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Happy New Year! In this episode I give you a task or challenge, if you will, to say goodbye to 2020 in a strong and healthy way. 

Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/
Website: https://www.kararyska.com/

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I’m feeling extra vulnerable this week.  I have been struggling with the holidays on my plate, on top of everything else. I don’t want to miss out on the fun, so I’m sharing how to shift my perspective to enjoy this time of the year. 

Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/
Website: https://www.kararyska.com/

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016 Hey all you listeners! This week I am talking with Donna Sandoval. We ended up having a lot in common with the struggles we face surrounding our special needs child. Donna shares about the transformations she’s gone through from becoming a special needs mom to her weight loss journey and finally coming to the place to be a light for others (and herself!)

Donna talks about how easy it is for anyone to focus on the highlight reels of other parents on social media. It’s an easy trap to fall into and she wanted to change that. She started sharing as a form of therapy and says if she can help even one person, it’s worth it. 

Donna shares her weight loss journey.  She says she needed to change NOW, and mentions the importance of self-love and accountability. It was more for her than her weight, her mentality was in such a bad place it was affecting every part of her life. She now knows the value of harnessing those negative thoughts in productive ones.

Connect with Donna:
IG: https://instagram.com/determineddonna

Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/
Website: https://www.kararyska.com/

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015  What if you are the best parent in the world and you've given it all and your child STILL doesn't how act you thought they would.

It can start to spin you into feeling more and more out of control and stuck. In this episode, I unpack a lot more insight around this and give you some thought to consider.

And to my very special podcast listeners, I am offering a completely complimentary session I am where I will teach you the Path to Peace Process. Once you get it, it's the 5 mins process that will change your life forever. All you need to do is click here, fill out the form and we'll make a date.

Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/
Website: https://www.kararyska.com/

Send us a text (Note: we are not able to respond but LOVE to hear from you!!)

014  This week I’m sharing my conversation with Melanie Oates. Melanie as a mother of two special needs children, a single working mother and a founder of a nonprofit organization, Here For a Reason. 

We touch on topics like self-care, daily balance, divorce and her nonprofit. 

Melanie is a working mom and often has unpredictable days because of her children’s unique needs and abilities. She says that it often helps to go into the day understanding that she needs to have a balance in her mindset for the day. She shares that she’s has mental struggles in the past and she knows she needs a clear headspace to make sure that she can successfully maneuver her work and her children in distance-learning. 

When I brought up the topic of taking care of herself, we realized sometimes she does stop short. Melanie describes that she has an inner dialogue that some days “she’s done enough for herself” and doesn’t want to keep pushing. The more we talked we realized she was doing this more for other people and not for herself. I love having these moments of realization with other moms!

Melanie explained how she met so many roadblocks while trying to get care and financial relief with her own children and how difficult it can be. All of the extra things add up quickly and the process is so difficult. She founded the nonprofit, HFAR, to help lighten the load for other families who are on a similar journey. 

Melanie also opens up about her divorce. She describes life as a new mom, in college, married, and trying to figure out the needs of her children.  On her way, she says how much social media has become to her. She describes it like one huge family. It’s a place for her to share freely and build important connections with other parents. 

I definitely encourage you to follow her on Instagram or reach out if you want to talk more about anything.

Get the Self Care Guide (It's FREE)!

Connect with Melanie:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/wearebravetogether/
Non-Profit: https://hereforareason.org/
Website: https://melanieoates.com/

Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/
Website: https://www.kararyska.com/

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013  In this episode, I want you to shift your focus on life and hardships. For so long, I thought I had to make it through these tough times and it would be smooth sailing.  Something will always happen in life. And one day, during a church sermon, I realized I need to find the good things in my life and actually recognize them! 

You don’t have to be wholly grateful or wholly miserable. There can be a balance between having a really hard life (or circumstances) and still having gratitude for things within our lives. 

Ways to feel more grateful:

1. Let there be both, consciously. Good and bad.  
2. Bring it close and bring it small. Today I am grateful for… it doesn’t have to be something large and intangible. 
3. Express it. Write a letter or note and deliver it!
4. Keep a gratitude journal. 

Click HERE for the FREE Gratitude Practice Guide created to support this episode.

Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/
Website: https://www.kararyska.com/

Send us a text (Note: we are not able to respond but LOVE to hear from you!!)

012 This week I am talking with Kim Nothdruft.  Kim and her husband have 5 children, their oldest has a rare condition, CDKL5. I have been following her life (online) for awhile now and I am excited we got into some real talk this week. 

Kim focuses on using laughter as a coping mechanism in her life. She shares that her parenting philosophy is to take what she does well and run with it. Parents can’t ever be perfect, but we can take the skills that we have and thrive with those. 

Kim and I both agree that it’s so important in life to take responsibility for how we show up and how that impacts everyone around us. Positivity (usually) attracts positively. As moms with chaotic lives, we can see the benefits of bringing the right attitude to the table. 

Kim amplifies her belief that all moms have this special inner strength, the strength to do hard things and push through hard situations with their children. She wants moms to know that they can and would be able to be strong, if they had to. 

Finally we talk about how we try to keep an open mind and an open heart about other struggles moms are going through. This ties back to my previous episode about pain comparison. Kim says she can tap in and feel compassion for others, even if their problems seem “less” than what she’s gone through. 

Connect with Kim:
IG: https://instagram.com/calm_amongst_chaos



Full Show Notes 

Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/
Website: https://www.kararyska.com/

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011: There is no competition for who has it worse, so why do we operate like there is one?  This week, I’m talking about how comparing pain/struggles can really damage the way we process the experiences in our life and our ability to fully feel our emotions. 

It doesn’t matter than our specific experience or situation isn’t as bad as someone else’s; it’s still hard for us. 

What if we allowed ourselves to not shut down our emotions because we don’t think it’s a big deal or it could be worse?  What if we let it be a big deal?  This is the pathway to more of what we want in our life! 

Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/
Website: https://www.kararyska.com/

Send us a text (Note: we are not able to respond but LOVE to hear from you!!)

010 -  Hello! This week I am joined by Jeannie Schnur. Jeannie actually reached out to me with her story after I began the podcast and I’m so happy she did. In the episode, we talk about how important it is to find a group or organization to get connected with, we talk more about self-care, and about how to get into your community with your special needs stories. 

Jeannie is a mom to three, her oldest son has a seizure disorder called Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome. This means he could have multiple seizures a day, among other concerns. Jeannie starts by telling us how important it is to find other parents, families, groups; that you can relate to and find more information. 

We talked about how to combat unpleasant feelings and look for the positive side of things, daily. Jeannie shared how she loves upbeat music, being outdoors, deep breaths and purposely connecting to what’s good and brings her joy.  

When we got down to talking about self-care, we both came to the conclusion that its easy to feel guilty about taking time for ourselves. We also agreed that it was self-imposed guilt and we need to break free from it! Her motto is doing self-care that actually makes her feel better about herself. 

Jeannie’s  belief is that helping others can shift the focus off our own worries and struggles. A big project she was involved in is making a comic book based on her son’s journey. With the help of the company Medikidz, she was able to shine a light on LGS and give other kids and teens a look into that world. 

I can’t wait to see what else Jeannie accomplishes and I’m so happy we had her share her journey on the show.

Connect with Jeannie:
IG: https://instagram.com/jenesnr

Full Show Notes

Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/
Website: https://www.kararyska.com/

Send us a text (Note: we are not able to respond but LOVE to hear from you!!)

009:
Hello and thanks for being here for another episode. This week is a shorter, solo episode; but I discuss some of my recent struggles and real life happenings. 

Between a migraine and a couple foot injuries, it just wasn’t in the cards to run. I went for a walk and was struggling with myself over not being able to run.  And that’s okay! 

I talk about how important it is to be where you are right now, and be okay with that. It may not be a comfortable emotion every time, but we need to tap in and feel all the range of emotions we’re capable of experiencing. 

It’s so important to listen to what we need and try to help ourselves (remember my self care episode?) But I caution you, it’s not always instant or magical. The more we practice, the better we can get to lean into our feelings and learn about best self care for ourselves!

Whether you’re struggling with quarantine, your children, your job, or even your marriage; keep trying and keep moving forward!

Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/
Website: https://www.kararyska.com/