This episode of The Load We Carry explores autism not as an isolated diagnosis, but as a force that reshapes entire family systems. Instead of focusing only on the autistic child, this conversation centers the invisible labor mothers carry every day — the constant regulation, sensory mapping, advocacy, emotional buffering, and anticipatory planning that rarely gets acknowledged. It examines how caregiving at this level reorganizes time, relationships, identity, and even the nervous system itself. With honesty and compassion, this episode validates the exhaustion, complexity, grief, pride, and love that coexist in autism parenting, while reframing maternal hypervigilance and depletion as adaptive responses to prolonged demand — not personal failure. It is an invitation to see the whole system, to honor the work happening before anyone else notices it, and to remind mothers that their load is real, intelligent, and worthy of support.

https://www.canva.com/design/DAHBDvYFPao/cw-8dBP95uE0IaKYYTrIQA/view?utm_content=DAHBDvYFPao&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h6c05b1657e

In this episode of The Load We Carry, Emily Mori explores how autism reshapes entire family systems, especially for mothers who carry the invisible labor of regulation, advocacy, and emotional support. She highlights how daily life becomes organized around sensory needs, transitions, school systems, and healthcare demands, requiring constant vigilance and adaptation. Through clinical insight and personal reflection, Emily names the exhaustion, grief, and identity shifts that often go unspoken in autism parenting. She emphasizes that functioning “well” in public usually reflects hours of unseen preparation and co-regulation behind the scenes. This episode offers validation, compassion, and hope for caregivers navigating complex systems while learning to care for themselves alongside their families.

https://www.canva.com/design/DAHAfDpDHvY/GVF5nD_HhcDbWPX7cW25gw/view?utm_content=DAHAfDpDHvY&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h73affc3e14

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uzrx5A_9hiiKju7O8TqO0YIrllfPvFKu/view?usp=sharing

High-Functioning Burnout looks like holding everything together on the outside while quietly falling apart on the inside. In this episode, Emily explores what happens when chronic stress stops being situational and becomes your baseline. We talk about nervous system overload, invisible labor, survival mode, and why so many mothers feel exhausted, anxious, and disconnected despite “doing everything right.” This is a compassionate, science-informed conversation about why you are not weak, broken, or failing and what real, sustainable healing actually looks like.

Listener Reflection Guide Episode 2:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAG_jDxtfjQ/jeNSCkK6XR-COABeHQVuAQ/view?utm_content=DAG_jDxtfjQ&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h6b8207b5f7

https://emilymori.com/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/emily-mori-aberdeen-md/401510

https://emilymori.learnworlds.com/courses