Episodes

During this week's episode, Katie sits down with Ryan Solieau, an LSU Alum, and dad to a Henry who was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia. Aplastic Anemia is a rare blood disorder where bone marrow stops making new red blood cells, which appeared in Henry as a heart rate of 250. Ryan takes us through the experience of learning a new reality during all phases of Henry's diagnoses, from learning how to navigate Henry's initial hospital stay, all the way to supporting Henry emotionally during his mont...

Pediatric nurse and mom Brigid shares how her family navigated her son's neuroblastoma diagnosis—with practical guidance on preparing kids for care, accepting support, and finding hope. Key Topics: The symptoms that led to Brigid's son's neuroblastoma diagnosis Going from pediatric nurse to parent receiving life-changing medical news Using medical play to prepare young children for procedures Giving children choices and control during repeated medical care Why ...

As we begin to close out NICU Awareness Month, Katie sits down with Matilda "Tilly" Aldridge, a content marketer and mom. During a normal morning, Adelaide, her oldest child, was rushed to the hospital after Tilly and her husband heard Adelaide screaming from her room. She was given a CT scan, and a large tumor was found in her brain. Tilly recounts her experience not only dealing with the sudden occurrence of Adelaide's medical emergency, but also how Adelaide herself was able to overcome the ...

Welcome back to NICU Awareness Month. In this episode, Katie is sitting down with Kim Holland, mom of Tripp who was born at 27 weeks and also developed NEC. NEC, or Necrotizing Enterocolitis, is the inflammation of the intestine that often leads to the death of intestinal tissue/lining, which caused Tripp to undergo multiple surgeries and spend months in the NICU. Kim delves into the raw emotions she went through during her pregnancy with Tripp and his stay in the NICU as she had to make tough m...

How U.S. News Ranks Children's Hospitals—and What Parents Should Know Every year, U.S. News & World Report releases its Best Children's Hospitals rankings—but what do those rankings actually tell families? In this episode, Katie Taylor, CCLS, speaks with Jennifer Winston, senior health data scientist at U.S. News & World Report, about how the rankings are built, what the scores measure and how parents can use them without over-reading small differences between hospitals. Jennifer explains the...

Continuing NICU Awareness Month, in this week's episode, Katie is talking to Emily Rosen, the author of Waiting for Max: A NICU Story. Emily is a mom to 2 children, Max and Eva. Emily's book is about her experience being a parent in the NICU, with the hopes that the book can help communicate with other NICU families that they aren't alone in this journey. Throughout the episode, Emily details the emotions she went though as a parent, along with giving advice as to how to navigate new and possib...

September is NICU Awareness Month, and in this week's episode, Katie sits down with Dr. Gal, @galthebabydoc, a Neonatologist and Pediatrician, and a dad with experience as a parent in the NICU. He shares his knowledge and experience on social media in digestible ways to help parents and others feel comfortable during difficult times. Throughout the episode, they delve into the experiences and emotions of what parents might be facing when their baby is in the NICU, and how parents can get the mo...

How do families navigate a serious childhood diagnosis while still focusing on hope, quality of life, and the everyday moments that matter most? In this episode of Inside the Children's Hospital Podcast, Katie Taylor sits down with Dr. Korie Leigh, PhD, CCLS, a child life specialist, psychologist, thanatologist, author, educator, and pediatric palliative care advocate. Drawing on more than two decades of supporting children and families, Dr. Leigh shares what pediatric palliative care really is...

In this episode of Inside the Children's Hospital Podcast, Katie Taylor sits down with Dr. Amy Baxter, pediatric emergency physician, researcher, inventor of Buzzy®, and founder of Pain Care Labs, to explore how childhood experiences with needles can shape a lifetime of healthcare interactions—and what parents and healthcare professionals can do to help. After watching her own son develop a fear of needles despite her expertise in pediatric pain management, Dr. Baxter began researching why chil...

What happens when the child you've dreamed of suddenly receives a diagnosis you've never even heard of? For Deborah, it was Angelman syndrome. In this episode of Inside the Children's Hospital Podcast, Katie Taylor sits down with Deborah Trejo, Art Therapist, to share the powerful story of her daughter Maya's journey to an Angelman syndrome diagnosis. After months of feeding difficulties, developmental delays, seizures, and countless unanswered questions, Deborah and her family finally received...

What do you do when your child receives a diagnosis and your mind suddenly goes blank? Whether you're hearing difficult news for the first time or preparing your child for a medical procedure, knowing what to ask—and how to support your child—can feel overwhelming. In this episode of Inside the Children's Hospital, Katie Taylor, Certified Child Life Specialist, is joined by Dr. Mona Amin, board-certified pediatrician, founder of PedsDocTalk, and Chief Medical Officer at Poppins, for an honest ...

When your child receives a diagnosis, everything changes. In this heartfelt episode, Katie Taylor welcomes back Jessica Patay, founder of We Are Brave Together, to discuss the emotional realities of caregiving, raising a son with Prader-Willi syndrome and autism, and why supporting the mental health of caregiving moms is essential. Jessica shares how a mentor mom transformed her own journey after her son's diagnosis and how that experience inspired her to create We Are Brave Together, a thrivin...

What does it take to help children thrive during a hospital stay? In this episode of Inside the Children's Hospital Podcast, Katie Taylor sits down with Alyssa Sachs, CCLS, an inpatient Child Life Specialist at Boston Children's Hospital, to explore how Child Life Specialists help children and families experience joy, connection, and normalcy—even during long and complex hospital stays. Alyssa shares what it's like supporting children on the inpatient neuroscience floor, where patients range f...

When Caitlin noticed that her daughter, Kennedy, wasn't meeting developmental milestones, she trusted her instincts—even when others reassured her that everything was fine. As both a former Child Life Specialist and mom of a child with ADNP syndrome, Caitlin shares her family's journey from early concerns and endless appointments to receiving a diagnosis for a condition so rare that only about 500 cases have been identified worldwide. In this conversation, Caitlin opens up about navigating unc...

For many families navigating chronic illness, it's hard to imagine what the future might look like for their child. This week on Inside the Children's Hospital, Katie Taylor sits down with Vincent Rosche, a patient advocate, fitness enthusiast, and survivor who has spent most of his life navigating complex medical challenges. Diagnosed with chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIPO) at just 9 months old, Vincent grew up with feeding tubes, central lines, frequent hospitalizations, and even ba...

Has your child been burned? Whether it was hot water, ramen noodles, a stove, fireworks, or another accident, this episode guides parents through what to do next. In this episode, Katie sits down with Christella Almonacy, Certified Child Life Specialist at Wellstar's Burn Program, to discuss what families can expect after a child experiences a burn injury. Together, they explore the physical and emotional recovery process, how Child Life Specialists help children cope with painful procedures, a...

What is it really like to have a baby in the NICU? Katie Taylor sits down with NICU nurse, educator, and content creator Alyssa Saldivar (@alyssathenurse) to discuss how families can find confidence, connection, and support during one of the most challenging experiences of parenthood. Alyssa shares her journey of becoming a nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic, her passion for supporting both families and fellow nurses, and the practical ways parents can become active participants in their baby'...

What happens when a pediatric nurse practitioner suddenly finds herself on the other side of diagnosis? On this week's episode of Inside the Children's Hospital, Katie Taylor sits down with Laura Forcella, a developmental pediatric nurse practitioner and mom to a son with Dup15q syndrome and epilepsy. Laura shares the deeply personal journey of recognizing her son's infantile spasms, navigating a rare disease diagnosis, and balancing life as both a medical professional and a caregiver. Laura op...

When a child needs emergency transport to a children's hospital, families are often facing one of the hardest moments of their lives. Behind every ambulance ride, helicopter flight, or plane transfer is a highly trained team working together to keep children safe, while also supporting parents through the unknown. In this episode of Inside the Children's Hospital, Katie Taylor sits down with Kami Stone, Assistant Clinical Director at Texas Children's Hospital Austin, and Jacob, a transport EMT ...

For many families, going home from the hospital feels like the finish line. But what happens when the emotional impact of a medical experience lingers long after discharge? On this episode of Inside the Children's Hospital, Katie Taylor sits down with Jen Aspengren, founder of Alongside Network, to discuss pediatric medical traumatic stress (PMTS), a common yet often overlooked experience that affects children, parents, siblings, and caregivers following serious medical events. Jen shares her ...

What happens when the healthcare professional becomes the parent sitting on the other side of the diagnosis? In this episode, Katie Taylor sits down with Melissa Apa—a clinical pharmacist, diabetes educator, and mom—to share her family's journey navigating both celiac disease and type 1 diabetes with her young son. Melissa opens up about the emotional overwhelm of receiving life-changing diagnoses, even with years of medical expertise behind her, and how her family learned to adapt, advocate, a...

"I kept telling her, 'We've got this.' And inside, I had no clue what was coming next." What does it look like to be "the strong one" when your world is falling apart? In this episode, Katie Taylor sits down with Jared Muscat—dad, surfer, and self-proclaimed "dad-vocate"—to share his family's unexpected journey into the NICU after a high-risk pregnancy. From a routine 20-week appointment to welcoming his son Ollie at just 25 weeks, Jared opens up about fear, resilience, and what it means to sho...

In this episode of Inside the Children's Hospital, Katie Taylor sits down with Dr. Matt Goldstein—physician, biotech leader, and father—who shares the story of his daughter, Havi, and her diagnosis with Tay-Sachs disease. Despite both parents undergoing genetic screening before starting their family, a testing error led to a missed diagnosis. Javi appeared to develop typically at first, but over time, subtle changes led to a life-altering realization: she had a rare, fatal neurodegenerative con...

Supporting Families in Pediatric Healthcare: Insights from Parent Caregivers In this episode, we explore the experiences of parent caregivers navigating their child's complex health journeys, emphasizing the importance of advocacy, sharing stories, and hospital-family collaboration. Join us as these incredible parents discuss how they advocate for their children, the role of social media in building community, and what hospital leadership can do to improve family-centered care.Key topics covere...