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In this episode, we sit down with Danielle Sullivan to talk about what it really looks like to survive the NICU — not just physically being there, but mentally and emotionally enduring the unknown.

After a long and difficult fertility journey, Danielle welcomed her daughter, Cora, at 24 weeks. What followed was a 477-day NICU stay, a diagnosis of severe chronic lung disease (BPD), and the reality of bringing home a child with a tracheostomy and ventilator.

Danielle shares what it’s like to live in constant uncertainty — navigating fear, high-anxiety moments, and medical decisions without always having clear answers. She opens up about coping through hypervigilance and organization, and the toll that takes over time.

We also talk about the mental weight medical parents carry — the guilt, the comparison, and the pressure to do everything “right.” Danielle shares one of the most powerful lessons from her journey: being a “better” parent won’t make your child heal faster or meet milestones sooner.

She speaks candidly about the importance of therapy during her daughter’s ICU stay, and the process of unlearning the belief that control could change outcomes. Instead, she found strength in learning to be present, advocate, and slowly release that weight.

This episode is for parents in the middle of it — navigating uncertainty, trying to hold it together, and learning how to care for themselves while caring for their child.

You weren’t expecting to learn how to survive the NICU… but somehow, you do. 💛

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In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Bobbi Kline — a fellow BPD mom who just gets it.

We talk about the honest realities of raising boys with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, the kind of medical mom banter that doesn’t require explanation, and what it looks like now that our kids are growing up and doing better than we ever imagined. From sending them to preschool to learning how to let go a little after years of hospital living and 24/7 high alert, we reflect on what it means to find your footing again.

Bobbi shares her traumatic birth experience with severe preeclampsia that led to heart failure, the heartbreak of transferring her son Thomas far from her other children, and the uncertainty her family carried during that season. Thomas required a tracheostomy and ventilator to come home — and today, he almost needs neither.

We also dive into the gaps in care for children with severe BPD and tracheostomies, the lack of resources many families face, and the practical side of advocacy. Bobbi shares why educating yourself on your child’s diagnosis can be just as important as advocating in the room — and how that mindset helped shape Thomas’ outcome.

Bobbi is also the founder of T. Rex Little Lungs, a foundation based in Idaho that supports trach families both in the hospital and transitioning home. The organization connects families, fills critical care gaps, and provides financial assistance for essential equipment that insurance often won’t cover.

This episode is for the mom who is in the thick of it — wondering what the future might look like — and not realizing yet that she’s already making a positive impact.

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In this episode, I’m joined by NICU mom and advocate Essie Weiss, founder of The Cuddle Foundation—a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring NICU babies are held when families can’t always be at the bedside.

Essie shares how her own NICU experience inspired a mission to bring trained volunteer cuddlers into hospitals across the country. We talk about why physical touch and kangaroo care are so critical for NICU babies, including benefits like improved heart rate and breathing regulation, better oxygenation, reduced stress, brain development support, and improved growth and outcomes.

Essie also opens up about her daughter Elizabeth’s medical journey. After a short NICU stay, Elizabeth was diagnosed with a severe staph infection that led to osteomyelitis and multicystic encephalomalacia. Essie walks us through what those diagnoses meant, the challenges Elizabeth faced, and how finding the right support—particularly through the Family Hope Center—became a turning point in her development. Through therapy, education, and the power of neuroplasticity, Elizabeth began overcoming obstacles that once felt impossible.

This episode is a powerful conversation about advocacy, faith, healing through connection, and how one mom turned trauma into meaningful change for families everywhere.