Holyoaks Rise: Stories of Rising Through the Unexpected

Amanda Holyoak
  • 4.9 (12)
  • Medicine
  • Updated Weekly

Holyoaks Rise is a podcast for families and parents navigating medical complexity. Hosted by a NICU nurse and medical mom of five, this show blends professional insight with personal experience to help you feel calm, informed, and anchored in the midst of diagnoses, “all the ologies” and unexpected journeys. Through honest stories and practical guidance, we rise through hard circumstances together. If you’re in the NICU, parenting a medically complex child, or navigating life that didn’t go as planned — you belong here. Follow and share with families who need steady and practical support.

  1. 2d ago

    17) 16 Years, 5 Kids, and More Plot Twists Than We Planned | Our Anniversary Story

    When we got married 16 years ago, we had plans. What we didn’t plan for were five kids, a NICU journey, foster care, adoption, complex medical diagnoses, countless appointments, sleepless nights, unexpected detours, and all the ways life would rewrite our story. In this special anniversary bonus episode, my husband and I sit down together to look back on sixteen years of marriage and the plot twists that shaped our family. We share funny memories, hard seasons, lessons learned, and the moments that reminded us that even when life doesn’t go according to plan, there is still joy to be found. Whether you’re navigating marriage, parenting, medical challenges, adoption, or simply the unexpected turns life brings, we hope this conversation encourages you to keep showing up, keep loving well, and keep rising through the unexpected. Because sometimes the best parts of the story are the chapters we never saw coming. In this episode:
• How our expectations compared to reality
• The biggest plot twists of the last 16 years
• Lessons we’ve learned about marriage through difficult seasons
• Humor, survival mode, and finding joy in the chaos
• Why we wouldn’t trade this journey for anything If this episode resonates with you, please follow, share, and leave a review. It helps more families discover stories of hope and resilience. Holyoaks Rise: Stories of Rising Through the Unexpected Warm Memories - Emotional Inspiring Piano by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ I8h8

    39 min

  2. May 20

    16) Learning to Dream Again After Survival Mode | Medical Motherhood, Identity & Healing

    For years, survival mode was necessary. Medical motherhood, NICU life, caregiving, night shifts, trauma, responsibility, and simply trying to hold everything together can slowly become an identity. But what happens when you finally begin asking yourself who you are outside of survival? In this deeply personal episode, I talk honestly about ambition, fear, vulnerability, healing, motherhood, identity shifts, and what it feels like to dream again after years of simply making it through hard seasons. This episode explores: ● survival mode and emotional exhaustion ● medical motherhood and caregiver identity ● learning to hope again after trauma ● the fear of chasing dreams publicly ● rediscovering purpose after hardship ● healing beyond survival ● motherhood, resilience, and personal growth If you’ve ever felt stuck in survival mode or wondered whether you’re allowed to want more from life after difficult seasons… this episode is for you. Because surviving was important.
But maybe surviving isn’t the end of your story. Welcome to Holyoaks Rise — stories of rising through the unexpected. Warm Memories - Emotional Inspiring Piano by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ I8h8

    23 min

  3. May 12

    15) Baby Jessica: The Girl the World Refused to Leave Behind

    Rise Story In 1987, the world held its breath as 18-month-old Jessica McClure fell 22 feet into a narrow well in Midland, Texas. For 58 hours, rescue crews dug through rock by hand while millions watched and prayed. But this story isn’t only about a rescue.It’s about exhaustion. Fear. Human determination. Parents waiting helplessly. Rescue workers refusing to quit. And what happens when ordinary people rise in impossible moments. In this episode of Holyoaks Rise: Stories of Rising Through the Unexpected, Amanda walks through the real timeline of Baby Jessica’s rescue, the emotional weight carried by her family, and the lessons medical moms and survival-mode families can recognize inside this unforgettable story. This episode of Holyoaks Rise was inspired by publicly available historical reporting and research surrounding the 1987 rescue of Baby Jessica McClure in Midland, Texas. Primary references include: ● Inside the Well: The Midland Texas Rescue of Baby Jessica by Donna Guthrie and Chip Hickey ● Archived news coverage from CNN, ABC, NBC, and local Texas reporting ● Public interviews with rescue personnel, family members, and medical teams involved in the event ● Historical timeline documentation and published rescue accounts available through public media archives This episode is intended for storytelling, educational, and inspirational purposes. While every effort was made to present the events respectfully and accurately, portions of the episode may summarize or paraphrase publicly reported information for narrative flow. Holyoaks Rise does not claim ownership of historical events, news facts, or quoted public statements referenced within the episode. Warm Memories - Emotional Inspiring Piano by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

    27 min

  4. May 5

    14) Rising After Everything Changed: The Christopher Reeve Story

    Rise Story Series. In this episode, we’re talking about the life of Christopher Reeve—a man most people knew as Superman… until everything changed in a single moment. After a devastating accident left him paralyzed from the neck down and dependent on a ventilator to breathe, his life didn’t just shift—it completely reset. This is the part of the story we don’t always know what to do with. The part where survival doesn’t look strong.Where identity feels lost.Where “normal” never comes back. But this episode isn’t just about what he lost. It’s about what he built after. From becoming one of the most powerful advocates for spinal cord injury research, to helping create the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, his life became something bigger than the one he had before. This is a story about redefining strength.About rising in a way no one expects.And about what it really means to keep going when everything changes. If you’ve ever felt like your life took a turn you didn’t choose…If you’ve ever wondered who you are on the other side of hard… This episode is for you. “This story is shared using widely known, publicly available information, told in a way that connects us to the meaning behind it—no formal citations needed.” Warm Memories - Emotional Inspiring Piano by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

    22 min

  5. Apr 28

    13) The Season That Changed Me: What Rising Looked Like and Becoming More

    Rise Series What does Rising actually look like in medical motherhood? Not the dramatic moments—
but the everyday ones. In this episode of Holyoaks Rise: Stories of Rising Through the Unexpected, I’m sharing what that season really looked like for me—
the routines, the appointments, the court dates, and the quiet decisions I made without even realizing it. This is a raw look at: ● The daily weight of medical motherhood ● Living on autopilot when your capacity is stretched thin ● Foster care and adoption—the emotional complexity no one prepares you for ● Showing up in court when you don’t feel equipped ● Choosing kindness in situations that aren’t simple ● And the moments I handled things I never thought I could This episode isn’t about big, dramatic breakthroughs. It’s about the quiet, steady kind of strength—
the kind that looks like getting everyone where they need to be,
asking questions you don’t feel ready to ask,
and continuing to show up… even when you don’t feel strong. If you’ve ever felt like you’re just going through the motions,
just doing the next thing,
just trying to hold everything together— this episode is for you. Because sometimes rising doesn’t look like overcoming. Sometimes it looks like staying. Warm Memories - Emotional Inspiring Piano by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

    32 min

  6. Apr 21

    Episode 12: You’re Already Rising (Even in Survival Mode)

    You think rising comes after survival mode. After the crisis. After the fear. After everything finally settles down. But what if you are already rising? In this episode of Holyoaks Rise: Stories of Rising Through the Unexpected, we’re redefining what “rising” actually means— because it’s not something that started when life gets easier. It’s happening right in the middle of the hard. Rising looks like… showing up when you’re exhausted.. making decisions you never thought you could handle.. learning, adapting and advocating in real time.. holding it together for your family— even when you feel like you are falling apart… becoming stronger without even realizing it. If you’re stuck in survival mode right now, you might feel stuck. Like you’re just getting through the day. But survival mode isn’t the absence of growth— it is were the deepest growth begins. Because rising isn’t a finish line you reach someday. It’s something you are already doing— even if it doesn’t feel like it yet. If you are in the middle of something heavy and wondering if you are “doing okay”.. this episode will help you see that you are.

    19 min

  7. Apr 14

    Episode 11: When Life Doesn’t Go Back to Normal: The Emotional Crash After Survival Mode

    Medical Motherhood series. You make it through the emergency… and everyone expects life to go back to normal. But what happens when it doesn’t? In this episode of Holyoaks Rise: Stories of Rising Through the Unexpected, we’re talking about the part no one prepares you for—the emotional crash that comes after the crisis is over. When the adrenaline fades, the appointments slow down, and things are finally “stable”… why can it feel like everything is hitting you all at once? This episode dives into: ​Why the emotional crash after survival mode is completely normal​What it means when life doesn’t go back to the way it was​The mix of grief and gratitude that so many medical moms carry​Why you’re not “behind” just because you’re still processing​How to begin rebuilding instead of trying to go back If you’ve ever thought, “Things are better… so why don’t I feel better?” this episode is for you. You’re not doing it wrong. You’re coming down from survival mode. ⸻ 🎧 Holyoaks Rise is a podcast for parents navigating medical motherhood, NICU life, and the unexpected paths we never planned—but learn to rise through anyway. Warm Memories - Emotional Inspiring Piano by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

    21 min

  8. Apr 8

    Living in Survival Mode: What Medical Motherhood Really Feels Like (&Why You Can’t Snap Out Of It)

    Next up in my Medical Motherhood series.. If you feel like you’re constantly on edge… exhausted but unable to rest… forgetting everything and just trying to make it through the day—you might be living in survival mode. In this episode of Holyoaks Rise: Stories of Rising Through the Unexpected, we’re talking about what survival mode actually is—especially in medical motherhood—and why it’s not something you can simply “push through” or fix with better routines. Survival mode isn’t a mindset problem. It’s a nervous system response to prolonged stress, uncertainty, and real-life medical challenges. And for so many moms walking through the NICU, diagnoses, therapies, and ongoing care… it becomes a way of life. We’ll talk about: ​ What survival mode really looks like day-to-day (the mental fog, decision fatigue, and autopilot living)​ How survival mode affects your identity, your relationships, and your ability to rest​ The hidden cost of “staying strong” for too long​ And the gentle first steps toward feeling like yourself again This episode will help you put words to what you’ve been feeling—and remind you that you are not broken, and you are not alone. Whether you’re in the middle of a medical journey or coming out of one, this conversation is for you. 🎧 If this episode resonates, share it with another mom who might be in survival mode too. Warm Memories - Emotional Inspiring Piano by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

    23 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Holyoaks Rise is a podcast for families and parents navigating medical complexity. Hosted by a NICU nurse and medical mom of five, this show blends professional insight with personal experience to help you feel calm, informed, and anchored in the midst of diagnoses, “all the ologies” and unexpected journeys. Through honest stories and practical guidance, we rise through hard circumstances together. If you’re in the NICU, parenting a medically complex child, or navigating life that didn’t go as planned — you belong here. Follow and share with families who need steady and practical support.

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