I'm Beginning a New Chapter With Grove Neurodivergent Mentoring & Education

Supporting Autistic Young People, Continuing the Autistic Culture Podcast, and Sharing My Own Journey after Finishing up my Psychology Master's Coursework

Yesterday marked a milestone I wanted to share with you. I officially begin as a mentor at GROVE, supporting adolescents in group and one-to-one settings. I have long admired Jess Garner’s work at GROVE and watched the love and care with which they have been building neuro-affirming spaces where young people can connect through special interests and feel safe to show up as themselves. It’s a community built on lived experience, advocacy, and recognition of neurodivergent strengths.

I’m also proud to say that on August 15th I completed my coursework for a Master’s in Psychology at the University of Kent, and I expect to graduate at the beautiful Canterbury Cathedral on November 21st. I plan to put my new degree to good use at GROVE and with the Autistic Culture Podcast which will launch its 4th season in the biggest, most bad-ass way possible next month.

For years, I’ve known that I want to spend the rest of my life helping Autistic people make sense of who they are, not as a diagnosis or a deficit, but as an identity, a culture, and a source of strength. My own late diagnosis at 39 led to 7 years of greater self-understanding, but also a period of trying to treat or fix or change the fundamental truth of who I was with a fierceness that almost ended me. In some ways, it was better when I didn’t know.

Then I found Autistic Culture and that changed everything for me. It gave me language, community, and clarity I didn’t even know I was missing. Since then, I’ve poured myself into studying, writing, podcasting, and building spaces where Autistic voices could be heard.

Along the way, the path has shifted more than once. I didn’t always know what the “job title” would be, or what kind of role would allow me to bring together my academic training, my lived experience, and my passion for supporting others. But I knew I wanted to stand beside Autistic people as they asked the same questions I did: Who am I? Where do I fit? What does this identity mean for my life?

The journey looks different than I imagined, but I couldn’t be more excited to continue walking alongside Autistic people of all ages as they build their own stories of identity, belonging, and self-understanding. That, to me, is the most important work I can do.

If you know an Autistic young person who needs some support or friendship opportunities, feel free to reach out to me here and I’ll make sure you get the right information. I am so proud and happy to be a part of such important and meaningful work. I'll be running a writing group, a book club, a crafting group, and a Taylor Swift fan group, and there are many other mentors running incredible groups as well -- Doctor Who, Nature, Drama, Astrology, and much more!!