Special Fathers' Network Podcast

Our guest this week is Steve Harris of Lanesboro, MN a free-lance writer, widower, author and father of two sons with disabilities.  Part 1.Steve and his wife, Susan, have married for 17 years.  Steve and his first wife, Pam, were together for 30 years, before she passed away in 2012 due to a rare neurological disorder.  Steve and Pam had two boys: Matthew who was born in 1980 with Spina bifida and younger son, Andrew, who is 37 and who has Cerebral Palsy.  Both boys would eventually be diagnosed with PMD or Pelizaeus Merzbacher Disease, a rare neurological disease, where there is a lack of myelin covering the nerves.Very sadly, Matthew passed away in October 2020 four days short of his 40th birthday. Steve's career included being a pastor, a middle school teacher and for 20 years, director of communications at Twin Cities YMCA .  All along Steve has been a writer who morer recently has published two books: Dads Like Us: A Survival Guide For Fathers Raising Children With Disabilities (2024)Lanesboro, Minnesot

Our guest this week is Peter Gerhardt of Rich Hill Park, NJ who is executive director at EPIC Schools located in Paramus, NJ, author of dozens of publications and books, an internationally recognized Autism expert and outspoken advocate for the disability community.Peter has three degrees from Rutgers University: a BA in Psychology, an EdM in Special Education, and a PhD in Education Psychology and Special Education. He has dedicated his life to researching Autism and serving the disability community.  He has developed workshops and given hundreds of presentations domestically and internationally.  Some of his publications include: Make it Meaningful: Creating Programs that Matter into Adulthood for Learners with Autism and Related Disorders (2024).Handbook of Quality of Life for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism and Child Psychopathology Series (2022).Transition to Adulthood for Adolescents and Young Adults with Autism: Can We Improve Outcomes? (2022) Social Skill and Adaptive Behavior Interv

Our guest this week is Peter Gerhardt of Rich Hill Park, NJ who is executive director at EPIC Schools located in Paramus, NJ, author of dozens of publications and books, an internationally recognized Autism expert and outspoken advocate for the disability community.Peter has three degrees from Rutgers University: a BA in Psychology, an EdM in Special Education, and a PhD in Education Psychology and Special Education. He has dedicated his life to researching Autism and serving the disability community.  He has developed workshops and given hundreds of presentations domestically and internationally.  Some of his publications include: Make it Meaningful: Creating Programs that Matter into Adulthood for Learners with Autism and Related Disorders (2024).Handbook of Quality of Life for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism and Child Psychopathology Series (2022).Transition to Adulthood for Adolescents and Young Adults with Autism: Can We Improve Outcomes? (2022) Social Skill and Adaptive Behavior Interv

Our guest this week is Rick Bolle of Naperville, IL founding pastor of the newly formed Front Porch Church, father of two and retired businessman. Rick and his wife, Alinda, have been married for 32 years and are the proud parents of two adult children.  Shortly after retiring from Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2022, where he was a Senior Safety Specialist, Rick felt a calling to start or plant Front Porch Church.   Established in 2023, Front Porch Church helps people of all ability find their way back to God.  FPC is specifically designed to welcome individuals with special needs and their families.  Weekly services offer a worship experience that embraces all expressions and all movements, ensuring that everyone feels included, valued, safe and loved.It’s an illuminating conversation and we’ll hear it on this episode of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.Show LinksPhone – (630) 442-4031Email – [email protected] –  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-bolle-6955b150/Website - https://kidsmatter2us.org/front-po

Our guest this week is Spencer Doman of Philadelphia, PA, who is president and CEO of the Doman International Institute, where they empower parents with knowledge and tools to help their children with special needs thrive and teach parents how to create a loving, stimulating and healthy home so that their child can reach their fullest potential.Spencer and his wife, Melissa, have been married for 15 years.Spencer's grandfather, Glenn Doman, created the The Doman Method, and dedicated his life to helping kids with special needs.  Doman International Institute was founded by Glenn’s son, Douglas Doman, and four other members of the Doman family.  Spencer is the 3rd generation leader of DII.  Over the past 70 years they have served more than 40K families in eight countries.  Their research based results indicate 2X faster development for children after starting treatment.  The DII website has a robust level of resources including books, articles and various trainings for parents and caregivers. Show LinksPhone –

Our guest this week is Rebekah Taussig of Shawnee, KS who is a mother, wife, author, podcast host, outspoken advocate for those with disability and who, herself is a paraplegic.  Rebekah and her husband, Micah have been married for seven years and are the proud parents of Otto, who is typical five year old. Rebekah was diagnosed with spine cancer at age one and due to multiple surgeries lost her ability to walk at age four.  She was the youngest of six children and despite her disability, still slept on the top bunk upstairs in her family home.  She credits much of her success and resilience to her parents and siblings, who didn't treat her any differently.  Prior to Otto's birth, Rebekah was a high school English and Literature teacher.  Rebekah combined her PhD in Creative Non-Fiction & Disability Studies from University of Kansas, with her passion for writing to author Sitting Pretty: The View From My Ordinary, Resilient Disabled Body (2020). and more recently, a children's book entitled: We Are the Sc

Our guest this week is Leon Logothetis of Los Angeles, a British-born adventurer, author, and television host renowned for promoting global kindness.  Formerly a London-based broker, he left finance to explore human connection through travel. Leon created and starred in the docuseries Amazing Adventures of a Nobody (2006–2008), journeying across the U.S., U.K., and Europe on minimal daily budgets.  His acclaimed Netflix series The Kindness Diaries (2017–2019) chronicled his travels relying solely on strangers' generosity, offering life-changing gifts in return.Leon has authored several books, including The Kindness Diaries and Live, Love Explore, inspiring audiences to embrace empathy and adventure.  His work underscores the transformative power of compassion in everyday life.Show LinksInstagram - @thekindnessguy Email – [email protected] –  https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonlogothetis/ Website - https://www.leonlogothetis.com/Website - https://gobekind.org/Books –The Kindness Diaries: One Man’s

Our guest this week is Jim Littlefield-Dalmares of Louisville, KY who is Director of Market Development at BNI Middle Tennessee, author, podcast host, founder of Seeing Ability and perhaps most importantly, father of two including a child with Cerebral Palsy. Jim and his wife, LeAnn, have been married for 27 years and are the proud parents of two: Peter (21) and Sophia (25) who was born very prematurely, diagnosed early on with Spina Bifida and who has Cerberal Palsy.  Professionally, Jim is the Director of Market Development at BNI of Middle Tennessee.  He is also author of the book: Seeing Ability: Finding Your Path In Parenting A Child With Special Needs and host of the Seeing Ability Podcast.  More recently, Jim has also created the Seeing Ability Foundation.We’ll hear Jim’s life story and all about the Seeing Ability book, podcast and foudnation all on this episode of the SFN.Dad to Dad Podcast.Show Notes - Phone – (502) 528-0894Email – [email protected] –  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimld/Websit

Our guest this week is Dr. Patrick Schwarz, of Highland Park, IL who is CEO of Creative Culture Consulting, a public speaker, author of numerous books and an outspoken advocate for inclusive education for people of all abilities.Dr. Schwarz earned his BS, MS and PhD in special education from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.  Dr. Schwarz is a dynamic professor, author, and motivational speaker renowned for his leadership in inclusive education, special education, and educational leadership.Dr. Schwarz has dedicated his career to transforming educational practices to better serve students with diverse support needs.  His seminal work, From Disability to Possibility, advocates for inclusive classrooms that recognize and nurture the potential of every learner.Collaborating with Dr. Paula Kluth, he co-authored influential titles such as You're Welcome, Just Give Him the Whale!, and Pedro's Whale.Through global presentations and consultations, Dr. Schwarz continues to inspire educators to create environments

Our guest this week is Jamiel Owens, of Hatfield, PA who is a volunteer firefighter, advocate for those with disability, founder of Ausomeness Inc. and a father of two, including a son who is autistic.Jamiel and his wife, Marta Santa, have been married for 5 years and you are the proud father of two children: Alejandro (3) and Shane (16), who is Autistic.With little more than a GED, Jamiel has become a disability advocate and role model for others raising children with disability.  Through Ausomeness, Inc. Jamiel has created a social enterprise that provides education, empowerment, engagement, and support to families of children with autism.We also learn about Jamiel's faith, his overcoming the issue of father absence in his youth and how that has informed him about the importance of being present. All on this episode of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.Show LinksPhone – (445) 247-2071Email – [email protected] – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiel-owens-75a985213/Website - https://ausomenessinc.com/Facebook -

Our guest this week is Eli Pierce of Aurora, CO who is a customer service representative at Silk Trade, a UK based software company.  Eli is the father of four children, including one who is a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy and epilepsy.  Eli, and his wife, Cassidy, have been married for 5 years and he is the proud father of four children: Evelyn (14), Elias (11), adopted daughter Annabelle (6) and Ettison (13) who is spastic quadriplegic with Cerebral Palsy and epilepsy. For many years, Eli was a single dad with full custody of his three children from his first marriage.  Eli's an overcomer dad.  He's overcome a challenging upbringing, a challenging first marriage and the ongoing challenges of fathering four children, including one with profound disability.  Eli's commitment to his family is second to none and he serves as a great role model to those within and outside the disability community.  More recently Eli has joined the Denver SFN Mastermind Group and is thriving. Learn this and more on the

Michael our guest this week is Michael Pereira of Miami, FL who a financial representative, the father of two and founder of the The Autism Voyage. Michael and his wife, Elizeth, have been married for 9 years and you are the proud parents of two children: Amanda Sophia (3) and Christian Omar (7) who is Autistic.  Michael is also the founder of Autism Voyage, offering financial planning assistance to parents of kids with special needs.  Michael has made it his mission to share specialized knowledge in financial planning and support for special needs families, driven by his firsthand understanding and commitment to aiding similar families navigate their unique challenges. We’ll hear about Michael’s journey, about his faith, growing up in Puerto Rico, being raised by a single mom and going on to be a very committed husband and father all on this episode of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.Show Notes - Phone – (786) 387-7522Email – [email protected] –  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpereirafl/Website - 

Our guest this week is Jason Bechtold of Cary, IL. a director of IT services and an executive coach at Bain as well as the father of three who have a variety of neurological, psychological and intellectual challenges.Jason and his wife, Lori Hermann, have been married for 8 years and he is the proud father of three children: Jordyn (24), Tyler (20), and Jessica (18), who between them have experienced: brain cancer, Asperger’s, ADHD and very sadly sexual assault.   Jason is a former weapons specialist with the U.S. Army Natiaonl Guard.  For the past 20+ years he has worked in Chicago at Bain, the international consulting firm, where he serves as director of IT and as an executive coach.  Separate from his work there, Jason also does leadership coaching for men.  Jason reflects on his spirituality and growing up as one of three boys with a father who was a pastor, owner of Christian book stores, a chaplain for the local police and fire departments as well as a long-time social worker in Cook County.  We’ll hear

Our guest this week is Jen Lumanlan of Berkeley, CA wife, mother, researcher, parenting coach, author, curator of the Your Parenting Mojo website and host of the Your Parenting Mojo Podcast.  Jen and her husband, Alvin, have been married for 15 years and are the proud parents of daughter, Carys, who is 10 years old.Jen was born and raised in England.  She has a bachelors degree: English & Forestry from U.C. Berkeley, a masters degree in environmental management from Yale and a masters degree in psychology (child development) & education.  As a result of becoming a parent, frustrated by the lack of suitable parenting resources and informed by her masters in psychology & education, Jen redirected her energies into doing research and creating the Your Parenting Mojo podcast to fill that gap.  That lead to creating the Parenting Mojo website and doing parent coaching.Jen is the author of Parenting Beyond Power: How To Use Connection & Collaboration To Transform Your Family & The World, which i

Our guest this week is Rady Johnson of Westport, CT, a recently retired senior executive at Pfizer and a father of three including one with intellectual disabilities.Rady and his wife, Diane, have been married for 38 years and are the proud parents of three children: Katherine (36), Bridget (30) and Michael (34) who was adopted from Romania as a one year old and who has intellectual disabilities.Despite a wide range of challenges, Michael has lead a pretty remarkable life.  Through organizations like Special Olympics, Best Buddies and church youth groups, Michael has grown and developed.  Remarkably, Michael holds down three jobs; one as an office aid a Tauck, the world-wide travel agency, another on the maintenance crew at a Long Island beach, and a third at Marshall's the department store.  The Johnson family story is a shing example about commitment and the importance of communityall on this episode of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.Show LinksPhone – (917) 545-3090Email – [email protected] –  ht

Our guest this week is Kirby Rabalais of Glenview, IL the Director of Strategic Growth at Truce Software, father of two including one with Pitt Hopkins Syndrome and more recently the founder of 4TITUDE an online community created to support dads raising children with special healthcare needs.    Kirby and his wife, Chelsea, have been married for 8 years and are the proud parents of two boys: Porter (4) and Harley (6), who has Pitt Hopkins Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes developmental, intellectual and physical changes in children.Informed by the experience of being a special needs dad and empowered by the benefits he's experienced from others, Kirby has created 4TITUDE, a community whose motto is: "Finding Strength in Every Challenge."  They understand the emotional journey and unique challenges that come with raising a child with disabilities. The 4TITUDE mission is: "to provide empathetic support, guidance, and resources to help fathers navigate this path with strength and resilience."Kirby is

Our guest this week is Tim Kane of Ridgewood, NJ a former Senior Director of Broadcasting for the NBA, board member at the Epic School Foundation and father of three children including an autistic son. Tim and his wife, Laurie, have been married for 28 years and are the proud parents of three children: Katie (27), Caroline (21) and Jack (24) who is Autistic. Tim reflects on his storied career that began at ESPN in the early days and with the NBA for more than 30 years as well as a long list of NBA A-listers who have showed an extraordinary level of compassion for the Kane family and especially their son.  Tim also talks about his faith and shares with gratitude some of the organizations that have had an influential role in their lives, including:       EPIC School Foundation      Autism NJ, and      Kennedy KriegerAll on this episode of he SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.Show Links - Phone – (201) 673-2750Email – [email protected] –  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-kane-09aa304/Kennedy Krieger Institute http

Our guest this week is Sebastien Pelletier of Montreal, Canada a financial professional and father of four, three of whom were diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa.  The Pelletier family was also featured in the National Geographic documentary BLINK.Sebastien and his wife, Edith Lemay, have been married for 14 years and are the proud parents of four children: Mia (13), Leo (11), Colin (9) and Laurent (7).  Mia, Colin and Laurent have been diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare genetic disorder also known as Inherited Retinal Dystrophy (IRD) that causes loss of vision.  There is no known cure for IRD that will eventually lead to complete blindness.  In lieu of just providing their children with images, videos and movies to bolster their visual memories, the family embarked on an 18 month, 15 country journey around the world, which became the subject of the 2024 National Geographic documentary BLINK.  BLINK is more than a beautifully filmed travelogue to once-in-a-lifetime destinations, it's about the famil

Our guest this week is James Burch, of Georgetown, Grand Cayman, who is a corporate law partner at Walkers, amateur boxer and single father of three young boys, including one with global developmental delays.James was born and raised in Chelton, England.  After obtaining his education and becoming a lawyer he has worked overseas in Hong Kong and Grand Cayman. James and his x-wife, Gemma, were married for 9 years before divorcing seven years ago and are the proud parents of three boys: Charlie (10), Harry (12) and Archie (14), who suffered brain damage at the time of his birth and who has global developmental delays.There were complications with Archie's birth that required he be medevacked to Miami for emergency surgery, so on a moments notice, James joined Archie on the flight to Miami and didn't return to Grand Cayman for three years. James' story is a reminder, that "in the blink of an eye" life as you know it can end.  There's was a surreal experience and very fortunately Archie is a miracle child. We als

Our guest this week is Isaac Jean Paul of Los Angeles, CA. who is a father and U.S. Paralympic track and field champion who just happens to be legally blind.Isaac and his significant other, Myra Harris, are the proud parents of two year old daughter Shylah. Isaac was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago.  In high school he was a track & field star.  As he began to lose his sight he didn't want to be treated any differently than everyone else.  A friend suggested he compete in adaptive athletics, which led to training and qualifying for the U.S. Paralympic Team.  He's won national championships and represented the U.S. Paralympic Team in Tokyo and Paris, where he is a two time medalist in the long jump. Isaac is also the author of a children's book entitled: Mya's Marvelous Day At The Games , which was published in July 2024.  Isaac will be inducted into the Lewis University Athletic Hall of Fame in March 2025, just as his mom was 20+ years ago.   Isaac is an engaging fellow and we’ll hear his thought