{"podcast":{"title":"Live Free Ride Free with Rupert Isaacson","slug":"live-free-ride-free-with-rupert-isaacson-6332309","podcast_index_feed_id":6332309,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/live-free-ride-free-with-rupert-isaacson","website_url":"https://longridehome.com","image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/V0hmEzC3CMdneAUznridP66Ub-cWp0QWFzQ0RZFjH5I/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzQwOTg5LzE2ODIz/MzM0MzYtYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.jpg","author":"Helios Harmony, LLC","episode_count":56,"summary":"Welcome to Live Free Ride Free, where we talk to people who have lived self-actualized lives on their own terms, and find out how they got there, what they do, how we can get there, what we can learn from them. How to live our best lives, find our own definition of success, and most importantly, find joy. Your Host is New York Times bestselling author Rupert Isaacson. Long time human rights activist, Rupert helped a group of Bushmen in the Kalahari fight for their ancestral lands. He's probably best known for his autism advocacy work following the publication of his bestselling book \"The Horse Boy\" and \"The Long Ride Home\" where he tells the story of finding healing for his autistic son. Subsequently he founded New Trails Learning Systems an approach for addressing neuro-psychiatric conditions through horses, movement and nature. The methods are now used around the world in therapeutic riding program, therapy offices and schools for special needs and neuro-typical children. You can find details of all our programs and shows on www.RupertIsaacson.com","last_synced_at":"2026-06-04T18:17:13.722489+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/live-free-ride-free-with-rupert-isaacson-6332309"},"episode":{"title":"How to Handle More Than You Can Handle | Parenting, Grief, Joy & Special Needs with Amanda Atkins | Ep 44","slug":"how-to-handle-more-than-you-can-handle-parenting-grief-joy-special-needs-with-amanda-atkins-ep-44","published_at":"2026-01-07T09:00:00+00:00","page_url":"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","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/live-free-ride-free-with-rupert-isaacson-6332309","url":"https://share.transistor.fm/s/d1ac3556","audio_url":"https://media.transistor.fm/d1ac3556/1b0cfb69.mp3","summary":"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…","meta_description":"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…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":6372,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/live-free-ride-free-with-rupert-isaacson-6332309/episodes/how-to-handle-more-than-you-can-handle-parenting-grief-joy-special-needs-with-amanda-atkins-ep-44/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"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","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}