Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to today’s BONUS episode in which Jessica Patay, founder of We Are Brave Together and author, Kelley Coleman, join forces to chat with Director of Culture Change at Caring Across Generations, Lydia Storie. In this conversation, Lydia Storie discusses her journey from the entertainment industry to becoming the Director of Culture Change at Caring Across Generations. She shares her personal experiences with caregiving, the fragility of care infrastructure, and ...

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 Ask Us Anything episode, #195, we are responding to the question, “Will you tell us about some really hard or embarrassing moments you’ve had as a parent?"In this episode, Jessica Patay, Dr. Zoe Shaw, and Susanna Peace Lovell share their most mortifying parenting moments, exploring the challenges and realities of motherhood. They share ...

Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to today's story episode, #194. These are true stories from a moment in the life of a caregiving parent. We hear a crafted story, and then have a conversation with our guests that goes deeper into their experience.In this episode of the Brave Together Parenting Podcast, host Jessica Patay interviews Hannah Zorn, who shares her family's journey through medical challenges, including her daughter's diagnosis of interstitial lung disease. Hannah discusses the emotiona...

Hello Brave Friends! On this Thriving Disabled Adults episode, #193, we are speaking to Thriving Disabled Adult, Tiffany Yu, who at age nine, was in a car accident that left her right arm permanently paralyzed, and also took the life of her father.I think you're going to love this interview. Tiffany is so open about her courageous journey from the accident to finding her voice and community as a disabled person. She also has a lot to say about what it felt like to be in therapies and treatmen...

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 Ask Us Anything episode, #192, we are responding to the question, What wisdom and encouragement do you have for women who are mothering without a mother?In this tender conversation, Jessica Patay, Dr. Zoe Shaw, and Susanna Peace Lovell explore the complexities of motherhood, particularly the experience of mothering without a mother. The...

Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to today's story episode, #191. These are true stories from a moment in the life of a caregiving parent. We hear a crafted story, and then have a conversation with our guests that goes deeper into their experience.Today we actually have TWO guests, Sandy and Chris Colter. They are a couple and they both wrote stories about their struggles with depression while raising their autistic son, Bryce. So we decided to feature both of them to explore this very common topi...

Hello Brave Friends! On this Thriving Disabled Adults episode, #190, we chat with Ryanna Hammond. Once plagued with anxiety, depression and multiple eating disorders, Ryanna used journaling, therapy, nature and exercise to turn her life around. While anxiety and depression aren’t usually under the umbrella of disability we talk about here, we know more and more of our community, and their children, are struggling with mental health challenges. So this guest is here to inspire everybody!...

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 Ask Us Anything episode, #189, we are responding to the question, Do you have any tips for navigating life with a disabled child after a divorce?This is a VERY relevant topic for our community because the added stress of caregiving for disabled children is not known to help marriages last longer. Also two of our three hosts have been th...

Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to today's story episode, #188. These are true stories from a moment in the life of a caregiving parent. We hear a crafted story, and then have a conversation with our guests that goes deeper into their experience.Today's guest is Joanne De Simone, and she's a graduate of Hunter College in New York with degrees in dance and special education. She has two sons, one with a rare brain malformation and one on the autism spectrum. She’s also an author with a book out n...

Hello Brave Friends! I'm so excited for our very first Thriving Disabled Adults episode, #187. This is a new episode that we are doing for Season 7 of Brave Together Parenting Podcast, and our first guest is a radiant soul. I could feel his energy and his vibrance, just reading about him. So I cannot wait for you to hear this conversation with Cam Coelken.Cam Coelken is from New Zealand and he says that his life, defined by cerebral palsy, ambition and service above self, embodies resilience ...

Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to today's BONUS episode. Our guest is care advocate and author, Elissa Strauss, who has a fantastic new book called When You Care, The Unexpected Magic of Caring for Others.This conversation was about such an important topic that I invited author, activist and fellow caregiving mom, Kelley Coleman to co-host with me. And together we explore the powerful role caring for others plays in our individual and communal lives with Elissa Strauss who in her book weaves to...

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! Welcome to the first episode of Season 7! In this Ask Us Anything ep, #186, we are responding to the question, What Do I Do Right After My Kid's Diagnosis?Many of us on this altered motherhood journey, especially those of us acting as mentors to newer brave moms, get asked this question a lot. So we each supplied our top 5 things we love to tel...

Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to Season 7 of Brave Together Parenting, an empowering and truly helpful podcast for the parents of children, all ages, with all types of disabilities or unique needs. Our mission is to provide you, the caregiving parent, with resources to help answer your questions. Stories from other caregiving parents to help you feel less alone and starting the season, something NEW, interviews with thriving disabled adults to give you hope!I am Jessica Patay, your host a...

Hello Brave Friends! This is a Summer Re-Run of one of our favorite Ask Us Anything episodes from Seasons 5 and 6. Call in to our SpeakPipe to ask YOUR questions and tune in next season, starting in September 2024, for many more. 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 ...

Hello Brave Friends! This is a Summer Re-Run of one of our favorite Ask Us Anything episodes from Seasons 5 and 6. Call in to our SpeakPipe to ask YOUR questions and tune in next season, starting in September 2024, for many more. 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 imag...

Hello Brave Friends! This is a Summer Re-Run of one of our favorite Ask Us Anything episodes from Seasons 5 and 6. Call in to our SpeakPipe to ask YOUR questions and tune in next season, starting in September 2024, for many more. 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 disa...

Hello Brave Friends! This is a Summer Re-Run of one of our favorite Ask Us Anything episodes from Seasons 5 and 6. Call in to our SpeakPipe to ask YOUR questions and tune in next season, starting in September 2024, for many more. 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 takin...

Hello Brave Friends! This is a Summer Re-Run of one of our favorite Ask Us Anything episodes from Seasons 5 and 6. Call in to our SpeakPipe to ask YOUR questions and tune in next season, starting in September 2024, for many more. 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, comparin...

Hello Brave Friends! This is a Summer ReRun of one of our favorite Ask Us Anything episodes from Seasons 5 and 6. Call in to our SpeakPipe to ask YOUR questions and tune in next season, starting in September 2024, for many more. 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 raising a child who is aggressive or has bouts of violence towards others. We speak from exp...

Hello Brave Friends! This is a Summer ReRun of one of our favorite Ask Us Anything episodes from Seasons 5 and 6. Call in to our SpeakPipe to ask YOUR questions and tune in next season, starting in September 2024, for many more. 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 question, is it okay to take a vacation with the typical members of the family while leaving my child...

Hello Brave Friends! This is a Summer Re-Run of one of our favorite Ask Us Anything episodes from Seasons 5 and 6. Call in to our SpeakPipe to ask YOUR questions and tune in next season, starting in September 2024, for many more. This is our inaugural 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 question, “Is it strange to feel frustrated when I see friends and family support and voluntee...

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, #185, we are responding to the question, Can Caregiving Dads be Accepted into Mom Groups?Another amazing question to close out Season 6! First off, thank you to this Dad for calling in and posing this vulnerable question. I know a lot of parents are going to benefit from this conversation. It seems that because mom’s histo...

Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to today's practical episode, #184. Our guest today is a dad! Ryan Sheedy is a dad, a rare disease caregiver and a founder. He lives in Bentonville, Arkansas with his wife and three sons. In 2018, after 15 plus years in business development and fundraising, he paused his career to become a stay-at-home dad caregiver for his twin sons. One of his sons, Reynolds, was diagnosed with Costello syndrome in 2018. Since birth, Ryan has been Reynolds’ primary ca...

Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to today's practical episode, #183. Our guest is Anjillene O’Connor. She came to my family well over a decade ago. She was working in our school district, as an interventionist, and wanted a little work on the side. She loved my kids, understood them, would cook for them and was just the best. Everybody in my family loved Miss Jill, (we still call her Miss Jill). Today she has been working in education for 20 years, continuing on to the completion of her spe...