Walk With Me Mom: Burnout to Balance® – Season 4, Episode 39
The Things We Were Never Meant to Carry

Have you ever had that moment as an autism mom when you realize, “We’re entering a whole new chapter now”?

A new school. New teachers. New expectations. A bigger environment. And suddenly the familiar safety net you’ve carefully built doesn’t feel quite as close.

In this deeply personal episode, Nicki shares what it has looked like watching her non-verbal autistic son start middle school and the new kind of surrender required when your child’s world expands beyond your reach.

You’ll hear about:

• The unique challenges of transitions for autistic children who communicate differently
• Why the new environment has to learn your child just as much as your child has to adjust to it
• What it means to keep advocating while learning to trust other adults
• The difference between supporting your child and trying to control every part of their experience
• How faith becomes the anchor when you can’t be everywhere or know everything

This episode is for every autism mom navigating bigger transitions whether it’s a new school, a new stage of development, or simply watching your child step into spaces you can’t always enter with them. You’ll be reminded that letting go doesn’t mean letting go of your child. It means releasing the belief that you have to hold everything for them.

Featured Scripture
Proverbs 3:5-6 and Isaiah 41:10

Resources for Autism Moms

• One-on-one coaching: www.walkwithmemom.com
• Email: info@nickibradley.com
• Nicki’s book Walk With Me Mom: Taming the Overwhelm available on Amazon September 7th

Next Episode
What happens after we surrender? We’re talking about the space that opens up when we stop carrying everything and what we’re invited to make room for instead.

Until next time… keep finding joy in the small moments, connection in the unexpected ones, and grace for yourself along the way.

Two are better than one. Community is better than none.

Tomorrow belongs to God. Today is enough.

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Hey mama 💙 Thank you for being here. Send a message and let us know how this episode encouraged you in your autism motherhood journey.

Please email any questions, comments, to info@nickibradley.com

Don't forget to Like, Share & Subscribe!

Visit: www.walkwithmemom.com

Walk With Me Mom: Burnout to Balance® – Season 4, Episode 38
The Things We Were Never Meant to Carry

Have you ever looked at your autistic child and thought, “I know you’re trying to tell me something… I just need to figure out what it is”?

Maybe they don’t use the words you expected.

Maybe they don’t show affection the way you imagined.

Maybe they communicate through sounds, gestures, leading you by the hand, creativity, or even needing space.

In this heartfelt episode, Nicki shares what raising two very different autistic children has taught her: connection isn’t one-size-fits-all. Sometimes the most powerful shift we can make as autism moms is stopping the push for our children to communicate our way — and learning how to listen to theirs.

You’ll hear about:

• Why what works with one autistic child may not work with another
• The many ways non-speaking and differently communicating children already express “I need you,” “I’m happy,” or “I love you”
• How to stop focusing on the words they’re not saying and start noticing what they are saying
• Learning your child all over again as they grow (especially through the teenage years)
• The beautiful surrender of releasing old expectations so you can meet the version of your child who is unfolding right in front of you

If you’ve ever felt like you’re missing the connection you long for with your autistic child, this episode will help you see that they may already be inviting you into their world — if you’re willing to slow down and learn their language.

Resources for Autism Moms

• One-on-one coaching for balance and support: www.walkwithmemom.com
• Email: info@nickibradley.com
• New book Walk With Me Mom: Taming the Overwhelm will be available on Amazon September 1st

Next Episode

When Your Autistic Child’s World Gets Bigger | Learning to Let Go Without Letting Go

Until next time… keep finding joy in the small moments, connection in the unexpected ones, and grace for yourself along the way.

Hey mama 💙 Thank you for being here. Send a message and let us know how this episode encouraged you in your autism motherhood journey.

Please email any questions, comments, to info@nickibradley.com

Don't forget to Like, Share & Subscribe!

Visit: www.walkwithmemom.com

Walk With Me Mom: Burnout to Balance®

Season 4, Episode 37 The Things We Were Never Meant to Carry

When was the last time you did something that had nothing to do with being an autism mom?

Not packing sensory tools. Not answering school emails. Not managing medication, therapies, or the constant mental load. Just something that was simply for you.

If that question is hard to answer, you’re not alone. So many special needs moms quietly lose themselves in the role of caregiver. We become experts at meeting everyone else’s needs while our own dreams, interests, and identity slowly disappear under the weight of autism parenting.

In this raw and encouraging episode of the Surrender Series, Nicki opens up about what happens when being needed becomes your entire identity and how to begin finding yourself again without guilt.

You’ll discover:

• Why putting yourself last can start to feel like proof you’re a “good mom”
• How the mental load of autism motherhood causes so many women to stop asking “What do I need?”
• Why the goal isn’t returning to the woman you were before kids
• How to surrender the belief that you have to disappear in order to love your family well
• Practical permission to take up space in your own life again as a whole woman and autism mom

If you’ve ever felt like you’ve lost yourself in the daily demands of raising an autistic child, this episode will help you remember: you were never meant to disappear.

Resources for Autism Moms

• One-on-one coaching for burnout and balance: www.walkwithmemom.com
• Email Nicki: info@nickibradley.com
• New book Walk With Me Mom: Taming the Overwhelm - available on Amazon September 1st

Next Episode When Your Autistic Child Communicates Differently | Letting Go of Expectations and Learning Their Way

Until next time… keep finding joy in the small moments, connection in the unexpected ones, and grace for yourself along the way. Two are better than one. Community is better than none. Tomorrow belongs to God. Today is enough.

Hey mama 💙 Thank you for being here. Send a message and let us know how this episode encouraged you in your autism motherhood journey.

Please email any questions, comments, to info@nickibradley.com

Don't forget to Like, Share & Subscribe!

Visit: www.walkwithmemom.com