Behind the Breakthroughs

Latest Episodes:

A Mother's Love May 21, 2019

Show notes

In this episode we chat with a loving Mother whose son's diagnosis with autism inspired her on her personal journey of self-discovery. Shedescribes her journey as a continued marathon, where she is constantly evolving. She also explains how living through adversity by experiencing heartache and pain, struggling with addiction, to recently graduating with her MA in Business Administration has helped her build character within herself, which has ultimately helped her family.

Meet Simone Greggs, Mother of Jeremiah Josey (Episode #40) a recent graduate, momager, and an advocate for children with autism. Simone talks about her personal journey of being a single Mother and her mission was for her son to not be another statistic. Through sacrifice and unconditional love she made it a point to show up for her son when she needed to show up. From fighting with professionals to get the correct diagnosis, to advocating for Jeremiah to be placed in a private school that would meet his needs, to attending IEP meetings, Simone's tenacity and determination has allowed Jeremiah to fulfill his dreams. Her motto is one that we should all live by..."If I'm not going to give up, then you can't give up!" This is an episode that you don't want to miss!

IN THIS EPISODE:

MINDSHIFT (takeaways)

Keep God first.
Surround yourself with people who genuinely love and care for you and your family.
Cultivate and tap into the gifts of your child. Do not forcing your child to do what we want, it's about cultivating what they are passionate about. When you do that the rest will be easy.
You can't worry about what people think of you and what you are doing.

First Responders May 14, 2019

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In this episode we chat a single mama who "keeps it real" living life with her two sons who are on the spectrum. This mom turned one of her sons continued elopment into a positive by creating the First Responder Autism Awareness Training (FRAAT) a non-profit organization that focuses on training first responders how to approach and interact with individuals with autism. Her real life experiences and how she approches them with humor and wit make her relatable and a motivation to ALL auitism mamas.

Meet Francine Mundt, founder of FRAAT.org. Francine shares her real life experiences with us as a single mom raising her two sons. From meltodowns in public, to having to wear shorts for the rest of her life because one of her sons doesn't want her to wear pants, Francine talks about the real and raw stories about autism that nobody really talks about. Her honesty and how she approaches parenting with humor makes it o.k. to talk about the difficult realities of autism. Francine's stories are relatable and funny and ones that many families can connect with. This is an episode you don't want to miss!

IN THIS EPISODE:

MINDSHIFT (takeaways)

No matter what the doctor says, therapist, or professionals say, just always 110% go with your gut.

Mermaid Power May 07, 2019

Show notes

In this episode we chat with a motivating mama who took her depression, anxiety and coping with the diagnosis of her son into her own personal self-care fitness journey. She talks about how self-care for mother's is lacking and encourages others mama's to embrace her own philosophy that self-care is mandatory!

Meet Erin King, from Erin King Fitness. In this podcast, Erin shares her journey as a mother and we discuss all the unspoken details of motherhood from postpartum depression, stress, to the diagnosis of her son and how it led her to gain 250 pounds. She talks about her weight loss journey and through her journey has become a fitness coach that encourages others to be the best versions of themselves. She helps people understand that self-care is not just about weight loss. One can do the physcial work, but if one doesn't do mental work it won't become a lifetstyle. In the past three years Erin has motivated thousdands of women with her determination and positivity while sharing by her motto... "the things that scare you make you grow."

IN THIS EPISODE:

MINDSHIFT (takeaways)

Self-care is not selfish its mandatory!Think of it as the facemask on the airplane... you have to put yours on first before you help someone else. Same applies with self-care.
Don't ever stop fighting for yourself and your kids. If you don't fight for yourself, you'll have less for your kids.

Date Yourself Apr 30, 2019

Show notes

Date Yourself

In this episode, Dr. Annette Nunez and co-host, Maylene Johnson, visit the topic of self-care especially for moms! Self-care is extremely important and should be considered a non-negotiable. Your children and family are incredibly important, but it's also important to not let your own wants and needs fall by the wayside.

Dr. Annette Nunez and Maylene Johnson discuss how they practice self-care both as moms and as professionals. They talk about how they take time for themselves to get out of their funks, and how they learned to let go of "perfection." They also give their advice on how to find the time to invest in self-care, how to shift your mindset around self-care and how to feel less guilty about treating yourself. By the end of this episode you will know how to create a foolproof plan of how to care for yourself. Self-care is truly a non-negotiable and must be looked at as a lifestyle. Tune in to learn how you can shift your mindset around self-care in order to become the best version of yourself!

IN THIS EPISODE:

MINDSHIFT (takeaways)

Self-care is a necessity and a non-negotiable, so start changing your mindset and start thinking about how you need to take time away in order to be your best self.
Date yourself and put yourself into your schedule!
Have conversations with yourself and ask yourself: What is going to fuel me today? What brings me happiness? Plan and consider your self-care every day.

Sounds Like Autism Apr 24, 2019

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Sounds Like Autism

In this episode we chat with a young adult who recieved his diagnosis of autism at the age of 13. From being labeled as a "behavioral case" when he was younger, to being bullied by kids, this young man did not let it stop him from living his life and becoming a success. When people said he couldn't, he proved them all wrong by showing them that he could. His positive outlook on life has proven to everyone that autism has no limits!

Meet Josh Mirsky, host of the Just Like Autism Podcast. Josh talks about his life experiences and explains that throughout his life he has learned how to turn negative experiences into a positive ones. He is grateful for all these experiences both negative and positive because it has made him into the person that he is today. We chat about work, driving, living indepedendently, podcasting, and most importantly Josh shares his advice on dating. This is an episode you don't want to miss. To hear more of Josh you can listen to his podcast, Just Like Autism.

IN THIS EPISODE:

MINDSHIFT (takeaways)

1. Think of all the people that have said, "No" in your life and prove them wrong!!!

Jeremiah's Cooking Adventures Apr 16, 2019

Show notes

In this episode we chat with a young man whose diagnosis of autism does not stop him from achieving his goals and aspirations. From walking the runways in New York for Tommy Hilfiger, to appearing multiple times on The Steve Harvey Show, to writing a book, to following his dream of becoming a pastry chef, this young man is a true example of what it means to live life with positivity and determination. He shares with us how he is living his best life and setting his goals high so he can become the best person he can be!

Meet Jeremiah Josey, model, author, speaker, and aspiring chief. Jeremiah talks about his life experiences through the eyes of autism from modeling, to being a guest on the Steve Harvey Show, to his cooking adventures and making his famous cheesecake. Recently, Jeremiah has been the keynote speaker at several events in which he talks about leaving your mark in this world. In this podcast you will hear Jeremiah's story and how he is leaving his own mark in this world. One day we will all get to enjoy his tasty treats when he opens his restaurant called, Jeremiah's Cakes and Shakes.

Raising the "Bar" Apr 10, 2019

Show notes

In this episode we chat with the first openly autistic lawyer who practices law in Florida. She shares with us her journey from being non-verbal at the age of three to recently passing the Bar. With her families support and her positive outlook on life this autistic female gives back to the community through her books, artwork, and speaking out about the importance of neurodiversity. Her famous quote, " Different isn't bad, it's just different, and different can be extraordinary" is an adequate description of autism.

Meet Haley Moss author, artist, advocate, speaker, and lawyer (just to name a few of her jobs.) Haley talks about her incredible journey from sharing her ealiest memories of the different types of therapies she participtaed in, to her stim behaviors, to fitting in socially in middle and high school, to attending law school. From an early age she was told that autism was a positive thing and nothing to be ashamed of. She turned this positivity into becoming an artist, writer, and ultimitaly becoming a lawyer. She is a true example of what autism is versus what autism isn't. No autistic individual should be placed in a box as everyone has an inspiring and extraordinary story like Haley. This is an episode you want to listen to!

The Inclusion Project Apr 03, 2019

Show notes

In this episode we chat with a mother, Kathryn Jenkins, who wanted to open up the conversation about autism and what it means to be inclusive within a home and school environment. As a mother of three sons, one who is diagnosed with autism, a huge part of their life is the ability to include everyone and to create family traditions in which everyone within the family is successful. She took her passion for inclusion and wrote a children's book in hopes of educating schools and the community about what it means to be inclusive.

Meet Kathyn Jenkins, the author of "The Inclusion Alphabet." The book's storyline is based on Kathryn's real life experiences. It is about a boy who struggles to make friends, a girl who feels different, and a man who meets a stranger that changes his life. The storyline is created around the alphabet with meaningful words such as empathy, different, forgiveness, and gratitude. The intention of these words to help children and adults understand what it means to be inclusive. The book was written for anyone to enjoy, however, Kathryn's ultimate goal is to get it into as many elementary schools as possible. Teaching children to be compassionate and inclusive at a young age makes for inclusive adults in the future. P.S. listen to the end of the podcast where Kathryn shares a poignant story about her son and a lemonade stand.

MINDSHIFT (takeaways)

Autism can be confusing, heartbreaking, and enlightening.Autism can also be freeing too.
If we meet each other half way... we can do something really great and make big changes in classrooms and within the home.

iAccept Autism Mar 27, 2019

Show notes

April is Autism Awareness month and in this episode Dr. Annette Nunez and Maylene Johnson discuss the topic of autism awareness versus autism acceptance. They talk about the ignorance surrounding the topic of autism and they share their personal experiences around this ignorance. They have been asked questions such as, "Is autism contagious?" or "Will my child start modeling weird behaviors?" These types of questions prompted both Annette and Maylene to start an iAccept Campaign in hopes of educating the general public about autism and shutting down the myths about how people perceive autism.

There is a saying, "If you've met one person with autism, you have met one person with autism." This quote is extremely accurate when describing what autism is. Many people have a perception of what autism is and this perception often leads to exclusion. This podcast addresses the issue of autism education, awareness, acceptance and what it means to be inclusive. Being inclusive doesn't mean that you hang a poster on a wall and say that your school promotes inclusion. Being inclusive means that you are education yourself about autism and actively finding ways for peers to include one another on the playground and within the classroom. It is one thing to be aware, but another to accept and include.

MINDSHIFT (takeaways)

Get involved!!! Teach and talk to your children about acceptance, empathy, compassion, and what it means to be inclusive.
If you know a child with needs include them... invite them to a birthday party, play date, etc. An invite goes a long way.
If your child has a classmate who is on the spectrum encourage your child to talk to them by saying, "Hi!" or asking them, "How are you?" Even if the child with autism doesn't seem engaged or respond, they are taking everything in and just know it makes a difference and means the world to them.
Autism awareness and acceptance just isn't in the month of April. Autism is ongoing so it is important to revisit the topic with your child monthly and talk about what it means to be inclusive.

Annette's Vignette VII Mar 20, 2019

Show notes

In this vignette Dr. Nunez has a discussion around finding what your child loves to do and turning that love into their passion. So much emphasis is placed on early intervention and academics, however, not much is placed on social and life skills. It is important to keep your child's future in mind by creating a well-rounded therapeutic program that includes other therapies that encourage your child to be relational and promotes independence. Autism doesn't go away at age 5, 15, or 21. So what happens to your child when they are older and they have memorized math facts, but don't have any social or life skills?

In this episode Dr. Nunez talks about how to turn your child's strengths and what they naturally gravitate to into functional interests. She also discusses the importance of thinking about the life skills your child needs to live independently and to start teaching those skills at an early age. A comprehensive therapeutic program that incorporates social skills, promotes independence, and encourages your child interests is so beneficial for your child's future. Finding an extra curricular activity based on your child's interests is a great way to have your child socialize with children who share common interests, become independent, and build self-confidence. Your child's passion will lead to paying jobs in the future, that will ultimately lead to their independence.

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