Empowered Mom Blueprint
Empowering Moms of Children With Disabilities or Other Special Needs to Reconnect With Their True Selves, Restore Clarity to Their Vision and Purpose, Redesign Their Daily Lives to Reverse the Effects of Burnout, Reignite Their Passions and Reclaim Their Hope.
Who Am I?
During the most painful, exhausting and overwhelming years of my 16-year journey as a mom to a son with disabilities, I discovered all sorts of information and resources to get help for my child. However, there was not (and still is not) much out there to support me as a mom. I thought my path with my son was going to be more of a detour than a whole new journey in our lives. This thinking caused me to focus so much on him and what he needed that I didn’t prepare myself for the journey ahead. My exhaustion turned to burnout, my overwhelm turned to despair and my fierce focus turned into loneliness as I realized I had depleted myself and become a shell of the passionate, determined woman I once was. Even more frightening was the journey I was on was nowhere close to being “over” and it was definitely not a “detour.” I set out to reconnect with myself to bring healing, purpose, balance, hope and joy back into my life. I had to learn what worked through trial and error. There were many days I didn’t know if I could really do it. But with determination and effort, I rediscovered myself and my passions. I learned how to be compassionate and kind to myself so that I could give the same to the people I love. I have embraced a future of possibilities with my hope restored! Wouldn’t you like to claim that hope for yourself and discover a way out of the cycle of exhaustion, overwhelm and loneliness that often comes with caring for a child with disabilities or other special needs? Let me help you do that without going through your own trial and error and without spending all the extra time and effort just to figure out what you might need to get there. Instead, allow me to personally share with you my powerful blueprint for living a life with courage, intention, connection and hope.
In addition to being mom to a young man with Autism and Intellectual Disability, Carisa Cole Sharrett:
- is an international best-selling author, holds a Masters of Education in Special Education degree from the University of Phoenix,
- is a Certified Special Needs Life Quality Coach, is a Positive Intelligence® Coach,
- is a member of the Leadership Learning Guild for the National Society of Leadership and Success.
- Carisa also holds a current K-12 Special Education teaching certification and served as a lead teacher, trainer and district case manager for eight years in both the public and charter school systems.
About My Program
Who It Is For?
I serve Moms of children with disabilities or other special needs who deeply desire to live their lives with courage, intention, connection and hope, but who are struggling with loneliness, exhaustion, discouragement, powerlessness, chaos and defeat.
Working with me they will learn to reflect and reconnect with themselves, grieve their losses in healthy ways, forgive themselves to help release the constant guilt and fear and envision/plan for a happy future for both them and their child. Furthermore, they will gain a blueprint for managing their time; building themselves up mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically; growing their resilience and ability to navigate change; determining the right resources for their family and building key connections for support in order to overcome future challenges; and finally being able to live with courage, intention, connection and hope as they move into their future with clarity, purpose and confidence.
Who It Is Not For?
- Moms who have it all figured out when it comes to navigating life with their child who has a disability or other special needs.
- Moms of children with disabilities or other special needs who are satisfied with the status quo and who are not interested in growing and leveling up in their life.
- Moms of children with disabilities or other special needs who are not serious about helping themselves, their child and their family.
- Moms of children with disabilities or other special needs who won’t prioritize their time to put in the work required for transformation and are looking for a quick or easy fix.
- Moms of children with disabilities or other special needs who are so burned out, that they are no longer looking for a recovery option.
- Moms of children with disabilities or other special needs who want or need to seek professional medical or mental health help from a licensed or registered medical or mental health professional.
Module ONe
Starting Point: Laying a Strong Foundation
Outcomes
- Lay a strong foundation for success in your Empowered Mom journey by understanding the purpose and scope of the program as well as the expectations and tools needed. Successfully navigate the online program.
- Be honest with yourself about where you are at right now and why you are choosing to invest in yourself and your future.
Description
Any truly successful project requires a solid foundation – which does not happen by chance. You need a specific plan, a defined timeline, clear expectations, the right tools, straightforward instructions and a current assessment of the ground conditions to create the best outcome. In this module you will create your best outcomes in the weeks ahead by understanding what is contained in the Empowered Mom Blueprint, what the expectations are for both you and the program, how to successfully navigate the program and what tools you will need in your toolbox for success. You’ll also complete an honest assessment to understand your current circumstances and outlook. This data will give you confidence in your decision to invest in yourself, your well-being and your future.
Module TWO
Life Assessment: Reflecting and Reconnecting With Yourself
Outcomes
- Reflect and reconnect with your inner child and your past self to reignite your inner spirit and passions.
- Reflect and reconnect with who you are now and how you see yourself. Reset negative thinking patterns.
- Reconnect with yourself in four core areas: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual that will be key to your revitalization journey.
- Go “all in” on yourself for a healthier and improved future.
- Rediscover and value YOU!
Description
How long has it been since you stopped and really took a long look at who you are? Would your younger self even recognize you? Do you avoid this because you’re afraid you won’t like who you see or the person that you’ve become? Have you simply tucked away the person you really are because you don’t believe she has a place in your current world? In this module you will have the opportunity to reflect, reset and reconnect with who you were created to be and to adopt a mindset of self-love, acceptance and support that will be the cornerstone to your transformation.
Module THREE
Grieving Your Losses: Embracing a Path to Restoration and Hope
Outcomes
- Analyze what you currently believe about grief to identify your inner dialogue and how that dialogue may be hindering your healing.
- Understand why the grief process is critical to your success.
- Establish objective thought patterns about grief and its triggers.
- Examine and evaluate a common grief model to identify the key components of grief and how they correlate to each other to successfully navigate your own grief cycles.
- Reflect on your own losses and assess your current status to create a personal plan of restoration and hope.
- Set yourself free from the pain of loss.
Description
Do you feel guilty for believing that you’ve lost so much of yourself and your dreams because of what you’ve had to sacrifice to care for your child? Do you feel guilty because in many ways you believe you lost the child you hoped for? The truth is no one ever really wants to talk about the deep losses we endure because we feel we should just be grateful for what we do have. However, burying pain and grief deep inside yourself without resolution and release simply limits you from living the life you truly desire. In this module you’ll identify healthy steps to grieving and embrace your path to restoration and hope.
Module Four
Confronting Your Biggest Critic: Forgive Yourself and Overcome Fear
Outcomes
- Uncover limiting thoughts, attitudes, beliefs and feelings you’ve buried deep inside and offer yourself compassion.
- Explore what forgiveness is and why it is important. Chart the characteristics of forgiveness to neutralize faulty beliefs.
- Discern the difference between guilt and shame to dismiss your biggest critic.
- Face your fear of failure in order to seize the opportunities life has for you.
- Shed the restraints of your past and step into the possibilities of your future.
- Forgive yourself and release the constant guilt/fear you live with.
- Mark the completion of Phase 1 of your Empowered Mom Blueprint.
- Celebrate your Phase1 Milestone of gaining the insight, tools and wisdom for Living With Courage.
Description
Do you ever blame yourself for what your child and your family are having to navigate? Do you agonize over the “what ifs” and “if onlys” you believe may have made a difference in your current situation? Do you beat yourself up for not being or knowing enough to truly “do” enough for your child? Are you paralyzed with fear about both your future and theirs? In this module you’ll confront your inner critic to neutralize faulty beliefs, forgive yourself and overcome fear. Let’s unlock the door to a life where regret, guilt, shame and fear are no longer in control!
Module Five
Envisioning Your Future: Reigniting Your Zest for Life
Outcomes
- Reflect on the path you’ve been on so that you are able to successfully plan for your future.
- Establish the core values that guide and inform your decisions to align your actions with your beliefs.
- Formulate a specific vision for your future to inspire and energize you to live your best life.
- Set your vision in motion by creating a personal mission statement.
- Develop personal SMART goals to take control of your life and maximize your success.
Description
With a fresh perspective on your past and present, it’s time to look to the future. The next step in your transformation guides you in remodeling and expanding your vision for what you want your life to look like in all the major areas including: health/wellness, relationships, personal/career development, finances and more. You’ll activate your vision with a defined mission and apply the specific tools needed to successfully convert your vision into a reality. You’ll create and implement a personalized plan that enables your transformation to be built on a solid foundation for on-going growth. Let’s move you beyond a life of simply surviving to one where you are flourishing!
Module Six
Your Action Plan: Creating Structure and Harmony
Outcomes
- Uncover why life balance is important, why it is so elusive and the key to securing balance in your life.
- Establish priorities aligned with your personal goals to simplify your life, reduce your stress and boost your energy.
- Build systems, routines and habits to optimize your time, improve your results and harmonize your household.
- Communicate clear expectations, delegate responsibilities and reward accountability to create a family environment that embodies safety, belonging, purpose, teamwork, confidence and healthy habits.
- Create a strategic plan to minimize the negative effects of changes or disruptions in family systems, routines or schedules.
Description
Have you talked about how you “wish” you could have a balanced life, but it is just impossible? Have you attempted to implement a plan to “get more balanced” only to become quickly overwhelmed and then give up? The key to successfully living a life of balance is found in one simple concept you won’t want to miss! Once you’ve uncovered that key in this module, you’ll identify which areas in your life need a complete renovation and which just need a little tidying up. You’ll design a plan of action for your daily life that will infuse you with energy, optimism, clarity and purpose. You’ll create a space for your family that embodies safety, belonging, purpose, teamwork, confidence and healthy habits. Finally, you’ll strategically plan for potential disruptions and how to get everyone in your family back on track to the future you’ve envisioned.
Module SEVEN
Burnout Busting: Designing Your Comprehensive Self-care Plan
Outcomes
- Determine your current level of commitment to self-care and invest in yourself by recommitting to prioritize your well-being.
- Identify the elements of physical health/wellness and create your strategy for cultivating a healthy and balanced “body” to banish burnout.
- Identify the elements of mental health/wellness and create your strategy for cultivating a healthy and balanced “mind” to banish burnout.
- Identify the elements of emotional health/wellness and create your strategy for cultivating a healthy and balanced “heart” to banish burnout.
- Identify the elements of spiritual health/wellness and create your strategy for cultivating a healthy and balanced “soul” to banish burnout.
- Mark the completion of Phase 2 of your Empowered Mom Blueprint.
- Celebrate your Phase 2 Milestone of gaining the insight, tools and wisdom for Living With Intention.
Description
It’s time to revisit why it is critical for you to deploy your “oxygen mask” before you try to be SuperMom and rescue everyone else in your life. In this module you’ll assess your commitment to your future vision by confronting how invested you are in being an actual part of that vision. You’ll identify the elements of health/wellness in the four core areas and create a strategy in each area for banishing the “burnout bully.” You’ll give yourself permission to be recharged, refilled, restored and ready for the next phase of your journey. Finally, you will discover that making and preserving time for what matters most will propel you into a life of purpose and hope.
Module Eight
Effective Communication: Setting, Sharing and Honoring Healthy Boundaries
Outcomes
- Discover what personal boundaries are and why they are critical to empowered living. Assess your own use of personal boundaries.
- Recognize the different types of boundaries and discern healthy vs. unhealthy boundaries to determine which boundaries will be most beneficial for you.
- Uncover the keys to implementing healthy boundaries and create your personal model for effective communication.
- Evaluate your options in response to boundary violations and develop a plan of action to honor your boundaries.
- Establish the best approaches to understanding other people’s boundaries and commit to honoring healthy boundaries.
Description
You were designed for connection – healthy connection with yourself and others around you. Healthy connections are established when you understand your own identity and responsibilities as well as honor the identity and responsibilities of others. Healthy connections are fortified and blossom between people within the framework of honest and respectful communication of personal boundaries. Discover what these “personal boundaries” are and why they are so critical to empowered living. Uncover the keys to implementing and protecting healthy boundaries as an act of self-care. And finally, realize the power that the principle of connection has in your transformation journey!
Module Nine
Building Your Village: Cultivating Positive Connections for Support
Outcomes
- Explore the benefits of positive connections for support, consider your current support network and map out your desired support network.
- Reflect on and Cultivate a Positive Connection with my Creator or Higher Power to Elevate my Support Network..
- Reflect on and Cultivate a Positive Connection with my Spouse or Partner to Elevate my Support Network.
- Reflect on and Cultivate Positive Connections with my Family to Elevate my Support Network.
- Reflect on and Cultivate Positive Connections with my Friends to Elevate my Support Network.
- Reflect on and Cultivate Positive Connections with my Community to Elevate my Support Network.
- Remap my desired support network to bring clarity and purpose to my daily interactions with others.
Description
Do you ever look around and just feel lost, invisible, lonely and disconnected from the world and people around you? Do you long for connections with others that actually energize you instead of drain you or stress you out? Do you resign yourself to your isolated world because you just don’t know what to do or don’t think you have the time to do anything about it? In this module you’ll explore the benefits and components of an effective support network. You’ll assess where you’re at now by mapping out your current and desired support networks. Then you’ll plan for a more healthy and connected lifestyle featuring an elevated network of support. Finally, you’ll be able to employ strategies to help you secure the connections and support you so deeply desire.
Module TEN
Mission Teamwork: Partnering With Professionals on Your Child’s Team
Outcomes
- Identify the benefits of partnerships, reflect on your current beliefs about partnerships and how those beliefs may be hindering the success of key partnerships.
- Determine which professionals you need to prioritize partnering with to positively impact your child’s life and progress.
- Differentiate between the characteristics of what good partnering is and isn’t to improve your partnerships with professionals and promote better outcomes.
- Establish a clear understanding of the roles, responsibilities and limitations in partnering with professionals, discard faulty beliefs about professional partnerships and equip yourself to effectively lead your child’s professional team.
- Distinguish between advocating and complaining to eliminate roadblocks to successfully leading your child’s professional team.
- Mark the completion of Phase 3 of your Empowered Mom Blueprint.
- Celebrate your Phase 3 Milestone of gaining the insight, tools and wisdom for Living With Connection.
Description
Do you dread those “team” meetings to discuss your child where you feel outnumbered, overwhelmed, and unqualified? Do you wish that it didn’t always feel like a “bashing session” where all your child’s deficits are discussed in detail and none of their good qualities are mentioned? Do you feel misunderstood or dismissed by other professionals who work with your child? Do professionals do what they can to avoid talking to you unless they need to? In this module you will uncover the “secret sauce” to having positive, productive and effective partnerships with professionals on your child’s team. You’ll be empowered to confidently step into the role of team lead as you finally see how all the parts of your child’s team fit together and how they best function. Meetings with professionals on your child’s team will become energizing brainstorming sessions instead of dreaded responsibilities you wish you could just avoid.
Module Eleven
Level Up: Expanding Your Capacity to Thrive in Life
Outcomes
- Discover the keys to unlocking your ability to thrive instead of simply surviving in this challenging world.
- Unlock the power of resilience to confidently navigate adversities, setbacks and disappointments.
- Unlock the power of grit to pursue your goals with tenacity.
- Unlock the power of a growth mindset to embrace change and courageously approach life as a journey rather than a destination.
Description
Do you ever think things are finally going more smoothly and then, bam! – something changes? It could be with your routine, your family, your health, a job, a school, with behaviors, with services or any number of things. Does this make you feel anxious, depressed, impatient or like everything and everyone is out to get you? Do you often think “Why can’t I just catch ONE break?!?!?!” In this module you’ll learn how to level up and position yourself to flourish as you confidently meet adversity, setbacks and disappointments head-on. You’ll discover the keys to unlocking your ability to thrive instead of simply surviving in this challenging world. Finally, you’ll be able to see challenges as opportunities and courageously approach life as a journey rather than a destination.
Module TWELVE
Be the Change: Unlocking the Formula for Hope-filled Living
Outcomes
- Examine the connection between serving others and igniting hope to reset faulty perspectives.
- Discover the benefits of giving to and serving others to fuel your hope, happiness and well-being.
- Pinpoint the tools for giving and serving to maximize your effectiveness in igniting hope.
- Uncover practical strategies to be equipped for igniting hope with compassion and respect.
- Identify where to find opportunities to ignite hope and evaluate how to determine the best fit for you.
Description
Do you need more hope in your life? Have you wished there was a magic pill that you were able to take to infuse you with hope? You’ve come to the right place! In this module you’ll uncover a sure-fire way to ignite hope in your life and the lives of others. You’ll discover the abundant ways that giving to and serving others fuels your hope, happiness and well-being. You’ll transition from focusing solely on your inner self to exploring how you can bring love, light, healing and hope to others. Finally, you’ll identify opportunities where you will ignite hope and be the change you need for yourself and others.
Module Thirteen
Imagine This: Embracing a Future of Possibilities
Outcomes
- Investigate the connection between optimism and positive future outcomes to banish pessimism, cynicism and hopelessness.
- Embrace the possibilities for yourself to move forward into your future with clarity, purpose and confidence.
- Embrace the possibilities for your child to move forward into your future with clarity, purpose and confidence.
- Embrace the possibilities for your family to move forward into your future with clarity, purpose and confidence.
- Mark the completion of Phase 4 of your Empowered Mom Blueprint.
- Celebrate your Phase 4 Milestone of gaining the insight, tools and wisdom for Living With Hope.
Description
It’s time to embrace your future of possibilities as a transformed woman – empowered, inspired, unshakeable and full of hope! In this module you’ll discover why optimism is the cornerstone of happiness and success. You’ll identify strategies to support you in modeling and inspiring each member of your family to live with optimism and hope as they look to the future. Finally, you’ll implement a game plan to create a bulletproof family bond.
Module Fourteen
Final Walk-through: Taking Possession of Your Keys for Empowered Living
Outcomes
- Celebrate your completion of the Empowered Mom Blueprint Program.
- Discover additional resources available.
- Identify options to stay connected.
- Confirm certificate of completion information.
- Consider the testimonial opportunity.
Description
Just as important as starting with a strong foundation is ending with a meaningful celebration of the work you’ve done on your journey to becoming an Empowered Mom. In this module you’ll celebrate, you’ll wrap up your program and you’ll investigate resources and opportunities available to you. Finally, you will provide critical feedback in order to bring immeasurable value to the Empowered Mom Blueprint program and pay it forward to other moms who will follow in your footsteps.