14 Jul 2026
Why Smart Teens Struggle: Parenting Twice-Exceptional and Neurodivergent Kids with Dr. Susan Blumberg | 088
In this episode of Resilient AF, host Blair sits down with Dr. Susan Bloomberg, a former child clinical psychologist turned life coach who specializes in twice-exceptional (2E) children and neurodivergent teens. Susan shares her deeply personal journey as the parent of two 2E children, her hard-won strategies for supporting gifted kids who struggle, and a preview of her upcoming book, The Parenting Compass: Why Smart Teens Struggle.
If you are the parent of a child who is clearly bright yet struggles at school, at home, or socially, this conversation is for you. Dr. Bloomberg breaks down what it means to be twice-exceptional, how nonverbal learning disability shows up, and why early intervention and parent self-care are the foundation of long-term success. She also opens up about her daughter's premature birth and the road that led her to devote her career to helping families like hers.
Key Topics Covered:
Understanding Twice-Exceptional (2E) Children Susan explains that 2E children are both gifted and carry one or more disability labels. Her own two children fit this profile, and she describes how giftedness can mask a disability while a disability can mask giftedness, leaving kids underserved on both fronts.
Nonverbal Learning Disability Explained Susan defines nonverbal learning disability as difficulty with nonverbal skills, including visual-spatial abilities, motor coordination, executive functioning, and social interaction. These children are often highly verbal yet struggle with math, coordination, and reading social cues.
A Premature Birth and a Fight for Survival Susan shares the story of her daughter, born in 1995 at 24 weeks, weighing 1 pound 11 ounces. Her daughter spent 12 weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit, including three weeks under do-not-resuscitate orders after her lungs collapsed. Living at high altitude in Colorado and an incompetent cervix contributed to the early birth.
From Delay to Gifted By 35 months, Susan's daughter scored at a 47-month level in cognitive and communication skills while still measuring 22 months in gross motor skills. She went on to become profoundly gifted, earn degrees, and build a career as an accredited pastry chef.
Parenting a Teen with ADHD and Anxiety Susan candidly discusses her son's middle school struggles with ADHD and anxiety, the conflicts at home, the missing-assignment alerts, and the moment she realized she needed to bring in an executive function coach because her son would not take advice from his own mother.
Self-Care and Support for Parents Susan and Blair discuss the grief many parents feel, including Blair's own experience of being diagnosed with ADHD at 39. Susan stresses that parents must seek therapy and community support for themselves, comparing it to putting on your own oxygen mask before helping your child.
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About the Guest:
Dr. Susan Blumberg is a former child clinical psychologist turned life coach who has spent forty years helping teens, young adults, and parents move from chaos and conflict to trust, respect, and connection. She earned her PhD in child clinical psychology in 1991, practiced as a cognitive behavioral therapist for thirty years, and has served as a special education advocate for four decades. Today she leads Dr. Susan Coaching, guiding families through the demanding teen-to-young-adult launch years.
Susan is the co-author of seven books on marriage, communication, and parenting, including Fighting for Your Marriage, a Colorado Book Award winner. Her newest book, The Parenting Compass, is out in August 2026.
She is a recognized authority on twice-exceptional (2e) children and on Nonverbal Learning Disability in teens and adults, and she administers one of the largest international online communities for parents of twice-exceptional children, now more than 35,000 members strong. She hosts the weekly Live with Dr. Susan and has appeared at conferences and on podcasts including the Quad Preparatory School conference and the NVLD Project podcast.
Susan lives in Denver with her husband of forty-two years and is the mother of two twice-exceptional young adults. That means she supports the families she works with from both sides of the experience, as a clinician and as a parent who has walked the same path.
Links:
Drsusanblumberg.com (http://drsusanblumberg.com)
www.facebook.com/susan-l-blumberg (http://www.facebook.com/susan-l-blumberg)
www.instagram.com/drsusancoaching (http://www.instagram.com/drsusancoaching)
⚠️ Content Note: Some episodes may contain themes that could be distressing. Please take care of yourself while listening, and don’t hesitate to seek support from a mental health professional if needed.
About the Hosts:
Blair Kaplan Venables is a British Columbia-based grief and resilience expert and coach, motivational speaker and the Founder of The Global Resilience Project. Her expertise has been featured on media platforms like Forbes, TEDx, CBC Radio, Entrepreneur, and Thrive Global. She is named the Top Grief and Resilience Expert of the Year 2024 by IAOTP. USA Today listed Blair as one of the top 10 conscious female leaders to watch and she empowers others to be resilient from stages around the world. 'MyStory,’ which is a television show available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Google Play, showcases Blair's life story. She is the host of the Radical Resilience podcast and specializes in helping people strengthen their resilience muscle using scientifically proven methods and guides grieving high performers with her Navigating Grief Framework. The Global Resilience Project’s award-winning book series are international bestsellers, and her fourth book, RESILIENT A.F.: Stories of Resilience Vol 2, will be published in January 2025. In her free time, you can find Blair writing, in nature, travelling the world and helping people to strengthen their resilience muscles.
Links:
https://www.blairkaplan.ca/ (https://www.blairkaplan.ca/)
https://theglobalresilienceproject.com (https://www.iamresilient.info)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairdkaplan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairdkaplan)
https://www.facebook.com/blair.kaplan (https://www.facebook.com/blair.kaplan)
https://www.facebook.com/BlairKaplanCommunications (https://www.facebook.com/BlairKaplanCommunications)
https://www.instagram.com/globalresiliencecommunity (https://www.instagram.com/globalresiliencecommunity)
https://www.instagram.com/blairfromblairland/ (https://www.instagram.com/blairfromblairland/)
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https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-global-resilience-project (https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-global-resilience-project)
blair@blairkaplan.ca (mailto:blair@blairkaplan.ca)
Alana Kaplan is a compassionate mental health professional based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She works in the mental health field, and is a co-host of the Resilient A.F. podcast. Fueled by advocacy, Alana is known for standing up and speaking out for others. Passionate about de-stigmatizing and normalizing mental health, Alana brings her experience to The Global Resilience Project’s team, navigating the role one’s mental health plays in telling their story.
Engaging in self-care and growth keeps her going, and her love for reading, travel, and personal relationships helps foster that. When she’s not working, Alana can often be found on walks, working on a crossword puzzle, or playing with any animal she sees.
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