Brave Together Jessica Patay

Hello Brave Friends! This is story episode #178. And it features one of the many powerful stories we showcase in our first ever Brave Together book! It’s an anthology of stories shared courageously by our community of moms and it’s called Becoming Brave Together: heroic, extraordinary caregiving stories from mothers hidden in plain sight. It is available now and the link to find it is in the show notes, so go get yourself and everybody you know a copy!


Today’s story is from Claire McMurray whose daughter was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called Rett Syndrome. The story she tells is a beautiful articulation of the ache we feel as parents when our not so typical kids struggle to make friends. 


Welcome to today's story episode: Behind the Window 


Claire McMurray Ph.D. holds a doctorate from Yale and worked as an academic before she left the workforce to care for her youngest daughter. She has degrees in French and German and lived in both France and Germany. She loves to read, write, run, and hunt for treasures in thrift stores. She runs a blog called I Don't Know How You Do It, has had articles published on parenting sites and in literary magazines, and has won several writing contests for her creative nonfiction.


Find Claire’s Website with her blog for parents of children with differences, disabilities, and diagnoses here.


Find our first book from We Are Brave Together here.
Find our Becoming Brave Together book trailer here.
Find WABT 5K Fundraiser here.

Donate to our Mother's Day Fundraiser 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: jpatay@wearebravetogether.org
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 story episode #177. And it features one of the many powerful stories we feature in our first ever Brave Together book! It’s an anthology of stories shared courageously by our community of moms and it’s called Becoming Brave Together: heroic, extraordinary caregiving stories from mothers hidden in plain sight. It is out as of today! So go get yourself a copy!!! The link to find it is in the show notes. 


Today’s story is from the Becoming Brave Together anthology. It’s a story excerpt from Jessica Baer who brings us into the raw emotions she felt the day she gave birth in South Africa, to a son with Down Syndrome. Welcome to today's story episode: A Down Syndrome Diagnosis in South Africa 30 Years Ago


Jessica Baer was born and raised in South Africa and immigrated to the USA in 1995. She’s been a speech language pathologist for 36 years and is passionate about helping children to communicate. She is a certified Auditory Verbal Therapist and enjoys working with young deaf and hard of hearing children and their parents to facilitate listening and spoken language at home. Jessica loves to cook and eat healthy food, garden, bird watch and travel. She has a love for family, fashion and reality TV. 
Jessica has been a member of We are Brave Together for 4 years and wrote weekly Facebook posts titled Wesley Wednesday for 2 years for the group. Jessica was recently honored to take on the role of leader for the We are Brave Together South Bay Connection Circle. Jessica lives with her wife Toni and son Wesley in Lomita, Los Angeles, where they have a vegetable garden and an outdoor pond with four fish.




Find our first book from We Are Brave Together out TODAY May 1st here.
Find Becoming Brave Together Book Trailer here.
Find WABT 5K Fundraiser here. 
Donate to our Mother's Day Fundraiser 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: jpatay@wearebravetogether.org
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, #176. Our guest today is Jayme Betts, and she founded the Changing Spaces Advocacy Campaign in Massachusetts after experiencing, along with her daughter, Sophia, the challenges that traditional public restrooms present for disabled individuals who require assistance with their daily care. 
With rare exceptions, the only options that caretakers have for changing their loved one’s undergarments is on the dirty floor of a public restroom. When the facilities offered do not even allow for this, many caretakers resort to setting up a changing station in the car, exposed to the elements and with no privacy.
As the individual ages and the situation becomes ever more challenging and unsafe, difficult decisions are made to stay home and begin a spiral toward social isolation. Universal changing tables are needed. They are powered, height adjustable tables that are large enough to support an adult weighing up to 300 pounds. 
Changing Spaces in Massachusetts was organized just last year, but there was already work being done by a handful of individuals around the state. You'll hear all about it in my conversation with the inspirational, Jayme Betts. 


Find the Changing Spaces Campaign website here.
Find the Momentum Refresh website here.


Find WABT 5K Fundraiser here. 
Find our first book from We Are Brave Together coming May 1st 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: jpatay@wearebravetogether.org
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 story episode #175. When our child gets diagnosed it can feel like the snow globe of our life gets shaken really hard, and that everything is suddenly up in the air. But as the flakes slowly settle, we get the chance to reevaluate our relationships with everything, including ourselves. 


When Margaret Webb’s son was diagnosed with Autism she became a warrior for him, fighting day in and day out for his comfort, development and care. But as you might guess, in the heat of battle, she lost touch with herself. Until one day, she saw a magazine cover that reminded her to reconnect. 


Welcome to today's story episode: Diagnosis Isn't a Choice, My Martyrdom Is.



Margaret Webb is a parent coach and a Master Certified Martha Beck Life Coach. She has trained, apprenticed, mentored and taught as a Nature-Based Coach. She has a son who is on the autism spectrum, had apraxia of speech, didn't speak until he was 5, has anxiety and ADHD. He LOVES the work she does and takes great pride in the fact that she gets to help other parents with their children. Margaret loves connecting with people through Facebook, tele-classes and in-person workshops and retreats. Knowing that she is helping others to find ease and joy in their lives makes her heart very happy!! She has written a beautiful book called "A Hero's Journey in Parenting: Parenting the Child You Didn't Expect While You Were Expecting" and it is linked below.


Find Margaret Webb’s Book here.
Find Margaret Webb’s Parent Coaching Website here.




Find WABT 5K Fundraiser here. 
Find our first book from We Are Brave Together coming May 1st 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: jpatay@wearebravetogether.org
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!

Hello Brave Friends! 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, #174, we are responding to the question, How do I Support my Neuro-Divergent Kid as They Blossom into a Teen? It’s a bittersweet transition from childhood to young adulthood that we all experience in different ways. And with neuro-divergent kids the transition and experience can pose very real logistical and emotional challenges. We have to stay on our toes as parents to handle this intense growth period with grace. 
Hopefully this episode can give you some comfort, as our co-hosts share anecdotes from their own experience, and remind you, as always, that you’re not alone. You’ll also find a helpful resource for sex-ed for the intellectually disabled and their support systems, mentioned in this episode, linked below.
Thank you so much for listening and calling in with your questions. Keep them coming!
Find the Mad Hatter Wellness Website here.


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.


Find our first book from We Are Brave Together coming May 1st 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: jpatay@wearebravetogether.org
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 practical episode #173. Our guest is a fellow caregiving mama and creator of CapeAble Weighted Products, Marna Pacheco. 
Marna created CapeAble, originally for her daughter Millie, who needed help regulating her nervous system. CapeAble is unique from all other weighted blanket manufacturers, because its patented SmartWeight technology provides an even weight distribution resulting in precise, deep touch pressure. What does this mean for parent caregivers? The deep touch pressure of SmartWeight helps provide a sense of safety, connection, and nervous system regulation.
I can't wait for you to hear this conversation which is both touching and informative. And I hope that you will try the products. It's such a nice option and comes from someone who is truly passionate about what they do. Please, enjoy this conversation and make sure that you check out CapeAble Weighted Products. 
Thanks for listening!
Find Marna Pacheco’s CapeAble Weighted Products here.


Find our first book from We Are Brave Together coming May 1st 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: jpatay@wearebravetogether.org
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