Hi, I'm Jen and I'm autistic and ADHD. I spend a lot of time thinking about how neurodivergent brains handle the demands of other people, our sensory spaces, creative performance, and just getting through a regular weekday.
I have completed certification in polyvagal informed approaches and performance coaching from Polyvagal Institute (and will be modifying approaches to be inclusive and appropriate for neurodivergent brains, because they are often not inclusive by default), and am a provisionally certified Community Resilience Model teacher with the Trauma Resource Institute (working on my full certification). I also have a graduate studies certificate in developing healthy communities from Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and am a member of the International Institute for Complementary Therapists.
My background is a weird and useful combination of things. I taught creative technology and practiced instructional design for close to 30 years, mostly in software, web, and multimedia. I worked as a writer, manager, and quality engineer in Silicon Valley for years. I taught and coached improv and acting at several schools including World's Greatest Improv School (WGIS) and Queen City Comedy, and for a while I ran the online improv school and marketing at WGIS. I taught group fitness classes, and certified in several formats and practices. I hold a degree in teaching creative arts to adults from the University of Calgary, and a certification with honours from Vancouver Film School in multimedia design.
All of that sounds scattered (AuDHD, right?) until you notice the thread running through it: I teach people how to do things with their bodies and their brains. Things like how to move, how to perform, and how to show up in front of other people when that feels hard. The polyvagal and trauma-informed training pulls everything together. I have spent years coaching and teaching people, with my own AuDHD brain. Now I have the science and the framework to explain why those things happen and how to work with your nervous system instead of pushing through life.
I have also spent many years as an autistic/ADHD human in abundant physical and social isolation, so the techniques I will be sharing have been tested and in personal use. My personal experience and what I believe in and practice is what draws me to what I choose to learn and share, from my recipe website to what I cover in my educational podcasts and shows.
