Special Needs Diaries

In this podcast episode I interview La Toya, a sweet and strong mum who shares on socials Luna's (her daughter) journey with Kleefstra Syndrome.
La Toya shares Luna's and her family's roller coaster with such honesty and courage, it's truly inspiring to hear her story!
Are you a special needs parent? Are you interested in being interviewed on How We...Special Needs? Let me know!

Send me a feedback!

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🎙️ ENJOYED THIS EPISODE? 

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps other families find us when they need it most. 🙏 Share it with a fellow mum, carer, or anyone who might feel less alone after listening. 💚 

🎧 LISTEN TO SPECIAL NEEDS DIARIES 

▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/special-needs-diaries/id1782035233

▶️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zp384wlxzIZyYAEEEqZlh

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING 

This episode may contain discussions of [medical challenges/grief/diagnosis/mental health]. Please listen with care if these topics are sensitive for you. 

📍 CONNECT WITH MINIE 

🌐 Website: https://www.mykabukigirl.com

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mykabukigirl

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090362986609

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mykabukigirl

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mykabukigirl

💼 LinkedIn: ...

It's story time!
In this episode I will share with you the story behind the lovely butterflies that for two years have populated our kitchen and dining room, and why it's so hard to say goodbye.
What should I do now? Should I put them back? Should I put something else instead? Let me know in the comments!

Send me a feedback!

Support the show

🎙️ ENJOYED THIS EPISODE? 

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps other families find us when they need it most. 🙏 Share it with a fellow mum, carer, or anyone who might feel less alone after listening. 💚 

🎧 LISTEN TO SPECIAL NEEDS DIARIES 

▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/special-needs-diaries/id1782035233

▶️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zp384wlxzIZyYAEEEqZlh

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING 

This episode may contain discussions of [medical challenges/grief/diagnosis/mental health]. Please listen with care if these topics are sensitive for you. 

📍 CONNECT WITH MINIE 

🌐 Website: https://www.mykabukigirl.com

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mykabukigirl

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090362986609

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mykabukigirl

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mykabukigirl

💼 LinkedIn: ...

This is my first interview and it couldn't have been with a better guest: Ana Romanow. She's a super mum and super woman who's sharing her son's journey with Menkes Disease.

Although Philip is not here with us anymore, his light and meaningful life keep inspiring all of us! I am so grateful that Ana allowed us to know even just a fragment of her intense experience with motherhood and Menkes.

Are you a special needs parent? Are you interested in being interviewed on How We...Special Needs? Let me know in the comments!

You can find Ana here: https://www.instagram.com/anamariaromanow/

👉 Next Episode Teaser: Special Needs Family Vlog: How we spent the Holidays

Send me a feedback!

Support the show

🎙️ ENJOYED THIS EPISODE? 

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps other families find us when they need it most. 🙏 Share it with a fellow mum, carer, or anyone who might feel less alone after listening. 💚 

🎧 LISTEN TO SPECIAL NEEDS DIARIES 

▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/special-needs-diaries/id1782035233

▶️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zp384wlxzIZyYAEEEqZlh

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING 

This episode may contain discussions of [medical challenges/grief/diagnosis/mental health]. Please listen with care if these topics are sensitive for you. 

📍 CONNECT WITH MINIE 

🌐 Website: https://www.mykabukigirl.com

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mykabukigirl

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090362986609

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mykabukigirl

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mykabukigirl

💼 LinkedIn: ...

We recorded this episode on Christmas Eve and we made gnocchi di patate (potato gnocchi), while recapping what happened in our 2024. Check the YouTube video to see the cooking part! Have you ever tried gnocchi? Let me know in the comments!

Here are a few links that I mention in this episode:

Recipe of gnocchi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mekB2Mg2eRs
Tube Weaning Spreadsheet: https://www.mykabukigirl.com/foodtracker
Merchandise: https://www.mykabukigirl.com/store
Manny's CD "Impressions from Grace": https://www.mykabukigirl.com/impressions-from-grace

Merry Christmas to you all 🎄

👉 Next Episode Teaser: A journey with Menkes Disease | Interview with Ana Romanow

Send me a feedback!

Support the show

🎙️ ENJOYED THIS EPISODE? 

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps other families find us when they need it most. 🙏 Share it with a fellow mum, carer, or anyone who might feel less alone after listening. 💚 

🎧 LISTEN TO SPECIAL NEEDS DIARIES 

▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/special-needs-diaries/id1782035233

▶️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zp384wlxzIZyYAEEEqZlh

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING 

This episode may contain discussions of [medical challenges/grief/diagnosis/mental health]. Please listen with care if these topics are sensitive for you. 

📍 CONNECT WITH MINIE 

🌐 Website: https://www.mykabukigirl.com

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mykabukigirl

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090362986609

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mykabukigirl

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mykabukigirl

💼 LinkedIn: ...

🎙️ Episode 5: Forgiveness and a Christmas to Remember

This week on How We...Special Needs, I share a deeply personal story from Christmas 2022—our first Christmas as a family, spent in a hospital ward with our newborn daughter recovering from open-heart surgery. It’s a story of exhaustion, pain, and a difficult encounter that left a lasting mark.

But this episode isn’t just about hardship. It’s also about growth, faith, and the power of forgiveness.

Join me as I revisit a page from my diary, reflect on those challenging moments, and find peace in letting go of anger that has weighed me down for two years. This heartfelt episode is my Christmas gift to you—a reminder of the beauty of love, grace, and healing, even in the hardest times.

Grab a warm drink, sit by the Christmas tree, and let this story warm your heart. 💖

🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Send me a feedback!

Support the show

🎙️ ENJOYED THIS EPISODE? 

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps other families find us when they need it most. 🙏 Share it with a fellow mum, carer, or anyone who might feel less alone after listening. 💚 

🎧 LISTEN TO SPECIAL NEEDS DIARIES 

▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/special-needs-diaries/id1782035233

▶️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zp384wlxzIZyYAEEEqZlh

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING 

This episode may contain discussions of [medical challenges/grief/diagnosis/mental health]. Please listen with care if these topics are sensitive for you. 

📍 CONNECT WITH MINIE 

🌐 Website: https://www.mykabukigirl.com

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mykabukigirl

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090362986609

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mykabukigirl

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mykabukigirl

💼 LinkedIn: ...

When our therapy centre unexpectedly increased their charges, I was overwhelmed, frustrated, and at a crossroads. But on a tearful drive to yet another therapy session, an unexpected moment changed everything—a sign from my mum, through the beautiful notes of The Blue Danube.

Do you have a beloved one who is not with you anymore, and yet is still "with you" all the time? Let me know in the comments!

👉 Next Episode Teaser: The nurse I hated on Christmas Day.

Send me a feedback!

Support the show

🎙️ ENJOYED THIS EPISODE? 

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps other families find us when they need it most. 🙏 Share it with a fellow mum, carer, or anyone who might feel less alone after listening. 💚 

🎧 LISTEN TO SPECIAL NEEDS DIARIES 

▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/special-needs-diaries/id1782035233

▶️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zp384wlxzIZyYAEEEqZlh

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING 

This episode may contain discussions of [medical challenges/grief/diagnosis/mental health]. Please listen with care if these topics are sensitive for you. 

📍 CONNECT WITH MINIE 

🌐 Website: https://www.mykabukigirl.com

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mykabukigirl

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090362986609

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mykabukigirl

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mykabukigirl

💼 LinkedIn: ...

In this episode of How We…Special Needs, I’m diving into a topic we all know too well: milestones. My daughter Beatrice, who has Kabuki syndrome, has made incredible strides with her communication—she can now say 20 words! But as any parent in our community knows, milestones can be a double-edged sword.

I’ll share a personal moment of Googling how many words a typical 2-year-old speaks (spoiler alert: it wasn’t what I expected) and explore how I’ve learned to reframe comparisons. We'll chat about how milestones can help guide us, but also how they sometimes miss the mark for special needs families.

Let’s rethink what progress looks like, celebrate our kids’ wins on their terms, and discuss why it’s time to develop inclusive benchmarks that reflect diverse journeys.

Join me for a conversation filled with insights, lessons, and a few laughs as I learn to be proud of Beatrice’s incredible progress—no matter the number. 💖

👉 Next Episode Teaser: Storytime: My mum is with me

Send me a feedback!

Support the show

🎙️ ENJOYED THIS EPISODE? 

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps other families find us when they need it most. 🙏 Share it with a fellow mum, carer, or anyone who might feel less alone after listening. 💚 

🎧 LISTEN TO SPECIAL NEEDS DIARIES 

▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/special-needs-diaries/id1782035233

▶️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zp384wlxzIZyYAEEEqZlh

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING 

This episode may contain discussions of [medical challenges/grief/diagnosis/mental health]. Please listen with care if these topics are sensitive for you. 

📍 CONNECT WITH MINIE 

🌐 Website: https://www.mykabukigirl.com

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mykabukigirl

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090362986609

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mykabukigirl

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mykabukigirl

💼 LinkedIn: ...

Welcome to the first episode of How We...Special Needs! 🌟 I dedicate it to my beautiful daughter, Beatrice, as she celebrates her 2nd birthday. I reflect on the challenges and triumphs of her first two years—open-heart surgery at 8 days old, endless hospital stays, therapies, and milestones we’ve celebrated together.

What a journey, guys!

🎉 Join me as I shout “Hip Hip Hooray!” for Beatrice and set the tone for what’s to come on this podcast.

👉 Next Episode Teaser: Why Comparisons Matter: Celebrating My Daughter’s Journey with Communication Delays.

Send me a feedback!

Support the show

🎙️ ENJOYED THIS EPISODE? 

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps other families find us when they need it most. 🙏 Share it with a fellow mum, carer, or anyone who might feel less alone after listening. 💚 

🎧 LISTEN TO SPECIAL NEEDS DIARIES 

▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/special-needs-diaries/id1782035233

▶️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zp384wlxzIZyYAEEEqZlh

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING 

This episode may contain discussions of [medical challenges/grief/diagnosis/mental health]. Please listen with care if these topics are sensitive for you. 

📍 CONNECT WITH MINIE 

🌐 Website: https://www.mykabukigirl.com

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mykabukigirl

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090362986609

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mykabukigirl

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mykabukigirl

💼 LinkedIn: ...

Hi, I’m Minie, an Italian special needs mum based in Sydney.

My daughter has a rare genetic condition called Kabuki syndrome and on My Kabuki Girl I share our journey throughout medical issues, disabilities, therapies and lovely family moments.

But here’s the thing: there are so many traumas, so many aspects of special needs parenting and motherhood in general that are completely ignored by society or, even worse, treated like tabus, and that instead I feel we should talk about.

I believe that, if one of us is experiencing certain emotions, many others are feeling the same way but have not reached out yet.

And so I created this podcast, where I will share with you the tears, the laughs, the questions I have or that you have and I’ll interview many other special needs parents, in order to get to know a bit better each other’s roadblocks and victories.

We are a community and we are stronger together. So if you want to join, please follow the podcast on your favourite platform and get ready for this hopeful, emotional, crazy ride in the world of special needs and special people.

I’ll do my best to post a new episode weekly or fortnightly and I look forward to reading your comments and feedback.

Stay safe. Ciao.

Send me a feedback!

Support the show

🎙️ ENJOYED THIS EPISODE? 

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps other families find us when they need it most. 🙏 Share it with a fellow mum, carer, or anyone who might feel less alone after listening. 💚 

🎧 LISTEN TO SPECIAL NEEDS DIARIES 

▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/special-needs-diaries/id1782035233

▶️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zp384wlxzIZyYAEEEqZlh

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING 

This episode may contain discussions of [medical challenges/grief/diagnosis/mental health]. Please listen with care if these topics are sensitive for you. 

📍 CONNECT WITH MINIE 

🌐 Website: https://www.mykabukigirl.com

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mykabukigirl

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090362986609

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mykabukigirl

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mykabukigirl

💼 LinkedIn: ...