Show Notes
```htmlMeet Vision Cooper, a blind entrepreneur, artist, husband, father, and the definition of someone who's learned that success means a whole lot more than what's sitting in a bank account. In this episode, we sit down with Vision to talk about building businesses, raising a family, and the life lessons that completely changed how he measures success. As the owner of 14 businesses, Vision shares how he spent years chasing the next opportunity until a conversation with our own Josselyn made him stop and rethink what really mattered. That shift changed the way he approaches fatherhood, marriage, and the legacy he's building for his children. We also get into what it's like raising kids as a blind dad, how he and his wife refuse to let society place limits on their family, and why teaching resilience starts at home. Vision opens up about the work ethic that drives him, the importance of showing up for the people you love, and how he's creating opportunities not just for himself, but for others. Plus, we dive into his wellness company, 420 Wellness, where he's helping people explore alternative approaches to health and wellness while challenging the way many people think about health and wellness. This conversation is honest, funny, thought-provoking, and full of the kind of perspective that sticks with you long after the episode ends. Whether you're a parent, an entrepreneur, or someone trying to find a healthier balance between work and family, this is an episode you won't want to miss. Purchase our Blind Parenting Bundle: Take the systems built by blind parents to make your life easier and set your family up for success. Support us on Patreon Email us Like our Facebook page Follow us on TikTok Follow us on X Follow us on Instagram Visit our website ```
More from BABIES DOWN, BOTTLES UP
For White Cane Awareness Day and Blindness equality achievement Month, we're talking about something many blind people have a complicated history with: the long white cane. Whether you've carried one proudly, kept it folded in your bag, or avoided using it altogether, chances are you have a story to tell. This week, Kisha, Terrin, and Josselyn, along with producer Danny, share their personal journeys with cane shame, learning to travel independently, and the experiences that finally changed their relationships with their canes. From Josselyn and Terrin learning to embrace cane travel while pursuing guide dogs, to Kisha discovering a new level of confidence at a blindness training center, the crew reflects on how their attitudes toward mobility have changed over the years. We also get into the differences between sighted and blind orientation and mobility instructors, learning through structured discovery versus memorizing routes, and whether smart canes and newer technology can truly replace traditional cane skills. And because this is BDBU, you know there are stories! Kisha recalls falling into a ravine and needing a rope rescue, Terrin shares how she accidentally walked into a stranger's apartment, and Danny remembers the time his cane snapped in half in New York City. Whether you're just beginning to use a white cane, still struggling with cane shame, or have years of independent travel under your belt, this conversation offers plenty of laughs, familiar experiences, and some perspective on what it takes to feel comfortable traveling on your own terms. Purchase our Blind Parenting Bundle: take the systems built by blind parents to make your life easier and set your family up for success. Support us on Patreon. Find Babies Down, Bottles Up on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X. Visit our website at bdbupod.com. Questions, comments, or stories to share? Email us at [email protected].
Episode 107 is an in-house episode, which means Danny is bringing the clips and Kisha, Terrin, and Josselyn have plenty to say about them. The crew gets into a viral custody dispute after a dad sends his girlfriend to drop off his kids while their mom is out of town, then tackles a complicated surrogacy case involving a serious fetal diagnosis, a termination agreement, and a surrogate who refuses to follow through. That conversation opens up a larger discussion about disability, how quickly people place limits on the lives of disabled children, and what prospective parents should be prepared to accept when choosing to have a child. Things lighten up with kids talking back, profanity, and figuring out where parents draw the line between allowing children to express themselves and teaching them when, where, and how certain language is appropriate. Then the conversation turns serious again when a blind mom shares an uncomfortable Uber ride with her daughter. The crew breaks down rideshare safety, invasive questions about blindness, drivers touching or moving children without permission, where blind parents should sit in the vehicle, and why trusting your gut can matter when something about a situation feels wrong. They close with a difficult family situation involving a seven-year-old grieving the sudden death of his father, continued contact with his younger sibling and his father's former girlfriend, and the discovery that she has already moved a new boyfriend into the home. How soon is too soon, what does the child's mother deserve to know, and whose needs should be driving these decisions while a child is still processing the loss of a parent? Somehow, Hennessy conception stories, expensive white canes, TSA drama, tequila lemonade, and the possibility of being haunted by your dead boyfriend also make their way into the conversation. Because apparently Episode 107 had room for all of it. Purchase our Blind Parenting Bundle: Take the systems built by blind parents to make your life easier and set your family up for success. https://bdbushop.com Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/babiesdownbottlesup Email us: [email protected] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/babiesdownbottlesup TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@babies_down_bottles_up X: https://x.com/bdbupod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bdbu_pod
Part 2 of our homeschool series is here, and we're getting the long term view. Leanne and Tyler Merren join Kisha, Terrin, and Josselyn to talk about what it looks like to homeschool for the long haul. They share why they made the switch in the first place, how finding a real homeschool community changed everything for them, and what discipline and structure actually look like when you're both teacher and parent. They also get into the payoff, the independence their kids have built, the life skills that came with it, and the moments that made all of it worth it. This one's for anyone wondering what homeschooling looks like once the early years are behind you. Hit play. Connect with Leanne and Tyler Merren Learn more about homeschool laws and resources at HSLDA. Follow Leanne on Facebook. Check out Tyler's ReVision Fitness app. Follow Tyler on Instagram. Purchase our Blind Parenting Bundle: take the systems built by blind parents to make your life easier and set your family up for success. Support us on Patreon. Email us at [email protected]. Like our Facebook page. Follow us on TikTok. Follow us on X. Follow us on Instagram.
Y'all, we finally got into it: can a blind parent actually homeschool their kids? Alex Cortez and Kristi Yang join Kisha, Terrin, and Josselyn for the whole conversation. Curriculum picks, how teaching duties get split with a sighted or blind husband, and why "unschooling" looks different in every house. PDFs read through headphones. Play-Doh standing in for handwriting practice. Shaving cream turned into a spelling lesson straight from Terrin's own playbook with Scarlett, plus the story of how a Barnes & Noble trip became an accidental independence lesson. They get into why each family chose this route in the first place, what the actual laws require depending on your state, and why "socialization" might be the most overused word in this whole conversation. Co-ops, church, and a packed activity schedule cover that just fine. If you're blind and you've ever wondered whether homeschool is even on the table for your family, this episode is your answer. Hit play. Purchase our Blind Parenting Bundle: take the systems built by blind parents to make your life easier and set your family up for success. Support us on Patreon. Email us at [email protected]. Like our Facebook page. Follow us on TikTok. Follow us on X. Follow us on Instagram.
Y'all, Kisha is stuck out in Colorado Springs for nationals, so Terrin and Josselyn take the wheel and crowns her a prisoner of the skies. Then our Mom of the Month walks in and takes over. Meisha of Meisha's Music Element is a small town North Carolina girl and a longtime listener who found us while she was pregnant. She came ready. Why she defends residential blind schools, the saxophone she never could have afforded, and the fire alarm she set off frying chicken for the first time. Marrying her high school sweetheart and finding out the hard way what marriage does to SSI. Losing the rest of her vision in 2020 and the depression that came with it. Then the twist. After gastric bypass, she went in thinking she had a hernia and walked out 13 weeks pregnant. She gets into saying no to a C-section she did not need, the Uber ride to the hospital, her totally blind husband cutting the cord, and the pediatric appointment where staff talked to her mother in law instead of her. Terrin drops the line worth writing down somewhere: hospital policy is not law. Baby Mia is one now and into everything. Meisha still records her podcast at midnight with a screen reader on her phone. Not for followers. To prove a point. Hit play. This one moves. Meisha's Music Element on YouTube Follow Meisha on Instagram Follow Meisha on X Purchase our Blind Parenting Bundle: Take the systems built by blind parents to make your life easier and set your family up for success. Support us on Patreon Email us Like our Facebook page Follow us on TikTok Follow us on X Follow us on Instagram