When Systems Fail, Advocacy Matters
Independent bookstores are the heart of our reading communities, and I’m so grateful for every one of them. If there’s an indie near you, I’d love for you to find my book on their shelves.
Systems are designed to solve problems. This book examines what happens when they don’t.
Tumbleweeds is a clear-eyed, unapologetic examination of what happens when families are expected to navigate broken systems quietly and instead choose to speak up.
Through the births of her three sons and the years that followed, Paula documents her experience navigating medical gaslighting, special education systems, foster care and adoption, and the cultural contradictions imposed on working mothers. The book exposes how institutions protect themselves—and how families can respond with clarity, strategy, and confidence.
Advocacy starts with understanding
This free guide shares practical insight for parents navigating systems that dismiss expertise, minimize concerns, or expect quiet compliance. Built from real experience, it offers tools for clarity, preparation, and sustainable advocacy.
Real-world insight from lived experience.
Have Paula Speak At Your Next Event
Paula is an experienced speaker who shares her message with audiences who work with, advocate for, or support families navigating complex systems. Her work bridges law, mental health, and lived experience, without apology.
Speaking Topics include:
- Creative advocacy for special needs children
- What every parent needs to know about IEPs
- Surviving preeclampsia and medical dismissal
- Foster care, trauma, and informed advocacy
- Merging legal training with lived experience
Meet Paula
Few professionals bridge the worlds of law and mental health with the depth and precision of Paula Yost.
Paula is a seasoned attorney and licensed clinical mental health counselor whose work sits at the intersection of legal systems, institutional accountability, and family advocacy.
Her new book Tumbleweeds is available now.
