Living the Sky Life - Our Autism Journey

Heather Grimaldi, MS is the Founder of Proof Positive ABA Therapies. As a behavior analyst and Clinical Director, Heather's focus was on supporting families and team members tasked with implementing behavior-analytic interventions. In late 2016, the long-running Autism Learning Partners created one of the largest Autism therapy platforms in the U.S. with its acquisition of Proof Positive. Heather knows the benefits of high-end supplements from her firsthand experience in the Autism space.

Dr. Kristin Shay, DC, MS, Functional Medicine, is an experienced healthcare professional and educator who carries a deeply personal passion for functional medicine and the latest developments in the science behind "nutraceuticals" – dietary supplements demonstrated to have physiological benefits. Dr. Shay holds a Doctor of Chiropractic from Southern California University of Health Sciences; a Masters of Science in Clinical Exercise Physiology, and a Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology.

Simple Spectrum was designed with our kids with sensory needs in mind and is an unflavored dissolvable powder without gluten, casein, added sugar, soy, binding agents, artificial colors, preservatives, GMOs and dairy. The highest quality vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in the most bioavailable forms - It really is quite simple. Our mission was to create the kind of nutraceutical supplement we wanted to see available, based on the latest scientific research and free from the extraneous additives packed into so many similar products on the market. As a parent of one child with sensory processing disorders and another with ketotic hypoglycemia, responsible for implementing food programs her self Heather knows how hard it can be to get kids to eat the right foods and that includes her own.

**Be sure to listen closely for the generous discount code SS provided to my listeners!**

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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 or Audible platforms, 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!

Christine De Gregorio is a mom to two wonderful boys Gianni (1.5 years old), and Abryn (13 years old). Abryn, who is on the autism spectrum, came into her life when he was 8 months old when she met her now husband and she feels so blessed that he did. He first made Christine a mom and has helped her grow in so many ways. Abryn reminds her everyday to enjoy the simple things in life. She's absolutely in love with being a mom to two amazing boys.

In her free time, Christine loves to shop, cook, exercise (Crossfit is her go to for self regulation & staying strong & healthy), and she enjoys bartending at a local sports bar and operating the event bartending business she owns.

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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!

Nicole Gottesmann has not had the easiest road into parenting and adult life. After suffering the sudden loss of her first born child, she was elated to learn she was pregnant again. Not soon after that, her husband unexpectedly passed away. As a widowed, single mom raising her beautiful son Gabe, Nicole refused to let her prior traumas overshadow her appreciation for all the blessings she still had in her life.

Her handsome, 13-year-old son Gabe, who was diagnosed with nonverbal autism, has won the hearts of many on social media through his love of music and joyful smile. Nicole and her partner Caroline are extremely proud of the young man Gabe is becoming and of the strong family unit they've built.

You can follow Nicole on: Youtube & FB: For The Love Of Gabe; Instagram: @nicolegottesmann and TikTok: nicolegottesmann1

Where has the time gone... I can't believe my favorite son Skyler is 20-years-old today!!

My greatest hope for you Skyman, as you celebrate this special birthday and enter a new decade of life is that you never lose that spark in your eyes and determination in your heart to keep growing, achieving and teaching the world not to underestimate non-speakers!!

Love you Buddy!!

Valerie Gilpeer is an attorney who has been practicing law for forty years. She shifted her civil law practice twenty years ago in favor of representing families of disabled children trying to obtain educational services from local school districts. She has continued to focus on disability rights law through her volunteer work with several nonprofit organizations in the Los Angeles area.

Emily Grodin is a college student studying journalism, psychology, and creative writing and has been recognized for her academic achievement. She has been featured in Leaders Around Me and published in Amuse-Bouche. Emily is an advocate for herself and members of her community in an effort to dispel the misconceptions and nonacceptance of those with autism.

Valerie and Emily live with Tom Grodin, her husband and Emily's dad, in Encino, California.

You can purchase their memoir "I Have Been Buried Under Years of Dust" on Amazon.

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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!

Jackie Moore received a Bachelors degree in Rehabilitation Psychology from the University of Central Missouri. Less than three years ago she launched Jordyn's Summer Shirt Project to teach Jordyn, her daughter with autism, job skills. Jordyn has not only learned job skills, she's learned to independently do a job. They have been featured on 94.9 The Bull radio station, 11 Alive News, Fox5 Atlanta and Forsyth County News. Jackie lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband Ben and their two children; Jordyn, 20 years old, diagnosed with autism and Hudson, 7 years old.

You can connect with Jackie & Jordyn on FB: @Jordyn's Summer Shirt Project; IG/TikTok: @summershirtproject or the company website: www.bekindtoeveryone.com

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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!

Corey and Andrea Landreth are the parents of 4 grown children. They moved to El Dorado, Kansas to begin Real Life Christian Church in 2006 where Corey is the lead pastor. Andrea is a school psychologist in the public school system. They began the Drawings by Trent business in 2015 for their son with the goals of encouraging families, educating communities and inspiring everyone through Trent's art and their story. There were many difficult years, but seeing Trent's raw joy and incredible ability brings hope to families going through the struggles of raising a child on the spectrum.

You can connect with the Landreth family in the following ways:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpWxUJiR8QP1AXDX-jWWwgA (just under Drawings by Trent) Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/drawingsbytrent Website: drawingsbytrent.com. (you will find information about Trent, our family, the business, and be able to visit our store!) *****************************************

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!

Luis, is the Autism Dad behind MEAVIA, a brand inspired to design and develop toys and learning aids for kids with Autism and other developmental challenges. When he's not sketching toy ideas on napkins, Luis is spending time with his daughter London (8) and son Myles (5) who is on the spectrum with level 2 Autism. Before setting out on this new adventure, Luis spent his entire career in Corporate Marketing. Now, he is completely immersed in the world of Autism and driven to help Myles live his best life, and to help other families with Autism through MEAVIA. Social Media: @MEAVIAtoys Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and Youtube

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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!

Gina Schaal and her husband Dan have been married for 21 years & live in Chaska, a SW suburb of Minneapolis. They have two sons, 18-year-old Carter & 16-year-old Casey. Gina holds a BS degree in Medical Laboratory Science & works for a large healthcare system in the Twin Cities. Lab people are known for their type A personalities which she believes has been one of her biggest assets to raising a special needs child. Organization is key as is her love of research & analyzing that research. Her son Carter was diagnosed with ASD at 2 1/2, which is his only 'formal' diagnosis but he also deals with ADHD, sensory processing disorder & absent seizures with a sprinkle of anxiety and mild OCD thrown in there too. Her son Casey is a typical 16-year-old who loves science & math, is a cross county & track athlete & holds a part time job. Gina and Dan have worked opposite shifts throughout most of their kid's lives, as they were never able to put Carter in traditional day care. Although they each processed Carter's diagnosis differently & went through some hard times, Gina considers herself blessed to have a husband who is very involved and is always there for both his boys. Through it all she's proud of the incredibly close family unit they've built.

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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!

Kelly and her husband Rob live in Kent, UK and have two children, Carson (14) and Kendra (11). Carson is nonverbal and autistic with severe learning disabilities. Kendra is also on the autism spectrum. Kelly started her FB blog "This is Carson, his autism journey and our family" almost 4 years ago with the goal of reaching out to families like her own. Before starting her page, she hadn't seen many bloggers with children like Carson and wondered if those parent caregivers often felt isolated too? Kelly uses her blog to advocate and create awareness by sharing the highs and lows of her family's life. Although Carson is the main focus of the page, she does highlight her entire family dynamic. You can connect with Kelly via her FB page: @This is Carson, his autism journey and our family.

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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!