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“I was doing what everybody told me to do… he can make eye contact and have a conversation—he can’t be autistic.”
Today, certified Master Life Coach and writer Karen Kossow gets real about the three-year journey to her son’s diagnosis—and what it means to parent neurodivergent kids while discovering your own neurodivergence. As part of the sandwich generation, Karen is supporting her children, noticing patterns in older family members, and learning herself—often all at once.

This conversation is practical and deeply compassionate. Karen reframes self-care for parents who can’t just “get away,” sharing five-minute vagus-nerve resets, gratitude practices that soften the stress response, and thoughtful choices around food and substances. We also talk about the ache of isolation, the sting of judgment, and how community changes everything—because you’re not a “bad mom”; you’re doing everything you can for this child.

For families navigating a new diagnosis, Karen offers honesty and hope: grief is real, development doesn’t stop, and strengths-based support—with guidance from autistic adults—opens new paths forward.

Connect with Karen and her Self-Care Support Squad: karenkossow.substack.com

Thank you for listening to Hope Comes to Visit. If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show — it helps others find their way to these conversations.

New episodes drop every Monday and Friday, so you can begin and end your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv and @HopeComestoVisit