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The Special Needs Mom Podcast

Advertise on podcast: The Special Needs Mom Podcast

Rating
★★★★★
5
from
119 reviews
This podcast has
297 episodes
Language
English
Publisher
Kara Ryska
Explicit
No
Date created
2020/07/16
Latest episode
2026/03/25
Average duration
31 min.
Release period
7 days

Description

Think of this podcast as your very own special needs mom support group--except it's helpful and fun! You will leave with the hope that you can have a super happy life even when your life includes parenting a medically complex child or a child with something like autism and ADHD. You likely didn't ask to be the parent of a disabled child or to live portions of your life in the hospital NICU or PICU. Your story is unique; it’s hard to find a place where you belong or where you don't feel so isolated and alone. Your child might have a rare disease, be undiagnosed or experience something that almost everybody has heard of like Downs syndrome yet the weird thing is that whether your child has an intellectual disability or physical disability, the experience as a mother is so similar. So regardless of your child’s disability, we can all find a home in this community. You find yourself managing everybody else's needs; your child, their siblings, and all the guilt that you have about that. All this has you feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and dizzy---not knowing who to turn to or what to do next for help. This podcast is your lifeline, you’ll find encouragement and inspiration as we connect to other moms’ journeys. We’ll get practical and look at what it takes to stop feeling so stuck in your life. You know this podcast is for you if you find yourself googling: Overwhelmed special needs mom help How to do self care as a special needs mom? Dealing with anger as a special needs mom How to manage special needs mom burnout and stress? How do I deal with mom's guilt? Help for myself as a special needs mom How do I cope with a disabled child? How do I manage the grief of my medically complex child? How to keep from drowning as a caregiver Support group for special needs mom or community for caregivers I'm tired of taking care of my special needs child Finding balance between my child’s needs and my own mamas needs Respite and rest for special needs moms

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Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from The Special Needs Mom Podcast podcast


I Don't Know What's Next: I Do Know I Need To Pause
2026/03/25
Send us a text (Note: we are not able to respond but LOVE to hear from you!!) This episode is a personal one. I’m sharing why I’m stepping back from the podcast for now and what it looks like to choose rest, even when it’s hard to let go. Read the full show notes here. Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/ Website: https://www.kararyska.com/
What People Don’t Understand About This Life (Even When They Try) with Anika Atkins
2026/03/18
Send us a text (Note: we are not able to respond but LOVE to hear from you!!) This episode is a real-life conversation about what support actually looks like and where it still falls short for special needs moms. Kara and Anika talk about advocacy, friendship, community, and the quiet weight so many of us are still carrying.  Read the full show notes here. Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/ Website: https://www.kararyska.com/
Learning to Live Inside the Life You Didn’t Choose with Joy Shaw
2026/03/11
Send us a text (Note: we are not able to respond but LOVE to hear from you!!) Transformation guide and stroke survivor Joy Shaw joins me to talk about healing through the lens of the hero’s journey and what it means to become the author of your own story. In this thoughtful conversation, we explore grief, witnessing pain, and the shift that happens when we stop trying to return to the life we expected and begin living the one we have. read the full show notes here.  Connect with Joy Shaw: Instagram TikTok YouTube Website Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/ Website: https://www.kararyska.com/
The Hidden Cost of Being The Strong One
2026/03/04
Send us a text (Note: we are not able to respond but LOVE to hear from you!!) In this episode, Kara re-shares a deeply personal story about the aftermath of a medical crisis with her son and what she calls the “fallout zone” that follows survival mode. This conversation about the shadow side of strength is one many caregivers will recognize, and it’s one worth revisiting. Read the full show notes here.  Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/ Website: https://www.kararyska.com/
Digging Deep Without Trying Harder: A Different Kind of Healing with Erin Popp
2026/02/26
Send us a text (Note: we are not able to respond but LOVE to hear from you!!) What happens when everything you intellectually understand still doesn’t help you survive the hardest seasons of motherhood? In this episode, I talk with Erin Popp about complex grief, chronic uncertainty, and what it really means to dig deep when control stops working. Read the full show notes here.  Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/ Website: https://www.kararyska.com/
The Emotional Cycle of a Special Needs Mom
2026/02/18
Send us a text (Note: we are not able to respond but LOVE to hear from you!!) This episode explores the emotional stages many special needs moms move through, from survival and self-sacrifice to restoration and possibility. Kara shares a personal moment of heartbreak and why community changes everything. Read the full show notes here. Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/ Website: https://www.kararyska.com/
Medical Mistakes, Ethical Repair, and How Caregivers Rebuild Trust with Anika Atkins
2026/02/11
Send us a text (Note: we are not able to respond but LOVE to hear from you!!) Ethics educator and special needs mom, Anika Atkins, joins me for a conversation about medical mistakes, ethical repair, and what it looks like to rebuild trust after hard experiences in the healthcare system. We talk about apologies, advocacy, and how caregivers can communicate clearly without losing themselves in the process. Read the full show notes here. Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/ Website: https://www.kararyska.com/
The Power of Letting Be: Why Being Held in Community Changes Everything
2026/02/04
Send us a text (Note: we are not able to respond but LOVE to hear from you!!) In this episode, I reflect on the power of being held inside a safe community and what becomes possible when you stop trying to fix yourself. I share a moment from inside the Pathway to Peace community that beautifully illustrates what I call the power of letting be. Read the full story and details.  Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/ Website: https://www.kararyska.com/
A Mindset That Can Handle Uncertainty: Learning How to Be Okay Even When You’re Not
2026/01/28
Send us a text (Note: we are not able to respond but LOVE to hear from you!!) A powerful reflection on uncertainty, resilience, and learning how to trust yourself in seasons where you cannot control the outcome. This episode explores what it really means to be okay even when life is not okay, and how to build a mindset that can hold uncertainty without losing your footing. 👉 Read sthe full show notes and resources here. Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/ Website: https://www.kararyska.com/
Permission to Not Be Great as a Special Needs Mom
2026/01/21
Send us a text (Note: we are not able to respond but LOVE to hear from you!!) You don’t need to be great right now you need permission to do what works. In this short episode, Kara shares why choosing the easiest path on purpose can be the most powerful decision you make in a hard season. 👉 Full show notes here. Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/ Website: https://www.kararyska.com/
The Next Right Thing: How to Move Forward When You Feel Stuck with Misty Coy Snyder
2026/01/14
Send us a text (Note: we are not able to respond but LOVE to hear from you!!) Misty Coy Snyder shares how “the next right thing” helped her move forward after her son received a Down syndrome diagnosis. This episode is for the mom who feels stuck and needs one simple step forward. Read the full show notes here.  Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/ Website: https://www.kararyska.com/
How to Finally Organize Everything You Carry as a Special Needs Mom
2026/01/07
Send us a text (Note: we are not able to respond but LOVE to hear from you!!) Caregiving does not become overwhelming because we do not care. It becomes overwhelming because everything lives everywhere, and the mental load has nowhere to land. In this episode, Kara shares the system she built to organize medical information, providers, tasks, and caregiving knowledge into one flexible command center you can actually use. 👉 Read the full show notes and get your free download! Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/ Website: https://www.kararyska.com/
The Hidden Path to Feeling More Alive When Grief is Part of Your Story
2025/12/31
Send us a text (Note: we are not able to respond but LOVE to hear from you!!) Grief does not mean something is wrong with you. In this episode, I share why grief is part of the special needs parenting journey and how allowing it can quietly lead you back to feeling more alive. 👉 Read the full show notes and reflections. Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/ Website: https://www.kararyska.com/
Your Well Deserved Holiday Bonus
2025/12/24
Send us a text (Note: we are not able to respond but LOVE to hear from you!!) This episode is a small way of saying I see you and I appreciate you this holiday season. Read the full show notes and access your holiday gift here. Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/ Website: https://www.kararyska.com/
Reimagining Christmas When the One You Pictured Does Not Exist
2025/12/17
Send us a text (Note: we are not able to respond but LOVE to hear from you!!) There is often a version of Christmas we carry in our heads. Quiet. Cozy. Predictable. The kind that feels comforting but somehow never shows up in real life. In this episode, I talk about the grief that can surface when the Christmas you imagined does not exist and how common that experience is, especially for special needs moms. Between medical needs, disrupted routines, and the sheer weight of caregiving, the holidays can feel very different than what we expected. I share a simple framework I use to help reimagine seasons like this one. We talk about noticing when expectations are quietly hurting us, releasing the version of Christmas that no longer fits, and intentionally generating something new from the life we are actually living. This episode is an invitation to stop chasing a picture that causes pain and to create a version of Christmas that feels more honest, grounded, and possible. Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/ Website: https://www.kararyska.com/

Podcast reviews

Read The Special Needs Mom Podcast podcast reviews


5 out of 5
119 reviews
★★★★★
cmardent 2025/09/08
Interesting and worthwhile podcast
Host Kara Ryska depicts well the day to day experiences of parents of children with special needs. Well worth a listen.
★★★★★
Jaxnboots22 2025/05/18
Together is the only way!
I came across Kara’s podcast when I was in the initial stages of my daughter’s diagnosis a few years back and was brought to tears just listening to t...
★★★★★
H Bourgeois 2024/09/23
Truly Impactful
I’m somewhat new to the podcast world and foolishly believed a podcast had to have an insane amount of reviews in order to be deemed “good”. This podc...
★★★★★
Callista B 2024/08/13
Life changing
Kara herself radiates hope for mom’s struggling along on this journey as special needs parents. This podcast manifests that and is a wonderful source...
★★★★★
triplett🤍 2024/04/24
Refreshing for my soul
I am newer in my journey with my sons diagnosis and was searching in many places for community, encouragement, empowerment, knowledge and just relatab...
★★★★★
Kelleyspodcastreview 2024/01/16
You’re going to want to listen to this
This podcast is such a pleasure. I found it and binged many episodes and was happy I did. Host Kara feels both like an old friend and like that new fr...
★★★★★
kavan09 2023/09/19
Just what I needed!
I’ve been listening to Kara’s podcast for a few months and I find something helpful and valuable in every episode! As others have said, it’s like sitt...
★★★★★
doctorTND 2023/08/02
5-Star Review - Dr.Tay
I love how this podcast feels like a community everytime you listen to an episode. Kara gives great advice and tools about how to thrive in any family...
★★★★★
Chandrawesome 2023/04/22
We are connected
Thank you creating an outlet for us moms to connect, relate and find ways to navigate this journey. You address topics that will resonate with so Man...
★★★★★
Caleb's mom Steph 2022/12/24
Thank you for the support
I love these podcasts. They let me know that I’m not the only one dealing with all of the extra needs stuff. I’m not all alone trying to figure this o...
check all reviews on apple podcasts

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