RG26-18. Dr Susan Blumberg & Marriage with a Neurodivergent Child

May 4, 2026April 29, 2026Self Discovery Wisdom Podcast

Raising Our Gifted Children with Sara Troy and her guest Dr Susan Blumberg, on air from May 5th

Today, we’re opening a conversation that touches the heart of many homes, the delicate dance between communication, relationships, and the realities of raising a neurodivergent child within a marriage.

There’s a common belief that having a child with special needs automatically places a marriage under greater strain, even leading to higher divorce rates. But the truth is more nuanced than that. It isn’t the child who defines the outcome—it’s how the couple chooses to walk the journey together.

When communication remains open, when both partners feel seen, heard, and supported, the relationship can deepen in ways never imagined. The challenge then becomes not just caring for the child, but consciously nurturing the partnership, making space for connection, understanding, and shared resilience.

This is about balance… about choosing each other as much as you choose your child, and recognizing that a strong relationship becomes one of the greatest gifts you can offer your family.

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I’m a married mother of two young adult, twice-exceptional children. I’ve lived in Colorado for over 40 years, but I still think of myself as a New Yorker!

My background in cognitive behavioral therapy informs my work as a life coach, as I help people set goals, plan their journey, and achieve success. I worked as a licensed clinical psychologist for over 20 years, in mental health agencies, in private practice, and for the federal government overseeing child welfare and adoption services in the Rocky Mountain region. This has given me a solid and varied background, and extensive level of experience.

Working as a special education advocate for 40 years means I have honed my skills as a negotiator, my ability to collaborate, and my understanding of being a team member. I always put your child first. I have training from the Arc, Wrightslaw, and I was a member of COPAA, the Council Of Parent Attorneys and Advocates. I have sat on both sides of the IEP table, as a professional and a parent, which gives me an unique perspective. Though I am not currrently taking new clients, I am available for consultation as needed.

I am also the coauthor of multiple books, including Fighting for Your Marriage (2010, Markman, Stanley & Blumberg), 12 Hours to a Great Marriage (2003, Markman, Stanley & Blumberg) and Parenting a Child with Sensory Processing Disorder: a family guide to understanding and supporting your sensory-sensitive child (2006, Auer & Blumberg).

University of Denver, MA, 1983; PhD, 1991 Brandeis University, BA, 1980.

Certified Neurodiversity Professional

Certified Autism Professional

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RGC26-15. Dr. Susan L. Blumberg, Ph.D. & Neurodivergences

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IG26-17. Jacqueline Kuhn is Powered By Angels

April 27, 2026April 22, 2026Self Discovery Wisdom Podcast

Ignite Your Heart and Soul with Sara Troy and guest Jacqueline Kuhn, on air from April 28th

When Angels Interrupted my Career so I could live my Soul Purpose

For 40 years, I built a life inside the world of HR Technology and became the strategic voice executives relied on. My path was clear, predictable, and successful, until that day it wasn’t. I talk about the moment my career was unexpectedly and unmistakably interrupted. What appeared at first as subtle signs soon became undeniable messages. I had my “Ah Ha” moment and what followed was not a gentle pivot, but a profound awakening. Today, that calling lives through Powered By Angels^tm and my

Soul Purpose^tm line of services designed to help others hear, trust, and follow their own divine direction. I invite listeners to recognize the moments when life tries to reroute them, understand the language of their own intuition, and uncover the purpose that has been quietly waiting beneath the surface. It’s a reminder that sometimes the most powerful career shift isn’t a decision, it’s a calling.

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I have always known that I knew things but did not know why. I had moments at age 16, 19 and 22 where I was being nudged, but dismissed them as I wanted a “real career” and navigated a successful career in HR Technology for 40 years. Right before the world shut down for Covid, I met a medium at a show in Las Vegas and she became my guide and mentor. In 2022 I launched Powered By Angels^tm, in 2025 I retired from the HR Tech world to focus on this calling.

I am married 28 years to Kent, we live in the NW Suburbs of Chicago with our fur baby Carly. Hobbies include hiking , music and going to the beach.

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RGC26-15. Dr. Susan L. Blumberg, Ph.D. & Neurodivergences

April 13, 2026June 3, 2026Self Discovery Wisdom Podcast

Raising Our Gifted Children with Sara Troy and her guest Dr. Susan L. Blumberg, Ph,D. On air from April April 14th

I help families go from chaos and conflict to mutual trust, respect and connection, and help teens become the successful, independent adults they are meant to be. I help all teens, but love working with neurodivergent and twice exceptional teens.

I also specialize in working with youth and adults with Nonverbal Learning Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

I am passionate about helping people reach their goals. For over thirty years, my goal has been to help children, adolescents, adults, and families to overcome stress, anxiety, depression and other obstacles to find joy and success in their own lives. Why? Because working with families and individuals to achieve their life goals is my goal in life! I find great satisfaction in supporting my clients through their tough times, in helping them think through issues, and in resolving emotional and behavioral problems.

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I’m a married mother of two young adult, twice-exceptional children. I’ve lived in Colorado for over 40 years, but I still think of myself as a New Yorker!

University of Denver, MA, 1983; PhD, 1991 Brandeis University, BA, 1980.

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26-15. Sara’s Third Decade.

April 13, 2026April 13, 2026Self Discovery Wisdom Podcast

Sara’s View of Life with Sara Troy. On air from April 14th

I thought I would take a tiny look back on my seven decades, and revisit the memories.

Age 20 – Stepping Into the World. The Decade 20–30: The Years That Made Me

There are decades in our lives that quietly pass…
and then there are decades that shape us.

My twenties were not a gentle unfolding.
They were a leap—into the unknown, into the world, and into myself.

At twenty, I didn’t step out with a clear plan or a mapped-out future.
I stepped out with curiosity… with openness… and with a heart that believed in humanity.

And that, as I would come to learn, was both my gift… and my lesson.

The World Became My Teacher

I didn’t learn from books—I learned from life.

Travel opened doors that no classroom ever could. From Paris to Greece, from Italy to Spain, from the United States to the roots of my life in South Africa, each place gifted me something different… something I needed.

I discovered that no matter where we come from—our culture, our language, our beliefs—we are all seeking the same thing:

To love…
to be loved…
and to live a meaningful life.

There were moments that felt like magic.

Dancing on the steps of Montmartre in Paris, where music seemed to gather around me, people chanting my name, my friend capturing it in art form. It was as if the universe itself was orchestrating the moment… strangers becoming part of a shared joy, a collective rhythm.

Walking alone under the moonlight in Greece, a song rising from somewhere deep within me, only to be joined by a stranger whose voice met mine in harmony—two souls, unknown to each other, yet connected in that moment.

These were not just experiences…
they were awakenings.

Love, Connection, and Being Seen

In Spain, I met a man who, for a time, truly saw me.

He didn’t try to fix me.
He didn’t judge me.
He simply held space for me—to be, to feel, to share.

And sometimes, even a brief love can leave a lasting imprint.
Not because it lasted forever… but because, in that moment, it was real.

Those moments mattered.

They reminded me that connection was possible…
even if it wasn’t always permanent.

I met my ex-husband when I was twenty-six. From the very beginning, it was tumultuous—there was trauma woven into it—but the attraction was addictive. I had never intended to marry. To me, being with someone was a choice made each day from the heart, not something bound by a piece of paper.

When I was twenty-eight, my daughter was born—she was deeply wanted and chosen. But the external pressure to marry became overwhelming, and so we did. We went on to have two more children.

Yet, it was a marriage that should never have happened, and the pain of it left lasting scars.

The Lessons That Come With Openness

But life has a way of balancing beauty with truth.

I trusted easily—because I believed in people.

And while that brought incredible souls into my life, it also brought lessons… sometimes hard ones.

Not everyone who enters your life is there to honor you.

Some come to take.
Some come to teach.
And some… come to wake you up.

There were moments of danger, moments of uncertainty—times when instinct had to lead because logic had no time to catch up.

Like the day I found myself lost in a part of Washington no one dared to go… and yet, through presence, connection, and a willingness to meet people eye to eye, fear dissolved into humanity.

Those experiences taught me something powerful:

When we lead with fear, we close doors.
When we lead with presence, we sometimes open hearts.

Finding My Way Without Fitting In

I was never academic. That path was never mine.

But what I lacked in structure, I made up for in instinct.

I could walk into a room and feel what was needed.
I could see what people couldn’t express.
I could serve—not from training, but from knowing.

This got me every job I had, not my credentials, but my essence of being.

Whether working in restaurants or stepping into roles I technically wasn’t “qualified” for, I found my way by connecting with people.

I worked in many jobs, not for a career, but for an experience and to see if I could do it.

I became South Africa’s first female Mobile Oil representative—not because I knew oil… but because I knew people.

And that mattered more.

I realized that service isn’t about knowledge alone…
it’s about understanding, presence, and care.

Expression, Joy, and Being Alive

There was joy too—so much joy.

Music, dance, movement… the freedom of expression. Discovery, meeting new people, experiencing things I had never done, tasted, and seen.

I became South Africa’s first official go-go dancer, at the age of 15, at a time when it was still vibrant and alive, before it took on darker connotations. This was the start of my exploration and setting me up to what I do today.

The rhythm of Africa…is in its soul its soil,
the beat of music…
the energy of the dance floor…

That was life moving through me.

Even when my body struggled—with asthma, with limitations—my spirit still danced.

The Awakening of Knowingness

Through all of this, something deeper was quietly growing within me.

A knowingness.

Not learned.
Not taught.
But felt.

I began to see that I could sense what others needed… that I could understand things without knowing how I knew.

At the time, I didn’t fully trust it.

I was still looking outward for validation… still trying to fit into a world that was never designed for someone like me. Dyslexia, ADD, Asthma, Eczema, and insecurity.

But the seed was there.

And it was growing.

The Decade That Built Me

Looking back now, I can see it clearly.

My twenties were not about getting it right.

They were about experiencing…
exploring…
falling…
rising…

They were about becoming.

Every high lifted me.
Every low shaped me.
Every person, every place, every moment—left its imprint.

And through it all…

I was being prepared.

For Anyone Walking Their Twenties Now

If you are in this decade of your life, or remembering it…

Know this:

You are not meant to have it all figured out.

You are meant to live it.

To explore the world…
to explore yourself…
to make mistakes…
to discover your strength…

Because this decade?

It doesn’t define you.

It builds you.

Closing Reflection

My twenties were messy, magical, painful, and beautiful. I got married, had my first child, moved yet again to a new country, traveled explored.

They didn’t make sense at the time.

But they gave me something invaluable…

They gave me ME.

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26-14. Stress verses Good Vibrations

April 6, 2026April 8, 2026Self Discovery Wisdom Podcast

Sara’s View of Life with Sara Troy. On air from April 7th

This week has been more about admin, household tasks, and giving myself a little breathing room. That does not happen often, and while I still had meetings and responsibilities, I allowed myself a small pause. I have already shared one show this week on my second decade, as I continue this seven-part series on the decades of my life. I did spill a little into the third decade, but I will return to that next week and reiterate. For today, I wanted to do a shorter reflection around the idea of “Don’t worry, be happy” — not as denial, but as a conscious way of living with joy, progress, and purpose while still standing up for what is right and pushing back against what is wrong.

I know I am not alone in feeling deeply affected by the state of the world. I feel the cruelty, the chaos, the insecurity, and the grief, and at times it can become consuming. I do not want to turn away from it, because I still want to be a voice for empowerment, compassion, and change. But I also know we cannot live in a constant state of agitation and expect to be effective. Sometimes we need to step back, turn everything off, and spend time listening to nature, breathing deeply, and choosing where our energy is best placed. We must choose our battles wisely, choose how we stand up, and make sure we do so from the right state of mind.

What I have come to understand is that real change begins within. When we align with our inner compass, when we choose kindness, compassion, love, collaboration, and community, we are already becoming part of the solution. Every person who stands in a higher vibration becomes a light in the world. But getting there requires turning inward. We already know what is happening outside of us; the question is what we can do within ourselves to bring calm, clarity, and equilibrium. For some, that may be nature. For others, it may be movement, music, meditation, or simply finding a place where they can exhale and let go.

For me, music is one of the great healers. It brings balance back into the body and settles the mind. Nature also does that for me the trees, the wind, the ocean, the wildlife, the beauty of simply observing life unfolding. Sometimes all it takes is watching children play, seniors walking hand in hand, or dogs chasing sticks in a park to bring a smile back to the heart. That smile matters. It is the beginning of release. It is the beginning of returning to ourselves. And when we stop overthinking and begin feeling, that is when clarity comes. Thought alone is just data running around in the head. Feeling brings wisdom, and wisdom gives the mind clear direction on what to do next.

That is true in every part of life, in relationships, in business, in healing, in problem-solving, and in how we respond to the world around us. When we are triggered, it is often best to step away, breathe, regroup, and return with presence instead of reaction. When we surrender the turmoil and allow wisdom to move through us, the body relaxes, the mind clears, and the next right step becomes visible. We do not need to know every detail all at once. We just need enough clarity for the next step, and then the next.

In these troubled times, we must find ways of letting go so that despair does not consume us. The more we learn to release, the more empowered we become to rise. And when we rise, we help others rise too. That is the domino effect of healing, of kindness, of compassion, of community. The more of us who embody peace, the more peace we create. The more of us who become love, the more love becomes possible in the world. We cannot wait for someone else to fix everything outside of us while turmoil still rules within. We must become what we wish to see.

Over the past 14 years of podcasting, I have interviewed extraordinary people who have come through some of the darkest chapters of life and chosen healing, growth, courage, and purpose. They now stand tall in their truth and help others do the same. That is what my platform is here for. If you need guidance, support, or inspiration, there are countless voices on SelfDiscoveryWisdom.com ready to serve. My message has always been simple: listen, apply, and allow awareness to lead to caring, and caring to lead to action.

So yes, I know many people are stressed, weary, and overwhelmed right now. But my invitation is this: become the light, become the joy, become the love. Let your heart, soul, spirit, and being guide you forward. Shine brightly, not in spite of the darkness, but because the world so deeply needs your illumination.

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