EPISODE 68 | THE GATHERING TABLE

Mothering in Montana with Angela Willey

What happens when becoming a mother also means becoming an advocate before your baby is even born?

In Episode 68 of the IWD406 Podcast, Julie Walz welcomes Montana mother and children’s book author Angela Willey to The Gathering Table for a deeply personal conversation about motherhood, medical uncertainty, and learning during pregnancy that her first child would be born with a congenital heart defect and other medical challenges.

Angela entered motherhood facing questions most new parents never expect to ask. What would her daughter need? Where would she receive specialized care? How would their family navigate appointments, procedures, travel, fear, and the uncertainty surrounding a medically complex child?

Living in Montana added another layer to that experience. When highly specialized pediatric and congenital heart care is not readily available close to home, families may find themselves navigating care far beyond their own communities.

For Angela, the experience became about much more than a diagnosis. It was about learning how to advocate for her daughter, processing the expectations she once had for motherhood, finding resilience inside uncertainty, and creating language that could help a child understand why her experience might look different from everyone else’s.

Eventually, Angela turned part of that journey into storytelling.

Her debut children’s book, Little Louise and Her Special Heart, was inspired by her daughter and their family’s experience navigating congenital heart disease and medical challenges. Through the book, Angela creates a story rooted in resilience, kindness, imagination, and helping children understand that being different does not make their story any less beautiful.

This episode of The Gathering Table creates space for a conversation many mothers carry privately: what happens when the motherhood you imagined changes before it has even begun?

WHY LISTEN?

This episode is for mothers, caregivers, families navigating childhood medical diagnoses, and anyone who has had to adjust to a life they never expected.

Angela’s story offers an intimate look at the emotional realities of receiving difficult news during pregnancy, raising a child with medical needs, advocating for care while living in Montana, and eventually transforming a deeply personal experience into something that could help another family feel understood.

It is also a conversation about the worries mothers rarely say out loud—and what happens when some of those worries become reality.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

How Angela learned during pregnancy that her daughter would be born with a congenital heart defect

What it felt like to receive a life-changing diagnosis while preparing to become a first-time mother

How expectations surrounding pregnancy and motherhood changed after the diagnosis

What Angela learned about advocating for a medically complex child

The challenges Montana families can face when specialized pediatric care is not available close to home

How travel and access to specialty care can affect the entire family

The emotional weight parents carry while navigating medical uncertainty

How Angela learned to balance fear with hope

Why parents of children with medical needs often become experts in their child’s care

How Angela’s daughter inspired Little Louise and Her Special Heart

Why Angela chose a children’s book to tell part of their story

How storytelling can help children understand medical differences

Why representation matters for children whose childhood includes hospitals, specialists, procedures, and medical uncertainty

How difficult experiences can eventually become resources for other families

What Angela hopes another mother facing a prenatal diagnosis takes from her story

EPISODE CHAPTERS

Meet Angela Willey
Becoming a First-Time Mom
Learning Something Was Different
Receiving the Congenital Heart Defect Diagnosis
 Processing Fear During Pregnancy
Preparing for a Baby With Medical Needs
Motherhood Begins Differently Than Expected
Navigating Specialized Medical Care From Montana
Becoming an Advocate for Your Child
The Emotional Reality for Parents and Families
Finding Resilience Through Uncertainty
The Story Behind Little Louise and Her Special Heart
Writing for Children Facing Medical Differences
What Angela Wants Other Families to Know
Legacy, Motherhood and Pass the Mic

Listen to the full episode and hear Angela Willey’s story of navigating an unexpected beginning to motherhood—and how her daughter’s journey ultimately inspired a story designed to help other children and families feel seen.

Listen at: IWD406.com/podcast

The IWD406 Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, Audible, Castbox and additional podcast platforms.

Watch the full interview and episode features on YouTube:
@IWD406MONTANAWOMEN

THE GATHERING TABLE

The Gathering Table is an IWD406 community and storytelling space created for honest conversations about the experiences of being a woman in Montana.

These are conversations about motherhood, relationships, health, identity, grief, resilience, belonging and the parts of our lives that don't always fit into a polished social media post.

Because sometimes hearing another woman's truth is what reminds us that we aren't navigating ours alone.

ABOUT ANGELA WILLEY

Angela Willey is a children’s book author inspired by family life and her daughter’s journey with a congenital heart defect and other medical challenges.

She writes meaningful stories celebrating resilience, kindness and imagination. Her debut children’s book, Little Louise and Her Special Heart, grew from her family’s experience and her desire to create something meaningful for children and families navigating medical challenges.  Learn more about Angela Willey and her amazing book at https://linktr.ee/Akwilley13

SPONSOR + PRODUCTION CREDITS

The IWD406 is fully sponsored and paid for by J.M. Walz LLC, a woman owned and supported promotional business.

The IWD406 Podcast amplifies the voices, experiences and work of women shaping business, culture and community throughout Montana.

SPONSORSHIP AND PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Interested in sharing your business, event or brand with the growing IWD406 audience?

Learn more about podcast sponsorships, promotional partnerships and storytelling opportunities at IWD406.com.

Pass the Mic. Share the Story.