What happens when a routine test rewrites the story you thought you were living? Jaye sits down with Lynette Trawick—mom of eleven, veteran, and founder of I Am You—to chart the path from diagnosis to purposeful advocacy, and from “be strong” to “be supported.” Lynette opens up about the moment she heard “HIV positive,” the myths that flooded her thoughts, and the very real pressure of daycare pickup when your world just tilted. Her candor is a master class in unlearning stigma and relearning facts: you can’t get HIV from sharing utensils or toilet seats, and undetectable really does mean untransmittable.

We dig into representation and why Black mothers are still missing from HIV commercials, clinics, and classrooms. Lynette explains how not seeing herself delayed her voice, and how social media eventually linked her to a thriving network of Black women living with HIV. That visibility inspired I Am You, a nonprofit that started by serving cisgender Black women and their families and now supports women impacted by HIV, intimate partner violence, and complex trauma. She walks us through disclosure with kids, supporting serodiscordant couples, and building a support system that understands prevention, protection, and dignity.

This conversation is equal parts education and affirmation, blending lived experience with practical tools for parents, partners, and allies. If you care about maternal health, Black women’s wellness, trauma-informed care, or HIV advocacy, you’ll find clarity and community here.

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What if the barrier isn’t a parent’s disability, but our assumptions about what they can do? We dig into birth, motherhood, and access through a Black maternal health lens, challenging the quiet ways systems define disabled parents before they even speak. From the seductive framing of “choose your baby’s birthday” to the higher C‑section and hemorrhage risks Black birthing people face, we unpack how persuasion can replace consent—and how policy and practice must shift to restore true autonomy.

We share stories from nursing and community organizing that show how quickly options vanish when disability is used as a shortcut for risk. Visible and invisible disabilities—cerebral palsy, quadriplegia, epilepsy, deafness—come with different needs, yet the pattern is the same: people aren’t told their choices. Instead of pity, we make the case for support rooted in compassion and trust, spotlighting how disabled parents craft their own adaptations and set their own limits. The wins are practical and universal: curb‑cut thinking in clinics and homes, interpreters and plain‑language care, adaptive gear that puts baby care within reach, and prenatal education that includes multiple ways to learn.

We also confront the data gaps that keep disabled parents out of maternal health statistics, the policies that omit accessibility, and the everyday moments where allyship matters. Speak up in rooms that forget disabled families. Share your platform with advocates who live the work. Pledge to remove barriers, honor stories, and keep pushing for systems designed around access and dignity.

Subscribe, share with a friend who needs this conversation, and leave a review with the pledge you’re making to support inclusive parenthood. Your voice helps build the community—and the change—that every family deserves.

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What happens when capability is judged before it’s understood? Jaye sits down for part 2 of her conversation with with Jennifer Evans Rice—a mom of three, registered nurse, and advocate who is losing her vision—to talk about parenting beyond sight, building real safety systems, and refusing pity that masks control. The conversation starts with a hard question about trust and childcare and opens into a masterclass on practical strategies, emotional resilience, and community that actually helps.

Jennifer breaks down the everyday tactics that make blind parenting work: orienting within a home, sound-forward games to track kids, bells and hair beads as location cues, and smart choices about spaces—gated parks, backyards, and jungle gyms she’s willing to climb right alongside her children. She’s candid about what changed when she lost vision as an adult, from driving and work to identity and agency, and how acceptance pushed her to innovate rather than outsource. If help is offered from solidarity, she embraces it; if it’s fueled by pity, she declines. That boundary is a lesson for every caregiver and ally.

We also get honest about how to ask sensitive questions without causing harm, how to build “sister mommy friend” networks across difference, and why overhelping can quietly undermine growth. Jennifer’s three-day rule for grief—feel it, then move on—anchors a powerful pledge to her daughters: their lives won’t be smaller because their mom is blind. Expect humor, warmth, and straight talk about body autonomy, safety, advocacy, and the Black mom magic that turns constraints into craft.

If this resonated, tap follow, share with a friend who needs the reminder, and leave a review to help more families find the show. Your support builds the kind of community where every mom’s capability is seen and respected.

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Support the show

Make sure to subscribe on all platforms where you listen to your favorite podcasts, and make sure to like and share!

Become a paid subscriber for exclusive bonus content or become a donating listening supporter.

Go to www.melinatedmoms.com/podcast for individual and corporate sponsorship information.