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TILT Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children

TPP 442: Flex School Founder Jacqui Byrne on Supporting the Full Arc of a 2e Child's Life

TILT Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children

Debbie Reber

Education, Parenting, Kids & Family

4.8 • 983 Ratings

🗓️ 13 May 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today I’m talking with Jacqui Byrne, the founder of FlexSchool, a pioneering educational model designed specifically for 2e students. Jacqui is an award-winning educational leader, a sought-after speaker, and a passionate advocate for neurodiverse learners. She’s also a parent of 2e kids herself, and she built FlexSchool not just as an educator, but as a mom determined to find a better way for her own children, who were struggling at school. This is Jacqui’s second time on the show—the last time was six years ago (and I encourage you to listen to that episode too). I wanted to bring Jacqui back to talk about what she’s learned and observed in supporting the learning and growth of twice-exceptional kids over the years. We get into all kinds of topics in this conversation, including the story behind FlexSchool’s creation and the philosophy that drives it, the power of talent-based learning, and how teachers and schools can become places of trust, safety, and joy for 2e kids who have often felt like misfits. Jacqui also shares insights into how behavioral issues in 2e students are often identity crises, and what it means to support their growth across the full arc of their lives.   About Jaqui Byrne Jacqui Byrne has a knack for seeing the brilliance others miss. As the visionary behind FlexSchool, she built a place where gifted and twice-exceptional (2e) students could thrive—quirks, challenges, and all. She didn’t set out to start a school; she set out to solve a problem. Too many gifted, complex learners were being overlooked, underestimated, or misunderstood, and that wasn’t something she was willing to accept.Jacqui never asks, “Why can’t they do this?” Instead, she asks, “What haven’t we figured out yet?” An award-winning educational leader, sought-after speaker, and passionate advocate, Jacqui presents at conferences, school districts, and education associations across the U.S. and internationally. She is the 2025 winner of the New Jersey Association for Gifted Children’s prestigious Developing Minds Award. She serves on the advisory board for the Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity in Education and holds a degree from Yale University. She is the parent of twice-exceptional kids and knows firsthand what it feels like to watch a child struggle in either a gifted program or special education when they need both. That’s why she built FlexSchool—not just as an educator, but as a mom who refused to give up.   You'll learn: How neurodivergent language is gaining acceptance and shifting education toward more inclusive, affirming mindsets How Flex School’s talent-based model meets students where they are, sparking agency, creativity, and joy What Jacqui sees as key to teaching 2e students—modeling humility, building trust, and embracing their humor and uniqueness Why identity crises and masking are common in 2e kids and often drive anxiety and behavior challenges Why gifted kids may struggle with executive function or study skills despite high intellect—and how to better support them  Resources: Flex School Inside the Flex School with Founder Jacqui Byrne (Tilt Parenting Podcast) 2e101 website New Jersey Association of Gifted Children (NJAGC) Dr. Ross Greene / Lives in the Balance Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Whoa, go, woo, who are you?

0:02.0

Whoa, there.

0:03.0

Victoria's had a Friday night to remember.

0:06.0

But now she's outside in the pouring rain and...

0:09.0

Oh, what? You are joking. I've got no data. How are we're going to get home?

0:13.0

But then she remembers she's with EEE.

0:16.0

Yes, Uber still works.

0:17.0

So then she...

0:19.0

Uber's on me, guys. Should we get a kebab?

0:21.6

Use essential apps like Uber and WhatsApp even when you run out of data.

0:25.7

Search EE mobile.

0:27.2

Stay connected at 0.5 megabits per second.

0:29.5

Terms apply.

0:30.1

Basically, behaviors that we see in 2E kids aren't behavior problems.

0:37.1

Their identity crisis. It's an identity crisis for that child.

0:41.9

So if people can think of one thing in a classroom that when they see a behavior problem,

0:48.5

it's not a behavior problem. It's an identity crisis and to go deeper because there's something else going on there for

0:56.2

students like this.

0:58.0

Behavior is a communication for all kids, right?

1:00.8

And it's a little more complicated with kids who are both very bright and who have challenges.

1:08.9

I'm Debbie Reber and this is Tilt Parenting, a podcast featuring interviews and conversations aimed at inspiring, informing, and supporting parents raising differently wired kids.

1:19.3

Today I'm talking with Jackie Byrne. She's the founder of Flex School, which is a pioneering educational model designed specifically for 2E or twice exceptional kids.

...

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