Hello Brave Friends! This is story episode #177. And it features one of the many powerful stories we feature in our first ever Brave Together book! It’s an anthology of stories shared courageously by our community of moms and it’s called Becoming Brave Together: heroic, extraordinary caregiving stories from mothers hidden in plain sight. It is out as of today! So go get yourself a copy!!! The link to find it is in the show notes.  Today’s story is from the Becoming Brave Together anthology....

Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to today's practical episode, #176. Our guest today is Jayme Betts, and she founded the Changing Spaces Advocacy Campaign in Massachusetts after experiencing, along with her daughter, Sophia, the challenges that traditional public restrooms present for disabled individuals who require assistance with their daily care.  With rare exceptions, the only options that caretakers have for changing their loved one’s undergarments is on the dirty floor of a public...

Hello Brave Friends! This is story episode #175. When our child gets diagnosed it can feel like the snow globe of our life gets shaken really hard, and that everything is suddenly up in the air. But as the flakes slowly settle, we get the chance to reevaluate our relationships with everything, including ourselves.  When Margaret Webb’s son was diagnosed with Autism she became a warrior for him, fighting day in and day out for his comfort, development and care. But as you might guess, in the...

Hello Brave Friends! This is an Ask Us Anything episode in which YOU, the listener, get to write or call in and, you guessed it, ASK US ANYTHING!  In this episode, #174, we are responding to the question, How do I Support my Neuro-Divergent Kid as They Blossom into a Teen? It’s a bittersweet transition from childhood to young adulthood that we all experience in different ways. And with neuro-divergent kids the transition and experience can pose very real logistical and emotional challenges....

Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to practical episode #173. Our guest is a fellow caregiving mama and creator of CapeAble Weighted Products, Marna Pacheco.  Marna created CapeAble, originally for her daughter Millie, who needed help regulating her nervous system. CapeAble is unique from all other weighted blanket manufacturers, because its patented SmartWeight technology provides an even weight distribution resulting in precise, deep touch pressure. What does this mean for parent caregivers? The...

Hello Brave Friends! In this story episode, #172, we enter the world of a parent living on unstable ground. An emotional state riddled with fault lines, shifting plates and the possibility that even a fun outing could cause an earthquake of a seizure in her child’s body. Erin Rusling’s daughter was born with Dravet Syndrome, a rare and severe form of Epilepsy that causes prolonged seizures. Almost two, at the time of this story, Erin’s daughter had already had many seizures and had come out...

Hello Brave Friends! This is an Ask Us Anything episode in which YOU, the listener, get to write or call in and, you guessed it, ASK US ANYTHING!  In this episode, #171, we are responding to the question, what do I do when my kid is being bullied? It’s so heart wrenching to imagine our vulnerable kiddos being bullied but kids can be mean and it does happen. On this episode we discuss methods of dealing with bullying ranging from reporting the issue at our next IEP meeting to practicing daily...

Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to practical episode #170, in which we are discussing the importance and responsibility of adopting older children who have experienced trauma. We cover what you need to think about before adopting, ways to prepare for adopting, the systemic problems that need changing and how enormous the need is.  Our guest is Jenell Jones, mother of six, who adopted a seventh child, “because what’s one more when you have six!?”, an eight year-old girl, who she fell in love with...

Hello Brave Friends! This is story episode, #169, in which we talk about the underrated difficulty level of being a parent to a child with extreme allergies. When we bring home a newborn, all we want to do is feed them, nourish them and help them to grow. But what if everything we’re feeding them seems to make them irritable, gassy, rashy and miserable; and then we’re miserable. Susanna Peace Lovell knew something serious was going on with her child, but was assured by doctors that her...

Hello Brave Friends! This is an Ask Us Anything episode in which YOU, the listener, get to write or call in and, you guessed it, ASK US ANYTHING!  In this episode, #168, we are tackling the HIGHLY relatable question, what do we do when our spouse is not very involved in our disability caregiving? This is such a common question, especially in our community. Relationships are ALREADY full of murky divisions of labor and then throw in all the extra tasks that come with a disabled child and it...

Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to practical episode #167, a TWO PARTER, in which we are diving into the nitty gritty around accessing mental health benefits and services. In Part 1 we focus on what services are available and how to find them and ways to approach starting the process. In Part 2 we focus on how the process works once you’re on the road to receiving services and the important things to consider and questions to ask your providers.  Our guest is Natalie Elliott Handy. And, oh my...

Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to practical episode #167, a TWO PARTER, in which we are diving into the nitty gritty around accessing mental health benefits and services. In Part 1 we focus on what services are available and how to find them and ways to approach starting the process. In Part 2 we focus on how the process works once you’re on the road to receiving services and the important things to consider and questions to ask your providers.  Our guest is Natalie Elliott Handy. And, oh my...

Hello Brave Friends! On this story episode, #166, we are stepping into the shoes of a brand new care-giving parent, who, like so many of us, left the hospital and was immediately faced with piles of paperwork, prescriptions to administer, insurance issues, medical supplies to order and the endless phone calls, transfers and holds that become our JOB to navigate. Kelley Coleman had a new baby with multiple disabilities, a toddler, and was getting no calls back from the Regional Center. So, on...

Hello Brave Friends! This is an Ask Us Anything episode in which YOU, the listener, get to write or call in and, you guessed it, ASK US ANYTHING!  In this episode, #165, we are discussing how to get the most out of connection circles and in general, support groups, without taking on other attendee’s pain.  In this community we are ALREADY dealing with our own tough feelings when we step into a group sharing environment and as Dr. Zoe Shaw says, in this episode, “we’re wired for protection not...

Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to our first Practical Episode of Season 6. This is episode 164 and we could not be more thrilled and honored and in awe of our guest today, Kevin McGuire. Talk about the triumph of the human spirit, Kevin, personifies this. He was hit by a drunk driver at the age of seven and has used a wheelchair ever since.   He is now the CEO and founder of McGuire Associates, the nation's leading consulting firm specializing in compliance with state and federal disability...

Hello Brave Friends! On this story episode, #163, we are exploring one mom’s experience, when not one but TWO of her seemingly thriving, healthy children were diagnosed, right in the middle of high school, with a rare genetic disorder.  Megan Loden was blindsided, not only by her twin daughter’s diagnosis, but by the slow fade of her typical community into the background, as she stepped into her own medical motherhood. And then a doctor recommended she look up groups online and the rest is...

Hello Brave Friends! This is another Ask Us Anything episode in which YOU, the listener, get to write or call in and, you guessed it, ASK US ANYTHING!  In this episode, #162, we’re discussing how to handle the PRESSURE we feel after the holidays (while caregiving) to make resolutions and change our whole lives at the start of the year. Are we ready for this? How do we approach this thoughtfully? This episode is full of compassion and creative ideas to make the start of 2024 feel less...

Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to Season 6! We are so excited to roll out another vibrant season of Story episodes, Practical episodes and Ask Us Anything episodes for YOU the caregiving mom.  In this trailer your host, Jessica Patay, reminds you what we offer as a podcast and non-profit organization, introduces Dr. Zoe Shaw (the newest co-host of the Ask Us Anything show) and even gives you a sneak peek into her year, with 9, NOT 10, of her personal resolutions. We hope you’ll join us for...

Hello Brave Friends! On this, our final episode of Season 5, we have such a great guest for you. Debbie Reber, who you guys probably know already, is a parenting activist, bestselling author, speaker and the CEO and founder of Tilt Parenting, a resource, top performing podcast, consultancy, and community with a focus on shifting the paradigm for parents raising and embracing neurodivergent children. Her most recent book, Differently Wired, A Parent's Guide to Raising an Atypical Child with...

Hello Brave Friends! On this story episode we are exploring the sibling experience. As caregiving parents, it’s hard to give each child the same amount of attention. The neurotypical child’s experiences growing up are often overshadowed by their sibling’s complex needs. So it’s cathartic when we get the opportunity to put a big ol’ spotlight on their experience and talk about them on our podcast. Kendall Albrecht is a senior in high school, who goes on vacation every year with her family,...

Hello Brave Friends! This is another Ask Us Anything episode in which YOU, the listener, get to write or call in and, you guessed it, ASK US ANYTHING!  Today we’re discussing the topic of comparing. Whether it’s our stories, our parenting styles or our child’s outcomes, comparing, it seems, is just human nature. It’s a tool we use to identify and connect with others who are like us but can also turn competitive and ugly. How do we support and honor each other’s journey’s without feeling...

Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to today's practical episode with April Rehrig. She's going to talk about strengths-based IEPs. Have you even heard of that? I don't think I'd ever heard of it until recently. It's an IEP that looks at abilities as well as weaknesses. It looks at what students CAN do, what the team wants them to do next, and how strengths might be used to set goals to help address a particular need.  April is a repeat guest because we love her and appreciate her. She's the founder...

Hello Brave Friends! On this story episode we are exploring the vital yet (especially in our community) illusive act of taking a break.  Our storyteller is Krysten Leighty whose daughter Lana, was diagnosed with Prader-Willi syndrome, and found early on that the “go go go” mentality of the medical world was counterintuitive to her instincts, as a mother, to just stop and be present with her child. Krysten Leighty is an artist of many talents, an ambivert, empath, a work in progress human, a...

Hello Brave Friends! This is another Ask Us Anything episode in which YOU, the listener, get to write or call in and, you guessed it, ASK US ANYTHING!  Today we’re discussing how we handle it when family, friends (or people in the grocery store) say judgmental or insensitive things about our non-typical kids or how we’re raising them? Do we take the time to educate them? Is that our job?  Whether you have questions as a parent to a child with complex medical or mental health needs or you’re...