Katie Miniel is a mom/24 hour caregiver to her daughter who is 17 years old. Her daughter has Autism, developmental delays and a seizure disorder. She is mentally between 4-7 years old and needs constant care due to impulsive repetitive aggressive behaviors. Katie and her husband started a soap making business for her 3 years ago to help build skills while she was not learning at school. This also became a way for the family to make extra money since Katie can not work and her daughter is no...

Kim Albrecht is a southerner transplanted to California via the Midwest along with her husband and 2 teenage daughters, the oldest of which has level 3 non speaking autism. She hosts the award winning LOMAH Disability Podcast, where over 100 expert guests  have been interviewed on topics relevant to planning the future for teens and young adults with disabilities.  The show deep dives into a single issue for 12 episodes and has covered disability housing, transitioning from school to adult...

"Sometimes good enough is good enough"  Angela Lofton has over thirty years experience helping others find the best in themselves. From her days in college tutoring students with disabilities, corporate training and educating young people, she has always sought to help others discover the gifts and talents within themselves. She believes in lifelong learning and that through observations, engaging our senses and by being open to new experiences and people, we build social connections that...

After both of her children were diagnosed with autism and she saw the need to provide parents with emotional, physical, and educational support, Michele Knowlton-Thorne founded DAMES LLC, which became Care for the Caregivers. As President of Care for the Caregivers, Michele plans to continue creating programs, apps, events, and support groups to help parents who are raising children with different health care needs. Before founding D.A.M.E.S and Care 4 the Caregivers Michele worked as a...

"You shouldn't have to uproot your entire family because there isn't enough." Katie Emde.  What a great chat with Katie Emde.  Katie lives in Saskatchewan with her husband and three beautiful kids and spends her days advocating for those on the autism spectrum. Her oldest son Avery was diagnosed with severe non-verbal autism and her youngest son Jackson was recently diagnosed on the spectrum. When getting Avery diagnosed, she found everything to be extremely overwhelming & difficult to...

Lisa Dempsey is the founder and CEO of the Forgotten Wishes Foundation, whose mission is to inspire a sense of belonging and be a source of joy for people with disabilities. Lisa belongs to a society of women who share the delights and dilemmas of raising children and caring for adults with special needs. She is a creator, explorer, and advocate and writes a blog about her experiences called Cluck Howl Crow. Lisa is happiest when she and her husband, Robert, are gathered around the kitchen...

Stephen “Doc” Hunsley, M.D. is the Executive Director and founder of SOAR Special Needs in Overland Park, Kansas. SOAR (Special Opportunities, Abilities, and Relationships) serves over 900 individuals with special needs through regular respite events and a Special Needs Day Camp.  Doc is currently assisting over 400 churches locally, nationally, and globally in starting a Disability Ministry. Doc also organizes the Wonderfully Made Conference held annually every October in Kansas City. Doc is...

Join me as I chat with Liza Blas, a storyteller and the host of the Very Happy Stories podcast. She brings hope, empowerment, and validation to parents raising kids with unique challenges. Liza delivers inspiring stories and shares her best practices through her podcast, speaking engagements, and personal transformational coaching. Her stories are inspired by her personal experience navigating the complex conditions of her two children, including depression, anxiety, ADHD, OCD, ASD,...

"We have more power than we think"  Join me as I chat with Lisa Candera, a single mother to a teenage son with Autism, OCD and DMDD, a lawyer, and certified life coach for moms raising kids with autism. Lisa teaches moms raising kids with Autism how to keep their cool while their child is melting down.  To learn more about Lisa's coaching program and get on her email list for some upcoming FREE resources, visit her website at www.bethesolidobject.com. You can also follow Lisa on Instagram...

Misty Phillip is a dreamer and a doer passionate about helping spark your soul message. She encourages people to use their story to give God glory. The Founder of Spark Media, Misty equips Christian Communicators and podcasters through virtual and live events, podcast network, magazine, and a thriving membership community. She is the host of the By His Grace Podcast ranked in the top 1.5 percent of all podcasts. Sought-after inspirational speaker and the author of the award-winning #1 Amazon...

Host, advocate & author Jess Ronne gives an update since the move from TN to MI on her personal life as a mom to 8 and parent caregiver to Lucas, her 17 year old son with profound disabilities. It’s been quite the journey over the past 10 years as she has moved 5 times in search of resources for him and her family. Have they found what they need? Tune in to find out. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this...

Brittany Vance is a music journalist and both of her boys have special needs. Her youngest son Amari is a IG influencer and they work with national and local brands to help them become more Autism friendly. @lifeofamari2 She’s originally from Appalachia & believes that acceptance is the magic touch. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jess-ronne/support

Jessica Patay is a mother, wife, and advocate/cheerleader for Special Needs Mothers.  She has been married to her husband, Chris, for 23 years and they reside in the Palos Verdes area in Southern California. They have two sons and a daughter, all teenagers.  Their second son, age 17, was born with a rare, medically complex genetic disorder, called Prader-Willi syndrome. Because Jessica is passionate about serving, mentoring, and inspiring other Special Needs Moms, she launched and leads a...

Dr. Lisa Peña is a coach’s wife and busy mom of three, including a daughter who has a unique subset of autism. Dr. Peña is from the Rio Grande Valley where she has served our country’s veterans as a clinical pharmacist for over ten years. She is a powerful public speaker and shows a particular passion in building radical empathy within the public school system. Dr. Peña is the co-founder of the nonprofit Labeled & Loved where she serves as Vice-President. She is an author and blogger and...

"Sometimes you stand up and say this is how can can help. This is what we need. And this looks different for every caregiver."  Lauren and her husband live in Stillwater, Oklahoma with their 5 year old son Leo and 4 year old foster daughter. They run a cattle operation, and she serves as a life coach for special needs moms. Their son Leo has a rare genetic disorder called Aicardi-goutieres syndrome, which affects the brain, spinal cord, and immune system. To learn more about Lauren's...

Stephanie Simoes is a wife & mother to four beautiful children from Pennsylvania and enjoys being a Cause Entrepreneur with ONEHOPE.  She hosts private wine events to raise awareness and donations for different causes. Supporting medical research and support for special needs families is really important to her because she has three children who have been diagnosed with PANS. She is extremely passionate about raising awareness and believes that if her journey with PANDAS/PANS can help...

"They (children with RAD) cannot trust the main caregiver."  Amy J. Brown is a wife,mom,writer, mentor and podcast host. She writes to encourage special needs moms. She shares honestly about her adoption story and parenting a child with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).Amy mentors moms and believes that when we honestly share our stories we learn from each other, gather strength,and come away encouraged. But most importantly, we feel less alone.She...

"Let go and let God."  For years, Laurie Hellmann has fiercely navigated therapies, medications and countless medical and personal challenges with her 17-year-old, autistic son, Skyler. While continuing to fight for her son’s ongoing needs, she has become the voice for other families with a loved one on the autism spectrum. From sharing insights on how autism impacts an entire family – its influence on a marriage, neurotypical siblings, and life as a whole – Laurie invites others into her...

“We have to figure out how to thrive and not just survive.” Kelli Kelli and her husband Mark have four kids-- Ruby, 12, Charlie, 11, Tabatha, 9 and Mona, 6.  Through various circumstances, God placed adoption on their hearts and they chose to adopt their first child. They didn't know about Ruby’s special needs at the time, so the first couple of years with Ruby was quite a journey!  Ruby has massive brain scarring on her brain, probably from a rough birth. Because of that brain damage, she...

"I didn't expect it to take a couple of years to [switch from] living in a constant state of crisis to re acclimate to normal life."  Carly is a Midwestern, wife and mother of four children, one of whom is a life-long survivor of chronic, pediatric, brain cancer. Over the last 10 years, she has experienced, first hand, what it means to raise a child with a critical, chronic illness and multiple, complex, special needs. She has also recognized a great need for resources that support parent...

Jess chats with Sarah Blunkosky, M.A., an integrative education consultant, certified peer-breastfeeding counselor, and registered Accessible yoga instructor specializing in family, children’s, special-needs, and prenatal/postpartum movement/embodiment. Her learning life spanned teaching high school social studies at Open High School in Richmond, Virginia to studying slavery and social history on a graduate school path that pivoted when her eldest daughter's intellectual disabilities and...

Jess sits down to chat with her friend Rachel Kang, a New York native, born and raised just outside of New York City. Rachel is a mixed woman of African American, Native American, Dutch, and Irish descent, she writes prose, poems, and other pieces that whisper into the thin tension between faith and life. She is a graduate of Nyack College in New York where she obtained a degree in English with Creative Writing, and she is the creator of Indelible Ink Writers. Jess and Rachel talk about how a...

Jess chats with Annie, aka “blessedforthismess” a mom to two kids, Ava & Brody. Her daughter Ava was diagnosed with Angelman syndrome in 2014 which led to Annie’s belief that we need to teach our kids that they are undefined by their circumstances.  Annie is also passionate about advocating for the advocators & sharing the depths of her heart through her own journey as a mother to a child with a disability. Her motto is that “you are more than the circumstances that surround you.” To...

Jess sits down in this episode with Noelle Walker who is a wife, mom, step mom, grandmother, and business owner. Her daughter Layla is 14 years old, has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, a seizure disorder, and is nonverbal. Layla is also an artist who paints with her eyes. Noelle stepped away from her graphic design career when her Layla was about four years old and now she’s a full time caregiver to Layla and also runs a skincare business from her home. To learn more about Noelle, find her on...

“When caregivers say they’re fine, they’re not telling the truth.” Jolene Jess sits down in this episode and chats with Jolene Philo, the parent and daughter of loved ones with special needs and disabilities. Jolene is a former educator who created inclusive classrooms for all learners for 25 years. She’s also the author of several books about caregiving, special needs parenting, and childhood PTSD, including Sharing Love Abundantly with Special Needs Families: The 5 Love Languages® for...