If you’ve ever looked around at your life and thought, “Why does everything feel so hard and why am I handling it better than I expected?” — this conversation is going to feel like a long exhale.

Today, I’m joined by my friend Kara Riska, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast and a seasoned coach who helps mothers navigate the emotional load of raising children with disabilities. What started as a totally different recording plan (long story) turned into a deeply honest conversation about stress, shifting seasons, burnout, identity, and what it actually looks like to feel grounded when life is objectively… a lot.

In this episode, we walk through:

• The kind of stress that builds slowly — across medical uncertainty, school challenges, family transitions, and the invisible emotional load
• Why you can feel the most overwhelmed and the most grounded at the exact same time
• How chronic stress shows up physically (hello, hot flashes, migraines, fatigue, and adrenal burnout)
• Kara’s perspective on what coping actually looks like when your nervous system is constantly asked to stretch beyond its limits
• The difference between “fixing your life” and changing the way you relate to it
• The role of control — why some of us grip everything tightly, and how loosening that grip changes everything
• The turning point: giving yourself permission to slow down, let go, and build a life that doesn’t run on adrenaline and achievement
• How community, connection, and coaching provide the scaffolding most of us don’t realize we need

This episode is messy, real, heartfelt, and full of those “oh wow… me too” moments that make you feel less alone in motherhood, advocacy, and the unpredictable seasons of life.

If you’re navigating stress you can’t simply “opt out” of — but you want to feel more grounded, more whole, and more like yourself again — this conversation may be a welcome companion.

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If you’ve ever looked at your child and thought, “How can someone so smart fall apart over a planner, a backpack, or one tiny assignment?” — this episode is going to feel like a deep breath.

Today I’m talking about something I’m seeing everywhere right now: executive functioning struggles that masquerade as motivation or behavior issues. Between advocacy work, school visits, and conversations with families, I’m hearing the same themes — kids who want to do well but genuinely can’t keep up with the planning, organizing, remembering, and transitioning that school demands.

I break down what executive functioning really is, why it tanks for some kids (especially around puberty), and the simple supports that make a huge difference at home and at school.

Here’s what I cover:

• Why executive functioning struggles aren’t “won’t do” problems — they’re “can’t do yet”

• How visual agendas and checklists make task initiation and follow-through so much easier

• Using timers to support transitions, attention, and emotional regulation

• Chunking big assignments so kids don’t shut down before they even start

• Helping kids self-monitor and understand what “successful” looks like

• How to trial supports at home and then communicate what works to school teams

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or unsure where to start, you’re not alone. These quick wins can bring immediate relief — and give your child the structure and support they need to feel capable again.

If you’ve ever sat in an IEP meeting thinking, “How on earth are multilingual families supposed to navigate this?” — this episode is going to feel like a deep breath and a flashlight.

I’m joined by Colleen, a speech-language pathologist turned advocate who spends her days doing two things most people only talk about: supporting bilingual learners in early intervention and showing up at the IEP table alongside families who need a knowledgeable partner in their corner. She’s the real deal — part SLP, part advocate, and fully committed to helping parents participate meaningfully in a process that wasn’t designed with them in mind.

We dig into what actually gets in the way for multilingual families, why translation and interpretation aren’t “nice to have” but legally required, and how school teams can stop relying on Google Translate as a strategy (spoiler: it’s not a strategy).

In this episode, we discuss:

• The rights to translated documents and qualified interpreters — and why timelines are so murky

• How incomplete or software-generated translations derail meaningful participation

• The difference between a true language disorder and a language difference

• Why proper bilingual assessment matters (and what happens when it doesn’t)

• Classroom supports that help multilingual learners and everyone else

• Where families can start when they can’t find a bilingual advocate in their area

If you’ve been feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, or unsure how to help families who don’t speak English navigate the IEP process, take a breath — this conversation will leave you informed, encouraged, and better equipped to create a truly accessible path forward for every child.

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