Advocating for Your Child: Empowering Families to Create Their Own "Normal" with Wendy Andersen

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I chat with Wendy Andersen, a passionate advocate for special needs families. Wendy, a mother of three, shares her journey that began with her son's rare diagnosis at six months old and how it shaped her life into one of resilience, advocacy, and redefining what "normal" means for her family.Key Takeaways:1. Embracing Unique Challenges: Wendy talks about the importance of embracing your unique journey as a special needs parent and how she finds strength in doing the best she can for her children every day.2. Redefining Normal: Wendy shares her family's story of normalizing their life, from managing her son Dexter's 36 daily medications to creating a new normal that fits their life, not society's expectations.3. Becoming an Advocate: Wendy dives into how she became an unexpected advocate, from starting a special needs bowling team to founding Dexter's Dream Foundation, and how parents can start advocating for their children in big and small ways.4. The Power of Storytelling: Wendy emphasizes the importance of sharing your story with those who have the power to make changes, including state directors and legislators, to ensure your child's needs are met.5. Tips for Advocacy: Wendy provides practical advice on how to get involved in advocacy, whether it's through small acts like sending an email or larger efforts like joining state councils or attending conferences.Quote of the Episode: "The only normal in our house is a setting on the washing machine. But even then, what is 'normal'? Our normal is unique to us, and that’s okay." - Wendy AndersenActionable Steps:- Reflect on what "normal" looks like for your family and embrace it.- Start small with advocacy—whether it's sending an email to your child’s school or joining a PTA meeting to ensure special education needs are considered.- Research state and federal opportunities to get involved in advocacy efforts that align with your child's needs.- Share your story with decision-makers to create change and raise awareness.Closing Remarks: Live with Intention - Embrace the Journey. Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Special Needs Moms Circle of Strength. Wendy’s bio: Wendy Andersen is a wife and a mom who never meant to become a Force-to-Be-Reckoned-With. In 2009 a rare diagnosis for her 6-month-old son turned her normal life upside down in just 36 hours. Today, Wendy’s mission is to advocate and support families of children who live outside the “box of normal”. As a mother of three children (two of which have disabilities/special needs), Wendy passionately advocates for families by speaking truth to power.Connect with Wendy:https://www.facebook.com/RedefineNormalwithWendyAndersen/https://www.instagram.com/wendyandersenredefinenormal/Website: www.WendyAndersenPresents.comConnect with your host:Valerie's Links: https://bit.ly/3RL0da2Music Acknowledgement: Audio Coffee - Denys KyshchukEditor: Scott ArbeauLink for book: The S.H.I.N.E. Principle: The special needs mom's path to strength, hope and happiness by Valerie Arbeauhttps://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CW18ZXGX   (Canada)https://a.co/d/03hFdZI4 (United States)If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform!Learn more about your host at:https://coachingwithvalerieanne.com/