Tag: Parenting
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The Hidden Story of Special Needs Siblings: Growing Up with Disability and Raising a Child with Autism with Sandra Peoples
What is it really like to grow up as the sibling of a child with disabilities? How does that experience shape the way you parent your own family? In this episode of This Unexpected Life, Carrie Holt talks with Sandra Peoples, a disability ministry consultant, author, professor, and mom of a son with level-three autism.…
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When Special Needs Parenting Becomes Survival: Faith, Endurance and Autism Parenting with Celeste Shally
What happens when special needs parenting moves beyond exhaustion and into survival? In this deeply honest and faith-filled conversation, Carrie M. Holt sits down with Celeste Shally, author of While We Wait: Clinging to Christ in the Trenches of Special Needs Parenting, to talk about the rarely discussed reality of long-term violence in special needs…
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Marriage, Caregiving, and Connection: A Conversation with Bruce Holt (Part 2)
In this final episode of the month, Carrie is joined once again by her husband, Bruce, for a candid conversation about marriage in the midst of caregiving. From survival mode in the early years after their son Toby’s diagnosis, to counseling and intentional connection in later years, Carrie and Bruce share the real struggles, arguments,…
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Overcoming Adversity: A Journey of Resilience with Dr. Nicole Wilke
In this episode, host Carrie M. Holt engages with Dr. Nicole Wilke, a researcher and therapist, discussing the challenges and triumphs of parenting children with special needs. They explore the importance of resilience, the impact of early adversity, and the role of attachment in healing. Dr. Wilke shares her personal experiences and insights, emphasizing the…
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Courageous Travel With Medically Fragile Kids With Erika Weise
In this episode, Carrie Holt interviews Erika Weise about the challenges and joys of traveling with a child with special needs. They discuss the importance of family travel, the planning involved, and the memories created through these experiences. Erika shares her family’s journey, the obstacles they face, and the courage it takes to make travel…
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When We Need to Embrace Rest In the Unexpected Journey of Parenting Children With Disabilities
April 15, 2025 In part two of this interview with Amy J. Brown, Amy shares how we can find hope in the chaos of caregiving, the power of not overthinking or overplanning, and the importance of slowing down. Through her mentoring and spiritual direction training, she gives practical advice for flourishing in the difficult position…
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When the Unexpected Means Parenting Kids With Trauma With Amy J. Brown
April 8, 2025 Parenting children with behavioral issues and trauma can be a difficult position with the added shame and judgment we bring not only on ourselves but also from other people. In this interview, Amy J. Brown shares how she has reframed the narrative around her parenting, some strategies she uses to rest, and…
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When This Unexpected Life Involves Grief
Grief and the grieving cycle is an ongoing part of our journey as special needs parents. Passionately sharing about how we need to expect grief to be a part of this unexpected journey, Carrie explains four types of grief we encounter as disability parents and gives important things to remember, as well as remembering how…
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When The Unexpected Leads to a Terminal Diagnosis With Sara Clime
Today on the podcast, my friend and author Sara Clime, from the Take Heart Special Moms Podcast, gets raw and vulnerable while discussing when the unexpected in her life led to her son’s terminal diagnosis, but also a deeper gut-level-honest relationship with God. Resources: Sara Clime Scripture Mentioned: John 2:22 If you enjoyed the…
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Focus on the Family Special Feature
The Beauty of Raising a Child with Special Needs — a two episode feature facilitated by Focus on the Family with Jim Daly. Original Air Date: August 21, 2024 Carrie Holt, Sara Clime and Amy Brown are all raising children with special needs — which means they are lonely, exhausted, fearful and hopeful, and at…