In the latest episode of the Fking Normal Podcast, hosts Rina and Lauren sit down with Cara Roughani to discuss her remarkable parenting journey and the inspiration behind creating SEND Protect. Cara, a passionate advocate for the financial empowerment of families with SEND children, shared her personal experiences navigating her parenting journey as well as the inspiration behind her founding SEND Protect. Wanting to educate families, parents and carers with the knowledge and tools they need to safeguard their child's finances, Cara used her vast experience in the field to create a safe space to help other families. The conversation is incredibly valuable as Cara answers finance related questions sent from the podcast community about money, savings, wills and pensions (to name just a few...)

In this episode, Rina and Lauren talk with Sara Johnson about the birth and diagnosis of her now 19 year old son, who has 18p deletion syndrome. They discuss how this led to her career pivot, as after forging a successful career as a TV drama executive, Sara now focuses her efforts on advocating for and representing disabled talent in the industry. It is a sweary, candid and often emotional discussion, peppered with Sara’s nuggets of wisdom.  

On this weeks episode, Rina and Lauren chatted with South African native Marina Dias on her life as a SEND parent and her work as an Occupational Therapist. The trio discuss the initial difficulties when you’re first thrust into the parent/carer space, Marina’s difficult experience bringing her son Tommy into the world and how her work as an OT has played a role in how she helps not only the children she sees, but their families too.

Our first live show was recorded at the Parcel Yard, London Kings Cross at the end of April 2024. We were absolutely overwhelmed by the love, warmth and connection in the room. More to come! Thank you so much to everyone who was able to join us. For those who weren’t, you can share in the experience with this episode and we hope to have news of more events for the community to join very soon.

During this live event, the incredible Polly Hazelwood stepped in last minute to host a Q&A with Lauren and Rina. Audience members also had their chance to both answer and ask questions of the panel. The conversation was honest, emotional, supportive and often f**king joyous.

On this week’s episode, Rina and Lauren sat down with dad Kevin Troy to talk about his journey to fatherhood. Having previously worked in fast paced, male dominated environments, centred around the ‘work hard, play hard’ philosophy, Kevin’s world has slowed down significantly since his daughter Coraline was born in 2018. Diagnosed with Downs Syndrome, Coraline not only made Kevin a dad, but inspired him to create an organic skincare brand named after her.

In this episode, Rina and Lauren talk with Julia Marsan about her experience in supporting her disabled daughter Nicole in the transition to adulthood. Julia shares how she fought to find the right solutions to both enable Nicole to live as independently as possible outside of the care of her parents into supported living where she now lives "the best life, in her own way", as well as the way to maintain balance in her and her husband's own lives.

In this episode, Lauren and Rina talk with mother, advocate and BBC commissioning editor Suzanne McManus on her neurodivergent family, the parenting approach she has learnt to adopt for her two autistic children and her mission to create positive change in her industry.