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The story begins with a hard reality many families face: a beloved child who may never speak. Jennifer McGee joins us to share Isaiah’s path through profound autism—years of isolation in a classroom with low expectations, a legal fight to enforce IDEA and FAPE, and the life-changing shift that came with the right ABA team. What unfolds is a blueprint for hope built on practical tools, persistent advocacy, and a refusal to accept “can’t learn” as a verdict.

We walk through the early signs and missed milestones, the shock of seeing services cut to the bone, and the decision to pursue litigation that forced a district to rebuild its special education program around functional skills. Then the pivot: implementing PECS properly, introducing a speech-generating tablet, and adapting signs to fit Isaiah’s motor abilities. Communication reduces distress and opens the door to progress—hygiene routines, haircuts without struggle, eating out safely, and meaningful community inclusion. Along the way, we talk about small accommodations with big impact, like a chair in a fast-casual line or booths that prevent elopement.

Jennifer also brings her artist’s lens to advocacy. Through Inclusive Art House and a book series beginning with Izzy Can’t Talk, she turns lived experience into accessible stories that teach nonverbal communication, social challenges, and public meltdowns with warmth and clarity. We celebrate Isaiah’s strengths—precision, humor, killer basketball shots; how about 25 in a row killer shots? —and stay honest about regressions that sometimes come about. Resources like the Profound Autism Alliance, airline and TSA practice programs, and social networks round out a toolkit families can use today.

If you care about special education, autism acceptance, and real-world strategies for nonverbal communication, this conversation offers both heart and how-to. Listen, share with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help more families find these stories.

Links for Jennifer McGee:

https://inclusivearthouse.com/pages/meet-the-team

LinkedIn: Jennifer McGee

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Big feelings don’t have to mean big blowups. We sit down with author and mom Sarah Hartley to unpack the real-world signals of ADHD and sensory processing disorder, why two siblings can present in opposite ways, and how small environmental tweaks can turn daily battles—showers, transitions, loud crowds—into manageable routines. Sarah takes us inside her home during the pandemic, when early intervention paused and anxiety surged. The fix wasn’t perfection. It was creativity: a DIY sensory gym with crash pads and a climbing wall, plus structured games that paired movement with focus to help organize input, not just add more of it.

Sarah also shares the heart behind Purposefully Me, her 14-book series for elementary kids. Centered on a fourth-grade classroom, the books tackle ADHD, autism, dyslexia, anxiety, bullying, school drills, and Down syndrome with warmth and clarity. The goal is simple and bold: help neurodivergent kids feel seen, give peers and teachers the right words, and move classrooms toward a strengths-based model that values hyperfocus, creativity, and curiosity. We talk candidly about masking, late diagnosis, and why representation—from classrooms to sports heroes—matters for self-belief.

The practical centerpiece is Sarah’s ALIGN method: Awareness, Listen and Label, Identify triggers, Grounding, and Nurture. She walks us through a fast, in-the-wild example at a packed baseball game that turned overwhelm into buy-in in under a minute. Whether you’re a caregiver, educator, or an adult managing your own sensory needs, you’ll leave with tools you can use today and a fresh lens on neurodiversity that spotlights strengths over deficits. If this conversation helps you or someone you love, subscribe, share the episode, and leave a review with your favorite takeaway—what part of ALIGN will you try first?

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What if the behavior you see as “disrespect” is actually distress asking for a safer way in? We sit down with Kevin Dahill-Fuschel of Counseling in Schools to unpack the practical heart of trauma-informed education: how to read behavior as information, build trust without lowering academic standards, and create classrooms where belonging fuels effort.

Kevin takes us inside decades of school-based counseling across New York City, from the aftermath of 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy to the long tail of COVID. He shares how teachers can shift daily interactions—simple compliments, noticing prosocial acts, realistic goals—to break cycles of suspension and avoidance. We talk about the power of community identity, why early-year rituals matter, and how interest-based groups help differentiation feel supportive instead of stigmatizing.

Bullying gets a hard reset for the smartphone era. Kevin explains why the true danger is invisibility online, and why limiting devices during school hours is boosting engagement and making harm easier to spot. You’ll hear actionable ideas: and ask better questions :What did you post? Who tagged you? How did it feel?—so problems surface early. We also argue for measuring social growth and hope alongside test scores, bringing basic mental health literacy into classrooms, and modeling adult regulation so students see what recovery looks like.

We close with nuts-and-bolts choices that shape culture, from co-creating community agreements about headphones to using free, bilingual tools from Counseling in Schools’ Partners in Healing hub. If you’re an educator, parent, or counselor, you’ll leave with strategies you can try tomorrow and resources to go deeper.

Kevin can be found at https://www.counselinginschools.org/team/kevin-dahill-fuchel/

Subscribe, share this with a colleague who needs a lift, and leave a review with your top takeaway so we can keep these conversations moving.

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What if your grandparents’ best stories didn’t fade with time—but could talk back when you needed them most? We sit down with founder Jeremy Horne to unpack how a childhood of mailing cassette tapes to his Nana Winny became the blueprint for Winny an app that nudges better questions, records family memories, and helps people build a living archive of their lives. Then we go deeper into Forever You, a conversational avatar that only says what you actually said—anchored by real video and audio proof.

Jeremy shares how leaving big-brand agency life wasn’t a leap into hype, but a return to purpose: reduce friction, raise the quality of conversation, and make it easy to preserve the stories that define us. You’ll hear how context-aware prompts bridge an 8-year-old and his 80-year-old granddad, why gentle guidance can help autistic family members join in, and how journaling shapes smarter questions over time. We get honest about risk, too: encryption, privacy controls, and the reality that anything digitized carries exposure. The answer isn’t fear; it’s transparency—digital signatures that show who authored an avatar and authenticity scores that link claims back to original recordings.

We also explore the tactile side of memory. QR codes on heirlooms turn a vase into a time capsule, while a “Storopedia” approach makes discovery simple at dinner or across continents. And the horizon is closer than it looks: voice-first experiences, wearables, and assistants that suggest, “Want to record this?” the moment a meaningful call starts. If you care about family history, social health, and designing technology that feels human, this conversation offers a practical, moving roadmap for capturing the people and stories you love.

To learn more, check out Jeremy Horne's website aforementioned in the episode https://foreveryou.life/. Go on your Apple Store to download with Winny App.

Listen now, subscribe for more thoughtful conversations on human connection and tech, and leave a review with the one story you’d want future generations to hear.

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Disclaimer: This is not to be taken as a therapy directive, but rather this is for learning and entertainment purposes only! Please consult with your physician and/or mental health care team to decide whether this approach is appropriate for you.

Sensitive topics such as trauma and SA are discussed in this episode.

What if the loudest story about bipolar disorder—the chemical imbalance—misses the point? We sit down with author and facilitator Sean Blackwell to peel back that narrative and explore bipolar through a wider lens: trauma held in the body, spiritual emergency as a potential breakthrough, and why empathetic presence can do what power struggles never will.

Sean recounts his own 1996 crisis that looked like acute psychosis yet became a turning point that reshaped his life. From supporting his wife’s nieces through multiple episodes to building retreats rooted in holotropic-style breathwork, he shows how non-ordinary states can surface buried memories, emotions, and meaning.

You’ll hear specific case studies, including a client whose years-long coccyx pain disappeared after a powerful somatic release and another who reclaimed traumatic memories months after retreat, finally aligning emotional truth with experience.

If you’re curious about alternatives to one-size-fits-all approach, this conversation offers a compassionate, grounded path: respect biology, honor the body, and allow meaning to emerge. For books, videos, training, and retreat details, visit https://www.bipolarawakenings.com/ If this perspective resonated, follow the show, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review to help others find it.

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We explore why caring for caregivers of neurodivergent people must come first and how small, consistent habits can reverse burnout. Eleonora Magri shares practical sensory strategies, community resources, and a mindset shift that prioritizes human needs over rigid protocols.

• expanding caregiving beyond elder care
• why caregiver wellbeing is the first treatment step
• meeting parents where they are and pacing for readiness
• naming early burnout signs and reframing urgency
• sensory self-care that calms the nervous system
• low-cost strategies that fit short windows of time
• building a support village and ending isolation
• practitioner humility and human-first practice
• grief, guilt and giving emotions space
• introducing Inclusive and the Caregiver Balance Sheet

Go to www.inclusi.org and download the Caregiver Balance Sheet

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Struggle with reading doesn’t mean a child can’t learn; it means they haven’t been taught in a way their brain can use. We sit down with Daniela Feldhausen—who left a 25-year law career to build Kids Up Reading Tutors—to unpack how precise screening and science-backed instruction turn confusion into clarity for students with dyslexia and dysgraphia. No buzzwords, just a workable roadmap: phonological awareness to hear sounds, phonics patterns that match English’s quirks, and morphology to decode and spell longer words with confidence.

We walk through the intake process parents can expect, from conversation to screeners that reveal whether the problem is decoding or language comprehension. Daniela explains the simple view of reading and shows why explicit, systematic teaching is the most reliable route to fluent reading and accurate spelling. You’ll hear concrete examples—AI saying A, the silent e and doubling rules, ED’s three sounds—and how these patterns become automatic through guided practice. We also tackle the real-world puzzle of IEPs: how to request evaluations in writing, set meaningful goals, and coordinate with special education teams without losing sight of foundational skills when school pacing surges ahead.

What stands out is the hope. Older learners can still become fluent. Progress shows up on school benchmarks, placements change, and confidence rebounds when instruction matches the student’s needs. If you’re a parent feeling anxious or overwhelmed, this conversation delivers clarity and next steps you can take today to support your child’s reading journey.

If this helped, tap follow, share with another parent who needs some hope, and leave a review so more families can find these tools. To learn more, please visit https://www.kidsupreadingtutors.com/

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Trigger Warning: Suicide

The hardest part isn’t finding the perfect words—it’s showing up without judgment. We sit down with Helping Heroes founder Tony DeMaio to share a clear, compassionate playbook for preventing suicide among veterans, first responders, and anyone you love who might be slipping into isolation. From the earliest warning signs to practical safety steps, this conversation is built to help you notice sooner and act with confidence.

Tony traces his journey from coaching and cycling events with hundreds of veterans to launching community workshops that put tools in people’s hands. We map the common spiral—withdrawal, depression, substances—and highlight the quieter signals too: prized possessions given away, sudden calm after despair, hygiene changes, or finances rapidly “put in order.” You’ll learn how to start hard conversations with care, why asking about suicide doesn’t plant the idea, and how to avoid fixer mode by asking better questions that invite agency.

We go deep on real-world tactics: securing firearms and medications, staying present while someone calls 988, and assembling support circles that include peers, chaplains, union leads, and local resources like American Legion posts and bereavement groups. Tony shares stories that reveal how unspoken trauma fuels shame and loneliness, and why confidential spaces and community rituals—barbecues, rides, faith practices—can transform pain into connection. We also cover high-risk industries such as construction, healthcare, and law enforcement, and preview Tony’s new book, Silent Battle, a practical guide with checklists and scripts to use when minutes matter.

If you’ve ever worried you’ll say the wrong thing, this is your guide to showing up the right way: present, patient, and prepared. Listen, share it with a friend, and help us build a culture where asking for help is strength. If this moved you, subscribe, leave a review, and pass it on to someone who needs it today.

Also visit helpingheroesusa.org to gather more information and see how to become more involved.