Junk Drawer Mamas: Sorting the Drama and Trauma of Extreme Parenting to Find Hope, Healing and Humor

By: Deena and Christina | Mom Coach Special Needs Christian Life Author Speaker
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  • Summary

  • Dive into the drama and trauma of extreme parenting with hosts Deena and Christina! This podcast is a safe haven for moms navigating special needs, behavioral challenges, and complex family dynamics. Like a “junk drawer” filled with hidden struggles, we often bury emotions that need healing. Through heartfelt stories, faith, and humor, we’ll unpack those struggles together. Discover hope, strength, and empowerment to embrace your God-given identity and thrive in motherhood and marriage. You’re not alone—let’s conquer extreme parenting together!
    Deena and Christina | Mom Coach, Special Needs, Christian Life, Author, Speaker
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Parenting & Families Relationships
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Episodes
  • Episode 12 | Junk Drawer Mamas |The Most Overlooked Friendship - The One You Have With Yourself

    Episode 12 | Junk Drawer Mamas |The Most Overlooked Friendship - The One You Have With Yourself
    Mar 19 2025
    𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 - 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 So much of our energy goes into 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀, 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀—𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀? In this episode, 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮 dive into the 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻-𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 foundation of all relationships: 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳, 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀, 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. They unpack:🩷 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱💜 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲🩷 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳💜 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀🩷 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 👂 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗱𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 “𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲, 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁” 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺. 📲 DON’T FORGET TO FOLLOW, LIKE, & SHARE! Tag a mama who needs this reminder today.💗🎙 New episodes every Wednesday!🎧 Listen now on:🔹 YouTube🔹 Spotify🔹 Apple Podcasts, AmazonMusic, & iHeart Radio📌 Follow for moreencouragement:📘 Facebook: Junk Drawer MamasPodcast📸 Instagram: @junkdrawermamas📱 TikTok: @junkdrawermamas🌐 Website: SpeciallyEmpowered Moms ✔️ Check out what Deena is doing at Specially Empowered Moms:📘 Facebook📸 Instagram📱 TikTok✔️ See what Christina is doing at Faith Through Foster Care:🌐 Website📸 Instagram 📨 Have a topic you want us to tackle? Email us at junkdrawermamas@gmail.com#JunkDrawerMamas #MomLifeUnfiltered #SpecialNeedsMoms#ExtremeParenting #identity #ParentingPodcast #StressAndIdentity#MomEncouragement #Hopeandhealing #RealMomTalk #FaithOverStress#SelfImageStruggles #MomLifeSupport #Stress #identity #MomLife #WearyMoms#ChristianMoms #MomEncouragement #FillYourCup #ChronicStress
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    39 mins
  • Episode 11 | Junk Drawer Mamas | What Special Needs Moms REALLY Need in a Friendship & How We Can Be a Good Friend

    Episode 11 | Junk Drawer Mamas | What Special Needs Moms REALLY Need in a Friendship & How We Can Be a Good Friend
    Mar 12 2025
    🎙 Episode 11: What Special Needs Moms REALLY Need in a Friendship & How We Can Be a Good FriendFriendships can be complicated. Friendship as a special needs mom? Well, that's a whole other level. 🫠 This week, Deena & Christna are unpacking one of the heaviest, messiest, most-overlooked junk drawer items: FRIENDSHIPS—what it means to be a good friend, what special needs moms actually need in a friend, and how we can all do better at showing up for each other (without getting caught in the drama and offense trap 🙃). They get real about the challenges of maintaining friendships when juggling therapy appointments, medical issues, and total exhaustion—and we share what we've learned the hard way about extending grace, speaking the truth in love, and actually asking for help. 🗝️ Key Takeaways:🩷 The importance of inviting a special needs mom—even if she can’t always come💜 Why “just let me know if you need anything” is NOT the best way to support a friend🩷 The #1 friendship killer: Unspoken expectations💜 Why "I'll pray for you" is great, but "What do you need?" is even better🩷 How to break free from the spirit of offense and build God-breathed friendships 👯 👂 Listen now for a dose of encouragement, honesty, and a whole lot of “been there, done that” wisdom.Resilience: Woman Rising to Their Greatest Moments📖https://a.co/d/7HgJVHm Resilience: Love, Family, And Friendships That Endure📖https://a.co/d/cXSCmSS Mobi Book with Plush Mobi Bear📖Mobi Bear and Book | FaithThroughFosterCare.com📲 𝗗𝗢𝗡’𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗙𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪, 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘, 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗔𝗚 a mama who needs this reminder today! 💗 🎧𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆, 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰, 𝗶𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲! https://open.spotify.com/show/6SZGUt4rEu5x1FZoQSWdLR 💌 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮: 📘𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸: https://www.facebook.com/JunkDrawerMamasPodcast 📸𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺: https://www.instagram.com/junkdrawermamas 📱𝗧𝗶𝗸𝗧𝗼𝗸: https://www.tiktok.com/@junkdrawermamas 🌐𝗪𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲: https://www.speciallyempoweredmoms.com/junkdrawermamas 📨𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹: junkdrawermamas@gmail.com ✔️𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗼𝗺𝘀 ⁠🌐Website: www.speciallyempoweredmoms.com⁠ ⁠📘Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpeciallyEmpoweredMoms⁠ 📸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speciallyempoweredmoms/?hl=en 📱TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@speciallyempoweredmoms ✔️𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗙𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 🌐Website: ⁠www.fatihthorughfostercare.com⁠ 📸Instagram: ⁠www.instagram.com/faiththroughfostercare⁠ 📨 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝗻𝗸 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝗻𝗸𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘀@𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺 We would love to hear from you. #JunkDrawerMamas#MomLifeUnfiltered #SpecialNeedsMoms #ExtremeParenting #identity#ParentingPodcast #StressAndIdentity #MomEncouragement #Hopeandhealing#RealMomTalk #FaithOverStress #SelfImageStruggles #MomLifeSupport #Stress#identity #MomLife #WearyMoms #ChristianMoms #MomEncouragement #FillYourCup#ChronicStress
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    50 mins
  • Episode 10 | Junk Drawer Mamas | Navigating Isolation & Loneliness as a Special Need Mom

    Episode 10 | Junk Drawer Mamas | Navigating Isolation & Loneliness as a Special Need Mom
    Mar 5 2025

    𝗠𝗮𝗺𝗮, let’s talk about it—𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 when you’re raising kids in extreme parenting situations. Whether you’re a 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗺, 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺, 𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗺𝗮 𝗷𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀, we see 👀 you. 💜


    If you’ve ever skipped a birthday party to avoid the exhaustion of managing your child’s needs in a social setting or felt like “nobody gets it”—this episode is for you. Deena and Christina get real about the emotional rollercoaster of finding (and keeping) friendships while navigating caregiving, chronic stress, and the unique challenges of raising kids who don’t always “fit in.”

    Here’s the truth: Isolation is a tool of the enemy to make you feel like you’re alone. But guess what? You’re NOT. There’s a whole tribe of moms out here who get it, who see you, and who want to do life with you. So, let’s tackle this junk drawer together and ditch the loneliness for good. 🙌

    🎧 Hit play now for raw, faith-filled encouragement and practical strategies to build the connections you need (without the mom guilt).

    𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲:

    💡 𝗜𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀—but community is out there.💡 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 “𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁” 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝘂𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵.

    💡 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗺𝗼𝗺 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲-𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴.💡 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗶𝘀… 𝘂𝘀. 🤯💡 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝗼𝗺 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀.💡 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

    💡 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲! 👯‍♀️

    📲 DON’T FORGET TO FOLLOW, LIKE, & SHARE! Tag a mama who needs this reminder today. 💗

    🎙 New episodes every Wednesday!

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    #JunkDrawerMamas #MomLifeUnfiltered #SpecialNeedsMoms #ExtremeParenting #identity #ParentingPodcast #StressAndIdentity #MomEncouragement #Hopeandhealing #RealMomTalk #FaithOverStress #SelfImageStruggles #MomLifeSupport #Stress #isolation #lonliness #MomLife #WearyMoms #ChristianMoms #MomEncouragement #FillYourCup
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    31 mins

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