The Just A Mom Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 112: Lynda Gargan, PhD, Executive Director, National Federation of Families Jul 15, 2025

Show notes

The summer 2025 season concludes with a great conversation with Lynda Gargan. Lynda shares some of her personal story of raising a son with mental health challenges, as well as her professional journey that led her to The National Federation of Families (NFF, https://www.ffcmh.org/).

We discuss the importance of listening to our children, advocating for them, and mental health education. Lynda does a deep dive on all of the ways NFF works for families dealing with mental health issues and the mission of The National Federation of Families, which is a national family-run organization that serves as the national voice for families whose loved ones experience mental health and/or substance use disorders during their lifetime.

Lynda stresses the importance of treating the whole person and how, unfortunately, there is such a division between treating those who struggle with both mental illness and substance use disorder. Lynda encourages listeners to peruse the website and to call the NFF with any questions or for help.

We conclude by discussing the annual NFF Conference (https://www.ffcmh.org/2025-conference), which will be held virtually this year.

Episode 111: Iuri Melo, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Author, and Cofounder of SchoolPulse Jul 08, 2025

Show notes

Iuri Melo was inspired to look for a solution to a rash of teen suicides in his community in Utah seven years ago. SchoolPulse (https://schoolpulse.org/) is a proactive, text-based student support service available throughout the United States that texts students evidence-based, cognitive behavioral skills and strategies twice a week. This approach provides students with anonymity, confidentiality, convenience, and privacy that results in honest interactions and leads to effective prevention. Students have 24/7 access to adults who partner with both schools and parents. No matter who you are, you will want to learn about SchoolPulse and share it with your friends, neighbors, schools, school boards, and school districts. Iuri has also authored two books, Mind Over Grey Matter (https://a.co/d/iwJnHSI) and Know Thy Selfie (https://a.co/d/flHwGeB).

Episode 110: Cheryl Deas, Mom, Founder and President, Darnell Deas, Jr., Marvelous Light Foundation Jul 01, 2025

Show notes

I heard Cheryl speak at the National Federation of Families Conference (https://www.ffcmh.org/) in November of 2024, where she very vulnerably shared her experience of losing her son, DJ, to suicide seven years ago. On this episode, Cheryl talks about what a gifted athlete and student DJ was, and how she and her husband had no idea that DJ was struggling. Cheryl candidly discusses the hours, days, and weeks following DJ’s suicide and how their friends and community surrounded them and held them up during this time. Cheryl offers advice and tips to parents based on what she has learned since DJ’s death, as well as how her Christian faith has sustained her and led her to the establishment of the DJ Deas Marvelous Light Foundation (https://djdeasmarvelouslightfoundation.com). Cheryl’s life passion is to prevent another family from experiencing death by suicide. Cheryl wants people to know that even on the darkest days, there is still hope, and it’s ok to not be ok.

Episode 109: Kelly Jackson, Mom and Executive Director of NAMI Johnson County, Kansas Part 2 Jun 24, 2025

Show notes

Kelly Jackson shares more in-depth about her personal journey of parenting a child with mental illness in the second part of my conversation with her. Kelly discusses how she had to adjust her dreams and expectations for her daughter, and how she had to stop trying to make her daughter just like herself. While there have been many ups and downs in their journey, Kelly shares how her daughter is learning resilience. Kelly also shares how her husband’s involvement in NAMI led Kelly to attend a Family to Family class, where she was able to feel seen and heard and not isolated. Kelly became the Executive Director of NAMI Johnson County, Kansas (https://namijoco.org/) two years ago, and encourages people to access the many free resources offered by NAMI nationwide (https://www.nami.org/)

Episode 108: Kelly Jackson Part 1 Jun 17, 2025

Show notes

Kelly Jackson is a mom who has vast personal experience with family members experiencing mental illness. In this episode of The Just A Mom Podcast, Kelly candidly shares her journey as a parent with a child with mental illness. Kelly’s daughter started exhibiting symptoms of mental illness after she fell out of a swing and suffered a concussion as a second grader. Kelly chronicles her daughter’s mental health journey, which included in-patient psychiatric hospitalization, an intensive outpatient program and individual therapy. Kelly shares the enormous difficulties her daughter had with school and how making a big change was the best thing for her daughter. While her daughter still struggles with depression, she was diagnosed with Autism as well after a new psychiatric evaluation. Kelly shares how difficult the journey has been, the importance of building a great support network, and how she is teaching her daughter to advocate for herself.

Episode 107: Kim Botto, Author of Boundless Hope for Every Child Jun 10, 2025

Show notes

This episode is a don’t-miss for all. Kim is passionate about all kids belonging, particularly in church settings. But Kim’s book and principles apply to all of us, and we ended our time together by saying, “Just be a decent human being.” While this can seem so simple, Kim helps us understand the ways that we don’t do this well and how we can do it better, especially with kids and adults who have “invisible disabilities”. Kim talks about how trauma impacts children and their attachment and how neurodivergence affects the brain. Kim also gives great tips for parents on finding support for themselves as well as finding a good fit with a therapist for their child. Kim encourages us to be curious, to be kind, and to be flexible. Kim’s book, Boundless Hope for Every Child, can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/Boundless-Hope-Every-Child-Misunderstood/dp/B0DY6DD4DY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1UN3KTWKHSSGZ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.BZrM7D3BKQXhFHXk8tIyF6Ofdilp5qNvisH5bNO0xeLGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps._2EKj8LaRoHuja85mrh0Giy8vo7uzQhXnFafG_md4- or on her website: https://kimbotto.com/

Episode 106: Anna McCasland Jun 03, 2025

Show notes

Don’t miss this summer kick-off episode of The Just A Mom Podcast featuring Anna McCasland. Anna has an incredible and unique journey as a person with lived experience with PANDAS, which is short for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections. PANDAS is a rare autoimmune condition that can occur in children after a strep throat infection, and is characterized by a sudden onset of obsessive-compulsive (OCD) along with other behavioral and emotional changes. Anna candidly shares how, after a strep throat infection at age 12, her life changed. Anna chronicles her journey and how her parents were incredible advocates for her and how, after a myriad of mental health treatments, including numerous medications and therapy, she was able to lead a fairly typical life in high school and college. However, things changed dramatically when Anna graduated from college and started her first job. Anna tells how she became a shell of a person, experiencing a host of physical and mental health issues. Because of the tenacity of Anna and her parents, Anna was able to locate a researcher in PANDAS, and her life virtually changed within days of a new treatment and understanding of her PANDAS. Anna shares how she cares for herself and her mental health, and encourages parents to listen to their children and not to give up looking for answers.

Episode 105: Debi Roberts, Chief Executive Officer, The OLLIE Foundation Apr 15, 2025

Show notes

Don’t miss the final episode this spring featuring Debi Roberts of the OLLIE Foundation (https://theolliefoundation.org/). Ollie is an acronym for One Life Lost Is Enough. The Ollie Foundation was founded in 2016 by three UK parents who had lost their teen sons to suicide. OLLIE is devoted to empowering individuals and organizations to reduce suicide in their communities through education, intervention, and prevention. Debi walks us through the myriad of resources OLLIE provides, all online and free. Debi proudly shares that the OLLIE Foundation has trained 25,000 people since COVID and was one of the first organizations to effectively bring this type or training and education online. Make sure you visit their website to access all of their free courses and resources.

Episode 104: Holly Miles, Executive Director of NAMI Greater Kansas City and Mom Part 3 Apr 08, 2025

Show notes

In the final of a three-part series, Holly continues chronicling the unconditional love she and her husband have shown their son. Holly shares that after her son attacked both her and her husband, her son was taken by ambulance to the emergency room. Holly then shares about her injuries from the attack and the permanent problems she has as a result. Holly tells us that while she and her husband did press charges against their son for their own protection and his, she has never given up on him. Since the attack, he has been better but still relapses. He started Job Corps (https://www.jobcorps.gov/) in January and is finishing high school part-time. Holly stresses the importance of therapy and her faith in this journey and how important self-care is for her. Lastly, Holly educates us on NAMI (https://www.nami.org/) and the myriad of resources they provide for free.

Episode 103: Holly Miles, Executive Director of NAMI Greater Kansas City and Mom Part 2 Apr 01, 2025

Show notes

*Trigger warning: This episode contains conversations about sex and pornography addiction and sexual abuse.

This is the second of a three-part series with Holly Miles. In this episode, Holly discusses some of the behaviors her adopted son started exhibiting after she and her husband adopted him. Some of these behaviors included inappropriate sexual behaviors and pornography use, sexual abuse, and physical violence. Holly and her husband worked incredibly hard to find the appropriate treatment for her son, which eventually led them to the Capstone Wellness Treatment Center in Arkansas (https://capstonewellness.com/). Holly discusses in-depth their experience with her son’s residential treatment at Capstone, which included extensive parent and family therapy as well. Even though Holly says her son left treatment as a completely changed kid, it was only a matter of weeks before her son violently attacked her and her husband physically.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected