Dr. Kiley Hanish

I recently recorded this podcast with as part of her 10th anniversary of her book, Grieving Parents: Surviving the Loss as a Couple (2014), which I contributed to. Search for “How to Deal with Grief and Trauma” where you listen to podcasts. We spent this time reflecting on my journey over the past 10 years (and for me, 19 years). It’s such a helpful exercise to reflect to change. Thank you for this opportunity.

I just returned from facilitating the Women’s Retreat for Bereaved Mothers. This retreat was specifically for women further out from their loss experience, because we know that grieving the loss of a child is lifelong.
In 2014, I hosted the first RTZ retreat. I wanted to create a space that I didn’t have.— I was nurtured, didn’t feel so alone, and received some guidance on how to navigate life after the profound loss of my child dying. Since then, RTZ has hosted 20 women’s healing retreats. We now have two types of retreats: Honoring Our Losses (usually in May) and Finding Yourself After Loss (Fall). I am so honored to hold space for these incredible and brave women.

Sharing my story publicly has been the hardest and the most healing thing for me. I was so afraid to share what had happened to me because I felt shame and isolation. By doing so, it allowed me to honor Norbert’s memory and connect me to a community of other bereaved parents. And this changed my life for the better.
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In honor of HOPEtober, let’s shine a light on Kiley Hanish, the compassionate founder of Return to Zero: HOPE. 🌟 Kiley’s dedication to honoring her son Norbert and all the babies gone too soon is truly inspiring. Through her own heart-wrenching experience 19 years ago, she found a mission: to ensure no parent faces the journey of loss alone.⁠
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Kiley is driven by your stories, striving to provide families with the resources, guidance, and support she once needed. Her work with RTZ HOPE is about creating a community where grieving parents can find solace, understanding, and hope.⁠
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✨ Key pillars of RTZ HOPE:⁠
-Accessible resources for grieving families⁠
-Guidance through the healing process⁠
-Supportive community connections⁠
-Ongoing outreach to prevent isolation⁠
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Kiley has found deep meaning and connection within this loss community. The bonds she’s formed with fellow bereaved parents are a testament to the strength and understanding they share. For these connections, she is profoundly grateful.⁠
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Read her story and donate in honor of Norbert by visiting https://rtzhope.org/2024-hopetober-luminaries/kiley (link in bio)⁠
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Join us in supporting RTZ HOPE this HOPEtober and help ensure no parent walks this path alone.⁠
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Together, we can foster healing, community, and hope. 💖

Honored to be included in this important article about returning to work after pregnancy loss Return To Zero: HOPE

It’s Time To Talk About Miscarriage & The Workplace We've come a long way normalizing pregnancy loss, but there’s no common language for discussing recovery at work.

Everyone should read this book (especially those who work in health or mental health)! 5 star review. Thank you Donna Henderson and Sarah Wayland for this neuro-affirming and strengths-based guide/text.

I don’t post a lot about my personal life, but this is a significant milestone that I want to share. Yesterday we celebrated R’s high school graduation. Not only are we proud of this accomplishment, but we are in awe of the beautiful, caring, curious, determined, creative (I could go on and on) young woman she has become. I’m grateful for our hard-earned friendship and our many travel adventures (that I hope will continue). I love you!

One thing that I find extra special about is the community we have created. Yesterday I met up with Blandine in Paris. She flew from Paris to LA to attend our first retreat for bereaved mothers in April 2014 after the loss of her daughter Sixtine. She said attending the retreat was life-saving for her. Not only did she find a community of women at the retreat that she is still in contact with, but she came back to France and started hosting retreats for bereaved mothers in her area to build community. I’m so grateful for these relationships 🙏💗

I’m grateful to for featuring stories of neurodivergent parents in the pregnancy and infant loss community.
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Welcome to our Neurodiversity and baby loss mini series. We will be sharing a story each week through May from a neurodivergent person - sharing their experience of baby loss. Today we share Kiley’s story. Kiley is the founder of and was diagnosed with ADHD and Autism late in life. Thank you for sharing your story with us .

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Dr. Kiley Hanish shares some incredible resources in this podcast episode if you are curious about neurodiversity, including information about:

✨Neurodivergence and hormones
✨Autism and parenting
✨Co-occuring health conditions

Join this important conversation in episode 328 of the Mom & Mind™ podcast and share this with your friends!

Let’s empower one another with knowledge!

Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and momandmind.com or LINK IN BIO.

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“Spending time alone for many people is a big way to self-regulate.” Dr. Kiley Hanish

So when baby comes along, alone time is often non-existent! We lose the ability that we intuitively used to practice prior to having baby, to simply spend time alone when we felt overwhelmed or overstimulated.

Dr. Hanish shares some of the challenges that can show up in mothers with autism. Listen in to episode 328 to learn more on the topic.

Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and momandmind.com or LINK IN BIO.

I like to share my story as a way to educate. I wish people talked about things more. For example, whee we n my son was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, they never said that we parents probably also have similar traits. I’m an OT and was never taught about what neurodivergence looks like beyond the stereotype.
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What happens many times is that when kids get diagnosed, the parent starts recognizing those same traits in themselves.

If this is you or if you are simply curious, there are online screenings you can do to start learning more about yourself.

Join us to learn more in episode 328 of Mom & Mind™ podcast.

Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and momandmind.com or LINK IN BIO.

Let’s talk about the both/and. Grief and freedom can coexist. What’s come up for you?

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Oftentimes when a condition like ADHD or autism does not show clear symptoms from an early age, later in life, practitioners are not usually looking to test for it.

Dr. Hanish shares in this episode, that women have less outwardly visible symptoms and more internal symptoms when neurodivergence is present. Many times, these internal symptoms are met with gaslighting by providers.

Join me and Dr. Hanish in episode 328 of the Mom & Mind™ podcast to learn more and be sure to tag a friend who would you think would be interested in this conversation.

Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and momandmind.com or LINK IN BIO.

I’m honored and excited to be talking about a little known topic that affects more of us than we realize.
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Today’s episode covers an important topic that needs to be addressed as it affects many moms and families.

My guest shares her experience of being diagnosed with autism and ADHD later in life, after having her children.

She shares how her diagnosis impacted her, what non-stereotypical autism looks like, why self-evaluation is beneficial, and why getting a diagnosis can be a privilege.

We will also learn about the role of women’s hormones in autism and ADHD.

Join us!

Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and momandmind.com or LINK IN BIO.

I’m honored to be hosting this Honoring your Loss Retreat over Mother’s Day weekend with .mbc at .retreat. It is truly a unique and transformative experience to be with others who understand what you have endured and allow you to take off your mask and be your authentic self.

Excited to partner with Neurodivergent Insights to continue the conversation about Parenting as an Autistic (or Highly Sensitive) mother.

Parenting as a New Autistic Mother: The Impact on Daily Living Being a new parent is challenging for most adults, it can be particularly challenging for Autistic mothers. The added sensory demands, routine disruptions and disruptions to self-care can make this a difficult time for many Autistic women. This article reviews new research that looks at the experien

One of my OT doctoral students is developing a project focused on how the mental health and well-being of parents of recent NICU grads impact their occupational engagement.

If you are a parent of a NICU graduate and are interested in sharing resources and supports that were helpful during that time or sharing what you think could have made that difficult time easier, or would like more information, please email Ashlyn [email protected]

The experience of having a child in the NICU can be life altering and can have major impacts on one’s mental health and well-being. However, most post-discharge resources are related to care of the child and do not include information for the parents on how to care for themselves during this difficult time, leading to burnout and poor mental health.

I’m beyond grateful and excited to be a guest on this podcast episode, taking about my own personal experiences as a late-in-life diagnosed autistic mother and the exciting research I was able to participate in with my students. 🙏🙃💙
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HAPPY TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY! On this pivotal episode marking our second year of sitting down with incredible OT Practitioners, we sit talk with Kiley Hanish, OTD, OTR/L, PMH-C and Vicky Cisneros, OTS who share their research study, "Exploring the Sensory Experiences of Autistic Mothers as Occupational Beings". Kiley is a leader within and outside of the profession. She is a co-creator of the Emmy nominated film Return to Zero, the founder of Return to Zero: HOPE a nonprofit organization, and a faculty member in the occupational therapy doctorate program at Keck Graduate Institute. Vicky is an occupational therapy student at the Keck Graduate Institute and is part of the student group working on this research project.

Tune in to learn more about their research and be sure to share in the comments below something new you learned!

Find the link in our bio!

Photos from . Truly an unbelievable place to visit (don’t forget to visit ).

I've been wondering about the HSP - Autism connection. This piece resonates with me: https://medium.com/p/bb9267d91b71

Thoughts after reading?

The Highly Sensitive Person is Autistic Autistic Autistic The sooner we admit that HSP is masked autism the better.

I’ve signed up for and am looking forward to this webinar. Dr. Mel Houser was a guest on episode 15 of the podcast, and it falls into the huge mind shift category.
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SAVE to come back to later! Join us for a FREE webinar. We’ll give a tour of our All the Things resources and practical strategies for improving Autistic & ADHD health (and ideas for how to talk with clinicians about All the Things). Presented by Autistic/ADHD physician Mel Houser MD.
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Registration link in bio. Tues 9/19 6pm et plus recorded

I encountered this heron on my swim today and knew it was a sign. I was able to take some pictures later from the boat and found the stunning light on the rock and water as confirmation.

Oh my goodness, 18 years is a hard one. Realizing the many significant milestones we are missing. And at the same time, I’m very aware that everything in my life would be drastically different without Norbert’s passing. His soul contract was for the 9 months he lived inside me. I can’t imagine life without my two living children. I feel honored that he chose me as his mom and guided me on my current (passion) path of changing things for other parents who endure a similar loss. It’s so isolating, and we are changing that. So much more to say, but I’ll leave it there 💙.
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Our son Norbert would have been 18 years old today. ⁠
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Norbert, you made me a mother, and I feel honored that you chose me. Your existence has changed everything for me. It has helped me find meaning on my own journey as well as given me the opportunity to grow and transform as a person. I am grateful that you and I are working together to help other grieving parents.⁠
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-Kiley, RTZ HOPE Founder⁠⁠⁠⁠

Wrapping up my time at the conference sharing all the good work is doing to provide support and resources for bereaved parents and health providers. A shout out to and for helping me out. I was also amazing to meet so many people that I only know virtually. 💙

Opportunity for parents of young children to participate in research:
- Child/ren ages 0-5
- All virtual (3-4 hours of time)
- Education to increase understanding of optimal child development and attachment

Email for more information: Lily [email protected]

I am an autistic mother and occupational therapist who is very interested in better understanding the impact of parenting on autistic mothers.

I am working with a group of occupational therapy doctoral students to study the sensory experiences of autistic mothers and invite you to participate in an anonymous survey (it takes approximately 10 minutes to complete).
https://forms.gle/57r8BCg1KhgeMZ8p8

If you need to talk to someone during or after completing the survey, email me (Dr. Kiley Hanish, [email protected]).

We are so grateful that you are taking the time to complete this anonymous survey.