Stories – Mothers On The Front Line: Recent Episodes
Stories – Mothers On The Front Line
In this episode of the Conversations Between Friends Series, we discuss punitive systems, including policing and schools, and the frameworks and assumptions underlying their policies. Terminology: IEP – Individualized Education Plan – the document that determines the accommodations and supports for a particular student in special education. Ontology – theory of being, framework of what […]
In this episode we discuss: what it means to be an ally the difference between performative and authentic allyship how allyship differs from friendship and being a coalition partner stigma jumping vs intersectional activism and advocacy Terms: Allyship – An active, consistent, and arduous practice of unlearning and re-evaluating, in which a person in a […]
In this episode we have a conversation about defunding the police: what it means, what it doesn’t mean, and how the phrase raises different emotions in people depending on their personal experiences with the police and racism. How decades of consistent and pervasive defunding of community programming, healthcare, and education has harmed communities. We focus […]
In this episode, the founders of Mothers on the Frontline discuss grief, racial privilege, policing, and the performativity of emotion. Families and communities are grieving right now. We are grieving the deaths of over 100,000 Americans to Covid-19, which has disproportionately affected Black and Brown communities. We are grieving ongoing and countless losses of African-American […]
Kate is a mother from Iowa whose children have autism, anxiety, ADHD, sensory processing disorder and prosopagnosia. In this episode, she discusses what it was like when her son was first diagnosed, adjusting each year to new teachers, and what it is like to go through the ups and downs of parenting children who are […]
[music] Welcome to Mothers on the Frontline Podcast. Today, as part of our Just Ask Mom Series,we listen to a Mom of a 9 year old diagnosed with ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Anxiety in 2014. [music] Tammy: Tell us a little bit about yourself before or outside of mothering, who are you, what do […]
In this episode, a foster and adoptive parent shares her experience of caring for her biological, adoptive and foster children.
In this episode, Diana shares her experience mothering a 17 year old daughter with anxiety and depression. Mentioned on this episode: NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness: https://www.nami.org/ Transcription [music in background] Voiceover: Welcome to the Just Ask Mom podcast where mothers share their experiences of raising children with mental illness. Just Ask Mom is […]
Jill discusses caring for her son whose bipolar disorder surfaced during the teen years. She describes the lack of resources in rural Iowa, the criminalization of mental illness and how that affected her family. She explains how this journey as a mother makes you learn who you are as a person and how strong you […]
In this episode, we listen to Miss Diva from the USA. She speaks about raising a son with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar, ADHD, PTSD, and Seizures in the African-American Community. Please be advised that this interview contains content about domestic abuse and may be upsetting for some audience members. Transcription Women’s Voice: Welcome to the “Just […]
In this episode, we listen to Melissa, a mother from rural Iowa, share her story about raising a son with severe depression. Please be advised that this interview discusses suicide and may be triggering for some of our audience. (See below for transcription.) Suicide Resources: The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 The Lifeline provides […]
In this episode, we hear from John “Tank” Miller of Delaware. A Family Advocate and father of a 19 year old with mental health challenges, John discusses his mental health advocacy through social media and how he uses “Tank Mentality” to provide those with mental illness encouragement every day. Become part of the Tank Mentality […]
In this episode, we listen to Andre Minett, a father of two, husband, and social worker. He discusses his experience advocating for foster children and his own experience as a father with a child with health condition. Transcription [background music] Female Speaker: Welcome to “Ask The Advocate” where mental health advocates share their journey to […]
In this episode, we listen to Cheryl who overcame and found the new Cheryl. This mother of three shares her powerful story of overcoming trauma and serious illness to advocate for her children with special needs. Please be advised that this episode contains discussion of sexual abuse and a suicide attempt. Transcription Voiceover: Welcome to the […]
In this episode, we listen to Suzette Southfox, a Southern California parent of a 19 year-old son with depression, anxiety and Autism Spectrum Disorder. She tells us about her over ten-year journey with children’s mental health. She discusses the importance of honoring the strength of our children and others with depression who fight each day […]
In this episode, we listen to Shanta, a mother of three, clinician, advocate and proponent of self-care. She discusses raising a daughter who struggles mood disorder and suicidal ideation. Transcription [Music plays] Voice over: Welcome to “Ask the Advocate” where mental health advocates share their journey to advocacy and what it is meant for their […]
In this episode, we listen to an advocate with MomBiz Boss and a mother of children who experience developmental and mental health challenges. She speaks about being a mother of color and the experiences of raising children with both visible and invisible disabilities. Advocacy organizations discussed in the Podcast: National Federation of Families for Children’s […]
Tiwanna Bailey, the founder and CEO of HYPED4U, a mentor and advocate for mental health and other disabilities speaks about her advocacy journey.
In this episode, we listen to Fidelia from Northern California. Fidelia has three children: two sons with behavioral challenges and a 11 year old daughter with anxiety. She shares her journey of mental illness, motherhood, incarceration, and advocacy. Transcription [music] Women’s voice: Mothers On The Front Line is a non-profit organization founded by mothers of […]
Today we speak to Bree Jackson, a mother and autism advocate from middle Georgia who has a parent support chapter called Puzzle Pieces of Love.
In this episode we listen to Kaytra MacDonald, a mother from Delaware and Family Peer Supporter from Champions of Children with Mental Health. (music) Narrator: Mothers on the Frontline is a non-profit organization founded by mothers of children with mental illness. We are dedicated to storytelling as a method of both children’s mental health advocacy […]
In this episode, we listen to a mother of three children with mental health diagnoses who works as a Family Partner with North Carolina Families United. She discusses the barriers families face when trying to get their children services and her own experience of moving her family to another county in order to get mental […]
In this episode, Nate tells us about his journey adopting his young son from the foster system and how the trauma of his son’s early life has left a complicated matrix of diagnoses. Transcription Voice: Welcome to the Just Ask Mom podcast where parents share their experiences of mothering children with mental illness. Just […]
In this episode, a mother shares her experience of the recent diagnosis of her son with Asperger’s Syndrome. She discusses the journey to the diagnosis and how well-meaning, but often misguided advice from family and friends can make this already difficult journey all the more painful. She discusses her son’s experiences being bullied in school […]
In this episode, we speak with a mother of three. Her eldest son has Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD). She discusses how the condition affects the family dynamic and what a good day looks like. Transcription Voice: Welcome to the Just Ask Mom podcast where parents share their experiences of mothering children with mental illness. […]
In this episode, Alissa shares her journey as a single mother raising 5 children, both biological and adopted through the foster system, and having a wide range of special needs, including physical, intellectual and emotional disabilities. She discusses how to stay centered in the tough times and how self-care is required before we are able […]
In this episode, a mother and grandmother from Iowa talk about the difficult journey of changing diagnoses, medications, and symptoms during the early childhood of their son and grandson who has Tourette’s Syndrome, OCD, and ODD. They discuss the importance of support groups, recognizing your own needs (especially when they might be different than the […]
In this episode, a Grandmother tells us about raising her grandson who experienced trauma and suffered from several conditions, including ADHD, anxiety, bipolar, and learning disabilities. Please note that this story discusses child abuse and may be triggering for some of our listeners. Transcription Speaker: Welcome to the Just Ask Mom podcast where mothers […]
In this episode we speak to Paula, the adoptive mother of two boys from foster care. One son has PTSD, Trauma, and Autism. The other son has ADHD, Tourette Syndrome, and Anxiety. Paula talks about the importance of not taking your child’s behavior personally, the gift of adoption, and the importance of laughter. For a […]
In this episode, Emily talks about her journey raising a young son with Tourette’s Syndrome. She talks about the importance of community building on many levels, including strengthening relationships within the family and marriage, her church, her son’s school, and the larger community. By educating those in their lives about Tourette’s Syndrome, her son can […]
In this episode, a mother reflects back on her experience raising children with schizophrenia decades ago. She discusses the difficulty of coming to terms with the diagnosis of schizophrenia, how the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Family-to-Family program helped her and her children through this journey and the importance of self-care. Topics discussed include […]
Anna discusses raising a son with childhood-onset schizophrenia on a Midwestern farm, the journey to the right diagnosis & medications, and what there is to celebrate. Transcription: SPEAKER: Welcome to the ‘Just Ask Mom’ podcast where mothers share their experiences of raising children with mental illness. ‘Just ask Mom’ is a Mothers on the Frontline […]