//podcastplus.net/feed/coffee-with-caregivers~a0209d17 Join Jess Ronne, author, speaker, and caregiver advocate as she chats with caregivers about the joys and trials of raising a child with disabilities. Jess is also the founder of The Lucas Project, a non-profit which provides recognition, resources, & respite for special needs families & associate director of the Unseen film. She & her husband Ryan live in Michigan with their 8 children, including their disabled son Lucas. Her story of beauty from ashes is detailed in her four books. To follow the ongoing saga she can be found at www.jessplusthemess.com Mon, 17 Aug 2026 10:13:06 +0000 https://anchor.fm/s/1404c2ac/podcast/play/77251892/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2023-9-15%2Fa5d141dd-a781-28a3-e396-04c44f794907.mp3 Lyn is the wife to Brett (psychologist at Pine Rest), mom to Adelyn (and Stephen) and Kylee, and Nana to Sammy. She received her bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Calvin University and her Master's (and 3/4 of an Education Specialist) degree from Michigan State University, but is a loyal "Go Blue" University of Michigan fan. She currently serves as the Director of Family Ministries and Grand Haven's Covenant Life Church and as the Executive Director of Noorthoek Academy. Kylee has allowed her to experience God's grace and unconditional love in dynamic ways. Kylee was diagnosed with cerebellar hypoplasia at 3 1/2 years and May Thurner Condition (bleeding disorder) while in high school.To stay connected with Jess, head to www.jessplusthemess.com.  If you are interested in being a guest please reach out to info@thelucasproject.org. We'd love to hear what you think, so please rate and review! This episode is sponsored by Meerkat Village. It takes a village to raise a child with special needs. F... Sat, 21 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://anchor.fm/s/1404c2ac/podcast/play/77251892/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2023-9-15%2Fa5d141dd-a781-28a3-e396-04c44f794907.mp3 https://anchor.fm/s/1404c2ac/podcast/play/76898337/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2023-9-7%2F9e81b0d7-355b-0ed4-c4a6-1d7419c0976b.mp3 Kelli Stuart is a wife, mother of five, actress and filmmaker, an award-winning novelist and, most recently, a breast cancer survivor. Kelli and her husband, Lee, were thrust into their roles as caregivers when they adopted their youngest son, Sawyer, from China in 2018. Sawyer is a complex little boy with a laundry list of special needs. He also possesses the most magical smile this side of heaven. Kelli juggles the many needs under her roof alongside her own deep-rooted desire to create and craft stories. She doesn't always juggle well, but she does the best she can. You can find Kelli chronicling the daily ups and downs of life on her Instagram feed  @kellistuartauthor. To stay connected with Jess, head to www.jessplusthemess.com.  If you are interested in being a guest please reach out to info@thelucasproject.org. We'd love to hear what you think, so please rate and review! This episode is sponsored by Meerkat Village. It takes a village to raise a child with special needs. Find out more at www.me... Sat, 07 Oct 2023 12:06:37 +0000 https://anchor.fm/s/1404c2ac/podcast/play/76898337/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2023-9-7%2F9e81b0d7-355b-0ed4-c4a6-1d7419c0976b.mp3 https://anchor.fm/s/1404c2ac/podcast/play/76103939/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2023-8-19%2Fc575ac36-4fbe-b22c-88c1-922350993888.mp3 Sat, 23 Sep 2023 10:48:07 +0000 https://anchor.fm/s/1404c2ac/podcast/play/76103939/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2023-8-19%2Fc575ac36-4fbe-b22c-88c1-922350993888.mp3 https://anchor.fm/s/1404c2ac/podcast/play/72585606/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2023-5-25%2F88a8af9d-58f9-013e-4159-468755ad4528.mp3 Michelle Crawford is a single mom of two children living in Oklahoma. Her daughter was vaccine injured at four months old and now has seizures and significant developmental delays. In 2021 her world turned upside down when her estranged husband unexpectedly announced that he had shut down the business leaving her unemployed and with no where to turn for help. Since then, she has struggled to support her family while also being a full time caregiver to her 24 year old daughter. She says that she has been living in survival mode for the past two years struggling with feelings of loneliness and feeling trapped due to the lack of support she receives. Her dream is to one day create a funded home for single moms and their special needs child(ren) to live, build community, and where in-house care is made available through a combination of parent co-ops and quality caregivers. To stay connected with Jess, head to www.jessplusthemess.com.  If you are interested in being a guest please reach out to hello@theluca... Sat, 09 Sep 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://anchor.fm/s/1404c2ac/podcast/play/72585606/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2023-5-25%2F88a8af9d-58f9-013e-4159-468755ad4528.mp3 https://anchor.fm/s/1404c2ac/podcast/play/72230408/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2023-5-16%2Fbe38988c-879d-5faa-25b4-28c7a438e015.mp3 "how good it is when I can stop clinging to the illusion of control and just living and being present in today." What a fun, informative episode with Crystal Paine (www.moneysavingmom.com) who is a New York Times bestselling author, a popular speaker, the host of The Crystal Paine Show, and the founder of one of the top personal finance blogs on the web, MoneySavingMom.com. Her desire is to help women across the globe live with more joy in their everyday lives. Her biggest passions are helping women understand how the Gospel can radically transform their lives, raising awareness for foster care, and finding great deals at the grocery store. She lives with her husband and six kids in the Nashville, Tennessee area. We chatted about how she unexpectedly found herself as a mom to a child with disabilities when her foster care journey turned into an adoption. She also shared about how this transition was difficult for some of her older children in the beginning but with time, they have become their newest brot... Sat, 17 Jun 2023 11:33:43 +0000 https://anchor.fm/s/1404c2ac/podcast/play/72230408/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2023-5-16%2Fbe38988c-879d-5faa-25b4-28c7a438e015.mp3 https://anchor.fm/s/1404c2ac/podcast/play/48349383/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2Fexports%2F1404c2ac%2F48349383%2F219a8f7764101f441537201374f29ce6.m4a Fred Marvel is 40 years old, has been married close to 16 years and is the father of three boys.  He was born and raised in Philadelphia where he works as a paralegal.  His oldest son Aleks (11) was diagnosed with Autism, ADHD and sensory processing disorder.  Fred started a podcast called the Spectrum Dad Podcast late last year because he wanted to help bring awareness to autism. Connect with Fred on IG: @thespectrumdadpod To stay connected with Jess, head to www.jessplusthemess.com.  If you are interested in being a guest please contact me at jess@thelucasproject.org. I'd love to hear what you think, so please rate and review! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jess-ronne/support Fri, 18 Mar 2022 13:36:48 +0000 https://anchor.fm/s/1404c2ac/podcast/play/48349383/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2Fexports%2F1404c2ac%2F48349383%2F219a8f7764101f441537201374f29ce6.m4a https://anchor.fm/s/1404c2ac/podcast/play/47940512/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2Fexports%2F1404c2ac%2F47940512%2F376a4cc2dbb9cb11ab7c9dde86ac3f0f.m4a Katie Miniel is a mom/24 hour caregiver to her daughter who is 17 years old. Her daughter has Autism, developmental delays and a seizure disorder. She is mentally between 4-7 years old and needs constant care due to impulsive repetitive aggressive behaviors. Katie and her husband started a soap making business for her 3 years ago to help build skills while she was not learning at school. This also became a way for the family to make extra money since Katie can not work and her daughter is no longer in school. They still struggle every day with meltdowns but try to help their child find happiness in life.Katie's goal is to keep advocating through Texas Made Soap until families like hers will be heard and our children/ adults will have the care they need and deserve.To stay connected with Jess, head to www.jessplusthemess.com.  If you are interested in being a guest please contact me at jess@thelucasproject.org. I'd love to hear what you think, so please rate and review!--- Support this podcast: https://ancho... Fri, 04 Mar 2022 12:57:37 +0000 https://anchor.fm/s/1404c2ac/podcast/play/47940512/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2Fexports%2F1404c2ac%2F47940512%2F376a4cc2dbb9cb11ab7c9dde86ac3f0f.m4a https://anchor.fm/s/1404c2ac/podcast/play/47372885/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2Fexports%2F1404c2ac%2F47372885%2Fa70c7959d67d6699dc83afd6df65b1dc.m4a Kim Albrecht is a southerner transplanted to California via the Midwest along with her husband and 2 teenage daughters, the oldest of which has level 3 non speaking autism.She hosts the award winning LOMAH Disability Podcast, where over 100 expert guests  have been interviewed on topics relevant to planning the future for teens and young adults with disabilities.  The show deep dives into a single issue for 12 episodes and has covered disability housing, transitioning from school to adult services, financial planning, safety, technology, health, and more.When not in the trenches of parenting, you can find her hunting sea glass, hiking a trail, or on instagram as journey2lomah. To stay connected with Jess, head to www.jessplusthemess.com.  If you are interested in being a guest please contact me at jess@thelucasproject.org. I'd love to hear what you think, so please rate and review!--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jess-ronne/support Fri, 11 Feb 2022 13:45:45 +0000 https://anchor.fm/s/1404c2ac/podcast/play/47372885/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2Fexports%2F1404c2ac%2F47372885%2Fa70c7959d67d6699dc83afd6df65b1dc.m4a https://anchor.fm/s/1404c2ac/podcast/play/46480071/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2Fexports%2F1404c2ac%2F46480071%2F80765ffa25119332044c130aee7c8c2c.m4a "Sometimes good enough is good enough"  Angela Lofton has over thirty years experience helping others find the best in themselves. From her days in college tutoring students with disabilities, corporate training and educating young people, she has always sought to help others discover the gifts and talents within themselves. She believes in lifelong learning and that through observations, engaging our senses and by being open to new experiences and people, we build social connections that support each of us to learn, grow and support one another. It is this passion that has driven her to create the & friends online community,  https://andfriendscommunity.com/ , where you will find freedom from isolation, coaching strategies, encouragement, social outreach and strategy workshops. These ideals also come together with vivid characters in her delightful children’s book,  Constance the Cowlet . Inspired by the illustrations of her youngest son, Andrew,... Fri, 28 Jan 2022 14:20:08 +0000 https://anchor.fm/s/1404c2ac/podcast/play/46480071/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2Fexports%2F1404c2ac%2F46480071%2F80765ffa25119332044c130aee7c8c2c.m4a https://anchor.fm/s/1404c2ac/podcast/play/45603732/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2Fexports%2F1404c2ac%2F45603732%2F79be2d8fe8940e33f05da5bd79d20e4d.m4a After both of her children were diagnosed with autism and she saw the need to provide parents with emotional, physical, and educational support, Michele Knowlton-Thorne founded DAMES LLC, which became Care for the Caregivers. As President of Care for the Caregivers, Michele plans to continue creating programs, apps, events, and support groups to help parents who are raising children with different health care needs.Before founding D.A.M.E.S and Care 4 the Caregivers Michele worked as a geneticist at TGen and has an undergraduate degree in Molecular Biosciences and Biotechnology and a Master of Science Degree from Arizona State University. She also worked as an adjunct professor, re-wrote biological manuals for ASU, published in peer-reviewed journal articles, and is the author of a STEM picture book series.She is a Certified Autism Specialist and a graduate of the Pilot Parents of Southern Arizona Partners in the Leadership program. She has been trained as a Flourishing Families Practitioner, a Protective Fa... Fri, 14 Jan 2022 13:45:09 +0000 https://anchor.fm/s/1404c2ac/podcast/play/45603732/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2Fexports%2F1404c2ac%2F45603732%2F79be2d8fe8940e33f05da5bd79d20e4d.m4a