The Mildly Crushing It Podcast

Repeat episode alert! Life has been lifing in the most beautiful ways; we couldn't get out a new episode. We'd love for ya'll to sit down with us again and rewatch as we chat with the bad ass Katie from Healing with Grit and Grace. We get to have her on again next month! So please enjoy this rerun about accommodating vs. spoiling.

We’re joined by some pros who know a thing or two about navigating the special-needs shitshow... and podcasting. We talk grief, mom guilt, finding your people, accepting what is, and—of course—disabilitinis. It’s real, and a reminder that sometimes the best way through this life is together. Moms Talk Autism, Mildly Crushing It as guests: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1vWNIXI9KDn0QQtnY7u9f5?si=...

Two special-needs moms. One complicated small-town situation. And a conversation we believe needs to happen. We sat down to hear their side of the story—but more importantly, to get to know the women behind it. We talked disability, parenting highs and lows, and why making space for honest conversations about differences matters. Real moms. Real stories. No easy answers.

Our first-ever in-studio guest is here, and she is one hell of a badass. At 70 years old, she stepped into raising her 11-year-old granddaughter with ASD—and instead of slowing down, she decided to change the game. Now, as the founder of the We Are Up Foundation, she’s creating a multimillion-dollar facility designed to support and house special needs and elderly individuals, provide access to ser...

Season 2 kicks off with a little re-introduction, a lot of catching up, and a look back at our first year of podcasting. We talk about what we thought we were doing, what we’ve learned along the way, and how much life has changed since we first sat down with cocktails and a microphone. Same bitches. New season. Still figuring it the fuck out.

So… how are you actually doing? Turns out, that’s a really f@$king uncomfortable question. We try to answer it anyway—because as special needs moms, “fine” can mean approximately 47 different things.

In our second BONUS episode from the sibling perspective we get another heartfelt look at what it’s like to be the big brother. He shares why it’s okay to be different, while also getting honest about the challenges, emotions, and lessons that come with loving and growing alongside someone who sees the world a little differently.

In this episode, recorded back in June, we wrapped up the school year, unpacked a brand-new diagnosis, and tried to wrap our heads around everything that was about to change. Basically, another life update where we’re figuring it the fuck out as we go.

We talk about the spikes, dips, tiny wins, big feelings, and figuring out how to celebrate progress when it rarely looks like a straight line. Mostly, we talk about having faith in ourselves. That even when we don’t know what the hell we’re doing, we’ll keep learning, keep adjusting, and somehow figure this shit out. We always do.

In this episode, we laugh, we cry, and we get real about the challenges of losing routines, juggling constant caregiving, and battling those inevitable comparisons to other families and the peers to our babies.. If you've ever felt like you're just trying to survive until school starts again, this conversation is for you.

Life didn’t go according to plan, but we also love the women this journey has shaped us into. Join us as we reflect on the surprising gifts hidden inside life’s hardest chapters.

In this bonus episode, we hand over the microphone and let Miles tell his story. With honesty, vulnerability, and a level of insight that caught us completely off guard. He shares what he loves most about his sister, the challenges he faces, and the deep sense of responsibility he feels to take care of her.

(Warning: Adult Language.) After years of searching for answers, we finally have them. In this episode, we share Ada's journey to a genetic diagnosis, why we're grateful no one settled for the wrong answer, and how the long road ultimately led us to the right one. We also talk about trusting your instincts, why persistence can make all the difference, and ways to help a friend who might be...

Because sometimes re-grounding yourself doesn’t look like a wellness retreat. Sometimes it looks like a car cry, exhale in the closet, or shaming your kids to leave the stinky bathroom so you can have two fu$&!ng minutes to wipe your own ass. And honestly? That counts too.

(Warning: Adult Language) This week we’re talking about the pressure to rebrand every hard thing into something beautiful, inspiring, or “actually a blessing.” From toxic positivity to uncomfortable silence around the real struggles of special needs parenting, we’re unpacking what happens when people romanticize a reality they don’t fully understand. Because acceptance is healthy. Pretending every...

What does “romanticizing this life” look like when your reality includes therapies, meltdowns, and constant unpredictability? We’re talking about how we intentionally look for the good without dismissing the hard, and why both can (and have to) exist at the same time.

(Warning: Adult Language) Bedtime battles, endless nights, and the quiet thought we hate admitting—this can feel really unfair. Raw, honest, and held together with a drink in hand.

Guilt shows up everywhere—parenting, work, friendships, even the way we take a break. It’s loud, constant, and somehow feels like it’s just part of the job. But…who actually taught us to feel this guilty all the time? In this episode, we unpack the pressure, the expectations, and the invisible rules we’ve been carrying—and start questioning if any of it even makes sense.

(Warning: Adult Language.) This one is raw, and especially unhinged. We admit the things most moms only think: sometimes we say not-so-nice things about our kids when they’re not around… and honestly, it’s survival. We also talk about that weird moment before walking back into your house—bracing for the chaos and everything waiting on the other side.

(Warning: Adult Language.) In this episode, we’re talking about glass siblings—the kids growing up alongside higher needs, who often learn to be flexible, patient, and “easy” a little too soon. We’re not here to speak for them, but as moms, we reflect on what this life might feel like through their eyes—and how do we hold space for them while navigating everything else this life requires?

(Warning: Adult Language.) This one gets a little deeper. We’re talking about the weight of this life—the kind that hits you in quiet moments and makes you wonder, why us? And what does it even mean to find meaning in something that can feel so hard? It’s honest, a little heavy, and still somehow held together with cocktails and dark humor.

(Warning: Adult Language.) Are we “spoiling” our kids… or are we actually just doing what they need to survive and thrive? In this episode, we’re joined by our first-ever guest, Katie, to call out the tired narratives and break down the real difference between accommodating and overindulging. Expect honesty, a little fire, and a lot of “you’re not alone in this.”

(Warning: Adult Language.) No names, no judgement - just your honest confessions about parenthood. This time: The truth about not wishing this life on anyone, and navigating the world’s relentless positivity.

(Warning: Adult Language.) Today we’re talking about being the default parent in a special needs household — the keeper of appointments, IEPs, meltdowns, meds, midnight Google spirals, and the emotional shock absorber for literally everyone. It’s the weight. The resentment. The fierce love. The exhaustion. And the sobering truth that no one is coming to save you.

(Warning: Adult Language.) No names, no judgement - just your honest confessions. Welcome to the circus motherf#@%ers. Are you a juggler or the ringleader?