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This Unexpected Life
Welcome to This Unexpected Life, a podcast designed to equip and encourage parents and caregivers of children with disabilities so they can embrace their journey with hope, faith, and resilience.
With over twenty years of parenting experience, Carrie M Holt is a story-telling companion for caregiving mothers, exploring the hope and healing found in Jesus Christ—one story at a time.
This Unexpected Life
How to Process Grief as a Special Needs Mom: Lament, Sibling Dynamics & Trusting God in Ongoing Medical Trauma with Jen Potter (Part 2)
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In Part 2 of Carrie’s conversation with Jen Potter, the focus turns to grief, sibling dynamics, and learning to trust God in the middle of ongoing medical trauma.
Jen shares what it has looked like to raise five children while navigating cancer, 37 surgeries, and unexpected neurological setbacks. She speaks candidly about parenting “glass children,” protecting siblings from carrying too much responsibility, and creating space for their grief without shame.
Together, Carrie and Jen explore the fear many special needs moms carry — that if they truly allow themselves to grieve, they may not recover. They discuss biblical lament, emotional honesty before God, and the practice of remembrance as a way to strengthen faith when circumstances don’t change.
If you’re walking through repeated hospital stays, behavioral challenges, or the quiet ache of unmet expectations, this episode offers steady encouragement rooted in the unchanging character of God.
Real stories. Real hope. For the path we didn’t choose but are called to.
February 17, 2026; Eps. 39
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- My book: The Other Side of Special
*This podcast features honest conversations with special needs parents and faith-filled guests. While I deeply value the stories and insights shared, the views and opinions expressed may not always reflect my own. Any resources listed are shared for reference, not necessarily a personal recommendation. I invite you to listen with spiritual discernment and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in what you hold onto and set aside.