Special Kind of Motherhood | Stress, Sleep Deprivation, Hormone Imbalance, Healthy Foods
Natural Health Tips for Busy Moms To Feel Their Best **TOP 2% of Podcasts in the World** Do you want to switch to more natural products in your home, but every time you try to, you end up feeling overwhelmed by all the options and information out there, so you just give up? Wanting to have a garden to grow food for your family, but you don’t have the time to research how to get started? Does it feel like your dreams of homesteading and holistic living will never happen because of the extra cost it would take? Feel like if you can’t do this whole natural living thing perfectly, there’s no point at all in even trying? Welcome, friend! This podcast is going to help you learn how to work towards your dream for homesteading, gardening, and holistic living in small, simple steps that WON’T overwhelm you. Hi, I’m Ashley. I’m a wife, Jesus follower, and Mom to some amazing kids. As I began having children, we quickly realized that several of our kids had some special needs. This sent me on a journey of nonstop research and countless hours of trying to figure out ways that I could make changes to our lifestyle to help my children thrive, despite the challenges. I was so stressed out, feeling like I needed to change everything at one time. I was keeping up with therapies, dietary changes, communication challenges, while also trying to implement this holistic lifestyle, and I was BURNT OUT. I finally realized that this all-or-nothing mentality was keeping me paralyzed from actually making real, lasting, progress on my goal for helping my kids. I had to decide to start making one small change at a time, then build from there. It was a process of learning to let go and rest in Jesus, to learn that even if I couldn’t get rid of all of the toxins in our home, or only give my family organic food, Jesus had me on this journey to better health for my family and I had to do it in a way that was sustainable as a busy Mom caring for my neurodiverse kids. And you know what? Because I was willing to slow down and take small intentional steps towards changing our food, growing a garden, switching to natural products, and learning how to prepare holistic remedies for my family, it meant that over the years this has just become a way of life for my family. Without stress, or overwhelm, or constantly feeling like I wasn’t doing enough. I’ve learned to walk this holistic journey in a way that works for me AND my family. If you’re ready to hear from another Mama who understands the extra challenges we face every day while parenting our kids with special needs, who can come alongside you on this journey, showing you how to take simple steps towards better health for your family, then this is the podcast for you! Pop in your earbuds, reheat your coffee for the third time and let’s do this! Connect with me: Email: hello@ashleybraden.com Free Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/specialkindofmotherhood
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Episodes
Tuesday May 30, 2023
Tuesday May 30, 2023
Hey, friend!
It's that time of year where everyone is getting out of school for summer break. This means lots of fun and downtime for many families, but as Mom with Neurodiverse kids, we continue our therapies year-round.
The fact that everyone else is getting ready to enjoy summer while we continue our daily therapy schedule can sometime contribute to feelings of burnout and wishing we could have more time to relax and create fun memories with our kids.
I want to encourage you that this is totally normal! On today's episode I also share some ideas on how you can get creative to still enjoy fun and family as a special needs family, while sticking with the schedule that provides your children with all of the amazing resources you've found for them so far!
Ashley
Thursday May 25, 2023
Thursday May 25, 2023
Hey Mamas,
Are you looking to start a garden to offer your special needs family more healthy food, but you have no idea what to grow? Maybe you're hoping that by growing your own food, your child with SPD will be open to trying the foods you're growing in your backyard (TOTALLY has happened with my kids!) but you're looking at all the options with seeds and plant starts and feeling absolutely OVERWHELMED! Today I want to share with you 7 of my favorite things to grow in our backyard garden. Not only will I share with you what I love to grow, but why I love growing these things! I hope my list will help you to become clear on what it is you want to grow so you overcome any procrastination you're feeling from being overwhelmed and just get started! Ashley Seeds I mentioned in this episode:
Honeynut Squash
Dragon Tongue Bush Bean
Lemon Drop Watermelon
Greenstalk Planter get $10 off here.
*This post contains some affiliate links. If you use my link I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!
I would love to connect even more with you! Please email me or reach out to me on social media!
Email: hello@ashleybraden.com
Facebook: facebook.com/specialkindofmotherhood
Instagram: instagram.com/specialkind.ofmotherhood/
Tuesday May 23, 2023
Tuesday May 23, 2023
Hey, friends!
Have you noticed your child struggles to focus? Does it feel like they constantly need to be moving and at times that can interfere with daily activities?
I want to share 4 tips with you that I have found to be helpful in working WITH my children and the way their brains operate so that all of their needs are being met and they are able to focus more. Whether your child has been diagnosed with ADHD or not, these tips are going to offer you some ideas that you can start working on TODAY!
Ashley
My favorite natural products:
Skin & Beauty Products: Earthley
Use code NEWTOEARTHLEY to save 10% off your first order!
Ordering organic bulk food: Azure Standard
Supplements for cellular health: LifeVantage
I would love to connect even more with you! Please email me or reach out to me on social media!
Email: hello@ashleybraden.com
Facebook: facebook.com/specialkindofmotherhood
Instagram: instagram.com/specialkind.ofmotherhood
*This post contains affiliate links. If you use my links I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Thursday May 18, 2023
Thursday May 18, 2023
Hey Mamas,
Is your child having a hard time falling asleep at night? Are you feeling irritable and anxious from being sleep deprived? I have been there! I want to share with you 4 different tips I have used over the years to help my Autistic child to be able to fall asleep easier and rest throughout the night.
If you are in that spot of desperately needing some sleep (I get it!) join me for today's episode where I will share some tips, routines, and natural solutions I have found helpful along my journey of helping my kids with special needs to get enough rest each night!
Supplements for cellular health: LifeVantageMagnesium Cream: HERESleep Tincture: HERE
*Use code NEWTOEARTHLEY to save 10% off your first order!
I would love to connect even more with you! Please email me or reach out to me on social media!
Email: hello@ashleybraden.com
Facebook: facebook.com/specialkindofmotherhood
Instagram: instagram.com/specialkind.ofmotherhood/
*This post contains some affiliate links. If you use my link I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!
Tuesday May 16, 2023
Tuesday May 16, 2023
Hey Mamas,
Have you been considering starting a backyard garden, but you feel like it will take way too much time, so you keep putting it off? Maybe you would love to grow your own fruits and vegetables as a way to offer your family healthier food options, but getting started feels really hard?Join me to today as we talk about how YOU get to be in control of how much time it takes you to garden (and how it really doesn't have to require that much time!) Ashley Gardening Episodes:
Episode 26
Episode 11
Greenstalk Planter get $10 off here.
MIGardener: migardener.com
Baker Creek: rareseeds.com
*This post contains some affiliate links. If you use my link I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!
I would love to connect even more with you! Please email me or reach out to me on social media!
Email: hello@ashleybraden.com
Facebook: facebook.com/specialkindofmotherhood
Instagram: instagram.com/specialkind.ofmotherhood/
Monday May 15, 2023
Monday May 15, 2023
Hey Mamas,
Mother's Day was yesterday, I hope you all had an amazing day! As a Mom who has kids with speech and developmental delays, I know that sometimes big days like this have a way of bringing up a lot of feelings for us. Maybe we wish our child could speak to us, or play with us outside, or pose for a nice family photo. Mother's Day can often magnify the ways we are different from those around us and that can leave us feeling sad, disappointed, or even angry.
On today's BONUS episode I want to just remind you that you aren't alone in these feelings! I also want to share with you some hope and some encouragement that things DO get better as we commit to walking with the Lord and finding acceptance and joy along this journey of parenting our special needs kids.
Ashley
Wednesday May 10, 2023
Wednesday May 10, 2023
Hey friends, Do you often find yourself overwhelmed by the amount of things you need to get done? Then you end up just procrastinating because the tasks seem so time-consuming? You're already juggling therapy schedules and researching new things to help your child with special needs, so that to-do list can just wait, right?! I want to share with you one of my favorite hacks for getting super clear on how long tasks are actually going to take me. This helps motivate me to get things done when I realize it really won't take that long (like I hype it up in my mind!) and it also helps me to set realistic expectations about what I can *actually* get done with the time I have! Let's do this!
Ashley
My favorite natural products:
Skin & Beauty Products: Earthley
Use code NEWTOEARTHLEY to save 10% off your first order!
Ordering organic bulk food: Azure Standard
Supplements for cellular health: LifeVantage
I would love to connect even more with you! Please email me or reach out to me on social media!
Email: hello@ashleybraden.com
Facebook: facebook.com/specialkindofmotherhood
Instagram: instagram.com/specialkind.ofmotherhood
*This post contains affiliate links. If you use my links I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Tuesday May 09, 2023
Tuesday May 09, 2023
Hey Mamas, Are you looking to switch to a more natural lifestyle, but you feel overwhelmed by the feeling that you need to switch everything at one time? Do you struggle with feeling like if you can't do it perfectly, it's not even worth trying? Maybe you recently discovered that you or your child have food allergies or food sensitivities and the idea of removing those foods from your diet feels daunting? Today I want to share with you how important I have found it is for me to keep myself grounded in grace along this journey of switching to natural living. I share a bit about how our mindset really does determine our actions and what we can do about that to see the progress we want. I hope you are encouraged by this episode!
Ashley
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7My favorite natural products:
Skin & Beauty Products: Earthley
Use code NEWTOEARTHLEY to save 10% off your first order!
Ordering organic bulk food: Azure Standard
Supplements for cellular health: LifeVantage
I would love to connect even more with you! Please email me or reach out to me on social media!
Email: hello@ashleybraden.com
Facebook: facebook.com/specialkindofmotherhood
Instagram: instagram.com/specialkind.ofmotherhood
*This post contains affiliate links. If you use my links I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Thursday May 04, 2023
Thursday May 04, 2023
Hey Mamas,Have you ever had someone criticize the way you parent your differently-abled child? Maybe the person really hadn't taken the time to understand your child or their needs before speaking, but the comment still stung and left you feeling a bit insecure. I have been there many times over the last several years and I know what it's like to go down that spiral of feeling shame and like we aren't enough all because we place too much value on the opinions of others. I want to share with you today 5 tips I have found to be really helpful over the last few years in helping me to learn how to confidently stand in the parenting decisions we make, even when it looks different from what's "normal" and others disagree with us. I hope this encourages you! Ashley
I would love to connect even more with you! Please email me or reach out to me on social media!
Email: hello@ashleybraden.com
Facebook: facebook.com/specialkindofmotherhood
Instagram: instagram.com/specialkind.ofmotherhood
Tuesday May 02, 2023
Tuesday May 02, 2023
Hey Mamas, Do you desire to spend your morning with a hot cup of coffee, your Bible, and your favorite devotional, investing in your relationship with Jesus? Has this become a major struggle for you to do consistently since you became a Mom and began caring for your children with special needs? Me too. I have had to get really creative with ways to intentionally grow my relationship with Jesus when it felt like I had no time and no energy to do so. I want to share these tips with you in today's episode! Let's go! Ashley
I would love to connect even more with you! Please email me or reach out to me on social media!
Email: hello@ashleybraden.com
Facebook: facebook.com/specialkindofmotherhood
Instagram: instagram.com/specialkind.ofmotherhood