About Me
My work as a neurodiversity coach, researcher, and educator is grounded in my lived experience as an autistic person. It is this personal journey, combined with my academic research and nonprofit leadership, that fuels my passion for improving the lives of autistic and disabled individuals. Through my work, I aim to not only advocate for accessibility but to empower others to embrace their unique strengths.
As a sociocultural anthropologist and a nonprofit leader, I’ve worked to bridge the gap between understanding systemic barriers and taking concrete action to dismantle them. My experience ranges from academic research on autistic discrimination to founding the Bay Area Autism Collective, a nonprofit that provides peer support for autistic adults.
I’ve dedicated my life to empowering autistic people and changing minds about autism and autistic culture.
I’m driven by the belief that accessibility and acceptance are the keys to fulfillment, equity, and joy. My activism centers around empowering autistic people to practice self-determination while educating the public about the richness of autistic culture and ways of being. Through my coaching and advocacy, I strive to create spaces where neurodivergent individuals can thrive, free from stigma and misunderstanding.
My own experiences of being misunderstood due to innate characteristics associated with my neurology have fostered deeply seeded compassion for others at the margins and vigilance to serve those communities. I wake up each morning ready to positively impact the world around me. If my story resonates with you or if you’re looking for ways to foster inclusion in your organization, I’d love to connect and help guide you on this journey.
I consider myself a success story, but the road has not been easy, and as an autistic person, every day introduces new hurdles.
As with every autistic person, my challenges began at a very early age. I struggled considerably during K-12 because I could not keep up with homework, didn’t understand instructions, and found relationships with others awkward and confusing. I was frequently told I wasn’t trying hard enough. I suffered from severe mental health issues and finally fell behind so much that I dropped out of high school.
I didn’t have an autism diagnosis as a child, but now that I do, I can put my life into a different context, which helps make sense of the issues I faced and, importantly, allows me to be kinder to myself. I know now that my educational challenges as a child were due to dyscalculia and gestalt processing, which my teachers were not equipped to support. It could have been life-changing if adults in my life had taken a strength-based approach. As it was, it took many years before I decided to pursue a college degree.
During those years before I returned to school, I had a successful, creative career working closely, one-on-one, with clients. While my professional success built my confidence, I was still highly prone to be victimized, taken advantage of, mistreated, and misunderstood by people close to me, primarily because my autistic traits made it difficult for me to identify red flags.
The dichotomy between extreme success in one area of life and insurmountable difficulties in another seems to be a hallmark of the autistic experience.
Eventually, I decided to retire from my career and enroll in college, getting a B.A. in landscape architecture from UC Berkeley, where I became familiarized with Disabled Students’ Services and, in my college, universal design for disability access. While I have always been passionate about design, I didn’t feel it was the right future for my career because I was much more interested in the people side of things.
I understood how the environment and systems could limit access for some. Still, I was more interested in understanding how those impacted felt about not having equal access and how groups resisted those systemic oppressions. I got my M.A. in anthropology from San Francisco State University, where I researched autistic discrimination and organizational culture.
During my graduate studies, I delved deeper into the autistic community, discovering a profound sense of liberation in connecting with others who shared my traits and experiences. It was a transformative experience, as I no longer felt like an outsider.
However, I also came to realize the significant social isolation many autistic individuals endure due to their unique social challenges and the distinct lack of resources for autistic adults in the Bay Area. Driven by my innate desire to effect positive change, I founded the Bay Area Autism Collective, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides peer support for autistic adults. Witnessing its rapid growth underscored our community's urgent need for such services.
This endeavor also paved the way for my coaching practice, recognizing that not all challenges faced by autistic individuals are solely social in nature. Many require personalized support to navigate towards a life that aligns with their aspirations.
Above all, I believe in the power of aspirations and the inherent right of autistic adults to pursue fulfillment and happiness. My journey has instilled a sense of hope, driving me to empower others within the autistic community to become architects of their own futures, where they can shine in ways that resonate deeply with their true selves.