About Our Guest:
Lori Sugarman-Li believes deeply in the power of families and is a passionate voice in the cultural shift aiming to articulate the value and visibility of unpaid work. Her career as a Communications Strategist, combined with a decade devoted to full-time care of her family, community, and children's charities worldwide, served as the inspirational backdrop for her professional relaunch as a Coach, Speaker, and Author. She is dedicated to fostering meaningful conversations within families, encouraging them to contemplate how they care for one another and their shared space. Lori, her husband, and two sons are Canadian-born and live steps from Lake Michigan in Chicago. Her most recent book is Our Home: The Love, Work, and Heart of Family,
About the Episode:
Dr. Whitney talks with Lori-Sugarman-Li, author of
Our Home: The Love, Work, and Heart of Family,
about helping our kids understand the value of contributing to the mental load of home care—and getting them to actually do all those chores on their chore lists.
Episode Takeaways:
- Lori had a 15 year career in marketing strategy, but when her kids were born, she hit pause on that and focused on what she could do while she was still at home with her little ones. When she was denied a disability claim because they said there was no “loss” since she didn’t make any income, it opened her eyes to the undervaluing of unpaid work. She wanted to make a change, but didn’t feel like she could do it at the highest level of governmental policy change, so she created a business that allowed her to talk to kids, so that they could make change in homes.
- It will take an average of 92 years for us to see societal change in this area of equal work in the home. And because women are the drivers of the movement, it becomes one more thing that women have to add to our list to accomplish. So the best way to start is in your home and to invite children into this conversation. This builds resilience in kids by allowing teamwork and ownership of tasks.
- Practical ways you can get your kids to help at home:
- Change the energy around the tasks. When we call them chores, we are already starting an attitude of menial, tedious tasks. Instead, we can focus on the fact that these are really works of gratitude for all the things we have. When we show them that we hate chores, they’ll hate chores.
- Change the attitude from “because I said so” to “let me show you how and do this together.” It’s a huge opportunity for education and connection. When we teach that we have to do the things we have to do in order to do the things we want to do, this then puts work around the house in the category of things that we don’t want to do. Invite kids into the jobs and show them the expectations of what their day will look like BEFORE it’s time to do the tasks.
- Give your kids context of why you’re doing the things. It will help them buy-in, so that they actually understand how it all affects them and their family. Then that sense of pride can really come in for them taking ownership in their tasks.
- Decide as a family what tasks are valuable to you. What is important to you and what makes the most sense for your family? And then match the kids with tasks that make the most sense with who they are, what they’re good at, or with the way they’re wired.
- Lori’s book is called Our Home: The Love, Work, and Heart of Family and is written to kids about the power of families, how we care for one another and the space that we share. The book helps kids:
- Remember the small things, like pancakes in the kitchen or family movie night, that make our homes so special.
- See that those types of things don’t just magically happen–there’s a lot of work that goes into making those happen and sheds some illumination on the scope of work that allows all of that to go on.
- Understand that they’re already doing a lot to make their home special and brings up the question if they could do more.
- Feel empowered with the idea that they can be amazing contributors to your family and the amazing space you share.
- Ways to connect with Lori:
- Instagram: @ourhomeourpride
- Website: ourhomeourpride.com
More Blogs on this Topic:
- Why you’re overwhelmed at home
- All I want for Christmas if for you to do more around the house
- Why working moms are exhausted all the time
More Podcast Episodes on this Topic:
- Do you have the tools you need to make equity happen in your household?
- You can’t just share the mental load with your partner; you really do need a village
- How to expand the ownership of responsibilities in your home
About the Episode: In this episode, Dr. Whitney sits down with Dr. Jay Gargus and Dave Justus from NeuroQure to discuss the power of early clarity when it comes to autism detection and why earlier intervention can fundamentally change outcomes for childre n and families. Dr. Gargus explains the science behind early behavioral therapies and why their impact goes far beyond short-term skill-building. Research shows that early, evidence-based interventions can lead to measurable, lifelong improvements in IQ, so cial skills, independence, and educational placement, often determining whether a child can thrive in mainstream education or requires ongoing specialized support. The conversation also tackles a critical and often overlooked issue: access. Dave Justus shares the personal motivation behind NeuroQure’s work and explains why the test is being launched at cost, with installment plans and employer subsidies, while the team works toward insurance coverage. The goal is to prevent families from losing precious years waiting for answers. Together, they emphasize a hopeful message for parents: families don’t need to wait for a future “silver bullet.” We already have therapies that work and getting kids connected to them earlier can change the course of a lifetime. In this episode, we discuss: Why early autism detection leads to lifelong changes—not just short-term gains What a 17-point IQ difference actually means for education, independence, and quality of life How early intervention can shift developmental trajectories as early as 6 months The science and validation behind current autism therapies Why NeuroQure is pricing testing at cost while pursuing insurance coverage How early clarity can reduce long-term strain on families, schools, and healthcare systems This episode is a powerful reminder that timing matters and that early access to answers can make an extraordinary difference for children and the families who love them. About Our Guest: Dr. Jay Gargus, MD, PhD is a physician-scientist and nationally recognized expert in neurodevelopmental disorders, with decades of experience researching the biological underpinnings of autism. His work has focused on translating well-established science into meaningful, real-world interventions that can improve lifelong outcomes for children. Dr. Gargus emphasizes that early, evidence-based therapies are already available—and that connecting families to them sooner can fundamentally change developmental trajectories. Dave Justus is a parent and the founder of NeuroQure, whose work is driven by personal experience navigating delayed autism diagnosis and intervention. Motivated by the belief that early clarity can spare families years of uncertainty, Dave is focused on expanding access to early testing through cost-based pricing and ongoing efforts to secure insurance coverage. His mission is simple but powerful: ensure families don’t have to wait for answers that could change everything. Want to Start Raising Body-Confident Kids Today? 📘 Order the Book Order your copy of My One-of-a-Kind Body 👉 www.raisingbodyconfidentkids.com/books 🎁 Claim Your Free Bonus When you order on our site, you’ll also get access to a FREE video mini-course with five bite-sized lessons for parents. In just 25 minutes, you’ll walk away with: Simple, script-style ways to respond when your kid says, “I hate my thighs” How to talk about health without weight talk What to do when your own inner critic shows up How to interrupt diet culture at home The first step to raising a body-confident kid, even if you didn’t grow up as one 📩 Subscribe to The Modern Mommy Doc Podcast for more episodes on parenting with confidence and clarity. Leave a review using the hashtag #ModernMommyDoc.
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