FASD in Real Life: Marriage, Stigma & Changing the Narrative

COMING SOON! The launch of Patti’s second book, made possible by this very podcast – 4D Living with FASD: Shared Voices, Clearer Understandi_ng launches Sept 9, and its companion study guide, _Discover Your 4D Life: The FASD Living Experience will launch shortly thereafter! Both will be available at Patti’s online store at http://books.by/yourfasdcoach as well as Amazon and your local bookseller. In this week's deeply personal and eye-opening episode of _Living with FASD_, host Patti Kasper welcomes back Dr. Kristina Uban, director of the Developing Brains Laboratory at UC Irvine. After two and a half years, Dr. Uban returns to explore a topic rarely discussed in the context of neurodivergence: the reality of marriage, long-term relationships, and significant partnerships when navigating Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Together, Patti and Kristina unpack the intersection of personal experience and academic research, challenging historical research stigmas, discussing the invisible load of complex medical comorbidities, and reframing the unique "wildflower intelligence" that comes with an FASD diagnosis. Key Discussion Points: Bridging the Academic and Personal: How Kristina’s professional world in neuroimaging collided with her personal life, reshaping her understanding of historical research pools and the narrow narratives surrounding FASD. The Realities of Marriage with FASD: Examining the unique relational pressures caused by financial strain, medical trauma, chronic illness, and the need for deep foundational trust. The "Car Breakdown" Analogy: A powerful framework for understanding when a partner's behavior is driven by burnout or a neurodivergent "breakdown" rather than personal malice. Moving Past Shame and Stigma: Embracing vulnerability, walking straight through social stigma, and finding resilience, authenticity, and leadership within the FASD community. As always, if you enjoyed today’s episode, Invisible Disabilities & Workplace Discrimination: Challenging the System with Julie Harris, then please remember to like, subscribe and share this podcast episode, because the more it is shared, the more people can find Living with FASD and learn more about the many and varied effects of Prenatal Alcohol Effects. If you would like to reach Kristina, please email her at mailto:kuban@uci.edu If you want to reach Patti to discuss either FASD training or life coaching, you can schedule a call using this links: https://calendly.com/kaspertrainingan... . Additional training topics can be found on her website, http://www.patriciakasper.com . You can also email Patti at mailto:livingwithfasdpodcast@gmail.com I