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This week on Your Child Is Normal, Dr. Jessica Hochman sits down with chef and food educator Aliza Sokolow, author of the children’s book This Is What I Eat, to make healthy eating feel simpler, more joyful, and actually realistic for busy families.

Aliza shares the behind-the-scenes story of how she went from architecture to food media, to working with Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution in schools — where she saw how powerful basic food education can be. Aliza talks about why how you present food matters, how to build routines without turning dinner into a battle, and easy ways to get kids involved (from grocery store scavenger hunts to soup, pesto, and banana bread). Plus: smart shortcuts to make cooking for your family easier.

Follow Aliza:

• Instagram: @alizajsokolow
• Substack: This Is What I Eat
• Website/prints: sokolowphoto.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 @askdrjessica
YouTube 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...

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This is Part 2 of Dr. Jessica Hochman’s conversation with Mike McLeod, founder of Grow Now ADHD — and it’s packed with practical strategies.

We talk about why internet-connected screens can be especially dysregulating for kids with ADHD, how to recognize when screen use is crossing into addiction, and what “authoritative parenting” looks like when you’re setting limits that kids will absolutely push back on.

In this episode, part 2, we cover:

• Which types of screen time are most harmful (and why TV is different)
• The biggest myths parents tell themselves about gaming and social connection
• How to set boundaries without negotiating constantly
• Getting kids out of the house and back into real-world experiences
• Chores and non-preferred tasks: why verbal prompting backfires
• School accommodations that help — vs “accommodations” that set kids up to struggle later
• What the “ideal school” could look like (and why many kids would love it)

About 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. He developed the Grow Now Internal Skills Model and provides executive functioning coaching and fully personalized parent training for families. Grow Now has expanded to multiple U.S. locations and serves families virtually worldwide. Mike also provides professional development training for educators and shares that his Executive Functioning Playbook books are scheduled for release in January (available for order now!).

Website: grownowadhd.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 @askdrjessica
YouTube 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...

Send us a text

In 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 grades
• The “internal skills” behind ADHD behaviors
• Why home is often harder than school for kids with ADHD
• How homework can toxify the parent-child relationship — and what to do instead
• Why real-life experiences matter more than lectures and worksheets

About 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.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 @askdrjessica
YouTube 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...