F**king Normal

Lauren and Rina wrap up Series 4

Just a quick chat with your hosts Lauren and Rina on some of their favourite bits from series 4 and a reminder to get in touch with the F**king Normal team if you have any ideas for future episode topics for the next series. Thank you for listening and supporting the podcast . We promise we will be back with more episodes very soon! Find us on Instagram: @fkingnormal_podcast or email us at fkingnormalpodcast@gmail.com ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Ep 30: From trauma to renewed purpose with Brandi Amiss-Towler

In this week’s episode, Lauren and Rina sit down with Brandi Amiss-Towler as she shares the extraordinary story of her son Caspian’s birth, the challenges of his early days, and how her experiences have driven her to retrain and pursue a career in law. Brandi offers a candid and raw account of the early days, navigating a complex medical journey with a large number of professionals and an extended hospital stay. She also reflects on what motivated her to take on her impressive journey to courtroom advocacy and shares some wise words of advice for other parents. What an incredible women!    Content Warnings Strong Language warning  Prenatal diagnosis  Infant death Birth stories   Guest Biography Brandi Amiss-Towler is originally from Kansas in the USA, but has called London her home since 2004. She is mother to two boys, her eldest is now 23 and her youngest, Caspian, is five. Caspian was born with a rare teratoma in his jaw. He has had significant surgeries, a tracheostomy and is PEG-fed. From the start, Brandi has been a fierce advocate for ensuring his needs are met. A month before Caspian was discharged from the hospital at 20 months old, she began law school to train as a barrister. Now, having been Called to the Bar, she practices social security law. Useful resources Teratoma - Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teratoma] Martha's Rule: says that where a parent questions the professional opinion of a professional, they have a right to request a review by a separate team  https://www.england.nhs.uk/patient-safety/marthas-rule/ [https://www.england.nhs.uk/patient-safety/marthas-rule/] Council for Disabled Children https://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/resources/all-resources [https://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/resources/all-resources] Caudwell Children https://www.caudwellchildren.com/changing-lives/how-we-can-help/ [https://www.caudwellchildren.com/changing-lives/how-we-can-help/] Provides services, funding, and training for families and children  Mencap  https://www.mencap.org.uk/ [https://www.mencap.org.uk/] Provides advice on benefits, housing, health and education. I've always found them to be very knowledgeable.  Disability Rights UK www.disabilityrightsuk.org [http://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/] Produces the Disability Rights Handbook which provides guidance on disability benefits and social welfare law, also provides advice and other resources  Disability Action-There is a disability hub in most boroughs. Just google Disability Action and see if there is one in your borough.  Scope  https://www.scope.org.uk/advice-and-support [https://www.scope.org.uk/advice-and-support] Provides services, advice and support for disabled children and their families  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Ep 29: Helping my child find her voice with Cat Troiano

In this week’s episode, Lauren and Rina chat with museum curator and researcher Cat Troiano. Cat is mother to two young daughters, Stella (4) and Petra (almost 3). Stella has 5p minus syndrome, also known as Cri du Chat syndrome. Growing up in a multilingual family with a strong focus on language and linguistics, Cat’s perspective was profoundly transformed by her fight to meet Stella’s communication needs. This thought-provoking conversation delves into Cat’s journey, the challenges she faced and how she advocated to ensure Stella could more easily interact with the world around her. Content Warnings Very strong Language warning  Diagnosis  Guest Biography Cat lives in London with her husband, Giorgio, and their two daughters Stella and Petra. Cat works as Curator of Photography at the V&A, and Giorgio manages the design team at a lighting manufacturing company. Professionally, Cat comes from a research background, curating exhibitions and publishing or presenting regularly about photography in its historical and contemporary environments. She has significant experience working in complex institutions, and expertise in institutional policy and practice in the cultural sector. Incidentally, this armed her with a skill set that has proven particularly useful in advocating for Stella – who was born with a rare genetic syndrome – and navigating the paperwork, systems and therapies that help her thrive. Catherine has always been interested in language and linguistics, and she is forever grateful to Stella for upending her world view about language and communication.  Useful resources * fivepminus.org [https://fivepminus.org/] - 5p- Society. This is the American group (the biggest one) relating to the syndrome * Documentary by parent to child with 5p- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAywVXnY5Y4] A sweet mini-doc a filmmaker (also parent to CdCS child) made for a benefit concert in 2012.  * Raising a rare girl book [https://heatherlanierwriter.com/raising-a-rare-girl/] - Heather Lanier's book 'Raising a Rare Girl' that Cat mentioned.  * Therarelife.ep-166-nonspeaking-child-longing-to-access-their-inner-world-give-them-medical-autonomy-w-suzi-boubion [https://therarelife.org/show-notes/ep-166-nonspeaking-child-longing-to-access-their-inner-world-give-them-medical-autonomy-w-suzi-boubion] - Podcast episode referenced by Cat in which Suzy Boubion talks about her non-speaking child. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Ep 28: "Love makes the world go round" with David Thacker and Margot Leicester

In this week’s episode, Lauren and Rina sit down with the accomplished theatrical duo David Thacker and Margot Leicester to discuss their experiences as parents of their youngest adult daughter, Elizabeth, who is autistic and has learning difficulties. In this warm and inspiring conversation, David and Margot reflect on their journey raising a disabled child and adult, offering heartfelt wisdom on what truly matters most. Content Warnings Diagnosis  Guest Biographies Margot was brought up in Middleton, Manchester with her younger brother. As a child, Margot always knew she wanted to be an actress and spent most of her time at the University of Leicester, where she studied English, acting in student productions. Spotted at the National Student Drama Festival in Exeter, she was invited to join the Exeter Northcott Theatre and has acted ever since, playing in regional theatres throughout the UK, at the National theatre, in several London theatres, in the West End, and on Broadway. Margot has appeared regularly on television.   David was born in Higham Ferrers Northamptonshire and at six months his family moved to nearby Rushden where he was brought up with his two older sisters and his younger brother. He went to the University of York to study English and stayed to study for an MA in Shakespeare. He discovered his love for directing with the University Drama Society and directed several plays there. His first job was as an Assistant Stage Manager at York Theatre Royal, and he has worked in theatre and television since. He has been artistic director of three theatres, the Young Vic, Duke’s Playhouse Lancaster, Octagon Theatre Bolton and Director-in-Residence at the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has directed over 150 productions throughout the UK and internationally. David has also directed extensively for BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and WGBH Boston (USA). He continues to work as a freelancer and combines this with his role as Professor of Theatre and Film at University of Bolton.   Margot and David met in 1982 when David was Artistic Director of Duke’s Playhouse Lancaster and Margot acted there. They fell in love and have been together since, often working together across theatre, film and television. In a voluntary capacity, Margot is a trustee of Haringey Shed inclusive youth theatres and David was a governor of a primary and comprehensive school in Muswell Hill. They have four children and four grandchildren and live in Crouch End, London. Useful resources: Home - icandance [https://icandance.org.uk/] Haringey Shed [https://www.haringeyshed.org/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Ep 27: SEN Finances with SEND Protect Founder Cara Roughani

In the latest episode of the Fking Normal Podcast, hosts Rina and Lauren sit down with Cara Roughani to discuss her remarkable parenting journey and the inspiration behind creating SEND Protect. Cara, a passionate advocate for the financial empowerment of families with SEND children, shared her personal experiences navigating her parenting journey as well as the inspiration behind her founding SEND Protect. Wanting to educate families, parents and carers with the knowledge and tools they need to safeguard their child's finances, Cara used her vast experience in the field to create a safe space to help other families. The conversation is incredibly valuable as Cara answers finance related questions sent from the podcast community about money, savings, wills and pensions (to name just a few...) Content Warnings Conversations about death Guest Biography Cara Roughani is the founder and CEO of SEND Protect, where Cara provides resources, advice, and advocacy to help families access the services their children need, to ensure they have every opportunity to thrive. Being a parent to her own son Jayden, who was diagnosed with Autism, Cara wanted to gather her expertise in wealth management and finances to create something helpful to other parents. Uniting a range of experts in an array of financial sectors, SEND Protect provides tailored advice to ensure that SEND children’s futures are secured. Understanding that this isn’t just for the wealthy, Cara is passionate about empowering other parents with her wealth of financial know-how. Further Resources www.sendprotect.co.uk cara@sendprotect.co.uk [cara@sendprotect.co.uk] lisa@sendprotect.co.uk [lisa@sendprotect.co.uk] www.citizensadvice.org.uk nasen.org.uk www.gov.uk ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.