THE PARENTING IQ PODCAST

Understand your child & parent with confidence

A smiling woman sitting on a wicker chair with her right arm resting on her knee, wearing a colorful striped blouse and blue jeans, in a minimal white room. Text overlay: 'Parenting IQ with Dr. Kelly Cagle'.

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Parenting advice is everywhere. Knowing what fits your child and your family can feel really hard.

The Parenting IQ Podcast helps you make everyday parenting decisions with greater understanding and confidence. Join Dr. Kelly Cagle and her guests for practical conversations that connect research with real family life so you can understand your child, weigh your options, and confidently choose your next step.

Hosted by Dr. Kelly Cagle, a PhD in K-16 education, ADHD researcher, and homeschooling mom of three boys, each episode helps you better understand your child’s needs, so you feel confident teaching life skills, character, and emotional intelligence that go far beyond the textbook and last a lifetime.

Some of the topics we cover include:

  • ADHD-friendly parenting strategies

  • How to motivate your kids without nagging

  • Building confident, connected families

  • Teaching life skills that stick

  • Rethinking academics for real-world success

  • Managing sibling dynamics and home rhythms

  • Biblical wisdom + brain science and so much more

The show is proudly part of The Christian Parenting Podcast Network.

Our mission is to help you understand your child so you can parent with confidence.

Exploring Neurodiversity Kelly Cagle Exploring Neurodiversity Kelly Cagle

Parenting Teens with ADHD: Protect the Relationship, Build the Skills | Dr. Tamara Rosier, Your Brain's Not Broken

Parenting a teen with ADHD can make it difficult to know when to step in and when to step back. Dr. Kelly Cagle sits down with Dr. Tamara Rosier, author of Your Brain’s Not Broken, to talk about the developmental challenges teens with ADHD face and how parents can support them without constantly rescuing them. They explore identity, independence, friendships, rejection, and the importance of staying calm and curious through it all.

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Exploring Neurodiversity Kelly Cagle Exploring Neurodiversity Kelly Cagle

Why Do I Have to Repeat Myself? | Dr. Jody Jedlicka, LearningRX

Why does your child seem to hear you but still struggle to follow through? Dr. Kelly Cagle sits down with Dr. Jody Jedlicka to explore the difference between hearing and auditory processing—and why listening difficulties aren't always disobedience or lack of attention. Learn what signs to look for, when to seek additional support, and simple ways to make listening and learning easier for your child.

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Exploring Neurodiversity Kelly Cagle Exploring Neurodiversity Kelly Cagle

Your Child Is More Than a Diagnosis: Finding Hope After an Autism Diagnosis | Kari Baker, KIND Families

An autism diagnosis can bring both clarity and uncertainty for a family. In this episode, Dr. Kelly Cagle talks with Kari Baker, founder of KIND Families, about pursuing the right support, recognizing your child’s strengths, and finding hope in the middle of an unexpected journey. Parents will be encouraged to see a diagnosis as a roadmap—not a definition of who their child is.

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Exploring Neurodiversity Kelly Cagle Exploring Neurodiversity Kelly Cagle

From Frustration to Teamwork: Navigating ADHD in Marriage

ADHD can create unique challenges in marriage, from impulsive communication and unfinished projects to mental overload and difficulty transitioning into connection. In this episode, Dr. Kelly Cagle breaks down what’s happening in the ADHD brain and shares practical strategies couples can use to communicate more effectively, share responsibilities, and reduce frustration. Learn how curiosity, clear systems, and intentional communication can help you stop working against each other and start functioning as a team.

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The Small Habits That Slowly Destroy a Marriage w/ Lindsey Maestas

In this episode, Dr. Kelly Cagle sits down with Lindsey Maestas to uncover the small, everyday habits that can slowly create distance in a marriage. They discuss how distractions, unmet expectations, resentment, and avoiding hard conversations can weaken connection—and how simple shifts like putting down your phone, taking responsibility for your own patterns, dating your spouse, and keeping Christ at the center can help rebuild intimacy and friendship.

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How to Help Your Child Feel Safe When the World Doesn't w/ Courtney Reissig

When the world feels scary, how do we help our kids feel safe without pretending that hard things won’t happen? In this episode, Dr. Kelly Cagle talks with Courtney Reissig about helping children process fear, navigate difficult questions, and find security in God even when we don’t have all the answers. They share practical ways parents can filter overwhelming information, create healthy boundaries around the news, and point their kids toward hope in a broken world.

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Teaching Kids Body Boundaries Without Scaring Them w/ Sara Ernst

How do we teach kids about body boundaries without making them afraid of the world? In this episode, Dr. Kelly Cagle talks with Sara Ernst about helping children recognize “tricky” behavior, trust when something feels uncomfortable, and confidently use their voice. They share practical ways parents can teach body safety, respect a child’s boundaries, and build skills that will serve them from childhood into their teen years and beyond.

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5 Boundaries You Need If You Have ADHD

In this episode of Parenting IQ, Dr. Kelly Cagle shares five essential boundaries that can help adults and kids with ADHD thrive. She explores how setting intentional guardrails around friendships, commitments, intake, stagnation, and ideas can protect your time, attention, and capacity. You’ll learn why boundaries aren’t about restriction—they’re about creating the structure your ADHD brain needs for greater focus, follow-through, and freedom.

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Speaking Topics

ADHD Conversations:

  1. Parenting Beyond the ADHD Label— Understanding a child’s strengths, challenges, and needs without letting a diagnosis “define” them.

  2. Why Won’t You Just Do It?— Exploring why getting started, following directions, and finishing tasks can be difficult, and how parents can help through systems, not more nagging and yelling.

  3. Homework, ADHD, and the Parent-Child Relationship— Creating a more supportive homework experience through realistic expectations and school partnerships.

  4. ADHD and Big Feelings— Navigating frustration and emotional overwhelm with compassion, clear boundaries, and opportunities to reconnect.

  5. Building Independence When Your Child Has ADHD— Helping children practice responsibility with support that grows and changes alongside them.

Home Rhythms Conversations:

  1. Creating a Home That Works for Your Family— Establishing predictable patterns that bring structure while making room for joy, hiccups, and real life.

  2. Less Rushing, More Connection— Using simple moments as anchors, making busy life feel more manageable and less chaotic.

  3. The After-School Reset— Creating space for kids’ needs while juggling homework, activities, and family time.

  4. Running a Home Like a Business— Using systems to create a healthier flow, accomplish more, bring clarity and unity, and build skills

  5. When the World Becomes Your School— Recognizing there are many lessons no school will teach and how we can weave them into our day-to-day.

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