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Forever Home for our kids with disabilities.
Formerly Special Needs Moms - Circle of Strength.
This podcast has begun a shift in focus...
Hey, I’m Valerie, mom to two with disabilities (one visible, one invisible). We came up with housing solutions for our children.
This space has been created to help you navigate the journey of creating a secure, sustainable forever home for your child.
We’ll chat with parents on this path, realtors, financial planners, and other experts who can make the process easier. We'll be dropping an episode twice a month.
Seeing my eldest thrive living independent of us was a gift I didn’t always know I could give. I'm excited for you to have the opportunity to explore giving that gift to your child.
Keep building your child’s future!
Music acknowledgement: Audio Coffee - Denys Kyshchuk
Episodes
83 episodes
Empowering Families: Home Security, Mentorship, and Building a Legacy with Katie Hall
In this episode, Valerie sits down with Katie Hall—wife, mom, Gigi, mentor to teens and young adults with disabilities, and founder of Secure Your Hive. Katie shares her journey into mentoring, how this work has shaped her life an...
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Season 2
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Episode 17
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25:20
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Launching With Support: One Mom’s Journey to Independent Living for Her Autistic Daughter — with Dr. Elisabeth “Betsy” Woolner
In this episode Valerie sits down with special guest Dr. Elisabeth (Betsy) Woolner — an 'almost' retired family physician, university clinical lecturer, and mother of two adult children, one with developmental disabilities.Betsy s...
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Season 2
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Episode 16
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31:36
With Us, Not For Us: Inclusion, Employment & Empowerment with Mark and John Cronin
Episode OverviewIn this powerful and heart-opening episode, Valerie is joined by father–son duo Mark and John Cronin, founders of John’s Crazy Socks, the world’s largest sock store with a mission to spread happi...
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42:05
Considerations when creating your child's forever home: Valerie poses 10 questions to ask yourself.
Episode SummaryA forever home isn’t just a physical space—it’s a lifelong foundation of love, care, and possibility. In this episode, host Valerie Arbeau, mom to two children with disabilities, author, and life coa...
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Season 2
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Episode 14
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32:07
Moving Out on His Own: Ishan’s Story of Determination, Independence, and Real Talk About Independent Living.
In this powerful and eye-opening episode, Valerie reconnects with Ishan Manerikar — a witty, fiercely independent 24-year-old student living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2. Diagnosed at 18 months and raised alongside a younger sister who a...
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Season 2
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Episode 13
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38:36
Planning for Tomorrow, Grace for Today: A Conversation on Guardianship & Estate Planning with Shannon Laymon-Pecoraro
In this episode, Valerie chats with Shannon Laymon-Pecoraro, a certified elder law attorney, founder of East Coast Elder Law, and a nationally recognized voice in special needs planning. Shannon not only brings deep expertise in g...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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40:00
Building Independence: Preparing Your Child for Life Beyond Home with Dr. Molly Sullivan Denny.
Episode Summary:In this episode, Valerie sits down with Dr. Molly Sullivan Denny, Director of Daymark Living to talk about preparing young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) for life beyond the fam...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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39:02
Dreams, surrender, and when your son initiates moving out with Theresa Noye
In this episode we explore what it means to parent with humility, surrender, and unconditional love while also equipping children with disabilities to live fully and independently.What happens when your child with disabilities starts dre...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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45:41
ABLE Accounts with Financial Planner John Gallia (3/3)
ABLE accounts with financial planner John Gallia Keywords:Special needs, financial planning, ABLE accounts, special needs trusts, government benefits, SSI, RDSP, financial literacy, tax benefits, early p...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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32:55
Building a community for our kids with disabilities with Dr. Molly Denny
In this conversation, Valerie and Dr. Molly Sullivan Denny discuss the journey of creating a supportive environment for individuals with special needs, focusing on independence, early intervention, and community support. Dr. Denny shares her ex...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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45:43
“Trust Matters: Setting Up a Special Needs Trust for Your Child’s Future” with John Gallia.
Episode Summary:In this episode of ‘Forever Home for Our Kids with Disabilities’, Valerie is joined for the second time by John Gallia from Gallia Wealth Management for a powerful and practical conversation about special needs trusts - H...
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Episode 7
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32:30
Accessible Homes with Realtor Susan Janzen
Episode Summary:In this informative episode of ‘Forever Home for Our Kids with Disabilities’, I sit down with resilience coach, accessibility advocate, and realtor Susan Janzen. Fun fact about Susan – she is the lead singer of the...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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33:18
Navigating the Financial Steps to Your Child’s Forever Home with John Gallia CFP®, ChSNC®
Episode Description:In this episode, we dive into the vital first steps every parent should take when thinking about a "forever home" for their child with disabilities. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by all the options or unsure where t...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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40:27
Designing Safe, Purpose-Built Homes: A Conversation with Niti Prakash
Niti Prakash is a Disability Sector Consultant & Lawyer as well as disability accommodation/independent living options specialist at Disability Housing Solutions. Niti recently took on the role of Head of Engagement and Growth at Disability...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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44:18
Planning a Forever Home: Turning Fear into Hope with Angela O'Brien
This week's guest is Angela O’Brien a mom of 2, professional organizer, Enneagram coach, and host of the podcast, Especially Organized: Sensible Solutions for Special Needs Moms. After spending 18 years raising her kids and advocati...
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Episode 3
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39:17
Creating a Forever Home: Planning for Your Child’s Future
Welcome to Forever Home for Our Kids with Disabilities! I’m Valerie, a mom, life coach, and author passionate about helping parents create secure futures for their children with disabilities.Key Topics:1. &n...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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16:50
First episode with our new focus - three moms talk about their forever home solutions
Episode Summary: In this first episode of Forever Home for our kids with disabilities, we explore various options for creating a forever home for children with disabilities. I speak with two moms who have taken different approaches to en...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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25:03
The Gift of Failure: Encouraging Independence in Our Kids with Disabilities with K. Crystal Griffith
Episode Summary:In this episode, I sit down with K. Crystal Griffith to discuss the importance of giving our children the opportunity to grow, learn, and develop independence—especially when raising kids with disabilities. We dive in...
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Episode 65
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40:57
Check out what's new with your host - Valerie
Episode Highlights:New Focus for 2025:Valerie announces the podcast’s transition from sharing stories to offering practical, step-by-step guidance for forever home planning.The mission remains the same...
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Episode 64
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14:57
Insights from Aaron DeVries - The Inclusive Dad
Aaron DeVries is a relentless advocate for building stronger communities through inclusion. Aaron's journey into the world of disability and special education began when his daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy and cerebral palsy at a young age...
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36:13
Building Routines for Stability and Success in 2025 with your host Valerie
Building Routines for Stability and Success in 2025Episode Summary:Welcome to the first episode of 2025! Get ready to shape your day with intention and embrace the power of small, consistent habits!
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Episode 62
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18:55
Happy New Year!!!
Hey there,Quick announcement to say we are now publishing two episodes a month.See you January 8th 2025!Best wishes for 2025 and may you experience good health, more love, peace and joy! Live with Intention - Em...
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2:24
The Gift of Reflection: Cherishing Progress and Connection with your host
Join me, Coach Valerie, in this special Christmas episode of Special Needs Mom’s Circle of Strengthas I share insights on how reflection helps families celebrate both the small victories and significant milestones, fosters resilience, ...
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19:49
Navigating the Holidays with joy, grace, and practical strategies for an imperfectly perfect holiday season, with your host Valerie
The holiday season can bring excitement, chaos, and unique challenges—especially for families of children with disabilities. In today’s episode, I share encouragement and practical strategies to help you create a meaningful, imperfectly perfect...
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Episode 60
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30:21
Strengthening Your Nervous System: Simple Tools for Busy Moms with Jorunn Liland
Special guest Jorunn Liland joins us to share her expertise on how strengthening your vagus nerve can transform how you navigate stress, create calm, and find balance in your day-to-day life.Jorunn is an occupational therapist who specia...
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Episode 59
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35:44