Coffee With Caregivers

Feb 28 2025 63 ep. 41 mins 9
Coffee With Caregivers Podcast artwork

Join Jess Ronne, author, speaker, and caregiver advocate as she chats with caregivers about the joys and trials of raising a child with complex needs. Jess is also the founder & executive director 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 three books. To follow the ongoing saga she can be found at www.jessplusthemess.com

  Kids & Family
RSS feed Share
Copy RSS


Subscribe on Podcast Addict


Alice Foran: Trailblazing for her daughter and the community for 39 years.

Feb 28 2025 35 mins  
About Alice:"I was raised with three siblings, Pake, Reba, and Susie McEntire, two hard working parents, Clark and Jackie McEntire. 11 first cousins, a grandpap, John McEntire, two maternal Grandparents, Elvin and Reba Smith, and one extra special hired hand Louie Sandman, on a working cattle ranch in se Oklahoma in the 50's thru 1980. There wasn't much our bunch couldn't accomplis

Graham Caldow: A Deep Dive Into Future Planning for Your Adult Child

Dec 27 2024 30 mins  
Graham Caldow is the father of daughter with additional needs and so has personal experience of the issues faced by parents and guardians and the fears they often have about their child’s future. He understands how the journey can be tough, frustrating, and lonely. He knows it’s sometimes hard to imagine a future, where they are secure, have self-dignity, have purpose to their

Kelley Coleman: Permission to Advocate for Ourselves as Caregivers & Dealing with Shame from other Families

Nov 22 2024 47 mins  
Kelley Coleman is a feature film development executive turned author and advocate for parent caregivers and individuals with disabilities. Her book Everything No One Tells You About Parenting a Disabled Child: Your Guide to the Essential Systems, Services, and Supports draws upon over a decade of advocacy, gained through her own journey parenting a child with multiple disabilities

Eileen Lamb: Severe Autism, The Price of Advocacy, and Sharing our Stories

Oct 25 2024 29 mins  
Eileen Lamb, author of "All Across The Spectrum" and “Be The One,” is the founder of The Autism Cafe. She’s also a photographer, podcast host and the Director of Social Media at Autism Speaks. Born in France, Eileen now lives in Austin, Texas, with her two sons, Charlie (11) and Jude (8), and their sister, Billie (1). On her blog, she shares the ups and downs of raising two c

Jess Ronne : A Life Update

Sep 27 2024 43 mins  
Tune in for a life update with Jess on new things she has been working on: book number 4, another documentary project, respite work, and more! To stay connected with Jess, head to www.jessplusthemess.com. If you are interested in being a guest please reach out to [email protected]. We'd love to hear what you think, so please rate and review! This episode is sponsored b

Jason Hague: Spellers, Faith, and Surrender

May 31 2024 36 mins  
Jason Hague is an associate pastor of Christ’s Center Church, a mid-size church in Oregon, one of the least churched areas in the United States. He is a husband and a father to five children, including Jack, his seventeen-year-old son with non-verbal autism. Jason has written extensively on the subject of faith and autism, special needs families, and his own journey from grief to

Crystal Polk: Adoption, Time Saving Tips, and Support

Apr 26 2024 37 mins  
Crystal Polk is a mental health therapist and Licensed Independent Social Worker in South Carolina, specializing in supporting parents of children with disabilities and medical needs through her practice, Better Tomorrow Therapy. Featured in the film "Unseen," Crystal's impactful work has gained recognition. While she may describe herself as a "nervous interviewe

Debbie Weiss: Lifelong Caregiving, Grieving, and Overcoming Obstacles

Mar 29 2024 39 mins  
Debbie, at 50, woke up to the realization that life was too short to be spent prioritizing others over herself. She ditched "I can't" for "Maybe I can," shedding her victim mentality and refusing to let struggles define her. Recently widowed, she's more determined than ever to share her message. Her debut memoir, "On Second Thought... Maybe I Can,&q

Jessica Patay: Special Needs, Community, and Making A Difference

Feb 23 2024 42 mins  
Jessica Patay is the founder and executive director of We Are Brave Together (WABT), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that supports caregiving moms with children of all types of disabilities and neuro-diverse diagnoses. In addition, she is a sought-out speaker, podcast guest, writer and retreat coordinator, fundraiser, mother of three, social influencer, and a champion of self-care

Robert Freiri: Future Options, Pressing Issues, and Never Giving Up on our Children

Jan 26 2024 38 mins  
Robert Freiri has been the Executive Director of Gateway Center of Monterey County since February 2020. Robert has been a nonprofit Executive Director for 25 years including seven years as a Habitat for Humanity Executive Director and a Nonprofit Manager for 35 years. He has also been a Non-Public School Principal. He has been involved in many community boards and committees includ