Lisa Candera is the “Autism Mom Coach”, she’s a lawyer, has a podcast, has a 15-year-old son with autism, and helps coach and support autism moms.
Lisa became a Life Coach through The Life Coach School with Brooke Castillo’s model. I am super familiar with this model and find it to be a really great resource. She sought out this certification when she herself was at the time, post-COVID, experiencing struggles as a mom with a son with autism and felt exhausted of all options with therapy and other resources. She saw a need for herself, and then brought it to other autism moms. Her program is based on the belief that you have more power than you think when raising a child with autism.
Parenting is hard. Single parenting is hard. Being a single mom of a child with autism… really hard. There are so many challenges as a parent, forgetting to throw autism into the mix. Lisa offers her ideas and support to single moms out there parenting children with autism. One big one: You don’t have to do it alone. You are NOT responsible for everything. Think of one thing you don’t really have to do and don’t want to do…cancel it. Take it off your plate. Or what about that person offering to help but you keep saying no…why not say yes? Accept the help however big or small it may be. You deserve a break and to feel less responsible for all things.
“What happens when I’m dead?” This a question nearly all autism parents have asked themselves time and time again. Usually when things are going badly and you’re thinking if this is happening now…it’s going to get worse or harder or whatever negative though. Lisa calls that spinning. And she says thinking the worst in a bad situation does nothing, even if it’s a valid thought. Making a plan for the future is important but it’s best not to think about it when you’re handling a stressful situation. Kick it out of your mind. Then at a more appropriate time you’ve blocked away for dealing with this scary idea, make a plan that suits you so that next time you know you’ve taken care of it…and that’s the best you can do.
Lisa Candera has an awesome podcast, The Autism Mom Coach, where she covers topics and struggles like the ones we talked about today. She also has courses and 1 on 1 coaching services available on her website! Be sure to check her out, and be on the lookout for her next appearance on the Turn Autism Around Podcast.
