

Ep 216: ADHD & Executive Function: What Matters More Than Grades (Part 1) — with Mike McLeod
2026/1/05 | 30 mins.
Send us a textIn this episode of Your Child Is Normal, Dr. Jessica Hochman talks with Mike McLeod about ADHD, executive function, and why grades are not the best predictor of long-term success.Mike explains why ADHD is less about “attention” and more about missing internal skills — including self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, and self-evaluation — and how those skills show up at home through homework battles, emotional conflict, and daily routines.In Part 1, we cover:Why executive function predicts real-life success more than gradesThe “internal skills” behind ADHD behaviorsWhy home is often harder than school for kids with ADHDHow homework can toxify the parent-child relationship — and what to do insteadWhy real-life experiences matter more than lectures and worksheetsAbout Mike McLeod: Mike McLeod is the founder of Grow Now ADHD. He has ADHD himself and began his career as a speech and language pathologist, focused on improving children’s quality of life. He developed the Grow Now Internal Skills Model and provides executive functioning coaching and fully personalized parent training. Grow Now has expanded to multiple locations across the U.S. and also works with families virtually around the world. Mike also provides professional development training to schools and school districts, and he shares that his Executive Functioning Playbook books are scheduled for release in January (this month!).Please refer to the GrowNow ADHD website for more information! grownowadhd.comYour Child is Normal is the trusted podcast for parents, pediatricians, and child health experts who want smart, nuanced conversations about raising healthy, resilient kids. Hosted by Dr. Jessica Hochman — a board-certified practicing pediatrician — the show combines evidence-based medicine, expert interviews, and real-world parenting advice to help listeners navigate everything from sleep struggles to mental health, nutrition, screen time, and more. Follow Dr Jessica Hochman:Instagram: @AskDrJessica and Tiktok @askdrjessicaYouTube channel: Ask Dr Jessica If you are interested in placing an ad on Your Child Is Normal click here or fill out our interest form.-For a plant-based, USDA Organic certified vitamin supplement, check out : Llama Naturals Vitamin and use discount code: DRJESSICA20-To test your child's microbiome and get recommendations, check out: Tiny Health using code: DRJESSICA The information presented in Ask Dr Jessica is for general educational purposes only. She does not diagnose medical conditi...

Ep 215: When Period Pain Isn’t Normal: Endometriosis in Teens with Dr. Iris Kerin Orbuch
2025/12/15 | 39 mins.
Send us a textIn this episode of Your Child Is Normal, Dr. Jessica Hochman sits down with endometriosis specialist Dr. Iris Kerin Orbuch, author of Beating Endo: How to Reclaim Your Life from Endometriosis and a key medical voice in the films Endo What? and Below the Belt.Dr. Orbuch explains what endometriosis is, why it’s so common yet underdiagnosed, and how it often first shows up in teens—not only as painful periods, but often as chronic gut issues, fatigue, and “IBS” that never fully resolves. She shares how she evaluates patients, why excision surgery is considered the gold standard, and how she combines surgery with pelvic floor physical therapy, gut work, mindfulness, and trauma-informed care to help patients truly heal.Also discussed:The red flags that period pain that starts interfering with school, sports, and social life is not normal.How endometriosis can show up years before a teen ever gets her first period.Why birth control can help symptoms but acts as a Band-Aid, not a cure, and doesn’t stop disease progression.How endometriosis is linked to infertility, and why diagnosing and treating it early matters.Practical next steps for parents: when to suspect endo, how to talk to your pediatrician or OB-GYN, and what kind of specialist to look for.This episode is meant to give parents a clearer sense of when to worry, when to push for more answers, and how to support teens who might be living with endometriosis.Connect with Dr. Iris Kerin OrbuchWebsite: https://www.lagyndr.comIris Wings – Sanctuary for Endometriosis Surgery & Wellness 9001 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 207Beverly Hills, CA 90211 Phone: (310) 651-7333 Follow her on Instagram:@dririskerinorbuch@iriswings Buy her Book: Beating Endo: How to Reclaim Your Life from EndometriosisYour Child is Normal is the trusted podcast for parents, pediatricians, and child health experts who want smart, nuanced conversations about raising healthy, resilient kids. Hosted by Dr. Jessica Hochman — a board-certified practicing pediatrician — the show combines evidence-based medicine, expert interviews, and real-world parenting advice to help listeners navigate everything from sleep struggles to mental health, nutrition, screen time, and more. Follow Dr Jessica Hochman:Instagram: @AskDrJessica and Tiktok @askdrjessicaYouTube channel: Ask Dr Jessica If you are interested in placing an ad on Your Child Is Normal click here or fill out our interest form.-For a plant-based, USDA Organic certified vitamin supplement, check out : Llama Naturals Vitamin and use discount code: DRJESSICA20-To test your child's microbiome and get recommendations, check out: Tiny Health using code: DRJESSICA The information presented in Ask Dr Jessica is for general educational purposes only. She does not diagnose medical conditi...

Ep 214: Raising Intuitive Eaters, with Kim Shapira, Dietician and Author
2025/12/08 | 46 mins.
Send us a textIn this episode of Your Child Is Normal, Dr. Jessica Hochman sits down with dietitian and author Kim Shapira whose book This Is What You’re Really Hungry For helps people rebuild a peaceful relationship with food.Kim shares how her own childhood health struggles and experiences with patients led her away from traditional dieting and toward an approach centered on trust, body awareness, and emotional honesty around eating.Why using dessert or “treats” as rewards (for shots, potty training, etc.) can wire kids to use food for comfort.How to talk to kids about hunger and fullness without shaming them or making them feel watched.A different way to think about “picky eating” that avoids labels and keeps the door open for kids to change and explore.Practical ideas for structuring meals at home—like always offering fruits and vegetables, involving kids in cooking, and de-dramatizing snacks and sweets.Why obsessing over ingredients like seed oils may matter less than the bigger picture of connection, variety, and listening to your body.Instagram / X / general: @kimshapiramethod Website: Kim Shapira MethodYour Child is Normal is the trusted podcast for parents, pediatricians, and child health experts who want smart, nuanced conversations about raising healthy, resilient kids. Hosted by Dr. Jessica Hochman — a board-certified practicing pediatrician — the show combines evidence-based medicine, expert interviews, and real-world parenting advice to help listeners navigate everything from sleep struggles to mental health, nutrition, screen time, and more. Follow Dr Jessica Hochman:Instagram: @AskDrJessica and Tiktok @askdrjessicaYouTube channel: Ask Dr Jessica If you are interested in placing an ad on Your Child Is Normal click here or fill out our interest form.-For a plant-based, USDA Organic certified vitamin supplement, check out : Llama Naturals Vitamin and use discount code: DRJESSICA20-To test your child's microbiome and get recommendations, check out: Tiny Health using code: DRJESSICA The information presented in Ask Dr Jessica is for general educational purposes only. She does not diagnose medical conditi...

Ep 213: Screen addiction: how can we prevent this with our children? With Dr Nicholas Kardaras
2025/12/01 | 53 mins.
Send us a textIn this flashback episode, we are revisiting my interview with Dr Nicholas Kardaras (episode 100) to discuss screen addiction and children. Dr. Nicholas Kardaras is an Ivy-League educated psychologist, an internationally renowned speaker, and one of the country’s foremost addiction experts. He is the CEO and Chief Clinical Officer of Maui Recovery in Hawaii and Omega Recovery in Austin, Texas. A former Clinical Professor at Stony Brook Medicine in NY where he specialized in teaching the neurophysiology and treatment of addiction.Dr. Kardaras is the author of the best-selling "Glow Kids" (St. Martin's Press, 2016), the seminal book on the clinical, neurological and sociological aspects of Technology Addiction (Smart Phones, Video Games, Social Media, etc.). Dr. Kardaras is also the author most recently of "”Digital Madness” where he further discuss the tech addicted world we live in and the harm it poses to our youth. He has written for TIME Magazine, Scientific American, Psychology Today, Salon, The NY Daily News, and FOX News, and has appeared on ABC's 20/20, Good Morning America, the CBS Evening News, FOX & Friends, NPR, Good Day New York and in Esquire, New York Magazine and Vanity Fair. He was also featured on the 2019 A&E TV series “Digital Addiction” and his 2016 NY Post Op Ed “Digital Heroin” went viral with over 6 million views and shares.Considered a leading expert on young people and digital addiction, he's clinically worked with over 2,000 teens and young adults and has been active in advocating that screen addiction be recognized as a clinical disorder akin to substance addiction. As a result of his clinical training and expertise working with tech addiction, Dr. Kardaras has developed the most comprehensive treatment protocols to treat this emerging global problem. Your Child is Normal is the trusted podcast for parents, pediatricians, and child health experts who want smart, nuanced conversations about raising healthy, resilient kids. Hosted by Dr. Jessica Hochman — a board-certified practicing pediatrician — the show combines evidence-based medicine, expert interviews, and real-world parenting advice to help listeners navigate everything from sleep struggles to mental health, nutrition, screen time, and more. Follow Dr Jessica Hochman:Instagram: @AskDrJessica and Tiktok @askdrjessicaYouTube channel: Ask Dr Jessica If you are interested in placing an ad on Your Child Is Normal click here or fill out our interest form.-For a plant-based, USDA Organic certified vitamin supplement, check out : Llama Naturals Vitamin and use discount code: DRJESSICA20-To test your child's microbiome and get recommendations, check out: Tiny Health using code: DRJESSICA The information presented in Ask Dr Jessica is for general educational purposes only. She does not diagnose medical conditi...

Ep 212: Your Teen is Normal! A conversation with actual kids-- The hosts of the Holistic Kids Show
2025/11/24 | 34 mins.
Send us a textIn episode 211 of Your Child is Normal, Abdullah, Emaad, Zain, and Qasim Ansari (Brothers spaning the ages of 10 to 17) hosts of the Holistic Kids Show podcast, share their journey of creating a podcast focused on health and wellness for teens. They discuss the importance of hydration, the impact of technology and social media, and effective parenting strategies. The conversation emphasizes the need for independence in children while maintaining a balance with guidance. The Ansari brothers also highlight the significance of healthy eating habits and spending time in nature. Their insights are backed by their experiences and the knowledge gained from interviewing experts in the field. They conclude by promoting their upcoming book, which aims to educate teens and parents alike on health and wellness.Follow: The Holistic Kids Show to listen to "kids empowering kids".Book The Teen Health Revolution, coming out Dec 11th! https://theteenhealthrevolution.com/Your Child is Normal is the trusted podcast for parents, pediatricians, and child health experts who want smart, nuanced conversations about raising healthy, resilient kids. Hosted by Dr. Jessica Hochman — a board-certified practicing pediatrician — the show combines evidence-based medicine, expert interviews, and real-world parenting advice to help listeners navigate everything from sleep struggles to mental health, nutrition, screen time, and more. Follow Dr Jessica Hochman:Instagram: @AskDrJessica and Tiktok @askdrjessicaYouTube channel: Ask Dr Jessica If you are interested in placing an ad on Your Child Is Normal click here or fill out our interest form.-For a plant-based, USDA Organic certified vitamin supplement, check out : Llama Naturals Vitamin and use discount code: DRJESSICA20-To test your child's microbiome and get recommendations, check out: Tiny Health using code: DRJESSICA The information presented in Ask Dr Jessica is for general educational purposes only. She does not diagnose medical conditi...



Your Child is Normal: with Dr Jessica Hochman