StoryWoven · Episode 1
Host Jon Harrison sits down with Jen and her mother Kristen, from Poughkeepsie, to talk about what happens after high school ends — and how you find the right path when nobody hands you a map.
Listen: “Life After High School: Creativity, Inclusion, and Belonging”
The cliff at the end of high school
Families who have been through it have a name for what happens when school supports end: the cliff. The structure that shaped every weekday for eighteen years simply stops, and what comes next depends enormously on what a family manages to find.
Jen talks about how joining the CBS program helped her feel accepted and connected — through art, scrapbooking, and the ordinary business of being around people who are glad you showed up. She is candid about her passions too: voice acting, puppetry, singing, and storytelling, along with sewing, sign language, and crafting.
Listen to a few moments
Let Your True Self Sparkle
Jen on staying true to herself.
Trust Your Gut
Kristen on following your instincts when you are choosing a program for your child.
What Community Means
What belonging actually looks like from the inside.
A parent’s perspective
Kristen offers something families rarely get to hear said plainly: what it has actually been like raising a child with special needs, and what she has learned about patience, trust, and following her instincts when making decisions that nobody else can make for her.
Her clearest advice is about choosing where your child spends their days. She reflects on how finding the right supportive community transformed Jen’s confidence and happiness — and how much of that came down to trusting her gut rather than deferring to whatever was easiest or nearest.
What success actually means
Together they talk about overcoming challenges and defining success on their own terms: through independence, happiness, and personal milestones rather than anyone else’s benchmarks. They talk about friendships and support systems, the value of positive social groups, and why trying new opportunities matters even when it is uncomfortable.
If you are a parent standing at the edge of that transition right now, this is the conversation to start with.
With gratitude to Jen and Kristen for sharing their story. Read more about the StoryWoven podcast.