Behind the Capes Podcast

When you’re a medical parent, you become everyone’s steady hand—the calm voice in chaos, the problem-solver in emergencies, the one who holds it together when everything feels like it’s unraveling. In medical motherhood, there’s an even more heightened need for co-regulation with our children. Our kids often depend on us to help their nervous systems settle in ways that are constant, intense, and...

In this episode, we sit down with Adrienne, a special needs mom from Virginia, to hear her family's journey, the lessons she's learned along the way, and her experiences advocating for her child. Adrienne shares the realities of raising a child with disabilities, navigating medical, educational, and support systems, and the importance of finding your voice as a parent. We also talk about the impor...

Life lately has been full of the beautiful, exhausting, emotional, and unpredictable moments that come with raising medically complex children. In this episode, we’re sitting down for an honest check-in about where our families are right now — the challenges we’ve been facing, the wins we’re celebrating, and the realities of medical motherhood behind the scenes. From appointments, therapies, and t...

What really goes into training a service dog—and how do these incredible dogs change life for medical families? In this episode, two medical moms sit down with certified service dog coach Shawna for an honest conversation about the world of service dog training. We talk about what service dogs actually do, the intense training behind them, common misconceptions, and the emotional realities familie...

No one prepares you for motherhood to begin under fluorescent lights, surrounded by monitors, medical terms, and constant uncertainty. In this episode, we’re talking about the real side of NICU life as a medical mom—the fear, guilt, exhaustion, isolation, and strength that so many parents carry silently. We discuss what it feels like to bond with your baby through incubator walls, the trauma of li...

In this episode, we step into the arena of Olympic-Level Parenting—where the events are real, the stakes are high, and the training is something no one ever signed up for. Welcome to the Medical Mom Games. From midnight medication rounds and emergency room sprints to insurance call marathons and advocacy hurdles, medical motherhood demands a level of strength, endurance, and resilience that often...

In this episode of Autism 101: From Awareness to Acceptance, we’re going deeper than awareness—we’re talking about what it truly means to understand autism. From the history of autism and the misconceptions that once shaped it, to the way diagnosis has evolved into what we now know as a spectrum with different levels of support, this episode walks through the foundations of Autism 101 in a real an...

  In this episode, we open up about the parts of medical parenting that often go unseen—the trauma that lingers long after the appointments, hospital stays, and emergencies pass. In honor of Trauma Awareness Month, we’re having an honest conversation about how living in constant survival mode can leave lasting emotional and neurological impacts, including CPTSD. We share our personal journeys thro...

In this episode, A Different Kind of Extra: The Trisomy Awareness Conversation, we open our hearts and dive into what Trisomy Awareness Month truly means to families like ours. We go beyond the basics to talk about the different types of trisomy—including Trisomy 21, 18, and 13—and how each diagnosis carries its own challenges, uncertainties, and deeply personal stories. Through the lens of medica...

In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, we sit down with a fellow mom who shares her motherhood journey raising medical kids and the path that eventually led her to realize she was living with CPTSD. As she navigated the constant stress, fear, and responsibility that can come with caring for medically complex children, she began to recognize how past trauma was also shaping her experience...

In this deeply personal episode, we open our hearts about raising children with congenital heart disease. From the moment of diagnosis to hospital stays, surgeries, waiting rooms, and the quiet strength it takes to walk this road every day — becoming a heart mom changes you forever. We talk about the fear that sits beside you, the courage you didn’t know you had, and the fierce love that grows str...

In this special episode, we step in his shoes. For the first time, two medical moms sit down with a medical dad to hear the journey from his perspective — the fears he carries quietly, the strength he shows differently, and the love that fuels him through hospital stays, surgeries, and the unknowns. We talk about what it’s like to support a medically complex child as a father, how dads process gri...

Loving a medical child is a love unlike any other—deeper, heavier, fiercer, and more tender than we ever imagined. In this episode, we talk honestly about what it means to love our children through diagnoses, uncertainty, and the everyday realities of medical motherhood. We share how our love shows up even when we are scared—loving through long nights, whispered prayers, and the weight of waiting...

This year asked more of us than we ever imagined—and somehow, we made it. In this episode, we pause to reflect on the highs, the heartbreaks, the moments of pure survival, and the quiet strength it took to keep going as medical parents. We talk openly about what this year taught us, what we’re choosing to release, and how we’re stepping into 2026 with intention, hope, and open arms. Not with unrea...

The holidays don’t look the same when you’re a medical mom — and that’s okay. In this episode, we talk about what it really means to prepare for Christmas and the holidays while juggling the needs of our kids, the safe foods they can eat, shifting expectations, and the emotional weight that comes with caring for a medically complex child. We share how traditions are adjusted, expectations are lowe...

The holidays are approaching, and before the rush fully takes over, we’re pressing pause to check in—honestly and openly—on how we’re really doing. In this episode, we talk about the big transitions and heavy moments happening behind the scenes: starting special preschool, preparing for upcoming holidays while juggling medical needs, navigating the emotions around a child’s surgery, and the intens...

In this episode, we’re going purple and going deep. Epilepsy Awareness Month isn’t just about statistics or social posts—it’s about the families who live in the unpredictable rhythm of seizures, the parents who become experts overnight, and the kids who fight battles most people never see. From emergency plans taped to the fridge to navigating medications, side effects, sleepless nights, and the e...

In this episode, we’re shining a big light on our tiniest warriors. Prematurity Awareness Month is more than a date on the calendar — it’s a reminder of the NICU nights, the monitors beeping like a techno concert no one asked for, the first breaths, the fierce hope, and the incredible strength packed into babies who arrived long before anyone expected. We’ll talk about what prematurity really look...

It’s Halloween — which means it’s time for costumes, candy… and pivoting like pros. 🎃 In this episode, we laugh our way through all the ways our “perfect plans” turned into last-minute reroutes. The itchy costume that didn’t make it out of the house? The meltdown halfway to trick-or-treating? The spontaneous candy swap in the living room? Been there, done that, ate the chocolate. We’re talking ab...

As medical moms, it can feel like every month brings another awareness ribbon — and honestly, many of them hit close to home. In this episode, we talk about the meaning behind all those awareness months and special days, the causes that matter most to our families, and how we choose to celebrate, educate, and sometimes just survive them. From social media campaigns to hospital hallway celebrations...

In this episode, we dive into the world of the other kids — the siblings of medically complex children. These are the ones who’ve grown up in hospital waiting rooms, learned compassion beyond their years, and sometimes had to share their parents with doctors, nurses, and care teams. We talk about the big feelings they carry, the quiet strength they build, and the unique challenges they face along...

In honor of Down Syndrome Awareness Month, this episode is your warm and informative Down Syndrome 101 from a mothers perspective — a compassionate introduction for anyone looking to better understand what Down syndrome is, what it isn’t, and how we can support individuals and families in this community. 

In this episode, we’re talking about the art of celebrating—medical mom style. From the tiny victories (like when your kid finally decides they will try that new food) to the huge milestones (surgeries, school days, or long-awaited milestones), we believe every win deserves a little joy… and maybe a slice of cake. We’ll share the creative, funny, and heartfelt ways we mark the moments that matter,...

In this episode, we pause the hustle of appointments, paperwork, and advocacy to check in on ourselves. From juggling the chaos of back-to-school season to surviving the first wave of school colds (because of course the germs come home as fast as the homework), we’re taking our own vitals. We’ll talk about how we’re really doing, the emotional ups and downs of this season, and maybe laugh a little...

In this episode, we open up about the things we wish we could go back and whisper to ourselves in those early days of medical motherhood—the moments filled with fear, overwhelm, and so many unknowns. From learning medical jargon on the fly to discovering strength we didn’t know we had, we share the lessons, surprises, and truths that only come with time. Whether you’re just starting this journey o...