E25—What do you do when the child you imagined isn’t the child you have? Pastor Mike Erre experienced the slow dismantling of achievement-based parenting when his son with Down syndrome was born. If you’re exhausted by comparisons and milestones, this conversation invites a different way forward: noticing, delighting, and being with your child as they are.

00:00 Introduction and Personal Stories
03:06 Connecting with Your Child
06:54 Redefining Success and Celebration
11:40 Navigating Grief and Emotions
16:16 Building Connections and Community
19:01 How Dads Can Help Create a World of Belonging

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Voxology podcast
• Hope Heals Camp

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WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube

SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com

JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker

LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/

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ABOUT OUR GUEST:

Mike Erre is the lead pastor of Journey Church in Tennessee and speaks on faith, culture, and spiritual formation. He is also the author of several books and cohost of the Voxology podcast. He is a dad to three children, including their youngest son who has Down syndrome.

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Take the Next Step is produced in partnership with Hope Heals Camp. Hope Heals creates sacred spaces of belonging and belovedness for families affected by disabilities to experience sustaining hope in the context of inclusive, intentional, inter-ability communities. Find out more about our resources, gatherings, and inter-ability communities at hopeheals.com. Follow on Instagram: @hopeheals and @hopeheals.camp

We want to hear from you. Send us a text!

E24—"I don't know what life can look like for my child." If you've ever felt that, this episode is for you. Sheli Reynolds, PhD, is a leader in disability innovation. She joins Amy Julia Becker to share free, practical tools that support individuals and families experiencing disability in planning for friendship, independence, employment, and joy.

00:00 Dr. Sheli Reynolds and Disability Advocacy
03:40 Understanding the Lifecourse Framework
09:15 Tools for Envisioning a Good Future
12:29 Person-Centered Planning Explained
16:04 The Importance of Life Experiences
21:36 Taking the First Step: Practical Advice for Parents

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• LifeCourse (home page)
• Charting a LifeCourse Framework
• LifeCourse Facebook page

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WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube

SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com

JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker

LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/

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ABOUT OUR GUEST:

Sheli Reynolds is the lead developer of the Charting the LifeCourse framework and a national leader in person- and family-centered disability innovation. Her passion, knowledge, and experience comes from growing up as a sibling of a brother with developmental disabilities. She has spent her career advancing research, policy, and practices that support individuals and families across the lifespan. She serves as Associate Director at the UMKC Institute for Human Development, where she has worked for 28 years, and has held national leadership roles, including on the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. She has her Masters in Occupational Therapy from Rockhurst University and earned her doctorate in Public Administration and Sociology from the University of Missouri, Kansas City.

www.lifecoursenexus.org
https://www.linkedin.com/company/lifecoursenexus/
https://www.facebook.com/lifecoursenexus/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-sheli-reynolds-phd/

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Take the Next Step is produced in partnership with Hope Heals Camp. Hope Heals creates sacred spaces of belonging and belovedness for families affected by disabilities to experience sustaining hope in the context of inclusive, intentional, inter-ability communities. Find out more about our resources, gatherings, and inter-ability communities at hopeheals.com. Follow on Instagram: @hopeheals and @hopeheals.camp

We want to hear from you. Send us a text!

E23—The meals stop coming. The texts slow down. And suddenly you feel like you’re navigating disability alone. Friends can be great at showing up in a crisis, but how do you find community for your family when life stays hard day after month after year? Katherine Wolf, stroke survivor, mother, and disability advocate, shares her story with Amy Julia Becker. They consider:

• Grief
• Limits of toxic positivity
• Finding community that helps families survive and flourish

00:00 Introduction and Connection
03:37 Is a Good Future Possible?
08:45 The Role of Community in Healing
13:01 Sustaining Community Connections
18:31 Navigating Disappointment in Community
21:05 Creating Long-Term Connections
25:12 Taking Steps Towards Connection

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Hope Heals
• Hope Heals Camp
• GoodHard Story podcast
• Voxer

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WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube

SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com

JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker

LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/

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ABOUT OUR GUEST:

Katherine Wolf is an author, advocate, and co-founder of Hope Heals. After she survived a near-fatal brainstem stroke at age 26, her family’s journey through disability has become a public witness that good and hard can co-exist in the same story. Through caregiving, storytelling, and lived theology, Katherine is inviting others into a vision of hope, interdependence, and embodied resilience. She and her husband Jay live in Atlanta with their two sons.

Website: https://hopeheals.com/

Instagram accounts: @hopeheals; @opehealscamp; @mendcoffee

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Take the Next Step is produced in partnership with Hope Heals Camp. Hope Heals creates sacred spaces of belonging and belovedness for families affected by disabilities to experience sustaining hope in the context of inclusive, intentional, inter-ability communities. Find out more about our resources, gatherings, and inter-ability communities at hopeheals.com. Follow on Instagram: @hopeheals and @hopeheals.camp

We want to hear from you. Send us a text!