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:

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