Did I Say Never? - Kim Nugent

Did I Say Never?

Dr. Kim Nugent is the best-selling author of Did I Say Never? Kim shares her personal 32-year spiritual journey, a true story, filled with sorrows and joys, challenges and tears that unfolded during her marriage and life as a stepparent. The intention of the book is to provide ideas, questions, resources, and heartfelt encouragement for parent’s to help their special needs child or adult so they achieve their full potential and improve the overall quality of their life.

Kim never thought she would marry again and for sure not to a man who had children. Little did she know that her life would change, in unimaginable and dramatic ways, and this is where the story begins!

Did I Say Never? is an emotional journey of love, frustration, and overwhelm. Kim step-by-step describes the details of each step she took on the path and talks about the Angels that appeared just at the right time to guide and uplift her.

While Kim does not have all the answers for you and your family, she knows the struggles, pains, joys and victories.  Kim offers remarkable disability resources and questions for consideration for you, your family, teachers, and caregivers.
 Have you ever felt completely lost, confused or extremely overwhelmed about what to do next with your disabled child or adult? Have you ever felt clueless as to what questions to ask next or what resources might be available to you? Then grab a copy and don’t let anyone stop you from “designing your life without limits”! Did I Say Never? is a must read.

My name is Kim Nugent and I have a passion for helping people achieve their goals. After having spent my adult career in both the hospitality industry and higher education, I combined my education and experience, to operate my business, become an author, and speak nationally and internationally.

 I did not start out to ever wanting to write a book. In fact, I was never going to write a book until one day my church, Unity Church of Christianity, offered a writing workshop. I decided to sit in for 2.5 hours convinced I would simply hang out and see what it was all about. With Tom Bird’s encouragement and system, my story and book are a reality today.  The reason for this book’s existence is the absolute need for parents and caregivers who do not have the resources, feel overwhelmed, confused and frustrated as I heartily wished this book had existed for me when I was challenged or feeling lost.

In Did I Say Never, I share my honest and real feelings about how much I did not want to ever be a “step parent”. What I found over the course of 32 years, was that being a step parent is actually an asset and a privilege. The other reason I wrote the book was to share my discoveries and a-ha moments to encourage you.

 My first meeting as a step-parent of a special needs child with school administrators still gives me goosebumps, a memory full of helplessness and defeat. I distinctly remember that meeting facing 12 school administrators. I said to myself: I am married, in a supportive family, well-educated, and English is my first language.  So, what could go wrong? It is a simple meeting. I cannot imagine what it would be like if English was not my first language.

 The school administrators were speaking English but it was Greek to me. I felt the language they used excluded me instead of included me.   So, at that time I simply trusted what they said was the right thing. Years later I found this not to be true. While educators are well-intentioned professionals, they do not know your child as well as you do. They do not know your child, nor should they be expected to. You know your child the most.  So, let’s partner together on this journey to designing lives without limits.

Kim is a native Texan and loves everything about Texas.