Mama Advocate

In today's episode, we have Natalie Wilkinson. She is a wife, mom, podcaster, and community leader based in the Central Valley of California. Natalie founded a support group for moms of autistic children living in the Central Valley in 2018. She was inspired to meet and connect with other moms of autistic children as she remained on a waiting list for her son's autism evaluation. In 2023, she expa...

In this episode, we have invited Emily Roper. Emily Roper is the owner and founder of Early Roots. She has an educational background in psychology, midwifery, and neuro-developmental delay. She also has a personal and family history of learning difficulties that makes her uniquely qualified to help children with neuro-developmental delays. Emily first became interested in NDD therapy after seeing...

Nadine van Lierop is a special needs mom of an autistic wonderboy with ADHD and a supergirl battling juvenile arthritis, a military spouse, and a passionate multipreneur. She is awarded top 50 global neurodiverse evangelists on Linkedin, is an ADHD happiness coach, wrote a children’s book for the youngest kids dealing with juvenile arthritis, is an international copywriter, podcaster, illustrator,...

Dr. Maqbool is a board-certified pediatric neurologist and sleep specialist. He completed his pediatric residency at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oaks, Michigan. He then completed his child neurology residency at Children's Hospital of Michigan, where he also completed a fellowship in sleep medicine. He is also a neuroscience professor and clinical researcher at UTD where he is actively cond...

In this episode, we have invited Nicole Smith. She is the President and Founder of Dignity Defense Institute. Nicole is a passionate human dignity warrior with a background in Law and Public Policy and a successful career in Communications. For over a decade, she has been championing human rights domestically and internationally, leading impactful campaigns that secured the release of persecuted C...

Amanda has helped over 1,000 people form their families through adoption through her courses that teach families how to adopt a baby and create and share their adoption profiles to match faster. Amanda has two adopted children who are 8 and 5 and spends her free time playing with Legos and Uno. Amanda shares with us, in this episode, the ins and outs of infant domestic adoption. I was surprised th...

In this episode, we have invited Jerrod Brown back to the show. Before this conversation, I knew nothing about Alexithymia and in true Jerrod form, he takes such a heady topic and breaks it down for us. Alexithymia is all about how we process emotions and a lot of our special needs and adopted buddies struggle with this. It I related to so many things he taught us and I think you will too!  ...

In this episode, we have invited Brittany Stokes. She is a Humanitarian and activist for the at-risk youth. Brittany Stokes is the Co-Founder and President of Project Orphans Inc. & Tulsa Girls’ Home (TGH) — a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for the orphan and defending the voiceless around the world.       You can check her here:   Instagram: @brittanyraest...

In today's episode, we have invited Anne Fricke. She is a poet, writer, podcaster, wife, and mother of three girls. She and her family live in far northern California, nestled between redwoods and the Pacific coastline. She is the creator and host of the podcast Walking with Freya, a journey through special needs parenting, and author of "There Is Joy To Be Found Here; a writing journal for parent...

In today's episode, we have invited Whitney Runyon from the Archibald Project. Whitney will take us on an enlightening trip through her experience with international adoption. Whitney's amazing story of how she took her gift as a photographer and used it to create a nonprofit that highlights stories of adoption and injustices throughout the world. I can't wait for you to listen and hear all about...

Robin Hitt is the author of the newly released book Open-Eyed Adoption, Real Help for Those Parenting Adoptees. An adoptive mom herself, she researched to discover the missing pieces she needed for better understanding. She interviewed birth moms, adoptive parents, adult adoptees, doctors, and therapists, which became this new book to encourage, educate, and equip adoptive parents as well as adult...

Metacognition deficiencies, or deficits in metacognitive abilities, are characterized by difficulties in an individual's awareness and understanding of their cognitive processes. Metacognition involves being conscious of how one thinks and learns and knowing how to regulate and control these processes. People with metacognition deficiencies may face challenges in tasks such as self-reflection, goa...

You can find Laura in all the nooks of the internet: https://www.mamasystems.net/advocate-like-a-mama instagram.com/fasdmama instagram.com/mamasystems If you need help bringing systems to your motherhood journey, then Systems for the Special Needs Mama is for you.

Krissa and her husband Chad live in the Bay area. They have two biological kiddos and three adopted through foster care. In today's episode, she shares their story of what putting healthy boundaries in place for their family has looked like. My hope is that her story will bring healing and courage to those who are living similar stories.  You can find Laura in all the nooks of the internet: h...

In this episode, we have invited Beth Liesenfeld, MOT, OTR/L. She is an occupational therapist who started to notice differences in the quality of IEPs based on pillars of parent advocacy skills. She started The Parent IEP Lab podcast as a way to share “insider” information about the school system and process for parents to advocate with confidence. The IEP Lab provides an online summit, The Ultim...

In this week's episode, we invited Alex Fittin. She was the host of The Adoptive mom Podcast for almost 5 years. Now she pours her time into Enneagram coaching work from a trauma-informed perspective. She is a wife to Bryan and bio and an adoptive mom to Clark, Grady, Roc, and Jane. You can reach out to her via these links: theadoptivemompodcast.com  ,  gaprelief.com/enneagram IG: alexfi...

In this episode,  Jerrod Brown is back with us again to explain executive function and how it affects our buddies with neurodiversity. We cover working memory, attention, processing speed and so much more.  I am excited to hear what you learn! DM me and share at @FASDmama on Instagram and share.    You can contact Jerrod here:  jerrod01234brown@live.com    ...

In today's episode, we have invited Maureen Michele Petersen, MD. She is an award-winning leader, life coach, author, and physician. As a general pediatrician and allergist/immunologist, she has spent her career caring for patients with a variety of acute and chronic health problems. She is a military veteran and has enjoyed using her story-telling talent to teach young physicians the art of...

In today's episode, we invited Melissa Corkum. As an adoptee and adoptive mom, Melissa Corkum provides insight and resources to adoptees and their parents through her writing, coaching, and speaking. She is a TED Speaker, Safe and Sound Protocol Practitioner, Cultivate Connection Facilitator, and Certified Enneagram Coach. Additionally, she co-authored Reclaim Compassion: The Adoptive Parent’s Gui...

In this episode, Jerrod Brown is back and today he is sharing all about the theory of mind deficiencies. I had never heard of this terminology before him but realized that our 3 with FASD and our son with autism struggle greatly with this. If you have a child that is neurodiverse, now is the time to get educated. Grab a notebook in a pen and enjoy. You can contact Jerrod here: jerrod01234brown@liv...

In today's episode, we have invited Kerstin Lindquist. She is an IIN-certified health coach, recognized author, Emmy award-winning journalist, and host at the leading global multi-platform retailer. You can check her here Website: https://www.kerstin-lindquist.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kerstin.lindquist/   You can find Laura in all the nooks of the internet: https://www.mamasy...

For today's episode, we have invited Jessica Ronne.  Jess Ronne is an author, speaker, podcast host at Coffee with Caregivers, associate producer of the Unseen Documentary, and caregiver advocate. She is the founder and executive director of The Lucas Project, a non-profit dedicated to providing recognition, resources, and respite support for special needs families. She and her husband Ryan l...

Jerrod Brown shares his expertise on confabulation (Creating false memories without the intention) and suggestibility with our kiddos. I learned so much and know you will too!  You can find Laura in all the nooks of the internet: https://www.mamasystems.net/advocate-like-a-mama instagram.com/fasdmama instagram.com/mamasystems If you need help bringing systems to your motherhood journey then&n...

Laura's friend shares the often unspoken-about struggles with adoption. If you have ever felt like your adoption story is not lining up with what you were told, this is for you. You can find Laura in all the nooks of the internet: https://www.mamasystems.net/advocate-like-a-mama instagram.com/fasdmama instagram.com/mamasystems If you need help bringing systems to your motherhood journey then ...

For today's episode, we have invited Jerrod Brown. Jerrod Brown, Ph. D., M.A., M.S., M.S., M.S., is a professor, trainer, researcher, and consultant with multiple years of experience teaching collegiate courses. Jerrod is also the founder and CEO of the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS). Jerrod has also provided consultation services to a number of caregivers, prof...