Season 5 Episode 1 - Be The Change

Welcome to the FASD Family Life Podcast. I am your host, Robbie Seale, FASD specialist, with more than 25 years experience raising kids with prenatal alcohol exposure and trauma . I hope that as we spend this time together, you will know you are not alone and that there is hope for you and your loved one with FASD.
Can I invite you to subscribe right now so you never miss an episode? Season 5 is going to be the best yet! You won't want to miss my conversations with REAL PEOPLE making REAL CHANGE! 
Lauren Richardson, diagnosed with FASD at 27, is an unwaving advocate for FASD awareness. Lauren is a force to be reckoned with! Her passion for FASD awareness inspired her to reach out the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League in 2023.  You will be astonished to hear what she accomplished!
Naill Schofield, diagnosed at 19 with FASD, is a former fashion model and professional BMX racer, turned entrepreneur. Inspired to elevate BMX in Canada, Naill built a world class outdoor BMX track in his hometown. Naill is a highly sought after public speaker, author of 2 books, and entrepreneur with a big heart and even bigger dreams.

If you are new to this podcast you may be asking yourself, "Why?"  Why did you start this podcast?  I am a person who needs to know why too. 
Why is a question that can open doors to worlds that were previously unknown to us.
I asked "why?" in 1987 when I saw 9 and 10 year old children selling themselves in an ally on a freezing cold January night in my city. "Why is this happening?" tore at my soul. 
It also revealed a world to me, that I didn't know existed. It changed the trajectory of my life in ways I could never have imagined. But God knew.  He knew their suffering. He placed a passion in me to step in a world where children suffer trauma.
"Be the change you want to see in the world" are words that ignite passion in me to step into the gap to find a solution or at least a path forward to help another human being.
For me it started with changing my major in college to Child and Youth Care Work. As well as the decision to build my family through foster care and adoption after the birth of my first daughter.
 As our family grew so did my questions. Why? Why is everything I learned about parenting and behaviour management not working? The harder I tried the top down approach of consequences, time outs, sticker charts, tough love, the more my kids struggled and the more frustrated I became.
I got my answer when my 7-year-old twins received a diagnosis of FASD. Later, my son would also receive a diagnosis of FASD.
Hearing those words from a panel of experts knocked me for a loop. I felt like my blood ran cold for a few seconds as a new reality took hold. FASD... a permanent, life altering disability with no cure. That was in 2011.
Since then I have made it my mission to learn everything I can about FASD. The more I learned the more I wanted to share with other parents and caregivers. There is hope! There are many things we can do! And there are countless examples of people with FASD doing amazing things!
Why did I start the FASD Family Life podcast? I wanted to share with you what I have learned. And I wanted to be the friend to you, that I wish I had all those years ago.
I hope I can shine a light on your dark path. And let you know the struggle is real, and so is success! If you haven't already subscribed, click that button right now. You don't have to walk this road alone.
You can reach out to me anytime at FASDfamilylife.ca to ask a question. Let me know your story about real people making real change it just might make it into a future episode. 
Until next time remember...
 The struggle is real, and so it success!

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