Although I’ve been leading parents through mindfulness practices, yoga classes, support groups, retreats, and workshops since 2002, my speaking work has grown in a way I never expected.
What began as intimate conversations with parents has gradually grown into invitations from schools, parent associations, nonprofits, online summits, and organizations that want to better support the adults who love neurodivergent kids.
Some talks have been carefully planned weeks in advance.
Others have changed completely because of what the audience needed that day.
One presentation for a parent association came during an especially difficult time for the school community.
The day before my talk, I heard the tragic story that brought me to my knees.
I put my prepared script aside, shifted gears, and met the parents where they were.
Afterward, I checked in with the Parent Association President to see how everyone was doing.
She replied to tell me this:
“Your presentation landed on one of the most emotional weeks in the school’s history. The fact that you were given so little notice and needed to pivot your planned presentation was likely not easy for you. It was calming and did a lot to soothe the parents’ frayed nerves.”
That message has stayed with me.
Supporting Adults Who Love Neurodivergent Kids
We ask so much of teachers and school staff. We ask so much of parents.
There’s so little support for their nervous systems.
When adults are overwhelmed, exhausted, or triggered, it’s hard to access the curiosity and compassion that our neurodivergent kids deserve.
Some of my recent presentations include:
Helping Your Neurodivergent Child Feel Safe in an Uncertain World
Creating Calm: The 5 Cs of Caring for Neurodivergent Kids
Self-Compassion: The Secret Sauce For Better Parenting
Somatic Exercises for Anxious Bodies and Minds
Every presentation is customized for the community I’m serving because every school, organization, and audience has its own strengths, challenges, and needs.
The people doing the most caring often receive the least care.
I’d like to help change that.
If you’re planning programming for your PTA, school, library, nonprofit, conference, or organization this fall, I’d love to explore how I can support your community.
Whether I’m speaking with parents, educators, therapists, or a mashup, my goal is always the same:
That you leave feeling calmer than when you arrived.
That you trust yourself a little more.
And that you carry one small practice into the week ahead.
More than anything, I hope you leave feeling a little less alone.
A kinder future for our kids begins with kindness toward ourselves.
Well done on the wonderful work you do. Parents of neurodivergent kids are often so unsupported. A mother whose child had just been diagnosed as neurodivergent asked me if she could chat to me about it. I asked my neurodivergent daughter, by then in her twenties, what advice she would give the woman. She said, "Tell her to repeat what she wants her child to understand over and over in different ways. So often I didn't understand even when I thought I did."
Thank you for writing about your own journey as a speaker and what you hope to do in the world to support parents. I just sent off a pitch letter to speak to a nonprofit focusing on family mental health. I'm not a parenting expert or trained psychologist. Selling the idea of lived experience is different than being a professional with years of degrees and accolades. Yikes. Advocating for parents is hard stuff. Your wake is creating a path of helpfulness.