About Me
My vision is to empower parents to cultivate deep, meaningful relationships with themselves and their autistic children by teaching them about personal development and how to apply these principles to their lives.
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My mission is to help shift society’s perspective of people with autism as beautiful, creative, intelligent, valued individuals.
My Story
My family's autism journey began in 2007 when my son, Noa was about 12-13 months old. Around that time, he had his MMR shot and stopped talking and engaging with me in the same way he had been when we'd play games like peek-a-boo. Did the shot cause the regression? Who knows? What I did know was that I didn't have time and energy to waste trying to make someone pay for it when it wouldn't change what happened. I knew I needed to focus on what I could do moving forward to support my son to the best of my ability.
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I read stories about recovery, so I learned everything I could about autism and every treatment out there. If there was a conference or workshop in the area, I was attending. When I had time at work or at home, I would scour the internet and read books to learn information about how to help Noa. I felt like a walking autism encyclopedia, and it completely consumed my life. I tried every treatment I could afford and even raised money so that Noa could see an autism specific doctor. But it always seemed like nothing moved the needle very much. It was really discouraging and after 10 years of being super intense, I was exhausted and felt defeated.
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When I think back, I don't even know what exactly I was chasing. What did "recovery" actually mean? I guess to me, it meant: Noa could talk to me, and he wouldn't bang his head or bite himself; that he'd have friends and play games with other kids; that he didn't need so much help doing everyday things or require so many different types of therapists to monopolize his day; and ultimately, that he could just enjoy being a kid.
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There have been so many people along the way, people I know, strangers in the store, who have told me how incredible of a mom I am and how I'm doing such a great job. But, literally every single time I would hear that, I would want to ball my eyes out because I felt like I was never doing enough, like I wasn't making much difference. I can see now that "recovery" as I define it, was actually happening. However, it was my perspective and view of things was skewed.
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I always felt like Noa understood everything he was told and taught, but that there was a breakdown somewhere in his ability to show it, at least in a clear, consistent way to the outside world. As I learned about different approaches that also recognized this in individuals with autism, I began changing his services and supports with ones that aligned with this point of view. I started trusting my gut.
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Around the same time, I was introduced to podcasts. The first one I ever listened to, recommended by a good friend, was Tim Ferriss interviewing Brene Brown. And if you know, you know. That one interview was all it took. I was hooked. I listened to (and still do) podcasts about autism, functional medicine, and personal growth. As I listened and learned, I thought that maybe instead of pouring every ounce of energy into "recovering" Noa, that maybe I should spend some time working on myself. Making that shift has been a game changer in how I approach all things with Noa, and actually everything in my life.
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I learned how to really embody what it means to have a growth mindset; to be open to new ideas and perspectives; to look for the good things and the opportunities instead of only focusing on the challenges; and one of the biggest lessons, how to have grace with myself. It's taken a lot of time and practice to get where I am, and I'm always continuing to evolve, but I'm so grateful that I made this shift.
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I am someone who believes in paying things forward. Knowing how much my own personal development has helped me unfold an even deeper, meaningful relationship with Noa and everyone else in my life, makes me want to share my experience. I hope it will inspire and empower others to also see more in themselves and in those around them. Let's grow through autism together.
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