The Secret How to Maintain Your Mindset in the Middle of a Challenge

Jenn Todling had a mental breakdown after caring for her chronically ill spouse for five years. She felt trapped and hopeless, assuming she would never be able to leave the situation or have a fulfilling life. This was a turning point for her to realize that her mental health was at risk, and she needed to seek help and support.

With a past life as an audit partner at Ernest and Young, a stint at the US Securities and Exchange Commission, and an adjunct faculty coach at the University of Denver, Jenn’s journey to become an author, speaker, and coach embodies the power of transformation. 

Jenn kept a journal of ideas she needed to share with the world - life lessons and guiding principles led to publishing her journey to help support people through transformation and help them become their most authentic selves.

In her interview, Jenn shares:

- The power of mindset in looking for hope in challenging situations.

- How creative expression can help support us in getting unstuck from sticky situations.

- How we can go after our dreams no matter our age or circumstances.

"If you think you can or can't - You are right" - Henry Ford

An inspirational book club read of one woman’s journey of taking the bold step to leave her disabled and volatile spouse and moving across the country in search of adventure, tango, and love.

At the tender age of twenty, Jenn faces a pivotal moment when her boyfriend, Morey, proposes marriage after only a few weeks of dating. Her intuition urges her to say no, but she’s spent the entirety of her teenage years caregiving for family; she yearns for adventure, and she thinks relocating to California with Morey will give her the freedom she craves. So, she says yes—only to find herself back in the caregiver role after he becomes disabled a few years into their marriage. But it’s Morey’s volatile personality that ultimately leads Jenn to make a brave decision: it’s time to leave.

Dancing on My Own Two Feet takes a poignant turn as Jenn relocates to New York City after her divorce. Here, she rediscovers a long-forgotten passion for dance and embarks on a transformative journey that transcends the physicality of movement. Each dance becomes a channel to tap into her inner wisdom, providing the courage to explore the world and embrace new adventures. Then Jenn encounters Gable, a potential suitor, prompting new questions to arise in her: Is she better off on her own? Or could Gable be the love and dance partner she’s been longing for?

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What Dance Techniques Can Be Used to Teach Children with Severe Disabilities?

When the pediatrician placed the measuring tape around her infant’s head and noted, “His head is a little small,” Joanne De Simone knew that motherhood wouldn’t be as she had dreamt. After a devastating diagnosis, she was not prepared to raise a child with life-limiting brain malformation – and then her second child was diagnosed with autism.

Joanne De Simone is a graduate of Hunter College with degrees in dance and special education. After dancing professionally, she dedicated her life to teaching children with disabilities and supporting families.

“It’s realizing that we live simultaneously in love and grief. In the end, dance teaches us not only how to move freely through pain but also how to fall and recover.”

Her story will grip your heart as she shares how this struggle drove her to reconnect with the lessons she learned as a modern dancer.

Special educator Joanne De Simone bears all in this raw and transformative memoir that captures how she used lessons of modern dance in her journey through motherhood with two children with disabilities.

Inspired by her experience performing José Limón’s There Is a Time, based on Ecclesiastes 3, each chapter of Fall and Recovery details a dance lesson and the dichotomy of parenting children with disabilities. Over time, Joanne discovers that surviving motherhood isn’t a matter of strength, bravery, or faith. It’s about linking your past experiences and creating your own purpose. It’s realizing that we live simultaneously in love and grief. In the end, dance teaches Joanne not only how to move freely through pain but also how to fall and recover.

Fall and Recovery 

Joanne is a special education advocate for the Alliance of Private Special Education Schools of North Jersey. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Exceptional Parent

Magazine, and the Rumpus among other publications. She is a contributing author to “Barriers and Belonging: Personal Narratives of Disabilities.” Joanne and her son, Sebastian, were instrumental in a legislative change allowing students with intellectual disabilities to participate in NCAA D3 intercollegiate sports. Joanne has been featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer, on HuffPo Live, CNN, and GMA3.

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