Today I'm joined by Ashley Daley. Ashley Ashley. Today I'm joined by Ashley Daily. Ashley is a registered nurse, IBCLC, and an infant sleep expert based in South Florida.
With over five years of NICU experience, she now works in her community and online to support families navigating feeding challenges, sleep struggles, and the emotional weight of new parenthood. Ashley's work is rooted in empathy and evidence-based care, offering personalized support that helps parents feel seen, supported, and confident, especially after a difficult birth or early complications.
Whether she's helping a family rebuild trust in their feeding journey or finding gentle ways to get more rest, Ashley's mission is to hold space for healing and empowerment in the postpartum season.
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Today, I'm here with Kali Dayton. Kali Dayton, DNP, AGACNP, is a critical care nurse practitioner, Host of the Walking Home From The ICU and Walking You Through The ICU podcasts, and critical care outcomes consultant. She is dedicated to creating Awake and Walking ICUs by ensuring ICU sedation and mobility practices are aligned with current research. She works with ICU teams internationally to transform patient outcomes through early mobility and management of delirium in the ICU.
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Being in the midst of suffering, heartbreak, and tragedy can be painstakingly lonely and the most desperate time of your life. You can be left questioning God, confused as to why He isn’t answering your prayers, and even downright angry with Him.
Beth Mull, from our Raleigh, North Carolina community, experienced all of these emotions as she walked through the unraveling of her marriage and the terminal diagnosis of her baby daughter. But, as Beth recalls through her story, it was in those feelings of helplessness that she can clearly see the Father’s persistent pursuit of her heart through His unconditional love and redemptive power as He led her to His unique purpose for her life.
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Join Atara and I for #AskAtara! This month’s question: “How to practically prepare for a NICU stay if you know you’ll have a premie?” This is a tender topic—tune in to hear our thoughts on how to prepare for a sensitive time. Tune in to hear more!
Today I'm joined by Ashley Byram. Ashley currently lives in Homewood, Alabama, and this past August, she and her husband celebrated 20 years of marriage. They have three children, two biological boys, and one little girl who they adopted through foster care. Her faith is a foundation of her life and she's very involved with her church and her children love sports, and her husband is a builder while she is a realtor. So he builds it. She sells it.
**Extra Trigger Warning for today's episode. Topics of kidnapping, murder, and suicide come up in mine and Ashley's conversation today.**
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This week’s podcast episode is one I’ve avoided for a long time.
Not because it wasn’t important. Not because I hadn’t thought about it. But because on some level, I think I’ve been avoiding survivor’s guilt altogether.
Don’t get me wrong—I’ve absolutely wrestled with the question: Why did I survive, and Dez didn’t?
If you’re not familiar with Dez’s story, she was a fellow mom who lived about an hour from me. Less than a year after my own amniotic fluid embolism, Dez experienced the same rare birth complication… and tragically, she didn’t survive.
It shook me.
For years, that tension sat quietly in my soul—unspoken, unresolved, but always present. Survivor’s guilt has layers. It’s complex. And yet, I know I’m not alone in this.
So this week, I’m finally talking about it. Because the time is now. Because I want to serve this community honestly. And because I know for certain, I’m not the only one carrying this kind of grief with gratitude.
In the episode, I explore what survivor’s guilt can feel like as a believer—how we reconcile the pain with the truth that God does not make mistakes. I pray it encourages your heart, wherever you are on the healing journey.
Tune in to hear more. You are not alone.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book...” (Psalm 139:16)
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Dr Brad Montage is a veteran (4 decade) Functional Medicine doctor who has helped women through all phases of life. From infertility, through pregnancy, delivery, postpartum, nursing, and all stages of motherhood. He has delivered his own children and helped many moms through all stages of crisis and need.
He is a master at prevention, helping many moms avoid the pitfalls and traps that rob them of the joys of healthy deliveries, healthy recoveries, and healthy babies.
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Today I'm joined by Andrea Calvaneso. Andrea was born and raised in a suburb of Detroit. She's been married for almost 15 years and has four kiddos. She's passionate about family and her faith. Her faith is the very foundation of everything she does. When she married her husband, she converted to Catholicism, and more recently to the Lutheran Church. She's a huge Placenta Accreta advocate and hopes to grow her advocacy journey in her free time. Andrea loves to travel and experience life with her kids.
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Today Gina DiMarco joins me. She is a mom of five boys and is happily married to her best friend, Chris. She's a business consultant specializing in non-profit fundraising and communication. She is passionate about sharing her genuine lived experiences as she believes that is the best way to not only cut through the polished facade of social media, but also remind others that they aren't alone in feeling the range of emotions that come with living as imperfect creatures in an imperfect world.
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Today's guest is Dr. Yaya Ren. Dr. Ren is a medical and cultural anthropologist. She's passionate about bringing the science of human interactions to create mobile technology solutions that improve quality of life and health outcomes for preemies and their families. She has conducted extensive field work, capturing the social, emotional, and health disparity journeys of NICU families in the US and Taiwan, focusing on. Bringing communication gaps between medical teams and families. Preemie + You combines her industry expertise, bridging online and offline social interactions, with her social science expertise in NICU medicine.
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In this week's episode, I am joined by Cristina P. Simmons. She is a speaker, author, and trauma-informed wellness coach whose path to motherhood has been marked by unimaginable loss and deep resilience. After losing three biological children (Kaelynn, Kadyn & DJ) due to a rare genetic syndrome, Cristina and her husband were blessed to adopt three incredible children—twin girls (Dani & Dori) born on Christmas Day and a son (Juddsen) born just months after their final loss. Each child brought light into the darkness, though the road was anything but easy. Her daughters were exposed to substances in the womb, and her son was later diagnosed on the autism spectrum.
While the journey has been filled with countless challenges, it has also been one of deep love, transformation, and faith. Cristina now uses her lived experiences to guide other women through grief, healing, and growth. Through her holistic approach that combines mindset, movement, and spiritual connection. She helps women break free from survival mode and step into strength, clarity, and confidence. Her story is a testament to perseverance, purpose, and the power of choosing joy, even after trauma.
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As we journey into the fifth season of the podcast, my heart swells with gratitude. This has been an incredible journey; a journey marked by profound stories of perinatal trauma and the miraculous power of faith.
This season, we delve into awe-inspiring stories, from the rare condition of Placenta Accreta to the resilience of NICU families! Each story reveals the extraordinary ways the Lord intertwines healing and hope in the lives of survivors.
Together, we celebrate community and perseverance, exploring themes of survivor's guilt and the profound purpose behind pain. Through heartfelt conversations, embracing limitations, and the daily reliance on faith, we embark on the complexities of life's challenges. All with the assurance that through Christ, we can do hard things. Join me as we explore how strength, compassion, and support open us to a beautiful world!
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Things look a little different for this month’s #AskAtara…
But for a beautiful reason.
We’re beyond excited to announce our inaugural Christian Virtual Retreat for Perinatal Trauma Survivors!
Whether you’ve:
🩵 Chosen not to have more children due to health risks
🩵 Experienced permanent infertility
🩵 Survived a near miss
🩵 Faced postpartum mood disorders
🩵 Or just need a Christ-centered, safe space to process...
This retreat is for YOU.
Healing.
Community.
Jesus at the center.
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."
— Psalm 147:3
Retreat Date: September 6th
Time: 11 AM – 5 PM EST
Limited scholarships available!
Join @atara.parkinson and me for #AskAtara! This month’s question: “How can we share our birth trauma experience with someone who’s experienced a ‘more’ traumatic birth trauma?”
It’s a tender topic—tune in to hear our thoughts on how to navigate these hard conversations with compassion and honesty.
Drop a <3 if you’ve ever wrestled with sharing your story or navigating trauma comparisons in the perinatal community.
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Join @atara.parkinson and I for #AskAtara. Today’s question is “How to support friends and/or family members walking through infertility? Tune in to hear more and drop a 🍍below to show your support!
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Today’s question is a great one. It is “How to go into having more children after birth trauma?” I think this is a question many can relate to!
We also discuss how to work through the feelings of having a hysterectomy after perinatal trauma.
Tune in to hear more!
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Today’s question is “How to cope with triggers from PTSD?” I think this is a question many can relate to after experiencing perinatal trauma!
Tune in to hear more!
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Jess Ronne is an author, speaker, podcast host at Coffee with Caregivers, associate producer of the Unseen Documentary, and caregiver advocate. She is the founder and executive director of The Lucas Project, a non-profit dedicated to providing recognition, resources, and respite support for special needs families. She and her husband Ryan live in Michigan with their 8 children, including their son Lucas who has profound disabilities. Her story of beauty from ashes has been shared on The Today Show, Daily Mail, and Huffington Post and is detailed in her memoir Sunlight Burning at Midnight. To follow the ongoing saga she can be found at www.jessplusthemess.com or purchase her latest books Blended with Grit & Grace, Lovin’ with Grit & Grace, and Caregiving with Grit & Grace.
This episode is the Season 4 Finale! Stay tuned for Season 5 launching in September!!!
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In this week's episode, I have an extra special guest: my OB/GYN, Dr. Garey Patil. Dr. Patil was one of the physicians present on the day of our Amniotic Fluid Embolism. He's been married to his wife, Sunita, for over 27 years, and they have two adult children. One son is a lawyer, and the younger son is studying to become a mechanical engineer at UCF. They are an Indian family, and he's actually the only one who was born in India, but truthfully, they consider themselves 100% American, but they are respectful of their Indian culture, however, independently, they all came to Christ and are now Christ believers. Tune in to hear more of our AFE story!
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Today I am joined by Karlonty L. Wallace, an advocate for healing and empowerment. Her journey began in the nurturing environment of a home daycare, which grew into a bustling operation. However, the demands eventually led to a health setback, prompting her to explore her true calling.
She then founded Pawsative Partnerships LLC with a specific mission - to help women of faith heal from trauma. Their approach is unique, leveraging the healing power of the human-canine bond. We also encourage professional therapy as an integral part of the journey.
At Pawsative Partnerships LLC, they’re committed to nurturing and empowering women on their path to healing, strength, and resilience.
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