* This podcast is evolving to focus on faith, prayer, and hope for moms raising autistic or medically complex children. Episodes from our earlier parenting-focused series are still here to help, but you’ll now find guidance rooted in Christian faith and prayer.*

If you’re a mom raising an autistic child or a child with disabilities, you already know: advocacy comes with anger. Not just frustration, but the deep, burning, sleepless anger that comes from being dismissed, gaslit, or ignored when all you’re trying to do is get your child the care they deserve.

In this raw and honest episode of Be Mighty Mom, Ash dives into the hidden side of advocacy anger, why it happens, how medical gaslighting fuels it, and how to carry that fire without letting it consume you.

You’ll hear about:

• ​What’s happening in your brain and body when anger takes over

Because here’s the truth: you are not “too much.” You are not “overreacting.” You are a mom who knows your child best, and that fire inside you is proof of how deeply you love them.

✨ Stay Connected & Join the Mighty Mom Community You don’t have to walk this journey alone:

• ​📩 ⁠⁠Subscribe to the Weekly Newsletter⁠⁠ for encouragement, tools, and real talk on parenting, advocacy, and rare disease life.

* This podcast is evolving to focus on faith, prayer, and hope for moms raising autistic or medically complex children. Episodes from our earlier parenting-focused series are still here to help, but you’ll now find guidance rooted in Christian faith and prayer.*

If you’re raising an autistic child or a child with a disability, you know what it feels like to always be in survival mode. Doctor appointments, therapies, advocacy battles, sleepless nights, meltdowns, and medical emergencies become your normal. But somewhere along the way, you never had time to feel your own pain.

In this episode of Be Mighty Mom, Ash opens up about the silent grief and hidden exhaustion so many moms of autistic and disabled children carry. This is the pain no one sees, the tears you don’t have time to cry, the anger you swallow, the exhaustion you push through every day.

You’ll hear about:

• ​The hidden ways grief and burnout show up for moms raising autistic and disabled kids

You are not failing. You are carrying more than most people could ever imagine. And it’s okay to finally make space for your own healing.

✨ Stay Connected & Join the Mighty Mom CommunityYou don’t have to walk this journey alone:

• ​📩 ⁠Subscribe to the Weekly Newsletter⁠ for encouragement, tools, and real talk on parenting, advocacy, and rare disease life.

* This podcast is evolving to focus on faith, prayer, and hope for moms raising autistic or medically complex children. Episodes from our earlier parenting-focused series are still here to help, but you’ll now find guidance rooted in Christian faith and prayer.*

Parenting a child with a disability, autism, or rare disease is not something families can do alone, and they shouldn’t have to. Parents often become full-time advocates on top of caregiving, but exhaustion, medical emergencies, and endless appointments mean they can’t always be in the room. That’s where allies come in.

In this episode of Be Mighty Mom, we explore what it really means to be an ally to parents of kids with disabilities and why advocacy matters more than ever. Whether you’re a friend, relative, teacher, church member, or community leader, you can make a real difference by showing up, speaking up, and carrying these kids’ stories forward.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

• ​Why families need allies when navigating schools, hospitals, and systems

This episode is both an invitation and a challenge: you don’t need to be a parent to make a lasting impact. Every child deserves dignity and understanding, and every parent deserves a community that helps carry the load.

✨ Join the Mighty CommunityWant to keep these conversations going and be part of a movement that supports parents and kids with disabilities? Here’s how to stay connected:

• ​📩 Subscribe to the Weekly Newsletter for encouragement, tools, and real talk on parenting, advocacy, and rare disease life.

* This podcast is evolving to focus on faith, prayer, and hope for moms raising autistic or medically complex children. Episodes from our earlier parenting-focused series are still here to help, but you’ll now find guidance rooted in Christian faith and prayer.*

If you’ve ever thought, “I can’t keep carrying all of this,” you’re not alone. Parenting a child with a disability, autism, or rare disease comes with an invisible weight most people will never understand. The mental load of disability parenting is real, and in this episode of Be Mighty Mom, we talk about what it costs and how you can survive it.

Together, we’ll cover:

• ​Why stress levels in disability parents mirror those of combat soldiers

This isn’t about complaining, it’s about validation, survival, and hope. You’re not imagining it. You’re carrying something heavy, and you deserve care too.

✨ Stay connected & join the community:

• ​📸 Follow on Instagram

*This podcast is evolving to focus on faith, prayer, and hope for moms raising autistic or medically complex children. Episodes from our earlier parenting-focused series are still here to help, but you’ll now find guidance rooted in Christian faith and prayer.*

Watch episode on YouTube!

Raising an autistic child, a child with a rare disease, or a child with complex medical needs will break you open, but it will also pull you into the most powerful version of yourself. In this raw, unfiltered episode of The Be Mighty Mom Podcast, we explore how parenting in the trenches strips away who you were told to be and reveals who you were always meant to become.

We talk about the early days of diagnosis, the grief of losing relationships, the identity shift of special needs parenting, and the unexpected way our children become both our mirrors and our catalysts. This is not a how-to or a list of strategies; it’s a reckoning with the truth that motherhood in this space is equal parts grief and glory, loss and liberation.

If you’ve ever felt like you were disappearing under the weight of advocacy, judgment, or isolation, this conversation will remind you: you are not broken, you are becoming. And your voice, the one your child helped you find, is the one the world needs most.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for encouragement straight to your inbox.

Join our pep talks on Substack chat!

Follow us on Instagram & TikTok.

* This podcast is evolving to focus on faith, prayer, and hope for moms raising autistic or medically complex children. Episodes from our earlier parenting-focused series are still here to help, but you’ll now find guidance rooted in Christian faith and prayer.*

Watch episode on YouTube!

Motherhood changes you. Not just in sweet Instagram-worthy ways, but in deep, soul-shifting, life-altering ways. In this raw and honest episode, we unpack how becoming a mother, especially to an autistic child or a child with complex medical needs, rewires your brain, reshapes your identity, and transforms your relationships.

We dive into the science of how pregnancy restructures the brain, the emotional reality of matrescence, and why “bouncing back” is a harmful myth. You’ll hear about the mental load unique to parenting kids with autism or rare diseases, the strain (and strength) it can place on marriages and friendships, and the invisible advocacy work mothers do every single day.

Whether you’re in the trenches of autism parenting, navigating medical fragility, or simply feeling unseen in your motherhood journey, this conversation is here to validate, empower, and remind you: you haven’t lost yourself, you’ve met the most powerful version of you.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for encouragement straight to your inbox!

Keywords: motherhood changes, autism parenting, special needs parenting, medical mom, medically complex child, rare disease parenting, matrescence, motherhood identity shift, mental load, caregiver burnout, advocacy for special needs children, autism mom podcast, special needs mom mental health

Back-to-school season isn’t always shiny backpacks and smiling first-day photos, especially when you’re parenting an autistic child. In this episode of The Be Mighty Mom Podcast, we dive into the real challenges autistic kids face during the back-to-school transition and how you, as their parent, can show up as their fiercest advocate.

We’ll unpack why the school environment can be so overwhelming. Think sensory overload, unpredictable routines, new teachers, and social pressures, and how you can prepare your child (and yourself) for success. From sensory-friendly school supplies to calming after-school routines, this episode is packed with real-world strategies you can use right away.

If you’re tired of being dismissed by teachers or judged by other parents, this episode will remind you that your advocacy is powerful, your voice matters, and your child deserves to thrive in school, on their terms.

✨ What you’ll learn in this episode:

• The biggest back-to-school challenges for autistic kids

• How to give yourself grace during the transition season

Because back-to-school doesn’t have to mean meltdowns, overwhelm, and tears. With the right tools, you can create a calmer, more confident start for both you and your child.

🎨 Free Canva Template

Want to create your own autism-friendly back-to-school graphics to share with your community? Grab the customizable Canva template here.

👉 Tune in now to learn how to navigate back-to-school with autism in a way that protects your child’s needs and your peace of mind.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletters to stay up-to-date!

* This podcast is evolving to focus on faith, prayer, and hope for moms raising autistic or medically complex children. Episodes from our earlier parenting-focused series are still here to help, but you’ll now find guidance rooted in Christian faith and prayer.*

Are you an autism parent who wants to do more than just speak for your child, Do you want to stand with the entire autistic community? In this powerful episode of The Be Mighty Podcast, host Ash dives deep into the difference between being an advocate for your autistic child and becoming a true ally to autistic people everywhere.

We explore what it really means to practice neurodiversity-affirming parenting, how to amplify autistic voices, and why inclusion doesn’t begin with systems; it begins with us. From unpacking ableist language to reshaping everyday conversations with friends, family, and professionals, this episode gives you actionable, heart-centered ways to grow into the ally your child and the world need.

🔍 In this episode:

• ​Advocate vs. Ally: Why the distinction matters

Whether you're a parent, educator, therapist, or ally-in-progress, this conversation is a must-listen for anyone committed to autism acceptance, inclusion, and empowered advocacy.

📌 Featuring stats from leading autism research, parenting examples you’ll relate to, and a Be Mighty Mom Challenge to apply this week’s message in your real life.

If you’ve ever wondered how to move from being a voice for your child to making room for autistic voices everywhere, this episode is your guide.

🎙️ Subscribe, rate, and review to support this neurodiversity-affirming parenting movement.

* This podcast is evolving to focus on faith, prayer, and hope for moms raising autistic or medically complex children. Episodes from our earlier parenting-focused series are still here to help, but you’ll now find guidance rooted in Christian faith and prayer.*

Before we learned to advocate for our children, many of us had to unlearn a lifetime of silence. In this raw and powerful episode of Be Mighty Mom, Ash shares the hidden history of autism parenting. From the damaging “refrigerator mom” era to the fierce women who broke the silence. Learn how trauma, politeness, and people-pleasing shaped generations of moms, and how to reclaim your voice, step into advocacy with confidence, and become an ally to the broader autistic community. This episode is your roadmap to speaking up, even when your voice shakes.

🎧 Topics include:

• ​The roots of generational silence in parenting

Whether you're just beginning to speak up or you're burnt out from doing it all, this episode will leave you seen, empowered, and ready to rise.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for encouragement straight to your inbox.

* This podcast is evolving to focus on faith, prayer, and hope for moms raising autistic or medically complex children. Episodes from our earlier parenting-focused series are still here to help, but you’ll now find guidance rooted in Christian faith and prayer.*

Raising an autistic child in America in 2025? You’re not alone, and you’re not imagining how hard this system makes it. In this raw and honest episode of The Be Mighty Mom Podcast, host Ash Dion breaks down what parenting an autistic child actually looks like in today’s society, far beyond the stereotypes and outdated advice.

We cover:

• ​The biggest myths about autism and the science that debunks them

Whether you're a parent, educator, therapist, or family member, this episode will challenge what you think you know about autism and inspire you to take action.

👉 Download the free “AI Advocacy” Guide with 24 powerful ChatGPT prompts to help you write letters, craft responses, and speak up for your child like a pro: bemightymom.com/resources