Show Notes
“I would feel like my son represented the pain.” Callie “I’m supposed to love you and nurture you but right now when I am elbow deep in diarrhea, I am full of rage.” Callie “Praise Jesus my baby lived so I’m not allowed to speak about the difficulties.” Jess “Moms need to speak the truth so that we can see change.” Jess “Somehow in my mind I was supposed to muscle through this.” Callie “ I wish I would have raised my hand and said, I need help.” Callie “You are just in a state of existence.” Callie [I thought] “Yes, I’m glad he’s home, but I’m also terrified that he’s home.” Callie “I had three different doctors diagnose me with PTSD in those days.” Callie. In this episode of Coffee with Caregivers, Jess sits down with her friend Callie Daruk, an award-winning author and speaker. She is also a hands-on mother of three spirited boys. After nearly a year-long stay in the NICU with one of her twins who was diagnosed with necrotizing enterocolitis, her rose-colored glasses shattered. Her new book, What Does God Want You to do Before You Die, details her traumatic but hopeful story. She also serves as the Chapter President of Word Weavers Int., and her writing has appeared in Guideposts, The Upper Room, Focus on the Family, Kids Clubhouse, Charisma, Just 18 Summers and Nashville Christian Voice magazines. Jess and Callie go deep in this conversation, discussing symptoms of PTSD that they each experienced after the birth of their children, the “miracle baby” syndrome, and how desperately they needed help during the earliest days as special needs moms.
More from Coffee With Caregivers
In this heartfelt episode of Coffee With Caregivers, host Jess Ronnie sits down with author and homeschooling mom Ashley Jones, who shares her raw and honest journey raising her seven-year-old son Gordon, who was diagnosed with autism and childhood apraxia of speech. Ashley opens up about the early signs she didn't recognize, the years of navigating therapies, meltdowns, and isolation, and the grief cycle that so many parents of children with special needs quietly live through — from denial and anger to bargaining and, slowly, acceptance. Ashley and Jess explore what it really means to hold two truths at once: loving your child completely while also grieving the life you imagined for them. From sensory challenges and avoidant eating to the unexpected gift of a mini farm full of goats, chickens, and one very content rabbit, Ashley's story is both deeply relatable and wonderfully specific. Her reflections on therapy, the value of the PCIT program, and learning to navigate the unsolicited opinions of those who mean well but don't truly get it will resonate with any caregiver who has ever felt utterly alone — and found their way through anyway. To connect with Ashley, visit her website at ashleyljones.com or follow her on Instagram and Facebook at @AshleyLJonesAuthor.
In this episode of Coffee with Caregivers, Jess sits down with author, speaker, and advocate Amy Julia Becker — mom to Penny, a 20-year-old with Down Syndrome — to explore what it truly means to be made whole. Drawing from her book To Be Made Well, Amy Julia shares how raising Penny dismantled her own hidden hierarchy of human value and opened her eyes to the freedom that comes from embracing vulnerability and need. Together, Jess and Amy Julia reflect on how disability has been one of the most powerful teachers in their lives — not just about their children, but about themselves. The conversation moves through themes of healing, distraction, and the mind-body connection, as Amy Julia describes how unprocessed stress and unspoken pain can manifest physically — and how honesty, humility, and hope can create a pathway toward wholeness. She and Jess also speak candidly to caregivers who are living in survival mode, offering practical wisdom about finding community in five-minute pockets of time, seeing your child as a gift rather than a deficit, and letting your body tell you what your heart hasn't yet found words for.
In this episode of Coffee with Caregivers, Jess welcomes Tyler Hudson, an advocate and father of a son with profound autism. Tyler shares his family's journey from Texas to Australia, the challenges they faced with their son Lyric's regressive autism, and the impact of living in a rural area. They discuss the difficulties of elopement, nonverbal communication, and the transition to adulthood for children with autism. Tyler touches on the broader societal implications of the growing autism population and the need for more research and resources. The episode concludes with insights into his advocacy work and the importance of addressing all potential causes of autism.
He said, "You don't have to be a hero... you don't have to save the baby's life." Jillian Benfield is a former journalist and news anchor. She holds a broadcast journalism degree from the University of Georgia. As a freelance writer, her essays about living an unexpected life have appeared on sites such as TODAY, Good Morning America, Yahoo! News, and ABC News. Jillian regularly advocates for the full inclusion of people with disabilities in her writings, in her community, and as a part of the National Down Syndrome Congress’s National Down Syndrome Advocacy Coalition. Jillian and her husband, Andy, and their three children make their home on Florida’s Space Coast. Learn more atjillianbenfield.com. To stay connected with Jess, head to www.jessplusthemess.com. If you are interested in being a guest please reach out to [email protected]. I'd love to hear what you think, so please rate and review!
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 acceptance of his son’s condition. He blogs at JasonHague.com, and on his Facebook page, Jason Hague, writer. The success of his blog and the viral video he posted there, A Reflection of Aching Joy, led to his first book with NavPress in 2018. Aching Joy: Following God through the Land of Unanswered Prayer was warmly received by church and special needs communities. The book won a Cascade Award for best memoir in 2019. Jason has been a guest on numerous podcasts and radio shows such as Focus on the Family, and his writing has appeared in Christianity Today, Ann Voskamp, Fathom Magazine, and Finding Cooper’s Voice.