Brave Together Podcast: Support and Community for Caregiving Moms

Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to episode #271, a Thriving Neurodivergent Adult episode, where we hear directly from neurodivergent adults about their experiences, perspectives, and the insights they can share with our community of caregiving moms.
Today, Jessica Patay and Susanna Peace Lovell sit down with Sunita Theiss, a late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD mom raising neurodivergent children.
Sunita shares her journey toward understanding her own neurodivergence, including the cultural expectations and attitudes that shaped how she viewed disability and diagnosis. She discusses what it was like navigating the diagnostic process for herself and her children, and how greater self-understanding has influenced her approach to parenting.
Together, Jessica, Susanna, and Sunita explore PDA, commonly referred to as Pathological Demand Avoidance or Persistent Drive for Autonomy, and why understanding a child's need for autonomy can change the way we respond to challenging moments. They discuss parenting strategies that emphasize flexibility, collaboration, and connection rather than rigid expectations.
Sunita also reflects on the importance of creating genuinely inclusive spaces for neurodivergent families, particularly in schools, churches, and other community settings. She shares how her own experiences have influenced her career, her advocacy, and her commitment to storytelling as a way to create greater understanding.
Throughout the conversation, they return to the importance of self-compassion, vulnerability, and allowing ourselves to be imperfect. Parenting neurodivergent children while navigating your own neurodivergence can bring unique challenges, but it can also create opportunities for deeper understanding, stronger relationships, and personal growth.
Sunita offers a particularly meaningful reminder for caregiving moms: You don't have to be perfect. You can make mistakes, repair, learn, and keep showing up for your children.
Whether you're navigating a new diagnosis, raising neurodivergent children, or discovering more about yourself along the way, this conversation is a reminder that understanding and acceptance can begin with giving ourselves permission to be human.
We see you, and we love you!
We are incredibly grateful to Rise Educational Advocacy for sponsoring Season 11 of Brave Together Podcast and for supporting our mission to strengthen and encourage caregiving moms. Find more here.
Find more information about Sunita Theiss here.
Find more information about Life Coach, Susanna Peace Lovell here.
Find Susanna’s book, Your True Self is Enough here.
Find our first book from We Are Brave Together, Becoming Brave Together here.
Find our second book from We Are Brave Together, Suddenly Brave Together here. 
Find FULL episodes and clips of our podcast on Youtube here.
Brave Together is the podcast for We are Brave Together, a not-for-profit organization based in the USA. The heart of We Are Brave Together is to strengthen, encourage, inspire and validate all moms of children with disabilities and other needs in their unique journeys. 
JOIN the international community of We Are Brave Together here. 
Donate to support all of We Are Brave Together's programs and offerings here. 
Can’t get enough of the Brave Together Podcast? Follow us on Instagram , Facebook and Youtube. 
Feel free to contact Jessica Patay via email: jpatay@wearebravetogether.org 
If you have any topic requests or if you would like to share a story, leave us a message here.
Please leave a review and rating today! We thank you in advance!
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Hello Bravies! This is an Ask Us Anything episode in which YOU, the listener, get to write or call in and, you guessed it, ask us anything!
In this Ask Us Anything episode, #270, Jessica Patay, Susanna Peace Lovell, and Dr. Zoe are responding to the following listener question:
“What makes us angry as caregivers?”
Today, we're talking about something many caregiving moms experience but don't always feel comfortable expressing: anger.
Women are often taught that anger is something to suppress, hide, or apologize for. But what happens when you're navigating the relentless demands of caregiving, fighting for services and support, and confronting systems that repeatedly fail your family? Sometimes anger is not only understandable, but a completely appropriate response to injustice.
Jessica, Susanna, and Dr. Zoe explore the many layers of anger, including how it can mask fear or sadness, how it can turn inward as self-criticism, and how it can also become a powerful motivator for advocacy and change.
They share personal experiences with systemic barriers, dismissive comments, and the emotional exhaustion that comes from constantly having to explain or defend their children's needs. They also discuss practical ways to recognize and express anger in healthy ways, from identifying what your anger is telling you to finding physical outlets, practicing self-compassion, and connecting with people who understand.
And importantly, they remind us that anger doesn't have to be something we fix or eliminate. Sometimes it's a signal that something needs to change, a boundary has been crossed, or an injustice deserves our attention.
If you've ever felt guilty for being angry, struggled to express your frustration, or wondered whether you're the only mom who feels this way, this conversation is for you.
Your anger doesn't make you a bad mom. It makes you human.
Keep the vulnerable conversations coming. We're here to support you!
We see you, and we love you!
We are incredibly grateful to Rise Educational Advocacy for sponsoring Season 11 of Brave Together Podcast and for supporting our mission to strengthen and encourage caregiving moms. Find more information about Rise here. 
Find more information about Licensed Psychotherapist, Dr. Zoe here. 
Find Dr. Zoe’s book, Stronger in the Difficult Places: Heal Your Relationship with Yourself by Untangling Complex Shame here.
Find more information about Life Coach, Susanna Peace Lovell here.
Find Susanna’s book, Your True Self is Enough here.
Find our first book from We Are Brave Together, Becoming Brave Together here.
Find our second book from We Are Brave Together, Suddenly Brave Together here. 
Find FULL episodes and clips of our podcast on Youtube here.
Brave Together is the podcast for We are Brave Together, a not-for-profit organization based in the USA. The heart of We Are Brave Together is to strengthen, encourage, inspire and validate all moms of children with disabilities and other needs in their unique journeys. 
JOIN the international community of We Are Brave Together here. 
Donate to support all of We Are Brave Together's programs and offerings here. 
Can’t get enough of the Brave Together Podcast? Follow us on Instagram , Facebook and Youtube. 
Feel free to contact Jessica Patay via email: jpatay@wearebravetogether.org 
If you have any topic requests or if you would like to share a story, leave us a message here.
Please leave a review and rating today! We thank you in advance!
Disclaimer

Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to today’s Story episode, #269. These are true stories from a moment in the life of someone connected to the caregiving experience. We hear a crafted story, and then have a conversation with our guest that goes deeper into their experience.
Today, Jessica Patay and Susanna Peace Lovell sit down with Sheena Brevig, who shares her experience growing up with a disabled brother and what it has meant to navigate life as a sibling, or "sib."
For many sibs, their family experience is simply what they've always known. But as they grow older, they may begin to recognize how their sibling's disability has shaped their identity, relationships, responsibilities, and understanding of themselves.
Sheena reflects on the cultural expectations surrounding family and caregiving, the complicated emotions that can come with being a sib, and the importance of having language to describe experiences that often go unspoken.
Together, they explore how therapy, self-reflection, and storytelling can help siblings better understand their experiences. Sheena also discusses the power of representation in films like Wonder and how seeing sibling experiences reflected in stories can offer validation and connection.
Jessica, Susanna, and Sheena also discuss what caregiving moms can do to support all of their children, including making space for difficult emotions, encouraging independence, and allowing siblings to develop identities beyond their roles within the family.
Perhaps most importantly, Sheena reminds us that siblings don't have to feel grateful or positive about every part of their experience. They can love their brother or sister deeply while also acknowledging that some parts of growing up with disability in the family are difficult.
For the sibs listening, your feelings are valid, your story matters, and you are not alone. And for the caregiving moms raising multiple children, this conversation offers an opportunity to better understand and support the sibling experience.
We see you, and we love you!
We are incredibly grateful to Rise Educational Advocacy for sponsoring Season 11 of Brave Together Podcast and for supporting our mission to strengthen and encourage caregiving moms. Find more information about Rise here. 
Follow Sheena Brevig on social media here.
Follow Sib as a Human here.
Find more information about Life Coach, Susanna Peace Lovell here.
Find Susanna’s book, Your True Self is Enough here.
Find our first book from We Are Brave Together, Becoming Brave Together here.
Find our second book from We Are Brave Together, Suddenly Brave Together here. 
Find FULL episodes and clips of our podcast on Youtube here.
Brave Together is the podcast for We are Brave Together, a not-for-profit organization based in the USA. The heart of We Are Brave Together is to strengthen, encourage, inspire and validate all moms of children with disabilities and other needs in their unique journeys. 
JOIN the international community of We Are Brave Together here. 
Donate to support all of We Are Brave Together's programs and offerings here. 
Can’t get enough of the Brave Together Podcast? Follow us on Instagram , Facebook and Youtube. 
Feel free to contact Jessica Patay via email: jpatay@wearebravetogether.org 
If you have any topic requests or if you would like to share a story, leave us a message here.
Please leave a review and rating today! We thank you in advance!
Disclaimer

Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to today’s Expert episode, #268, with Richard Spurling. These are conversations with experts in fields relevant to caregiving moms.
Today, Jessica Patay and Susanna Peace Lovell sit down with Richard Spurling, founder of ACEing Autism, to talk about creating inclusive opportunities for autistic and neurodivergent children through tennis.
Richard shares how ACEing Autism began, how the organization has grown, and what he has learned from years of adapting tennis instruction to meet children where they are. What may begin as learning how to hold a racket or hit a ball can also create opportunities to develop motor skills, body awareness, confidence, social skills, and connection.
They also explore what it takes to build a truly inclusive sports program—from recruiting and training volunteers to making programs financially accessible and creating an environment where children with different needs and abilities can participate.
But the community doesn't end on the tennis court. Richard discusses the relationships that develop between families, the role of parent support networks, and why programs like ACEing Autism can offer families something that extends far beyond the sport itself.
Richard also shares some of the children whose progress has stayed with him, the organization's plans for continued expansion, and his ambitious goal of reaching 500 programs by 2030.
Whether your child already loves sports or you've wondered whether there is a place where they could comfortably participate, this conversation is a reminder of what can happen when we adapt the opportunity to the child instead of asking the child to adapt to the opportunity.
We see you, and we love you!
We are incredibly grateful to Rise Educational Advocacy for sponsoring Season 11 of Brave Together Podcast and for supporting our mission to strengthen and encourage caregiving moms.
Find more about ACEing Autism here. 
Find more information about Life Coach, Susanna Peace Lovell here.
Find Susanna’s book, Your True Self is Enough here.
Find our first book from We Are Brave Together, Becoming Brave Together here.
Find our second book from We Are Brave Together, Suddenly Brave Together here. 
Find FULL episodes and clips of our podcast on Youtube here.
Brave Together is the podcast for We are Brave Together, a not-for-profit organization based in the USA. The heart of We Are Brave Together is to strengthen, encourage, inspire and validate all moms of children with disabilities and other needs in their unique journeys. 
JOIN the international community of We Are Brave Together here. 
Donate to support all of We Are Brave Together's programs and offerings here. 
Can’t get enough of the Brave Together Podcast? Follow us on Instagram , Facebook and Youtube. 
Feel free to contact Jessica Patay via email: jpatay@wearebravetogether.org 
If you have any topic requests or if you would like to share a story, leave us a message here.
Please leave a review and rating today! We thank you in advance!
Disclaimer

Hello Brave Friends! Today we have a special collaboration episode with Sarah Trott and Esther Gallagher of the Fourth Trimester Podcast, hosted by Jessica Patay and Susanna Peace Lovell.
We spend so much time preparing for pregnancy and birth, but what about everything that happens after the baby arrives?
Sarah and Esther join Jessica and Susanna for a conversation about the fourth trimester and why postpartum support deserves far more attention than it often receives. They explore the physical and emotional changes that happen after birth, the concept of matrescence, and why postpartum isn't necessarily a short period that ends after a few weeks or months.
They also discuss the role of postpartum doulas and other support professionals, the importance of building a support system before it's needed, and the ways community and extended family can affect maternal mental health and well-being.
The conversation looks beyond individual families, too. Sarah and Esther discuss barriers to accessing postpartum care, gaps in birth and postpartum education, the role of medical professionals, and the systemic changes needed to better support mothers and families. They also explore what we can learn from cultures and traditions that have historically treated postpartum recovery as a time when mothers should be cared for rather than expected to immediately return to normal.
For caregiving moms, this conversation also raises an important question: What happens when an already challenging postpartum season includes medical complexities, disabilities, or other unexpected needs? Jessica, Susanna, Sarah, and Esther discuss the importance of education, advocacy, community, and creating systems of support that recognize the needs of the whole family.
Whether you're preparing for postpartum, reflecting on your own experience, or looking for ways we can better care for mothers during this enormous life transition, this conversation is a reminder that support shouldn't be a luxury.
We see you, and we love you!
We are incredibly grateful to Rise Educational Advocacy for sponsoring Season 11 of Brave Together Podcast and for supporting our mission to strengthen and encourage caregiving moms. Find more info on Rise Educational Advocacy here. 
Find more on The Fourth Trimester podcast here. 
Subscribe to The Fourth Trimester podcast here. 
Find more information about Life Coach, Susanna Peace Lovell here.
Find Susanna’s book, Your True Self is Enough here.
Find our first book from We Are Brave Together, Becoming Brave Together here.
Find our second book from We Are Brave Together, Suddenly Brave Together here. 
Find FULL episodes and clips of our podcast on Youtube here.
Brave Together is the podcast for We are Brave Together, a not-for-profit organization based in the USA. The heart of We Are Brave Together is to strengthen, encourage, inspire and validate all moms of children with disabilities and other needs in their unique journeys. 
JOIN the international community of We Are Brave Together here. 
Donate to support all of We Are Brave Together's programs and offerings here. 
Can’t get enough of the Brave Together Podcast? Follow us on Instagram , Facebook and Youtube. 
Feel free to contact Jessica Patay via email: jpatay@wearebravetogether.org 
If you have any topic requests or if you would like to share a story, leave us a message here.
Please leave a review and rating today! We thank you in advance!
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