THE PARENTING IQ PODCAST

Understand your child & parent with confidence

Subscribe on Apple or Spotify and join thousands of other lifelong learners!

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

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

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.

Read More
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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

The Greatest Gift You Can Give Before Your Child Leaves Home w/ Douglas McKelvey

In this episode, Dr. Kelly Cagle sits down with bestselling author Douglas McKelvey to discuss the greatest gift parents can give their children before they leave home: a personal, enduring relationship with Jesus. Together, they explore how spiritual rhythms like prayer, trusting God's truth, and developing a faith of their own can prepare young adults to navigate life's challenges with confidence. This conversation offers hope and practical encouragement for parents raising children to stand firm in their faith long after they leave the nest.

Read More

The Biggest Mistake Parents Make When Launching Their Adult Child w/ Dr. Kathy Koch

Launching your child into adulthood can be one of the hardest seasons of parenting but it doesn't have to be filled with fear. In this episode, Dr. Kelly Cagle sits down with parenting expert Dr. Kathy Koch to discuss the biggest mistakes parents make when preparing their adult children for college, careers, marriage, and beyond. Together, they explore how to replace control with trust, help young adults build resilience, encourage dependence on God, and maintain healthy relationships during one of life's biggest transitions.

Read More

Listen On Your Favorite Platform

Feature Dr. Kelly Cagle
On Your Show

  • A mind shift between student & learner

  • What every American home desperately needs: Less chaos, more connection

  • Being a healthy mom in an overstimulating world

  • When the world is your school: Learning that happens at home

  • Three character traits every child needs: Competence, creativity, and curiosity

  • Avoiding parental burnout

  • How to fight the current mental health crisis

  • Eight ways people are wired as learners through the 8 Multiple Intelligences theoretical lens

  • Improving home life with an ADHD child: Simple habits that make a big difference

Discussion Ideas:

What listeners are saying: