In the final episode of Just Two Dads, Shawn & Brian reflect on the creation of the show, express their tremendous gratitude, and discuss the decision to bring the show to an end, & share the exciting things that lie ahead for them collectively and individually.. including the upcoming announcement of a new show which will continue to serve the special needs community, expand on their mission, and will be found on this Youtube channel. To everyone who has supported the show over the last five years...MUCH LOVE and an eternal THANK YOU!!!! Stay tuned!!!!
From Compton, CA, Stacy McAlister is a proud father of two, a son on the autism spectrum and a daughter, who inspire much of his work and passion today.
A graduate of Claflin University (Class of 2012), Stacy played Division II basketball at Chadron State College (2007–2009) and Claflin University (2009–2011) before going on to play professionally in England and Brunei.
In 2016, Stacy founded 5-Eleven Hoops, a sports and social program dedicated to helping neurodivergent individuals unlock their full potential through athletics and inclusive community experiences. His mission is to create spaces where every participant feels supported, celebrated, and empowered.
Beyond his professional endeavors, Stacy enjoys traveling, spending quality time with family, working out, and exploring new cuisines as a self-proclaimed foodie.
Dr. Merle Griff is a nationally recognized intergenerational therapist, author, and caregiving expert with over three decades of experience helping families navigate the complexities of caring for loved ones of all ages. As the founder and CEO of SarahCare, a pioneering network of adult day care centers across the United States, Dr. Griff has redefined caregiving by creating innovative, holistic programs that support aging adults while alleviating stress for family
caregivers.
Dr. Griff’s groundbreaking work includes developing therapeutic techniques such as Family Play
Therapy and Intergenerational Play Therapy which are used worldwide to foster communication
and connection across generations. Her personal experiences as a caregiver for her children,
husband, and mother inspired her to write “Solace in the Storm: Caring for Loved Ones of
Every Generation”, a heartfelt and practical guide that empowers caregivers with actionable advice & emotional support.
AI-Jen Poo is the co-founder & Executive Director of Caring Across Generations, an organization committed to changing the way we define caregiving.
Ryann Sutera, M.S. CCC-SLP.. founder of Support the Spectrum, visits Shawn & Brian to discuss her passion for serving others through speech therapy, the rarely known practice of Gestalt Language Processing (GLP), the need to continue self-discovery, & so much more.
In the second of a two-part episode, Shawn & Brian continue their discussion about how Donald Trump's bill will affect the special needs/care-giving community. PLEASE NOTE-At the time of the recording of this episode, The Vigil to save Medicaid had yet to begin. As of the publishing of this episode..7/25/25, the vigil is 7 hours away from ending. Feel free to reach out to learn & share other ways to make a difference in your community.
Shawn & Brian have an open, honest, & vulnerable conversation about how Donald Trump's big bill will affect the special needs/caregiving community. In their most vulnerable episode to date, they discuss what it's like to have opposing political views after years of sharing similar beliefs.
Certified autism travel consultant, mother, & caregiver, Dian Rambo returns to Just Two Dads to share some of the challenges she's faced & overcome as a single mom since her last visit. She also shares some practical tools & strategies for vacation or trip planning for families who have members with autism or other sensory challenges.. all in time for summer!
Daryl Calfee is a widower & a father to three children, one of whom was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. He has walked the path of caregiver for some time & does so with vulnerability, love, & honesty. Much of that journey is shared in his book, Let's skip the Bull, Lessons from Dad after your mom died". He visits with Shawn & Brian to discuss this..& more.
Author, Activist, & Advocate extraordinaire. Tiffany Yu shares the genesis of her book, The Anti-Ableist Manifesto & tells her remarkable story of inspiration, while sharing the origin of her fight for inclusion of ALL abilities.
Felisa Strickland is the sole parent/caregiver to her adult daughter, Lily, who has multiple disabilities and requires 24 hr care. They live in Santa Barbara, California where they moved in 2012, after the passing of Lily’s father. Upon moving to Santa Barbara, Felisa found a wonderful disability community. She met other parents, learned ways to get involved and how to advocate for her and Lily, and for other families and their children with disabilities and special health care needs. Felisa has participated in many family parent to parent trainings and workshops over the last 10 years and currently co-facilitates a Parents of Adult Children with Disabilities support group with Alpha Resource Center of Santa Barbara. She serves on various committees providing parent support as well as fundraising for Alpha’s participants.Felisa is proud to serve as Board President for Alpha Resource Center. She also serves as Board Secretary for The Arc of California, where she is most recently excited to be a Family Coordinator and facilitator of their Caring Futures Initiative, a project to support aging parent caregivers of disabled adult children. Felisa is a contributing author in Becoming Brave Together, a candid and moving Caregiving Anthology released May 2024 and offered by We Are Brave Together. She shares her story in hopes that it encourages others to do the same. She believes our stories connect us, and that together we can bring about more love, acceptance and change to our world of disability and beyond.
An integration specialist is someone who can perceptively identify the parts of you that you’ve kept separate and gently encourage you to embrace them all. This specialist nurtures your natural ability to confront whatever arises with profound love, compassion, and understanding.
Within each of us lie expansive aspects that inherently know what we need and are capable of supporting those parts that have been conditioned to believe we are less than we truly are. Suzy taps into these aspects within you, helping you engage with your life experiences mindfully and reminding you how to do the same.
So your child with special needs has graduated from High School …now what? Check out the latest episode of Just Two Dads featuring Elayne Howitt to find out. Elayne has nearly 30 years of experience as a special needs educator & specializes in helping young adults with disabilities, find their own level of independence after High School. She’s as sincere as she is passionate & her personal story & journey have everything to do with what she brings to her job & students daily.
What if you could control or operate more than just your phone with an in-ear device? How much more? How about virtually any device that uses Buetooth technology? Dave Segal & Sandeep Arya of Naqi Logix sit down to share their cutting-edge technology that they hope will change & add value to the lives of those with disabilities... & more.
Billy Footwear.. makers of fine adaptive footwear. Get 15% off your final purchase price when you shop at billyfootwear.com by using the discount code JUST2DADS or by using the following link. billyfootwear.com/ref=just-two-dads
Will my young adult with special needs know true friendship or find love?Jeremy & Ilana Hamburgh are on a mission to help those who are asking that very question. In this episode, they visit with Shawn & Brian to discuss their business & mission, My best Social Life which helps young adults with special needs, navigate their way to friendships & more.
Danielle Miura, CFP®, EA, is the founder of Spark Financials (https://spark-fin.com), a fee-only financial planning firm located in Ripon, CA. At 25, Danielle’s life turned upside down when she became a family caregiver for her 88-year-old grandmother. Through her caregiving experience, she realized how complex family caregiving can be, from making hard decisions to remembering to care for herself. As a former sandwich generation family caregiver, she is passionate about helping others navigate the financial challenges of caregiving while also prioritizing their own financial well-being.Link Page: https://spark-fin.com/link-page
Stephanie Bohn shares how tragedy, loss, & its lessons affected her as a wife, mother, Caregiver, & advocate.. the business that it's launched.. and the people it will serve.
Lisa Mosko Barros is a dedicated and passionate bi-lingual advocate for students with exceptional needs with over 14 years of both professional and personal experience.
Lisa founded SpEducational, a non-profit dedicated exclusively to addressing the disparities in special education through parent voice. She also served as the Chief Advocacy Officer for The Oakland REACH, a non-profit organization dedicated to lifting up Black and Latino students in public schools via family voice.
Ms. Mosko Barros also served as chairperson for the Los Angeles Unified District’s Community Advisory Committee for Special Education (CAC) where she was re-elected for three consecutive years.
Most importantly, Lisa is the mother of two children with exceptional needs. She draws from her lived experience to help other parents advocate for all children with disabilities in public schools.
When she is not poring over ed code or advising families of their rights, she can be found spending time with her children, cooking paella, and practicing her zapateado.
Katie Asher returns for a visit to discuss her contribution to & experience with Ky Dickens's wildly successful podcast, The Telepathy Tapes. But more importantly, this conversation is likely to challenge everything you think you know about autism, consciousness, heaven & earth..... and maybe even yourself.