The Wild Ways: Coffee, Chaos, And Compassion

The WildWays Foundation
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  • Parenting
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This isn’t a podcast about perfect parenting. It’s about neurodivergence as it is actually lived, the messy bits, the misunderstood bits, and the moments that make you laugh, cry, rage or reach for another coffee. Suzan Issa and Rosalind Walker talk honestly about PDA, burnout, education, relationships, parenting and what happens when life doesn’t fit neatly into the usual boxes. Expect real stories, lived experience, brilliant guests, difficult conversations, plenty of compassion and no shame or blame. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is simply talk honestly about real life.

Episodes

  1. 3d ago

    Firefly: The Grief Nobody Sees

    Grief doesn’t always cry. Sometimes it goes quiet. Sometimes it gets angry. Sometimes it arrives years late. Sometimes it looks like overwhelm, withdrawal, logic, questions, masking, or absolutely nothing at all. In this episode of Coffee, Chaos & Compassion, Suzan and Rosalind are joined by Jenna and Sonia, co-founders of the Firefly Project, for a conversation about grief that goes far beyond bereavement. They explore what grief can look like through a neurodistinct lens: the loss of belonging, identity, expectations, friendships, opportunities and even the version of yourself you had to hide in order to fit. And perhaps most importantly, they ask what happens when we stop trying to make grief look “right”.. and simply make room for it. Because sometimes the kindest thing we can do isn’t fix it, explain it or hurry it along. It’s believe that it’s there.

  2. Oct 21

    Anxiety Dressed Up as a Witch

    Halloween is weird when you actually think about it. For 364 days of the year we tell children not to knock on strangers’ doors, not to take sweets from people they don’t know and not to wander around in the dark with masked strangers. Then Halloween arrives and suddenly… crack on. In this episode of Coffee, Chaos & Compassion, Rosalind is joined by Emma Whewell to unpack why Halloween can feel particularly “crunchy” for neurodistinct children, young people and families. They talk masks, noise, sugar, changing rules, sensory overwhelm, scripts, visual preparation, communication cards, predictability, exit plans, and the very important reminder that participation is optional. Because perhaps the goal isn’t to make your child “cope” with Halloween. Perhaps it’s to work out what Halloween can look like for your family.

  3. Oct 14

    Mahaba Cafe: What Happens When We Make Space to Thrive?

    What can happen when young people are given time, trust and the right support to grow into themselves? In this episode of Coffee, Chaos & Compassion, Rosalind and Suzan are joined by Muriel, founder of Mahaba Cafe, a West Ealing social enterprise creating real-world training, work experience and employment pathways for young people with SEND. They talk about confidence, masking, inclusion, reasonable adjustments, employment and the power of changing environments rather than expecting young people to change themselves. A warm, hopeful conversation about belonging, opportunity, community, and what becomes possible when we stop focusing on limitations and start creating the conditions for people to thrive.

  4. Oct 7

    Police & PDA

    When police become involved during moments of extreme distress, what happens when PDA is misunderstood as “bad behaviour”? In this episode of Coffee, Chaos and Compassion, Rosalind speaks with a parent about her family’s repeated experiences with the police while supporting her autistic teenage son with PDA. They explore escalation, inconsistent responses, the impact of anxiety and uncertainty, and the difference that understanding, low-demand communication and reasonable adjustments can make. A thoughtful conversation about lived experience, advocacy, training, and why compassionate, informed responses matter.

  5. Sep 30

    I Knew It

    Lauren knew something wasn’t right. But knowing it, and getting other people to listen, were two very different things. In this episode, she joins Suzan Issa and Rosalind Walker to talk honestly about the years spent fighting for the right support for her son, the isolation of not feeling believed, the emotional cost on the whole family, and what it meant when things finally began to change. A conversation about validation, SEND, trauma, determination and the difference it can make when someone simply says: we hear you.

  • 5 Episodes

About

This isn’t a podcast about perfect parenting. It’s about neurodivergence as it is actually lived, the messy bits, the misunderstood bits, and the moments that make you laugh, cry, rage or reach for another coffee. Suzan Issa and Rosalind Walker talk honestly about PDA, burnout, education, relationships, parenting and what happens when life doesn’t fit neatly into the usual boxes. Expect real stories, lived experience, brilliant guests, difficult conversations, plenty of compassion and no shame or blame. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is simply talk honestly about real life.

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