If you’re raising a neurodivergent kid and…
somewhere along the way you’ve lost touch with yourself.
parenting feels more intense than you expected.
you’re exhausted from holding everything and everyone together.
If you’re longing to feel more connected, calm, and present because you want to enjoy parenting and avoid burnout...
Welcome!
I’m glad you’re here.
For 4 years, this publication was called Atypical Kids, Mindful Parents. I’ve moved away from using the word ‘atypical’ as ‘neurodivergent’ has grown in popularity. I definitely prefer the word neurodivergent, but this name change is more than that.
While my work is still rooted in mindfulness and neurodiversity, I realized I’ve been writing about something bigger.
Not just how to support our neurodivergent kids, but how we grow alongside them.
Because our children aren’t the only ones growing.
Here’s why I keep coming back every Sunday to write to you
When I became a parent, I thought my years of yoga and meditation had prepared me for just about anything.
Then I became Ocean’s mom.
Many of the practices I relied on were suddenly out of reach. I couldn’t leave for a meditation retreat. I couldn’t even leave the room!
I was reminded by a mom of three that short, simple practices can really help.
Over time, I found myself returning again and again to the practices that helped me feel my feet on the ground, soften my inner critic, and remember that I didn’t have to do this alone.
Those practices didn’t make parenting easy.
But they did help me find my way back to myself.
Over the years, I’ve learned that the struggles that broke me open were helping me grow.
I started writing here because I knew I wasn’t the only parent who felt this way.
I’m Kate Lynch (she/her). I’m a writer, parent guide, mindfulness teacher, and the parent of an amazing neurodivergent kid.
Since 2002, I’ve had the privilege of supporting thousands of sensitive parents through mindfulness, self-compassion, yoga, coaching, and community. My writing has appeared in MUTHA, Autism Parenting Magazine, ADDitude Mag, and more. I speak at schools, nonprofits, and parenting summits, and facilitate neurodiverse parent groups with organizations including Good Inside and Extreme Kids.
First and foremost, I’m a parent who’s walking this path alongside you.
My little neurodiverse family lives in a magical land called Brooklyn.
The questions I keep returning to:
What if burnout isn’t a personal failure, but a signal that we need support?
What if we deserve as much compassion as our kids?
What if staying deeply connected doesn’t require losing ourselves?
What if our children aren’t the only ones growing?
What if I don’t have to do this alone?
I don’t pretend to have all the answers.
But I believe these are worth considering.
If this resonates with you...
Every Sunday I send out an honest, helpful post.
Sometimes I’ll share a mindfulness or nervous system practice you can use in the middle of a hard day.
Sometimes it’s a story from my own parenting journey.
Sometimes we’ll explore systems, ableism, connection, or the complicated feelings that come with raising kids whose brains work differently.
Always, my goal is the same:
That you’ll feel a little less alone.
That you’ll trust yourself a little more.
And that you’ll leave with one small practice you can carry into your week.
Around here, I hope you’ll find permission...
Permission to not have all the answers.
Permission to rest.
Permission to change your mind.
Permission to repair.
Permission to stop comparing.
Permission to ask for help.
Permission to care for your nervous system.
Permission to be human.
Because parenting neurodivergent kids asks a lot of us, and none of us is meant to do it alone.
Join us
This is a reader-supported publication.
Free subscribers receive weekly Sunday posts and become members of our thoughtful, compassionate community of parents.
Would you like to support my work?
Paid subscriptions help make this publication possible and include access to video trainings, my most personal posts, deeper dives and opportunities for connection. Plus, I’m trialing 1-1 asynchronous support via Voxer for annual subscribers!
Prefer to listen?
Atypical Kids, Mindful Parents Podcast is where I have conversations with parents and experts who share our mission. Follow the podcast for grounding practices, relatable parenting stories, and empowering strategies.
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Whether you’re brand new to this path or you’ve been walking it for years, I hope you’ll find something here that helps you breathe a little easier.
Thank you for being here.
I’m so grateful our paths have crossed.
Oxoxo,
Kate Lynch (she/her)
A kinder future for our kids begins with kindness toward ourselves.
'What if burnout isn't a personal failure, but a signal that we need support?' Your question was answered for me when my neurodivergent daughter was 20 years old. I finally fell apart and spent 3 weeks in a psychiatric unit. It was a life changing time and for me the realisation came that I could not do this on my own, I needed support.