Living the Sky Life - Our Autism Journey

Malinda Dalton-Cook resides in the San Diego area with her husband Chad and their 21-year-old daughter Paige, who is on the autism spectrum. Malinda is the CEO/Founder of Paige's Pantry, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is also the host of the Autism Mastermind Podcast. You can connect with Melinda on IG/FB: @autismmastermind

Pam founded Partners4Housing to provide a better way for families of people with IDD to find roommates and set up shared housing solutions. Her career has spanned 30 years in special needs housing, and she is an acknowledged expert in her field and a Friends of Housing Award Honoree.

As housing coordinator in Seattle, she assisted 450 people with IDD with their move into housing over a 5-year period and has an in-depth working knowledge of how to help people navigate SSI, SSDI, State Residential Support, Medicaid-funded personal care services, supported employment income, and Section 8 housing subsidies.

"I've been called an indomitable problem-solver. I love to work with parents to solve their unique challenges and leave their world a little better than I found it."

You can connect with Partners 4 Housing on FB/IG/LinkedIn/YouTube: @partners4housing

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To purchase my book "Welcome to My Life – A Personal Parenting Journey Through Autism" click HERE or visit Amazon.com!

You can easily stay connected to the Living the Sky Life podcast and me in various ways. Please visit my website www.lauriehellmann.com for all the links.

I'd love to hear what you think, so if listening on the Apple platform, please leave a written review and rating of the podcast! If you are interested in being a guest on an episode of Living the Sky Life, please contact me!

Molly is the mom to adult quadruplet men (they turned 21 this year). Her son, Benjamin is impacted greatly by Autism and Epilepsy and her son, Issaac is also impacted by Autism but it presents differently than with his brother Ben. The 'typical' boys, Max & Caleb, have been incredible siblings and role models.

Molly started her small business, 'No Label Knits' a few years ago with the hopes of incorporating Ben and Issac. The limits of employment and other outside opportunities for the autistic adult population is something she is dedicated to improve. A portion of the sale of each knit hat Molly handmakes goes toward Easter Seals WI due to how much they've enhanced Ben's life.

In addition to being a full time caregiver for Ben, Molly carves out time to continue her life long passions - running and swimming.

You can connect with Molly on IG: @no_label_knits

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To purchase my book "Welcome to My Life – A Personal Parenting Journey Through Autism" click HERE or visit Amazon.com!

You can easily stay connected to the Living the Sky Life podcast and me in various ways. Please visit my website www.lauriehellmann.com for all the links.

I'd love to hear what you think, so if listening on the Apple platform, please leave a written review and rating of the podcast! If you are interested in being a guest on an episode of Living the Sky Life, please contact me!

Betsy Hicks-Russ is a leading expert with over 25 years of experience in holistic health as the former CEO of Green Health Wellness as well author of Picky Eating Solutions (2010) that evolved into an online course. Betsy is also the Director of Autism Odyssey and creator of the Be Kind Vest.

Betsy has delivered lectures around the world about meal planning, special diets, and holistic health for autistic individuals. Her experiences with her 30-year-old son, Joey has driven her to become an impassioned expert on the relationship between nutrition, movement, and fresh air being vital for the mind and body.

Betsy strives to give those who may not have a voice the chance to express themselves and seek freedom from prejudice and social barriers. Her dedication to health and wellness translates directly to her passion for caregiving and the mission to create space for people living on the autism spectrum to be heard, understood, and embraced.

You can connect with Betsy at: AutismOdyssey.org; BeKindVest.com; PickyEatingSolutions.com and Tiktok/Instagram/Facebook @BetsyOnTheGo

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To purchase my book "Welcome to My Life – A Personal Parenting Journey Through Autism" visit Amazon.com!

You can easily stay connected to the Living the Sky Life podcast and me in various ways. Please visit my website www.lauriehellmann.com for all the links.

I'd love to hear what you think, so if listening on the Apple platform, please leave a written review and rating of the podcast! If you are interested in being a guest on an episode of Living the Sky Life, please contact me!

Karen South has worked in healthcare her entire life, starting with her first job in the kitchen of a nursing home at age 15 to being a dental tech while she was serving in the Navy, to being an EMT, nursing assistant and a radiation therapist. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati, she worked many years with teenagers that were in state's custody living in a residential facility. She says all of these roles prepared her for her favorite role, which is being a mom to 4 children.

Now that her children are adults, she spends most of her time caring for her 23 year old son, David who has Autism and is unable to live independently. He requires a great deal of support and 24/7 supervision. As David was preparing to age out of public school, Karen realized the lack of resources that are available for adults living with Autism or other disabilities. This realization prompted Karen to go back to school to become a therapeutic, adaptive fitness instructor and start a company called the Learning Curve of Kentucky. Her new company strives to provide individuals of all abilities with the support, training, encouragement and opportunities they need to have fulfilling careers, hobbies and social activities.

Connect with Karen on FB: @TheLearningCurveofKY

To purchase tickets for the 9/23/23 Autism Conference with keynote speaker Temple Grandin email Karen at: [email protected]

I will be taking a summer break from the podcast to enjoy the few months I'll have with my daughter before she heads off to college.

When I return for Season 5, I'd like to discuss a few key topics that come up often and would love for you to be a part of those discussions!! I'm looking for guests to talk about:

*Challenge of maintaining relationships when parenting a neurodiverse child - marital issues / divorce, isolation from friends or close family or have difficulty finding a partner as a single parent?

*Travel experiences with a neurodiverse child - tips/tricks for planning a trip, nightmare travel adventures (that you can laugh about now) or positive experiences that you didn't think were possible.

*The aging out process & adult services - what was your experience finding resources and programming when your son/daughter turned 21-22 and suggestions or tips for parents to make note of when future planning.

If you are interested in being a guest on Living the Sky Life, please visit the podcast tab of my website (lauriehellmann.com) or email me at [email protected]

Lauren Emmett is a proud mom of two adorable kids, her son Wilson and daughter Charlie. Her oldest, Wilson, was diagnosed with autism when he was three years old. After those first few years of motherhood, especially the long, isolating road to a diagnosis, she was determined to try and help others who were beginning a similar journey. She knew the more understanding and acceptance of differences there is in the world, the easier it may be for her boy, and so many others, to navigate through it.

She began blogging about her son's journey at Wilsonsclimb.com and eventually launched Little Rebels with a Cause, an apparel brand to create conversations through clothing that donates a portion of sales to incredible nonprofits that work in the field of disability services and advocacy.

You can connect with Lauren via FB: @wilsonsclimb and @littlerebelswithacause or IG: @wilsonsclimb_an_autism_journey and @littlerebelscause

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To purchase my book "Welcome to My Life – A Personal Parenting Journey Through Autism" click HERE or visit Amazon.com!

You can easily stay connected to the Living the Sky Life podcast and me in various ways. Please visit my website www.lauriehellmann.com for all the links.

I'd love to hear what you think, so if listening on the Apple platform, please leave a written review and rating of the podcast! If you are interested in being a guest on an episode of Living the Sky Life, please contact me!

Adrian H. Wood, PhD, is a rural Eastern NC mother of four, one with extra special needs. Past preschool teacher, nanny, children's ski instructor, early interventionist, college professor, early childhood researcher, wife and full-time mama. In writing after a 20-year hiatus, she offers personal glimpses where satire meets truth, faith meets irony, despair meets joy and this educated debutante escapes the laundry and finds true meaning in graceful transparency.

You can connect with Adrian on FB and IG: @Tales of an Educated Debutante.

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To purchase my book "Welcome to My Life – A Personal Parenting Journey Through Autism" click HERE or visit Amazon.com!

You can easily stay connected to the Living the Sky Life podcast and me in various ways. Please visit my website www.lauriehellmann.com for all the links.

I'd love to hear what you think, so if listening on the Apple platform, please leave a written review and rating of the podcast! If you are interested in being a guest on an episode of Living the Sky Life, please contact me!

Sally and Mark Lyons live in Hutto, TX with their 25-year-old son, Samuel who is on the autism spectrum. Sally and Mark are both retired teachers. Worried about the uncertain future for their son, due to limited employment opportunities and minimal options for adult level programming for those with autism, Mark & Sally started the company Sammy Socks. Their hope is for the business to continue well beyond their lives to support Samuel throughout adulthood.

You can connect with them via the follow social meadia platforms: Facebook – facebook.com/SammySocksEtc Instagram - @sammysocksetc LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/mark-lyons-415579207 YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAf1cYcmw7uFfZpuw7qcd5g

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To purchase my book "Welcome to My Life – A Personal Parenting Journey Through Autism" click HERE or visit Amazon.com!

You can easily stay connected to the Living the Sky Life podcast and me in various ways. Please visit my website www.lauriehellmann.com for all the links.

I'd love to hear what you think, so if listening on the Apple platform, please leave a written review and rating of the podcast! If you are interested in being a guest on an episode of Living the Sky Life, please contact me!

J.B. Handley is the best-selling author of How to End the Autism Epidemic and the co-author of Underestimated: An Autism Miracle which he wrote with his now 21-year-old autistic son, Jaime. Their book, Underestimated inspired the new full length documentary, SPELLERS, which challenges the conventional wisdom of 'experts' that non-speakers with autism are cognitively disabled.

The film blends beautiful cinematography with heart-wrenching stories of eight spellers and provides a strong message for every parent of a non-speaker: your child can do this, too. SPELLERS also demands that teachers, schools, and therapists wake up to the reality that we may have underestimated the abilities of more than 50 million people worldwide.

J.B. is an honors graduate of Stanford University and lives in Portland, OR with his wife Lisa and their 3 children.

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To purchase my book "Welcome to My Life – A Personal Parenting Journey Through Autism" click HERE or visit Amazon.com!

You can easily stay connected to the Living the Sky Life podcast and me in various ways. Please visit my website www.lauriehellmann.com for all the links.

I'd love to hear what you think, so if listening on the Apple platform, please leave a written review and rating of the podcast! If you are interested in being a guest on an episode of Living the Sky Life, please contact me!