The Special Needs Parent Podcast

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In this conversation, Dr. Marcia Nathai-Balkissoon and Lena Suarez-Angelino explore the challenges and emotional toll of being a special needs parent.

They discuss the journey of seeking a diagnosis for children with special needs, the importance of support systems, and the struggles of medical advocacy.

The conversation highlights the need for self-care, community connection, and understanding from society. They emphasize the importance of maintaining relationships and creating a vision for the future while navigating the complexities of parenting a child with special needs.

Keywords

special needs parenting, diagnosis, support systems, medical advocacy, emotional toll, community, self-care, public spaces, relationships, advocacy, understanding, acceptance, hopesummaryChapters

00:00Introduction to Special Needs Parenting

02:32Navigating the Darkness of Special Needs Parenting

05:00Lena's Journey: From Social Worker to Special Needs Parent

07:47The Search for Diagnosis: Challenges and Frustrations

10:16The Impact of Medical Professionals on Parenting

12:44The Struggles of Inclusion and Support

15:34The Importance of Community and Shared Experiences

18:11The Role of Self-Care in Parenting

20:34Zach's Personality and Joyful Moments

23:17Emotional Challenges and Coping Mechanisms

25:48Advice for Special Needs Parents

28:25The Importance of Advocacy and Support

31:05The Role of Partners in Special Needs Parenting

33:46Finding Joy Amidst the Struggles

36:38The Journey of Acceptance and Growth

38:49Conclusion and Resources for ParentsAbout our guest

Lena Suarez-Angelino is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, speaker, and special needs parent. She has been tirelessly seeking a diagnosis for her son, but he is six and the diagnosis remains elusive. Lena is the author of a workbook to help moms work through their anger and reconnect with calm.Connect with Lena here: https://www.facebook.com/lenasuarez

Pick up a copy of her Anger Management Workbook for Moms here: https://www.amazon.com/Anger-Management-Workbook-Moms-Practical/dp/1638074755

About the podcast host

Dr. Marcia Nathai-Balkissoon is a special needs parent and coach to parents, a podcaster, author, and strategy lecturer. She runs the Special Needs Parent Podcast because she aims to make special needs parents feel valued, connected, and supported.

Get her Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://books2read.com/lightingthepath⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find Marcia on Facebook at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MarciaNB8/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on Instagram @specialneedsparentjourney

Join the FREE Lighting the Path Community for Special Needs Parents at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/share/jG6JEHafR3TWTyqG⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Today, Katie Thune, founder of Mad Hatter Wellness, discusses sexual health and wellbeing for individuals with disabilities. She emphasizes the importance of teaching sexual health from a young age and the need for ongoing conversations throughout a person's life.

Katie provides tips for teaching body autonomy and consent to nonverbal or non-speaking children. She also discusses the importance of allowing children to set boundaries in relationships and categorizing relationships to help navigate social interactions.

Katie highlights the need to respect individual preferences and comfort levels within different relationships. The conversation covers various stages of a child's life and how to navigate important topics such as consent, boundaries, relationships, and sexual wellness. It emphasizes the importance of starting these conversations early and teaching children to respect others' boundaries.

The speakers discuss strategies for nonverbal children, the significance of privacy and personal space, and the challenges of parenting during the middle school years. They also touch on the importance of teaching about healthy relationships, consent, and safety in the workplace.

The conversation concludes with advice on supporting children's independence and addressing sensitive topics like self-touch and self-pleasure.

Keywords

sexual health, wellbeing, disabilities, teaching, body autonomy, consent, relationships, boundaries, consent, boundaries, relationships, sexual wellness, privacy, personal space, middle school years, healthy relationships, safety in the workplace, independence, self-touch, self-pleasure

Chapters

00:00Introduction to Mad Hatter Wellness and Sexual Health

03:14The Importance of Support Systems

05:52Teaching Body Autonomy and Consent from a Young Age

12:33Tips for Parents of Nonverbal or Non-Speaking Children

19:34Being Patient and Gentle with Yourself

24:46Navigating Friendships and Relationships

27:36Understanding Different Levels of Touch and Intimacy

29:32Starting Early: Teaching Consent and Boundaries

39:19Navigating the Middle School Years

41:09Healthy Relationships and Dealing with Rejection

47:17Boundaries in the Workplace

54:47Addressing Self-Touch and Self-Pleasure

56:11Building Trust and Independence

About our guest

Katie Thune was once a sepcial needs educator and now runs Mad Hatter Wellness. There, the focus is on cultivating safety and wellness, especially related to comprehensive sex education specifically for all people with disabilities. Healthy relationships, boundaries, consent and safety are the topics they focus on the most.

Connect with Katie and her team and learn more here: https://madhatterwellness.com/open-conversations/About the podcast host

Get her Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://books2read.com/lightingthepath⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find Marcia on Facebook at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MarciaNB8/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on Instagram @specialneedsparentjourney

Join the FREE Lighting the Path Community for Special Needs Parents at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/share/jG6JEHafR3TWTyqG⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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In this conversation, Aishwarya Magesh and Dr. Lulu discuss the challenges faced by parents who have children with special needs and lack a diagnosis or sufficient support. They highlight the importance of understanding the child's condition and finding the right educational system for them.

They also discuss the lack of communication and education provided by some doctors, the need for a holistic approach to care, and the cultural stigma and shame associated with having a child with special needs. The conversation emphasizes the importance of empowering parents with knowledge and support.

The conversation explores some of the programming and societal expectations that special needs parents face. It highlights the challenges of navigating the healthcare system and finding support.

The importance of self-love and acceptance is emphasized, as well as the need for society to recognize and value the unique abilities of differently abled individuals. The guests provide advice to special needs parents, encouraging them to persevere, discover their child's strengths, and seek support.

Keywords

special needs, diagnosis, support, education, challenges, communication, cultural stigma, shame, empowerment, programming, societal expectations, challenges, healthcare system, support, self-love, acceptance, unique abilities, differently abled, advice

About our guests

Dr. Lulu is a paediatrician and life coach who focuses on parent coaching, inclusive of parenting of LGBTI children. She is a proud Nigerian, currently living in GA, USA, and her diverse life experiences inform her coaching work.

Find more of Dr. Lulu's story and connect with her here: https://dr-lulu.com/about/

Aishwarya Magesh became the parent of a pre-term son sixteen years ago, but doctors did not inform her that her son would be disabled. Her mothering journey was one of seeking to understand her son, seek support for his needs, adapt her own approaches to caring for and take on educating him herself. Now she helps educate and support other parents facing their own challenging journeys of seeking diagnoses and creating better educational and home lives for their children.

Learn more about Aushwarya and connect with her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aishwarya-magesh-69873482/

About the podcast host

Get her Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://books2read.com/lightingthepath⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find Marcia on Facebook at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MarciaNB8/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on Instagram @specialneedsparentjourney

Join the FREE Lighting the Path Community for Special Needs Parents at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/share/jG6JEHafR3TWTyqG⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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In this conversation, Shanda Deo-Bickaroo and Dr. Deborah Bartholomew, two parents of children with autism, discuss their experiences as special needs parents and advocates.

They share their challenges in finding appropriate education and support for their children, as well as the stigma and judgment they face from society. Despite the difficulties, they demonstrate resilience and determination in advocating for their children's needs.

The conversation highlights the importance of community support and understanding in the lives of special needs parents and their children. The conversation explores the challenges and experiences of being a special needs parent and the importance of building a supportive community.

The speakers discuss the difficulties of navigating societal attitudes and the need for empathy and understanding. They share personal stories of interactions with the community, both positive and negative, and highlight the power of advocacy and education.

The conversation emphasizes the importance of love, strength, and self-acceptance in the special needs parenting journey.

Keywords

special needs parents, autism, education, support, challenges, advocacy, resilience, community, special needs parenting, challenges, community, empathy, understanding, advocacy, education, love, strength, self-acceptance

Chapters

00:00Introduction and Importance of Community

02:29Challenges in Education and Individuality of Autism

06:43Differences in Support Systems Across Countries

11:33Finding a Place for Children with Autism in Education

16:31Navigating the Challenges of Special Needs Parenting

22:09Importance of Non-Academic Aspects of Education

29:43The Impact of Labels and Building Resilience

38:12Dealing with Seizures and the Emotional Toll

41:37Sleeping Challenges and Sensory Sensitivity

43:42Interactions with Society and Lack of Support

44:29Public Reactions and Stigma

45:20Advocacy and Bullying

49:24Educating and Sensitizing the Community

55:17Building a Supportive Community and Embracing Differences

01:13:30The Power of Love and Community

About our guests

Dr. Debra Bartholomew is trained in Ophthalmology but says she has always been an educator. Thus when her first child was diagnosed with autism, it became the norm for Debra to seek to educate everyone with whom they built relationships. Why? Because she wanted her child to be treated as human, she says. Debra works alongside her two sons, one of whom has an autism diagnosis, to educate and support persons with autism and their families.

Shanda Deo's first son was diagnosed as autistic, and after extreme challenges to find primary school education access for him, she began working in a pre-school and took her son with her to give him the tailored support he needed. With her son now an adult while still dependent on her and her family, Shanda now runs her own micro-centre to help special needs children develop social, academic and other skills.

About the podcast host

Get her Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://books2read.com/lightingthepath⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find Marcia on Facebook at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MarciaNB8/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on Instagram @specialneedsparentjourney

Join the FREE Lighting the Path Community for Special Needs Parents at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/share/jG6JEHafR3TWTyqG⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Summary

Today, Alyssa from Alyssa's Yellow House talks about organization tips for special needs children. Alyssa, who is autistic and has ADHD herself, shares her insights on organizing in a way that works for individuals with special needs. She emphasizes understanding each child's unique needs and preferences when it comes to organization.

Alyssa also discusses building habits and routines, starting small, and giving children choices in organizing their space. She encourages parents to focus on their child's well-being above external judgments. The episode highlights the importance of creating an environment that supports the child's independence and self-expression.

Discussions touched on the importance of creating designated spaces for children to keep their belongings and the benefits of working with their natural tendencies rather than against them. They emphasized the role of routines and behavior-moedling to teach children how to maintain an organized space. Also discussed were the use of color, the role of music, and the importance of allowing children to have a say in the organization of shared spaces.

Takeaways

Understand and accommodate each child's unique needs and preferences when it comes to organization.
Start small and focus on one task at a time to avoid overwhelm.
Give children choices and involve them in the process of organizing their space.
Create an environment that supports the child's independence and self-expression.
Don't worry about external judgments and focus on what works best for the child's well-being.
Work with the natural tendencies of children rather than against them when organizing spaces.
Establish routines and model behavior to teach children how to maintain an organized space.
Use color to create a calming or stimulating environment based on individual preferences.
Involve children in the organization of shared spaces and allow them to have a say in arranging things.
Consider the use of music or other sensory stimuli to create a positive atmosphere while organizing.
Choose furniture and containers that work well for individual children's needs and preferences.
Find a system that works for your family and make small changes over time to improve organization.
Seek support and community to share experiences and learn from others.

Chapters

00:00Intro & Background

03:14Creating Individualized Organization Systems

09:16Starting Small, Celebrating Small Wins

17:48Parent Roles in Supporting Children's Organization

23:18Designing a Safe, Functional Space for Children

26:48Developing Routines & Cues for Good Organizing Habits

39:39Creating Designated Spaces, Involving Children

42:31Using Color & Music to Calm

47:20Choosing Furniture & Containers

49:09Setting Goals, Establishing Routines

About our guest

Alyssa, from Alyssa’s Yellow House, is a neurodivergent home organization strategist giving people with ADHD and autism personalized systems to turn their home into a space they love. Her strategy is based on taking an out-of-the-box approach to organization which doesn’t rely on habits, “focusing more,” or trying harder, but instead uses an intuitive approach to create systems that feel easy to maintain while being functional.

Find Alyssa here: https://ayh.alyssasyellowhouse.com/inside-the-yellow-houseFind her group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/alyssasyellowhouseAbout the podcast host

Get her Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://books2read.com/lightingthepath⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find Marcia on Facebook at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MarciaNB8/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on Instagram @specialneedsparentjourney

Join the FREE Lighting the Path Community for Special Needs Parents at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/share/jG6JEHafR3TWTyqG⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Summary

Today, Dr. Marcia Nathai-Balkissoon speaks with two special needs parents, Samuel Hutchins and Kariana, about their experiences raising children with disabilities. They discuss the concept of disability pride and the importance of embracing and celebrating their children's unique abilities. They also highlight the need for understanding and acceptance from society, as well as the challenges they face in accessing resources and support.

The conversation emphasizes the power of love, kindness, and advocacy in creating a more inclusive world for individuals with disabilities. They touch on topics such as dealing with judgment and stares from others, the importance of humor in coping with difficult situations, the need for support and understanding from friends and family, and the journey of self-identity as a special needs parent.

The guests also share information about their projects and initiatives, including the Hope 4 Xavier Foundation and an online store with designs created by a special needs child.

Keywords: special needs parents, disability pride, embracing abilities, understanding, acceptance, challenges, resources, support, love, kindness, advocacy, inclusive world, special needs parent, challenges, judgment, stares, humor, support, identity, Hope for Xavier Foundation, online store

Takeaways

Disability pride is about embracing and celebrating the unique abilities of individuals with disabilities.
Society needs to have a better understanding and acceptance of individuals with disabilities.
Special needs parents face challenges in accessing resources and support for their children.
Love, kindness, and advocacy are essential in creating a more inclusive world for individuals with disabilities. Being a special needs parent comes with its own set of challenges, including dealing with judgment and stares from others.
Humor can be a valuable tool in coping with difficult situations and finding moments of joy in the midst of the challenges.
Having a support system of understanding friends and family is crucial for special needs parents.
The journey of self-identity as a special needs parent is an ongoing process of acceptance and growth.
Challenges Faced by Special Needs Parents
Understanding and Acceptance: Key to Inclusion The Journey of Self-Identity as a Special Needs Parent

Chapters

00:00Introduction and Background

03:39Exploring Disability Pride

09:31Challenging Stereotypes and Advocating for Children

16:03Kindness and Empathy in Interactions

23:03The Transformative Power of Love and Joy

29:03Raising Awareness and Promoting Inclusion

34:59Dealing with Judgment and Stares

39:40Finding Humor and Coping Mechanisms

45:09The Importance of Support

48:31Journey of Self-Identity

57:43Projects and Initiatives

01:06:08Joining a CommunityAbout our guests:

Samuel Hutchins is a special needs father and life coach who runs the Hope 4 Xavier Foundation. Find him at https://www.facebook.com/samuel.hutchins.75

Karianna Ali is a single parent to her daughter Sanaya who has Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy. She’s a work from home mom and has an online store to help support them. The designs are created by her and her daughter. Currently, there is a 5% sale on the store, so check it out here: ⁠https://eunoia-designs.printify.me/products⁠”About the podcast host

Dr. Marcia Nathai-Balkissoon is a special needs parent and coach to parents, a podcaster, author, and strategy lecturer. She runs the Special Needs Parent Podcast because she aims to make special needs parents feel valued, connected, and supported.

Get her Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://books2read.com/lightingthepath⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find Marcia on Facebook at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MarciaNB8/⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on Instagram @specialneedsparentjourney

Join the FREE Lighting the Path Community for Special Needs Parents at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/share/jG6JEHafR3TWTyqG⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Summary

In this episode, Marcia Nathai-Balkissoon interviews Angela O'Brien, a professional organizer, about back-to-school organization for parents of special needs children. They discuss the stress and anxiety that can come with the new school year and offer tips for managing it.

Angela emphasizes the importance of approaching the new school year with a sense of wonder and excitement, rather than stress. She also suggests practicing the new routine before school starts and incorporating the child's interests and fascinations into the routine.

Angela also provides advice on decluttering and organizing the home, including creating designated spaces for items and focusing on small areas at a time. She encourages parents to let go of perfection and focus on what works best for their family.

You're invited to join the Lighting the Path community for free today! Come chat some more with Angela and other special needs parents about back to school organising!

Takeaways

Approach the new school year with a sense of wonder and excitement, rather than stress.
Practice the new routine before school starts and incorporate the child's interests and fascinations into the routine.
Focus on decluttering and removing items that no longer serve you, creating designated spaces for items, and letting go of perfection.
Start small and focus on one area at a time when organizing the home.
Check out Angela's website, YourSpaceReclaimed, for free resources and her podcast, Especially Organized, for more tips and advice.
Tips for Decluttering and Organizing the Home
Creating a Sense of Wonder and Excitement for the New School Year

Chapters

00:00Introduction and Welcome

03:19Approaching the New School Year with Wonder

05:05Practicing Routines and Incorporating Rewards

06:29Organizing for Different Types of Children

07:27Understanding and Meeting Individual Needs

09:11The Importance of Having a Place for Items

10:37Managing Overwhelm and Simplifying the Back-to-School Process

12:26Letting Go of Perfection and Embracing What Works

15:05Dealing with Judgment and Setting Your Own Standards

18:25Creating a Home that Reflects Your Values and Supports Your Family

20:17Decluttering and Removing Unnecessary Items

22:19Starting Small and Practicing Organization

23:46Organizing Spaces to Support Daily Routines

25:40Shifting Rules and Creating Functional Spaces

27:55Creating Entryway Systems and Command Centers

29:49Prioritizing Spaces for Organization

32:35Designating Spaces for Items and Simplifying the Kitchen

34:56Reimagining Spaces and Letting Go of Traditional Rules

39:38Golden Pieces of Advice

43:33Free Resources and Podcast RecommendationsAbout our guest

Angela O’Brien is a mom of 2, professional organizer, Enneagram coach, and host of the podcast Especially Organized: Sensible Solutions for Special Needs Moms. After spending 18 years raising her kids and advocating for her daughter who has Down Syndrome, Angela took her love of home organizing and turned it into a business where she coaches fellow special needs moms through their clutter so that they can reclaim the space, freedom, and energy to do what they love.Find her at https://yourspacereclaimed.net/ where you can get her document retention guide for all your child's paperwork. (And learn more about her and what she does.)

About the podcast host

Get her Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at ⁠⁠⁠https://books2read.com/lightingthepath⁠⁠⁠

Find Marcia on Facebook at ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MarciaNB8/⁠⁠⁠ and on Instagram @specialneedsparentjourney

Join the FREE Lighting the Path Community for Special Needs Parents at ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/share/jG6JEHafR3TWTyqG⁠⁠⁠

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Summary

In this conversation, Dr. Marcia Nathai-Balkissoon interviews Tonya Wollum, a special needs parent and IEP Coach with extensive experience. They discuss the challenges and preparations involved when children with special needs transition to university. They also touch on topics such as guardianship, trust funds, and the importance of self-advocacy.

In this conversation, Marcia and Tonya discuss the challenges and strategies for parents of special needs children as they transition to college. They emphasize the importance of open communication, self-advocacy, and building a support network. They also discuss the role of parents in helping their children navigate accommodations, interact with professors, and find their place in the college community. The conversation highlights the need for parents to let go and allow their children to learn and grow independently, while still providing emotional support and guidance.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Tonya Wollum

01:31 Discussing the Challenges of Transitioning to University

02:28 Early Transitioning and the Role of Faith

03:28 Encouraging Independence and Self-Exploration

05:32 Understanding the Unique Needs of Each Child

06:58 Different Schooling Experiences for Siblings with Disabilities

08:23 Dealing with ADHD and Narcolepsy in College

10:21 Preparing for Guardianship and Financial Planning

14:40 When to Apply for Guardianship and the Importance of Experienced Professionals

18:26 Starting the Documentation Process Early

20:49 The Importance of Tailoring Trusts and Estate Planning

26:36 Navigating Guardianship and Executors

28:26 Transitioning to College and Seeking Accommodations

31:46 The Role of Self-Advocacy in College Success

34:15 Preparing for Self-Advocacy from a Young Age

34:44 Navigating the College Transition

38:02 Challenges with Accommodations

48:27 Building a Support Network

56:02 Finding a Peer Group

01:00:20 Letting Go and Allowing Independence

About Tonya Wollum

Tonya Wollum is a disability advocate, a Master IEP Coach®, and the host of the Water Prairie Chronicles podcast for special needs parents. A parent of children with disabilities, she is dedicated to empowering parents to advocate for their children. She draws from her own experiences to provide strategies to support families living life with a disability.Website: https://waterprairie.comFREE E-Book: https://waterprairie.com/empowering-neurodiverse-learners/"Empowering Neurodiverse Learners: A Guide to Assistive Technology and Learning Tools" is an eBook that provides valuable insights into using technology to support neurodiverse students. Designed for parents and educators of neurodiverse children, this guide explores a wide range of assistive technologies, apps, software, and resources that enhance learning, communication, and organization. By embracing the unique needs of neurodiverse learners and leveraging assistive technology, we can create inclusive learning environments that celebrate neurodiversity and empower every child to reach their full potential.

About Dr. Marcia Nathai-Balkissoon

Get her Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at ⁠⁠https://books2read.com/lightingthepath⁠⁠

Find Marcia on Facebook at ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MarciaNB8/⁠⁠ and on Instagram @specialneedsparentjourney

Join the FREE Lighting the Path Community for Special Needs Parents at ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/share/jG6JEHafR3TWTyqG⁠⁠

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This episode continues our dive into perspectives about disability pride.

Join us as we discuss what the varied experiences of our guests - from their observations of children's experiences, challenges, and motivators - led them to realise about living with disabilities, and promoting advocacy, personal pride, and professional pride in young persons with disabilities. Also, don't miss out on hearing their views about misconceptions about disability and how they'd reorient thinking in society.

Today's podcast speakers and host:

Our guests offer the following support from their own areas of expertise:

Avion Thompson, a social worker, certified mediator, life skills trainer, and special needs mom - offers a free first life skills session to teens from age 14 -18, to help with conflict resolution or emotional pressures. Book a session with her here: https://calendly.com/thegreatnessinitiative/30min

Mark Kemp, a certified hypnotherapist and licensed optician with a disability who runs his own business - offers a free consultation as well as advocacy support and a range of hypnotherapy services to help clients address issues including pain management and making mental/emotional shifts. Book with him here: https://tranquilityhealthwellness.llc/ and also learn other ways to connect with him.

Dr. Marcia Nathai-Balkissoon, a special needs parent and coach to parents, podcaster, author, and strategy lecturer - runs the Special Needs Parent Podcast because she never wants special needs parents to feel abandoned and unsupported.

Get her Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at ⁠https://books2read.com/lightingthepath⁠

Find Marcia on Facebook at ⁠https://www.facebook.com/MarciaNB8/⁠ and on Instagram @specialneedsparentjourney

Join Marcia's free Lighting the Path Community for Special Needs Parents at ⁠https://www.facebook.com/share/jG6JEHafR3TWTyqG⁠

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Join us to explore what disability pride means to parents who not only have children with disabilities, but have disabilities themselves.

Three guests speak with me on the panel for this episode, sharing their thoughts and experiences about disability identity, navigating neurodivergence, breaking generational cycles, creating safe spaces for their children and themselves as parents, advocacy, and self-expression.

Dive deeper into the issues discussed in this episode and future episode in our explorations inside my free Lighting the Path Community for Special Needs Parents and allies. Sign up to join here, or via the link at the end of this shownote.

About our guests and their work:

Meagan Tehseldar, advocate and educator helping parents navigate the special education system for children in school. Find her on instagram at @loveoverlabelsadvocacy and explore her website loveoverlabels.net to learn about her and check out her many resources.

Dr. Simone Kolysh, life coach at Definant Life Coaching helping late-in-life realised neurodivergent and burnt out parents: Find them on TikTok and Instagram at the handle @defiantlifecoaching. Be sure to mention The Special Needs Parent Podcast to get 10% off any consulting package with Dr. Simone, who offers amazing flexibility on modes of communication to meet clients' diverse needs and preferences.

Latrea Ross, disability empowerment coach for parents and young children. Find Latrea on tiktok and Instagram at the handle @coachltrea79, and on Facebook at more_than_my_disability, and on her website at www.coachlatrea.net for a range of support options.Dr. Marcia Nathai-Balkissoon, special needs parent coach, podcaster and author. runs the Special Needs Parent Podcast because she never wants special needs parents to feel abandoned and unsupported. Get her Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath

Find Marcia on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MarciaNB8/ and on Instagram @specialneedsparentjourney

Join Marcia's free Lighting the Path Community for Special Needs Parents at https://www.facebook.com/share/jG6JEHafR3TWTyqG

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So often you know you want to add something - equipment, or space, or an experience, or a new learning, or even a rest - into your life or your family’s life and you’re overwhelmed by the realisation that there are a million reasons you can never fit it in. I get it, and I hope this episode brings validation for you and also helps with some bolstering or ideas that might support you.

I’d love to share your ideas and tips with other listeners also, so please send me a voice message here or DM me on social media. Check in with me if you’d like me to treat with any specific issues in future episodes, and feel free to reach out to get support directly from me, too. If you get value for the podcast, help me to grow it by sharing with others in your circle and rate and review it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and everywhere else where it is available.

For more support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs parenting journey, including stories, tips, and checklists to help with issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of your life challenges, boosting your relationships, and doing better with caring for yourself, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of my Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path: Leaning into a Hopeful Future as a Special Needs Parent, at any of the outlets listed here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Many others who are not Special Needs parents have found the book very helpful in coping with their overwhelm and life challenges as well.

Plus, follow Marcia at https://www.facebook.com/MarciaNB8/ and www.instagram.com/MarciaNathaiBalkissoon to get back more of your spark in life, especially if your challenges and tendency to chase perfection are draining you.

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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Sometimes life just feels like it’s crushing you or leaving you behind and you can’t find the extra will to keep going, trying, fighting, loving, hoping, believing. If that’s where you are, then this episode is just for you.

You deserve to know that you are valuable and you matter. You matter, even if you feel isolated or uncared for right now, even if you’re beating yourself up (on top of everything else), even if there such a heavy load on you that your body is screaming in pain and you can’t figure out how to drag yourself forward mentally, emotionally or physically. Hang in there. This episode is short so you can get through it fast. Know I’m holding your hand and sending love your way.

Check in with me if you’d like me to treat with any specific issues in future episodes, and feel free to reach out to get support directly from me, too.

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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Kristina Mand-Lakhiani believes life is too important to be taken seriously and makes sure to bring fun into every one of her roles: as a teacher, mother, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and world traveller. Kristina helps her students to virtually hack happiness by taking them through her unique framework - “Hacking happiness” - a unique framework of balancing your life, taking in every moment, and paying close attention to the small daily choices.

Kristina Mand-Lakhiani is an international speaker, entrepreneur, artist, philanthropist, and mother of 2 kids. As a co-founder of Mindvalley, a leading publisher in the personal growth industry, Kristina dedicated the last 20 years of her career from teachers like Michael Beckwith, Bob Proctor, Lisa Nichols, and many more.

Kristina is also the author of three transformational quests - "7 Days To Happiness", "Live By Your Own Rules.” and "The Art of Being Flawesome". Kristina talks about personal transformation, authenticity, understanding and accepting oneself, and a path to happiness.

In July 2023, with the help of Hay House Publishing, Kristina releases her very first book - "Becoming Flawesome". In her book, Kristina shares her own journey from being on top of a personal growth empire like Mindvalley to stepping aside, conscious uncoupling from her husband, and walking her path towards being more honest with herself.

Find Kristina here: https://www.instagram.com/kristinamand/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-mand-lakhiani-73168414/

https://www.facebook.com/kristinamand

https://kristinamand.com/

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**Explicit Episode - Some Adult content is included in this episode.

Check out the Q&A for this episode. We can't wait to hear your answers!

This episode is focused on giving you insights and tools to boost your intimacy with your romantic partner. It's the final episode in a 3-episode series I've been privileged to do with Kim Coffin, a certified Trauma-Informed, Somatic (body-based) Empowerment, Sex, Love & Relationship Teacher, Speaker, Author, and Coach.

Kim is a Number 1 Amazon Bestselling Author with a chapter in the book, "Love Thy Body: Sex Love & Relationships – A Collection of Real Life Stories". All royalties from the book go to the Domestic Abuse Charity Hopefull Handbags Global. You can get your e-book or paperback on Amazon. The book access links reflecting different countries are:

Amazon UK https://amzn.to/3WRS9qo
Amazon US https://amzn.to/3qurKmv
Amazon DE https://amzn.to/43MXscY
Amazon CA https://amzn.to/3oU3SZ2

There is a wealth of support available from Kim. You can tap into her wisdom on social media as well as on her podcast via these links:

Facebook - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=569755109⁠
Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/get_your_sexy_back_coach/⁠
Private Facebook Group - Get Your Sexy Back - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/2251812558445958/⁠
Get Your Sexy Back Podcast - ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/get-your-sexy-back/id1489475566⁠

Don't miss Kim's free resource called "8 Tools to Activate Your Turn-On". You'll get your access here: ⁠https://view.flodesk.com/pages/63d4adadecc6781900626c2d⁠.

Plus, if you'd like to talk with Kim about your particular situation (she works with women and men separately and also with couples together), click here: https://getyoursexyback.ca/book-appointment/ to book your free call.

For stories, tips, and checklists to help with issues like managing unending demands, coping with big life challenges, boosting your relationships, and doing better with caring for yourself, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of my Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path: Leaning into a Hopeful Future as a Special Needs Parent, at any of the outlets listed here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Many others who are not Special Needs parents have found the book very helpful in coping with their overwhelm and life challenges as well. Plus, follow me at https://www.facebook.com/MarciaNB8/ and www.instagram.com/MarciaNathaiBalkissoon to get back more of your spark in life, especially if your high-achieving habits are draining you, and you're longing to find more joy and fulfillment in various parts of your life, including at work and with your family.

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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**Explicit Episode - Some Adult content is included in this episode.

Check out the Q&A and Poll for this episode. We can't wait to hear your answers!

If you are one of the many women who are ready to enhance their intimacy, for their own sake, and to boost the quality of relationship that they have, then you'll want to tune in to this episode. Kim Coffin, a certified Trauma-Informed, Somatic (body-based) Empowerment, Sex, Love & Relationship Teacher, Speaker, Author, and Coach, shares insights and approaches that will help you level up your awareness of your own needs, likes, and messages from your body, as well as help increase your connection to pleasure in your life.

Amazon UK https://amzn.to/3WRS9qo
Amazon US https://amzn.to/3qurKmv
Amazon DE https://amzn.to/43MXscY
Amazon CA https://amzn.to/3oU3SZ2

There is a wealth of support available from Kim. You can tap into her wisdom on social media as well as on her podcast via these links:

Facebook - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=569755109⁠
Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/get_your_sexy_back_coach/⁠
Private Facebook Group - Get Your Sexy Back - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/2251812558445958/⁠
Get Your Sexy Back Podcast - ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/get-your-sexy-back/id1489475566⁠

The final episode of this 3-part series with Kim comes next week, when we will be talking about boosting intimacy in our relationship with our partner more specifically. Be sure that, while you wait for that episode, you grab your free resource from Kim. It's called "8 Tools to Activate Your Turn-On" and you'll be able to get your access here: ⁠https://view.flodesk.com/pages/63d4adadecc6781900626c2d⁠.

Plus, follow me at https://www.facebook.com/MarciaNB8/ and www.instagram.com/MarciaNathaiBalkissoon to get back more of your spark in life, especially if your high-achieving habits are draining you, and you're longing to find more joy and fulfillment in various parts of your life, including at work and with your family.

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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One of the first things to feel the fallout when you are racing around and handling a lot in your life, or you are facing big life overwhelm, is your relationships become impoverished. For most of us, though, it is the relationship with ourselves that suffers the most and that causes follow-on challenges in every other area of our lives. And guess what: we often don't even see that as a problem we should be working on as a priority, because there are so many noisier issues waving their hands at us and jumping around.

I am thrilled to have the expertise of a heart-centred, wise woman sharing her insights about self-love and our relationship with ourselves on the show today. Kim Coffin is a certified Trauma-Informed, Somatic (body-based) Empowerment, Sex, Love & Relationship Teacher, Speaker, Author, and Coach. She is also a graduate of Layla Martin’s Institute of Integrated Tantric Sexuality, and founder of Get Your Sexy Back.

There is a wealth of support available from Kim. You can tap into her wisdom on social media as well as on her podcast via these links:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=569755109
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/get_your_sexy_back_coach/
Private Facebook Group - Get Your Sexy Back - https://www.facebook.com/groups/2251812558445958/
Get Your Sexy Back Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/get-your-sexy-back/id1489475566

More episodes are coming on the next two episodes to continue learning about enhancing our relationships and also talking about our sexuality, but in the meantime, if you're curious, here's her free gift for our listeners. It's called "8 Tools to Activate Your Turn-On" and you'll be able to get your access here: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/63d4adadecc6781900626c2d

For stories, tips, and checklists to help with issues like managing unending demands, coping with big life challenges, boosting your relationships, and doing better with caring for yourself, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of my Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path: Leaning into a Hopeful Future as a Special Needs Parent, at any of the outlets listed here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Many others who are not Special Needs parents have found the book very helpful in coping with their overwhelm and life challenges as well.Plus, follow me athttps://www.facebook.com/MarciaNB8/ and www.instagram.com/MarciaNathaiBalkissoon to get back more of your spark in life, especially if your high-achieving habits are draining you, and you're longing to find more joy and fulfillment in various parts of your life, including at work and with your family.

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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When was the last time you paused and looked at the way you’ve been living? In today’s episode, I prompt you to do just that by presenting some questions and reflections about all that you may focused on - plus what you may be ignoring - and how that could be limiting the quality of life you’ve been living. I urge you to take half an hour to tune in and to look honestly at your own situation and your own self. Use this episode to check in on some of the things that may be just wonderful and some that are due for some improvement. Check in with me if you’d like me to treat with any specific issues in future episodes, and feel free to reach out to get support directly from me, too.For more support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs parenting journey, including stories, tips, and checklists to help with issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of your life challenges, boosting your relationships, and doing better with caring for yourself, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of my Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path: Leaning into a Hopeful Future as a Special Needs Parent, at any of the outlets listed here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Many others who are not Special Needs parents have found the book very helpful in coping with their overwhelm and life challenges as well.Plus, follow Marcia athttps://www.facebook.com/MarciaNB8/ and www.instagram.com/MarciaNathaiBalkissoon to get back more of your spark in life, especially if your challenges and tendency to chase perfection are draining you.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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Dre is the name he goes by, and his approach to life is a joy to take a look at in this episode. Dre has a physical disability that requires his use of a wheelchair, but when you speak with him, you forget about any disability, because of his powerful presence. As a child he insisted on walking despite his challenges for many years, before eventually allowing himself to lean into using a wheelchair for mobility, and as an adult, he runs The 1130 Podcast and connects with people from all walks of life through his interviews. Last year, he became a father, and continues to power through new experiences in that role with the same positivity and enthusiastic energy that he applies to everything else.Tune in to this episode for a hit of warmth and positive energy, as well as a story, that will make you smile and leave inspired.Want to connect to Dre? You can find him on social media at these locations:TikTok and Instagram: @the1130podcastWatch Dre's Docuseries, called "My Life" at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1xxkCshVlLqMU7Jkmk_ATHjjyWOjiYmoFor more support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs parenting journey, including stories, tips, and checklists to help with issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of your life challenges, boosting your relationships, and doing better with caring for yourself, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of host Marcia's Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path: Leaning into a Hopeful Future as a Special Needs Parent, at any of the outlets listed here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath.Plus, follow Marcia athttps://www.facebook.com/MarciaNB8/ and www.instagram.com/MarciaNathaiBalkissoon to get back more of your spark in life, especially if your challenges and tendency to chase perfection are draining you.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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In this video episode, I chat with Irene Martinez about how to take the complex world of baby development and simplify what we consider by focusing first on 3 areas. These areas, says Irene, tell us about foundational aspects of our baby's development. Better still, while the 3 areas are ideally to be focused on from as early in baby's life as possible (Irene recommends starting to build the awareness and focus from as early as a couple of months before baby is born), it is never too late to tune in on these areas. So if your child is no longer a baby, it still all applies, and you also can place the focus on you, so as to support yourself.

Irene Martinez runs Best Baby Beginnings, and puts her Early Intervention expertise of 20+ years as a "Baby Whisperer", Neuro-Development Expert", "Sensory Integration Specialist", "Occupational Therapist", and "Feeding Guru" into helping parents, guardians, and grandparents to see and support their precious littles with enhanced intuition, uncommon skill, and grace. Irene runs a supportive free community where she helps parents build connections with one another and shares answers to burning questions that boost understanding of what parents may observe, may worry about, or may need guidance on. You can join her Best Baby Beginnings community here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2778324362387351 Additionally, you'll find more resources on her website, so reach out and connect with her at https://bestbabybeginnings.com/

Best of all, you can book a free consultation call will Irene to have a talk and receive some guidance either as an expecting parent or as a parent of a newborn, via these links:

Complimentary Consultation Expectant Families: https://calendly.com/yourbabyspecialist/building-your-nest-of-support

Complimentary Consultation Families with Newborns: https://calendly.com/yourbabyspecialist/15-30min

For more support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs parenting journey, including stories, tips, and checklists to help with issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of your life challenges, boosting your relationships, and doing better with caring for yourself, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of host Marcia's Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path: Leaning into a Hopeful Future as a Special Needs Parent, at any of the outlets listed here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Plus, come find support from podcast host, Marcia, at www.instagram.com/MarciaNathaiBalkissoon to carve out more joy and fulfillment in life, especially if you l feel overextended by your life’s challenges and your tendency to chase perfection.

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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Irene Martinez has had an unending string of labels and nicknames, including "Baby Whisperer", Neuro-Development Expert", "Sensory Integration Specialist", "Occupational Therapist", and "Feeding Guru". However, in her Early Intervention training, coaching and speaking, she prides herself on her ability to help parents free themselves of labels handed to them about their children. She says that this is critical in order to truly see and support your child. That is what we explore in this first of two episodes with Irene. Be sure to tune in next week, when we will be talking with Irene about Demystifying the Development of Your Baby!Irene runs a supportive free community where she helps parents build connections with one another and shares answers to burning questions that boost understanding of what parents may observe, may worry about, or may need guidance on. You can join her Best Baby Beginnings community here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2778324362387351 Additionally, you'll find more resources on her website, so reach out and connect with her at https://bestbabybeginnings.com/For more support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs parenting journey, including stories, tips, and checklists to help with issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of your life challenges, boosting your relationships, and doing better with caring for yourself, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of host Marcia's Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at any of the outlets listed here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Plus, come find support from podcast host, Marcia, at www.instagram.com/MarciaNathaiBalkissoon to carve out more joy and fulfillment in life, especially if you l feel overextended by your life’s challenges and your tendency to chase perfection. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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Sensory overload can make haircutting a stressful time for child and parent alike. Joanna Cetaj used to be a hairdresser who not only attended to haircuts for special needs children, but found it natural to help them feel so safe, they would relax and initiate communication and other interaction with her. She has been recently diagnosed with special needs of her own, and she also is the parent of a special needs child. In her work as a coach and soon-to-be author, she uses her rich experience to guide parents of special needs children to establish the environment at home where they can manage haircuts themselves, so they can shed their anxiety and create freedom and joy for everyone involved.

Tune in to this episode to learn about some of what Joanna has experienced, learn some of her insights to benefit your family, and get her support to make rapid change in this critical area.Follow or DM Joanna on social media at:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jojosfromvegasFor more support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs parenting journey, including more lessons from my daughter, Emma, plus issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, boosting our relationships, and doing better with caring for ourselves, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of Marcia's Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at a host of outlets here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Plus, come find support from podcast host, Marcia, at www.instagram.com/MarciaNathaiBalkissoon to carve out more joy and fulfillment in life, especially if you l feel overextended by your life’s challenges and your tendency to chase perfection. Send me a DM to tell me about you and your family, and please recommend the podcast to other parents who need to get some support, feel less alone, and find a safe space where they are more understood.

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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Many a special needs parent has concerns about whether they are doing right by the siblings of their special needs children. So many, including me, have had questions like:Have I left them to manage too much on their own?How can I provide what they need and want more reliably?I worry about their well-being. What do I need to see or know that I don’t right now?What aren’t they sharing with me that they should be?How can I be the best parent to them?In this episode, I chat with a sibling, Amanda Owen, who gives her perspective on what it was like to grow up with a special needs brother. She shares about her experiences, thoughts, behaviours, and concerns, as well as what she observed with her parents and brother, and how her experiences shaped parts of the life she has created for herself and her family today.Amanda Owen is a children’s book author, blogger, podcaster, nonprofit director/founder and lifelong advocate for those with disabilities. Inspired each day by her older brother, Nick, Amanda has dedicated her life’s work to ensuring others with disabilities are included in their communities and live more fulfilled lives. She loves empowering women to call their own shots, find their purpose, all while leading a life that isn’t defined by societies’ checkboxes. She, along with her husband, Justin, (who is the only person in the world that could both ground and love goal-driven, “vision boarding” Amanda) are the proud parents of two sons, Landon (12) and Layne (9). When she’s not running her nonprofit with a $5 million operating budget or supporting her 100+ employees or 400 clients, you can find Amanda at the lake, binge-watching Netflix or looking up inspirational quotes. More than anyone, Amanda understands what it means to fearlessly follow the path God has set out for you. She inspires everyone she meets to dream big, work hard, own their mistakes and learn from them, be yourself, and most of all — laugh! Amanda loves to connect! Find her at:Website: piecesofme.orgPodcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pieces-of-me/id1547078857Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/piecesofmebyamandaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/piecesofmebyamanda/For more support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs parenting journey, including more lessons from my daughter, Emma, plus issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, boosting our relationships, and doing better with caring for ourselves, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of Marcia's Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at a host of outlets here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Plus, come find support from podcast host, Marcia, at www.instagram.com/MarciaNathaiBalkissoon to carve out more joy and fulfillment in life, especially if you l feel overextended by your life’s challenges and your tendency to chase perfection. Send me a DM to tell me about you and your family, and please recommend the podcast to other parents who need to get some support, feel less alone, and find a safe space where they are more understood.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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Perhaps you live a life that stacks more demands before you get done with the challenge you’re already all-in on. Perhaps you’re the kind of person who goes all-in on everything you do. Whatever your particular circumstance, it’s likely that you’re always racing - physically, mentally, and/or emotionally to tie up what’s currently on your plate and move straight into the next thing, and the next, and the next. And that brings challenges, as I’m sure you know. Because you run out. Of drive. Of power. Of the will to keep pushing. And beyond that, and even more importantly, you run out of joy, excitement, desire, to jump in and experience and live by immersing yourself in the next experience. Figuring out how to take back the joy, give yourself space: those become very important. If you want to talk with me about making space for yourself in the midst of the unpredictability and racing demands of life, DM me on Instagram or Facebook or email me at marcia@marcianb.com. This podcast is a labour of love for me. Like you, I often wish for a little more encouragement and connection and support. If this podcast is supportive to you, please help me get it out to more special needs parents and overwhelmed people who can benefit from the experience and the friendly hand holding theirs. For more support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs parenting journey, including issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, boosting our relationships, and doing better with caring for ourselves, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of my Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at a host of outlets here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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I messed up. For the first time, I didn’t put out a podcast episode on Thursday. A lot of self-judgement flared up for me because I FAILED to meet the standard I have met for over 60 episodes. But the lesson lay in my failure. And that’s what I am sharing with you. So this is my short (and late) episode with a big message and a few embarrassing sounds that I decided to leave in as I share this completely unedited, from-the-core episode… 🫢😬If you want to talk with me about making space for yourself in the midst of the unpredictability and racing demands of life, DM me on Instagram or Facebook or email me at marcia@marcianb.com. This podcast is a labour of love for me. Like you, I often wish for a little more encouragement and connection and support. If this podcast is supportive to you, please help me get it out to more special needs parents and overwhelmed people who can benefit from the experience and the friendly hand holding theirs. For more support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs parenting journey, including issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, boosting our relationships, and doing better with caring for ourselves, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of my Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at a host of outlets here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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How does a child - severely brain-injured, bedridden, and non-verbal since she was 8 months old - teach someone? Certainly not in the usual ways. But my daughter, Emma, has taught me powerfully, and in marking her 11th birthday, I have decided to share some of the best lessons I’ve learned.In this episode, I reflect on things she has patiently taught me, simply by being herself, in a little over a decade. So here are the 10 lessons that I’ve brainstormed - one for each of the 10 years since her injury.If you pray, set intentions, or do any other kind of positive energy work, I would be thrilled if you’d include her in your practice today and join me in wishing Em abundant joy, love, health, and prosperity as she begins her 12th year on earth!For more support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs parenting journey, including more lessons from Emma, plus issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, boosting our relationships, and doing better with caring for ourselves, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of Marcia's Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at a host of outlets here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Plus, come find support from podcast host, Marcia, at www.instagram.com/MarciaNathaiBalkissoon to carve out more joy and fulfillment in life, despite your life’s demands and challenges. Send me a DM to tell me about you and your family, and please recommend the podcast to other parents who need to get some support, feel less alone, and find a safe space where they are more understood.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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Did you know, Women, that tuning in to your menstrual cycle can attune you to fluctuations in not only your mood or emotions, but also the way your creativity, work competencies, and even inspiration may fluctuate during the course of your cycle? This is just the start of what Dinara Mukh shares in this interview. Tune in to learn about how we can better support our children who have menstrual cycles, as well as how our boys and men sometimes step in to give us love and support when they are aware of our cycles. Plus, Dinara shares a little about how men’s hormones fluctuate and impact their energy as well.Dinara Mukh is women’s health & hormone coach and TEDx speaker. She helps women balance hormones by re-connecting with their menstrual cycles so they can thrive in their bodies.You can find Dinara’s resources and also reach out to her via these links:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dinara.mukh/LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinaramukh/Dinara’s TEDx Talk: Your menstrual cycle is your superpower - https://youtu.be/BFa2egx-jI8Plus, you can take Dinara’s hormone quiz here: www.dinaramukh.com/hormonequizDinara’s podcast, Feel Better Be Better, teaches more on this episode’s subject. You can tune in here: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/ETc3wBJ6ExbFor support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs parenting journey, including issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, boosting our relationships, and doing better with caring for ourselves, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of Marcia's Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at a host of outlets here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Plus, come find support from podcast host, Marcia, at www.instagram.com/MarciaNathaiBalkissoon to carve out more joy and fulfillment in life, despite your life’s demands and challenges.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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When you have a choice between traditional face-to-face and online speech therapy, what are some considerations to keep in mind? And what are some approaches almost any parent can practice, right at home, to encourage speech or more vocalisation from their child? Lenora Edwards, a speech therapist with many years of experience in multiple settings, answers these questions and more, in this podcast episode. You can book a free 15-minute consultation here: www.BetterSpeech.com.For support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs parenting journey, including issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, boosting our relationships, and doing better with caring for ourselves, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of Marcia's Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at a host of outlets here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Plus, come find support from podcast host, Marcia, at www.instagram.com/MarciaNathaiBalkissoon to carve out more joy and fulfillment in life, despite your life’s demands and challenges.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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As a mom of 8 now-adult boys, one of whom was adopted and has a Foetal Alcohol Syndrome diagnosis, Tess Scott is well qualified to bring guidance on navigating great challenges with gumption, humour, and hope.Tess also describes herself as a spunky “Grami with a heart above the i” to a whole slew of adorable grandkids. Using both humour and vulnerability, Tess shares her life as a Christian speaker, an award-winning author and an encourager of women.Her first book, “Listen, Sister! Finding Hope in the Freakshow of Life” launched in 2022. It’s is a hilarious collection of short personal stories that turn awkward memories into much needed encouragement. Each tale of real-life shenanigans points out glimpses of God in the everyday and directs women to the source of true joy in their stress-filled lives. You can find Listen, Sister on Amazon, at Barnes and Noble, at Walmart, and more.You can connect with Tess in a series of ways including:> Her website at https://tessscott.com/> Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/listensistertessscott> Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/listensister_encouragement/> LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/tess-scott-a5a091217/Also, Tess loves sharing her gift, “The top 10 signs your life is a freakshow” with her audience. Get it here: https://tessscott.com/freakshow.For support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs parenting journey, including issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, boosting our relationships, and doing better with caring for ourselves, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of Marcia's Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at a host of outlets here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Plus, come find support from podcast host, Marcia, at www.instagram.com/MarciaNathaiBalkissoon to carve out more joy and fulfillment in life, despite your life’s demands and challenges.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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In a life that is so full of demands and harsh judgments from others and from yourself, how do you calm yourself and connect to joy as a self-supporting start to the day? Join our special guest, Jenny Lee to understand her transformation of mind, heart, and lived practice. Jenny Lee is a life coach who focuses on building resilience in women by creating joyful morning routines. So many women wear different hats and are in the state of depletion and overwhelm. The morning routine is a time for self-love, healing the nervous system and rewiring mindset so women prioritize their nourishment before serving the world. Jenny is also a teacher of 20 years. She is inspired to help women be aware of their own self-care after a realization of how her own lack of self-care had put her in the wrong path. After a few taxing life events, years of self-separation, postpartum depression and divorce, life directed her on the path of self-care and self-discovery. She uncovered her connection to happiness and inspiration through her morning routines and self-care embodiment. Jenny is now on the journey of guiding others to heal and reconnect with their dignified and highest selves through joyful morning rituals and self-care.Be sure to take advantage of Jenny's offer to gift you her time, one on one, to help you customise your own morning routine. You may connect with Jenny via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jennyleeinfinite and via Instagram at @sunnyjennylee. For support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs parenting journey, including issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, boosting our relationships, and doing better with caring for ourselves, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of Marcia's Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at a host of outlets here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Plus, come join us at www.facebook.com/groups/thriveability where we’re building a community to support creating more joy and fulfillment in life, despite life’s demands and challenges.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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People often make triggering statements about special needs-related matters. In this episode, the show’s host reads or recounts some such statements made personally to her, passed on to her by others, or found through online research. Tune in as she shares what she feels, believes, has read, and/or has experienced, about each statement in turn. After you listen, we want you to help widen our perspectives! Tell us: What’s your take? Do you agree with the host’s comments? Do you disagree? Is there more to be added to create a more complete response? Chime in and share your perspective! You may send in your feedback by doing any of the following: 1) Leave a 1-minute voice message here: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message, 2) Post your comments under the post addressing this episode on Marcia’s “Special Needs Parents Thriving” Facebook page here: fb.me/SpecialNeedsParentsThriving, or3) Send in a DM (text or voice) from the same Facebook page, fb.me/SpecialNeedsParentsThriving.For support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs parenting journey, including issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, boosting our relationships, and doing better with caring for ourselves, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of Marcia's Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at a host of outlets here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Plus, come join us at www.facebook.com/groups/thriveability where we’re building a community to support creating more joy and fulfillment in life, despite life’s demands and challenges.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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How challenging it is to plan for our child's future, given that it is difficult to predict how life will unfold for them and for you. Attorney, Special Needs Parent, and Advocate, Annette Hines, shares that planning is the way to reduce how out-of-control life becomes. In this first episode of a series of episodes she will do in the podcast, she leans on her 20+ years helping her clients to plan for special needs, elder care, and estate planning to give an overview of what should be considered as you start planning for your child's future. In this episode, Annette discusses some challenges faced in everyday life as a special needs parent, and why carefully selecting a financial advisor and an attorney can prove invaluable for the short and long term. She mentions some considerations that you should factor in when planning to support your child years into the future, and stresses how to also factor your child's capabilities and preferences into the plan. The plan we make is only as good as our understanding of all important factors, but finding information can be quite a challenge. To help us, Annette is giving our podcast listeners access to her upcoming 8-week Special Needs Advocacy and Planning Masterclass and Group Coaching program for 90% off! The Program runs from February 15 to April 5, 2023 and will cost only $250.00 for course videos, coursebook, workbook, 8 weeks of coaching, and a community that will become a circle of care for you! Click this link to sign up: enroll.specialneedsfamilyservices.com/p/individuals-family-caregivers-cohort-group-coaching and use the following coupon code: THRIVE90 Marcia and her husband will be doing this course to work on building their plan for their own special needs child, Emma. Please share this episode widely, as we want as many people to benefit from this programme as possible! For support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs Parenting Journey, including issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, and boosting our relationships, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of Marcia's book, Lighting the Path, at any of the following physical and online locations: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Plus, come join her free community at www.facebook.com/groups/thriveability today.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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This episode focuses on the many answers our guest, Colleen Keefe Faul, has found about the whys and hows of special needs parenting. Her answers have been constructed through intensive exploration and reflection. Parts have been produced from her prayer and deep dive into her faith. Other parts have been surprising realizations that she has had about how some of her unique qualities have outfitted her for the special needs parenting role she fulfills.Colleen is a stay-at-home mom whose second child, Grace, was unexpectedly diagnosed with Infantile Spasms and Tuberous Sclerosis Complex at age 6 months. Grace’s diagnosis pulled Colleen deeper into her faith, where she sought understanding and consolation and also was inspired to lean into creativity. Colleen discovered how to lift her own spirits and boost hope and resilience for herself and take care of her family. Colleen went on to author “God's Precious Gift: A Special Needs Child”, a faith-based children's book, that uses the experience of her daughter’s diagnosis to bring light and consolation to other special needs families. The book is available on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1736504142, and you can connect with Colleen here: Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/colleenkeefefaulauthor. As mentioned in the episode, Colleen has an Etsy shop (at https://www.etsy.com/shop/CokisCrafts) where she sells special needs crafts. She’s excited to hear from you about the handmade special needs crafts and other items you would like her to make available. Please leave a message with your product ideas or other comments regarding this podcast here: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message. We love hearing from listeners! For support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs Parenting Journey, including issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, and boosting our relationships, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of Marcia's book, Lighting the Path, at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Plus, come join her free community at www.facebook.com/groups/thriveability today. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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Single dad, Gary Martinez Jr. focuses his attention on his child's ultimate happiness. Monica, his daughter with autism, is 17 and enjoys building connections with him and others, collecting shoes, role playing, pushing swings, and much more. Tune in as Gary shares with us with how pushing swings gives a boost to him and Monica both mentally and physically, and inspires us to consider how an everyday activity could generate a lot of possibilities beyond the ones we've traditionally expected.Gary recently launched his book, “Don't Shame Her Game, Let Me Explain!” and his podcast, with both focused on providing support to the special needs parenting community. Tune in to The Gary Martinez Jr. podcast here: https://anchor.fm/gary-martinez0/episodes/The-Gary-Martinez-Jr-Podcast-Welcome-e1pi183 and reach out to him if you'd like to share your story on his podcast. You can find his new book here: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Shame-Her-Game-Explain/dp/B0BLL2NS3Q.For support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs Parenting Journey, including issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, and boosting our relationships, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of Marcia's book, Lighting the Path, at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Plus, come join our free community at www.facebook.com/groups/thriveability today. Leave a message about the episode or your other comments or feedback here: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message and we’ll share some in future episodes.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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When challenges come up for you, are you confident you can deal with them? In this episode, Shannon Peel and I have a vulnerable and open conversation about navigating life through the ebb and flow of brokenness, hope, expectations, boundaries, self love, communication between parent and child, and more. It is a conversation we both would have loved to continue, but it gives a lot of food for thought and suggests some approaches that we trust will support you in some of your challenging experiences as well.As an expert in brand storytelling and digital publishing, Shannon Peel helps her clients to be vulnerable without presenting themselves as victims. She has an amazing talent in her chosen field of practice and you can pick up a copy of her free e-book, “BrandAPeel”, here: https://www.marketapeel.agency/branding-services. Find more resources from Shannon on her website, marketapeel.com. For support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs Parenting Journey, including issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, and boosting our relationships, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of Marcia's book, Lighting the Path, at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Plus, come join our free community at www.facebook.com/groups/thriveability today. Leave a message about the episode or your other comments or feedback here: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message and we’ll share some in future episodes.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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In an episode on this podcast back in November, Erin Ramirez shared about the ADKAR process you should follow to manage change effectively. She warns, however, that a process does not promise the change journey will be smooth. In fact, she expects the journey to be rather full of emotional ups and downs - and says that these emotions can hijack or hinder the change process. Therefore, she's sharing in this episode to prepare you for the emotional checkpoints you will likely pass through, and help you understand what can get you moving fast and smoothly. Visit Erin’s website www.erinramirez.com/resources for your free worksheet to support what she helps us with in this episode. Also, she’s just launched her Instagram page @the_change_guru so tune in for more insights and resources there.For support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs Parenting Journey, including issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, and boosting our relationships, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of Marcia's book, Lighting the Path, at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Plus, come join our free community at www.facebook.com/groups/thriveability today. Leave a message about the episode or your other comments or feedback here: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message and we’ll share some in future episodes.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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No matter what your challenges are right now in life, my guest on this episode has the message and the vibe that you’ll find lifts you up and powers you forward. Elaine Starling has faced big challenges and risen to them, with the help of inspiration received following a stroke in her early forties. Now she uses her own abundance journey to inspire and guide others by revealing the choices they have, and further empowering them to take actions and rely on thinking that pushes them into a more abundant reality. Be prepared for a treat, as you tune in to a woman who stands out with humour, relateability, enthusiasm and hope steeped in authenticity. You really should not miss this episode as you step forward into more abundance. Connect with Elaine on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheAbundanceJourney, or find more powerful resources such as the link to her wonderful TEDx talk from her at theabundancejourney.com For support related to the Special Needs Parenting Journey,or your journey overcoming other big life challenges, including checklists to address issues like managing your overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, boost your parenting/love/social relationships, and otherwise improve your vision and experience of life, pick up a copy of my book, Lighting the Path, at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Plus, come join my Level Up and Thrive community at www.facebook.com/groups/thriveability today. Want to share a comment of submit a question or request? Leave a message about the episode or your other comments or feedback here: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message or DM me on Facebook or Instagram.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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On your toughest days, what can create your escape hatch? How can you protect your positivity or recentre your energy when it is being bashed by random life pressures in just a short time and with minimal physical effort?Tune in for the advice and demonstrations of Laurin Wittig. Laurin is an intuitive healer and a mentor to those on or just beginning a spiritual path, the founder of the Heartlight Wise Women Circles, and an award-winning novelist. She loves to combine her healing skills and her story skills to help her clients reveal the stories that no longer serve them in mind, body, or spirit. As healing happens, new stories are discovered, enhancing, and supporting the transformation into a healthier, more joyful, heart-centered life. You can access a free PDF resource from Laurin here: https://heartlightjoy.com/heartlight-newsletter Plus, you’ll find other ways to connect with her on her heartlightjoy.com website. For support related to the Special Needs Parenting Journey, including checklists to address issues like managing your overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, boost your parenting/love/social relationships, and otherwise improve your vision and experience of life, pick up a copy of my book, Lighting the Path, at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Plus, come join my Level Up and Thrive community at www.facebook.com/groups/thriveability today. Want to share a comment of submit a question or request? Leave a message about the episode or your other comments or feedback here: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message or DM me on Facebook or Instagram.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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When Doylene Cooper-Landry had premature twins who both developed special needs, the unexpected challenges led to separation from her husband. She raised her son, who was almost blind, and her daughter, who had mild cerebral palsy, on her own, and acknowledges the constant support of her family during the journey. But the journey was difficult in every way, with medical advice that she disagreed with, mental and physical and emotional stresses that taxed her constantly, and financial demands that she had to move to another country in order to be able to find a solution. Doylene’s children are now 29, and her son, Saylor, is an entrepreneur who runs a podcast called Hope without Sight (check it out at https://realvarietyradio.com/captivate-podcast/welcome-to-hope-without-sight). Tune in to mom and son to hear about their journey of unflinching dedication and love, frustration and resilience, hope and overcoming.For support related to the Special Needs Parenting Journey, including checklists to address issues like managing your overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, boost your parenting/love/social relationships, and otherwise improve your vision and experience of life, pick up a copy of my book, Lighting the Path, at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Plus, come join my Level Up and Thrive community at www.facebook.com/groups/thriveability today. Want to share a comment of submit a question or request? Leave a message about the episode or your other comments or feedback here: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message or DM me on Facebook or Instagram.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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Many a special needs parent has worried over how to support their child's development of social skills. How to get them to fit in at school. How to help them to interact with others, even family members, in ways that show connection, consideration, and even love appropriately. Longing for their child's touch or the chance for their child to look them in the eye. And the list can go on forever, with every child having different abilities and different needs.Miriam Campbell has worked with special needs children and their parents for 14 years, and she understands exactly how challenging the development of social and emotional skills can be for children, as well as for adults to navigate the many challenges. She's also taken the problem and reframed it as an opportunity to help her students and her own children go beyond learning these skills by regurgitating lists of behaviours and truly help them understand the whys of common practices in our society. What resulted was a book, Bubble Double, which is chock full of images that children relate to and short explanations that support understanding. In this episode of the podcast, Miriam explains her thinking and why it is valuable for parents to model her approach as a way to support social and emotional skills development in their children. She also walks us through an approach to begin making the shifts we need. Reach out to her at miriam@skillsforconnection.com or book a consult call at https://calendly.com/skillsforconnection/getsupport?back=1&month=2022-11 to access more support.For support related to the Special Needs Parenting Journey, including checklists to address issues like managing your overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, boost your parenting/love/social relationships, and otherwise improve your vision and experience of life, pick up a copy of my book, Lighting the Path, at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath. Plus, come join my Level Up and Thrive community at www.facebook.com/groups/thriveability today. Want to share a comment of submit a question or request? Leave a message about the episode or your other comments or feedback here: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message or DM me on Facebook.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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Locating the right gift for a child with special needs can be challenging. We really need to tune in to their needs, abilities, interests, and more, in order to come up with good ideas or find the right item to become that gift.Brittany Cunningham is both the mom of a 12-year-old daughter with Cerebral Palsy, CVI and limited mobility AND an experienced early intervention specialist who has served children with hearing and visual impairments. She brings her insights and suggestions about gift-giving to us, paired with her experiences from both these contexts.For support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs Parenting Journey, including issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, and boosting our relationships, it is the perfect time to pick up a copy of my book, Lighting the Path, at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath (for a great discount on amazon currently). If you are feeling overloaded and need to make space to create more joy and fulfillment in your life, reach out and ask me for access to a free resource that will support you.Leave a message about the episode or your other comments or questions here: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message and I’ll share some in future episodes.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

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It is a joy for me to release this 53rd episode of the podcast because it means we have just reached the first anniversary of the podcast, and I have created an episode consistently with many amazing people from around the world for each of 52 weeks!

What I’m bubbling over about is that this is the very first episode in which I share listeners’ wonderful voice messages of gratitude in the special needs space! And, because I decided to just follow my intuition, I’m sharing with you a snippet from my interaction with my daughter on this episode too, as we share our love and our thanks for the opportunity to connect with each of you.

If you celebrate Thanksgiving in the USA, we wish you a day of connection and joy. And whether or not you celebrate, we wish you reason upon reason upon reason to celebrate the ways you are blessed and to lean into gratitude today and every day.

For support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs Parenting Journey, including issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, and boosting our relationships, it is the perfect time to pick up a copy of my book, Lighting the Path, at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath (for a great discount on amazon currently). Plus, come join my Level Up and Thrive community at www.facebook.com/groups/thriveability today.

Leave a message about the episode or your other comments or feedback here: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message and we’ll share some in future episodes.

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This may be one of my favourite podcast episodes to date, not only because it is my 52nd episode, and therefore marks a year of The Special Needs Patent Podcast, but also because the episode felt so light and loving as we co-created it.

In this season of many celebrations, gatherings and thanksgiving, I talked with two of my past podcast guests, Mary Ann and Vicki, who have faced some big life challenges and work at staying positive even in the midst of difficulties. They shared about how they fit giving thanks into their own lives and we chatted about how we might focus in on our own gratitude as well.

Mary Ann Hughes has developed an introductory course to help Special Needs Parents become aware and do preliminary consideration of key issues to address when going through a divorce, with a focus on your child's wellbeing. The course, specially discounted just for our audience is available at https://maryannhughes.mastermind.com/masterminds/37115 Find her also at www.specialfamilytransitions.com and especially be sure to check out the resources page there.

You can find more resources from Speaker and Hypnotherapist, Vicki Smith on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100080589476103, with much more coming soon!

For support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs Parenting Journey, including issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, and boosting our relationships, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of Marcia's book, Lighting the Path, at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath (for a great discount on amazon currently). Plus, come join our Level Up and Thrive community at www.facebook.com/groups/thriveability today.

Leave a message about the episode or your other comments or feedback here: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message and we’ll share some in future episodes. And remember, as I mentioned during this episode, if the message you leave is about what you’re grateful for, it just may make it into the special Thanksgiving episode featuring our listeners’ names, voices and messages!

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Erin Ramirez is a change management coach and consultant who helps businesses and individuals make shifts more easily. In this episode, she shares a 5-step process and illustrating examples that we can all use to smooth our paths when change is necessary.

Visit Erin’s website www.erinramirez.com/resources for your free ADKAR resource. Also, she’s just launched her Instagram page @the_change_guru so tune in for more insights and resources there. Finally, stay tuned in coming weeks for the follow-up episode to this one, where Erin speaks about recognising and coping with the difficult emotions that come up around change for yourself and for others affected by the process.

For support and experience-sharing related to the Special Needs Parenting Journey, including issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, and boosting our relationships, it’s the perfect time to pick up a copy of Marcia's book, Lighting the Path, at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath (for a great discount on amazon currently). Plus, come join our Level Up and Thrive community at www.facebook.com/groups/thriveability today.

Leave a message about the episode or your other comments or feedback here: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message and we’ll share some in future episodes.

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When we are constantly chasing so much, we may pause for a moment and realise that many of our choices are being made on automatic. But living so much based on routine living or unconscious choice-making sets us up to not be creating the life - or the impact - we desire.

In this episode, Yvonne McCoy shares her advice and experiences to illustrate why she recommends we pause to consider what we want to leave behind in terms of impact, memory, influence, or simply the way we show love and attention to our children.

Yvonne's free gift is her short course on how you can accelerate productivity and profit with one small change. Access your free copy of this transformational course at productivitycoach.today and use the wisdom she shares to help you to boost efficiencies and get the desired outcomes you want in your life faster and with less frustration.

For support and insights related to the Special Needs Parenting Journey, including issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, and boosting our relationships its the perfect time to pick up a copy of Marcia's book, Lighting the Path, at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath (for a great discount on amazon currently). Plus, come join our Level Up and Thrive community at www.facebook.com/groups/thriveability today. Leave a message about the episode or your other comments or feedback here: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message and we’ll share some in future episodes.

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As a Business Coach for Start-ups, Mary Scott is accustomed to helping communicators find the clearest way to express the value of their offers to potential funders. In this episode, she applies her experience and clarity to exploring how special needs parents could shift the way they communicate in order to get buy in from those to whom they are appealing for consideration and resource provision for their special needs children. She puts her premise across with the claim that the squeaky wheel is not the most effective way to get what we want. Instead, she discusses how changing perspective to make a pitch that shows the value that will accrue to the decision-maker is likely to pay better dividends.

Mary is also making herself available to offer free 15-minute synergy sessions with any listeners who may want to bounce ideas off her and use her expertise to help generate some out of the box ideas to seek out solutions. It is not something you should miss out on! Claim your free synergy session at maryscott.com today.

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Coming from a corporate background as a chemical engineer, remote work strategist and certified business transitions coach, Victoria Hepburn understands that when the demands on a skilled and experienced person never end, they run a high risk of burnout. Add in her experience as a best-selling author with a new series on the way, and we can see she's also aware of all the pressures of the publishing world, and she has even more perspective on how unending demands and stresses make burnout an insidious issue for far too many people.

Victoria brings her expertise to the table to support special needs parents and others who may be overwhelmed by the myriad demands of life. As we focus on caring for the physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and developmental needs of our children, managing the rest of our family, handle work demands, seeing to social duties, and more, the window to look after our own wellbeing shrinks. Thus, the likelihood of us becoming burned out increases by leaps and bounds.

In this episode, Victoria shares her best 3 hacks to overturn our burnout. What makes her insights extra special is that we can fit each recommended approach into a little as a few minutes a day, and fit them around everything else that MUST get done.

An amazing bonus from Victoria - shared especially for our podcast listeners - is a FREE copy of her latest book, "Unlock Productivity and Wellbeing at Work". Be sure to pick up your copy at https://victoriahepburn.com/giveaway/ while this gift is still available.

Want to check out even more resources and wisdom from Victoria? She's available at Website: https://victoriahepburn.com and on many social media platforms including here on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VHepburnAuthor/

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It is a demanding thing, to navigate the ups and downs of special needs parenting. Many a parent speaks of how difficult it can be to manage a life where they are constantly on the watch and on the go, trying to predict and control variables in their lives that cannot be predicted or controlled. The effects can be considerable on your mental, emotional, and physical well-being, for sure. In this episode, Melissa Whiting speaks of what she has found to be the grounding pin in her life - her ability to trust God to take control, and to take care of her and her child. Tune in to learn about her views and her 3 tips to find spiritual comfort on the special needs parenting journey.

Find Melissa under the name Melissa Kate on Facebook and Instagram for a dose or reality and positivity. https://www.facebook.com/melissa.whiting.54

For support and insights related to the Special Needs Parenting Journey, including issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, and boosting our relationships check out Marcia's book, Lighting the Path, at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath and come join our Level Up and Thrive community at www.facebook.com/groups/thriveability today.

Leave a message about the episode or your other comments or feedback here: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message and we’ll share or comment in future episodes.

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In modern times, there so much pressure on all areas of people’s lives that divorce rates are surprisingly high. In special needs families, demands and challenges are ramped up, time and energy are even scarcer, and divorce rates can get to as high as 70 to even 85%. That’s according to the research mentioned by Mary Ann Hughes, a certified divorce coach and divorced special needs parent.

Mary Ann has found her passion has grown out of her personal experience across many years navigating divorce with a focus on putting her children’s well-being first. Tune in to this episode to hear her insights and tips to help you navigate divorce and put things in perspective if you’re a special needs parent and divorce is coming up for you and your spouse.

Mary Ann has developed an introductory course to help Special Needs Parents become aware and do preliminary consideration of key issues to address when going through a divorce, with a focus on your child's wellbeing. The course, specially discounted just for our audience is available at https://maryannhughes.mastermind.com/masterminds/37115 Find her also at www.specialfamilytransitions.com and especially be sure to check out the resources page there.

Mary Ann’s You Tube Channel “Supporting Neurodiverse Kids in Divorce” is here as well: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCcdrC6mfN3cA45Ysvh9Vcpg

For support and insights related to the Special Needs Parenting Journey, including issues like managing overwhelm in the midst of life challenges, and boosting our relationships check out Marcia's book, Lighting the Path, at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath and come join our Level Up and Thrive community at www.facebook.com/groups/thriveability today.

Leave a message about the episode or your other comments or feedback here: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message and we’ll share or comment in future episodes.

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Sometimes, the challenges we face in life can really knock us down so much that we reach our lowest point, emotionally, mentally, financially, physically, and/or spiritually. While we may tell others to open up and talk about it, when we ourselves get to that place, opening up and showing our brokenness and self-doubt, asking for help, or crying to a friend may be just about the hardest course of action to take.

In this episode, I speak with Life Coach and single special needs mom, Tova Redmo, someone who released herself from the pressure of appearing to have things always in control and who reached out on social media to say where things really were in her life.

In our conversation, Tova opened up about how she’s felt, her experiences as she reached her lowest point, and some of the things she’s been doing to help her get her feet under her and start moving slowly upward again.

Connect with Tova on YouTube at https://youtube.com/c/TovaRedmoLifeCoach where you’ll find plenty of useful videos, and feel free to reach out to her to book a call at https://calendly.com/parentxp1/30minuteconsultationcall She’s also active on LinkedIn under her name.

For more support related to the special needs parenting journey as well as thriving past overwhelm, pick up a copy of Marcia’s book, Lighting the Path, today. It is available on Amazon in kindle and traditional book formats at Lighting the Path (available in printed and electronic formats) here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath both on Amazon and at a host of other bookstores in the USA, UK, and Australia.

Leave a message about the episode or your other comments or feedback here: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message and we’ll share or comment in future episodes.

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Cassandra Miller is a stay-at-home mom and army wife who speaks, in this episode, of challenges faces as her special needs daughter grew physically bigger - and some of the ways she coped with them.

As Cassie shares some of her experiences, she highlights how resilience, adaptability, and positivity have become her constant companions is creating the enablement she needs to provide from her growing daughter.

For support and encouragement to get through overwhelm in various aspects of your life, come join host Marcia’s Facebook group, The Thrive Collective, at www.bit.ly/thriveability today. Uoull connect with a supportive community and access additional resources to support you to thrive despite the challenges you may be facing.

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Some habits die hard, like looking to others to direct what you should be working on, filling your days with, stressing over. Life should be more than a never-ending to-do list, and you deserve to have space set aside on your list to put energy and effort into the things that really matter to you.

This episode gives the reminder of the power you have to create the life you want and deserve. So tune in today!

To reach out to Marcia, email Marcia@MarciaNB.com or book a complimentary call with her here: https://calendly.com/bookmarcianb/level-up-call

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A hypnotherapy recording on YouTube helped Vicki Smith reconnect to her own power and start rebuilding her life when she was at her lowest point. That's why she went to become a hypnotherapist herself - she explains that she has experienced the life-changing results it can bring and feels called to use the work she does to help others retool and find themselves again.

As you'll realise from this episode, she is not just a distant professional but a deeply warm and caring woman who genuinely wants to help others move out of their pain and into their power. Tune in to get a little insight into Vicki's own journey, ad to acces not one, but two, hynotherapy tools that you can use for yourself when your stress is mounting and you need to reset or just simply to practice self-care and centre yourself.

You can find more resources from Vicki on Facebook, with much more coming soon! Leave Vicki or me a message about the episode or your other comments or feedback here: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message

Come join host Marcia’s Facebook group, The Thrive Collective, at www.bit.ly/thriveability to connect with a supportive community and access additional resources to support you to thrive despite the challenges you may be facing.

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What do a Paediatric Gastroenterologist, a stay-at-home-mom, and a coach/trainer have in common? Dr. Anita Ahuja, Ms. Morgan Green, and podcast host, Dr. Marcia Nathai-Balkissoon are all special needs parents who have navigated ups and downs related to coming into knowing of their child's special needs, seeking diagnoses, and trying to adjust their lives and families' lives in response.

Tune in to this episode to listen to them share some of their experiences and feelings, both the highs and the lows. Also, receive insights into approaches they have found useful in helping them cope and move toward thriving in their particular circumstances.

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Daisy Vasquez Vogt is a special needs parent, biohacker, and integrative health coach who specialises in helping special needs parents to uplevel their health as a foundation for building their best life.

Tune in to this episode to discover the 4 hacks Daisy says we should all fit into our daily lives. She promises that we can expect significant positive changes once we do.

You can check out Daisy’s range of health services here: https://activatedlifebydaisyv.com/ and access her other resources via her pages listed within her website.

Come join host Marcia’s Facebook group, The Thrive Collective, at www.bit.ly/thriveability to connect with a supportive community and access additional resources too.

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For a person attending to many heavy demands, life may feel like it is dragging, with positive changes coming far too slowly in certain quarters. Did you ever pause to reflect on how factors beyond those actual demands might be slowing your progress?

You absolutely deserve to be able to improve the experience of life that you have as well as cope better and better with whatever challenges you are facing.

This episode talks about 5 factors that you should take into consideration as ways to speed up your ability to transform and make progress in important areas you want to target.

For additional free support in leveling up join me for my Activated Life Blueprint 2-day challenge from Tuesday August 23 to Wednesday August 24 from 5-6:30 pm Eastern time. Register here: www.bit.ly/3wbvTvu

If you’ve come to this episode a little late to join the live challenge, you may be able to catch the replay in our Facebook group, The Thrive Collective. Join us there at www.bit.ly/thriveability to connect with a supportive community and access additional resources too.

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When you became a special needs parent, do you remember how life’s complexity ratchet up for you? How your time and energy were in demand more than ever before and how the basic routines of managing your life were challenged?

Join Cristin Condon - a Decluttering and Life Coach as well as an experienced Speech and Language pathologist and parent to three, including a son with Down Syndrome - as she discusses why decluttering and simplifying our spaces can benefit our lives and shared some tips on how to do it.

As a bonus, here’s Cristin’s resource to guide you to develop your ideal vision for your home. https://view.flodesk.com/pages/62f1c911aeb3ce8812ee274b it. Enjoy!

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Quite simply, resilience is concerned with our ability to bounce back from a challenging event. For special needs parents, the challenge is not an event experienced for just a short period, that they are the. able to move on from. In their case, they need to be resilient to keep functioning and fighting their good fight - day in and day out - for years or even decades.

So, what marks resilience in a special needs parent, and how can special needs parents boost their resilience? That’s the focus of this episode.

Have I left some critical tip or tool out? Do you have a burning question or comment to add to this conversation? Add your perspective by leaving a voice message to this episode by clicking here: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message. I'd love to share about your perspective in an upcoming episode along with some further insights or responses.

If you’d like some added value with this topic and others related to living more fully, check out Marcia’s book, Lighting the Path (available in printed and electronic formats) here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath on Amazon and a host of other bookstores.

For ongoing support, join Marcia’s free group at www.Facebook.com/groups/joyandfulfillment

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We set boundaries in all areas of life as they communicate the limits within which we interact with others in various situations. Sometimes boundaries have existed for so long that we don’t question them, even when they make life difficult for us.

This episode shares a true story of significant boundary shifting that happened only after limits were crossed too many times and feelings and behaviours had gone out of bounds. Tune in for insights to help evaluate boundaries in your own life, and tips to help you make boundary-shifting easier and more successful.

If you’d like some added value with this topic and others related to living more fully, check out Marcia’s book Lighting the Path (available in printed and electronic formats) here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath on Amazon and a host of other bookstores.

For ongoing support, join Marcia’s free group at www.Facebook.com/groups/joyandfulfillment

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Our love relationship can be one of the first things affected when our lives are under pressure. This can mean that conflict increases, or our ability to maintain or even establish a love relationship declines.

In the midst of a non-relationship-centric challenge, many people may say they really don’t think to take stock of the state of the relationship, and by the time they do, they are surprised by the extent of the decline. Sometimes, even when there is no overt pressure, the sheer busy nature of our lives can blunt our awareness and cause our relationship to slip when we’d much prefer it to get stronger.

This episode is intended to help focus some reflection on the state of our existing love relationship and/or our capacity to build one that we desire.

If you’d like some added insights on the topic, check out Marcia’s book Lighting the Path (available in printed and electronic formats) here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath on Amazon and a host of other bookstores.

For ongoing support, join Marcia’s free group at www.Facebook.com/groups/joyandfulfillment

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As we navigate life’s ups and downs, we experience different feelings. Does our experience of any one feeling mean that the feeling defines us, after a certain amount of time leaning into that feeling? How does the way we feel influence how we are seen by others or how we portray ourselves? Tune in for a brief reflection on this, and please let me know what you think.

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When we feel swamped, it’s often because there are so many demands on our time that we can’t seem to get a handle on the tasks we are being overwhelmed by. Today’s episode shares four steps that I work through with my coaching clients to help them sift out what’s important from what’s eating up their time and energy with little value being given back to them.

Undoubtedly, you already apply some of these approaches, which some people attribute to Eisenhower and which are very popular in Project Management practice. I’d love to hear which ones work well for you and which don’t, and also which you’re looking forward to adding to your practice in some way.

Would you like to chat with me about more ways to turn your overwhelm into more enjoyment of life? Book a Level-Up Call with me at https://bit.ly/3u6LBH7 to explore actions you can start implementing right away and what can be worked on over a couple of months - to create big shifts for you.

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Life is so full of ups and downs, and when we feel broken we sometimes feel it’s impossible to keep going. In this episode, you’ll learn an approach that helps you take stock of how you’ve grown and adapted based on the highs and lows of years of your life. You’ll see how you’ve grown and become wiser, and how that outfits you to face each challenge that will come your way in the future.

Don’t forget to leave a voice message if you want to chime in on this conversation, and please subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes.

If you’re ready to shift away from some of your pain and overwhelm and start loving your life more, come join my free Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/joyandfulfillment today.

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Sometimes we find ourselves up against big life challenges without any tangible support. Sometimes we feel truly abandoned and unloved. Sometimes, we reach a point where we’ve been hurt so badly that we say, “No more!” and we hunker down and decide to stay away in order to keep ourselves - and especially our hearts - safe.

No matter why we’re experiencing isolation, the fact is that being alone is not our default state. It hurts to be all alone and not have connections with someone else, not be able to smile with or share our experiences and insights with someone else.

Tune in to this episode to explore some of the experiences overwhelmed people may have related to feeling all alone, and to pick up a few approaches that have worked for others in similar circumstances, and that could help you.

Don’t forget to leave a voice message if you want to chime in on this conversation, and please subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes.

If you’re ready to shift away from some of your pain and overwhelm and start loving your life more, come join my free Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/joyandfulfillment today.

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As a special needs parent, you may find it challenging to get all the ideal equipment and materials to repeat therapy at home, whether because of financial, time, or other constraints. Undoubtedly, you also want to help your child feel more supported or comfortable or make therapy feel like more fun and less work, while staying effective. That's why, in this episode, experienced physiotherapist and product designer, Ilana Danneman outlines several ideas to make use of at-home materials to create and adapt therapy interventions that have been enjoyable and beneficial to many a child.

These are approaches that she has used for the special needs children she has helped in her practice for over 40 years. She says parents will find it easy to do these at home as well. Plus, she has seen that once parents start innovating with materials and items available at home, even more ideas continue to flow so children can feel more supported, be more engaged, and have more fun during therapy at home.

Tap into more of Ilana's experience, ideas, and network of experience by checking her out here: 1) The Special Needs In Motion podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-needs-in-motion/id1493789906 2) The Special Needs in Motion YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjN25C_7gSCvtbqSjVXTiKQ 3) The pdf document guiding how to make parallel bars can be requested from Ilana at specialneedsinmotion@gmail.com

During this episode, Ilana mentions the guidance to create a neck collar to enhance a child’s neck strength, and other fascia therapy work being done by We Flow Therapy. Find them here: https://www.weflowtherapy.com/

Longing for someone to hold your hand and hold space for you as you navigate the path as a special needs parent yourself? Get your copy of my book, Lighting the Path: Leaning into a Hopeful Future as a Special Needs Parent at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath at any of several online and traditional bookstores. In it, you'll find supportive stories, tools and checklists to claim better balance and joy for yourself and your family, and also get insights into how our daughter, Emma, has progressed from severe brain-injury and a vegetative state to develop better sensory abilities and capabilities once declared to be beyond her.

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Sometimes big challenges appear before us and can really shut us down. If we feel like we don’t have others to lean on, or if our own negative emotions and thoughts swamp us, it may be near impossible to motivate ourselves or find any positivity. In those situations, life can feel quite dark and hopeless. Tune in to explore this, and pick up 3 tips that will make a difference.

There's more support in the catalogue of podcast episodes, so dive in to learn about topics such as grief, fear, coping with overwhelm, the power of asking for help, and self-care.

If you are interested in working with Marcia, reach out on social media or by email at Marcia@MarciaNB.com

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Tune in to let life coach, Jenn T. Peterson walk you through her 5-Step Fear Release Formula. This approach has helped many of her clients let go of the limiting fears that held them back. Jenn takes us in detail through her own first fear-transforming journey, and this will help you start your own work to make the transition too!

Reach out to Jenn at email hello@jenntpeterson.com to learn more about her experience with taking her daughter for horse therapy or to explore how you could be supported through her life coaching and business coaching with horses.

There's more support in our other podcast episodes, so dive in to learn from other special needs parents and experts about topics mentioned during this episode: coping with overwhelm, the power of asking for help, and dealing with anxiety are all addressed in our catalogue.

Want to take a look at other ways to create more support for yourself and every other aspect of your Special Needs Family? You’ll find relatable experiences, tips, tools, and checklists in my book, Lighting the Path: Leaning into a Hopeful Future as a Special Needs Parent. Check out https://books2read.com/lightingthepath to find the most convenient place to pick up your paperback, hardcover, or e-book copy for yourself or a Special Needs Parent you want to support.

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Jenn T. Peterson's daughter started adaptive horseback riding at age 4, because she had seen it support so many other children while she volunteered at a centre. Her daughter faced challenges with understanding as well as expressing words, sometimes even words Jenn had heard her say before.

Tune in to learn about what made horseback riding just what her daughter needed: how it supported her physically, mentally, and emotionally, and how Jenn found unexpected support for herself while her daughter did the therapy, too.

Check in again for two more upcoming episodes with Jenn: 1) the exploration of Jenn's Fear Transformation Formula, which could help you move out of some aspects of your own fear on the spot, and 2) the story of how intuition led Jenn to build her own vision of a new career that felt much more aligned with who she was, one in which horses were central to life coaching and business coaching for adults

There's more support in our other podcast episodes, so dive in to learn from other special needs parents and experts about topics mentioned during this episode: breathing and self care, grief, and life visioning are all addressed in our catalogue.

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Anniversaries can immerse us in a mix of tough and joyful emotions and memories, many of them steeped in our experiences with our special needs children. In this episode, I open up about some challenges I experienced this week, that were sparked when I celebrated my birthday. I talk a bit about my inner struggle to juggle the pressure to present a pretense to the world and the need to be honest about what I was actually feeling. It is my hope that this episode will provide some acknowledgement and hold space for a special needs parent who might feel the same way right now.

Need a bit of support through self-care? I’ve got you. Check out some of our past episodes which are focused on different self care approaches that may be just what you need!

Enjoying the podcast? You can access lots more resources when you sign up at MarciaNB.com - I can't wait to welcome you to our growing community of special needs parents and allies.

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Two episodes ago, we learned about the ways in which Special Needs Parents can experience grief, not only due to an event but repeatedly as a part of everyday life. In this episode, Natasha Carlow returns to take us through 5 important ways we can manage that grief more effectively, so we can open up ourselves to move beyond its effects.

Have we left some critical tip or tool out? Do you have a burning question or comment to add to this conversation? Add your perspective by leaving a voice message to this episode by clicking here: https://anchor.fm/marcia-nathai-balkissoon4/message. I'll be sure to share about your message in an upcoming episode along with some further insights or responses.

Enjoying the podcast? You can access lots more resources when you sign up at MarciaNB.com - I can't wait to welcome you to our growing community of special needs parents and allies.

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Mandy Hughes has dyslexia and has experienced challenges with learning, reading, writing, and the judgements of others since childhood. She is the parent of 3 children, including her daughter who has complex care needs. She opens up about her own self-judgements and challenges, as well as her evolving relationship and ability to cope with dyslexia as an individual, a parent, and an advocate of and caregiver to her children. She talks about some of the ways she is constrained in helping her children with their schoolwork, as well as how her struggles due to dyslexia led to her work supporting caregivers, and even made her better able to connect and serve them and her own children with authenticity, empathy, and a renewed sense of empowerment and joy. Tune in to learn about the power of adaptation, to get a better understanding of some of the hidden challenges faced by others, and advance your ideas about how you can support others, including our special needs children and others in our sphere at home or in the wider world. There are also some ideas for adjusting our communication, teaching, and assessment with children who have special needs. In this episode, Mandy speaks about her article that was published without editing out the evidence of her dyslexia. Please check out that article here: https://www.carers.cymru/post/what-s-your-superpower and leave us a voice message to tell us what you thought.

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Many special needs parents carry a weight that they feel challenged to let go of - grief. Join our guest expert, grief counsellor and special needs parent, Natasha Carlow as she: 1) helps us to understand some of the unique characteristics of grief as experienced by our community, and 2) explains why it’s okay, and indeed natural, that we allow ourselves to acknowledge, accept, and process our grief.

Natasha will not just leave us there; she will follow up with tips to guide us through coping better with our grief, whatever the cause we may have recognised.

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In Part 2 of this 2-part interview, we work our way past acknowledging the challenges Special Needs Parents face and into the space of starting to create a progressive way forward. In this episode, Michelle Boshard encourages us to start creating our roadmap to take us to the financial destination we envision for ourselves and our family. Her tips are straightforward and concise enough to allow you start crafting your roadmap as soon as you listen to the episode!

In her work, she teaches about various vehicles that Special Needs Parents (including her) have used to embed flexible, consistent and life-changing earning approaches into their lives. She invites us to reach out to her at www.parentdashboard.ca to learn more from her and her team in this regard.

Want to take a look at other ways to create more support for yourself and every other aspect of your Special Needs Family? Don't forget to check out my book, Lighting the Path: Leaning into a Hopeful Future as a Special Needs Parent. Check out https://books2read.com/lightingthepath to find the most convenient place to pick up your paperback, hardcover, or e-book copy for yourself or a Special Needs Parent you want to support.

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Special Needs Parents must manage many financial demands on top of the regular financial demands of routine life. In this first of 2 consecutive episodes on the subject, Michelle Boshard, co-founder of Parent Dashboard, discusses several sources of our community's financial pressures and begins sharing some of the approaches that have helped her and her family to cope better. In addition to acknowledging the challenges, Shelly opens up about how she shifted her experience from overwhelm to empowerment, so she not only significantly shifted her family's financial situation over a period of 5 years, but also is able to use some of her earnings to help other special needs families level up financially as well. This is absolutely not an episode you can afford to miss! Check out Shelly's wonderful work at parentdashboard.ca and be sure to tell her hi from all of us at the Special Needs Parent Podcast! Check out the mini-courses and/or other training programs she has on offer, because they are sure to help you in ways that help you to see some more green ;)

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When your special needs child must undergo surgery, how taxing the experience can be for the parent, the child, and the rest of the family! In this episode, I chat with Tova Redmo, a special needs parent, advocate and blogger, who is once again preparing for surgery on her child. We discuss the emotional and physical experiences she has in the time leading up to the surgery, what she has felt during the procedure in the past, and what happens for her following surgery. Most importantly, Tova shares 6 very insightful and supportive tips that help her manage her anxiety through the process. Every one of them is a gem. Leave us a voice message to share your own experience, and let us know which tip is the most valuable for you. We can't wait to hear your questions and comments. Connect with me on my website marcianb.com and don't forget to sign up for my newsletter and receive two free chapters of my book, Lighting the Path for more support as a Special Needs Parent.

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Asking is hard! It requires us to be vulnerable and reveal we don’t have the ability to manage everything in our own. It can be terrifying to risk being judged and handed a resounding NO as the response. So why should we allow ourselves to ask? How can we get to a place where asking feels easier? How can we cope better if we do get a no? Tune in to hear about the ask that had my knees shaking and reduced me to tears when I got the response. And please share your own experiences and feelings around asking by leaving me a voice message too! Connect with me and get access to more resources at MarciaNB.com

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Breathing can be an easy, quick, and highly effective tool to incorporate into your self care toolkit. Don’t overlook it just because it costs nothing and you do it constantly and automatically. Instead, reflect a bit. Are you breathing effectively? Are there other breathing approaches or patterns that might be more effective, especially when you need to calm down or shed some emotional or mental load? Will the approaches that work for others be beneficial to you? Find out by trying out a few breathing exercises with me during this episode. Want to lean into more joy and fulfillment even as you take on the demands of special needs parenting and all the other aspects of life? Get your copy of my book, Lighting the Path: Leaning into a Hopeful Future as a Special Needs Parent in electronic, paperback, or hardcover format at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath for more tips, tools, and support.

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This episode explores a different approach to self-care. We explore some exercises aimed at bringing awareness of how our emotions might influence the way we experience life during short-term or long-term challenges. We also discuss some useful ways we might make shifts to do better for both our own sakes and to give better care to our children. Become a part of the conversation: leave me a voice message on the podcast episode to share your experience, comments, or questions. I’ll be sure to share with listeners on the next episode! Want to lean into more joy and fulfillment even as you take on the demands of special needs parenting and all the other aspects of life? Get your copy of my book, Lighting the Path: Leaning into a Hopeful Future as a Special Needs Parent in electronic, paperback, or hardcover format at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath for more tips, tools, and support.

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Like most other activities focused on themselves, many Special Needs Parents say that they don’t carve out the time and energy to fit enough intentional movement into their days. This means not just moving to care for your children and family and job, and then dropping exhausted into a chair. Instead, it is about reconnecting to the joy of moving your body to enhance your ease, reduce your stress, improve your health, and (importantly) add more fun and lightness into your days. Tune in for 6 different ways, with examples, to get yourself moving and get movement established as a joy and priority embedded in your routine. Plus, you will learn about 3 factors that boost your motivation to exercise as a habitual practice. Become a part of the conversation: leave me a voice message on the podcast episode to share your experience, comments, or questions. I’ll be sure to share with listeners on the next episode! Want to lean into more joy and fulfillment even as you take on the demands of special needs parenting and all the other aspects of life? Get your copy of my book, Lighting the Path: Leaning into a Hopeful Future as a Special Needs Parent in electronic, paperback, or hardcover format at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath for more tips, tools, and support.

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When overwhelm is creeping up, it is important to spot it and help ourselves return to balance before it gets out of control. By learning to do that, we can experience more joy in our daily lives, even if our days bring many a challenge.

When the demands on us exceed our capacity to cope, we can spiral into overwhelm. Our situation steadily feels heavier from that point. Tune in to this episode for 5 ideas about how to connect with nature in order to quickly let go of your overwhelm and re-establish your balance and sense of calm.

Become a part of the conversation by sending me a voice message sharing what else you think needed be shared on this topic, and your favourite way to connect with nature. I’ll be sure to share with all our listeners on the next episode!

Want to lean into more joy and fulfillment even as you take on the demands of special needs parenting and all the other aspects of life? Get your copy of the book, Lighting the Path: Leaning into a Hopeful Future as a Special Needs Parent in electronic, paperback, or hardcover format at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath for more tips, tools, and support.

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Special needs parents have shared that life can become especially overwhelming as they juggle an unending stream of demands. Their unending to-do list is focused on the needs of their special needs child, the rest of their family, their home, their job, and all their other commitments. They must stay on top of all of their child’s changing needs and support them, in many cases, even into adulthood. Hence, this overwhelm can bring long-term (chronic) stress and a myriad of other concerns that affect parents mentally, emotionally, and physically over time. Which symptoms and signs do you experience? Plus get a few tips on what can you do today to start shifting your experience of life and give better care to yourself so you can keep showing up for everyone else in your life. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe now. And be sure to sign up at MarciaNB.com for the Lighting the Path newsletter, with even more support for special needs parents.

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Overextension and overwhelm can become a given in the experience of a special needs parent. In this episode, learn about four main styles that may influence the way you experience the world. Also tune into some additional considerations to bear in mind to help you tweak your approaches (even in tiny periods of time) to vent some of the heaviness and stress of daily life. Which of the many approaches shared will you add to claim some more much-deserved ease, joy, and peace of mind?

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Do you feel like there are limitless situations and feelings that come up for you that tax your ability to cope mentally, physically, or emotionally? When the demands on us exceed our capacity to cope, we can spiral into overwhelm. Our situation steadily feels heavier from that point. Tune in to this episode for 5 approaches that will help you to quickly let go of your overwhelm and increase your feelings of capability, ease, and even joy.

Become a part of the conversation by sending me a voice message sharing what else you think needed be shared on this topic, including your favourite overwhelm-busting approach. I’ll be sure to share with all our listeners on the next episode!

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As we walk the path of special needs parenting, judgments of failure come up as a matter of course - both from sources external to us and from within ourselves. In this episode, I consider what experiences and ideas may equate to failure for us at first, and how our experiences and behaviours and mental models shift as we adapt and evolve along our way.

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All special needs children and their parents have been on testing journeys. So much is learned that can help others adapt to cope better or understand the special needs context better. In today’s episode I speak with Natasha Carlow, a special needs parent whose book aims to enhance special needs awareness and boost diversity and inclusion among children.

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This is Part 2 of a 2-part series focused on sharing insights, tips and approaches that significantly shifted our child’s struggles with constipation. Our plan of attack evolved to include 7 main elements and focused on taking our child into becoming regular as naturally as possible, i.e. with as little dependence on medication as possible. The first, food, was addressed in some detail in Part 1. This part, Part 2, presents the remaining 6 elements. Our holistic approach has brought our child freedom from enemas and suppositories for at least 3 years. There are explorations on this topic such as a diagram illustrating the pattern we follow when massaging to combat constipation, and several other aspects of our journey as special needs parents, in my book “Lighting the Path: Leaning into a Hopeful Future as a Special Needs Parent”. Find the book in printed and electronic formats here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath on Amazon and a host of other bookstores.

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Constipation had a debilitating effect on our special needs child and on everyone in our family who had to watch and hear her suffering so often from her 2nd through to her 6th or 7th year. Through trial and error, research, and seeking to learn from others (doctors, therapists, holistic practitioners, online acquaintances, and more) who had walked the path, we were able to shift from the medication-intensive approach to constipation management that we’d used with our doctor’s guidance to a much more natural and holistic approach. This has been so successful that we have not relied on enemas or suppositories for at least 3 years. Tune in for the first of 2 episodes in which I share the 7 approaches that make up our system for boosting gut motility and significantly reducing constipation in our special needs child. I explore some of these further, including by providing a massage diagram, in my book “Lighting the Path: Leaning into a Hopeful Future as a Special Needs Parent”. Find the book in printed and electronic formats here: https://books2read.com/lightingthepath on Amazon and a host of other bookstores. Interested in making your own callaloo? Try making this recipe https://youtu.be/R6CNlHi-sM0 (skip the peppers and any added meat the first time) and write me at marcia@marcianb.com to let me know if it works and how good it tastes!

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Many special needs parents tend to be so overextended that they whittle down their dreams and the breadth of how they live their lives. By necessity, many focus mostly on duty, including the care of their special needs child, and have little energy or time to dream about a bigger holistic vision for themselves. This episode touches on why visioning matters and provides guidance to help listeners get clearer on their audacious vision and craft approaches so they can start making the vision a reality. As doing this work can be challenging on our own, Marcia invites listeners to join her on a free course. In it, she would guide them through creating their initial vision elements and action plans. They can register for the Clarity and Focus Jumpstart course at http://marcianb.com/clarity-and-focus-jumpstart. It runs from 10-12 January, 2022 and includes live training, worksheets, a support community, and more.

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Instead of feeling the weight of resolutions I must not fail to uphold, I’ve shifted into giving myself gifts that free me to evolve in the course of living my imperfect life. These include recognising my mistakes and leveling up while being kind to myself, looking the hard emotions in the eye and processing those I feel ready to kick to the curb instead of pushing them down to fester, and making time for more fun and fulfillment. Which appeal most to you, as you create space to care better for yourself in this special needs parenting life?

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In this episode, we reflect on some ways gift-giving to our special needs child can feel really challenging. We explore some gifting perspectives and motivations with a view to recognizing which apply to us. The intention is that getting clearer on where we stand will help us let go of some straining aspects and find ways to create more ease and joy for ourselves and our child. To receive some tips and ideas for last-minute, quick low-cost gifts, sign up to receive my newsletter and emails at https://www.MarciaNB.com. I’ll send you the tips by email.

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Many special needs parents find it especially challenging to navigate the celebration season that comes at year end. How to manage external expectations and judgments while looking out for ourselves is such a critical question. Tune in for some discussion and useful suggestions that can make this time a little easier and maybe even a lot more fun for all of us.

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This episode reviews some of the challenges and opportunities of communication with a non-verbal child. It shares approaches that Special Needs Parents can use to tune in to what a child is “saying”, as well as how we can encourage more output from a child in the forms that they are capable of using or might prefer to use. Bonus: Pick up your free copy of the Clarity and Focus workbook at https://MarciaNB.com/clarity-focus-workbook today.

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With our special needs children depending on us so completely, Special Needs Parents can struggle daily with a harsh inner critic that yells about what we’ve done wrong, points out our shortcomings, and constantly demands more. This episode shares about some of the reasons Special Needs Parents practise so much self-criticism, how harsh self judgment affects us, and how we can start taking small actions to help us claim more joy and fulfillment every day. Join Marcia’s community for more support here: www.Facebook.com/groups/joyandfulfillment

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Alongside the challenges of our lives walks gratitude. Sometimes it is our special needs child who stimulates that gratitude, but there are other ways to integrate giving thanks into the way we think and function. Visit me at https://www.MarciaNB.com to connect and to sign up for my newsletter and other complimentary resources that support special needs parents. And remember to leave me your voice messages sharing the topics you’d like to see explored on the podcast, or telling me your own stories that came up as you listened to this episode.

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Why I gave this title to the podcast, and why special needs parents are the podcast’s focus.

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The Special Needs Parent Podcast: Recent Episodes

Marcia Nathai-Balkissoon