snack, and laying out his clothes for the week gave her son more independence and gave Radhika room to breathe.
That experience led her to create Bridge to College Independence, an eight-week program that helps neurodivergent teens and their parents prepare for life after high school.
IN THIS EPISODE, WE DISCUSS:
- Coping with uncertainty and depression during IVF
- Using structure and purposeful distraction during hard seasons
- Parenting through burnout and exhaustion
- Shifting responsibility from parent to child, one skill at a time
- Involving kids in cooking to build curiosity and motivation
- Why planning ahead can ease anxiety for kids who struggle with uncertainty
- Breaking big goals into small, five-minute steps
- Self-advocacy, accommodations, and readiness for college
- Why the best time to start building independence is now
A POWERFUL REMINDER
You don't have to have everything figured out to move forward. Sometimes the biggest changes start with one small step, and with giving the people we love the chance to do a little more on their own.
EPISODE TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Introduction to Dr. Radhika Achari
02:35 - Meet Radhika
03:35 - An unexpected path to parenthood through IVF
06:35 - Using behavior analysis to cope with IVF
09:35 - Starting a PhD in the middle of IVF
10:35 - Hard pregnancies, two under two, and getting creative
14:35 - Involving a neurodivergent child in cooking
19:35 - How Top Chef became a family connection
22:35 - Parents are the experts on their child
26:35 - When kids resist: finding the why behind behavior
28:35 - Breaking big goals into small steps
29:35 - Rose, bud, and thorn reflection
32:35 - Helping parents step back as teens step up
33:35 - Client success stories
34:35 - Parent burnout and shifting responsibility to kids
39:35 - Routines, rewards, and building independence
42:35 - Planning ahead to ease anxiety
44:35 - Inside Bridge to College Independence
47:35 - Hard wins and finding your why
50:35 - Connecting with Radhika
CONNECT WITH DR. RADHIKA ACHARI
- Website: analyzeandact.com
- Instagram: @analyze_and_act
- Facebook: Analyze & Act parenting group : https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572233982888
- Program: Bridge to College Independence
CONNECT WITH MICHELE SIMMS
- Website: thebeautyinthemess.com
- Instagram: @the.beauty.in.the.mess
- LinkedIn: Michele Simms
- Facebook Group: The Beauty in the Mess Podcast
RATE AND REVIEW
If this episode spoke to you, please follow the podcast, share it with someone who needs encouragement, and consider leaving a five-star review.
#TheBeautyInTheMess #MicheleSimms #RadhikaAchari #AnalyzeAndAct #ParentingNeurodivergentKids #ParentBurnout #RaisingIndependentKids #IVFJourney #CollegeReadiness #YouAreNotAlone
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.