Chloe Cooper Jones's "Easy Beauty" delves into the complexities of living with a disability in a world often ill-equipped to accommodate diverse bodies and minds. The book explores themes of motherhood, identity, and the pervasive nature of ableism. Jones shares personal experiences and reflections, challenging societal norms and advocating for greater inclusivity. Through poignant storytelling, she highlights the resilience and strength of individuals navigating the challenges of disability. The book ultimately offers a powerful message of self-acceptance and the importance of challenging societal expectations.
Rebecca Taussig's "Sitting Pretty" offers a powerful and insightful exploration of disability, identity, and the complexities of navigating a world often ill-equipped to accommodate diverse bodies and minds. The book combines personal narrative with sharp social commentary, challenging societal norms and expectations. Taussig shares her experiences with humor and vulnerability, creating a compelling and relatable narrative. She explores themes of self-acceptance, resilience, and the importance of challenging ableist attitudes. The book ultimately offers a message of hope and empowerment for disabled individuals and their allies.
This workbook provides self-compassion skills and strategies for neurodivergent individuals, particularly those with autism and ADHD. It helps readers embrace their identity, manage stress, and improve overall well-being. The book offers acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) techniques and self-compassion exercises tailored to the unique needs of neurodiverse people. It addresses common challenges such as sensory sensitivities, social difficulties, and executive functioning struggles. Ultimately, it aims to empower readers to live authentically and thrive in the modern world.
Katherine May's "The Electricity of Every Living Thing" is a memoir that intertwines personal reflections on her midlife autism diagnosis with observations of the natural world. May's writing style is introspective and lyrical, exploring themes of sensory experience, self-acceptance, and the search for meaning in everyday life. The book delves into the challenges and joys of living with autism, offering a unique perspective on neurodiversity. Through vivid descriptions of nature walks and personal anecdotes, May invites readers to connect with their own bodies and find solace in the present moment. The book's exploration of self-discovery and acceptance resonates deeply with readers seeking understanding and connection.
This book by KC Davis offers a gentle and compassionate guide to managing home care despite the challenges of anxiety, fatigue, depression, ADHD, or lack of support. Davis shares her personal experiences and practical strategies, such as cleaning in short bursts and using creative shortcuts, to help readers transform their homes into functional and peaceful spaces. The book emphasizes letting go of perfectionism and fostering a healthier relationship between the individual and their home.
The conversation we bring you today is especially tender. We decided to sit down to talk about internalized ableism, because Caitlin is grappling with a potentially new diagnosis that has brought up a lot for them. We hope you'll listen to this one with care — as we process together, we lift the lids on some of the ugliest wounds ableism inflicts. And so much is still fresh.
The two of us experience internalized ableism differently for a host of reasons — Caitlin feels wobbly even claiming the title of disability and would embody a combination of old and new, non-apparent versions of the word, while Rebekah moves through the world in a very visible wheelchair, and has for most of her life — but as we talked, we bumped into a host of thought-provoking overlaps and deviations in our experiences.
Tune in to hear us explore:
🌪️ The wide range of layered emotions that can come up with a new diagnosis.
🦆 The definition of ableism through the metaphor of a duck on water.
🌊 The messy intersections of postpartum depression, internalized ableism, and ADHD/autistic burnout.
👍 The feeling of needing to prove we can be trusted to care for our kids, especially in public.
❗️ The ways pregnancy and postpartum can become disabling experiences, especially in a country that does not support new parents.
💵 How money changes the experience of disability.
♟️ Strategies for navigating mental health struggles as a parent.
🌱 A hope that adjusting to a new diagnosis can be a beautiful process, too.
Mentioned int this episode:
📖 Easy Beauty by Chloe Cooper Jones
🌀 Andy J Pizza shares a lot about his experience of ADHD as a creative — find him on Instagram or his podcast, The Creative Pep Talk Podcast.
🫧 KC Davis creates conversation around neurodivergence & parenting — find her on TikTok, her podcast, Struggle Care, or read her book, How To Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing.
⚡️Katherine May's book The Electricity of Every Living Thing
🌿 The Neurodivergence Skills Workbook for Autism and ADHD: Cultivate Self-Compassion, Live Authentically, and Be Your Own Advocate by Jennifer Kemp and Monique Mitchelson
We would love to keep the conversation going in the comments. How do your experiences with internalized ableism overlap/deviate from the experiences we talk about in today's episode? How are you coping? What feels hard? What do you understand now that you didn't at first?
Find us on instagram @sitting_pretty ✨ @caitlinhasfeels
Scratch That: Parenting & ReParenting Off Script 
