A child can be hospitalized, overwhelmed by noise and light, judged for “behavior,” and still find a way to sparkle. We’re joined by Jodee Kulp, author, speaker, and longtime fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) advocate, to talk about her daughter Liz and the reality of living with prenatal alcohol exposure. Liz’s life refuses the usual storyline of limits: she creates workarounds on top of workarounds, finds ways to write when reading is hard, shows up to dialysis in colorful wigs, and keeps offering the world a clearer window into a brain most people never try to understand.
We get practical about what helps and what harms. Sensory processing and nervous system overload often sit underneath big reactions, which changes how we should treat “meltdowns” at school, in clinics, and in the ER. Jodee shares the powerful empathy lesson Liz built with a simple sensory kit, plus the advocacy mindset that helped them navigate systems that weren’t designed for neurodivergent people. We also talk about why IQ scores and single “functioning level” labels can miss the truth, and how the Hager vortex reframes development as uneven, dynamic, and deeply human.
You’ll also hear the stories behind Red Shoes Rock, the early FAS Day bell-ringing movement, and what happens when learning is rebuilt around strengths through homeschooling and brain-based methods. If you care about FASD support, disability advocacy, neurodiversity, caregiver resilience, or doing healthcare and education with more dignity, this conversation stays with you. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs hope, and leave a review with one thing you’ll do differently after listening.
