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One bad IEP meeting can change your body, your sleep, and your faith in the “village” everyone promises you. I’m joined by Paula J Yost, who has a perspective you rarely hear in one voice: she’s both a practicing attorney and a licensed psychotherapist. Paula shares how living through clinical depression shaped her, why getting real mental health support in law school changed her future, and how those therapy tools now show up in the way she helps people in legal settings filled with anxiety, grief, and high stakes decisions.

We get painfully specific about special education advocacy and what it feels like to sit in an IEP or 504 meeting and realize you’re being dismissed. Paula tells the story of fighting for her son, who was born with a cleft lip and palate and needed speech therapy early, and why families should not have to “work around the system” just to get basic services. She explains why “we can’t afford it” is not a valid answer when a child is entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), and she offers practical steps to prepare: define the goal, walk in with a plan, and keep bringing the conversation back to the supports your child needs.

We also talk policy and reality, including fears about Department of Education cuts, debates around school choice and opportunity scholarships, and why early intervention and early childhood education funding can prevent bigger problems later. Throughout it all, Paula comes back to the same message: you deserve support too, and the right village is built on people who will stand with you, celebrate the wins, and help you stay steady.

Paula can be found on Instagram and FaceBook as Paula J Yost Author. Paula is the author of the book "Tumbleweeds. How to be an Advocate For Your "Children and Yourself in a Failing System." Paula referenced organizations in the podcast episode with links (including the one to her book) provided all below:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tumbleweeds-paula-j-yost/1149570835

https://mhanational.org/

https://www.theamazinggraceproject.com/

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A car crash can be over in seconds, but a concussion can rewrite your life for years. We sit down with Kelly Tuttle, a former cardiology nurse practitioner who later moved into neurology, to tell the truth about traumatic brain injury recovery, especially the kind that doesn’t show up on a “normal” CT or MRI. Kelly shares the moment she realized something was truly wrong, the fear of not knowing if she’d ever feel like herself again, and the slow, stubborn work of rebuilding a life around a healing brain.

We get specific about the tools that made a measurable difference: seeing the right kind of specialist, learning why functional MRI can reveal changes standard imaging misses, and addressing sensory issues that frontline care often overlooks. Kelly explains how a behavioral optometrist diagnosed binocular vision dysfunction, why light and screen time became draining, and how sound sensitivity and sensory overload can hijack focus, mood, and energy. If you’ve been searching for answers about post-concussion symptoms, neurofatigue, headaches, and brain fog, this conversation puts language to what you may be living.

We also talk about returning to work after brain injury with real-world strategies and boundaries, including accommodations, the ADA, FMLA, and the hidden cost of “looking fine” while struggling. Kelly connects her recovery journal to the resources she now shares through her award-winning book: "After the Crash: How to Keep Your Job, Stay in School, and Live Life After a Brain Injury." Substack, YouTube, and her podcast After the Crash.

Subscribe, leave a review, and share this with someone who needs proof they’re not alone. What invisible symptom do you wish other people understood?

To learn more about Kelly Tuttle, please go to https://kellytuttle.org

You can purchase Kelly Tuttle's book at this link: https://www.amazon.com/After-Crash-School-Brain-Injury

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Some of the most dangerous myths about suicide sound polite on the surface: “They were selfish,” “They did it for attention,” “If you talk about it, you’ll make it worse.” We push back on all of that with a conversation that stays human, specific, and real.

We’re joined by Kirsten O’Connor, an author from New Zealand and the mother of Kahlia, who died at 24. Kirsten helps us remember the full person behind the loss: a bright, musical, loyal young woman with a psychology background, close friendships, and a huge heart for others. We also talk about the part people miss, how someone can “present well” while living with depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicidal ideation, and how that invisibility can become a barrier to getting help.

Kirsten shares the layered realities that often sit underneath suicidality: coercive control and emotional abuse, financial abuse that traps families, the isolating impact of COVID lockdowns, and the devastating ripple effects of sexual assault trauma. We get practical about support, too: safety, medication side effects, therapy access, and why creative approaches like art therapy can help an overthinking mind find a new outlet.

We also spend time on what to say when you’re scared of saying the wrong thing. Asking “Are you feeling suicidal?” does not plant an idea, it can open a door. If you or someone you love is struggling, help is available. If you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find it.

Kirsten is the author of the book "The Year After Kahlia." It can be ordered through this link :https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-year-after-kahlia-kirsten-oconnor/1148894926?ean=9780473764609

Kristen also is the founder of This is Grief. More information can be found at https://thisisgrief.nz

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