Back to Blogging!
Hello!
Because it has been a while since I’ve added to this blog, I wanted to take an opportunity to re-introduce myself and give you an update on my life and projects.
I am a neurodivergent coach, occupational therapist, teacher, mentor, and bereaved mother, specializing in reproductive mental health across the lifespan.
Pregnancy and Infant Loss
In 2005, I endured the tragedy of my first child Norbert being stillborn. My second child Roxie was born 14 months later, and I suffered from undiagnosed postpartum PTSD for many years after her birth. At the time, there was a general lack of awareness and education around mental health—both during pregnancy, postpartum, and especially in people who had experienced pregnancy and infant loss. I did not know I was autistic at the time, but I now see how much this impacted my loss experience.
It was only once I had the courage to share my story of pregnancy loss with others when our film RETURN TO ZERO was launched into the world—to connect to the larger community of other parents who had also experienced the unimaginable—that I began to find healing. I was an extremely private person, so sharing my story publicly made me feel uncomfortable and vulnerable. However, once I broke the silence around my experience, I felt less alone, less shame, and my feelings were validated.
I then used my background of Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Occupational Therapy to create Return to Zero: HOPE, the nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming the culture of pregnancy and infant loss.
Late-identification of Neurodivergence
Becoming a parent has been challenging for me by pushing my nervous system into constant hyper-arousal. I can see now that my strategies for self-regulation (which I wasn’t aware of at the time) became unavailable once I had a living child. The entire family suffered. Much later I discovered I am neurodivergent (Autistic-ADHD). It has been a positive, life-changing experience. The diagnosis gives me a lens and language with which to better understand myself and the way I navigate through life.
What I’m Up To Now
I am honored to use my personal life experiences together with my education and evidence-based research to forge new pathways to guide and support persons who are isolated, feeling unseen and invalidated, to create a life that feels authentic. I do this through my work within Return to Zero: HOPE as well as being an OT coach for late-diagnosed neurodivergent adults. I’m also passionate about learning and educating others about Autism and ADHD, especially as it intersects with women, parenting, and hormones.