In this eye-opening episode of the Conquering Your Clown Fish podcast, host Brady Murray sits down with Katie Rivera, a Texas mother of three whose journey through the world of parenting a child with Down syndrome shatters the glossed-over narrative of “perfect parenting.” Katie pulls back the curtain on the raw, often controversial realities of fostering children with special needs, confronting the social stigma and system failures that make her family’s story one of resistance, love, and gritty resilience.
From navigating the emotional minefield of raising a child with a disability to dismantling the exclusionary practices still rampant in education, Katie reveals the often-ignored challenges and hypocrisies that families like hers face every day. And while the world applauds her commitment, Katie doesn’t shy away from calling out the uncomfortable truths about community support, the pressures of social media, and the role of fathers in the disability space—issues rarely discussed but desperately needed in this conversation.
As Katie opens up about her plans to foster once again, this time with an even greater willingness to care for children with special needs, the question remains: Is society really ready for true inclusion, or are we just paying lip service to the idea of belonging? Tune in for an episode that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about disability, family, and the limits of love.