The UNspecial Podcast

On the Us Special podcast, the host interviews Erica Daverio, a mom to Gabriella (6), who has Down syndrome and autism, amid social-media controversy over an influencer who aborted a baby after a Down syndrome diagnosis and shared what Erica calls false, harmful claims about suffering and quality of life. Erica describes learning her daughter’s diagnosis at 12 weeks, the fear and medical framing s...

The host and Olivia Rojo (“Praying Through Autism”) discuss the unseen burdens of profound autism—seizures, sleeplessness, isolation, grief, and constant medical battles—arguing autism is often deeply medical and worsened by untreated co-occurring conditions. They share takeaways from the Autism Health Inc. conference, including claims that 88% of autism is regressive and concerns about how pediat...

On the Unspecial Podcast, the host interviews Jessi Mansfield about disabilities and the church, focusing on whether inclusion is a slogan or a lifestyle and how faith, autism, and families collide. Jessi shares her background (Marine Corps, primary care, nonprofit work with adults with developmental/intellectual disabilities) and how her stepson’s autism diagnosis brought uncertainty, mourning, a...

The host interviews Tommy Rhyne of Spectrum and Camouflage about the unseen mental battle parents—especially dads—face in the autism journey, emphasizing real mindset over “toxic positivity.” They discuss exhaustion, grief, and staying grounded when life doesn’t match expectations, with both men sharing personal contexts: Tommy’s non-speaking autistic son and the host’s wife’s two-year cancer figh...

The speaker describes apraxia as a major misconception in autism, noting that during five years teaching profound autism it was never discussed, and says recent experiences have exceeded what they thought possible. They express faith that God can do more than expected, including the possibility of verbal speech even though he currently communicates by spelling on a letterboard. He shares that when...

Zach interviews Megan Vondrak, founder of the Unlonely Moms Club, about motherhood, loneliness, and caring for her son Miller, diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age three after symptoms on a Costa Rica trip led to a pediatrician visit and a week at Rady’s. Megan describes the relentless management of Dexcom and Omnipod data, alarm fatigue, fear of highs and dangerous lows, and how diabetes can dis...

Two dads, Zach and Tyler, troubleshoot audio on an Instagram Live, swap dad jokes, then discuss autism: what it is, misconceptions from the DSM-5, and how the broadened label can dilute understanding of profound autism and lifelong care needs. Tyler shares his son Lyric’s “acquired/regressive” autism experience, challenges the idea that autism is solely genetic, and describes grief, acceptance, an...

On the Unspecial Podcast, Zach interviews Brittany Brooks of “The Lemonade Family,” who describes raising five children (12 and under) all diagnosed with autism and reframing daily challenges—meltdowns, elopement, heavy therapy schedules, and poop smearing—as “making lemonade.” A former special education teacher with a master’s degree and 15 years’ experience, Brittany contrasts school masking and...

On the Unspecial podcast, the host interviews J. Brad Britton about his book Real Words with Sam and themes of potential, autism, and daily life with his nonspeaking son Sam (turning 25). Britton describes a “Day in the Life” section written backward from Sam’s bedtime prayer, and heavier chapters about his wife Paulette’s caregiving. They discuss dad support in marriage, with Britton saying he wo...

On the Unspecial Podcast, Zach interviews Joe and Kaylee (Parents Unheard) about their five-year-old son Ronnie and their recent five-day PX Docs intensive, which they say immediately improved his sleep, reduced aggression, and helped him stay calmer at night, alongside changes to how they dose melatonin after researching UK prescribing guidelines. They describe the intensive’s light spinal touch,...

The speaker recalls reaching a breaking point, screaming in anger and calling out to God after learning her 42-year-old husband, a third grade teacher, had cancer while their kids played downstairs. In the middle of her rage and disbelief, she felt unexpectedly close to God and describes how faith tethered her to life and carried her through the storm. She reflects that she doesn’t know how people...

On the Unspecial Podcast, host interviews Ellie (LA) Brink, founder of Hype Disability Success in Port Macquarie, Australia, and co-host of the new Behave Podcast, about reframing disability support away from milestones, compliance, and “fixing” children toward seeing them, acceptance, autonomy, and individualized definitions of success. Brink shares her path from nannying a nonspeaking autistic b...

Host Zach welcomes Australian mom, advocate, and fitness business owner Bianca Coghlan to discuss her Hyrox race experience and her life raising five-year-old Skyler, who has Dravet syndrome, a genetic epilepsy caused by a mutation that cannot be fixed with brain surgery. Bianca describes Skyler’s first seizure at three months, diagnosis at six months, frequent daily myoclonic seizures and regular...

The host interviews Kelsey Spanbauer (Family.un Doctor), clinic director of Getti Wellness, about cell danger response and why kids with autism, PANS/PANDAS, and related issues may be stuck in survival mode when their bodies don’t feel safe. Spanbauer highlights major triggers such as EMF and blue light disrupting circadian biology and mitochondrial energy, and recommends practical home changes li...

On the Unspecial podcast, Annika Warley shares how her twin daughters, Hazel and Hadley (turning five), were diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 2 after being premature NICU babies whose missed milestones were repeatedly dismissed as prematurity. She describes SMA types, the importance of early newborn screening, and treatments that stop progression (Zolgensma, Spinraza, Evrysdi), pl...

On the Unspecial podcast, the host interviews Stephanie (awesome_insights), a mom describing her three-and-a-half-year-old son Liam’s regression and moderate-to-severe autism diagnosis as a survival story and critique of a “broken system.” Stephanie shares her own diagnoses (OCPD and bipolar), how they fuel intense research and advocacy, and why she believes Liam wasn’t born with autism, citing a...

Host Zach interviews Lucia Silver, founder of the Brain Health Movement, arguing that modern life profits from nervous system dysregulation driven by the attention economy, ultra-processed food, fear-based media, and downstream symptom-management in medicine. Silver reframes anxiety, ADHD/autism-like behaviors, and burnout as biological alarm signals rather than character flaws, emphasizing co-reg...

On the Young Special Podcast, host interviews Brooke Wagner, owner of Therapeutic Approach to Growth (TAG) and host of the “Finding Hope on the Spectrum” podcast, about her 25+ years in autism services and how the field has shifted from traditional discrete trial drills toward presuming competence and more meaningful, child-focused supports. Wagner explains ABA as a science of shaping behavior and...

Nicole Renovo (Autism_Our_Story), an autism mom and host of the Autism Our Story podcast, joins the Unspecial podcast to discuss her advocacy for non-speaking autistic people and spellers. She shares how her podcast began as a way to learn while serving others, the burnout she experienced, and why hearing directly from spellers is powerful advocacy that challenges assumptions about intelligence an...

The episode opens by challenging fear-based medical control and arguing that parents should be allowed to question, think, and choose without being labeled “misinformation,” framing the conversation as pro-healing rather than anti-medicine. Host Zach welcomes Dr. Stanton Hom, a neurologically focused chiropractor and director at Future Generations Chiropractic, and they discuss Zach’s family’s exp...

In this special podcast episode, the host is joined by Kelly Carlson, an autism mother known as I am Kelly Leanne on Instagram. Together, they discuss how mold exposure has significantly impacted Kelly's life and her son’s health, leading to his autism diagnosis. Kelly shares the traumatic experiences of her pregnancy, her son's premature birth, NICU stay, and subsequent health challenges. They ex...

Navigating Autism and Health with Tracy Slepcevic | The Unspecial Podcast In this episode of the Unspecial Podcast, host Zach is joined by Tracy Slepcevic, a certified integrative health practitioner, speaker, and bestselling author. Tracy shares her journey of healing her son with autism through various treatments and therapies. They discuss the challenges faced in the early stages of autism, the...

This podcast episode centers on practical financial advice for parents of children with special needs. Zach, the host, invites Rt Beal, Vice President of Van Holes Financial Advisors, to discuss his journey and expertise in financial planning for the special needs community. Rt shares his own connection to the community through his brother-in-law and dives into the intricacies of creating a financ...

In this episode of the Unspecial podcast, the host interviews Chelsea Jules, a holistic school psychologist and autism, nutrition, and gut healing specialist. Chelsea shares her personal journey of addressing her twin boys' severe nonverbal autism through dietary interventions. She details the initial challenges, the role of environmental factors over genetics, and the impact of gut health on beha...

In this episode of the Unspecial Podcast, hosts Zach and returning guest Becky Lynn Davila discuss the complexities of autism treatment, focusing on the intersection of support, recovery, and holistic health approaches. Becky, a certified holistic health practitioner and autism health coach, shares her journey of helping her own child recover from autism and extending that support to over 400 fami...