Late Diagnosis, Burnout, and Finding Your Voice as a Neurodivergent Parent | Ep. 56

Host Brooke welcomes Lisa Richer—an advocate, co-author, leader, and mom of two neurodiverse sons—who shares how being neurodivergent herself connects her experiences as an elite gymnast, corporate leader, and family advocate. Lisa describes growing up undiagnosed, receiving an anxiety label without tools, and later hitting severe burnout after a COVID-era vaccine injury that disrupted her nervous system and led her to therapy, healing, and reclaiming her intuition. She explains why corporate environments often felt combative given her “inside-out” thinking and sensitivity, and why she chose not to return despite a high-level role offer. Lisa discusses her child-led advocacy journey, her collaborative “work with you, not for you” approach at IEP/504 tables using her “three Cs” (clarity, confidence, courage) and RIPE framework, and shares outcomes including improved placements, student self-advocacy, and academic success. She also discusses her chapter in “Confident You: The Raw Conversations,” and upcoming Journey2Bloom workshops and resources.00:00 Born Too Early00:49 Meet Brooke And Lisa02:08 Finding The Thread03:10 Late Diagnosis And Burnout06:38 Survival Mode To Service08:08 Corporate Culture Clash12:40 Choosing Not Corporate14:37 Advocacy Begins With Son16:37 Early Signs And Diagnosis19:33 IEP Bridge Building22:16 Three Cs Framework25:14 Intuition And Trauma Responses29:53 Authentic Partnership Model31:30 Middle Ground Advocacy33:41 Neurodiversity Prism Approach37:42 Parent Success Stories43:42 Student Voice and Trust45:35 Co Authoring Confident You48:45 Moving Through Fear50:04 Vision for Journey2Bloom53:16 Where to Find Lisa54:36 Closing Thanks and Next StepsConnect with Finding Hope on the Spectrum:www.findinghopeonthespectrum.comEmail: [email protected] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574918739411 Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-wagner-4819233a/ Instagram: @findinghopeonthespectrum TikTok: FindinghopeonthespectrumGuest Contact:Website: https://journey2bloom.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/journey2bloom/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaricher/