Welcome!
You belong exactly as you are.
This space was created for neurodivergent people who are tired of feeling misunderstood, overlooked, or pressured to fit into expectations that do not feel natural to them.
Here, we focus on connection in a way that actually works for you. Your communication style, your needs, your comfort level, and your pace all matter.
You do not need to change who you are to build relationships, confidence, or a fulfilling life. You deserve support that feels validating, practical, and genuinely helpful.
Meet the founder
Growing up different, without the words for it
I wish I'd had answers earlier. I grew up with immigrant parents who, however well-meaning, saw any kind of diagnosis as a weakness — so seeking one was never really on the table. I just grew up knowing something felt different, without the language for what it was.
I was frequently told my way of doing things wasn't the "correct" way — how I organized my thoughts, how I got things done, how I related to people. Second-guessing myself became an everyday occurrence. In kindergarten, my teacher once described me as "overbearingly assertive." It stuck. My family turned it into a running joke that came up at every gathering for years, and even though it was never meant to hurt me, it made me deeply self-conscious. I was always told I talked too much, but I genuinely didn't have the self-awareness or support to understand why that might be a problem — or whether I even needed to change it.
Looking back, I can see it now: generalized anxiety and ADHD, showing up in ways nobody around me had a name for. An irrational fear of inconveniencing people. Panic over things that felt small from the outside. A brain that talked constantly, jumped around when I told stories, and gave up fast when things got hard.
The diagnosis that changed everything
By the time I got to grad school for speech-language pathology, my mental health was struggling to keep up with everything else, and a rough stretch — including a period where anxiety took a real toll on my eating and physical health — led me to a doctor's appointment that became, unexpectedly, the beginning of understanding myself. I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and started medication. But just as important was what came next: I found my way to the DRES (Disability Resources and Educational Services) center, where I met with coaches for the first time and realized I didn't have to keep feeling like I was drowning by myself. I hadn't known how badly I needed that kind of support, or how life-changing it would be. Years later, after working as an ADHD coach myself and recognizing so much of my own experience in my clients, I got an ADHD diagnosis too — but that piece of the story comes later.
Finding this work
That experience changed the direction of my career. I started as an academic coach supporting college students with disabilities — anxiety, depression, autism, ADHD — helping them navigate school in ways that actually fit how they worked. Later, as a pediatric speech-language pathologist, I found myself missing adult clients, so I pushed to add them to my caseload. The autistic adults I worked with on social and pragmatic communication quickly became the favorite part of my job.
Over the years, I worked with so many autistic clients and their families, and I kept hearing the same thing: there's nowhere for us to go. My heart broke every time a client told me they had no resources once they aged out of school-based support, that making friends felt impossible, that dating felt even more so, and that it was hard to find people who really got it — sometimes because they didn't fully understand themselves yet either. I saw how alone that isolation could feel, and I knew I could help. That drive is a huge part of why NCC exists.
It's also personal in another way. My older sister was diagnosed with autism around age 40. That diagnosis helped everyone in our family understand her so much better — and watching her begin to unmask, to finally have language for who she'd always been, pushed me to look harder at understanding myself too.
Eventually I trained part-time under an ADHD coach and psychotherapist, and that's when everything clicked. I'd spent years working with kids who had ADHD and quietly recognizing myself in almost all of them — the constant talking, the tangents, the way I told stories out of order. A conversation with my own therapist made it real instead of a joke, and that ADHD diagnosis I mentioned earlier finally had a name and a full picture behind it.
How I show up now
These days, my goal is to be my most authentic self in every part of my life — and I believe that modeling that is part of what helps my clients feel safe enough to do the same. I want to actually know the people I work with. Not just their challenges, but the parts of themselves they may still be figuring out. I want us to dig deep together, from a strengths-based lens, while still leaving room to be honest — even a little cynical — when that's what's real.
I struggle with word-finding sometimes. I have auditory processing challenges. I follow tangents wherever they lead. I'm hyperverbal and a verbal processor through and through. There's nothing wrong with any of that — and being self-aware about it has actually helped me connect with people better, not worse. That self-understanding, combined with everything I've lived and learned professionally, is why I care so much about this work, and why I believe I'm equipped to do it well.
WHy ncc exists
I started Neurodiverse City Connection because I know what it's like to spend years masking, guessing, and second-guessing yourself in systems that weren't built for how you think. I don't want that for the people I work with. My goal is to help neurodivergent adults — especially autistic adults — communicate authentically, take off the mask when they want to, and feel genuinely confident in who they are.
I've also learned, over time, that I'm not for everyone — and I'm completely content with that. That's a lesson I hope to help you get to as well, on your own terms.
If any of this resonates, I'd love to hear your story too.
coaching framework
Our coaching framework is rooted in the belief that neurodivergent growth should be nurtured, not forced. Like a tree, growth takes time, support, and the right environment to thrive. Clients do the meaningful work of growth, while the coach helps nurture the process through guidance, support, and practical tools along the way. The goal is to help each person build a life that feels grounded, authentic, and sustainable for them.
Why NCC is different
We don't hand you a program you could find anywhere on the internet. We take time to genuinely understand you — your beliefs, your history, what feels most important to you — and then we work with you collaboratively to figure out what actually helps. Not what helps most people. What helps you.Our coaches are neurodivergent-affirming, strengths-based, and many have lived experience themselves. We're not here to change who you are. We're here to help you build a life that works for you.
