The Acting Up Podcast

This past week we celebrated Jordan's 1st birthday, got to see Jon's brother and new wife (who is amazing), and experienced Mother's Day. 

This is a complicated episode with lots of feelings and allll my opinions right up and out there. 

I issue a trigger warning for anyone who is Anti-choice. This episode may not be for you. This "Heartbeat Bill" is an attack on women. Plain and simple. 

Listen at your own risk. 

This week I talk about dealing with frustrations, disappointments, and navigating changes in Jackson's support team. I express my unhappiness with how situations were handled and acknowledge how much further I've had to come since learning to advocate for myself and for Jackson. 

Get ready for my tears. They flow pretty freely in this episode. I talk about the role of being a mother vs. an actor and how they co-exist but it's a real challenge. I address the crisis of childcare and how imposter syndrome can cause even the strongest people to feel weak and helpless. Thanks, as always, for listening. 

This was both a wonderful and rough week. We had some amazing wins and some really sad and hard moments. 
I get vulnerable about my issues with "being funny" (or my concerns about NOT being funny). 
It's a mish-mosh of good and bad - pretty much just like life, right? 

GLOSSARY: 
BCBA - Board Certified Behavioral Analyst
Social Story - a story that is tailored to help navigate feelings and expectations about new experiences or transitions. 

This week we attended a few scheduled events (details below!). After chatting with a mom at one of the events I realized my own assumptions and biases and how thankful we are to have a formal diagnosis of autism for Jackson. There's a lot to unpack here but stick with it, it's worth listening to the end. 

Events: 
Chicago Children's Museum - Play For All series 
https://www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org/index.php/about/accessibility-inclusion

C.I.T.Y of Support 
https://cityofsupport.org/

GLOSSARY
DSM - Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
ABA - Applied Behavioral Analysis
OT - Occupational Therapy
PT - Physical Therapy

Special Guest Interview: Jen Zanotti! 

This week I sit down with my friend, Jen Zanotti. 

Jen is the owner of Jen Z's Beauty Services. She is a Reiki practitioner, a wellness coach, and a Jiu Jitsu instructor and competitor! PLUS she is the host of the amazing podcast: Getting Zen with Jen Z.

We delve into some deep waters in this convo. 

Jen walks us through some excellent tips on how to fit in some self-care that won't break the financial bank (hooray for FREE) as well as the time-management bank. 

Find more info on Jen and all she offers at http://www.JenZanotti.com

This week's episode tackles the frustrating situation of food and picky eating. I share how we've dealt with introducing healthier options into Jackson's diet (and the process we went through with that). Also there are some great tips from our PRO-TIP contributor: Kristin Techmanski - M.A. CCC-SLP - Pediatric Feeding Therapist! 

This week I share an emotional story about how Jackson's aggression towards Jordan is affecting me - and how I am not-so-gracefully handling it. I also talk about a new workout I experienced with Jen Z! And we visited a new play space! www.thechicagotreehouse.com

 

Self-Care! It's something I know I need help with. So I figured I wasn't alone in that. Today's episode focuses on those tiny moments we might carve out in the day (5, 10, 15 minutes) and how we can utilize those to our advantage. 

Pro-Tip segment - courtesy of Jen Zanotti (Getting Zen with Jen Z) 

Today's episode features a special guest: Jon Wolter! Jon is an animator, illustrator, writer, artist, actor, and my husband. We talk about all things marriage and parenting and how we manage the stress of having two kids including one with extra needs. 

You can find Jon at: www.jonwolter.com

and on twitter: www.twitter.com/hitlerpuncher