iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 7h

We become who we are only if and as we develop a greater capacity to both give and receive love. And that capacity happens only when we refuse the shortcuts. Only when we take the time. Only when we see each other in all our wondrous complexity.

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 18h

How can we help a child grieve when they may not have the words to tell us they’re hurting? Grief doesn’t always look like sadness. Therapist Sissy Goff shares ways parents can: - Help children with disabilities express their emotions - Set loving boundaries around difficult behaviors - & more...

Podcast graphic for Take the Next Step with Amy Julia Becker, Episode 31, featuring grayscale screenshots of Sissy Goff and Amy Julia Becker on either side of a photo of child sitting on the sidewalk, leaning against a brick wall, and wearing headphones and covering her face in her arms. Text overlay reads “When kids with disabilities grieve.”

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Caregiving often happens through our hands: zipping a coat, helping someone get dressed, tending to physical needs. Jen Pollock Michel reflects on Psalm 90: “Lord, establish the work of our hands.” She suggests this as a prayer, a refrain, for caregivers—the work of our hands, offered to God.

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Hearts and souls, of parents and children, are formed by having to practice things over and over, by enduring hardship, by engaging with tasks challenging enough to stretch us, to develop patience within us, to prompt us to ask for help, to make mistakes, to learn, to try again. 1/

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

"It's hard to be a woman because often caregiving responsibilities fall to us. One of the challenges are all the contingencies that come with caregiving. Caregiving doesn’t come according to this wonderfully planned schedule. It is so extemporaneous. It just happens in these moments. It visits us."

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

There are many things in life that we don’t get to choose. But we do get to receive our children as they are. We get to receive one another as we are. We get to receive ourselves as we are.

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

"Caregiving is so extemporaneous. It just happens in these moments. It visits us." I felt my shoulders relax as I talked on the podcast with Jen Pollock Michel about caregiving and families experiencing disability. So grateful for her wisdom!

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Is it harder to have a child with a disability? I recently talked w/ the new mom of a baby with Down syndrome. Her emotions were raw & beautiful. That same combination of wonder and heartache I felt when Penny was first with us, that fear and delight, that sense of being on the brink of despair at…

amyjuliabecker.substack.com

Is It Harder to Have a Child With a Disability?

The long, slow, hard, beautiful work of receiving one another as we are. {Plus three links worth your time}

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

What happens when the rhythms of caregiving make it difficult to establish any rhythms at all? Drawing on her experience caring for her mom who has Alzheimer’s, Jen Pollock Michel considers what spiritual practices can look like in the midst of caregiving for a family member with a disability. 1/

Podcast graphic for Take the Next Step with Amy Julia Becker, Episode 30, featuring grayscale screenshots of Jen Pollock Michel and Amy Julia Becker on either side of a calendar covered with sticky notes. Text reads, “Spiritual Rhythms in caregiving chaos?”

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

“The issues are complex, but one truth remains clear: disabled people belong in our schools, neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities—without having to earn or prove their worth.”

podcasts.apple.com

336: What We Need to Know About Disability Policy Right Now w/ Ashley Barlow

Podkastepisode · The Lucky Few · 14. september · 1 t 9 min

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Sometimes I get intimidated by the word "advocacy" because it makes me feel like I'm supposed to be doing a lot of things that I don't know how to do—and if I'm not doing those things, then I'm failing as a mom. So I needed this conversation with Meghan Burke! youtu.be/6IIDi_V0wyw

youtu.be

How to Navigate IEP Meetings and Disability Services with Meghan Burke, PhD

YouTube video by Amy Julia Becker

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Why does navigating disability services get so much harder after high school? The systems are fragmented, the rules are different, and the responsibility often falls on families to figure it all out. Here’s what families need to know—and why connecting with other families matters so much:

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

"There are families ahead of you who have already gone through this. The best resource we have is each other... 'Here's what you should expect. Here's the paperwork you need.'” Navigating IEPs and disability services can be complicated. Meghan Burke gives the practical advice I need:

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Inflexibility often arises out of fear. Fear hardens in the face of judgment but softens in the face of love.

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I'm literally putting notes all over reminding myself to stop and breathe for five minutes—morning, noon, night—to help me slow down, pay attention, return to a spacious place. I usually forget those five minute intervals even with my bright green sticky note reminders. What has surprised me...

amyjuliabecker.substack.com

The Pace of Love

Discerning what is mine to do—and what is mine to do right now {Plus four links worth your time}

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Do you have to fight everyone around the table to advocate well for your child? Many parents, including me, feel intimidated by disability advocacy. We worry we’re not doing enough and don't know enough to be a good advocate for our child and a good teammate to the other people in our child's life.

Podcast graphic for Take the Next Step with Amy Julia Becker, Episode 29. Two grayscale screenshots of a video call with Meghan Burke and Amy Julia Becker appear on either side of a colorful school-themed background with an apple, books, and a pencil cup. Large text in the center reads, “OVERWHELMED BY IEPs?”

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

I learned recently that I have monovision—one eye is nearsighted & the other is farsighted, so I can only see clearly with both of them open at once. It’s made me wonder if perhaps learning to see with the eyes of love is like that—we need one eye open to a different reality right in front of us 1/

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

“I was just so terrified of this prenatal diagnosis. And I thought everything that's ever been good is gonna just go away.”

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Spending time and offering my attention to those who cannot impress me with their conformity to a shiny, fast-paced world is one way of training my eyes to look at what cannot be seen, the enduring glory of beloved humanity.

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

In a world of fragments and distractions, it is good to pause to reflect and remember even the hardest things. The act of remembering is one of re-membering, of tethering ourselves to the ones who have gone before us and all the ones who remain.

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

"Community is everything, and I will die on that hill." - Misty Coy Snyder

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

When I was growing up, if I saw someone with a disability, I saw something sad. I saw a hard experience. Sometimes I saw a reality I wanted to look away from. Sometimes I saw a person I wanted to help. But I didn’t see someone I wanted to get to know. I didn’t see a potential friend. Now...

amyjuliabecker.substack.com

Learning to See What Cannot Be Seen

Possibility and belovedness where I once saw only sadness {Plus four links worth your time}

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Overwhelmed, isolated? Misty Coy Snyder knew those feelings after receiving a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome for her son. Over time, her life changed in ways she didn’t expect. Misty shares practical ways for parents to: * Find community * Focus on what matters right now * Make room for joy

amyjuliabecker.com

What We Need to Know About Disability and Happiness with Misty Coy Snyder - Amy Julia Becker

Discover how happiness, community, and taking one step at a time can transform disability parenting in this conversation with Amy Julia Becker and Misty Coy Snyder, author of Happiness Is Down Syndrom...

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

How can my child with a disability learn and grow? What does it look like to cultivate capability while honoring their limitations? When am I wrongly making life easier for them? When should I let them struggle? And what if I feel incapable as a parent?

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

When we say there isn’t enough money to support and care for people with disabilities, we don’t simply make a decision about budgets. We communicate that only some lives are worth the cost of caring.

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

There's a place for healthy discomfort in the lives of our kids. Therapist David Thomas calls it "practice context for coping." On Take the Next Step, David coaches us on cultivating capability while honoring the limitations of our kids with disabilities. amyjuliabecker.com/capable-pare...

amyjuliabecker.com

Raising Capable, Confident Kids: Disability + Parenting • David Thomas, LMSW - Amy Julia Becker

How do we raise resilient, emotionally healthy kids in an anxious world? Counselor David Thomas shares with Amy Julia Becker practical parenting strategies from Capable, exploring emotional regulation...

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

I love David Thomas' generosity and warmth and understanding in our conversation, which comes alongside very practical advice about how to name and navigate our emotions in a way that brings more calm and more competence to everyone within our families.

Podcast episode cover featuring black and white screenshots of David Thomas and Amy Julia Becker talking to each other, over a background of children and families, including a child using a wheelchair. Text reads: “Raising Capable Kids” and “Take the Next Step with Amy Julia Becker, Ep 27.”

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

"We're intuitively thinking, 'How can I alleviate discomfort [for my child]?' as opposed to 'How can I invite a little healthy discomfort' that gives a practice context for coping, builds competence, and is a challenge they're capable of facing." -David Thomas, LMSW

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

We have a posture of abundance when it comes to the military and violence, but we maintain a posture of scarcity when it comes to caring for children. amyjuliabecker.substack.com/p/what-could...

amyjuliabecker.substack.com

What Could $37.5 Billion Pay For?

War, special education, and what we value most {Plus three links worth your time}

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Anxiety can spill over onto the people around us, but the good news is that calm is contagious too. For families experiencing disability, stress and overwhelm can often feel like constant companions. How do we move through anxiety in a way that models calm for our kids?

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

amyjuliabecker.com

Raising Capable, Confident Kids: Disability + Parenting • David Thomas, LMSW - Amy Julia Becker

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

"We're not meant to go through this alone. We need partners, not opponents." - Christina Cipriano, PhD

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

When our daughter who has Down syndrome was in 4th grade, she was diagnosed with scoliosis. I felt overwhelmed, unsure of what to do. I often try to tackle overwhelming problems head-on. I research. I worry. I usually either burn out and give up, or I feel shame and give up. But now...

amyjuliabecker.substack.com

My Whiteboard of Shame

What to do when the problem in front of you feels too big to solve {Plus five links worth your time}

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

We're in the midst of a necessary untethering. And that’s my job. To disentangle. To remove what were once necessary supports and are now unnecessary inhibitions to our kids' growth. To open up my hands, and entrust each of them in their own way to this world held together by the God who loves them.

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

When your child needs support now, “just wait” isn’t good enough. Chris Cipriano, PhD, helps parents of children with disabilities move from frustration and apology to confident advocacy. She shares how to: - navigate waitlists - work with teachers/providers as partners, not opponents - and more

podcast graphic for “Take the Next Step with Amy Julia Becker,” featuring black and white video screenshots of Christina Cipriano and Amy Julia Becker and the text “Family Disability Supports: We Need Allies, Not Adversaries,” Episode 26.

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Parenting a child with a disability brings pressing questions: What comes next? How do I help my child thrive? And how do we build a life where our whole family can flourish? You don't have to have all the answers. And you don't have to walk this road alone.

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Penny is working on her ClemsonLIFE application—she hopes to leave home a year from now. She reminds me often, when I question a decision or become overbearing, “Mom. I’m twenty.” All of our kids are taking very natural human steps towards adulthood. I’m delighted. I’m grieving it at the same time.

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

We're in the midst of a necessary untethering. That’s my job. To disentangle. To remove what were once necessary supports & are now unnecessary inhibitions to our kids’ growth. Interdependence, not independence, is the goal. It still requires letting go. amyjuliabecker.substack.com/p/were-in-th...

amyjuliabecker.substack.com

The Necessary Untethering

Interdependence, not independence, is the goal. It still requires letting go. {Plus four links worth your time}

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

What comes next when you're parenting a child with a disability? You don't have to figure it all out alone. Take the Next Step is a Hope Heals Network podcast for families experiencing disability. New episodes begin next Wed, Aug 26. Follow Take the Next Step wherever you listen to podcasts!

amyjuliabecker.com

Take the Next Step Podcast - Amy Julia Becker

Take the Next Step is a podcast for families experiencing disability. We talk with fellow parents and experts about practical ways to cultivate a thriving future for the whole family.

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

One of the most fun—and nerve-wracking—parts of Hope Heals Camp this year was writing & performing a song with Penny for the Talent Show. We rewrote a Miley Cyrus song and sang it together in front of 500 people! Hope Heals Camp—the beauty of celebrating every gift and seeing every person lifted up

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

“The proper distinction, theologically speaking, is not between the real and the ideal, but between the real and the unreal. Only the kingdom of heaven determines what is truly real... The world of sin, poverty, and death represents the unreal world that is destined to pass away.” -George Hunsinger

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Catch up on Reimagining the Good Life, my podcast where I sit down with guests for conversations about disability, faith, and culture. We challenge assumptions about the good life, proclaim the inherent belovedness of every human being, and envision a world of belonging where everyone matters.

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Sometimes we say that this world we live in, with all the stress and the success and the striving, is the real world. And then we enter into a place where every person we encounter is seen as beloved, where the gifts of each one are celebrated and the sorrows of each one are held with compassion...

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Which world is real? The truest truth for the needy, weak, and vulnerable—for all of us… open.substack.com/pub/amyjulia...

open.substack.com

Which World Is Real?

The truest truth for the needy, weak, and vulnerable—for all of us {Plus two links worth your time}

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

"Rather than focusing on her deficits—as some doctors, teachers, or therapists might inadvertently advise us to do—the dr told us to respond to things that interested her. Pay attention to what she loves & establish a relationship of mutual delight instead of frustration and a sense of inadequacy."

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

“Jürgen Moltmann said, ‘Hope is what faith ripens into.’ I can't claim to be great at this, but I have experienced it.” - Christian Wiman

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Amy Julia Becker @amyjuliabecker.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

I found that I couldn’t pray after the doctor told us that our daughter had Down syndrome. I didn’t have the words, the answers, or even the faith to know what to say. Yet there was tremendous comfort in realizing,

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