329. What We Wish We'd Known About Functional Medicine

In this episode of our “What I Wish I Knew” series, we’re talking about functional medicine—what it is, what’s helped us, and what we wish we understood earlier.

We share real experiences navigating diet changes, supplements, specialists, and the cost of it all, while exploring a whole-body approach that looks beyond symptoms.

We also talk about how to integrate functional and traditional medicine without feeling like you have to choose one or the other.

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328. What We Wish We'd Known About AAC (Augmentative & Alternative Communication).

In this episode of The Lucky Few Podcast, we continue our “What We Wish We’d Known” series with a real and honest conversation about AAC (Augmentative & Alternative Communication) - Supporting Communication Without Limiting It

Micha shares her journey with her son Ace and how her understanding of AAC has evolved over time—from treating it like a therapy tool to recognizing it as a language and a way of life. Along the way, we talk through common misconceptions, frustrations, and the mindset shifts that can make all the difference.

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327. What We Wish We’d Known About Travel & Accessibility

In this episode, we’re talking about travel and accessibility—what’s actually available, what we’ve learned the hard way (and the helpful way), and the questions that come with it. Fresh off an international trip, Heather shares real-life stories of navigating airports, museums, and public spaces with accessibility services—and realizing oh… this changes everything. Also, turns out you might not need to stand in that two-hour line. Just saying. We also wrestle with the bigger question: Should we use these services if our kids can do it without them?

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326. What We Wish We’d Known About Loneliness in honor of World Down Syndrome Day (3/21)

In this episode, we continue our What I Wish I’d Known series in honor of World Down Syndrome Day (3/21) and this year’s theme: Together Against Loneliness.

When we first became parents of children with Down syndrome, no one talked to us about loneliness.

Not the loneliness that can come in high school. Not when siblings leave. Not when friends start driving. Not when graduation comes — and the path forward feels unclear. Not when your child is included, but still isolated.

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325 What We Wish We’d Known About Infantilizing

To infantilize someone is to treat them as younger or less capable than they are. For people with disabilities, this often shows up in subtle but harmful ways: baby talk, lowered expectations, behavior plans for age-appropriate teen behavior, speaking about someone as if they aren’t in the room, or limiting choices because we assume immaturity.

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322. Throwback: Elana Meyers Taylor — Gold Medalist & Lucky Mama

Elana Meyers Taylor is a five-time Olympian and one of the most decorated athletes in winter sports history. She has earned one gold, three silver, and two bronze Olympic medals for Team USA, and is a four-time World Champion, with two gold medals in both the two-woman and mixed team events. She is also the most decorated Black winter Olympian of all time.

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321. What We Wish We’d Known (And What We’re Still Learning)

Today we’re diving deep into the way our children communicate! We’re asking some difficult but important questions about how we support their speech and language. How do our kids feel when people cannot understand their speech? How do they feel when we, as their parents, cannot understand their speech? How are we supposed to implement all the speech therapy tools? When is it time to just focus on one area of growth for our kids? How do our kids use “self-talk” to share stories and self-soothe?

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320. Diving Deeper: Communication, Self-Talk, & Down Syndrome

Today we’re diving deep into the way our children communicate! We’re asking some difficult but important questions about how we support their speech and language. How do our kids feel when people cannot understand their speech? How do they feel when we, as their parents, cannot understand their speech? How are we supposed to implement all the speech therapy tools? When is it time to just focus on one area of growth for our kids? How do our kids use “self-talk” to share stories and self-soothe?

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319. Brain Health & DS: Communication w/Jennifer Gray, SLP

Jennifer Gray is a certified speech language pathologist with over 20 years of experience working with the Down syndrome community. Today we’re asking her all the questions we’ve forgotten to ask our children’s own speech therapists. If you’re a caregiver hoping for guidance or a speech therapist interested in treating individuals with DS, this episode is for you!

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318. Diving Deeper: Trauma and Intellectual Disability

Last week we sat down for an interview with trauma expert Dr. Karyn Harvey and today the three of us are unpacking all of our feelings about it. We’re asking ourselves some pretty heavy questions about trauma and intellectual disability. Here’s what we know for certain: our children with intellectual disabilities understand when they are being excluded. And it’s our job to remind them just how incredibly lucky this world is to have them in it.

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317. Brain Health & DS: Trauma and Intellectual Disability w/Dr. Karyn Harvey

Dr. Karyn Harvey is a psychologist, author, trainer, speaker, and EXPERT in the field of psychology, intellectual disability, and trauma. Have you ever thought of the trauma that individuals with intellectual disabilities face each day? The examples are endless.. a negative diagnosis experience, being excluded, or even being placed in an institution.

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316. Diving Deeper w/Kandi Pickard: Alzheimer's Disease Prevalence and Treatment

Last week we had an important conversation with Dr. Michael Rafii all about the link between DS and Alzheimer’s disease. If you’re still processing everything you learned from that interview, that’s okay. Sit down with the three of us + our good friend Kandi Pickard (CEO of the National DS Society) and we’ll talk through it together!

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315. Brain Health & DS: Alzheimer's Disease Prevalence and Treatment (w/Dr. Michael Rafii)

As we continue this season on brain health, we need to dive deep into the link between Alzheimer’s disease and Down syndrome. It’s not an easy topic.. and that’s why we are so grateful to have Dr. Michael Rafii with us. He’s a physician-scientist whose research focuses on developing treatments for Alzheimer’s disease including a genetic form that occurs in people with Down syndrome. Dr. Rafii is breaking down this important conversation for us today.

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