Specialness Pod

A few weeks ago we announced an idea called The Sanctuary, a private, members-only space for special needs parents and caregivers to land, share, and be understood. Then we asked you to shape it. More than 300 of you responded, from 39 states and 8 countries, and this episode is where we show you what you built. Jeff and Kim walk through what the survey told us and, more importantly, what happens...

Last week we talked about what people say to special needs parents. This week we flip it. These are the things we wish people understood, the ones that would change everything if they just landed. Jeff and Kim go down their own list. That the cost of raising Cason is not 18 years, it is a lifetime. That they still do everything for a 25 year old, from the medication to the toenails. That the smile...

Can't you control your child? You're so strong, I could never do it. God doesn't give you more than you can handle. Every special needs parent keeps a running list of the things people say, and this week we are going through ours. Jeff and Kim get into the comments they hear from strangers, friends, and family. What they want to fire back in the moment, and what they have learned to sa...

For most people, isolation is a choice. For special needs families, it isn't. It happens to you, and it comes wrapped in a grief that has no recognizable end. Jeff and Kim talk about the two things their community lives with that rarely get named together: isolation and grief, and why the two are so tightly intertwined. The invitations that slowly stop coming. The birthday parties you leave ea...

In the mental health world, there is no blood test. No x-ray. Just a subjective judgment that changes from one doctor's office to the next, and a family left to live with the consequences. Jeff and Kim get honest about the part of special needs parenting that society files under "dangerous" or "crazy" and refuses to take seriously. They walk through Cason's mental healt...

When people hear the word grief, they think someone died. For special needs parents, the grief is different. It's the life you planned for and never got to live, and it doesn't fade. It compounds. In this episode, Jeff and Kim talk openly about the grief nobody in the special needs world seems allowed to name. The milestones that never come. The family gatherings where the gap becomes impo...

Part 2 of our conversation with Julia Erman, a special needs mom whose two children share an ultra rare diagnosis. This is the half about what she did with it. Julia found out her kids were dying on her birthday, over a Zoom call. In this episode she talks about the faith that gave her peace that same day, why suffering builds a muscle most people never have to grow, and how a conversation at a ba...

Our first ever guest. Julia Erman is a special needs mom, author, and founder of The Hazelnut Movement, and both of her children live with a diagnosis that only has a handful of documented cases in the world. In Part 1 of 2, Julia walks us through the beginning. A perfect birth that turned into a NICU emergency in 48 hours. A neurologist who took away every ounce of hope in two words. A second pre...

A few weeks ago we posted a reel about the roles each parent plays in a special needs marriage. It passed 70,000 views and lit up our comments, so this week we're unpacking what we actually meant. Jeff said one of us drew "the short end of the stick," and it ruffled feathers. In this episode we clarify that comment, talk through the roles of breadwinner and caregiver, and get honest...

We had plans. That sounds simple, but when you are raising a child with profound special needs, plans come with an asterisk. In this episode, we talk about the part of special needs parenting that is hard to explain to people who have never lived it. It is not just that your child’s future changes. Your future changes too. This conversation started with a reel that hit a nerve because so many pare...

When Cason started aging out of pediatric care, we thought the hardest part would be finding new doctors. We were wrong. The harder part was walking into the adult medical world and realizing how different everything felt. For years, pediatric specialists knew Cason, understood his history, and treated him like a whole person. Then suddenly we were in adult offices where the records had not always...

After one of our Instagram reels reached more than 180,000 views, hundreds of parents shared their stories, challenged the statistic, and started one of the most meaningful conversations we've ever had. In this episode, we revisit that viral reel, correct the misinformation, and talk about what the research actually says. More importantly, we talk about what the comments revealed. Special need...

After nearly a year away, we're back. What was supposed to be a simple three-day getaway turned into one of the hardest seasons we've faced as special needs parents. The day before our trip, our son Cason suffered a devastating ankle injury that required surgery and months of recovery. What followed was nine weeks of around-the-clock caregiving, medication complications, mobility challenge...

In this episode, we talk about the emotional aftermath of travel, how even the best vacations can take a toll—and what recovery looks like when you're caring for someone with special needs. From unexpected triggers to the slow return to normal, we share what it's really like behind the scenes.🌟 Special Shoutout:We want to take a moment to thank Special Soul Mama. If you're not already following h...

Buckle up—this is the one where everything went sideways. In this raw, emotional, and at times chaotic episode, Kim and Jeff recount a whirlwind 24 hours that took them from hopeful to heartbroken. What started as a routine trip to Houston turned into a spiral of medication issues, ER visits, and total emotional overload.🎙️ They open up about:* How quickly Cason’s behavior escalated* Their experie...

We’re calling this one Episode 8.5 — a special edition update from Jeff. Life doesn’t always go as planned — especially when you're raising a child with special needs. In this honest solo update, Jeff shares why there was no episode last week and what hit their family all at once:Kim’s melanoma diagnosis and emergency surgeryAnother frustrating Social Security denialA three-hour cardio-pulmona...

"It’s Mental Health Awareness Month… but where is the awareness?"In this powerful episode of Specialness, Kim and Jeff open up about the realities of living with mental illness in the family, especially when your child’s life is shaped by complex diagnoses like bipolar disorder, autism, and schizophrenia spectrum symptoms.💬 In this episode:✔️ Why Mental Health Awareness Month still feels invisibl...

"We’ve done everything right. But that still wasn’t enough."For over two years, Kim and Jeff Kribs have been fighting to secure basic SSI benefits for their son, Cason—who is intellectually disabled, legally under guardianship, and cannot live independently. In this explosive episode of Specialness, they read aloud from the denial letters, dissect inaccurate evaluations from government-appointed d...

"Autism destroys families."That’s what Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said—and we had to respond. In this powerful and emotional episode, Kim and Jeff unpack their reaction to RFK Jr.’s comments about autism, disability, and the value of people who won’t “pay taxes” or “write a poem.”💬 In this episode:✔️ The truth about what life is like for their family and for Cason✔️ Why “destroy” is a dangerous word✔️...

"We were doing everything we could for our special needs son… but what about his brother? "In this heartfelt episode of Specialness, Kim and Jeff open up about the emotional journey of raising their neurotypical son, Jackson, while navigating the chaos of parenting a child with severe special needs. 💬 In this episode: ✔️ How sibling jealousy, resentment, and isolation showed up ✔️ The e...

"When you’re raising a child with special needs, the whole family feels it."In this emotional episode of Specialness, Kim and Jeff open up about what it was like raising their younger son, Jackson, alongside his older brother Cason, who has complex special needs.💬 In this episode:✔️ How guilt shaped their parenting decisions✔️ The trauma Jackson experienced from a young age✔️ The surviv...

🎙 Specialness Podcast – Season 2, Episode 3What keeps a marriage alive when life gets unthinkably hard? For Kim and Jeff Kribs, it’s faith. In this deeply personal episode, they open up about how their belief in God has carried them through some of the darkest moments of parenting a child with special needs. From failed adoptions to brutal hospital nights, and even moments where they feared for th...

"We had dreams for our life, for our child, for our future… then reality hit." In this episode of Specialness , we open up about something every special needs parent feels—but not everyone talks about: grief . Grief for the child you expected, the life you imagined, and the milestones you’ll never experience. 💬 In this episode: ✔️ The moment we realized Cason’s life—and ours—would be di...

"The divorce rate for special needs parents is 87%. Here’s why we’re still standing." Welcome to Season 2 of Specialness ! One of the biggest questions we get is: How have you stayed married for 30 years while raising a special needs child? The truth? It hasn’t been easy. The stress, the unknowns, the financial strain— special needs parenting tests a marriage in ways most people will nev...

"When your special needs child becomes an adult, everything changes—but not in the way you expect." In this episode of Specialness , we’re reflecting on the last five years of Cason’s life—from turning 18 to where he is today at 23. Adulthood brought new challenges we never saw coming, from securing guardianship to transitioning into adult medical care. We’re sharing the realities of what happens...