509: Opening Up About My Journey as an Autism Mom
Side Hustle Pro
Nicaila Matthews Okome | Side Hustle Pro Media
4.7 • 1.8K Ratings
🗓️ 10 April 2026
⏱️ 32 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This episode is one of the most personal and vulnerable conversations I’ve ever shared. I’m opening up about my journey as an autism mom, from the early days of pregnancy and motherhood during the pandemic to navigating the realities of developmental delays, diagnoses, and advocacy.
What started as subtle concerns about speech delays turned into a life-changing journey through early intervention, therapy, and eventually receiving an official autism diagnosis for my son. Along the way, I’ve had to learn how to advocate fiercely, navigate complex systems, and redefine what motherhood looks like for me and my family.
This episode is about the hard moments, the emotional weight, and the unexpected beauty in this journey. It’s also about community, resilience, and learning to see strength in a path that looks different than what I once imagined.
Highlights Include
00:00 – Why this episode is deeply personal
02:00 – Pregnancy, birth, and early milestones during the pandemic
04:30 – First signs of speech delay and comparing developmental milestones
06:30 – The emotional impact of early evaluations
07:30 – Starting early intervention: speech and occupational therapy
09:00 – Transition to specialized preschool and navigating the system
11:00 – The hidden challenges of parenting a child with special needs
12:30 – Communication barriers and emotional regulation as a parent
14:00 – The moment I realized how much I’ve been carrying
16:40 – Understanding gestalt language processing
19:30 – Getting an official autism diagnosis
21:00 – Advocating for my son within the school system
23:30 – A “guardian angel” moment that changed everything
27:00 – The role of faith in navigating this journey
29:00 – Finding community and learning from other moms
30:30 – Lessons autism has taught me about boundaries and perspective
31:00 – A real-life parenting moment at the barbershop
33:00 – Choosing celebration during Autism Awareness Month
Links Mentioned in This Episode
• Save the Date: Start the Podcast That Builds Your Exit Plan (Friday, April 17)
Watch & Listen
Watch this episode on YouTube and listen on all podcast platforms:
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/side-hustle-pro/id1126021323
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13qDj08lBR4ymzGhXIKy8t
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/sidehustlepro
Announcements
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Social Media
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You know, sometimes it takes somebody else seeing you for you to actually see yourself. |
| 0:11.0 | Because when she said that, I was like, whoa. She's right. I have been caring a lot. I have been. But I didn't think about it in those terms because I'm just, I'm just in goal mode. I'm just in survival mode. I'm just like, I got to do what am I, what else am I got to do it? I got to work. I got to, I got to, because I'll be damned if my kid doesn't get the support he needs. |
| 0:43.9 | So when she said that, I was like, wow, I guess I have been carrying a lot. |
| 0:54.0 | Hey, friends. Hey, welcome, welcome back to the show. |
| 0:56.9 | Today is going to be a very special episode for me. |
| 0:59.8 | I am going to be talking about my journey as an autism mom. |
| 1:03.8 | And this is something that is a very, you know, vulnerable moment for me just because I get so emotional talking about my baby boy. |
| 1:15.6 | And, but yeah, I think I'm finally ready to talk about it. So let's go. |
| 1:20.5 | All right. So for those of you who have been watching and listening to Sidehouse or Pro since 2016, you know, you have seen me through some |
| 1:28.8 | faces already. You've seen me when I was just dating, moyo, you've seen when we got engaged. |
| 1:33.9 | You have seen us get married in our wedding video go viral. |
| 1:37.0 | The bride is Jamaica, but has secret Naja Bled. |
| 1:47.7 | You have seen me announce my pregnancy and then have my first child during the pandemic. |
| 1:55.2 | And so I got pregnant in 2019. |
| 1:57.7 | I had Kingston, our firstborn son, in 2020, April 2020. So smack dab in the middle of |
| 2:03.8 | everything. You know what was going on in the world. And it was a very isolating time. But luckily, |
| 2:10.0 | prior to that, like most of my pregnancy was what they would call pretty uneventful. That was like |
| 2:14.7 | their clinical term. Besides them trying to shade me and say I was |
| 2:18.1 | advanced maternal age, thankfully everything was smooth as far as, you know, my blood pressure |
| 2:24.6 | was good. I passed the sugar test and all that. And he was tracking, hitting all his milestones, |
| 2:30.6 | facing the right way, and all of that. So most things were pretty uneventful until it was |
| 2:35.0 | time for me to give birth. And I ended up having a C-section, not an emergency C-section, but, you know, |
... |
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