The Lucky Few

The holiday season is here, and with it comes the endless lists, family expectations, traditions, and pressure to make everything magical. But what if we gave ourselves permission to slow down?

This week, Heather sits down with co-host Micha Boyett to celebrate the release of her new book, Advent Unhurried: Daily Devotions for a Season of Wonder and Stillness.

Together, they're talking about finding peace in the chaos, making room for both joy and grief, and what it means to experience the holidays without getting lost in the expectations.

In this episode, we're talking about:

• Why slowing down isn't about doing less, but finding moments of stillness and wonder in our everyday lives.

• How parenting and caregiving shape our expectations during the holidays, and why it's okay to let some traditions go.

• Micha's new book and how practicing hope, peace, joy, and love can help us navigate even the busiest seasons.

Whether you're celebrating Advent or simply looking for a more meaningful holiday season, this conversation is an invitation to slow down, be present, and make room for wonder.

RESOURCES & LINKS

• Advent Unhurried: Daily Devotions for a Season of Wonder and Stillness — Get Micha's new book.

• The Slow Way — Micha's newsletter on slowing down and finding meaning in everyday life.

ADVENT UNHURRIED — GROUP ORDERS & FREE VIDEOS

Planning an Advent study with your church, book club, or small group?

When you purchase 20 or more copies of Advent Unhurried through Baker Book House, you'll receive:

• 40% off the retail price of the books.

• Four free digital teaching videos hosted by Micha Boyett, one for each week of Advent, exploring hope, peace, joy, and love.

• Videos designed to guide meaningful group conversations throughout the Advent season.

The publisher provides the digital video downloads with qualifying group orders.

Order your books: Baker Book House — Advent Unhurried

Group order questions: [email protected]

Digital editions are also available through VitalSource.

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Thank You to Our Sponsors

Down For Greens creates practitioner-formulated, third-party-tested greens specifically designed with the nutritional needs of the Down syndrome community in mind.

Learn more: https://downforgreens.co

Promo code: LUCKY — get 50% off your first order.

ENABLE Special Needs Planning helps families create coordinated plans for the future by bringing together the vision, financial, legal, and practical pieces of special needs planning.

Free resource: Who Will Carry What?

Download: https://ENABLEsnp.com/the-lucky-few

LET'S CHAT

Email [email protected] with your questions and Good News for future episodes.

Don't forget to follow, subscribe, and leave a review wherever you listen to The Lucky Few Podcast.

Here's to shifting the narrative for people with Down syndrome.

What happens when you take a simple message like “You Are Beautiful” and turn it into a business that's changing lives?

As we wrap up Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Heather sits down with Raquel Caramello, a jewelry designer, entrepreneur, college student, and disability advocate who is doing things her own way.

After experiencing bullying and navigating a childhood cancer diagnosis, Raquel turned her desire to help others feel seen and valued into Raquel Beautiful, a growing jewelry and gift business built around the message that everyone is beautiful and worthy, exactly as they are.

In this episode, we're talking about:

• How Raquel turned personal challenges into a business centered on kindness, confidence, and celebrating others.

• What it's like to be a young entrepreneur with Down syndrome, from building a brand and navigating rejection to advocating for herself and others.

• Raquel's college experience, big dreams for the future, and why she wants everyone to believe in themselves and follow their dreams.

Raquel's story is a reminder that every person deserves the opportunity to pursue their passions, make their own choices, and have their voice heard.

RESOURCES & LINKS

• Raquel Beautiful — Shop Raquel's jewelry, custom gifts, and accessories.

• Pay It Forward Program — Visit Raquel's website to learn how you can help share gifts of encouragement with others.

• Raquel Beautiful – Business Accounts

  • Instagram – @raquelbeautiful

  • TikTok – @raquelbeautifulofficial

  • YouTube – @raquelbeautifulofficial

  Raquel's Personal Accounts

  • Instagram – @raquelcaramello

  • TikTok – @raquel.caramello

  • Facebook – Raquel Caramello

  Website: RaquelBeautiful.com

  
  

Also check out Episode 257: “Brother Do You Love Me?: A Journey of Resilience and Repair” with Manni and Reuben Coe.

The episode explores their relationship, Reuben's experience with Down syndrome, and their journey together, including walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain.

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Thank You to Our Sponsors

Down For Greens creates practitioner-formulated, third-party-tested greens specifically designed with the nutritional needs of the Down syndrome community in mind.

Learn more: https://downforgreens.co

Promo code: LUCKY — get 50% off your first order.

ENABLE Special Needs Planning helps families create coordinated plans for the future by bringing together the vision, financial, legal, and practical pieces of special needs planning.

Free resource: Who Will Carry What?

Download: https://ENABLEsnp.com/the-lucky-few

LET'S CHAT

Email [email protected] with your questions and Good News for future episodes.

Don't forget to follow, subscribe, and leave a review wherever you listen to The Lucky Few Podcast.

Here's to shifting the narrative for people with Down syndrome.

Here we are, halfway through October and Down Syndrome Awareness Month, revisiting a conversation that's just as relevant today as when we first released it in July 2022.

We've all seen those viral “feel-good” videos featuring people with disabilities. But are these stories actually celebrating people with Down syndrome, or are they reinforcing harmful stereotypes?

Building on our conversation in EP 339 about what we really want people to be aware of this month, we're throwing it back to EP 169 to explore the harm of “inspiration p*rn” and why the stories we share matter.

In this episode, we're talking about:

• Why viral “inspirational” disability stories can sometimes do more harm than good.

• The difference between celebrating genuine accomplishments and turning people with disabilities into spectacles.

• How we can be more intentional about the stories we consume, celebrate, and share.

As we continue shifting the narrative this Down Syndrome Awareness Month, let's remember: People with Down syndrome don't need to do something extraordinary to be worthy of being celebrated.

RESOURCES

• How to Avoid “Inspiration P*rn” – Forbes

• Inspiration P*rn – Grace Trumpower

• Listen to EP 339: What We Really Want You to Be Aware of This Down Syndrome Awareness Month

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Down For Greens creates practitioner-formulated, third-party-tested greens specifically designed with the nutritional needs of the Down syndrome community in mind.

Learn more: https://downforgreens.co

Promo code: LUCKY — get 50% off your first order.

ENABLE Special Needs Planning helps families create coordinated plans for the future by bringing together the vision, financial, legal, and practical pieces of special needs planning.

Free resource: Who Will Carry What?

Download: https://ENABLEsnp.com/the-lucky-few

LET'S CHAT

Email [email protected] with your questions and Good News for future episodes.

Don't forget to follow, subscribe, and leave a review wherever you listen to The Lucky Few Podcast.

Here's to shifting the narrative for people with Down syndrome.

Throwback: What Do You Wish You Knew When You Got Your Child's Down Syndrome Diagnosis? (Ep. 138)

It's Down Syndrome Awareness Month, and we're heading back into the archives for a conversation that's just as relevant today as when we first recorded it.

What do you wish you knew when you first received your child's Down syndrome diagnosis?

In this throwback episode, Heather, Micha, and Mercedes reflect on the things they wish they could tell their younger selves and why the stories we tell about Down syndrome matter so much.

Too often, a diagnosis comes with a focus on limitations, challenges, and what a child may or may not be able to do. But that's only part of the story. This conversation reminds us that awareness means sharing a fuller, more honest picture of life with Down syndrome—one that makes room for both the hard and the beautiful.

In this episode, we're talking about:

• What we wish we'd known when we first received our children's Down syndrome diagnoses.

• Moving beyond assumptions, limitations, and expectations based on ability.

• Why sharing honest stories of joy, challenges, and belonging matters for the next generation of families.

Whether you're new to the Down syndrome community or have been here for years, we hope this conversation encourages you to keep shouting worth and shifting narratives.

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Thank You to Our Sponsors

Down For Greens creates practitioner-formulated, third-party-tested greens specifically designed with the nutritional needs of the Down syndrome community in mind.

Learn more: https://downforgreens.co

Promo code: LUCKY — get 50% off your first order.

ENABLE Special Needs Planning helps families create coordinated plans for the future by bringing together the vision, financial, legal, and practical pieces of special needs planning.

Free resource: Who Will Carry What?

Download: https://ENABLEsnp.com/the-lucky-few

Don't forget to follow, subscribe, and leave a review wherever you listen to The Lucky Few Podcast.

Here's to shifting the narrative for people with Down syndrome.

People with Down syndrome deserve belonging, opportunity, and dignity—without having to prove their worth through achievement.

To kick off Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Heather and Micha ask what happens when advocacy becomes centered on accomplishments. They share honestly about comparison, parenting expectations, and telling a fuller story that makes room for the entire Down syndrome community.

In this episode:

• How to celebrate achievement without making it the measure of someone’s worth.

• Why stories about “overcoming” disability can create pressure for people with Down syndrome and their families.

• Questions to help us advocate for belonging across all abilities and support needs.

Questions for our community this Down Syndrome Awareness Month:

• Are we challenging low expectations—or accidentally replacing them with a new kind of pressure?

• Are we celebrating a person, or using that person to prove something?

• Does our public advocacy represent the breadth of the Down syndrome community, including people with significant disabilities?

• Can we celebrate achievement without making it the measure of a good life?

• Whose version of a good life are we fighting for?

• Do we believe belonging is something people earn through capability, or something they deserve from the very beginning?

Plus, Good News is back! Micha shares how Ace’s first youth retreat became a weekend full of friendship, joy, and belonging.

Keep the conversation going: Listen to Episode 338 on presuming competence and Episode 337 on belonging and inclusion.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Down For Greens creates practitioner-formulated, third-party-tested greens specifically designed with the nutritional needs of the Down syndrome community in mind.

Learn more: downforgreens.co
Promo code: LUCKY — get 50% off your first order.

ENABLE Special Needs Planning helps families create coordinated plans for the future by bringing together the vision, financial, legal, and practical pieces of special needs planning.

Free resource: Who Will Carry What? Download it here.

“Presume competence” is a phrase we hear often in the disability community. But what does it mean when someone also needs significant support?

This week, Heather and Micha talk through the tension between believing there may be more happening than we can see and honoring a person exactly as they are. They share stories about school routines, communication, reading, and friendship—and ask what changes when we lead with curiosity instead of assumptions.

In this episode:

• Why presuming competence starts with seeing someone’s full humanity, rather than measuring what they can do.

• How behavior or limited speech can obscure a person’s interests, needs, and desire for connection.

• What it looks like to offer age-appropriate opportunities while providing real support.

Related listening: Episode 337 on belonging and inclusion, Episode 335 on autonomy, and Episodes 313–314 on apraxia and motor planning.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Down For Greens creates practitioner-formulated, third-party-tested greens specifically designed with the nutritional needs of the Down syndrome community in mind.

Learn more: downforgreens.co
Promo code: LUCKY — get 50% off your first order.

ENABLE Special Needs Planning helps families create coordinated plans for the future by bringing together the vision, financial, legal, and practical pieces of special needs planning.

Free resource: Who Will Carry What? Download it here.

“Inclusion says you’re allowed to be here. Belonging says this is your place.”

In this episode, we’re exploring the difference between being included and being genuinely known, wanted, and valued. We share real-life examples from school, church, dance, friendships, and community spaces—and discuss why simply offering access or accommodations isn’t enough.

True belonging means our kids don’t have to earn their place or change who they are to fit in. It means creating communities that recognize they are better because our kids are part of them.

In this episode:

• Why inclusion without belonging can still leave people feeling unseen

• What genuine belonging looks like in schools, churches, friendships, and activities

• How adults can intentionally create spaces where every person is known, supported, and valued

  
  

  Want to learn more about inclusion, community, and what it takes to create true belonging? Keep the conversation going with these episodes:

  • 280. Can a Person With Down Syndrome Find Community & Belonging?
  • 324. What We Wish We’d Known About Inclusion
  • 326. What We Wish We’d Known About Loneliness

  
  

  
  

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  Thank You to Our Sponsors

  Down For Greens creates practitioner-formulated, third-party-tested greens specifically designed with the nutritional needs of the Down syndrome community in mind.

  Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠https://downforgreens.co⁠⁠⁠

  Promo code: LUCKY — get 50% off your first order.

  ENABLE Special Needs Planning helps families create coordinated plans for the future by bringing together the vision, financial, legal, and practical pieces of special needs planning.

  Free resource: Who Will Carry What?Download: ⁠⁠⁠https://ENABLEsnp.com/the-lucky-few⁠⁠⁠

  Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, and leave a review wherever you listen to The Lucky Few Podcast. We love hearing how these conversations are meeting you and your family.

  Here’s to shifting the narrative for people with Down syndrome.

Disability policy can feel complicated and overwhelming—but these decisions directly affect the healthcare, education, services, and civil rights of people with disabilities.

Today, Heather is joined by attorney, IEP expert, and longtime friend of the podcast Ashley Barlow. Together, they break down current changes and challenges surrounding Section 504, community living, Medicaid, and special education—and explain why families need to pay attention.

In this episode:

• What current policy changes could mean for disability rights and community-based services
• What’s happening with Section 504, the Olmstead decision, and the Department of Education
• How families can advocate by contacting legislators, sharing their stories, and following trusted disability organizations

The issues are complex, but one truth remains clear: disabled people belong in our schools, neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities—without having to earn or prove their worth.

Learn more from Ashley:

• The Collaborative IEP,
• Follow Ashley: @thecollaborativeiep

Listen to previous episodes with Ashley:

• 131. Preparing for the School Year: IEPs + Special Education

• 273. Breaking Down Barriers: The Parent’s Role in IEP Success
• 292. What’s Going on With the Department of Education?
• 294. Why Down Syndrome Isn’t Something to “Cure” 298. What’s Going on With the Department of Education? Part 2
• Bonus: The Fight for 504—Why Disability Rights Are on the Line

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Thank You to Our Sponsors

Down For Greens creates practitioner-formulated, third-party-tested greens specifically designed with the nutritional needs of the Down syndrome community in mind.

Learn more: ⁠⁠https://downforgreens.co⁠⁠

Promo code: LUCKY — get 50% off your first order.

ENABLE Special Needs Planning helps families create coordinated plans for the future by bringing together the vision, financial, legal, and practical pieces of special needs planning.

Free resource: Who Will Carry What?Download: ⁠⁠https://ENABLEsnp.com/the-lucky-few⁠⁠

Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, and leave a review wherever you listen to The Lucky Few Podcast. We love hearing how these conversations are meeting you and your family.

Here’s to shifting the narrative for people with Down syndrome.

What does it look like to truly honor the autonomy of adults with Down syndrome?

Today we’re joined by our former producer, occupational therapist, sibling, and advocate Val Schlieder to talk about autonomy, infantilization, and the dignity of risk.

We explore why protecting people with Down syndrome from every possible risk can actually limit their independence, the difference between risk and genuine danger, and how we can support our loved ones in making their own choices.

From everyday decisions to navigating adulthood, Val challenges us to assume competence, make room for choice, and provide support without taking away autonomy.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Infantilization, autonomy, and the dignity of risk
• The difference between protecting someone and limiting their independence
• Practical ways to assume competence and support everyday choice and self-determination

Learn more from Val Schlieder

• ⁠Have questions: Email Val

• Follow Val on Instagram

Listen to previous episodes with Val Schlieder:

• Episode 43 — Back to School & All Things Best Buddies w/ Val Schlieder & Allison Covell
  Listen / Episode Page
• Episode 162 — What Happens After High School? (Ft. Val Schlieder — OT + Producer)
  Listen / Episode Page

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Thank You to Our Sponsors

Down For Greens creates practitioner-formulated, third-party-tested greens specifically designed with the nutritional needs of the Down syndrome community in mind.

Learn more: ⁠https://downforgreens.co⁠

Promo code: LUCKY — get 50% off your first order.

ENABLE Special Needs Planning helps families create coordinated plans for the future by bringing together the vision, financial, legal, and practical pieces of special needs planning.

Free resource: Who Will Carry What?Download: ⁠https://ENABLEsnp.com/the-lucky-few⁠

Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, and leave a review wherever you listen to The Lucky Few Podcast. We love hearing how these conversations are meeting you and your family.

Here’s to shifting the narrative for people with Down syndrome.

Back-to-school season brings more than new supplies and schedules—especially when you’re raising a child with Down syndrome. There are IEPs, appointments, transportation plans, medical information, therapies, emails, paperwork, and approximately 47 things nobody else in your house seems to remember.

Today, Heather sits down with professional organizer, Enneagram coach, and fellow Down syndrome mom Angela O’Brien to talk about creating organization that supports the life you actually have.

Angela explains why disability families often carry more physical and mental clutter, how delayed decisions contribute to the overwhelm, and why the goal isn’t a Pinterest-perfect home. She shares realistic systems for managing incoming paperwork, organizing digital records, simplifying morning and after-school transitions, and helping our kids become more independent.

Whether you create one place for every incoming paper, lower a backpack hook so your child can reach it, or spend five minutes tackling one drawer, small changes can give your family more time, energy, and capacity.

Friends, you don’t need to overhaul your entire life. Start small, build systems around your family’s natural rhythms, and give yourself some grace along the way.

Learn more from Angela:

• Your Space Reclaimed
• Listen to the Especially Organized Podcast
• Follow Your Space Reclaimed on Instagram

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Thank You to Our Sponsors

Down For Greens creates practitioner-formulated, third-party-tested greens specifically designed with the nutritional needs of the Down syndrome community in mind.

Learn more: https://downforgreens.co

Promo code: LUCKY — get 50% off your first order.

ENABLE Special Needs Planning helps families create coordinated plans for the future by bringing together the vision, financial, legal, and practical pieces of special needs planning.

Free resource: Who Will Carry What?
Download: https://ENABLEsnp.com/the-lucky-few

Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, and leave a review wherever you listen to The Lucky Few Podcast. We love hearing how these conversations are meeting you and your family.

Here’s to shifting the narrative for people with Down syndrome.