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April 15, 2025 28 mins

What if the hardest thing you've ever faced as a parent turned out to be the most transformative?

In this powerful episode, Angela O’Brien—mother, Enneagram coach, and unapologetic truth-teller—opens up about raising a daughter with Down syndrome and how the experience shattered her expectations… and rebuilt her in the best way possible. Angela doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges of parenting a child with disabilities. From grief and isolation to identity loss and the pressure to “always be strong,” she dives deep into the emotional weight families carry—especially mothers.

But through that struggle comes beauty: unexpected friendships, deeply empathetic siblings, and the chance to rediscover who you are beyond caregiving. Angela reminds us that community isn’t optional—it’s oxygen. And that pretending everything’s fine helps no one.

If you’re ready to challenge the polished narratives of disability parenting and embrace the raw, beautiful, and often misunderstood reality—this conversation is for you.


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