The IEP Meeting That Made Me Throw Up with Paula J. Yost

Send us Fan MailOne bad IEP meeting can change your body, your sleep, and your faith in the “village” everyone promises you. I’m joined by Paula J Yost, who has a perspective you rarely hear in one voice: she’s both a practicing attorney and a licensed psychotherapist. Paula shares how living through clinical depression shaped her, why getting real mental health support in law school changed her future, and how those therapy tools now show up in the way she helps people in legal settings filled with anxiety, grief, and high stakes decisions. We get painfully specific about special education advocacy and what it feels like to sit in an IEP or 504 meeting and realize you’re being dismissed. Paula tells the story of fighting for her son, who was born with a cleft lip and palate and needed speech therapy early, and why families should not have to “work around the system” just to get basic services. She explains why “we can’t afford it” is not a valid answer when a child is entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), and she offers practical steps to prepare: define the goal, walk in with a plan, and keep bringing the conversation back to the supports your child needs. We also talk policy and reality, including fears about Department of Education cuts, debates around school choice and opportunity scholarships, and why early intervention and early childhood education funding can prevent bigger problems later. Throughout it all, Paula comes back to the same message: you deserve support too, and the right village is built on people who will stand with you, celebrate the wins, and help you stay steady. Paula can be found on Instagram and FaceBook as Paula J Yost Author. Paula is the author of the book "Tumbleweeds. How to be an Advocate For Your "Children and Yourself in a Failing System." Paula referenced organizations in the podcast episode with links (including the one to her book) provided all below:https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tumbleweeds-paula-j-yost/1149570835https://mhanational.org/https://www.theamazinggraceproject.com/If you find this helpful, subscribe, share with a parent who needs it, and leave a review so more families can find these tools. Support the show