Is Raising a Child with ASD Like Skydiving? Dr. Zeina Weighs In
When I decided to go skydiving, I thought it would be just another adventure to check off my list. What I did not realize was how deeply it would mirror life itself. On that day, I was not alone. I was with Dr. Marcia Reynolds beside me on the same plane, sharing the same heartbeat of anticipation. Just behind us, my son Alexander was on the next plane, ready to leap into his own free fall. Three generations, one shared moment of courage.
The moment we jumped, the free fall was pure surrender. The ground rushed toward us, and for those first seconds, there was no control, only release. It reminded me of the times in life when we let go of certainty, whether stepping into a new role, starting a family, or embracing change.
Free fall is terrifying, but it is also liberating. It teaches us that courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to leap despite it.
As I spun four times in mid-air, my body struggled to find its balance. The world blurred, just as it often does when life throws us into unexpected spirals such as health scares, career shifts, loss, or even sudden joy. In those moments, the metaphor became clear. We all spin. But spinning does not mean we are lost. It means we are moving, learning, and eventually reorienting ourselves toward stability.
When the parachute opened, suddenly everything slowed. The noise of the fall gave way to silence, and the world stretched out beneath me in breathtaking beauty. From up there, mountains, fields, and cities looked unified, as if boundaries did not exist. This “parachute view” is what I wish for in leadership and in life. It is the ability to rise above the details, to see the bigger picture, and to appreciate the greatness of the world around us.
Then came the landing. Skydivers know that landing is the most important part of the journey. You must prepare your body, focus your mind, and trust the ground to meet you safely. This is the same with life. We can leap into risks and spin through chaos, but if we do not learn how to land, how to ground ourselves, and how to pause and breathe, we can harm ourselves. In coaching, this is the practice of resilience, finding safe ways to return to balance after the storms.
Dr. Marcia once wrote about the power of discomfort and how pushing ourselves into spaces that scare us creates new neural wiring and new ways of being. That day in the sky, I lived it. The discomfort of the unknown, of risking, of spinning, it rewired me. I believe that we put ourselves in risky situations not because we love danger, but because deep down, we crave growth. Risk invites transformation.
What made this experience unforgettable was how it unfolded across three generations. I jumped with Dr. Marcia, a dear companion in both life and work, who shared with me not only the leap but also the meaning behind it. And then Alexander my son, followed in the next plane. Watching him take his turn filled me with both awe and humility. He carried the torch of the future with fearless energy. Together, though not all at once, we embodied the continuum of life.
Past, present, and future were united by courage in the sky.
Skydiving taught me what coaching reinforces every day. We cannot always control the free fall, but we can choose how to spin, how to land, and how to see the world. Growth require discomfort, risk, and perspective. When we take that leap, whether in life, leadership, or love, we discover that the sky is not the limit. It is only the beginning.
Zeina Ghossoub El-Aswad
Wellness & Leadership Coach
Ph.D | MCC | Author | Speaker | Change Maker
https://www.instagram.com/dr.zeina.ghossoub
https://www.instagram.com/dr.zeina.ghossoub
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