Amy Julia Becker
@amyjuliabecker.bsky.social
Author | Speaker | Reimagining the Good Life podcast | Disability. Faith. Culture. | MDiv, Princeton | WORKSHOP: Reimagining Family Life with Disability
https://amyjuliabecker.com/
https://amyjuliabecker.com/
Feeling the holiday overwhelm creep in? Psychotherapist Niro Feliciano unpacks why disability families carry extra emotional weight this time of year—and how small shifts can bring more peace. We explore how to create a holiday season that fits your family, not Instagram.
November 26, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Feeling the holiday overwhelm creep in? Psychotherapist Niro Feliciano unpacks why disability families carry extra emotional weight this time of year—and how small shifts can bring more peace. We explore how to create a holiday season that fits your family, not Instagram.
The best Thanksgiving conversations can begin with one good question. Here are a few questions we will be asking around our table this Thanksgiving:
Who is someone not at this table you’re thankful for?
Why are you thankful for people at the table?
1/
Who is someone not at this table you’re thankful for?
Why are you thankful for people at the table?
1/
November 25, 2025 at 6:31 PM
The best Thanksgiving conversations can begin with one good question. Here are a few questions we will be asking around our table this Thanksgiving:
Who is someone not at this table you’re thankful for?
Why are you thankful for people at the table?
1/
Who is someone not at this table you’re thankful for?
Why are you thankful for people at the table?
1/
Sho Baraka is a poet and dad to 2 autistic sons. He discovered that love cannot rely only on words. He says:
Pay attention to the ways your child expresses connection, such as scripting lines from a favorite show or sitting quietly nearby.
Receive those expressions as forms of love.
Pay attention to the ways your child expresses connection, such as scripting lines from a favorite show or sitting quietly nearby.
Receive those expressions as forms of love.
November 24, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Sho Baraka is a poet and dad to 2 autistic sons. He discovered that love cannot rely only on words. He says:
Pay attention to the ways your child expresses connection, such as scripting lines from a favorite show or sitting quietly nearby.
Receive those expressions as forms of love.
Pay attention to the ways your child expresses connection, such as scripting lines from a favorite show or sitting quietly nearby.
Receive those expressions as forms of love.
If your home feels tense or chaotic, connection might be a missing piece. Recording artist Sho Baraka reflects on his story of parenting two sons with autism and the power of proximity—how simply being with our kids can open doors to communication, trust, and calm.
November 19, 2025 at 5:03 PM
If your home feels tense or chaotic, connection might be a missing piece. Recording artist Sho Baraka reflects on his story of parenting two sons with autism and the power of proximity—how simply being with our kids can open doors to communication, trust, and calm.
Awkward (sometimes cringey) questions about disability happen. Carrie Hahn, a pediatric speech-language pathologist & mom, joins me to share how parents can respond. We explore strategies to:
🍁navigate conversations & correct misconceptions
🍁help kids feel seen & respected w/out feeling singled out
🍁navigate conversations & correct misconceptions
🍁help kids feel seen & respected w/out feeling singled out
November 13, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Awkward (sometimes cringey) questions about disability happen. Carrie Hahn, a pediatric speech-language pathologist & mom, joins me to share how parents can respond. We explore strategies to:
🍁navigate conversations & correct misconceptions
🍁help kids feel seen & respected w/out feeling singled out
🍁navigate conversations & correct misconceptions
🍁help kids feel seen & respected w/out feeling singled out
“Grief is any time there’s a gap between the realities of life and what you expected... Being honest and open that this is not what [you] expected is a portal for you to begin to love the actual life that you have.” - Matt Mooney
October 31, 2025 at 4:01 PM
“Grief is any time there’s a gap between the realities of life and what you expected... Being honest and open that this is not what [you] expected is a portal for you to begin to love the actual life that you have.” - Matt Mooney
I'm exhausted. How do I avoid burnout? • I focus a lot of my attention on my child with a disability. How do I make sure siblings aren't overlooked? • Is it okay to grieve? • How do I stop feeling guilty? Matt Mooney joins me on Take the Next Step to respond to listener questions.👇🏻
October 29, 2025 at 2:59 PM
I'm exhausted. How do I avoid burnout? • I focus a lot of my attention on my child with a disability. How do I make sure siblings aren't overlooked? • Is it okay to grieve? • How do I stop feeling guilty? Matt Mooney joins me on Take the Next Step to respond to listener questions.👇🏻
"I think we should be biased towards one another as humans, [biased] to assume goodness, to assume love, to assume relationship, to be curious to lean into love instead of fear."
Some thoughts from: TAKE THE NEXT STEP🎙️From Deficit to Delight: Changing the Disability Narrative with Heather Avis
Some thoughts from: TAKE THE NEXT STEP🎙️From Deficit to Delight: Changing the Disability Narrative with Heather Avis
October 28, 2025 at 12:59 PM
"I think we should be biased towards one another as humans, [biased] to assume goodness, to assume love, to assume relationship, to be curious to lean into love instead of fear."
Some thoughts from: TAKE THE NEXT STEP🎙️From Deficit to Delight: Changing the Disability Narrative with Heather Avis
Some thoughts from: TAKE THE NEXT STEP🎙️From Deficit to Delight: Changing the Disability Narrative with Heather Avis
“We don’t have to ask permission for our kids to exist, and we don’t have to ask forgiveness for who they are… We actually get to exist in this space, and our person, our loved one, our child with disability gets to be exactly who they are.”
- Heather Avis
- Heather Avis
October 23, 2025 at 3:52 PM
“We don’t have to ask permission for our kids to exist, and we don’t have to ask forgiveness for who they are… We actually get to exist in this space, and our person, our loved one, our child with disability gets to be exactly who they are.”
- Heather Avis
- Heather Avis
Grateful to talk with Professor John Swinton about his recent essay for @christianitytoday.com: It Was 'Good,' Not Perfect. "The language of creation can reframe the way we view people with disabilities in the church."
🎙️ amyjuliabecker.com/disability-t...
🎙️ amyjuliabecker.com/disability-t...
October 22, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Grateful to talk with Professor John Swinton about his recent essay for @christianitytoday.com: It Was 'Good,' Not Perfect. "The language of creation can reframe the way we view people with disabilities in the church."
🎙️ amyjuliabecker.com/disability-t...
🎙️ amyjuliabecker.com/disability-t...
“Your existence is your advocacy.” Author and advocate Heather Avis talks with me about learning to find joy in family life, even when the world isn’t built for disability. 🎙️https://amyjuliabecker.com/disability-advocacy-and-delight-heather-avis/
October 22, 2025 at 1:44 PM
“Your existence is your advocacy.” Author and advocate Heather Avis talks with me about learning to find joy in family life, even when the world isn’t built for disability. 🎙️https://amyjuliabecker.com/disability-advocacy-and-delight-heather-avis/
What if disability isn’t something to fix, but a way to see God and one another more clearly? Theologian John Swinton joins me to explore how our ideas of perfection, healing, and humanity can distort—or deepen—our understanding of the good life. 👇🏻
October 21, 2025 at 1:52 PM
What if disability isn’t something to fix, but a way to see God and one another more clearly? Theologian John Swinton joins me to explore how our ideas of perfection, healing, and humanity can distort—or deepen—our understanding of the good life. 👇🏻
It can be hard to ask for help. Most of us resist it. We want to be independent, self-sufficient, capable. Kevan Chandler lives with spinal muscular atrophy & depends on others every day—for meals, for getting ready, for moving through the world. He asks: what if being needful isn’t weakness at all?
October 1, 2025 at 4:05 PM
It can be hard to ask for help. Most of us resist it. We want to be independent, self-sufficient, capable. Kevan Chandler lives with spinal muscular atrophy & depends on others every day—for meals, for getting ready, for moving through the world. He asks: what if being needful isn’t weakness at all?
Five years, nine seasons, countless conversations—Reimagining the Good Life is back next week with Season 9! We’ll dive into the ideas, assumptions, and cultural stories that shape the way we live. Here’s a sneak peek of what’s coming…
September 30, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Five years, nine seasons, countless conversations—Reimagining the Good Life is back next week with Season 9! We’ll dive into the ideas, assumptions, and cultural stories that shape the way we live. Here’s a sneak peek of what’s coming…
In a world obsessed with productivity, delight can feel countercultural, but it’s essential. Children flourish when they’re seen and enjoyed for who they are. That begins with intentional choices: putting away distractions, meeting them eye-to-eye, creating moments that say, I’m glad you’re here.
September 24, 2025 at 4:34 PM
In a world obsessed with productivity, delight can feel countercultural, but it’s essential. Children flourish when they’re seen and enjoyed for who they are. That begins with intentional choices: putting away distractions, meeting them eye-to-eye, creating moments that say, I’m glad you’re here.
I need your help! Spread the word about the Take the Next Step podcast. The first several days are so important for launching a brand new podcast. Help other families discover these stories of hope and belonging. Please… Follow+Share+Rate+Review on your favorite podcast platform. Thank you!
September 18, 2025 at 6:42 PM
I need your help! Spread the word about the Take the Next Step podcast. The first several days are so important for launching a brand new podcast. Help other families discover these stories of hope and belonging. Please… Follow+Share+Rate+Review on your favorite podcast platform. Thank you!
Life can hold deep grief and deep joy. Sorrow and delight. Loss and hope. At just 26 years old, Katherine Wolf’s life changed forever. A brainstem stroke nearly took her life, and her family’s world turned upside down. How could there be a good future in the midst of so much loss?👇🏻
September 18, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Life can hold deep grief and deep joy. Sorrow and delight. Loss and hope. At just 26 years old, Katherine Wolf’s life changed forever. A brainstem stroke nearly took her life, and her family’s world turned upside down. How could there be a good future in the midst of so much loss?👇🏻
Life isn’t all okay. But it isn’t all lost either.
Katherine Wolf on living with both grief and joy: 🎧 "Don’t Wait to Celebrate: Disability and Delight" is live now on Take the Next Step. 👇🏻
Katherine Wolf on living with both grief and joy: 🎧 "Don’t Wait to Celebrate: Disability and Delight" is live now on Take the Next Step. 👇🏻
September 17, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Life isn’t all okay. But it isn’t all lost either.
Katherine Wolf on living with both grief and joy: 🎧 "Don’t Wait to Celebrate: Disability and Delight" is live now on Take the Next Step. 👇🏻
Katherine Wolf on living with both grief and joy: 🎧 "Don’t Wait to Celebrate: Disability and Delight" is live now on Take the Next Step. 👇🏻
Disability ≠ the end of a good story ✨BIG NEWS✨
I've teamed up with Hope Heals to launch a new podcast: Take the Next Step—for families experiencing disability.
Follow & share! The best way you can support the new podcast is to share it with a friend who needs to hear, “Your family is not alone.”
I've teamed up with Hope Heals to launch a new podcast: Take the Next Step—for families experiencing disability.
Follow & share! The best way you can support the new podcast is to share it with a friend who needs to hear, “Your family is not alone.”
September 12, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Disability ≠ the end of a good story ✨BIG NEWS✨
I've teamed up with Hope Heals to launch a new podcast: Take the Next Step—for families experiencing disability.
Follow & share! The best way you can support the new podcast is to share it with a friend who needs to hear, “Your family is not alone.”
I've teamed up with Hope Heals to launch a new podcast: Take the Next Step—for families experiencing disability.
Follow & share! The best way you can support the new podcast is to share it with a friend who needs to hear, “Your family is not alone.”
Too often, families like ours who experience disability get treated like a problem. Here’s the truth: Your child matters. Your family is a gift.
That’s why I’m launching Take the Next Step, a new podcast with Hope Heals to help families move toward a future of delight, community, and belonging. 1/
That’s why I’m launching Take the Next Step, a new podcast with Hope Heals to help families move toward a future of delight, community, and belonging. 1/
September 11, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Too often, families like ours who experience disability get treated like a problem. Here’s the truth: Your child matters. Your family is a gift.
That’s why I’m launching Take the Next Step, a new podcast with Hope Heals to help families move toward a future of delight, community, and belonging. 1/
That’s why I’m launching Take the Next Step, a new podcast with Hope Heals to help families move toward a future of delight, community, and belonging. 1/
Our kids' principal gave us two questions:
“What’s one thing that your child can do for themselves that you are doing for them?”
“What’s one thing that your child can almost do for themselves that you are doing for them?”
The invitation was simple: Step back. Let them try. Let it be awkward. 👇🏻
“What’s one thing that your child can do for themselves that you are doing for them?”
“What’s one thing that your child can almost do for themselves that you are doing for them?”
The invitation was simple: Step back. Let them try. Let it be awkward. 👇🏻
September 5, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Our kids' principal gave us two questions:
“What’s one thing that your child can do for themselves that you are doing for them?”
“What’s one thing that your child can almost do for themselves that you are doing for them?”
The invitation was simple: Step back. Let them try. Let it be awkward. 👇🏻
“What’s one thing that your child can do for themselves that you are doing for them?”
“What’s one thing that your child can almost do for themselves that you are doing for them?”
The invitation was simple: Step back. Let them try. Let it be awkward. 👇🏻
Parenting teenagers feels complicated right now. With one child entering adulthood, another preparing for college, and a third starting high school at boarding school, here's how I'm deciding when to step in—and when to step back. 👇
September 4, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Parenting teenagers feels complicated right now. With one child entering adulthood, another preparing for college, and a third starting high school at boarding school, here's how I'm deciding when to step in—and when to step back. 👇
“I am crying because of you. Because of joy & love that run deeper than any logical construction. Because of sorrow that you're not who I thought you would be. You are beautiful. You are my daughter. We're delighted to meet you. And yet I cry... I don’t want to cry over the birth of my daughter.” 1/
September 2, 2025 at 7:01 PM
“I am crying because of you. Because of joy & love that run deeper than any logical construction. Because of sorrow that you're not who I thought you would be. You are beautiful. You are my daughter. We're delighted to meet you. And yet I cry... I don’t want to cry over the birth of my daughter.” 1/
Coming soon!🎉🎙️I want to thank all of you who participated in choosing a logo for the new, upcoming Take the Next Step podcast! We are so excited to bring you a podcast for families experiencing disability in collaboration with our friends at Hope Heals.
🎙️Stay tuned for more information!💛
🎙️Stay tuned for more information!💛
August 29, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Coming soon!🎉🎙️I want to thank all of you who participated in choosing a logo for the new, upcoming Take the Next Step podcast! We are so excited to bring you a podcast for families experiencing disability in collaboration with our friends at Hope Heals.
🎙️Stay tuned for more information!💛
🎙️Stay tuned for more information!💛
Two Free Workshops on Disability & Belonging!
Join me at Baylor University (Waco, TX) in September for conversations that reimagine life with disability—for churches and for families.
Register/More Info: forms.office.com/r/ZL8Z5zeT6G
Join me at Baylor University (Waco, TX) in September for conversations that reimagine life with disability—for churches and for families.
Register/More Info: forms.office.com/r/ZL8Z5zeT6G
August 22, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Two Free Workshops on Disability & Belonging!
Join me at Baylor University (Waco, TX) in September for conversations that reimagine life with disability—for churches and for families.
Register/More Info: forms.office.com/r/ZL8Z5zeT6G
Join me at Baylor University (Waco, TX) in September for conversations that reimagine life with disability—for churches and for families.
Register/More Info: forms.office.com/r/ZL8Z5zeT6G