You Can’t Fight Every Battle: Why Smart Advocates Learn to Say No

/
You Can’t Fight Every Battle: Why Smart Advocates Learn to Say No

When you’re passionate about a cause, it’s easy to say yes when asked to help. But saying yes too quickly is a sure-fire way to drain your batteries.

This is a hard lesson that took me years to learn. I had a difficult time saying no, thinking, If I didn’t jump into help who would.

But when volunteer overload began to affect my physical and mental health, I realized it was time to take a step back and be strategic on how - and where - I spend my time.

Read More

You Can’t Avoid Caregiver Burnout—But You Can Lighten the Load

/
You Can’t Avoid Caregiver Burnout—But You Can Lighten the Load

When I first sat down to write this article, I titled it – How to Avoid Caregiver Burnout. But as I was reflecting on my own personal experience supporting my autistic child and adult brother, it became clear this just isn’t possible. However, there are some things you can do to minimize the impact on your mental and physical health.

Read More

Why Getting a Diagnosis Matters

/
Why Getting a Diagnosis Matters

Over the years as a speaker and advocate, I often have people say to me – oh I know my child is (insert condition) but I don’t see the point of getting a diagnosis. Or – I know I have (insert condition) so I don’t need a diagnosis.

Each time I hear this it takes all my effort to keep my internal voice from screaming at them – having a diagnosis matters!!

In the age of Dr. Google, we have a wealth of information at our fingertips. While it’s great to be able to educate yourself on a condition, it’s important to remember you are not a medical professional (and even if you are, you need an unbiased opinion).

Read More

Why You Need to Stop Using Stakeholder (And What to Say Instead)

/
Why You Need to Stop Using Stakeholder (And What to Say Instead)

One of the perks of being a keynote speaker is attending a lot of conferences. As someone who’s committed to continual learning, I always stay to learn from the other speakers. This not only helps me connect with the audience (reading the room before I speak) but also keeps me current in my public relations practice.

A big learning for me – one that I implemented a couple of years ago, but still see many clients using - is removing the word stakeholder from my vocabulary.

Read More

Building Bridges, Not Barriers: Why Relationships Matter in Advocacy

/
Building Bridges, Not Barriers: Why Relationships Matter in Advocacy

Not only do I spend a lot of time helping people strengthen their advocacy skills, I also spend countless hours advocating for my own family members. While there are times I’d love to shout and say what I really feel, I believe in the saying: you can attract more bees with honey.

This is why I focus on building relationships – even in challenging situations.

Read More

Decades Later, the Fight for Educational Supports for Kids with Disabilities Remains Unchanged

/
Decades Later, the Fight for Educational Supports for Kids with Disabilities Remains Unchanged

This summer, I spent time cleaning out my parents’ basement. Having lived in the same house for over 50 years, it was a treasure trove of old magazines, family photos, expired foods, vases and so much more.

One of the interesting things I came across in my purging was a binder from the 1980s about my brother. I know many parents and caregivers of kids with disabilities are familiar with this binder (I have a few in my house). It’s a summary of letters to the school, medical and therapy reports, assessments, and report cards.

Read More

The Power of Setting (and Respecting) Boundaries

/
The Power of Setting (and Respecting) Boundaries

I recently wrote an article on Why Family Can Be the Most Challenging Advocacy Conversations. Not only did the content strike a chord with readers, it also generated much conversation about the importance of setting boundaries. 

Readers had questions on how to set boundaries, share these boundaries with others and enforce boundaries. This is also a hot topic with my coaching clients when it comes to their professional and personal lives.

Since I spend a lot of time talking about boundaries, I wanted to share some tips to help you set and respect your boundaries.

Read More

Why Family Can be the Most Challenging Advocacy Conversations

/
Why Family Can be the Most Challenging Advocacy Conversations

Over the last month, I’ve delivered a number of workshops on How to Share Your Story and Advocate for Change. In discussions with participants about advocacy challenges a common theme has emerged – conversations with family members.

While you’d hope that family members would be non-judgemental and supportive of individuals with disabilities, sadly this isn’t always the case. They can be the harshest critics.

Read More

How Your Parent Expertise Can Help Teachers

/
How Your Parent Expertise Can Help Teachers

When my child was first diagnosed with ADHD, I was completely overwhelmed. I wasn’t sure how to help him or what resources were available. As additional diagnoses were added to the list, I decided it was time to get educated.

Simply put – I’ve become a semi-expert on my son (acknowledging he’s the true expert).

This means I often (if not always) know how to motivate and support my son more than his teachers, support staff or other family members.

Armed with all this knowledge, I encourage you to share your learnings with your child’s teachers.

Read More

Navigating Gaslighting When Advocating for Your Child

/
Navigating Gaslighting When Advocating for Your Child

Have you ever advocated for your child only to have your words twisted and facts distorted to the point where you question what’s true? Sadly, one real challenge that way too many parents and caregivers face when advocating for their kids is gaslighting.

 Wikipedia defines gaslighting as “manipulating someone into questioning their own perception of reality.”

Learn how to prevent this from happening to you or responding when it’s clearly gaslighting.

Read More