“You have more power than you think,” says Lisa Candera. Up until two years ago, Lisa lived in a constant state of stress over her son’s struggles, her responsibilities at work, and how to manage it all. She is a single mom of a teen with Autism, OCD, Anxiety and DMDD, life coach and lawyer. Lisa coaches moms raising kids with autism about how to manage their minds and regulate their emotions while their child is dysregulated. On today’s episode, Donna and Lisa both share their experiences with learning how to trust their own instincts as a parent even when other people didn’t approve or understand. Lisa describes how she now understands when her own emotions and thoughts can begin to mirror those of her son. She tells listeners that with the tools she has developed through her experiences in therapy and coaching, she has learned how to “be the solid object” and to stay grounded when our children can’t. Tune into this week’s episode of The Neurodivergent Leader Podcast to learn more about the importance of slowing down, preparation, and acceptance, so you can better navigate the challenges of special needs parenting AND thrive while doing it.   Quotes • “Instead of defining ourselves by other people's perception of how our kids are doing, we need to define that on our own.” (09:50-09:57) • “We can't make other people do, say, or think things, but we can control the way we're thinking and feeling about it.” (19:43-19:50) • “External validation is great when you can get it, but if we're waiting around for it we might be waiting a long time, so you have to validate yourself.” (20:25-20:33) • “We are the center of our experience of parenting a child with special needs in a world that's not made for them and doesn't have supports for us.” (22:07-22:16) • “I've learned to not get into the weeds, stay like a little bit higher above it, watch what's happening, and be able to redirect him and also redirect myself.” (28:53-29:05) • “In your child's life, you are the greatest resource. There's no medicine, therapy, or doctor that's more important than you are.” (36:28-36:38) • “What are the ways that you can take what you have and make it beautiful?” (37:17-37:21)   Connect with Lisa Candera: www.bethesolidobject.com  @theautismmomcoach  lisamcandera@gmail.com    Learn more about the Neurodivergent Leader Podcast: www.neurodivergentleader.com  https://www.instagram.com/neurodivergentleader/    Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm