From Burnout to Balance - Helping Parents Find Balance on the Burnout Recovery Journey

After a quiet season of listening to my own nervous system, this episode is a gentle update from me to you.
Toward the end of last year, I began to feel myself nearing burnout again. The end of the year can be a tender, intense time in our family, and I knew I needed to step back and honour what I teach so many parents inside From Burnout to Balance: safety first, capacity second, everything else can wait.
During that pause, I asked myself a simple question:
What would feel joyful… and truly supportive for parents right now?
The answer surprised me in the best way.
I realised how much I love collaboration, conversation, and community—the heart of everything we build together. So I reached out to my friend and fellow coach Emma Gilmour, another mum walking alongside women in midlife and mothers navigating big life transitions.
Together, we’ve created something new.
This episode is the final episode of From Burnout to Balance as a podcast—but it’s not goodbye.
It’s a doorway.
In 2026, Emma and I are launching a new collaborative podcast:
Meltdowns, Menopause & Magic—a space for honest conversations about parenting neurodivergent kids, midlife identity shifts, burnout recovery, grief, humour, and the strange magic that appears when women gather in truth.
If this podcast has been a soft place to land for you, I hope you’ll continue the journey with us there.
Thank you for walking this road with me.
You have never been alone—and you never will be.
Links to follow the new show and learn more about Emma’s work are in the show notes.
With love,
Tanya.

You can find out more about my new co-host Emma Gilmour in her Instagram @hoperisingcoaching

Follow Menopause, Meltdowns &Magic

In this special episode of From Burnout to Balance, I sit down with my son Theo for an honest conversation about one of the biggest parenting stressors of our time: screen time.
Together, they reflect on their family’s journey from strict screen limits to a more relaxed, trust-based approach, and Theo shares candid insights about what life online is really like for young people today.
From gaming and streaming to online friendships, predator safety, and even the role screens play in mental health, Theo offers a perspective many parents rarely get to hear directly from their kids.

You’ll hear about:
🌿 Why limiting screens too tightly can sometimes isolate kids.
🌿 The positives (and risks) of online communities and friendships.
🌿 How gaming builds creativity, problem-solving, and even coding skills.
🌿 Practical tips for helping kids transition off screens without battles.
🌿 Theo’s personal journey as a streamer and what he’s learned along the way.
This is a heartfelt, eye-opening episode that will help you see the online world through your child’s eyes—and maybe even ease some of your own anxieties about screen time.

Join our online From Burnout to Balance Community

You can try Simply Nootropics here
Use the coupon code TANYAVALENTINNZ15 to get $15 off your first order.

Takeaways
Screen time can serve as an escape for children.
It's important to balance screen time with real-life interactions.
Parents should check in on their children's mental health related to screen use.
Online friendships can be as significant as real-life ones.
Children can learn valuable skills through gaming.
Parents should educate their kids about online safety and predator awareness.
Streaming can boost a child's confidence and self-expression.
It's crucial to monitor the content children consume online.
Setting reasonable screen limits is better than strict restrictions.
Open communication about online experiences fosters trust.

Hygiene can feel simple to some, but for many neurodivergent children and teens, especially those in burnout, it can be one of the hardest daily tasks.
In this episode of From Burnout to Balance, Tanya is joined again by Laura Hellfeld, a neurodivergent nurse and parent educator, to explore the layered challenges of hygiene and how parents can support their children with compassion, creativity, and flexibility.
Together, we discuss:
Why hygiene often becomes inaccessible during burnout.

The role of interoception and sensory processing in everyday self-care.

How trial-and-error, choice, and autonomy can make hygiene less overwhelming.

Gentle, practical alternatives to showers and baths (like wipes, shower caps, and simple sensory tweaks).

Navigating parental worries about social expectations and rejection.

Why honouring autonomy and co-creating routines is key to building lifelong skills.

This conversation is full of validation, real-life stories, and practical ideas to make hygiene less of a battle and more of a supportive, safe experience for your child.
📌 Resources & Links:
Follow Laura’s work and writing via Substack and her books
ND Nurse Consulting Webpage
Laura’s Newsletter & Articles on Substack
Gabby’s Glimmers: An Affirming Story of an Autistic Child and their Favourite Food
Creating Safe Spaces for Autistic People, book
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
BlueSky

Explore more support inside From Burnout to Balance, Tanya’s parent membership community.
FREE Burnout 101 mini-course -  tanyavalentin.co/101
Explore the healthcare products mentioned in this show: Simply Nootropics - https://glnk.io/ovx5q/tanyavalentinnz
TANYAVALENTINNZ15  to get an additional $15 off your first order

In this heartfelt episode of From Burnout to Balance, I sit down with Jade Thompson, an everyday Australian mum with an extraordinary story.
Jade opens up about her family’s journey through her son’s autistic burnout, the heartbreak of early school trauma, and the heavy weight of navigating broken systems. Instead of following conventional advice, Jade chose something different: to trust her intuition, listen deeply, and build a life centred on connection, love, and hope.
Together, we talk about:
What it looks like to walk beside your child in burnout recovery
The grief, confusion, and courage parents often carry

Why the system—not the child—is what’s broken
How radical honesty and love can create a new path forward

This is a conversation for any parent who has felt alone, unseen, or unsure of how to keep going.
Jade’s story is a reminder that you are not broken—and neither is your child.

Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode:
✨ Free Grief Guide for Parents
✨ Join From Burnout to Balance Membership
Check out: Simply Nootropics - Use The Coupon Code: TANYAVALENTINNZ15 and get an additional $15 off your first order.https://glnk.io/ovx5q/tanyavalentinnz  
Connect with Me:
Instagram: @tanyavalentinnz
Website: tanyavalentin.co

In this raw and deeply validating episode, I’m joined by Emma Gilmour, coach, counsellor, parent of two neurodivergent teens, and founder of Hope Rising Coaching.
Together, we explore the invisible intersections between neurodivergence, alcohol, trauma, unmasking, and parenting through burnout.
Emma shares her powerful journey of redefining her relationship with alcohol, discovering her own late-diagnosed neurodivergence, and parenting her children through autistic burnout.
We unpack how masking, cultural conditioning, and shame impact our ability to advocate for ourselves and how choosing self-compassion over self-judgment can be a radical and life-saving act.
This is an episode about being honest with ourselves. About acknowledging what we didn’t know, what we coped with the best we could, and how healing often begins in the places we’ve been told to hide.
This conversation is both an invitation and a lifeline, especially for parents walking a similar path.

Trigger Warning: This episode contains open and honest conversations about:
Childhood trauma and emotional neglect

Alcohol use as a coping mechanism

Self-harm and suicidal ideation (including among teens and women in midlife)

Unsafe social situations and consent

Burnout, shutdowns, and parent-child relational trauma

Please take care while listening. Press pause, come back later, or skip this episode entirely if needed. Your nervous system safety matters most.

In this episode, we explore:
Emma’s journey from corporate marketing to sobriety and coaching

The link between late-diagnosed neurodivergence and alcohol use

How alcohol often acts as a mask and survival tool for neurodivergent people

Parenting two PDA children through burnout

What it really means to support kids who can’t yet advocate for themselves

Breaking generational cycles around emotions, shame, and compliance

How grief, guilt, and growth coexist in parenting

Why awareness—not self-blame—is the first step to change

The freedom that comes from seeing behaviour as data, not failure

🔗 Resources & Links:
Emma’s website & coaching

Emma’s Awareness Worksheets on alcohol use
Join Emma's Free Live Webinar - Not That Bad, But Bad Enough

Follow Emma on Instagram

Join our parent community: From Burnout to Balance