Claudia Charles-Sardine is a powerhouse appellate court attorney, but her most personal case? Advocating for her son, Justin, who is on the autism spectrum. In this deeply moving and inspiring conversation, Claudia shares how her legal training, faith, and Afro-Caribbean roots shape the way she mothers, fights systems, and builds community. From winning appeals to make sure her son gets the support he needs, to creating inclusive spaces in school and church, Claudia’s story is a masterclass in grace and grit.

Whether you’re a parent, professional, or both—this one will stay with you.

🔑 Topics We Cover:

• What it means to be an Afro-Caribbean woman in the legal field

• Navigating the special education system as a parent and attorney

• How advocacy begins at home—and extends to every child

• Letting go of shame and asking for help

• Creating access to faith, friendship, and belonging for neurodivergent kids

• The importance of sharing knowledge: “Each one, teach one”

🕰️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Meet Claudia Charles-Sardine: attorney, mother, advocate

02:00 – Growing up in Brooklyn in an Afro-Caribbean family

06:30 – Inside the appellate court system—and how it works

10:15 – Justin’s autism diagnosis: fear, faith, and fierce advocacy

14:45 – Winning an appeal for occupational therapy services

17:30 – The unseen burdens parents carry—and why we need safe spaces to vent

22:00 – A powerful moment of divine reassurance

26:00 – Why she celebrates the smallest milestones

30:00 – Empathy for all parents—and how her perspective has changed

34:00 – The social power of inclusion: from after-school to sacraments

42:30 – Building trust and support with your child’s school

46:00 – Her favorite mantra: “If I want my child to talk, I have to give him something to talk about”

👂 Listen If You’re…

• Parenting a child with disabilities

• Feeling overwhelmed in the IEP or therapy maze

• A professional learning to hold space for families

• Looking for real talk, spiritual grounding, and radical hope

📝 Connect with Claudia:

Want to reach out to Claudia? She welcomes connections from fellow parents and advocates.

📧 Email: claudiajcharles@gmail.com

In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Lucinda Koza is joined by Dr. Lisa De La Rue—licensed psychologist, trauma specialist, and Chief Education and Research Officer at Urban Alchemy—for a candid conversation about parenting through trauma, the stigma surrounding formerly incarcerated mothers, and how healing becomes possible when we give ourselves permission to stumble.

Together, they explore the realities of reparenting yourself while raising children, the hidden mental health crisis in the fourth trimester, and the need to normalize delayed postpartum anxiety and depression. Dr. De La Rue also shares how Urban Alchemy is redefining community care—employing people with lived experience to lead the work of transformation in their own neighborhoods.

Whether you’re a parent, a survivor, or simply someone trying to understand the invisible barriers others face, this episode will move you, ground you, and remind you of the radical power of compassion.

🔑 Topics Covered:

• Reparenting while parenting: breaking generational cycles
• Trauma, addiction, and the incarceration pipeline
• The long shadow of postpartum anxiety
• Fatherhood and the subtle stigma against involved dads
• How Urban Alchemy is led by people with lived experience
• Creating systems rooted in dignity, not judgment
• What post-traumatic growth really looks like

Lucinda Koza welcomes Will Acuff—entrepreneur, author, and co-founder of Corner to Corner—for a rich conversation about parenting, purpose, and what it means to truly ally with your community. From playing the Apollo to launching 1,600+ small businesses, Will’s journey defies the expected—and reveals the radical power of showing up with curiosity, compassion, and a theology of neighbor.

Will also opens up about parenting a son with disabilities, his wife’s journey with trauma, and how personal healing has reshaped everything from their marriage to their mission. This episode is a masterclass in turning hardship into joy, over-functioning into empowerment, and burnout into deep, grounded presence.

🔑 Key Topics Covered:

• Will’s transition from rock musician to nonprofit co-founder
• The power of proximity: what it means to “do life together”
• Starting a movement for underestimated entrepreneurs
• Parenting a child with autism and rare disease
• Trauma work and healing within a marriage
• How to stop over-functioning and let others own their journey
• Creating space for joy—even when life feels like Everest

📚 Mentioned in This Episode:

• Will’s book: No Elevator to Everest (available on Amazon)
• Corner to Corner nonprofit: cornertocorner.org

📌 Memorable Quotes:

“When people have the tools to thrive—they thrive.”

“You don’t know what kind of seed you’re holding until you nurture it.”

“Joy and suffering are not opposites—they’re companions.”

🔗 Connect with Will Acuff:

Instagram: @willacuff

Website: cornertocorner.org

Book: No Elevator to Everest

🎧 Listen + Subscribe:

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and share with someone who needs to hear it. New episodes every week.

In this candid and eye-opening episode of How I Ally, Lucinda Koza is joined by relationship coach and therapist Rich Heller, founder of Rich in Relationship. With decades of experience—and deep personal insight—Rich helps parents navigate high-conflict relationships, rekindle emotional connection, and restore safety within their homes.

Together, they explore:

• Why new parenthood often becomes a flashpoint for relational stress
• How childhood wounds resurface in marriage—and what to do about it
• The evolution of modern masculinity and the need for emotional fluency
• Practical tools for fighting fair and building connection (hello, “I” statements!)
• The deep and often unspoken fear women carry in emotionally unsafe homes
• What real emotional safety feels like—and why it’s essential for healthy parenting

This conversation is raw, validating, and essential listening for any couple trying to stay connected in the midst of sleep deprivation, identity shifts, and unhealed emotional baggage.

Favorite quote:

“We pick our partners because we feel safe enough to unpack our stuff around each other. But the problem is—we didn’t give each other that heads up.” – Rich Heller

Connect with Rich:

Website: www.richinrelationship.com

Instagram: @richinrelationship

Podcast: Rich in Relationship – Available on all major platforms

Resources mentioned:

• “I” statements framework
• The concept of emotional fluency in relationships
• Postpartum rage, hormone detox, and parenting dynamics

✨ If this episode resonated with you, please leave a review or share it with someone in the early stages of parenting or partnership. You’re not alone—and you deserve safety and support.

In this deeply resonant episode of How I Ally, Lucinda Koza is joined by Navi Hughes—a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, therapist, and emotional intelligence coach. Navi opens up about her journey from teen motherhood and widowhood to becoming a fierce advocate for mental health and emotional literacy.

Together, they explore:

• How emotional intelligence transforms parenting, relationships, and self-worth
• The dangers of ego-led parenting and the myth of the “mini-me”
• Raising children—especially neurodivergent children—with emotional safety instead of control
• What true empowerment looks like (and how to teach it to your kids)
• Why Navi created an emotional intelligence blueprint for those navigating trauma, overwhelm, or autism
• How stigma and fear are setting back progress in autism diagnoses and care
• The value of saying “I don’t know,” even as a parent or professional

This conversation is an emotional masterclass—equal parts grounding and galvanizing. Whether you’re a parent, practitioner, or simply someone who wants to live with more clarity, this episode is a must-listen.

Guest:

Navi Hughes

Board-Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Emotional Intelligence Coach

Instagram: @thenavihughes

Connect with Lucinda Koza:

Instagram: @lucindarogerskoza

Website: www.i-ally.com

Resources Mentioned:

• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
• Myers-Briggs Personality Indicator
• Navi’s Emotional Intelligence Program (coming soon to her website)

Takeaways:

💡 Emotional intelligence isn’t a trend—it’s the foundation for peace, presence, and power.

🧠 Our children don’t need us to be perfect—they need us to be emotionally aware.

❤️ Real connection happens when we show up without an agenda.

Subscribe + Review:

If this episode moved you, please subscribe, rate, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your support helps How I Ally reach more people who are navigating big feelings, big changes, and big growth.

Dr. LaNail R. Plummer is not just a mental health powerhouse—she’s a revolution in motion. In this rich and intentional conversation, we dive into how she’s built a life aligned with her values as a veteran, CEO of Onyx Therapy Group, Chair of Counseling at Trinity Washington University, and a proud bisexual Black woman.

Topics we cover:

• The power of intentional communication

• Parenting with purpose and presence

• Her personal and spiritual journey to coming out

• How core beliefs are shaped—and reshaped—in therapy

• The alchemy of feminine energy and why it’s so transformative

Dr. Plummer’s clarity, strength, and compassion are truly unforgettable.

🧠 “You always know how to circle it back,” her father once told her—and in this episode, she does just that.

🔗 Subscribe and listen now for a deeply moving, deeply human conversation.

With guest Steven Lowell on How I Ally with Lucinda Koza

What happens when you stop hiding the hardest part of yourself—and start leading with it instead?

In this deeply human, candid conversation, Lucinda Koza sits down with career coach and reverse recruiter Steven Lowell, who shares how a late diagnosis of epilepsy reshaped his life. From collapsing on the job in Times Square to navigating the shame and silence that often surrounds invisible disabilities, Steven doesn’t just open up—he reframes the narrative.

This episode explores how living with epilepsy taught him to speak up, accept help, and ultimately turn what once felt like a weakness into his greatest strength.

• Why invisible disabilities often go unspoken—even in families

• How stress can impact neurological health in profound ways

• What it’s like to have a seizure in public (and be misjudged for it)

• The vital role of Steven’s wife in his journey to diagnosis and stability

• How naming the hard thing can bring connection, not rejection

• The power of blunt honesty in healing shame

Steven is a New York City–based reverse recruiter and career coach who’s worked across six industries and four countries. His coaching style is no-nonsense, deeply empathic, and grounded in lived experience—especially when it comes to helping others navigate their own nontraditional paths.

• Learn more about Steven’s reverse recruiting work

• Epilepsy Foundation: epilepsy.com

👉 Subscribe to How I Ally for honest, hopeful conversations about disability, identity, and resilience.

⭐️ If this episode moved you, please leave a rating or review—it really helps!

Discover the lighthearted side of postpartum recovery, traumatic birth, and infertility with expert insights and real conversations on How I Ally.