Life throws curveballs, and Carrie Holt is helping mothers of children with disabilities find resilience and faith through her podcasting, speaking and writing.
A 2000 graduate of Cedarville University, Holt recently launched her podcast, “This Unexpected Life,” where she offers hope and practical encouragement to mothers navigating disability and caregiving. Her work grows out of her own experience as a wife and stay-at-home mother of four children, one of whom has several medical disabilities.
Special Needs Podcast and Book Encourage Caregiver Moms
Holt, a resident of Columbus, Ohio, is also a coauthor of “The Other Side of Special: Navigating the Messy, Emotional, Joy-Filled Life of a Special Needs Mom,” a resource designed to support mothers who are primary caregivers for children with disabilities.
As a writer, speaker and podcaster, Holt has drawn on her personal story to encourage other women facing similar challenges. Alongside coauthors Amy Brown and Sara Clime, she wrote from the belief that every mother of a child with disabilities experiences common emotions such as doubt, loneliness, fear and grief.
“I want all women, but especially mothers of kids with disabilities, to understand and know that God is close to the brokenhearted and that He is in the unexpected,” said Holt.
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Holt, Brown and Clime met through a yearlong writing program hosted by hope*writers, where they felt called to combine their personal stories into a broader platform of encouragement. From 2020 to 2024, the three women co-hosted the “Take Heart, Special Moms” podcast. In 2023, their book was published by Revell, a subsidiary of Baker Publishing Group.
From a young age, Holt dreamed of writing a book, but she never would have predicted raising a son with severe medical disabilities.
“When I was pregnant with our third child, we found out that he was going to have spina bifida and hydrocephalus,” said Holt, “and our lives turned completely upside down. We faced all the stages of grief: the denial, the bargaining with God, the anxiety, the doubt, the loneliness, all those things.”
Faith, Suffering and Encouragement for Special Needs Families
Holt has continued speaking at conferences and churches, sharing what she has learned about lament and using her own story to encourage other mothers and families of children with disabilities.
“My son is 19 now, and I’m still a caregiver,” said Holt. “There are still moments of the unexpected where life is really crazy and we end up in surgery.”
“We often expect life to follow a certain plan,” said Holt. “But as believers, we know that we’re going to suffer, and Jesus assures us that we’re going to experience trouble in the world. Blessing is the presence of God, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that suffering won’t be part of that blessing.”
Through her writing, speaking and podcasting, Holt continues to encourage mothers navigating disability and caregiving with honesty, faith and practical support.
To learn more about what she does and to follow along with her journey, visit carriemholt.com.
About Cedarville University
Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences and professional fields. With 7,265 students, it is among Ohio's largest private universities and is ranked among the nation’s top five evangelical universities in the Wall Street Journal’s 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.