Epilogue: Season of Growth

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Letting Go of "Fixing" and Learning to Truly See My Child

As I look back on the 28 conversations we’ve shared, I’m filled with so much gratitude for this safe space we’ve built together. 

For me, this journey meant being braver than I ever thought I could be. Talking about my own family—my son Talal, who is Deaf, and my brother Milo, who is Autistic—was the hardest part. For the longest time, I couldn’t bring myself to say their diagnoses out loud. It felt like verbalising those diagnoses reduced them to labels that don't come close to capturing their beautiful, complex selves.

The Lesson That Changed Everything: You Can't Fix Someone You Love

After all these episodes—from the deeply personal conversations with my mom, my sister Yasmine, and my husband Tarek, to the enlightening interviews with experts like Asmahan and therapists like Lynette—one truth has emerged above all others. It’s the single most important thing I’ve learned:

You can’t fix your child. You can’t fix anyone you love.

Letting go of the idea that “different” means “less than” was the turning point for me. Everything changed after that. I began to see my son and my brother with new eyes—eyes of compassion, not correction. I started learning how to support them, not change them. I learned to meet them where they are, and in doing so, something beautiful opened up in our relationships.

Learning to "Accompagner": My New Purpose

I found a word that perfectly describes what I’m trying to learn: the French verb “accompagner.” It means to accompany someone, to walk alongside them. This, to me, is the beautiful opposite of fixing. It’s not about controlling their path; it’s about being their companion on the journey.

This shift is what I’ve seen in so many families I’ve spoken to, especially the mothers who have placed their trust in me. Their quiet strength has taught me more than they know. As my guest Jessy said about her child, “He's our gift, and he's our angel... I can't imagine it any other way.” Or Emilee, who spoke about pouring love into someone without wanting to add or take anything away. That’s the goal.

The Wisdom I'm Carrying Forward

This season has been my greatest teacher. Here are the key lessons I’m taking with me:

I’m shifting from fixing to building. Acceptance isn’t the end; it’s the beginning of building a life of true support. It’s about creating space for growth without needing to control it.

I’m learning to meet my loved ones where they are. This means pausing my own agenda and truly seeing them for who they are in that moment, and loving that person completely.

I’m honoring every perspective in my family. My husband and my sister both told me that after recording their episodes, they felt a release. They needed their version of the story to be heard, too. Our story isn’t one truth—it’s many.

I’m trying to leave room for surprise. I’ve realized that when I love someone, I can get so good at predicting their needs that I accidentally leave no space for them to surprise me. Their growth often happens in those surprises.

My Hope for What's Next

There are still so many voices I am dying to hear from. In Season Two, I hope to speak with more people with dyslexia, dyspraxia, or autism—people who are living with these experiences, not just parenting them.

Because I’ve come to believe that “difference” isn’t really about who we are, but about how we’re seen.

As Diane Naime, a young woman with dyspraxia once told me: “ When I’m misunderstood, I feel different. When I’m understood, I feel like everyone else.

So the most powerful thing we can do is simply strive to understand without holding any assumptions.

As I bring this season to a close, I'm left with one question I now ask myself every day: What will it take for me to love my child completely, without trying to change him? Maybe he’s already happy as he is. Perhaps the real work isn't about fixing him, but about reshaping the world we’ve built around him. Thank you for being part of this journey. We'll be back with more stories soon.