This talk changed my life.

To the mums whose hearts are racing as their children start school for the first time…

Maybe your child is non-verbal.

Maybe they have specific needs that you’re worried won’t be understood.

Maybe there are words that trigger them, or ways they communicate that others might misunderstand.

Maybe they’re echolalic, repeating what others say, and people think they want something they don’t.

Maybe they’re hyperlexic, finding comfort in numbers, dates, and routines.

Maybe they tiptoe, stim, or grind their teeth.

Maybe they look away when spoken to, not out of rudeness, but because they’re trying so hard to listen.

Maybe they can’t stand the feel of certain clothes on their skin.

Maybe they haven’t yet learned to put on their shoes, or hang up their bag.

Maybe they have a diet that’s as specific as it is necessary, only beige foods, no eating in front of others, no tolerating the smell of the canteen.

Maybe they don’t want to touch the paint, the dirt, the sand.

Maybe they love to spin when they’re outside, and you’re worried others will laugh.

Maybe they shout.

Maybe they make noises, jump, or turn.

Maybe they struggle with transitions.

Maybe, just maybe, people will think they’re different.

And my answer to you is this: They are different.

But different doesn’t mean less.

Different has never meant less.

When I started my autism journey with my son, I was scared.

I was a mum who knew how to build businesses, who had danced her way through life with blueprints and choreography.

But autism… autism didn’t come with a blueprint.

Autism didn’t follow choreography.

My first instinct was to find someone who had walked this path before, someone who had found success, who could show me the steps, the formula.

But I couldn’t find anyone.

I searched.

And searched.

And still, I couldn’t find anyone talking about autism as a success story.

Until I found a TED Talk.

I watched it, and by the end, I was crying.

I stood up in my living room, alone, and gave it a standing ovation.

This TED Talk made me realise…

I’m going to be that kind of mum.

So, to all the mums who are feeling anxious, scared, worried, and sick with nerves…

Watch this TED Talk.


This talk changed my life.

And this is why I do what I do.

This is why I’m passionate about helping others share their powerful, empowering stories.

Because one talk can change a life.

Please watch it.

And remember, different has never meant less.