In this week’s episode of the Live Well, Love Strong podcast, Sarah welcomes Lori and Rooster Rossiter, proud parents and leaders with Ainsley’s Angels of America. Together, they share the powerful story of their daughter Ainsley, how her life and joy inspired a nationwide movement, and the ways families and communities can experience true inclusion through running.

The Rossiters open up about Ainsley’s journey, the challenges and triumphs along the way, and how Ainsley’s Angels continues to impact lives across the country. From the first 5K to full marathons, they reveal how running became a pathway to belonging and how inclusion transforms both riders and runners alike.

👟 Learn more about Ainsley’s Angels: ainsleysangels.org
✨ Sign up for the Twilight 5K: runsignup.com/Race/TX/Tomball/AinsleysAngelsTwilight5K

Kelley Coleman brings humor, honesty, and hard-won wisdom to the conversation. A former feature film development executive, Kelley is now an author and advocate for parent caregivers and individuals with disabilities. Her book Everything No One Tells You About Parenting a Disabled Child: Your Guide to the Essential Systems, Services, and Supports draws on over a decade of parenting experience and advocacy.

In this episode, Kelley opens up about her journey, why she believes parents deserve more support from the very beginning, and how “mixing things up” can make the caregiving path clearer and more empowering.

📌 Connect with Kelley:
Instagram: @hellokellycoleman
Facebook: Kelley Coleman
Website: kellycoleman.com

In this episode of Live Well, Love Strong, Sarah welcomes Paige Siemers, a wife, mom, counselor in training, and former teacher with a heart for serving the disability community. As the parent of a child with a disability, Paige shares openly about both the overwhelming challenges and the beauty of the caregiving journey. After 27 years in education, she now focuses on helping families build emotional resilience, break cycles of burnout, and rediscover joy. Rooted in her faith, Paige believes that spiritual hope is just as vital as practical support. Together, Sarah and Paige dive into belonging, community, and what it means to walk faithfully in the sacred work of caregiving.

In this episode of Live Well Love Strong, Sarah Washington sits down with Mary Ann Hughes, certified special needs divorce coach, mediator, parenting coordinator, and founder of Special Family Transitions. Drawing from her own experience as a mother to two sons on the autism spectrum, Mary Ann shares how an unexpected divorce led her to create a service dedicated to helping parents navigate the overwhelming complexities of divorce involving children with disabilities.

With divorce rates reported as high as 80–87% among families raising a child with special needs, Mary Ann’s mission is to help parents move from the emotion of divorce to the business of divorce, while ensuring their child’s unique needs remain at the forefront. She offers practical strategies on where to start, how to prepare before seeing an attorney, and why organized advocacy is key for both legal and emotional success.

About Mary Ann Hughes:
Mary Ann is a Certified Divorce Coach, Certified Special Needs Divorce Coach, Certified Divorce Specialist, Pre-Mediation Divorce Coach, Mosten-Guthrie Disability-Informed Professional, and graduate of the LoneStar LEND Leadership Education in Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disabilities program. She is also trained in Family and Divorce Mediation, Parenting Coordination, Arbitration, and Neurolinguistic Programming.

She serves in leadership roles in the Special Needs Chapter of the National Association of Divorce Professionals, Texas Association of Mediators, and Association for Conflict Resolution Houston Chapter, and is a trainer in Divorce Coach and Mediation programs. Mary Ann is also a contributing author to the bestselling book The Other Side of Divorce: Breakups That Lead to Breakthroughs.

💻 Learn more at: specialfamilytransitions.com
📌 Follow on Facebook: Special Family Transitions
📷 Instagram: @specialfamilytransitions

In this episode of Live Well Love Strong, we sit down with Dr. Paul Harch, a leading expert in Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), to explore how this life-changing treatment is giving hope to families facing neurological disorders, traumatic brain injuries, autism, and more.

Dr. Harch explains the concept of idling neurons, which are brain cells that are alive but not functioning, and how HBOT can help bring them back online, leading to remarkable improvements in cognition, vision, and quality of life. You will also hear my personal story of watching joy and life return to my daughter, Mary Elizabeth, through this therapy, one day at a time.

We talk about the emotional side of seeking treatment, the perseverance it takes to advocate for our loved ones, and why raising awareness about HBOT matters so much.

If you are a parent, caregiver, or advocate, this episode is here to offer information, encouragement, and community.

🔗 Learn more about Dr. Paul Harch: https://hbot.com/dr-paul-harch/
🔗 Explore HBOT treatment resources: https://treatnow.org
🔗 Read the research on HBOT in neurological disorders:
https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/41116/review-of-hyperbaric-therapy-hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy-in-the-treatment-of-neurological-disorders-according-to-dose-of-pressure-and-hyperoxia/magazine

Allison Hill is a disability advocate, writer, and founder of Harvesting Hope Acres, a nonprofit farm-in-the-making dedicated to creating meaningful employment and community for individuals with disabilities. She holds a master’s degree in special education and elementary education and has served for years in both volunteer and professional roles in disability ministry. Allison published a book called Jacob's Special Power and has contributed to Autism Speaks, Autism Parenting Magazine, and her blog Jacob’s Journey Through Autism, sharing stories from her family’s journey with autism. She’s been married for 17 years to her best friend, Charles, and together they’re raising three wonderful kids. Their oldest just graduated from Texas A&M, their middle son keeps everyone laughing with his smarts and wit, and their youngest, Jacob, is a joy-filled teen with level 3 autism who continues to inspire their mission every day.

Website for finding a service dog is assistancedogsinternational.org

Her farm is harvestinghopeacres.com

Blog: jacobsjourneythroughautism.blogspot.com

I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Lisa Graham-Garza, a remarkable mother and advocate, for my podcast recently. Lisa's journey as a mother to Tyler, an adult son with autism, is nothing short of inspiring. We delved into the complexities of special needs parenting, particularly the constant demands of therapies and the relentless race to “heal.” But, perhaps what struck me most during our conversation was Lisa's perspective on the importance of community. She shared her belief that every parent, especially those raising children with extra needs, needs a village—a network of support, education, and understanding. Reflecting on her own experience, she spoke about how fortunate she was to have had a strong community around her when Tyler was younger. This support was instrumental in her ability to keep going, and it made all the difference in their lives. Lisa stressed that everyone deserves that same level of community and access to resources. It was clear to me that her advocacy work comes from a place of deep empathy, as she genuinely wants every family to have the same opportunities for connection and support. DR. Graham-Garza also shared the story of how she founded Autism Rescue Angels, an organization dedicated to helping families navigate the often overwhelming world of autism. Her tireless effort to support others while maintaining a healthy mindset was awe-inspiring. What stood out even more was her belief that if we want community, we have to build it ourselves. Lisa emphasized that we can't wait for someone else to provide the solutions we need; we have to take action and create the change we seek. Her words resonated deeply with me, and I left the conversation feeling more motivated than ever to contribute to creating stronger, more inclusive communities for families like hers. Her resilience and unwavering commitment to both her family and the broader autism community were truly humbling.

Autismrescueangels.org

Speaking with the wonderful Cindy Mood, a Pastor and fellow Mama of a disabled kiddo as we dive into God and all the things.