639: Kate Swenson: Forever Boy: A Mother's Memoir of Autism and Finding Joy

Kate Swenson is a proud working mama of four living in suburban Minnesota. She lives for coffee, preaches kindness like her life depends on it and is continuously surprised by the twists and turns of motherhood. Her son Cooper was diagnosed with autism when he was three years old and since then life hasn’t slowed down. Her daily life consists of keeping tiny humans alive and writing, creating videos, and influencing. She launched Finding Cooper's Voice 5 years ago for a place to share her feelings and today it is almost a million people strong.  Listen in to Kate share: How she wrote a book as a pregnant mom of 4 during the pandemic The process of her son Cooper being diagnosed with autism The taboo nature of grieving your child’s diagnosis How she held grief and relief simultaneously after Cooper’s diagnosis How she and her husband grieved differently, leading to their divorce and eventual reconciliation and remarriage What communication looks like for Cooper as a non verbal child How to use language in an inclusive way (special needs vs disabilty, autistic child vs child with autism) The backlash and bullying she received after going viral talking about autism Her new book Forever Boy: A Mother's Memoir of Autism and Finding Joy - and why every parent should read it Links mentioned: Join my business training: Build Your Courageous & Confident CEO Blueprint: shamelessmom.com/ceo Connect with Kate: https://findingcoopersvoice.mysites.io Kate on FB Kate on IG Book: Forever Boy: A Mother's Memoir of Autism and Finding Joy Sponsor info and promo codes: Please find our sponsor information here: shamelessmom.com/sponsor/ Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices