Parenting Impossible – The Special Needs Survival Podcast

To kick off the first podcast episode of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, Annette is joined by Elizabeth Wright, the Editor of Disability Review Magazine and the Founder and Editor of the "Conscious Being: For Disabled Women by Disabled Women" blog, to discuss timely topics like ableism, how nondisabled individuals can partner with the disability community, "inspiration porn," and more....

In the final week of our "Month of Love" series, Annette invited two special guests to discuss the importance of seeking healing for all family members, not just the neurodiverse child.  Matthew and Carol Newell are the Founders of the Family Hope Center in Greater Philadelphia and authors of "Healing Your Child's Brain: A Proven Approach to Helping Your Child Thrive."   Since 1981, the Newell's h...

For week 3 of our "Month of Love" series, Annette is joined by Dr. Vivien Brown , MDCM, CCFP, FCFP, NCMP to discuss the importance of self-love when it comes to healthy aging for women. Annette starts the podcast by admitting that she used to feel pride in putting herself last -- working her fingers to the bone and going to bed absolutely exhausted every night. However, she has realized that this...

There are ups and downs in every marriage. Whether it's stress from work, not enough time for fun, parenting disagreements, poor communication, moody bickering, grieving a loss, or bigger problems like infidelity, there is no such thing as a "perfect" marriage. However, parents and caregivers of children with disabilities have a unique set of challenges in many arenas, not excluding their love liv...

Annette kicks off the first episode in the "month of love" by inviting speaker, coach, and host of the Very Happy Stories podcast, Liza Blas , to discuss a type of love that so many parents of special needs children push to the side — self love.  Liza opens the episode by telling a story of when she and her daughter, Ava, who has battled anxiety, depression, hallucinations, Lyme disease, and more,...

In this episode of our "Parenting Impossible" podcast, Annette is joined by "crazy and loving" mom, wife, and author of the book "DEAR LOVED ONES: An Honest Guide to Helping the Special Needs Family You Love," Julie Falcone. In her hilarious and heartfelt book, Julie shares her unfiltered experience of raising four children diagnosed with autism, ADHD, anxiety, sensory processing disorder, depress...

Earlier this year, our founder Annette Hines introduced the sister company of Special Needs Law Group of Massachusetts, Special Needs Family Services .  As part of this launch, we brought on new staff members to help us hit the ground running in 2021. One of these additions to the team is Kerri Whalen , our new Practice Administrator and the guest for this episode of Parenting Impossible.  The sub...

When it comes to estate planning, it's important to know that it is a process, not a one-and-done event. The same is true for creating a special needs plan. As she does every January, host Annette Hines kicks off the new year with a discussion on the importance of special needs planning. In this episode, she is joined by her favorite podcast guest, her husband and law partner, Mark Worthington, as...

After the many ups and downs of 2020, it's easy to fall into negative ways of thinking. "Did I accomplish anything I set out to do? Was last year just a waste? Look how many mistakes I made and times I failed…" Instead of dwelling on the past, the New Year presents the perfect time to examine the goals you weren't able to accomplish in 2020 and use them to fuel your fire and make a game plan for 2...

2020 has been a year of great challenges and loss. However, with the hope of 2021, we can make this new year the best year yet.  We've learned a lot about ourselves over the past year, and if we use the knowledge we've gained moving forward, we can prioritize wellness in a way that allows us to create safe places at work and at home, even when we are struggling.  In this episode of "Parenting Impo...

It's that time of year when we all prepare for the future, and this year, there is even more uncertainty than usual.  If you are preparing your estate and special needs plans for the new year, this episode will answer frequently asked questions and clarify details about the taxation of these special trusts.  The taxation of trusts can be confusing, especially in the case of special needs trusts. O...

In this episode of "Parenting Impossible," host Annette Hines answers all of your frequently asked questions. As a speaker, podcast host, author, lawyer, business owner and mother, managing all of her roles can be a challenge, but her goal is to help other people in the disability community find the resources they need in one place. That's what this podcast is all about!  Annette says, "The inform...

Rosalind "Roz" Marshall-Jones joined "Parenting Impossible" to share her experience as a caregiver and her advice for other caregivers to avoid burnout and plan for the future.  In Roz and Annette's professional and personal experiences, they have seen the lack of future planning through their work with a number of clients. They both recommend having conversations with siblings early on, even smal...

The holiday season can be stressful enough without a global pandemic adding to an already tense situation. In this episode of Parenting Impossible, Dr. Rebecca Branstetter shares her tips to help parents and school psychologists manage stress in healthy ways in front of kids.  Whether your children are stressed about school, the loss of traditions or the holidays, their negative emotions towards t...

Siblings' experiences in the special needs community are often not addressed, especially in the professional realm. Parenting Impossible guest, Jessica Leving Siegel, shares her story of growing up with a brother with autism to shed light on the challenges that she faced and that many special needs siblings face every day. For Jessica, the biggest issue was her hesitancy to express her emotions ab...

While the holiday season is usually the happiest time of the year, it can be a time of incredible sorrow for many families and friends who have lost a loved one or are grieving the loss of family traditions as a result of the pandemic. No matter what you are grieving, the holidays and dark winter can make this time particularly lonely and challenging.  Here are five tips that have helped Annette g...

Suicide is a dark topic that is full of sorrow and grief, but it is something that needs to be discussed, especially during a pandemic that has caused many people around the world to feel isolated. Gary Roe currently serves as a hospice chaplain and grief counselor for Hospice Brazos Valley in central Texas, and his experience with grief and loss as a child has allowed him to reach out to people d...

COVID-19 has made these last few months challenging, and in Gary Roe's words, "a grieving disaster." Without the traditional rituals around goodbyes, this pandemic has made it harder for people, including teens, not to bottle up their sorrow. In this second episode with Gary, he shares his experience with teens and grief and ways that family members and friends can help them.  Grief can be especia...

When most people hear about what Gary Roe does for a living, he says, "They just shake their heads and say, how did you wind up there?" The answer to this question is that Gary had a troubled childhood riddled with grief that he transformed into a career path for good, thanks to help from many people who supported him during those trying years. After studying psychology and going to seminary, Gary...

Mark Worthington joins Parenting Impossible to share his insight about Trust Protectors and their role with Special Needs Trusts. A Trust Protector acts as a supervisor or watchdog to ensure the security of a trust, in part by observing the Trustee's actions within the financial account. Often, families do not want to burden a single person with the role of Trustee, but they also know that having...

Mom, podcast host and self-proclaimed loudmouth, Tamara Taggart, joined Parenting Impossible with host Annette Hines to talk about society's perceptions of people with disabilities, specifically those of people with Down Syndrome. Tamara's son, Beckett, was born with Down Syndrome, but the doctors did not diagnose him immediately. When they did, his disability was presented to her as bad news.  Af...

Mary Beth McMahon, President and CEO of Special Olympics Massachusetts, joined Parenting Impossible with Host Annette Hines to discuss the transition to virtual activities and society's perspective on people with disabilities.  When COVID-19 forced Mary Beth to move the organization's events and summer games online, she knew she would need to keep the events engaging and inclusive. One of the bigg...

Derek "Tank" Schottle, a Special Olympian with Autism from Sugar Land, Texas, joined Parenting Impossible to share his experience with sports and inspiring other people with disabilities through social media. Tank joined the Special Olympics in 2001, and plays seven sports: softball, basketball, volleyball, track, bocce, golf, and soccer.  Annette has been following Tank on Twitter and was inspire...

Conversations about inclusion often talk about race and diversity, but one topic that people often leave off the table is ability. In honor of Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Michelle Sie Whitten, the President and CEO of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation , and her daughter, Sophia Whitten, who has Down Syndrome, joined Parenting Impossible to discuss the meaning of true inclusion for people with...

In a time of confusion and fear, Parenting Impossible guest Laura Whitaker says that she is leading her business with courageous and thoughtful decision making rather than being reactive to the constant changes that are occurring. Laura is the Executive Director of Extra Special People (ESP) in Athens, Georgia, an organization that provides summer camp, resources, support, and services for familie...