827: Nefertiti Austin: On Adoption, Race, and Neurodivergence

Author and memoirist, Nefertiti Austin writes about the erasure of diverse voices in motherhood in the #1 Amazon bestseller Motherhood So White: A Memoir of Race, Gender and Parenting in America. Nefertiti's work around this topic has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, The Nation, Romper, Adoptive Families magazine, Parents Magazine, SheMedia and countless others. She has appeared on numerous podcasts and radio programs including “The Today Show”, and multiple NPR outlets. Lately, she’s writing about raising her neurologically diverse daughter and jokes that adolescence is no match for menopause. Most importantly, Nefertiti is the proud adoptive Shameless Mom of two children and two Shipoos - Monsieur Lafayette and Siddhartha. Nef and I connected through a mutual friend and two time SMA guest, Debbie Reber. Debbie was kind enough to introduce us and Nef was generous enough to say yes to my invitation to come on the show. Listen in to hear Nefertiti share: What Black adoption looks like compared to typical white adoption Her intentional journey of building her family as a single adoptive mom How race and gender factor into parenting neurologically diverse children How having a neurologically diverse child changed her life in ways she didn’t see coming How she has had to explore her own triggers when it comes to her daughter's behaviors How the murder of Trayvon Martin became a wake-up call for her responsibility of raising a Black son What she wants white parents to know about how Black parents or parents of Black children parent from a place of fear What visible allyship feels for Black parents and children and how white parents can be more assertive, if note aggressive, in their allyship Links mentioned: Connect with Nefertiti: Nefertitiaustin.com Get Nef’s Book: Motherhood So White: A Memoir of Race, Gender and Parenting in America Nefertiti on IG Nefertiti on FB Nefertiti on X We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Hosted by the notoriously real and raw Sara Dean, The Shameless Mom Academy is a top-rated podcast for moms who are looking to gain confidence, improve relationships, build better boundaries, cultivate resilience, create joy, and position themselves as a leader in their households, communities, workplaces, and businesses. The Shameless Mom Academy provides inspiration, learning, and stories that guide moms to become more confident and courageous decision-makers and action-takers.  With a deep commitment to truth-telling, Sara and her guests share vulnerable stories that are not often shared between mothers.  You can expect your head and your heart to expand a little with every episode. If you’re ready to overcome mom guilt, reject imposter syndrome, and quit perfectionism, you’re in the right place.  You can count on The Shameless Mom Academy to provide practical advice and simple strategies to make your life a little better starting today. Warning: Sara is known to make listeners laugh and cry and walk away feeling like you just spent time with a new best friend.