Shows
Significant Women with Carol McLeod | Carol Mcleod MinistriesFinding Joy in the Overwhelming with Jillian BenfieldIn this episode of the Significant Women podcast, Carol McLeod talks with author and former TV news anchor Jillian Benfield about finding grace in life’s complexities. Jillian shares her journey through faith, motherhood, and her son Anderson’s diagnosis with Down syndrome, revealing how gratitude and grief can coexist. Drawing from her book Overwhelmed and Grateful, she reflects on the power of holding both joy and pain, and how choosing faith in the midst of hardship can uncover a deeper sense of purpose and peace.Connect with Jillian at https://jillianbenfield.com/
Have a pr...
2025-11-2839 min
Return to Jesus PodcastReturn to Jesus Podcast (Season 2, Episode 18): Beauty of Holding Two Truths with Jillian BenfieldHey friend,I’m so excited to share this beautiful and deeply honest conversation with Jillian Benfield. She’s a writer, speaker, disability advocate, and mom who knows what it’s like to walk through unexpected seasons — and still find joy on the other side.Jillian and I talked about the idea of living with awe not in the big, flashy moments, but in the ordinary rhythms of life. She shared how her morning routine overlooking the river grounds her, how she's learned to hold grief and gratitude together, and why...
2025-11-0249 min
Take the Next Step with Amy Julia BeckerDisability & Family: The Yes/No Filter Every Parent Needs with Jillian BenfieldE4 — Overwhelmed by therapies, appointments, and never-ending “to-dos”? Author Jillian Benfield shares practical tools for families experiencing disability—offering parents guidance on setting limits, saying yes to what matters, and finding beauty in everyday life. Jillian and Amy Julia Becker explore:Parenting and caregiving without burning outDeveloping a yes/no filterTurning routines into lasting habitsCreating a clear vision for your familyHonest gratitude as a tool for resilienceUPCOMING Q+R EPISODE: Record your question for our upcoming Question & Response episode: amyjuliabecker.com/qr/__FREE DOWNLOAD: 30 Next Steps for Parents availabl...
2025-10-0827 min
A Place of Yes | A Grief PodcastThe Gift of the Unexpected with Jillian Benfield | Episode 6In today's episode, author Jillian Benfield, mother, and disability advocate, discusses her book The Gift of the Unexpected with host Heather. Jillian speaks about her son’s Down Syndrome diagnosis and how it shifted her life and allowed her to remove the masks she was wearing. She talks about how the unexpected made her a better, more open-minded person.Find Heather and Jake's Help from Heaven:❤️ Heather's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter/ ❤️ Jake's Help from Heaven: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/ ❤️ Jake's Help from Heaven IG: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp/
2024-03-2837 min
Anchored by the SwordJillian Benfield’s Freedom Story!On today's episode, Jillian Benfield talks about her life and the unexpected twists and turns it has taken. She talks about her childhood experiences with church and how there was a lot of "rule following" and not as much grace. She said she became agnostic for about 12 years until she began dating her husband. That is when she began to ask the difficult questions and met the real Jesus of the Bible, not the shiny Jesus. Then we get into the story of her son, Anderson, which is discussed in her book, The Gift of the Unexpected. His diagnosis...
2023-10-1324 min
This Undivided Life#170:Jillian Benfield The Gift of The UnexpectedJillian Benfield (www.jillianbenfield.com) is a former journalist and news anchor. She holds a broadcast journalism degree from the University of Georgia. As a freelance writer, her essays about living an unexpected life have appeared on sites such as TODAY, Good Morning America, Yahoo! News, and ABC News. Jillian regularly advocates for the full inclusion of people with disabilities in her writings, community, and as a part of the National Down Syndrome Congress's National Down Syndrome Advocacy Coalition. Jillian and her husband, Andy, and their three children make their home on Florida's Space Coast.
2023-10-0332 min
Real Life with Pastor Jonas HillReal Life with Pastor Jonas Hill-Episode 9-The Gift of the Unexpected with Jillian BenfieldIn a split second, life can throw us a curveball that changes everything. At 27 years of age, Jillian Benfield and her husband were not expecting to hear from the doctor that their unborn child had a life-altering diagnosis. Thrown into a whirlwind of heavy emotions, Jillian was forced to unlearn and relearn how she saw God, herself, success, and the world around her. On today’s episode of Real Life with Pastor Jonas Hill, Jillian recounts her journey of coming to complete acceptance of her new life with her beautiful son Anderson. If you’ve e...
2023-07-2635 min
A Cup of GratitudeSeason Six - Episode 2 - Finding Gratitude Embracing the UnexpectedThis week I speak with Jillian Benfield a former journalist and news anchor. She holds a broadcast journalism degree from the University of Georgia. As a freelance writer, her essays about living an unexpected life have appeared on sites such as TODAY, Good Morning America, Yahoo! News, and ABC News. Jillian regularly advocates for the full inclusion of people with disabilities in her writings, community, and as a part of the National Down Syndrome Congress's National Down Syndrome Advocacy Coalition. Jillian and her husband, Andy, and their three children make their home on Florida's Space Coast. During our i...
2023-07-1053 min
The Mary Marantz ShowThe Gift of the Unexpected: 4 Things You Need to Know When It All Goes Wrong with Jillian BenfieldJillian Benfield's life changed in the matter of a 20-second phone call. At the point of absolute destruction, there are more questions than answers, but if you too find yourself surrounded by rubble and ash, Jillian's healing story is precisely what you need to hear. Jillian and Mary discuss the possibility at the other end of your pain and the four things to cling to when it all goes wrong. Tune in to hear, The difference between overcoming and undergoing Why you don't have to call your unexpected circumstances go...
2023-05-3047 min
WELCOME HEART: Living a Legacy LifeEp 183 A Legacy of an Unexpected Gift: Transformation and Hope with Jillian BenfieldJillian Benfield got the news that her second child, Anderson, was Down Syndrome. This news was not her life-plan. Then just four months after his birth, he underwent open-heart surgery. Then their third child, Preston suffered medical procedures for the first two years of his life. Jillian wrote her book, The Gift of the Unexpected: Discovering Who You Were Meant to Be When Life Goes Off Plan, not as a how-to book on how to get through life's difficulties; rather she wrote her own story--the good, bad and the ugly--to offer hope. Wise beyond her years, Jillian's story has...
2023-05-0143 min
Deconstructing MamasThe Gift of the Unexpected - Jillian BenfieldJillian Benfield, author, mom of three, former TV news anchor, and fierce advocate for access and inclusion of all types, is our guest this week. When she and her husband Andy were just 27 years old, they unexpectedly found out their son would be born with Down syndrome. Originally, devastated, they later, through months and years of learning and unlearning, realized their grief was largely tied to their ignorance and unknowing ableism.It is not easy raising a child with a disability in an inaccessible world. It has been the most difficult and also the most beautiful experience...
2023-04-1150 min
The Connected MomCan Disabilities Bring Hope?Get you copy of Cultivating a Deeper Connection in a Lonely WorldOur families--and parenting--can look a lot different than we expect. Especially when disabilities enter the picture. Today we talk with Jillian Benfield about her journey of shock, grieving, and discovery in parenting a child with special needs. Her honesty and perspective give HOPE for families who grapple with life's unexpected twists and turns...and encouragement on how God can use and transform you through the unexpected!ABOUT OUR GUESTJillian Benfield is a former journalist and news anchor. She holds a...
2023-03-3038 min
Reimagining the Good Life with Amy Julia BeckerWorld Down Syndrome Day and Unexpected Gifts with Jillian BenfieldOn World Down Syndrome Day, Jillian Benfield, author of The Gift of the Unexpected, talks with me about whether it is hard to be the parent of a child with a disability, how our perspective on ourselves, faith, and the world has changed through our experiences as parents, and about the gift of the unexpected.__Guest Bio:“Jillian Benfield is a former journalist and news anchor. She holds a broadcast journalism degree from the University of Georgia. Her essays about living an unexpected life have appeared on sites such as TODAY, Good Morning America, Ya...
2023-03-2149 min
The Collaborative IEPCelebrating the Unexpected and Undergoing Transformation with Jillian BenfieldChances are you’ve experienced the Unexpected, and if you’ve stuck around here in the make-lemonade place that I’ve created, you have probably embraced the Unexpected as a Gift. Today I welcome author, blogger, and speaker Jillian Benfield, whose relatable book, “The Gift of the Unexpected,” explores how she unpacked her son’s Down syndrome diagnosis during a time of transition in her life. My favorite part is when Jillian and I discuss her explanation of how we undergo hardship rather than overcoming it. I’m telling you – it’s deep, and it’s beautiful! Have a listen today! Tr...
2023-03-1443 min
Sprinkled with Hope188- Undergoing the Unexpected with Jillian BenfieldUndergoing Transformation: Mother of Child with Disabilities Shares How God Uses Unexpected Seasons
When unexpected moments change life’s trajectory, we’re left with a choice: Do we overcome the unexpected, as the world recommends, or undergo it? Author Jillian Benfield says undergoing an unexpected season begins a transformation that deconstructs our old self and reconstructs us into who God intends us to become.
In her book The Gift of the Unexpected, Jillian uses her own life-altering moment—her son’s Down syndrome and congenital heart defect diagnoses— to encourage readers not to gloss over the hard par...
2023-03-0225 min
The Special Needs Mom PodcastDiscovering Who You Were Meant to Be When Life Goes Off Plan with Jillian BenfieldSend us a text (Note: we are not able to respond but LOVE to hear from you!!)Hello and welcome to the podcast. This week, I have guest Jillian Benfield. Jillian is a mother, parent advocate and author of a new book, The Gift of the Unexpected. She gives us a glimpse into her story as a special needs mom. We talk about the transformations we need to go through as these parents and that the new life we're left with can often be better. Jillian's wonderful insights are something I hope all special needs parents can...
2023-02-1544 min
Honestly, ThoughEpisode 71 | The Gift Of The Unexpected | Guest: Jillian BenfieldJillian Benfield was a successful television news anchor and journalist when her world came crashing down through a phone call. Learning that her son had Down Syndrome caused her and her husband to rethink everything they thought they knew about God, life, and worth. Today, she advocates not only for her son's inclusion, but for all who have a condition that places them on society's "fringe." Join Rebecca Carrell and Liz Rodriguez for a poignant and powerful discussion on navigating the unexpected turns life takes.Follow Jillian Benfield: http://jillianbenfield.com/IG:@jillianbenfieldblogFB: @jillianbenfield
2023-02-1342 min
Can You Just Sit With Me? with Natasha Smith1. We Weren’t Meant to Overcome with Author Jillian BenfieldJoin me as we sit with Author Jillian Benfield. In this episode, we chat about the story behind her new book The Gift of the Unexpected, and what it means to undergo versus overcome grief of the unexpected moments of life. Get The Gift of the Unexpected book: https://jillianbenfield.com/book/ Connect with Jillian: Website: https://jillianbenfield.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jillianbenfieldInstagram: https:// https://www.instagram.com/jillianbenfieldblog/ Get my free mini devotional “You’re Not Losing It, Life is Hard” : http://eepurl.com/bCTWMLB...
2023-02-0632 min
Special Education Inner Circle#101: Transform Your Perspective with Jillian Benfield"Parenting a child with a disability is the hardest thing that I've ever done AND it is also the greatest joy of my life." Lean in and listen as Jillian Benfield describes how changing her perspective and her language helps advocate for the needs of her son with Down Syndrome. Jillian's work has been featured by The TODAY Show and Good Morning America, PLUS her first book is set to release in spring of 2023! Connect with Jillian: Web: www.JillianBenfield.com Facebook @JillianBenfield Instagram @JillianBenfieldBlog E-Books: https://view.flodesk...
2021-10-1323 min
Brave Together Podcast: Support and Community for Caregiving ParentsThe Unexpected Can Lead to Transformation"How can the unexpected lead to transformation? Why is school inclusion for children with disabilities so important? Jessica and Jillian Benfield address both of these questions, and so many more in episode 66. Listen today!Jillian Benfield @jillianbenfieldblog is a former TV Journalist and PR Specialist turned military spouse and mom of three. Her second child, Anderson, surprised their family when he arrived rocking an extra chromosome--also known as Down syndrome. When she is not moving to a new state, or transporting kids to doctor appointments, she is writing faith and parenting a child with a disability on...
2021-09-2233 min
Labeled & Loved PodcastLabeled as an anchor and Down Syndrome momJillian Benfield is a news anchor turned homemaker and military wife whose entire life changed when she discovered her second son Anderson had Down Syndrome. She is an inspiring speaker and an aspiring author passionate about school inclusion, breaking down outdated stereotypes surrounding disability, and being a voice for parents of children with special needs. Jillian can be found at www.JillianBenfield.com where you can download her free e-book, "5 Spiritual Comforts for Special Needs Parents.”
2021-02-0240 min