This week is Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week , which is a cause very dear to Annette’s heart. Annette’s daughter Elizabeth passed away back in 2013 from mitochondrial disease. Every year, during the third week of September the mitochondrial disease community comes together to bring awareness and educate others on this rare genetic disease. MitoAction is a nonprofit organization which started in 2005 from a New England support group. During the awareness week, MitoAction encourages others to...
Sep 22, 2021•53 min•Ep. 124
This week features a very special back to back, two podcast episode release as Annette speaks with two guests who were interviewed for a recent Today Show Article called “ Autism Wars .” Today’s episode features Annette’s interview with Amy S.F. Lutz , an author, vice president of the National Council on Severe Autism (NCSA), and a mom to 5 children, her oldest son Jonah having severe autism. Amy also became so interested in the history of autism due to her son’s issues, she went back to school ...
Sep 09, 2021•56 min•Ep. 123
This week features a very special back to back, two podcast episode release as Annette speaks with two guests who were interviewed for a recent Today Show Article called “ Autism Wars .” Today’s episode features Annette’s interview with Kerry Magro , who is an award-winning national speaker, a best-selling author and a role model in the disability community. Annette & Kerry speak about the “Autism Wars” article, disability in the workplace, bullying, unity and inclusion. As a child, Kerry wa...
Sep 08, 2021•51 min•Ep. 122
The Britney Spears guardianship case has brought the topic of guardianship into the spotlight lately. People all over the world want to know more about what guardianship is and why it is used. In this podcast episode, Annette goes over a few of the many guardianship questions she has received from listeners and followers. Please note that guardianship laws do vary from state to state. Please check with your state for their specific guardianship laws and procedures before beginning the guardiansh...
Aug 25, 2021•35 min•Ep. 121
As a child, Erich Shafer did not understand what he was and how he was different. He knew he had balance issues and had to go to speech therapy every week for a heavy lisp to make himself “better.” It wasn’t until later in life that he discovered he had Dyspraxia (Developmental Coordination Disorder) and was on the Autism Spectrum. In this podcast episode, Annette speaks with Erich about his neurodiverse journey and how he overcame his childhood struggles to create a successful and fulfilling li...
Aug 11, 2021•51 min•Ep. 120
Being stopped by or questioned by the police can be stressful for anyone but for those who are mentally ill or developmentally disabled, it can be quite traumatic. Often these traumatic situations can trigger certain responses in a mentally disabled individual which can escalate into violence or other extreme matters, causing them to be unfairly accused/charged or labeled due to their illness or disability. In this podcast episode, Annette speaks with Attorney Jason Chan , a criminal law attorne...
Jul 28, 2021•59 min•Ep. 119
Planning a future can be challenging. Most people plan their future one step at a time, planning forward, toward their dream or goal. The PATH Process , “Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope”, is a creative planning tool that actually starts with the dream or end goal in mind, and you plan the action steps backwards from that dream. In this episode, Annette speaks with Teri Steinberg , a disability consultant and mom, about the PATH Process and how using this you can assist the individual an...
Jul 14, 2021•59 min•Ep. 118
In this episode, Annette speaks with Christa Couture , an award-winning recording artist, author, and broadcaster from Toronto, Canada. Christa, who is also disabled, wrote the book "How to Lose Everything" which is a story of the grief and loss she has suffered in her life. Christa has also recorded a Walrus Talks (the Canadian Ted Talks) called "Living Better" where she speaks about accepting your life as different rather than better. Christa has known her fair share of grief and loss. At 11 s...
Jul 07, 2021•40 min•Ep. 117
June celebrates LGBTQ+ Pride month each year to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising. Pride Month is a time to recognize the issues, challenges, and discrimination the LGBTQ+ community has faced and to celebrate the triumphs. In this podcast episode, Annette speaks with Ivylee Martinez and her adult child El Martinez, regarding gender identity issues. El Martinez identifies with the pronouns They/Them/Their and at just 19 years old, boasts an impressive activism resume. El begins by discussing that...
Jun 30, 2021•58 min•Ep. 116
Resilience is the ability to withstand or recover quickly from difficult challenges. Many special needs parents may struggle with this throughout their child’s journey. The many challenges and difficulties with everyday life, doctors, and getting the proper supports they need can be overwhelming. In this episode, Annette speaks with Dr. Marcia Nathai-Balkissoon, who goes by Marcia NB . Marcia NB has a PhD in industrial engineering and is the author of the new book “Lighting the Path: Leaning int...
Jun 25, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 115
Adult ADHD or Attention -Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder where a person has difficulty concentrating, is hyperactive or restless and displays impulsive behaviors. This previously recorded podcast is one of our favorites and offers some effective ways to manage Adult ADHD. In this episode, Annette has a conversation with David Greenwood, author of the book, Overcoming Distractions-Thriving with Adult ADHD. The book profiles many entrepreneurs around the country who...
Jun 16, 2021•56 min•Ep. 114
Communication is key, and being able to communicate with your loved ones and friends when they may not be able to use their voice can create challenges. We wanted to release this extremely helpful, previously recorded podcast again to remind listeners there are alternate ways to communicate other than just speech and voice. In this episode of Parenting Impossible, Host Annette Hines speaks with special needs mother and inventor Randi Sargent. Randi created the website SayitwithSymbols.com, the o...
Jun 09, 2021•50 min•Ep. 113
The negative impacts of the pandemic have been talked about over and over for the past year. Let’s talk about the positives, the good things that the pandemic has brought us. In this episode Annette discusses the three positive lessons she has learned from the pandemic, the three positive changes that have happened: 1 – Observation, 2 – Collaboration, and 3 – Innovation. Annette starts off the episode with a mini review as to what this podcast is all about, why she created it. Annette says, “I s...
Jun 02, 2021•20 min•Ep. 112
Dyslexia is a common disorder that challenges your ability to read, spell, write and speak. This neurological disorder is of particular interest to Annette as she discovered as an adult that she was dyslexic. In this podcast episode, Annette speaks with author Elizabeth Trudeau about her daughter’s journey with dyslexia which inspired her new book “Brilliantly Dyslexic”. Elizabeth’s daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia as a very young age leading to many learning challenges as she began school. ...
May 26, 2021•41 min•Ep. 111
Annette LOVES all the questions she gets because she LOVES doing these question and answer podcasts. Making sure the disabled community has access to all the information they need is key to Annette. This is one reason why in addition to being a successful attorney, Annette is a podcast host, speaker, author and blogger. As an attorney, Annette does have an ethical responsibility though to not engage in a client /attorney relationship with someone who is not a client. Since each case is vastly di...
May 19, 2021•36 min•Ep. 110
Growing up deaf is a challenge, but what if you grew up deaf in a small area of India where there was no access to any disabled supports or facilities? What if there was almost no support for your education as a disabled student? Our guest this week is Tanisha Dayal , a young deaf woman and masters student. Tanisha, who now lives in Ireland, speaks to us about growing up disabled in India and her education challenges, as well as the disability challenges of traveling internationally. Tanisha gre...
May 12, 2021•46 min•Ep. 109
Language is often something that is debated in the disability community – do we use the term “Disabled”, or do we use “Special Needs”? Should someone be shunned or shamed because they prefer to use one term over the other? Is there too much emphasis on the language and not enough focus on allyship and effecting change together as one group? In this episode, Annette brings back mom and author Julie Falcone to discuss how to talk to a special needs family, the language debate of using the terms di...
May 05, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 108
Most assistance offered to disabled children and adults is for the disabled individual. Not everyone may realize that their families may need assistance as well. Parents and siblings can suffer from anxiety, fear, stress, and a host of other issues related to their loved one’s disability. In this episode, Annette speaks with Don Grothoff, a behavior transformation specialist, family coach and father of three about his personal experience dealing with “invisible disabilities” within his family an...
Apr 28, 2021•45 min•Ep. 107
As adults, most of us generally understand what being anxious or having anxiety means and how it feels. Adults may understand what another adult, therapist or a doctor may tell them about anxiety, but what about your children? How do you tell your children about anxiety in a way that they will understand? Summer Batte , an author, magazine editor and mother, faced her own challenges with this for many years. Summer’s daughter displayed signs of anxiety early on. As a parent you realize that whil...
Apr 21, 2021•32 min•Ep. 106
The questions have been piling up in Host Annette Hines’ inbox so it is time to do a Q&A session. Making sure the disabled community has access to all the information they need is key to Annette. This is one reason why in addition to being a successful attorney, Annette is a podcast host, speaker, author and blogger. As an attorney, Annette does have an ethical responsibility though to not engage in a client /attorney relationship with someone who is not a client. Since each case is vastly d...
Apr 14, 2021•41 min•Ep. 105
Let’s talk “The Arts” – specifically movies. Rachael & Laura Doukas, sisters, are the founders and producers of Doukas Pictures . They began their entertainment industry careers acting but soon graduated to writing and producing short films. The Ryan Express, their feature debut screenplay, advanced to the second round of Austin Film Festival’s Script Competition, a distinction only achieved by less than 20% of nearly 14,000 submissions. The Ryan Express is based on their short, “Rocket Man,...
Apr 08, 2021•44 min•Ep. 104
So many of us moms and caretakers of children with disabilities can find ourselves all too easily slipping into seasons of unhappiness, bitterness, self-doubt, self-hatred, and lack of motivation. Annette met virtually with Jenny Sanders, founder of iLovekickboxing in Agoura Hills, CA (recently shut down due to COVID-19) to discuss the importance of exercise and endorphins in preventing and fighting off depression. When Jenny’s son was diagnosed with autism in 2014, she found herself in a state ...
Mar 31, 2021•32 min•Ep. 103
Joya Van Der Laan is a wife, mother of 3, family nurse practitioner, functional medicine specialist, and business owner. As if that didn't make life complicated enough, two of her three children have special needs including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED). After receiving her daughter's ASD diagnosis in 2014 when she was 3 years old, Joya's innate curiosity and passion for learning drove her to ask, "am I ...
Mar 24, 2021•50 min•Ep. 102
In this podcast episode, we cover a topic that’s a little “different” from what we usually discuss. Annette invites award-winning male vocalist and author of the children’s book “Made by Raffi,” Craig Pomranz, to share his story and explain why it’s important to not only accept each others’ differences, but to celebrate them. Craig’s book tells the story of a shy little boy named Raffi who is often left out and bullied for being seen as “girly” due to his love of knitting. It’s not until Raffi’s...
Mar 17, 2021•50 min•Ep. 101
This week, we are celebrating the 100th episode of our “Parenting Impossible” podcast! To kick off this special episode, we listen to a song by Craig Pomranz called “Different,” which he wrote to inspire children and adults everywhere to celebrate their differences rather than try to hide them. After the song, Annette dives into her discussion with 3 incredible guests — Joslynn Jones McLaughlin, Laura Weisgarber, and Megan Fabrizi — as they share their stories of raising children with a rare dis...
Mar 10, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 100
To kick off the first podcast episode of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, Annette is joined by Elizabeth Wright, the Editor of Disability Review Magazine and the Founder and Editor of the “Conscious Being: For Disabled Women by Disabled Women” blog, to discuss timely topics like ableism, how nondisabled individuals can partner with the disability community, “inspiration porn,” and more. Elizabeth starts the podcast by sharing her personal story of being born limb different. Encouraged...
Mar 03, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 99
In the final week of our “Month of Love” series, Annette invited two special guests to discuss the importance of seeking healing for all family members, not just the neurodiverse child. Matthew and Carol Newell are the Founders of the Family Hope Center in Greater Philadelphia and authors of “Healing Your Child’s Brain: A Proven Approach to Helping Your Child Thrive.” Since 1981, the Newell’s have worked both separately and together to help thousands of children with developmental disabilities a...
Feb 24, 2021•56 min•Ep. 98
For week 3 of our “Month of Love” series, Annette is joined by Dr. Vivien Brown , MDCM, CCFP, FCFP, NCMP to discuss the importance of self-love when it comes to healthy aging for women. Annette starts the podcast by admitting that she used to feel pride in putting herself last -- working her fingers to the bone and going to bed absolutely exhausted every night. However, she has realized that this isn’t what she wants to model for the people in her life -- for her daughter Caroline, her peers, he...
Feb 17, 2021•57 min•Ep. 97
There are ups and downs in every marriage. Whether it’s stress from work, not enough time for fun, parenting disagreements, poor communication, moody bickering, grieving a loss, or bigger problems like infidelity, there is no such thing as a “perfect” marriage. However, parents and caregivers of children with disabilities have a unique set of challenges in many arenas, not excluding their love lives. In this episode of our Parenting Impossible podcast, Annette Hines is joined by her favorite pod...
Feb 10, 2021•44 min•Ep. 96
Annette kicks off the first episode in the “month of love” by inviting speaker, coach, and host of the Very Happy Stories podcast, Liza Blas , to discuss a type of love that so many parents of special needs children push to the side — self love. Liza opens the episode by telling a story of when she and her daughter, Ava, who has battled anxiety, depression, hallucinations, Lyme disease, and more, went to see a therapist together. During this session, the therapist asked Ava what would make her h...
Feb 03, 2021•41 min•Ep. 95
