The Affirming Village Podcast

Dr. Destiny Huff & Lisa Baskin Wright

Two neurodivergent mamas — one Black, one White — with lived experience raising neurodivergent kids. One is still navigating IEPs and school calls; the other has walked the path into adulthood. Dr. Destiny Huff, LPC, a mental health therapist and advocate, and Lisa Baskin Wright, an educator and advocate, help families approach the IEP table with clarity, compassion, and power. They also train professionals on affirming practices for neurodivergent learners. This is The Affirming Village — where stories, strategy, and community meet.

  1. Aug 7

    Starting the school year with support, not compliance

    Starting the school year with support, not compliance A successful school year shouldn't require your learner to mask, push beyond their limits, or adapt without support. In this episode, Dr. Destiny Huff and IEP Coach Lisa Wright break down how parents and educators can enter the new school year focused on true collaboration, clear communication, and affirming care. What we cover in this episode: 💡 Why traditional compliance falls short and how to pivot to genuine support📄 Creating a simple, effective 1-page "All About Me" / "IEP at a Glance" for teachers and staff🍃 How to translate subtle behavioral and sensory cues before overwhelm sets in🫱🏾‍🫲🏻 Navigating school events, open houses, and team dynamics after a tough year Hit play to discover practical, actionable ways to advocate for your child and set up a supportive, affirming school environment this year! 🎧✨ Follow & Connect: 🎙️ The Affirming Village Podcast with Dr. Destiny Huff & Lisa Wright #SpecialEducation #IEPCoach #BackToSchool #NeurodiversityAffirming #ParentAdvocate #AffirmingVillagePodcast #IEPTips #AutismSupport #ADHDSupport #InclusiveEducation #SensorySupport #ChildAdvocacy #NeurodivergentLearners

    Starting the school year with support, not compliance

  2. Jul 24

    Advocating While Black: What Black Parents Experience in Special Education

    Episode 5: Advocating While Black: Systemic Bias, Special Education, and Intersectionality with Cheryl Poe In this powerful episode of The Affirming Village Podcast, host Dr. Destiny Huff, LPC, and Lisa Baskin Wright, IEP Coach, are joined by special education expert and researcher Cheryl Poe, MA, Founder and Executive Director of Advocating for Kids, Inc. (A4K). Together, they dive deep into the groundbreaking report, Advocating While Black: Black Parents' Experiences with Special Education in Virginia, unpacking the heavy realities Black families face when navigating the special education system. "Advocating While Black": Why special education advocacy spaces remain white-centered and how intersectionality changes the experience for Black families. DisCrit (Disability Critical Race Theory): How racism and ableism overlap to create distinct structural barriers for Black neurodivergent learners. Intent vs. Impact: Dismantling "the good educator binary" and checking ego at the IEP table. Weaponized Language: Calling out coded labels like "aggressive" and the adultification of Black students. Centering Parent Authority: How advocates can build momentum without taking the mic away from parents. 💡 Enjoying the podcast? Leave us a 5-star rating and share this episode with an educator, parent, or advocate in your village!

    Advocating While Black: What Black Parents Experience in Special Education

  3. Jul 17

    "Monitor, Monitor, Monitor": Breaking Down the OSERS Briefing

    Officials said everything is fine, the law is still on the books, and we just "moved down the street." But is it reassurance, or is it a masterclass in gaslighting? In this episode, we are breaking down the July 9th OSERS Partnership Briefing and pulling back the curtain on the smoke-and-mirror show of "Returning Education to the States." While federal reps smiled and told parents to "monitor, monitor, monitor," they conveniently left out the reality of a gutted infrastructure, a staggering drop in OCR enforcement, and the dangerous shift toward a medical model for special education. We’re diving deep into: The 6-Agency Split: Exactly where your child's K-12 programs, civil rights protections, and student funding are actually being sent. The Circular Logic of HHS Training: Why "HHS staff training HHS staff" on educational policy completely misses the mark. The Evasion of Real Accountability: How the federal government is shifting the massive burden of oversight entirely onto already exhausted families. Where We Find Hope: Why hyperlocal politics, school boards, and granular, collaborative team relationships are our best weapons right now. The system might be fracturing, but the village isn't going anywhere. Tune in as we break down what was said, what they refused to answer, and exactly what families need to watch next. What were your thoughts on the webinar? Let us know in the comments below!

    "Monitor, Monitor, Monitor": Breaking Down the OSERS Briefing

  4. Jul 10

    What Children Can Access When Support, Demands, and Environments Change

    What Children Can Access When Support, Demands, and Environments Change The Affirming Village Podcast • Episode 3 When school ends, does a learner lose skills, or have the supports around them just shifted? ☀️ In this episode, Lisa Wright, IEP Coach, and Dr. Destiny Huff, LPC, explore what summer break reveals about access, support, and fluctuating capacity. Instead of focusing on skill loss, we reframe the summer break around curiosity and information gathering: • What became harder when school supports disappeared?  • What improved when demands decreased?  • How can this inform what your learner needs for the upcoming school year? We discuss:  • The Duality of Summer: Balancing rest, recovery, and lower pressure with the potential challenges of a lost routine. • Reframing Accommodations: Why support, joy, and rest are human needs, not rewards to be earned. • Bridging Home & School: How natural home supports (like movement input or low-demand setups) can map directly onto an IEP. • Building Respite: The vital role of decompression moments during the school day for both students and staff. Listen in to learn how to turn your observations this summer into powerful, collaborative advocacy for the school year ahead! Love the episode? Don't forget to follow the podcast, rate us 5 stars, and share with a friend!

    What Children Can Access When Support, Demands, and Environments Change

  5. Jul 3

    When Family Doesn’t Understand: Boundaries, Scripts, and Protecting Your Learner’s Needs

    ☀️ Family gatherings and community events are major hallmarks of the summer season. But for parents of neurodivergent children, these spaces frequently introduce an unlisted layer of stress: managing the misconceptions, unsolicited advice, and expectations of the adults in the room. In this episode of our Summer Series, Lisa Wright and Dr. Destiny Huff provide a professional framework for navigating complex interpersonal dynamics. They address the exhaustion of constantly defending your child’s sensory, communication, and regulation choices, and offer practical, clinical insights on how to establish healthy boundaries to protect your family's peace. Whether you are dealing with generational parenting gaps, navigating shifting friendships post-diagnosis, or learning how to communicate firm feedback to well-meaning relatives, this episode provides the strategy, validation, and professional tools you need to curate your own affirming community. ✨ In this episode, we discuss: • Managing adult misconceptions regarding sensory overload, headphones, and social expectations. • Dissecting generational parenting shifts and communication frameworks across Boomer, Gen X, and Millennial dynamics. • Strategies for delivering constructive, honest feedback to grandparents and extended family caregivers. • Navigating undiagnosed neurodivergence across generations and bridging the understanding gap. • Analyzing shifting friendship dynamics and evolving social circles post-diagnosis. • Clinical perspectives on how autistic learners framework social connection and view peer relationships. • Recognizing clinical indicators of social burnout and managing a child’s sensory battery. 💬 We want to hear from you. How do you handle unsolicited parenting advice or set firm boundaries with extended family during summer gatherings? Connect with us on social media or leave a review to share your thoughts. If you found this episode helpful, please rate and follow the podcast so you never miss an episode of our Summer Series! #NeurodivergentParenting #ParentingBoundaries #NeurodiversityAffirming #AutismSupport #IEPAdvocacy #FamilyDynamics #ClinicalParentingSupport #AffirmingVillagePodcast

    When Family Doesn’t Understand: Boundaries, Scripts, and Protecting Your Learner’s Needs

  6. Jun 26

    Summer Isn’t Always a Break: Rest, Regulation, and Redefining Fun

    Episode 1: Summer Isn’t Always a Break: Rest, Regulation, and Redefining Fun ☀️ For many families, summer is a long-awaited vacation. But for neurodivergent families and special education parents, the transition into summer can bring a sudden, jarring loss of routine, predictability, and essential services. In this premier episode of our Summer Series, Lisa Wright (IEP Coach) and Dr. Destiny Huff (LPC) strip away the pressure of the "perfect summer" and dive into the messy reality of caregiver burnout, systemic ableism in ESY schedules, and why your child might be facing intense dysregulation right now. If you are currently crawling, limping, or rolling into summer feeling entirely depleted, this episode is your reminder that you are not alone. ✨ In this episode, we discuss: • Why summer isn't a break for everyone and the sudden loss of school-year structures. • The reality of caregiver burnout, decision fatigue, and "caregiver brain fog." • Redefining "disabled rest" and why dropping demands is necessary recovery, not avoidance. • The hidden ableism in school district ESY (Extended School Year) conversations. • The logistical nightmare of partial-day summer schedules for working parents. • Shifting our focus from summer "progress and mastery" to simple maintenance and regulation. Take a deep breath. Your goal this summer isn't to push your child to learn massive new skills, it’s to find collective rest and regulation. ➡️ Hit follow so you never miss an episode of our Summer Series, and share this with a fellow caregiver who needs to hear this validation today!

    Summer Isn’t Always a Break: Rest, Regulation, and Redefining Fun

  7. May 15

    Before We Close This School Year Out…

    "Something smells different this year." Before heading into the summer break, Dr. Destiny Huff and Lisa Wright sit down for a raw reflection on why this school year felt fundamentally different for parents, advocates, and neurodivergent learners. In this episode, they pull back the curtain on the "whiplash" of navigating school districts that seem to be throwing out the rulebook. From the political nature of disability rights to the rise of "team extremism" and legal ambushes in IEP meetings, Destiny and Lisa discuss how they’ve had to change the way they show up to protect their own capacity and regulation. Key moments in this episode: The Systemic Shift: Why the energy in schools felt "off" this year and the rise of administrative gatekeeping. Disability is Political: Understanding how political climates and administration changes directly impact 504 protections and funding. Protecting the Advocate: Personal reflections on managing high-stress workloads and why "spacing out" meetings is a survival necessity. Ballast in the Storm: Finding stability when the needle stops moving and the importance of documenting systemic failures. Connect with The Village: #TheAffirmingVillage #Neuroaffirming #SpecialEducation #IEPCoach #DisabilityAdvocacy #Neurodiversity #BeforeWeCloseThisSchoolYearOut

    Before We Close This School Year Out…

  8. May 8

    Something Shifted This Year

    "Sir, slow your roll." This week, Destiny and Lisa are getting honest about the "vibes" of the 2025-2026 school year. It hasn't been easy, and it certainly hasn't been quiet. We’re exploring the shift from collaborative innovation to rigid, black-and-white thinking at the IEP table. We break down why "independence" is often just a code word for compliance, the dangers of relying on AI to write your advocacy emails, and how to handle the re-entry struggle after school breaks. Whether you’re a parent feeling the "whiplash" or an advocate managing your capacity, this conversation is for you. Key Topics: The political climate’s impact on the classroom. Moving beyond black-and-white thinking in IEP goals. Why autonomy and agency matter more than just "checking boxes." Setting boundaries to stay regulated during high-conflict meetings. Listen now and join the village.

    Something Shifted This Year
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About

Two neurodivergent mamas — one Black, one White — with lived experience raising neurodivergent kids. One is still navigating IEPs and school calls; the other has walked the path into adulthood. Dr. Destiny Huff, LPC, a mental health therapist and advocate, and Lisa Baskin Wright, an educator and advocate, help families approach the IEP table with clarity, compassion, and power. They also train professionals on affirming practices for neurodivergent learners. This is The Affirming Village — where stories, strategy, and community meet.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Destiny Huff & Lisa Baskin Wright
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Dr. Destiny Huff & Lisa Baskin Wright
  • Show Website
    The Affirming Village Podcast