Take the Next Step with Amy Julia Becker

Amy Julia Becker
  • 5.0 (34)
  • Parenting

Take the Next Step is a podcast for families experiencing disability, offering weekly encouragement and practical next steps to help your family thrive. Your family matters. Your child matters. And we need you among us. Each Wednesday, we'll explore how to:  - Navigate the challenges of disability parenting  - Create moments of delight, joy, and connection at home  - Connect with a supportive community where your family belong  - Take meaningful, manageable steps toward a flourishing future Take the Next Step is a resource from the Hope Heals Network, a collective of thought leaders offering honest and hopeful wisdom to help people flourish in the good and hard parts of their stories. To learn more about the work of Hope Heals, visit hopeheals.com or follow @hopeheals on Instagram. More episodes: https://amyjuliabecker.com/take-the-next-step-podcast/

  1. 2d ago

    How to Find a Church That Welcomes Disability • Nakoa Dantzler Merritt

    Will your child with a disability truly belong at church—or simply be accommodated? How can you recognize genuine welcome? How could a church rethink accessibility, Sunday school, and worship so your family can fully participate?  Nakoa Dantzler Merritt, the Community Engagement and Partnerships Coordinator for With Ministries, joins Amy Julia Becker to offer practical advice and real-life examples for families and churches. She invites families to approach imperfect churches with grace while still looking for a heart posture of welcome.  00:00 Nakoa's Story and Advocacy 04:14 Questions to Ask About Welcome 07:03 Understanding and Designing for Accessibility 09:00 Examples of Churches Moving Toward Welcome 10:18 Adapting Sunday School for All Abilities 13:23 Designing Worship Services for Accessibility 17:09 Starting Points for Families in Unwelcoming Churches 21:24 Practical Tips for Families Navigating Church Challenges MENTIONED IN EPISODE 33: With MinistriesQuestions for families: Is my family welcome?Is my family included in decision making?Is the church willing to ask what my child needs?Is the church willing to meet us partway?Questions for churches: How are we communicating welcome?Can people with different abilities actually participate?Are families affected by disability helping shape our ministry?Are we creating belonging, rather than simply accommodation?_ SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's weekly Substack newsletter: amyjuliabecker.substack.com WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT: Nakoa Dantzler Merritt is the Community Engagement and Partnerships Coordinator for With Ministries. She is also the Board Secretary for the Black Down Syndrome Association and an Advisory Board Member for the North Texas Disability Chamber. She combines professional leadership with lived advocacy to advance accessibility, inclusion, and equitable services both in churches and across communities. Nakoa is a devoted mother of twin boys and an advocate at heart. She enjoys encouraging others, spending time with her family, and creating meaningful opportunities for people to connect, contribute, and participate fully. Socials FB/IG: withministriesorg LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ndmerrittmba/ _ Take the Next Step is a resource from the Hope Heals Network, a collective of thought leaders offering honest and hopeful wisdom to help people flourish in the good and hard parts of their stories. To learn more about the work of Hope Heals, visit hopeheals.com or follow @hopeheals on Instagram. We want to hear from you. Send us a text!

  2. Oct 7

    Is Your Marriage Just Surviving? Disability, Chronic Stress, and Caregiving • Monica DiCristina, LPC

    Are you exhausted from caregiving? Anxious? Burned out? Do you find yourself resenting your spouse or keeping score in your marriage over who does most? Therapist Monica DiCristina joins Amy Julia Becker to help parents of children with disabilities recognize the signs of chronic stress, understand how it can affect marriage and family life, and discover small, meaningful ways to respond differently, even when the circumstances themselves don’t change. 00:00 Introduction to chronic stress and its effect on families & marriages 03:45 Understanding the physical and emotional signs of chronic stress 05:46 How chronic stress affects marriage dynamics 08:01 Common coping behaviors and their pitfalls 13:02 Practical ways to normalize and manage stress 17:14 Choosing connection when circumstances can’t change 21:47 Next steps for couples in chronic stress situations __ MENTIONED IN EPISODE 32: Research mentioned in this episode: Coan, Schaefer, & Davidson, “Lending a Hand: Social Regulation of the Neural Response to Threat.”Your Pain Has a Name: A Therapist’s Invitation to Understanding Your Story and Sorting Out Who You Are From What Hurts by Monica DiCristina_ SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's weekly Substack newsletter: amyjuliabecker.substack.com WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT: Monica DiCristina is a therapist in Atlanta, where she runs a private practice serving individuals and couples. She became a therapist after one changed her life. Monica shares therapeutic content through her Still Becoming podcast, newsletter, speaking, and her book, that is being translated into 9 different languages: Your Pain Has a Name: A Therapist’s Invitation to Understanding Your Story and Sorting Out Who You Are From What Hurts. Website: https://monicadicristina.com/Instagram: @monicadicristina/Substack: The In-BetweenBook: Your Pain Has a Name_ Take the Next Step is a resource from the Hope Heals Network, a collective of thought leaders offering honest and hopeful wisdom to help people flourish in the good and hard parts of their stories. To learn more about the work of Hope Heals, visit hopeheals.com or follow @hopeheals on Instagram. We want to hear from you. Send us a text!

  3. Sep 30

    When Grief Has No Words: Helping Kids With Disabilities Process Loss • Sissy Goff, LPC-MHSP

    How can we help a child grieve when they may not have the words to tell us they’re hurting? Therapist Sissy Goff joins Amy Julia Becker to explore how children with disabilities experience and express grief. Grief doesn’t always look like sadness; it can show up through regression, anger, anxiety, changes in behavior, and more. Sissy shares practical ways parents and caregivers can help children express their emotions, set loving boundaries around difficult behaviors, use play and memory-making to process loss, and move toward hope without leaving grief behind. 00:00 Grief and kids with disabilities 05:13 Understanding regression as a coping mechanism 06:48 The stages of grief and their cyclical nature 10:25 Checking in on kids and their emotions 13:28 The role of play in healing 15:17 Helping children process complex emotions and behaviors 18:43 Fostering hope and remembrance in children 22:11 Next Steps to Process Grief MENTIONED IN EPISODE 31: Helping Kids Through Grief: A Parent's Guide for Making Sense of Death, Processing Loss, and Finding Hope by Sissy GoffTake the Next Step: Ep2 Parenting Kids with Disabilities: The Power of Delight with Sissy Goff_ SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's weekly Substack newsletter: amyjuliabecker.substack.com WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT: Sissy Goff is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, speaker, and Executive Director of Daystar Counseling in Nashville. With more than three decades of counseling experience, she helps children, teens, and families navigate anxiety, build resilience, and grow in confidence and connection. She’s the author of more than twenty books, including her newest, Helping Kids Through Grief, and co-host of the Raising Boys & Girls podcast, which has been downloaded more than 14 million times. You can connect with Sissy at raisingboysandgirls.com or find daily encouragement on Instagram at @sissygoff and @raisingboysandgirls. _ Take the Next Step is a resource from the Hope Heals Network, a collective of thought leaders offering honest and hopeful wisdom to help people flourish in the good and hard parts of their stories. To learn more about the work of Hope Heals, visit hopeheals.com or follow @hopeheals on Instagram. We want to hear from you. Send us a text!

  4. Sep 23

    Finding Spiritual Rhythms in the Chaos of Caregiving • Jen Pollock Michel

    What happens when the rhythms of caregiving make it difficult to establish any rhythms at all?  That’s the question guiding author Jen Pollock Michel as she considers what spiritual practices can look like in the midst of caregiving for a family member with a disability. Drawing on her own experience caring for her mom who has Alzheimer’s, Jen shares with Amy Julia Becker how caregivers can create space for meaning, connection, and faith even when days rarely go according to plan.  00:00 Understanding the Rule of Life 04:09 Caregiving and Its Challenges 10:01 Receiving Our Lives as They Are 14:58 A Personal Rule of Life: Tenderness, Gentleness, Gratitude 21:58 Finding Spiritual Rhythms in Chaos 28:32 Inviting Help and Community Support MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: A Rule for the Rest of Us: An Ancient Practice for Making the Daily Decisions that Shape Faithful Lives by Jen Pollock MichelEvery Moment Holy: Death, Grief, and HopePsalm 100Psalm 90_ SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's weekly Substack newsletter: amyjuliabecker.substack.com WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT: Jen Pollock Michel is the award-winning author of six books: A Rule for the Rest of Us, Teach Us to Want (Christianity Today's Book of the Year), Keeping Place, Surprised by Paradox (Christianity Today's Book of the Year Award of Merit—Beautiful Orthodoxy), A Habit Called Faith, and In Good Time (Canada's Word Guild Book of the Year Award). Jen is a sought-after contributor to publications like Christianity Today, The Christian Century, The Gospel Coalition, Mockingbird, and The Dispatch, among others. She is also a first-year mentor in Whitworth University's MFA in Creative Writing program, and she travels to speak at churches, conferences, and retreats. Over the past several years, she has been teaching rule-of-life workshops to hundreds of people across various life stages. The mother of five children, she is married to Ryan, and they live in Cincinnati, Ohio. Social handles: Instagram: @jenpmichel  Substack: A Habit Called Faith  X: @jenpmichel Website: JenPollockMIchel.com _ Take the Next Step is a resource from the Hope Heals Network, a collective of thought leaders offering honest and hopeful wisdom to help people flourish in the good and hard parts of their stories. To learn more about the work of Hope Heals, visit hopeheals.com or follow @hopeheals on Instagram. We want to hear from you. Send us a text!

  5. Sep 16

    How to Navigate IEP Meetings and Disability Services • Meghan Burke, PhD

    Do you have to fight everyone around the table to advocate well for your child? Many parents feel intimidated by disability advocacy. They worry they're not doing enough and don't know enough to be a good advocate for their child and a good teammate to the other people in their child's life. Researcher Meghan Burke joins Amy Julia Becker to share what non-adversarial advocacy looks like—from special education and IEPs to the transition into adult disability services—and where to find support along the way. _ 00:00:00 Introduction and Meghan Burke background 00:02:56 Defining advocacy and its levels 00:06:18 Barriers in advocacy and meetings 00:09:00 Strategies to overcome barriers 00:11:16 Resources for advocacy training and support 00:15:31 Non-adversarial advocacy and partnership with schools 00:18:54 Navigating adult disability services 00:23:49 Next steps and practical advice for parents _ MENTIONED IN EPISODE 29: TNS episode 22: Disability + Siblings: What the Research Says with Meghan Burke, PhDParent Input Statement Samples created by Meghan BurkeVolunteer Advocacy Project (VAP) trainingParent Training and Information Center (PTI)—find your PTI: https://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center/Advocating for SupportS to Improve Service Transition (ASSIST): https://www.illinoislifespan.org/toolbox-transition/ (follow the link and scroll down to the section with YouTube videos; also available in Spanish)_ SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's weekly Substack newsletter: amyjuliabecker.substack.com WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT: Meghan Burke is a professor of special education in Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. Her research interests include advocacy, families (i.e., parents and siblings) of individuals with disabilities, and disability policy. Her research examines how families advocate for services with their family members with disabilities. She also conducts research examining how siblings of individuals with disabilities transition to caregiving roles. _ Take the Next Step is a resource from the Hope Heals Network, a collective of thought leaders offering honest and hopeful wisdom to help people flourish in the good and hard parts of their stories. To learn more about the work of Hope Heals, visit hopeheals.com or follow @hopeheals on Instagram. We want to hear from you. Send us a text!

  6. Sep 9

    What We Need to Know About Disability and Happiness • Misty Coy Snyder

    Overwhelmed, isolated, afraid of the future? You don't have to figure it all out at once. Author Misty Coy Snyder joins Amy Julia Becker to talk about family life and disability. She shares practical encouragement for parents and caregivers, including ways to: Find community and build meaningful connectionsFocus on what matters right nowMake room for joy00:00 Introduction to Misty and Her Family 03:09 Why "Happiness is Down Syndrome"? 07:17 The Role of Community in Parenting 11:02 Creating Connections and Resources 15:10 Planning for the Future Without Fear 22:45 Take the Next Step: Be Present MENTIONED IN EPISODE 28: Down Syndrome Diagnosis NetworkCaring TideTeam Iron Will_ SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's weekly Substack newsletter: amyjuliabecker.substack.com WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT: For over twenty years, Misty has been inspiring people through storytelling. Whether she is onstage taking the audience on a journey through her acting, transporting people through her vocal performance or challenging and edifying her readers through her writing, Misty relishes communication, connection and community. Misty utilizes her gifts as a performer, entrepreneur and content creator to advocate for and lift up the disability community. Upon receiving a Down syndrome diagnosis for her second son, Jed, she created a worldwide platform to promote inclusion and awareness called, Happiness is Down syndrome. In addition to creating content for this page, she launched her own podcast called, Bold Voices, Soft Hearts, featuring stories of those who have discovered their passion through pain. For World Down Syndrome Day in March of 2025, Misty spoke on a panel at the UN discussing community support for the Down syndrome community and frequently travels globally sharing her story of hope. She is currently the Creative Director at RODS Heroes where the mission is to uncover the superpowers of Down syndrome. Website: mistycoysnyder.com Social Media: @mistycoysnyder @happinessisdownsyndrome on Instagram Misty Coy Snyder and Happiness is Down Syndrome on FB @mistycoysnyder on TikTok _ Take the Next Step is a resource from the Hope Heals Network, a collective of thought leaders offering honest and hopeful wisdom to help people flourish in the good and hard parts of their stories. To learn more about the work of Hope Heals, visit hopeheals.com or follow @hopeheals on Instagram. We want to hear from you. Send us a text!

  7. Sep 2

    Raising Capable, Confident Kids: Disability + Parenting • David Thomas, LMSW

    How can my child with a disability learn and grow? What does it look like to cultivate capability while honoring their limitations? When am I wrongly making life easier for them? When should I let them struggle? And what if I feel incapable as a parent? Therapist David Thomas joins Amy Julia Becker to discuss: parenting in an anxious agebuilding resiliencehelping children develop coping skills and confidence00:00 Introduction to David Thomas 03:13 Why Now? The Rise of Anxiety and Youth Mental Health Crisis 09:09 The Three C's: Coping, Confidence, and Competence 13:37 Naming and Navigating Emotions in Children 19:28 Characteristics of Capable Parents 22:38 Rituals of Affirmation and Security 25:28 Next Steps for Parents and Kids More: https://amyjuliabecker.com/capable-parenting-david-thomas-raising-resilient-kids/ __ MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Capable: How to Teach Your Kids the Strengths, Skills, and Strategies to Build Resilience by Sissy Goff and David ThomasDaystar Counseling Ministries_ SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's weekly Substack newsletter: amyjuliabecker.substack.com WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: David Thomas, LMSW, is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and Executive Director of Daystar Counseling in Nashville, Tennessee. For more than thirty years, David has helped children, teens, and families navigate the challenges of growing up with confidence, resilience, and hope. Known for his humor, engaging storytelling, and practical wisdom, David is one of the country’s most trusted voices on parenting, child development, and family relationships. He is the author of fifteen books, including his newest release, Capable: How to Teach Your Kids the Strengths, Skills & Strategies to Build Resilience. David is the co-host of the Raising Boys & Girls podcast, which has been downloaded more than 15 million times. David is a frequent speaker at conferences, schools, churches, and organizations across the country. His work has been featured on the TODAY Show and NBC News and in publications including The Washington Post and USA Today. David and his wife, Connie, live in Nashville and are the proud parents of three adult children, along with a yellow lab named June. You can connect with David at raisingboysandgirls.com or find daily encouragement on Instagram at @raisingboysandgirls. _ Take the Next Step is a resource from the Hope Heals Network, a collective of thought leaders offering honest and hopeful wisdom to help people flourish in the good and hard parts of their stories. To learn more about the work of Hope Heals, visit hopeheals.com or follow @hopeheals on Instagram. We want to hear from you. Send us a text!

  8. Aug 26

    Be Unapologetically Impatient: Disability + Parenting • Christina Cipriano, PhD

    When your child needs support now, “just wait” isn’t good enough. Chris Cipriano, mom and developmental psychologist, helps parents of children with disabilities move from frustration and apology to confident advocacy. She shares with Amy Julia Becker how to: navigate waitlistswork with teachers and providers as partners, not opponentssee disability as a different vantage point and a source of valueDiscover how an asset-based mindset can help you advocate for your child and create change that benefits every family.  00:00 Introduction to Chris Cipriano 02:19 The Concept of Being Unapologetically Impatient 06:32 Reframing Disability: A Different Vantage Point 09:37 Navigating Waitlists and Access to Services 14:31 Building Community and Collaboration 21:07 From Reaction to Prevention: A Mindset Shift MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Be Unapologetically Impatient by Christina Cipriano, PhD_ SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's weekly Substack newsletter: amyjuliabecker.substack.com WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT: Christina Cipriano, PhD, is the inaugural Joseph W. and Alma W. Keilty Endowed Chair in Education and Professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she directs the Education Collaboratory at the College of Education. Drawing on her decade of research at the Yale Child Study Center, where she maintains a secondary appointment, Dr. Cipriano's work advances inclusive and equitable social and emotional learning so all students are seen, served, and safe to learn, in schools worldwide. _ Take the Next Step is a resource from the Hope Heals Network, a collective of thought leaders offering honest and hopeful wisdom to help people flourish in the good and hard parts of their stories. To learn more about the work of Hope Heals, visit hopeheals.com or follow @hopeheals on Instagram. We want to hear from you. Send us a text!

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Take the Next Step is a podcast for families experiencing disability, offering weekly encouragement and practical next steps to help your family thrive. Your family matters. Your child matters. And we need you among us. Each Wednesday, we'll explore how to:  - Navigate the challenges of disability parenting  - Create moments of delight, joy, and connection at home  - Connect with a supportive community where your family belong  - Take meaningful, manageable steps toward a flourishing future Take the Next Step is a resource from the Hope Heals Network, a collective of thought leaders offering honest and hopeful wisdom to help people flourish in the good and hard parts of their stories. To learn more about the work of Hope Heals, visit hopeheals.com or follow @hopeheals on Instagram. More episodes: https://amyjuliabecker.com/take-the-next-step-podcast/

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