Ep 04 - There's a Place for Everyone: Lauren Hough Williams on Inclusion for all Neurotypes, Family, and Dignified Risk

How do you raise kids who approach the world with curiosity, compassion, and the drive to make their communities more supportive and inclusive?Today, we’re talking to Gillian’s dear friend Lauren Hough Williams about how her childhood shaped her into an expert in building systems where everyone has a place. In this episode, we dig into how Lauren’s position as the eldest of five siblings helped to create her community mindset. We discuss the role of privilege and its attendant sense of safety in facilitating risk-taking. And, we learn how Lauren’s mom crafted a happy, chaotic home, all the while imparting wisdom and sly humor in equal measures. We also learn how professional experts in childhood become “experts” in their own home, winning some and losing some as we try to parent well and bring our professional knowledge into our parenting our own kids.Listen to the full episode to hear:How volunteer basketball games helped teenage Lauren recognize that inclusive environments benefit everyoneHow Lauren’s family and early education modeled community orientation and compassion as core valuesHow Lauren’s parents created a supportive, safe environment inside the inherent chaos of a large familyWhat Lauren learned from her mom about letting go of perfectionism and urgency, and maintaining a sense of humor as a parentWhy Lauren’s professional life as an educator and coach doesn’t seamlessly integrate into her parentingLearn more about Lauren Hough Williams:Program for Inclusion and Neurodiversity EducationConnect on LinkedInLearn more about I Hate You. What’s For Dinner?Connect with Gillian Boudreau, PhD.:WebsiteInstagram @clearconnectionpsychologyConnect with Rob Galligan, PhD.:Instagram @dr.robert.galligan