Diagnosed with ADHD and autism approximately age 5-6

Parents very involved in advocating for me

Connected to local support groups and services like CHADD and equine therapy

"Neurodiversity" would not be published as a word until four years after I was born

Always had dogs in the house

Loved educational computer games

Began practicing martial arts at age 11 and would continue my entire life

• Wonderful time!

• Had dormmates, a friend group, relationship drama, lots of activities and clubs to try

• Small campus in a college town

• Studied psychology, earned Bachelor's in three years

• Graduated summa cum laude

• Now sponsor a scholarship in my name for fellow psychology majors

• Joining was motivated by wanting a dramatic change in my life

• Lost over 30 pounds before boot camp

• During boot camp, was told "you don't belong here" and "you're more trouble than you're worth"

• Studied electronics

• Made a close friend with whom I still keep in contact

• Sustained an ankle injury that would later cause chronic pain and mobility issues

• Worked as a teacher at a private school for special needs students, loved it, still keep in touch with coworkers

• Began acquiring supervision hours for national certification in my specialty, completed coursework necessary for professional license

• Worked 1:1 as an in-home service provider for local special needs children, loved it but laid off due to dissolution of regional service team

• Had a hard time connecting with peers, made few friends

• Baffled by social cues that seemed to come naturally to everyone else

• Didn't understand "fitting in," so I wore what I liked

• Viewed school as a place to learn, not socialize

• Spent many recesses alone reading or playing by myself

• Was in "Talented and Gifted" program

• Youngest in my cohort

• Make an unintentional social blunder in a lab (no one hurt and nothing damaged) which resulted in me being removed from the research team

• Ultimately impossible for me to gain acceptance into any other research team in the department

• Worked as a tutor, STEM program representative, reader for special needs students

• Thesis on how traits of psychopathy impacted moral value endorsement

• Developed an interest in medicine while on active duty, admitted to a Top 20 university for post-bac study

• Made to attend "professional skills" meetings by my program advisors, during which my social skills were critiqued and I frequently left in tears

• Admonished many times by professors and staff for unintentional social blunders

• Withdrew after one semester due to burnout and emotional exhaustion

• Early knowledge in this area addressed the impact of food on anxiety

• Expanded study to include herbs, teas, spices, and supplements

• Dabbled in yoga (several kinds), acupressure, meditation, EFT, qigong, chakra work, and gua sha

• Explored Pilates, weight training, running, and stretching

• Completed extensive self-study on how trauma affects the body

• Subject to bullying, such as: being pushed down a flight of stairs, knocked into lockers, degrading nicknames, staples shot into my hair, perfume sprayed in my eyes

• One perpetrator was punished once with a lunch detention

• Did not date, mutual disinterest

• Frequently misunderstood job titles (e. g. expected a "client manager" to be a managerial role)

• Had learned very little about networking, selling myself in interviews, and negotiating

• Quickly discovered my expectations about life after grad school were mostly incorrect

• Adrift, unhappy, and felt very unprepared for the "real world"

• Accepted a job as a warehouse manager, worked full time for about a year

• Relocated back to home state due to unexpectedly losing my father to heart failure​

• First serious relationship ended by partner shortly after my dad's passing

• Wellness self-study began as I searched for support outside of therapy

• Began working in social services, loved it, envisioned a lasting career and moved out of state to pursue it

• Subscribe to many journals about nutrition science, alternative medicine, and holistic approaches to care

• Have made an extensive study of trauma-informed approaches

• No longer mask; I bring my authentic self to all walks of life

• ​Want to help others as much as I can and educate the public on neurodiversity

• Share my story publicly to raise awareness and understanding