RECENT POSTS
How Do You Know Your Calling?
REIMAGINING THE GOOD LIFE PODCAST Some people get paid to do what they love, but most don’t. How can we find meaning in everyday work
Lonely as a Parent? How to Build Real Friendships
This summer, I spent a lot of time with families experiencing disability, and again and again, parents told me they feel lonely and disconnected. Sometimes,
Choosing Hospitality Over Isolation
Growing up in a household with two wheelchairs, Kevan Chandler experienced firsthand the challenges, and the choices, that shape how a family navigates disability. Kevan
Creating Belonging in Diverse Communities
I wrote a few weeks ago about curiosity as an act of belonging. I also had a chance to go to Baylor University for a few lovely days of
The Hospitality of Need: Disability and Interdependence
TAKE THE NEXT STEP PODCAST Many of us don’t want to ask for help, but what if being needful isn’t weakness but a doorway to
Reimagining the Good Life: What’s Coming This Season
REIMAGINING THE GOOD LIFE PODCAST What really makes life worth living? This season on Reimagining the Good Life, Amy Julia Becker dives into the ideas, assumptions,
Parenting with Joy: Why Self-Care Helps You Delight in Your Children
Here’s a question I’ve been sitting with lately: Can we truly delight in our children if we don’t know what it means to delight in
Focus on Delight, Not Deficits
I thought my job as a mom was to fix the deficits. Instead, I was missing the delight. On this week’s podcast, I talked with
Parenting Kids with Disabilities: The Power of Delight
TAKE THE NEXT STEP PODCAST What if delight is one of the greatest gifts you can give your child? In this episode, Amy Julia Becker talks with
Beyond False Promises About Autism: What Families Actually Need
I’m pondering President Trump’s words about autism and autism research this week. He tapped into some of the pain that many parents and individuals within
One Step at a Time: Finding Hope in the Overwhelm
When our daughter who has Down syndrome turned 18, I felt completely overwhelmed. Those months were filled with Social Security questions. Paperwork. The unknown. It
September 2025 | Things Worth Your Time
Books, essays, podcast episodes, and more that I think are worth your time, plus recent cultural news that I’m paying attention to in the month
Celebration Isn’t Just for the Finish Line
I’m learning, thanks to a lot of help from friends, that celebration isn’t just for the finish line. Many of us wait to celebrate until
Can We Disagree and Still Belong Together
I recently spoke about what it looks like to become communities of belonging. I’m aware that many of our communities are places where we only
Don’t Wait to Celebrate: Disability and Delight
TAKE THE NEXT STEP PODCAST “How could there be a good future in the midst of so much loss?” If you’ve felt overwhelmed by the
I Never Thought I’d Do This
I have never really seen myself operating in the self-help space. When I write and speak, when I interview guests for Reimagining the Good Life, I
Introducing Take the Next Step Podcast
TAKE THE NEXT STEP PODCAST Welcome to Take the Next Step, a weekly podcast for parents of children with disabilities, offering practical guidance, encouragement, and hope.
The Harm of Careless Rhetoric
“Gavin Newsom is a mongoloid who barely registers half a brain cell…” That’s what Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, said in response* to
The Questions Reshaping How I Parent Teenagers
Parenting Feels Complicated In part because of working on Take the Next Step, and in part because of where we are in our family life,
Autism is not a “horror show.”
President Trump referred to autism as a “horror show” in a televised cabinet meeting this week. The language we use to describe disability matters. Speaking in sweeping,
What if Dependence Is a Gift?
Our limits may hold the secret to flourishing. • Before I get into this week’s message, I want to thank all of you who participated
