Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to today's story episode, #206. These are true stories from a moment in the life of a caregiving parent. We hear a crafted story, and then have a conversation with our guests that goes deeper into their experience.

In this conversation, hosted by Dr. Zoe Shaw, Jess Ronne shares her profound journey as a caregiver, navigating the challenges of raising a child with special needs while dealing with personal loss. She discusses the emotional and practical aspects of caregiving, the importance of community support, and the judgment faced from others in similar situations. Jess emphasizes the need for resilience and the creation of spaces for advocacy and support for families like hers. Jess also talks about her new book, 'Caregiving with Grit and Grace,' which serves as a devotional for caregivers, emphasizing the therapeutic nature of writing and the need for caregivers to step out of isolation and engage with their communities.

Jess Ronne is an author, speaker, podcast host at Coffee with Caregivers, associate producer of the Unseen Documentary, and caregiver advocate. She is founder and executive director of The Lucas Project, a non-profit dedicated to providing recognition, resources and respite support for special needs families. She and her husband Ryan live in Michigan with their 8 children, including their son Lucas who has profound disabilities. Her story of beauty from ashes has been shared on The Today Show, Daily Mail and Huffington Post and is detailed in her memoir Sunlight Burning at Midnight. 

Want more Jess Ronne? Here are some links: 

www.thelucasproject.org

www.caregiverdoc.com

www.facebook.com/jessronneofficial

www.instagram.com/jessplusthemess

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This episode was sponsored by

Brave Together Podcast is a resource produced by We Are Brave Together, a global nonprofit that creates community for moms raising children with disabilities, neurodivergence, or complex medical and mental health conditions. The heart of We Are Brave Together is to preserve and protect the mental health of caregiving moms everywhere.

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Feel free to contact Jessica Patay via email: [email protected]

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