Brave Together Parenting: a podcast for parenting disabilities and unique needs.

What do we do when a crisis hits? Most moms already know the answer because we’ve been to the ER or seen a pharmacy bill! YIKES!!! In those moments did we FREEZE? FIGHT? Maybe even FAWN? Most importantly, whatever we did, was there a judgment we felt about how we reacted?

On today’s practical episode, Jessica interviews Samantha Morey LMFT about the different “threat responses”. They discuss ways we can prepare ourselves, not only for the threat response, but also to the reaction we have to our own response.

Samantha Morey, LMFT. Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Hope International University. She works with the Center for Individual and Family Therapy in Torrance, Ca. Samantha is called to sit with women and couples as they work to address the broken pieces in their lives and climb toward healing and wholehearted living. She's been married for 23 years to her best friend and beloved husband, and together they parent two teen daughters. Samantha enjoys s'mores at the firepit, making pajamas for family and friends, and cuddling under a quilt watching a Hallmark movie, which always has a good predictable ending.

Get in touch with Samantha Morey here.

Brave Together is the podcast for We are Brave Together, a not-for-profit organization based in the USA. The heart of We Are Brave Together is to strengthen, encourage, inspire and validate all moms of children with disabilities and other needs in their unique journeys.

JOIN the international community of We Are Brave Together here.

Donate to our Retreats and Respite Scholarships here.

Donate to keep this podcast going here.

Can’t get enough of the Brave Together Podcast?

Follow our Instagram Page @wearebravetogether or on Facebook.

Feel free to contact Jessica Patay via email: [email protected]

If you have any topic requests or if you would like to share a story, leave us a message here

Brave Together Parenting is the podcast for We are Brave Together, a not-for-profit organization based in the USA. The heart of We Are Brave Together is to strengthen, encourage, inspire and validate all moms of children with disabilities and other needs in their unique journeys.

JOIN the international community of We Are Brave Together here.

Donate to our Retreats and Respite Scholarships here.

Donate to keep this podcast going here. Can’t get enough of the Brave Together Podcast?

Follow us on Instagram or on Facebook.

Feel free to contact Jessica Patay via email: [email protected]

If you have any topic requests or if you would like to share a story, leave us a message here.

Please leave a review and rating today! We thank you in advance!

Disclaimer

Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to today's story episode, #194. These are true stories from a moment in the life of a caregiving parent. We hear a crafted story, and then have a conversation with our guests that goes deeper into their experience.

In this episode of the Brave Together Parenting Podcast, host Jessica Patay interviews Hannah Zorn, who shares her family's journey through medical challenges, including her daughter's diagnosis of interstitial lung disease. Hannah discusses the emotional rollercoaster of navigating the healthcare system, the importance of creating positive memories during difficult times, and the profound moment she experienced with a dragonfly that served as a sign of hope. She emphasizes the significance of finding a supportive community and encourages parents to seek out their tribe during challenging times.

Hannah is a mother of two children who each have a disability. She is a disability professional in her rural community, and lover of all things nature, art, and music. She lives with her beautiful husband and children in the mountains of Colorado. She is currently working on creating a Family Resource Collaborative Guide for local families in partnership with the Arc of SW Colorado.

Connect with Hannah Zorn on Facebook here and on IG here.

Find this episode and ALL our Season 7 episodes on Youtube here.

Find our first book from We Are Brave Together here.
Thank you to everyone who showed up in person or participated virtually in our 5k fundraiser! It was a BIG success and we cannot thank this community or our sponsors enough. An extra special thank you to our TOP sponsors: RISE Advocacy, GHJ Foundation, Torrance Memorial Medical Center, CMS Creative Management, Inc., the Patay Family and MRM Education Harbor Light Financial Strategies, and PPL. We are so grateful to these generous sponsors who help make all that we do for this community possible. If you or a business you know is looking to help with our next fundraiser, please go to WeAreBra

Brave Together Parenting is the podcast for We are Brave Together, a not-for-profit organization based in the USA. The heart of We Are Brave Together is to strengthen, encourage, inspire and validate all moms of children with disabilities and other needs in their unique journeys.

JOIN the international community of We Are Brave Together here.

Donate to our Retreats and Respite Scholarships here.

Donate to keep this podcast going here. Can’t get enough of the Brave Together Podcast?

Follow us on Instagram or on Facebook.

Feel free to contact Jessica Patay via email: [email protected]

If you have any topic requests or if you would like to share a story, leave us a message here.

Please leave a review and rating today! We thank you in advance!

Disclaimer

When your child experiences the world through the altered lens of disability it can be difficult to stay on the same road, let alone understand each other. Social norms and the invisible pressure to fit into our society can cause us to miss the perfection of our children just as they are. It takes awareness and bravery to let go of control and allow them to be who they are and communicate to us in “their way”.
In this loving story from Nicola Irvine, she shares an experience with her adult son, Thomas, who is non-verbal, profoundly deaf and has a brain injury. On one of their drives together he begins to strip off his clothes. Nicola feels she needs to correct this behavior but knows doing so runs the risk of escalating the situation and causing him to become aggressive. Instead she chooses to breathe and finds profound beauty in what otherwise could be a very awkward or even dangerous situation.
Nicola Irvine works professionally with parents who struggle with fear, exhaustion, and feeling like they’re on a hamster wheel, to finally experience calm, clarity and peace so they can have a happy, joyful home life. She is an adventure-loving ex-accountant who enjoys time with family and inspiring parents through writing, coaching and speaking. She’s lived in multiple countries, written 3 books and has recently co-written a song.
When Nicola’s son, Thomas contracted bacterial meningitis leaving him with lifelong challenges, she was initially shattered. She searched the world for solutions to ‘fix’ her son and in the process discovered the perfection in the un-fixed, the beauty in “what is” and the gift within each challenge. She is a proud mother of 4, mentor and international speaker.

Find Nicola’s book here.

Brave Together is the podcast for We are Brave Together, a not-for-profit organization based in the USA. The heart of We Are Brave Together is to strengthen, encourage, inspire and validate all moms of children with disabilities and other needs in their unique journeys.

JOIN the international community of We Are Brave Together here.

Donate to our Retreats and Respite Scholarships here.

Donate to keep this podcast going

Brave Together Parenting is the podcast for We are Brave Together, a not-for-profit organization based in the USA. The heart of We Are Brave Together is to strengthen, encourage, inspire and validate all moms of children with disabilities and other needs in their unique journeys.

JOIN the international community of We Are Brave Together here.

Donate to our Retreats and Respite Scholarships here.

Donate to keep this podcast going here. Can’t get enough of the Brave Together Podcast?

Follow us on Instagram or on Facebook.

Feel free to contact Jessica Patay via email: [email protected]

If you have any topic requests or if you would like to share a story, leave us a message here.

Please leave a review and rating today! We thank you in advance!

Disclaimer

Hello Brave Friends! This is a Summer Re-Run of one of our favorite Ask Us Anything episodes from Seasons 5 and 6. Call in to our SpeakPipe to ask YOUR questions and tune in next season, starting in September 2024, for many more.
This is an Ask Us Anything episode in which YOU, the listener, get to write or call in and, you guessed it, ASK US ANYTHING!

In this episode, #165, we are discussing how to get the most out of connection circles and in general, support groups, without taking on other attendee’s pain.

In this community we are ALREADY dealing with our own tough feelings when we step into a group sharing environment and as Dr. Zoe Shaw says, in this episode, “we’re wired for protection not connection” so dealing with other people’s emotions on top of our own can feel daunting. BUT it doesn't have to feel that way and the community and sisterhood that comes with sharing and holding space for those emotions is so worth facing your own.

There are so many wisdom gems, AHA moments and tools in this episode for helping us deconstruct the emotions we feel when in the presence of other people’s pain. Please enjoy this important episode of Ask Us Anything.

Whether you have questions as a parent to a child with complex medical or mental health needs or you’re someone looking to support a care-giving parent, we would LOVE to hear from you.

If you have any topic requests or if you would like to ask a question, leave us a message here.

Find more information about Licensed Psychotherapist, Dr. Zoe Shaw here.

Find more information about Life Coach, Susanna Peace Lovell here.

Find Susanna’s book, Your True Self is Enough here.

Brave Together is the podcast for We are Brave Together, a not-for-profit organization based in the USA. The heart of We Are Brave Together is to strengthen, encourage, inspire and validate all moms of

Brave Together Parenting is the podcast for We are Brave Together, a not-for-profit organization based in the USA. The heart of We Are Brave Together is to strengthen, encourage, inspire and validate all moms of children with disabilities and other needs in their unique journeys.

JOIN the international community of We Are Brave Together here.

Donate to our Retreats and Respite Scholarships here.

Donate to keep this podcast going here. Can’t get enough of the Brave Together Podcast?

Follow us on Instagram or on Facebook.

Feel free to contact Jessica Patay via email: [email protected]

If you have any topic requests or if you would like to share a story, leave us a message here.

Please leave a review and rating today! We thank you in advance!

Disclaimer

Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to today's practical episode, #203. These are conversations with experts in fields relevant to caregiving parents.

In this episode of the Brave Together Parenting Podcast, host Jessica Patay interviews Hilarie Geurink, a registered dietitian specializing in blended tube feeding. Hilarie shares her journey into this niche area of nutrition, discussing the challenges families face with traditional tube feeding methods and the empowering benefits of incorporating blended diets. The conversation covers common myths, emotional aspects of feeding choices, practical guidelines for starting blended diets, and the importance of community support. Hilarie emphasizes that there are various options available for families, and it's essential to find what works best for each unique situation.

How to connect with Hilarie Geurink (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/blendedtubefeeding/

How to get support and join her online community: https://blendedtubefeeding.com/blended-tube-feeding/

Find links to all the resources we talk about in this episode below:
Article on blenders and discount programs: https://blendedtubefeeding.com/the-best-blenders-for-tube-feeding-with-discounts/

Article on commercial real food formulas, what’s available, how to get samples, etc: https://blendedtubefeeding.com/real-food-tube-feeding-formulas-a-dietitians-review/

Article on navigating pushback from medical teams: https://blendedtubefeeding.com/blenderized-tube-feeding-what-does-the-research-actually-say/

Find our first book from We Are Brave Together here.

Find full episodes from Season 7 and clips from Season 8 on Youtube here.

This episode was sponsored by Rise Educational Advocacy

Brave Together Parenting is the podcast for We are Brave Together, a not-for-profit organization based in the USA. The heart of We Are Brave Together is to strengthen, encourage, inspire and validate all moms of children with disabilities and other needs in their unique journeys.

JOIN the international community of We Are Brave Together here.

Donate to our Retreats and Respite Scholarships here.

Donate to keep this podcast going here. Can’t get enough of the Brave Together Podcast?

Follow us on Instagram or on Facebook.

Feel free to contact Jessica Patay via email: [email protected]

If you have any topic requests or if you would like to share a story, leave us a message here.

Please leave a review and rating today! We thank you in advance!

Disclaimer