Labeled & Loved Podcast

Major Dodson is an award-winning actor with autism who is best known for his role of Sam Anderson on “The Walking Dead.” In his current feature film, Tyson's Run, Major plays Tyson, a fifteen-year-old with autism who seeks approval and connection from his father. Tyson's Run shows the power and determination of family and is currently in theaters nationwide. In this episode, Major discusses the representation of disability in film and the unique role his parents played in fostering his talent, success, and acceptance of autism.

Heal your trauma and your child's trauma will heal. Those are the wise words from returning guest, Dr. Sandy Gluckman. Dr. Sandy is an author, educator and international speaker who has coached thousands of parents and teachers on how to reverse and heal learning, behavior and mood challenges based on her unique blend of studies in functional medicine, neuroscience and psychology. In today's episode, Dr. Sandy helps us redefine what trauma really is, identify the signs within our lives and neuro systems, as well as tangible steps to lead toward healing ourselves and our children.

Emily McDowell is a writer, illustrator, speaker, teacher, and entrepreneur who is fiercely committed to not doing all of those things at the same time. She is the founder and creative director of the brand Em & Friends, originally known as Emily McDowell Studio, and the co-host of Quitted, a podcast about quitting the big things in our lives, and what comes after. Emily's work has been featured by hundreds of major media outlets. Her book, There Is No Good Card For This: What To Say and Do When Life Gets Scary, Awful, and Unfair To People You Love, co-authored with Dr. Kelsey Crowe, was released in January 2017. In today's episode we discuss expressions of empathy, navigating trauma, mental health, and how quitting the familiar can bring a new level of hope and peace.

Dr. Alisha “Ali” Griffith is a best-selling author, international transformational speaker, startup business coach for women, and mentor for moms of autistic children. Her methods help business owners go from new and inexperienced to profitable, purposeful and wealthy. An audiologist and speech pathologist by profession, Dr. Ali guides her clients towards the things they are passionate about and introduces superior systems to maximize their resources and talents so that they can build a life of joy and a lasting legacy. In this episode, we discuss how to follow (or identify) your dreams when resources are scarce, the power of having an identity outside of motherhood, and Dr. Ali shares the personal story of how she became the brave leader she is today. Dr. Ali can be found at draligriffith.com

“Our son was cognitively disabled; I was now spiritually crippled. Both of us needed urgent and intensive intervention. But therapists only came for him.” Diane is a disability ministry advocate, national speaker, and author of Unbroken Faith: Spiritual Recovery for the Special-Needs Parent. As a mother to children with multiple disabilities including autism and ADHD, her passions include encouraging struggling parents and equipping churches into becoming inclusive faith communities. Connect with her at dianedokkokim.com where she shares on being “Wrecked, redeemed and repurposed.”

Dr. Sandy Gluckman is an author, educator and international speaker who has coached thousands of parents and teachers on how to reverse and heal learning, behavior and mood challenges based on her unique blend of studies in functional medicine, neuroscience and psychology. In this episode, we dive into how to raise resilient, confident children, by doing the work required to reach our highest potential as a parent so that our own underlying anxieties and issues do not impact future generations. Also we learn about the integrated approach Dr. Sandy calls ‘spirit, body, brain medicine.' 

You may know her as the NYT best-selling author of "For the Love" and "Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire", but on this episode, Jen Hatmaker gives us a glimpse of some of her lesser-known labels like single parent, divorcee, and a beautifully grieving woman learning to live again. Jen is the host of the award-winning For the Love podcast, the delighted curator of the Jen Hatmaker Book Club, and co-founder of Legacy Collective, a giving community that grants millions of dollars toward sustainable projects around the world. You can find her at jenhatmaker.com or with her five kids in a 1908 farmhouse with questionable plumbing.

Rhett Smith is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 25 years of experience. He is the author of two books, The Anxious Christian, as well as, What It Means to be a Man. In this episode, Rhett answers the most commonly asked questions regarding marriage, intimacy, mental health, and boundary setting, while giving us a look behind the label of his own history of anxiety. For more information on Rhett, visit rhettsmith.com and check out his podcast The Rhett Smith Podcast.

Real food meets reality. In this episode, Rachel Tiemeyer shares how her journey from a desperate mom navigating nutritional changes for her son's diagnosis with Crohn's Disease morphed into authoring two cookbooks, From Freezer to Table (2017), and From Freezer to Home (2020), and creating the wildly popular site, Thriving Home, along with her friend and colleague, Polly Conner. We discuss her healthy fast and fresh meal ideas for busy families, along with her latest project, 1 Hour Freezer Prep, where she equips moms to make 6 family meals in just 1 hour. We also dive into women in business, the scarcity mindset, and Rachel's own journey through binge eating and body image issues.

Julie Hornok brings over sixteen years of autism industry experience as a parent, behavioral program facilitator, global interviewer, speaker, award-winning author, and President/co-founder of Labeled and Loved. In our season one finale, Julie shares the story of her daughter Lizzie who went from a nonverbal toddler to a teenager attending college in the fall, as well as the incredible awakening that can occur when we as women surrender our worry and turn our stories into service. Julie can be found at www.juliehornok.com. Her first book is titled, “United in Autism: Finding Strength Inside the Spectrum.”

Traveling as a family is often overwhelming when you have a child or loved one with special needs. In this episode, Certified Autism Travel Professional, Dina Farmer, breaks down how she helps families remove the stress of autism-friendly vacation planning. From a day at Disney to tropical destinations, Dina, a mother to child with autism, uses her personal and professional expertise to partner with tourism suppliers who provide programs and accommodations for those with differing needs. Dina can be found at lilyandmagnoliatravel.com where she offers planning for autism-friendly airlines, cruise lines, hotels, resorts and vacation activities.

Jess Ronne is no stranger to the unexpected. After her son Lucas had a stroke in utero and was born with profound special needs, Jess soon thereafter lost her beloved husband to brain cancer. Forever the fighter, Jess turned hardship into hope becoming a renowned author, speaker, podcast host, documentary producer, and caregiver advocate. She is the founder and executive director of The Lucas Project—a non-profit dedicated to providing recognition, resources, and respite for special needs families, as well as author of her brilliant memoir Sunlight Burning at Midnight, and soon to be released second book, Blended with Grit and Grace. Jess lives with her eight children and husband Ryan in Tennessee and can be found on The Today Show, Daily Mail, Huffington Post and www.jessplusthemess.com.

Imagine being able to ask a BCBA anything. In this episode, Sasha Long, BCBA, M.A. and founder/president of The Autism Helper, Inc. answers parents' and providers' most pressing questions surrounding autism. Sasha is a board certified behavior analyst, former special education teacher, and current international speaker who works full-time as a consultant, writer, and behavior analyst. Sasha also manages and writes The Autism Helper Blog as a way to share easy-to-use and ready-to-implement strategies and ideas for parents, educators, therapists and administrators in the world of autism.

Hilary Kennedy is an Emmy award-winning TV host from nationally syndicated morning shows, Eye Opener, Morning Dose, and now the Glenn Beck Program on TV and radio. She has been featured on Access Hollywood, Extra, The Rachel Ray Show, and published a book, "Career Diary of a TV Host: 30 Days on the Job". In this episode, Hilary gives us a candid look at life behind the camera. We talk about managing online bullying, being your authentic self, and also her unexpected journey through postpartum depression.

After mistiming a tackle, college football player Chris Norton was paralyzed on the field at eighteen-years-old and given a 3% chance of ever moving anything below his neck again. But instead of letting grief overcome him, Chris set a big goal: to walk across his graduation stage, and eventually down the aisle with his bride. Those walks went viral, inspiring over 400 million people worldwide. Chris is now a keynote speaker, author, founder of the Chris Norton Foundation, and a regular fixture on some of the biggest news outlets in the world. Chris prides himself as a foster & adoptive dad, and was featured in the popular documentary 7 Yards: The Chris Norton Story which is available on Netflix and to rent on AppleTV and Prime Video.

After giving birth at twenty years old, Rachel Rhodes was thrust into the world of special needs following the surprise Down Syndrome diagnosis of her son Jude. In this episode, Rachel candidly shares how her lowest moment as a mother propelled her into a lifelong journey toward advocacy, and what exactly it felt like to watch her son be the first person with Down Syndrome to walk the runway at New York Fashion Week. Rachel is a single mother to four, Occupational Therapist, yoga instructor, and certified relationship coach, who uses every aspect of her personal journey to empower other women.

Dr. Mary Barbera “fell” into the autism world in 1999 when her first-born son, Lucas was diagnosed with autism. Over the past two decades, Mary transformed from a registered nurse and an overwhelmed parent to a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and best-selling author of "The Verbal Behavior Approach: How to Teach Children with Autism and Related Disorders" published in 2007. In her new book, "Turn Autism Around: An Action Guide for Parents of Young Children with Early Signs of Autism" (releasing 3/30/21) as well as in her online courses, Mary teaches her unique step-by-step system to help young children with autism (or signs of autism) to communicate and learn better while reducing or eliminating major problem behaviors. 

Jillian Benfield is a news anchor turned homemaker and military wife whose entire life changed when she discovered her second son Anderson had Down Syndrome. She is an inspiring speaker and an aspiring author passionate about school inclusion, breaking down outdated stereotypes surrounding disability, and being a voice for parents of children with special needs. Jillian can be found at www.JillianBenfield.com where you can download her free e-book, "5 Spiritual Comforts for Special Needs Parents.”

After his sister was sold into sex trafficking by her record label, Jaco Booyens committed his life and career to human trafficking awareness and education. Jaco is a speaker, author and nationally recognized abolitionist, as well as the director of 8 DAYS, a film inspired by sex trafficking events within the United States. Jaco is the founder of the non-profit SHAREtogether, creator of After Eden Pictures and host of the podcast The Jaco Booyens Show. Learn more at: jacobooyensministries.org

Different, not less. Dr. Temple Grandin is well known for her trailblazing work as a spokesperson for people with autism and her lifelong work with animal behavior. Non-verbal until she was 3.5 years old, Dr. Grandin is now a prominent author and TED speaker who has been featured on NPR, Sixty Minutes, and Time Magazine. She is an author, innovator, activist, professor, and proud woman with autism who has devoted her career, and this episode, to creating inclusion and awareness surrounding special needs.