Wish you had some insider tips on the college application process? Your teen’s college application can feel like the ultimate high-stakes black box. On this episode of The Brainy Moms Podcast, Dr. Amy and Sandy talk with Thomas Caleel, founder and CEO of Admittedly and former director of MBA Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, to get honest advice about what drives admissions decisions and why the stress spiral is so common in high-achieving families.

They dig into what colleges say they want versus what families think they want. Thomas explains why massive applicant pools and the Common App changed the game, why “do everything” applicants blend together, and how students stand out by going deep on a real interest instead of chasing endless activities. They also talk academics: course rigor as the entry point, how grade inflation makes GPAs harder to trust, and why standardized testing is gaining traction again as schools look for clearer signals of readiness.

Then they get practical about fit and life paths. They unpack sports time commitments when recruitment isn’t likely, how work can become a powerful part of an application story, and why community college and transfer routes can be a smart return-on-investment strategy. Thomas shares concrete guidance for preparing homeschool student applications using external validators like AP exams and accredited college courses.

If you want calmer, clearer college admissions guidance that lowers the stress level a little for the whole family, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a stressed-out parent friend, and leave a review so more families can find us.

ABOUT US:
The Brainy Moms is a parenting podcast hosted by cognitive psychologist Dr. Amy Moore and Sandy Zamalis. Dr. Amy and Sandy have conversations with experts in parenting, child development, education, homeschooling, psychology, mental health, and neuroscience. Listeners leave with tips and advice for helping parents and kids thrive. If you love us, add us to your playlist and follow us on social media!

CONNECT WITH US:
Website: www.TheBrainyMoms.com
Email: BrainyMoms@gmail.com
Social Media: @TheBrainyMoms

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Visit our sponsor's website: www.LearningRx.com

Get Dr. Amy's book, Hearts on ADHD Parenting: Brain-based, Grace-filled Strategies for Raising Kids with Big Emotions and Challenging Behaviors, at all major booksellers or here: https://a.co/d/01IkKZEN and find her at www.AmyMoorePhD.com

Struggling with your relationship after having kids? The hardest part of parenting isn’t always the kids, it’s what the chaos can quietly do to your marriage. When you’re running on low sleep and high stress, small annoyances can turn into big fights, and “We’re fine” can become a long, lonely distance. Today on The Brainy Moms Podcast, Dr. Amy talks with therapist, author, and “proudly goofy dad” Eli Weinstein, host of The Dude Therapist podcast and author of From I Do to We Do: Navigating Marriage Through the Parenting Years.

We dig into practical relationship skills you can use immediately, including Eli’s “full communication” method for asking clearly for what you need without demands or nagging. We also unpack how unspoken expectations shape your perception of your partner and create a reality where you’re already mad before you’ve even talked. If you’ve ever thought, “They should just know,” this conversation gives you a better path forward that still feels human and doable.

We also challenge the myth of a 50-50 marriage and replace it with a smarter approach: “check the tank” capacity check-ins that respect real-life bandwidth. Finally, we talk about ADHD in marriage and neurodivergent relationships, where diagnosis is context, not an excuse, and where curiosity plus accountability can change the tone of the whole home. If you want less scorekeeping, more teamwork, and better repair after hard moments, hit play, then subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more parents can find these tools.

Find Eli Weinstein at eliweinsteinlcsw.com

ABOUT US:
The Brainy Moms is a parenting podcast hosted by cognitive psychologist Dr. Amy Moore and Sandy Zamalis. Dr. Amy and Sandy have conversations with experts in parenting, child development, education, homeschooling, psychology, mental health, and neuroscience. Listeners leave with tips and advice for helping parents and kids thrive. If you love us, add us to your playlist and follow us on social media!

CONNECT WITH US:
Website: www.TheBrainyMoms.com
Email: BrainyMoms@gmail.com
Social Media: @TheBrainyMoms

Subscribe to our free monthly newsletter

Visit our sponsor's website: www.LearningRx.com

Get Dr. Amy's book, Hearts on ADHD Parenting: Brain-based, Grace-filled Strategies for Raising Kids with Big Emotions and Challenging Behaviors, at all major booksellers or here: https://a.co/d/01IkKZEN and find her at www.AmyMoorePhD.com

ADHD Awareness Month is a good time to share ADHD resources, but if you’re a woman with ADHD, you don’t need a special month to bring awareness to your own daily struggles. On this episode of The Brainy Moms Podcast, Dr. Amy is joined again by Dr. Kelly Cagle, a parenting educator, ADHD researcher, homeschooling mom of three, host of the Parenting IQ podcast, and author for an honest conversation about what ADHD can look like in women. Dr. Amy and Dr. Kelly are both ADHD moms and moms with ADHD themselves. And they share honest and vulnerable examples of their own adult ADHD struggles on this episode. And also some ways they've learned to live with adult ADHD in a way that builds peace instead of piling on shame.

They dig into time blindness and why “I’ll just squeeze that in” so often backfires, plus the practical fix of tracking how long tasks actually take. They also talk about procrastination that comes from boredom and the kind that comes from perfection and fear, where even just starting feels risky. From there they get real about emotional dysregulation and rejection sensitivity, including why the most expensive mistakes can happen when we try to fix a problem while dysregulated. The goal isn’t to avoid big feelings. It’s to create a small pause between the big feeling and our response to make room for tools like breathing, grounding, and even prayer.

They also cover sensory sensitivities, misophonia, and how the environment can overload attention for both adults and kids; and then wrap up with disorganization and the power of simple home systems that reduce clutter and decision fatigue. Finally, they address the myth “everyone’s a little ADHD” and explain what it gets wrong. If you want language, validation, and strategies you can use today, press play. Then subscribe, share with a fellow ADHD parent, and leave a quick review so more families can find the show.

Find more from Dr. Kelly at DrKellyCagle.com

ABOUT US:
The Brainy Moms is a parenting podcast hosted by cognitive psychologist Dr. Amy Moore and Sandy Zamalis. Dr. Amy and Sandy have conversations with experts in parenting, child development, education, homeschooling, psychology, mental health, and neuroscience. Listeners leave with tips and advice for helping parents and kids thrive. If you love us, add us to your playlist and follow us on social media!

CONNECT WITH US:
Website: www.TheBrainyMoms.com
Email: BrainyMoms@gmail.com
Social Media: @TheBrainyMoms

Subscribe to our free monthly newsletter

Visit our sponsor's website: www.LearningRx.com

Get Dr. Amy's book, Hearts on ADHD Parenting: Brain-based, Grace-filled Strategies for Raising Kids with Big Emotions and Challenging Behaviors, at all major booksellers or here: https://a.co/d/01IkKZEN and find her at www.AmyMoorePhD.com