Changing Your Dreams: Parenting a Child with Special Needs

Today, I have the pleasure of talking with author, Adelle Spindlove. Adelle lives in Portsmouth, UK with her partner and their two children. Her eldest son has a rare neuro-developmental syndrome called ADNP, and her youngest son is neuro-typical, which makes him a super sibling. When she is not writing, Adelle enjoys swimming in the sea, dancing in the kitchen and of course reading lots and lots of books to her boys.

Freddie and the High Flying Kick is her first book for children and she hopes you enjoy reading it, as much as she enjoyed writing it.

Guest, Adelle Spindlove

This episode is on Healing Yourself Through Nature. I talk about working through my own barriers to getting outside more and challenge you to acknowledge those things that keep you from spending more time in nature. Nature is one of the best, if not THE best, ways to find healing and nourishment for your soul.

Host, Lara Kitts

One of the many layers of grief experienced by some parents of kids with special needs is tied to the trauma experienced either at birth or at the time of diagnosis if it comes later. Today’s guest shares her traumatic story of receiving her daughter’s rare diagnosis of KIF1A when she was 18 months old.

Shannon Dennis is the mom to six-year-old Sadie and three-year-old Weston. Shannon talks with us about the layers of Sadie’s rare diagnosis, coupled with a newly received autism diagnosis. She also shares what it means to navigate three-year-old Weston’s delays and developmental needs. And she has a message for medical professionals on how to/not to talk with families when delivering hard news.

Thank you for listening as we discuss why the approach and words of medical professionals matters to the mental health of parents receiving a diagnosis for their child.

Host, Lara Kitts

Brandy Linen is the mom of five children, ages 10, 9, 6, 4 and 5 months. Her 10 year-old son, Dayvon, is diagnosed with autism and her 9 year-old daughter, Lyric, is diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and possibly Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder.

Brandy shares with us how raising her children was the catalyst and ongoing motivation for her to heal her own childhood trauma and PTSD. We discuss how after hitting bottom, she was able to work through her own healing with the help of therapy and determination to do the work.

Thank you for listening as we discuss shame, grief, healing from trauma, and the best way other people can support ones they love who are walking through the hard places in life.

Please forgive my technical issues with the sound. My team and I are working on improving this. And, by “team”, I mean me, me, and me. So…thank you for your grace!

Host, Lara Kitts

Today, I talk to Hannah Stainer about how communication can benefit the relationships with your children, partner, and yourself. We will explore how to take the stress out of interactions and how talking about our feelings, and helping our children to do the same, can be beneficial for our wellbeing.

Hannah Stainer is a teacher, coach and mentor who supports parents of neurodiverse children to feel more confident in supporting their child. Hannah teaches in special education and mainstream settings. She has a master’s degree in Psychology and a Postgraduate Diploma in Inclusive and Special Educational Needs, specializing in autism and dyslexia.

Guest, Hannah Stainer

Today, I’m talking to Kara Latta about why we need to re-learn how to play as adults. Why is playing conditioned out of us, even at early ages? Reconnecting to your childhood-self to revive the joy takes a mindset shift.

Kara Latta is the Founder and Chief Fun Officer of The Playful Warrior and a Play and Mindset Coach. She’s also a hypnotherapist, hip-hop and latin dancer, finger painter, bright red lipstick-wearer, and your biggest cheerleader.
 
Kara created ThoughtPLAY, the only 8-week 1-on-1 play and mindset coaching program designed to help you ditch perfectionism, overcome self-doubt, and heal your inner child so you can create a life that lights you up from the inside out. It includes the PLAYBox and the PLAYBook delivered to your door.

Guest, Kara Latta

Today’s conversation with Jess Ronne covers a lot of ground. From puberty to poopy diapers, and the grief of not giving enough to your other children, we explore what it means to be a caregiver vs. a mom.

Self-care for special needs parents can be elusive. I break down easy ways to make it an everyday part of life so you, too, can have inner peace and healing. Few parents in this unique role give themselves the time, compassion, and grace needed to truly take care of their overall health. I acknowledge that all the teachings and clichés of self-care, like fill your own cup so you can pour into others, do not tell special needs parents how to fit self-care into their lives in a meaningful way. To balance such a heavy load, parents must add self-care into their lives every single day. I teach them the elements to make that possible.

My three elements of self-care are: 

1) The Foundation: mindset and mindfulness – Parents must believe they are worth the time and money. 

2) The Methods: bite-sized pieces and habit stacking – This makes using the tools attainable in their overwhelming lives. 

3) The Tools: meditation, journaling, spending time in nature, saying no, movement, gratitude, affirmations, and creativity.

Host, Lara Kitts

Liza Blas is 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 for healing through her podcast, speaking engagements, and personal transformational coaching. Her stories are inspired by her personal experiences raising two children, both challenged with conditions like depression, anxiety, ADHD, OCD, PANDAS and chronic Lyme disease. Prior to launching her podcast, Liza was a top commercial real estate broker and developed IVF medical facilities, autism schools and surgical centers in the Chicagoland area. In her free time Liza enjoys yoga, entertaining friends with yummy gluten free and dairy free dishes and spending time with her family.

Host, Lara Kitts

Welcome to the fourth episode in our Sibling Series. Today, we talk to Brigette Heller. Brigette grew up with a sister who had Cerebral Palsy, epilepsy and was deaf, and who has since passed away. She now has children who have their own needs, including a son with autism and ADHD.

Brigette is an adventure seeking, curious soul whose true passion resides with those who feel on the outside of normal or trendy but want to live a FULL life with all the happiness involved. These are her people, she is them and she believes that life on the outside is beautiful. She leads a group called The Strong and Capable to help others find their way there.

Welcome to the third episode in my sibling series of Changing Your Dreams: Parenting a Child with Special Needs. I will be talking to each of my guests in the sibling series about a TED Talk that I watched recently from a woman who grew up as a sibling to a child with special needs. I encourage you all to go to the show notes to find the link and watch it. It discusses the term Glass Child, which is given to siblings because they often feel see-through, with their sibling’s needs always coming first. It’s an extremely moving presentation.

Today’s guest is Marina Carlucci Goody. Marina grew up as the sibling to two brothers who had seizures and both passed away. Growing up in the 60’s, her parents didn’t talk to her about any of it and she was left to navigate her fear, grief, and guilt all by herself. Thank you for joining me in this raw conversation about what that was like and what her recommendations are to parents today.

Shannon Patch is a government affairs professional from Buffalo, NY. She has spent over a decade working in New York politics, including for U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Now, in addition to her work for global hospitality company, Delaware North, she is a Councilwoman in her hometown. Her sister, Tina, is the inspiration for her work in government, especially advocating for people with special needs. Tina is 33 years old and lives in a group home, but Shannon assists with many needs the home does not necessarily provide.

Today’s guest is Sarah Reckman. Sarah is a social worker with over 10 years of experience in mental health, and the mom of 2 little girls who love life!  She is on a beautiful journey, reclaiming freedom from anxiety, pursuing a meaningful career, and embracing each new stage of motherhood. She created the blog, The Wholehearted Mom, to support moms who are experiencing stress, anxiety, and burnout. Her passion is for moms to be able to embrace calm, and declare abundance, clarity, and joy over their lives and motherhood. This episode is packed full of great information, so many nuggets of wisdom, and concrete action steps toward reducing stress.

Guest, Sarah Reckman

My guest today is Rachel Horcher. Rachel or “Raya” is like the Mary Poppins of coaching! She is a certified Holistic Resilience Coach. She will come in when you most need it, to help you cultivate resiliency, clarity and strength and leave when the winds change. Working with her will give you a safe space to first unpack and then FEEL ALL the emotions and unspoken words. You will learn tools to release some of that shit utilizing multiple modalities, gain clarity and make choices and changes to live a life that feels good.

Rachel also happens to be the mom of 2 beautiful kids. They all three share a rare genetic disorder called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. But it wasn’t until her daughter was two that they learned of it. Her daughter, who has a long list of other diagnoses as well, is dramatically impacted by this disorder and struggles with many health issues.

Rachel shares with us how she uses her training to provide for her family as a single mom as well as help her cope with all the challenges she lives with. She will also share a very valuable message to listeners who do not have a child with special needs. Don't miss it!

Today’s episode is a conversation with the delightful Shannon Klenk. Shannon became a special needs mom through marriage. And now, as a Happiness Coach and Self-Care Strategist, she shares with us about the importance of community in your self-care plan, what her 3 E’s are, and how she became “finally effing happy”.

Instagram >>> @FinallyEffingHappy