Listen Now

Author of The Lucky Few This week, Ali is thrilled to be joined by writer and advocate Heather Avis. They discuss her family, how to share your own story, and some of the other work she is doing right now.    Links The Lucky Few on Instagram HeatherAvis.com   Connect with Ali  Ali’sWholeLife.com Facebook Instagram Email: aliswholelife@gmail.com   

Advocate & Director of Kelly’s Hollywood Today Ali chats with filmmaker and advocate Brian Donovan, director of Kelly’s Hollywood, the award-winning documentary about his sister Kelly, who has Down Syndrome. Brian is a wonderful guy who gave an incredible interview and was so gracious to answer all of my questions. I highly recommend you guys check this one out.    Links Kelly’s Hollywood on IMDB   Connect with Ali  Ali’sWholeLife.com Facebook Instagram Email: aliswholelife@gmail.com 

In this Little Extra, I share more quick facts in honor of Down Syndrome awareness month! Do kids with with Down Syndrome resemble their parents? And why do so many people with DS seem to have heart diagnoses? Find out, and make your week a little extra   Connect with Ali  Ali’sWholeLife.com Facebook Instagram Email: aliswholelife@gmail.com 

Lauren’s Diagnosis Story Today Ali is joined by Lauren Ochalek, a Rockin’ Mom and adoptive parent who played a big part in Ali’s adoption as well. Listen as Lauren tells the story of receiving a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome and how that affected her family.    Links Lauren Ochalek on Instagram   Connect with Ali  Ali’sWholeLife.com Facebook Instagram Email: aliswholelife@gmail.com 

Feeling A Little Extra? This is my first ever “Little Extra,” which just means it’s a short little bonus podcast episode, perfect when I have just a little something to share, and when you only have a few minutes to listen.  In this first episode, I share some quick facts in honor of Down Syndrome awareness month! Did you know there are three different kinds of Down Syndrome? Listen to learn more!   Connect with Ali  Ali’sWholeLife.com Facebook Instagram Email: aliswholelife@gmail.com 

The Story of How We Heard the News It’s Down Syndrome Awareness month! In honor of that, Allison and Andrew tell the story of finding out prenatally that their lovely daughter Rosie has Down Syndrome. There’s a lot of talk about complex emotions and what we were feeling during this time, and what we wish we had known back then. Plus: why awareness matters.    Links  The Story of Rosie: https://aliswholelife.com/podcast/004-the-story-of-rosie/ Improving the Diagnosis Experience with Jen Jacob: https://aliswholelife.com/podcast/improving-the-diagnosis-experience-with-jen-jacob-of-dsdn/   Connect with Ali  Ali’sWholeLife.com Facebook Instagram Email: aliswholelife@gmail.com 

The Adoption That Changed Everything This week Allison is joined by her husband Andrew and they tell the long-awaited story of Beau, their beautiful 4-year-old who happens to have Down Syndrome, and who joined their family through adoption. This is a great listen if you have been curious about how this adoption went down, or if you have ever thought about adopting a little one with special needs.    Links  National Down Syndrome Adoption Network – https://www.ndsan.org/ For cute pics of Beau, follow @aliswholelife and @andrew.sweatman on Instagram    Connect with Ali  Ali’sWholeLife.com Facebook Instagram Email: aliswholelife@gmail.com 

The Fascinating Connection Between Stomach and Brain Allison interviews Holly Higgins, a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Whole30 certified coach about the important connection between nutrition and mental health. They discuss gut health, blood sugar and food sensitivities in a way that is fun and accessible. Enjoy!   What We Cover What is the relationship between nutrition and mental health? How did Holly get started learning about mental health? Why you shouldn’t focus solely on weight loss when you do a Whole30 How Allison’s mental health was affected when she first did a Whole30 Why psychiatric medicine and weight loss are often contradictory goals The importance of balanced blood sugar How blood sugar affects mood and mental health How Whole30 affects blood sugar How diet affects children who have been adopted How diet affects people with ADD and ADHD How digestive health / gut health affects mental health & the gut-brain connection How the culture reflects the truth of the gut-brain connection Holly’s recommendations for good gut health Food sensitivities and mental health–gluten, dairy, sugar, caffeine, alcohol How nutrition can affect depression How to tell if you have a food sensitivity The relationship between skin health and gut health How to look have a positive outlook on nutritional changes Links Holly’s Website: https://www.hollyfisherhiggins.com/ A Mind of Your Own book: https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Your-Own-Depression-Reclaim/dp/0062405586/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1535348079&sr=8-   Connect with Ali Ali’sWholeLife.com Facebook Instagram Email: aliswholelife@gmail.com 

Whole30 Changed Everything In this episode, Ali interviews her wonderful husband Andrew and they discuss their family’s journey with the Whole30.   What We Cover the latest with Rosie & Beau Allison’s recent trip to Utah for the Whole30 Coaches Summit What is the Whole30? Why Whole30 is not a diet Where can I find resources for doing a Whole30? What does a Whole30 coach do and why would you want one? How did we decide to do our first Whole30? What challenges did we run into? How abstaining can help remove food anxiety How knowing yourself and your tendencies can help you tackle the challenges of Whole30 What are NSVs? How the Whole30 helped Allison with mental health, sleep, and feeling more comfortable in her clothes How the Whole30 helped Andrew be more disciplined, have healthier digestion, and assisted with his dry skin and eczema (not to mention he lost a LOT of weight) Moderation vs. Abstinence Our favorite autumn Whole30 recipes What’s the best gateway squash?   Links Sign up for Ali’s September Whole30 The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin Ali’s post about mental health Whole30 official website Ali’s Whole30 Meet & Eat   Connect with Ali Ali’sWholeLife.com Facebook Instagram Email: aliswholelife@gmail.com 

Our Boy Changed Everything Our sweet son Beau has been with us for a little while now, and our lives will never be the same. In this episode, Ali breaks down the six ways things have changed for us since Beau joined our family. We Laugh More We Focus on Development More We Give A Lot More Hugs We Get A Lot More Attention We Feel More Sadness We Are Better Parents to Both Our Kids   Links Read the companion blog post: Six Ways Life Has Changed Since Adopting Our Son with Down Syndrome | Ali’s Whole Life   Connect with Ali Ali’sWholeLife.com Facebook Instagram Email: aliswholelife@gmail.com