Chitty Chats with Stacy

Stacy Nation: Well, good morning.

I'm so excited to be here today.

I'm Stacy Nation.

I'm a licensed clinical social worker.

I am embarking on a series of interviews
with humans that I know who are just

amazing, and I'm doing some chitty
chats with people in the trenches.

And I'm so excited for my guest today.

Her name is Amy Cota and I
have known her for a very long

period of time, it feels like.

And so, uh, I'm gonna just let her
introduce all the greatness about her.

And so welcome Amy.

Thanks for being on my show today.

I appreciate it.

Thank

Amy Kotha: you so much, Stacy.

I love seeing you and talking
with you, so thanks for having me.

Yeah.

I

Stacy Nation: am excited to just
get into who you are and what you

do and um, you and I have known
each other, I would say almost a

Amy Kotha: decade probably.

I.

Wow.

Yeah, definitely.

I know when I think back to how,
how long my journey has been

going, like it doesn't feel that
long, but then put a number to it.

Yeah.

Wow.

Stacy Nation: Yeah, so Amy is one
of the amazing adopted parents

that I have in my life, and when I
moved to Colorado, I landed in this

journey of working with parents who
have all sorts of adopted children.

And you, or one of my.

First clients in Colorado and I have just
fallen in love with your whole family and

I appreciate that honor and privilege.

So tell me about you.

I know a lot about you, but tell
me, tell my audience about you

and what you want them to know.

Amy Kotha: Okay.

Wow.

So I am a life and parent coach
now, and, um, my journey to this

new career has come from my journey
through parenthood with my two kiddos.

So I have.

Two adopted daughters who, um, we
were, we adopted from Calcutta, India.

And, uh, both of them have, they're
both neurodivergent and they

both have some kind of special,
complex physical needs as well.

But, um, you know, they're awesome lives
of my life and Absolutely, absolutely.

And it has been such a journey though.

And, um.

How I've gotten to where I am.

So through theirs, they've had some
struggles, of course, you know,

and that's how we met you because.

They've had some traumas from the
adoption and the orphanage and

you know, just all of the early
childhood experiences that they had.

And through my journey of parenting
them, um, you know, we work in this

western society with western medicine
and there's this concept, right, of,

um, everything should be comfortable
and there shouldn't be suffering,

and what can we do to alleviate it?

And when it starts happening with
your kiddos, it is terrifying.

And when my kiddos started to struggle,
I was terrified because I had absolutely

no background in mental health and I.

Just had no idea what was going on,
and things started happening to me.

I started becoming very anxious and they
were struggling and the doctors that I

would take them to would just put them
on medication after medication and.

That is actually how my journey
took me into coaching and how my

career has progressed, because
about, gosh, six or seven years ago,

I just couldn't take it anymore.

You know?

I just kept hearing how complex my
kids were and nothing was helping

them, and I just decided that I.

Well, part of my issue is probably I was
a little too enmeshed with my parenting,

but I decided I was gonna do more.

There's always more, right?

Yeah.

Um, so I went to grad school and decided
I was going to study nutrition and try to

help my kiddos from more of a holistic.

Full body way instead of looking
for someone to come in and give

them a pill or a strategy because
those things weren't working.

And so went to grad school
and while I was there, um, I.

I found myself being pulled more
and more towards the psychology

and the behavioral aspects.

I was finding myself doing all of
my research papers on, uh, you know,

nutrition and the brain and talking
about brain chemicals and the gut

brain connection and all of that,
and it just kept pushing me more and

more towards the psychology piece.

I just found it so interesting and ended
up shifting completely from that into.

Coaching because coaching is all
about human behavior and helping

to support people making changes.

And, um, what I found when I, I took
a coaching program and, uh, became

board certified through the M-B-H-W-C,
which is this national board of,

uh, health and wellness coaching.

And I got to the point where I started
using the coaching with my kids.

And it was incredible because I found
all of a sudden that just changing things

like, uh, my communication and my mindset
about what was happening in my family,

suddenly things started to change and
they changed way more than any medication,

for instance, ever did in my family.

So.

Um, that just kind of propelled me
along my health coaching, uh, career and

changed, morphed into parent coaching.

And now my client base is parents
who basically are kind of on

a journey that was like mine.

They have kiddos who, um, are
often neuro divergent and they're

struggling with either mental
health or nervous system challenges.

And they need help.

They need help not just with
their parenting, but, um.

With themselves.

You know, we, we lose ourselves and
we get so stressed and so caught up

and it just takes over, uh, our entire
lives when our kiddo is suffering.

And those are the people, uh,
that I work with now to help out.

Stacy Nation: I love this because
there's such an arc to your story, right?

And so what I often talk to parents about,
well first of all, adoptive parents are

some of my favorite humans on the planet.

Because you are choosing this
journey in a way that some

parents don't choose it, right?

And you are also in this, like, I
chose this and my kid's not well.

And I'm committed to figuring out wellness
and you are addressing so many components.

Well, first of all, our mental
health system is really hard and

there's lots of barriers, right?

So hard and the medical
practice model is very much.

We have an identified patient, there's
something wrong with that patient.

We're gonna do everything
we can to fix the patient.

Amy Kotha: Exactly.

It's all about fixing.

Stacy Nation: Yeah.

And it just doesn't work in adoptive,
especially in adoptive families.

Right.

It doesn't work because you're very
much like it's a systems sort of

Amy Kotha: issue.

Exactly.

And

Stacy Nation: everyone in the system
has to adjust and you are adjusting

to these wonderful creatures.

Were born into really tragic
situations or very hard, difficult

circumstances, orphanages,
trauma, all that kind of stuff.

And their whole wiring system is
complex and complicated and usually

totally different than what yours
may have been or your husband's

may have been, or, oh, exactly.

It's such a learning process, right.

It

Amy Kotha: is because you figure out,
well, you have, you start thinking

back to how was I brought up?

And you know, that's,
that's how we parent.

We just expect to parent in the way that
we were parented and you know, it's,

it's not really even conscious, right?

It's subconscious.

And we start doing that with
these kiddos who, their brains

are very different than ours.

And they were molded so differently
and it just doesn't work.

Stacy Nation: Yeah.

There's a couple questions I wanna
ask you because I think it's really

important part of your story.

One of the reasons I adore you
and your family is because you are

massive information seeker, right?

And I wanna know what it's like to be a
parent who has more knowledge than the

doctors that are treating your children.

About what's happening with your children.

I think that's a really
common experience for parents.

Mm-Hmm.

And I just am cur, I have some
guesses, but I wanna hear what your

Amy Kotha: answer to that.

Well, that's interesting because I, I
was talking to a client about that the

other day because we feel like, um, I
think when we start this journey, we have

a perception of the doctors, the health
professionals that we're working with,

that they're kind of a knight and shining
armor for us, or that's what we want.

Right.

I mean, that would be great, right?

Yeah.

That would be, I would love
for somebody to, to do that.

Um, but then we find out through
our journey, like we, we are

our own knight in shining armor.

So when we, you know, we start out
thinking they have all the answers

and then we find out they don't.

And then, you know, I talk about
it like, you kinda have to get to

this point where, uh, you have to
accept that, which is very difficult.

You have that.

Piece of expectations versus
acceptance is just at the base of

so much of what we struggle with.

And I think about it like building
a house like we are the, we're the

primary contractor of a house build
and whether we like it or not.

We are in charge and all of these people
are like coming in and building parts

of the house, and we have to put it
all together to make it a structure.

And that's like life, right?

But you know, every, you have to
understand that everybody has their own

perspective and their own specialty, and
we have to pull from that, what we need

and what we can use and leave the rest.

And that is just, it's such a
learning to get to that point.

It's pretty

Stacy Nation: wild.

So I've been in this field for
a very long time and people will

say, Cece, you're an expert.

And I always say, I am
not an expert of your kid.

You as a parent are
the expert of your kid.

I am along the path with you to add
information to help guide on the journey

to give you some additional insight.

Yeah, you are the expert.

And I don't think the medical model
is really built for parents to

be the expert of their children.

Right now.

So I would imagine that, that, I'm
gonna ask you a lot of these questions,

Amy, and then we're gonna talk
about like what you do at the end.

Sure.

But I wanna know in this journey, I mean,
what was this, what has this been like

for your, your marriage, your family?

How much stress of navigating all
these components, of getting your

children help has it put on you as an
individual and you and your husband?

Amy Kotha: Oh, that's, that's so huge.

I, over the last 10 years and.

It is astounding how much our
lives have changed and you know,

what we've morphed in and out of.

I mean, we started out
when I met you in Colorado.

Yep.

And we lived in one town and we actually
moved, uh, within Colorado to get closer

to services and schools for our kiddos.

And it didn't work, or, you
know, it wasn't a, a great fit.

Yep.

Um, and then one of our kiddos struggled
more and ended up, uh, going to a

residential treatment center in Montana.

So we actually to try to help with that
transition back into our family, we moved

to Montana and again, more, more changes.

And now we are living outside
of Chicago in a suburb.

So we've moved now like three
major moves in order to.

Get our family to the place
where we have the most support.

And these have all been
very intentional moves.

Um, and now we're at a place
where, you know, we have family

nearby and the school system is.

Fabulous.

And it's a tremendous fit, but
it took us a while to get here.

So it's like I just, I look at life
like a science experiment, and some

things work and some things don't.

And I don't call them failures, even
though they're kind of failures sometimes.

But it's more of just a
learning, this worked, this

didn't work, what didn't work?

And what's the next best thing?

What can we try next?

And so I feel like we've kind of
been doing that over the last decade.

And then at the same time, you know, that
has, like, that has ripple effects through

our family and with my marriage and.

My husband and I are two different
personality types, two very different

people, and we deal with what is going
on in our family in very different ways.

Um, and you know, he, I know he wouldn't
mind me telling you, but he has had a

huge struggle dealing with what's going
on, not being able to fix your child.

Right?

Sure.

'cause you're always sure,
you know, why can't you do it?

And you get, all of, you hear
these things externally all the

time from other people from.

Friends and family members, you know,
what's, why doesn't your child do that?

Why can't you do that?

You know, and it's always a
reflection of your parenting.

And that was very hard for him.

And there was a time where we
actually, uh, did not live in the

same house for a while because.

That's just where our family took us
and that's what our family dynamics

needed in order to become healthy again.

Yeah.

And interestingly, you know, you start
feeling isolated, like you're the only

person who's going through all this.

But I have talked to so many people
and all of these happen to all of us a

lot, but nobody really talks about it.

Stacy Nation: Well, and that's why
I'm asking the question, right?

So I always say people are the best
parents before they become parents.

Right.

You say, I would never let
my child do this or this.

I would never do that.

And, and then I also say like, no one
knows what happens in a marriage except

for the two people in that marriage.

Yep.

And all of this is so normal,
and I appreciate you just being

vulnerable and talking about it.

Yeah.

And, and I know your husband, I know he's
been on his own journey in all of this.

Right.

And this happens with both biological
children and adopted children happens.

Oh, sure.

Kids who don't have diagnoses and kids
who do have diagnoses, all the things.

And

Amy Kotha: so, right.

I just think that

Stacy Nation: it's, so when you're
on a journey of health and wellness

for your kid and it doesn't, and
your kid doesn't fit in the box of

how we're supposed to fix kids, it
takes a tremendous amount of stress.

To, and it, it puts a, a tremendous
amount of stress on a family unit.

Amy Kotha: Oh, so much.

One of the things I love about you

Stacy Nation: and your family
is the, the dig inness of like

not giving up, of seeking more.

And my therapist tells me, Stacy,
you're always collecting data.

And so when I hear you say it feel it's
not a failure, I'm like, yeah, you're

just collecting data that didn't work.

What's our next option?

That didn't work that right?

Like, I love that.

Amy Kotha: Yeah, and it just, uh, it
just literally hurts my heart when I

hear people, when I hear parents who, you
know, I've been there who are in complete

despair and they feel like they feel this
horrible guilt and shame of what, about

what is happening in their families and
or with their child or whatever, and.

That just, uh, that's the people
that I love to help because it

doesn't need to be like that.

Stacy Nation: Yes.

And I think the more we talk about
it, the more we normalize it.

Yeah.

I tell people all the
time, I can talk parenting.

Eight hours a day, seven days a week.

I can tell, I can give you all
sorts of advice, but if you ask

me how I'm handling my teenagers,
some days I'm not doing very well.

Yeah.

Right.

Like I know why I'm not doing
very well and I, the things that

come outta my mouth are never what
I would tell my families to do.

Right.

Oh, exactly.

It's the human experience.

So I have, I have one more question
about your situation that I think is

really important to kind of talk about.

Sure.

I wanna know how having a biracial
family has been on your journey, because

I also think this is a topic not very
many people are chatting it up about,

Amy Kotha: like you
have, you have a complex

Stacy Nation: racial dynamic
and we don't talk about that.

Yeah.

Very often.

So I'm curious what your
thoughts are on that.

Amy Kotha: Yeah.

That's funny.

I don't think about it very often until
something like smacks me in the face.

Yeah.

Um, but, but yeah, both of my children
are, uh, Indian and my husband is as well.

So, you know, we had our two blended
families even before we had kids,

which was a trick all to itself.

And then, you know, we have
brought the kids in and.

Um, yeah, that's been interesting because
I try really hard to keep that in mind and

give my kids, you know, try to make sure,
um, you know, that they're in touch with

who they are and to help them, you know,
with their search for their identity.

Especially now they're both teenagers
and I know that that's just a big piece.

Yeah.

And I, it's, it's hard to be intentional
about it, but it's another thing

to be intentional about because
I've learned so much about, um.

Privilege and my eyes have been
unbelievably opened over the

years, seeing how people treat
us as a family, how people treat

my family members differently.

And I have to always keep in
mind, you know, this, I have a

lot of privilege that they don't.

Yeah.

And one of the reasons that we
moved to where we are right now

is for the diversity aspect.

Yep.

And it's amazing what.

It creates, because I think, as you know,
I've always tried to give that to our

kids, but you know, sometimes you, you
just can't give them everything yourself.

Right.

That's that enmeshed parenting issue.

Sure.

Um, but you want to, uh, but we are
now, like, I remember we walked into

the school that the kids are going to
now, and it's a public high school.

It's one of the top 20 in the country.

It's fantastic.

There are 5,000 students at this school.

My kids were in Montana before this, and.

Like eighth grades or whatever.

Yeah.

Huge culture shock.

I was terrified about how they would feel.

But we walked in for the tour and we were
standing there and it was class change

and all of a sudden there's this like,
oh, these kids are walking around us.

And uh, my older daughter was standing
there and she's just looking around

white eye and she said, oh my gosh, mom.

Look at all of these.

There's so many people
here who look like me.

Yeah.

And you know, then I was
like, okay, here we are.

That is, that is something I could
never give her that she found,

and that was just huge for me.

So, I don't know.

It's, that's.

That's been a journey
that's, that's been cool.

Yeah.

I

Stacy Nation: appreciate
you just talking about that.

I think I have multiple families I work
with who have moved for that diversity

component, and one of the things we often
talk about is the importance of that

felt safety, the importance Exactly.

Of feeling safe.

Right?

And yeah, when she's seeing people of
diversity, people of color, people who

look like her, all of a sudden that
safety is just built in in a way that.

We can't provide.

And I think there's, so, it's so
important to just mention that.

Amy Kotha: Talk about, I think it's too,
because you could, I could just see it.

I mean that's, that,
that is the perfect word.

Because her whole body changed.

Like it wasn't an, it was
not an intellectual thought.

It was a body feeling.

And that's just an amazing thing to see.

Yeah.

Stacy Nation: And what's interesting
about that is you as a parent, have spent.

Decade plus some.

Yeah.

Trying to figure out how do I help
my child feel that felt safety?

How do I help my child feel connected,
feel safe, and all of a sudden you're

like, oh, we're in a place of diversity
which terrified you and help that

it's this, help them feel safe, which
is this like interesting dynamic

that we don't often think about.

Right.

And.

The medical model is not gonna
say, Hey mom, she needs some

more people of color around her.

She needs some more.

Right.

Like, it's a very interesting journey.

Yeah.

Amy Kotha: It's like you have to
step back and look at this big full

holistic picture of all like, you know,
the environment and all these other

things and they, they play into it.

Yeah.

To such a degree that, you know, just,
just to think back of where I was

like, I guess 15 years ago now it's.

It is a 180.

Stacy Nation: It's a wild ride.

So let's just chat about, let's
chat about what you're doing.

What kind of services are you offering?

Who are you, who's your ideal person
you wanna serve and help and support?

Uh, you have so many gifts,
Amy, so I imagine this.

This could be like this whole range.

Well, I'm

Amy Kotha: biased.

I I know, I know.

I, I feel the same about
you everywhere I go.

Um, no.

I work with, so I, I do
parent coaching and my.

You know, my ideal client is,
uh, a parent, such a who's on a

journey like we are, basically.

Yeah.

And I work with parents of children
who, uh, you know, are neurodivergent.

They might be on the autism
spectrum or whatever.

And, um, often, uh, sometimes
adoptive families and.

Uh, their kids are struggling, so usually
by the time they connect with me and I

think, uh, what, you know, they, they
hear me talk or they read my bio on

my website and they say, oh my gosh.

I've been looking like, I didn't
know I was looking for you, but

your story sounds so familiar.

Yeah.

Which is awesome because, you
know, that's, those are the

people that, that I wanna help.

And, um, yeah, so their kids usually
by the time we work together, are

normally teenagers and they've been
on this journey for a while and

they're dealing with things like,
you know, the parents are feeling.

Physically ill because they've been
so entrenched in this and working

so hard and giving so much without
caring for themselves and you

know, their kids are struggling.

Maybe they're in a residential
treatment center or they're considering

it, you know, something like that.

So these are kids with some big
struggles and parents who, um, you know,

just need some support along the way.

Yeah.

Stacy Nation: Well, do they
have to be adopted parents?

Can they be bio parents too?

Amy Kotha: Oh, absolutely.

Absolutely.

Love it.

Stacy Nation: Uh, what about, what
kind of like, what are you offering?

So your, you know who
your ideal client is.

Are you doing some consultation and
some coaching around shift this dynamic?

Do this, look at that.

What are, what is a, what is a
session or a time with Amy look like?

Amy Kotha: Oh, sure.

Yeah.

So I offer like three different things.

So either one-on-one.

Programs where, you know, I work
individually with someone to get a

lot of attention and weekly coaching,
plus some support in between.

Sure.

And then I do some small groups where
you can get kinda that community dynamic.

And then I also do just
some strategy sessions.

You know, just like a one hour, let's talk
about this issue you're having right now.

Um, but the kind of the, the base, um,
framework that I use, I've come up with

a methodology that I call the safe.

Methodology, it's, um, for it's
parent education and coaching.

And so Safe is an acronym and it stands
for, uh, shift, accept, free and Empower.

So with each one of those modules are
pieces that, uh, are going to guide

our coaching and help educate them.

And especially in my groups, we use this.

So it's like shifting
from this traditional, um.

Parenting model of control and, you know,
certain communication styles, learning

about the nervous system, learning
how to communicate in a different way,

and then just kind of going through,
working on mindset and mindfulness

and uh, kind of working through
boundaries and those kind of things,

um, in each module all along the way.

And take parents from this.

Place of like fear-based
parenting, which is where they

normally are when I meet them.

Yeah.

To the other side of a little over side
of the bridge where they're feeling

much more confidence and they're finding
peace in their life, and then they can

take these tools that I've given them
and move forward with them in order to

like keep building on that in the future.

Love it.

Stacy Nation: One of the things
that you've mentioned that has been

become a huge part of my practice
and my discussions with family

is this piece around nutrition.

Yeah.

And the gut situation, right?

The gut and nervous system
connection, gut and brain stuff.

And so I just want you to share maybe one
example of a win that you've had when it

comes to parents shifting nutrition and
what does that look like for their kid and

how nutrition can also impact behavior.

Amy Kotha: That's, that
is always a tough one.

And in my situation, I've had to be
more of, uh, what I've had to do is

teach my kids more of intuitive eating
and how to listen to their bodies

in order to eat the right foods and.

Uh, you know, what is good for
them and what works well for

their brain and their bodies.

And interestingly, working with my kids
on that, and this has been a big piece for

us because when I started health coaching,
I was in it more for the, you know, it's,

it's very centered on losing weight Sure.

And that type of thing.

And when you're doing restriction,
you are not listening to your body.

And my kids heard me, you know, talk
about those kind of things and I.

I had to fix that.

Yeah.

Um, in myself over time, and
both of my kids, they struggle

with food and they always have.

And now it's more like, um, you
know, let's, let's eat and let's

have a variety of foods and try
it and see how it feels in your

body, and then let's talk about it.

And.

Believe it or not, it
really, it really works.

I have one kid who is a foodie and I
have another kid who only basically

likes to eat soft white things.

Right?

Yeah.

And, and they both have kind
of met in the middle by.

Picking up this intuitive model just
by having food available and just by

learning what feels good, because like
my younger one, uh, she has eating

issues and she'll eat too much because
she doesn't have those sensory fullness.

Um, it, it just, those neural
connections in her brain are just

not functioning completely correctly.

So she'll eat way too much
and then she would throw up.

Mm-Hmm.

And I've taught her over time now just to.

Feel her body as she's
eating and she does.

And we don't even have that issue anymore.

So it's just interesting.

It, you know, it's just
such a nervous system.

Yeah.

Related piece.

Stacy Nation: You make a good point
because one of the things that I talk

a lot about with parents that I'm
sure you do too, is how much our kids

are disconnected from their body and,
and you learn early in life, right?

You learn within the first year
of your life how to be satiated.

And if you are not in a safe environment
in that first year of life where

you can feel satiated, where you're
getting fed, when you need to get

fed where you are, you know when
you're full, you can stop eating.

When you're hungry, you can eat.

That impacts your ability to understand
that satiated feeling forever.

Until you have someone
who's teaching you that.

And so oftentimes I'll have parents
who are like, well, they eat too much.

They have an eating disorder.

Right?

It becomes like a
disordered framework, right?

Whereas you are going like, wait a minute.

How is this wiring
connected to their system?

What do we need to teach them?

And I love how you're like, I've just
learned to teach them to tune into

their body and connect to their body.

Amy Kotha: I mean, that's
act, that's absolutely right.

And that's a good point because, you
know, we always say, you know, infants,

they, they eat when they're hungry.

They know, and they stop
feeding when they're not hungry.

And, and when a kid didn't have that,
you know, it makes big a big difference.

But it's funny because that reminds me
of a time I spoke to you a few years ago.

I don't know a, you remember,
but I was talking about a

situation with my daughter.

Getting up in the middle of
the night and stealing candy.

Yep.

I, yeah.

Yeah.

And, uh, I don't, you know, I, I put
candy in her room, so in her closet

she has a stash of food and she
can access it whenever she wants.

So she doesn't have to climb
into the cabinets in the middle

of the night hiding, thinking
she's doing something wrong.

She has a, I keep it in her closet where
she can access it anytime she wants

to, and she barely even touches it now.

So it's so interesting.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I love

Stacy Nation: how you just get curious
about the natural systems of the body,

and you're helping parents understand,
you know, perhaps developmental stages.

They've missed what is
their wiring need now.

Like you're really normalizing
that stress response system and

those nervous system components,
and I think that it's so critical.

The other thing that I just love about
the work you're doing, Amy, is you,

you've been in the trenches like you've.

Done this.

I've seen you at the highs.

I've seen you at the lows.

I feel very honored
about that, by the way.

Um, and now you're in a place
where you can give that to other

people and say, here, this is
a leave your judge Mcj outside.

We're here to be in this guilt-free
shame-free space, and talk

about how hard this journey is.

Amy Kotha: Exactly.

People just need to open up about it.

I swear that's just something I've also
learned along this journey is once you

start talking about it, if you are the
person to just start talking about it,

all of a sudden everyone around you is
like, oh, I know, or this happens in

my, you know, and it's, it's so normal.

It'ss so normal.

We just need to talk about it.

Stacy Nation: It is normal.

Well, if people wanna get ahold
of you, how do they reach you?

What's the best way to get ahold of you?

Well,

Amy Kotha: uh, I have a website, which is
amy k coach.com, and I can also be found

on social media, on Facebook or Instagram.

And, uh, it's also, it's at Amy k Coach.

So.

Love

Stacy Nation: it.

And we will put all those links
at the bottom of this episode.

So if you, if you wanted to leave our
audience, people who are listening to

this with one sort of thought that, you
know, you probably a thought you've said

hundreds of times to hundreds of people,
uh, what would you, what would you say?

Uh, you know, if it's, if

Amy Kotha: I am speaking to a
parent, I would say, you know, you.

You're doing a great job.

Mm.

Just pause and take a
moment and let it go.

You are doing a fantastic job.

Stacy Nation: Love that.

What if you're speaking to a
know-It-all professional like me.

Amy Kotha: Know it all professional.

What would, what would you say, like

Stacy Nation: how can professionals,
you know, professionals, experts, how

can they be supporting parents who are
on this journey that you're supporting?

What do they need to know?

Amy Kotha: Sure.

I think, uh, the best way to be
supportive is to understand that the

parents do know their kids the best.

And they need, they just need
to be heard and the kids need to

be heard more than the parents.

Even those kids need to be heard
and it's, it's life changing.

Once everyone has their
voice and they feel heard.

Stacy Nation: Love that.

Love that.

Amy, I appreciate you.

I love the work that you're doing.

I miss you and your family.

Oh.

And I hope you give them a tight
little squeeze for me, or high

five or a, you know, an elbow bump
or whatever it is they feel Yeah.

Whatever

Amy Kotha: we're doing these days.

Yeah.

Whatever, whatever

Stacy Nation: that is.

Um, and I just, I just think it's
so what one of the things I love

about you is your vulnerability.

And I know that anybody who.

Is working with you knows that you're
going to come at it from a frame of

this is, I've been on this journey
and I'm still on this journey.

Like, that's one of the
things I think about.

Um.

I had a friend tell me this week,
there's no hood like parenthood,

and I love that so much.

I love that.

I've never heard that.

Some of the people
listening have heard that.

I love that.

I was like, I feel that so deeply.

Right.

So even though you're having wins
and maybe you're further along in the

journey, you're still on the journey.

And that's one of the things I love
about it is, and that's what people tell

me all the time, Stacy, we love working
with you because you're in it with us.

I'm like, yeah, I'm a parent.

I'm, I'm got my own mental health stuff.

I've been through

Amy Kotha: trauma.

Yeah.

Like

Stacy Nation: that's, to me, those
are the people that's like, yeah.

That are like, I'm not here to tell
you how this is gonna go perfectly.

It's actually not.

Amy Kotha: Oh, it's hilarious.

Yeah, I posted an Instagram the other day,
a video about like this big wind that I

was noticing, and then the next day, like

Stacy Nation: everything
turned around, total disaster.

Amy Kotha: I'm gonna talk to
you about the, yeah, yeah.

Stacy Nation: And so I think
that's the piece of the journey.

Like I am, I love knowing humans who
are not presenting perfectly Yeah.

But are messy and perfectly in the mess.

Amy Kotha: Yeah.

And that's where you feel.

Yeah.

Stacy Nation: Yeah.

So I just appreciate you taking the
time to be with us today, and I'm

so excited for my audience to learn
about you and meet you and access

you and you know, follow you and
all the things that you're doing.

You're doing such great work.

So thanks for your

Amy Kotha: time today.

Thank you so much, and ditto
all the way back to you.

You're doing amazing things as well,
and uh, thanks for the opportunity.

I appreciate it, Stacy.

Love you.

Yes.

All right.

I love you too.