# How to Handle More Than You Can Handle | Parenting, Grief, Joy & Special Needs with Amanda Atkins | Ep 44

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/live-free-ride-free-with-rupert-isaacson-6332309/how-to-handle-more-than-you-can-handle-parenting-grief-joy-special-needs-with-amanda-atkins-ep-44
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/live-free-ride-free-with-rupert-isaacson-6332309/how-to-handle-more-than-you-can-handle-parenting-grief-joy-special-needs-with-amanda-atkins-ep-44.md
Podcast: [Live Free Ride Free with Rupert Isaacson](https://stenobird.com/podcast/live-free-ride-free-with-rupert-isaacson-6332309)
Published: 2026-01-07T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/d1ac3556
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/d1ac3556/1b0cfb69.mp3
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Duration seconds: 6372

## Resource

In this deeply honest and wide‑ranging episode of Live Free Ride Free, Rupert Isaacson speaks with family therapist and author Amanda Atkins about what it truly means to parent a high‑needs child — and how parents survive, adapt, and rediscover joy along the way. Amanda shares the personal story behind her book How to Handle More Than You Can Handle, written from lived experience as the mother of Asher, a teenager with Prader‑Willi Syndrome. Together, Rupert and Amanda explore overwhelm, grief, resilience, humor, identity, marriage, community, and the long‑term realities of parenting children with disabilities. The conversation moves fluidly between personal reflection and practical insight — from navigating cortisol burnout and therapy overload, to the importance of nature, play, humor, and following the child’s passions. This episode also looks ahead to adulthood, community living, relationships, and what it means to build sustainable structures for life beyond childhood. ✨ “You’re allowed to be more than just a caretaker.” – Amanda Atkins ✨ “Joy isn’t optional. It’s how we survive.” – Rupert Isaacson ❤️ Support the Podcast on Patreon https://patreon.com/longridehome 🔍 What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why overwhelm and isolation are so common for parents of special‑needs children — and why talking honestly about it matters ([00:01:06]) How grief, identity loss, and resilience intersect in parenting high‑needs children ([00:05:13]) Amanda’s path from therapist‑in‑training to caregiver advocate — and why she focuses on parents, not prescriptions ([00:06:02]) What Prader‑Willi Syndrome looks like in daily life, including food obsession, routine, and nervous‑system regulation ([00:03:11], [00:20:36]) Why humor — especially toilet humor — can restore dignity, bonding, a…

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