Motherhood has a way of rewriting the plans we were so sure we had figured out.

For Susanna Peace Lovell, that meant becoming a mother to her daughter, Arizona, who is neurodivergent and has autism, ADHD, anxiety, and significant allergies. For Jacqueline, it meant infertility, loss, a 24-week premature birth, a four-month NICU stay, and eventually learning that her oldest son has autism and ADHD, and her younger son also has ADHD and sensory processing disorder.

In this deeply personal conversation, Jacqueline and Susanna talk about what happens when motherhood looks nothing like the version you imagined—and how you learn to find yourself within it.

They open up about receiving a child's diagnosis, the instinct to immediately jump into "fix it" mode, the fear of what the world will think of your child, and the invisible mental load of raising a child with additional needs. They also talk about something caregivers don't hear nearly enough: you are allowed to have needs, joy, interests, dreams, and an identity outside of caring for everyone else.

Susanna shares the importance of compassion—for our children, for other mothers, and especially for ourselves—and why finding people who simply get it can change everything.

In this episode:

• When motherhood doesn't look the way you imagined
• Processing an autism or ADHD diagnosis
• The invisible work of parenting a neurodivergent child
• Why gratitude and overwhelm can exist at the same time
• Letting go of the pressure to "fix" everything
• What other people don't understand about raising a child with additional needs
• Building a village when you can't do it alone
• Rediscovering joy and identity outside of caregiving
• What Susanna would tell a mom who just received her child's diagnosis
• Why your child is still the exact same child they were before the label

Susanna also shares her work with We Are Brave Together, a community supporting the mental health and wellness of caregiving moms, and the anthology Suddenly Brave Together, featuring letters from experienced caregiving mothers to moms who are just beginning this journey.

If you've ever wondered where you went while taking care of everyone else—or you're navigating a motherhood story you never saw coming—this conversation is for you.

Connect with Susanna:
SusannaPeaceLovell.com
Instagram: @mamapeace

Learn more about We Are Brave Together:
WeAreBraveTogether.org

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