We recently connected with Brooke Hinson and have shared our conversation below.
Brooke, sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
I love this question and love to tell this story!
When I first started working my first career-related job after college – nonPareil Institute – I was in the throes of some pretty intense general anxiety. Looking back, I can attribute it to a variety of factors. Circumstantially, I had decided to quit Occupational Therapy school without a further plan, was working multiple part-time jobs to pay the bills, and just felt generally unsure of my abilities and my future. It primarily showed up as social anxiety in my day-to-day life; interacting with nearly anyone – my longtime friends, the cashier at the store, my coworkers – felt terrifying and draining. The hardest part was thinking I’d be trapped in that experience forever and would never be able to be present or at ease again.
Thankfully, in the midst of this, I was presented with a challenge – help start a new program at nonPareil. I went from socially anxious to being named the Social Engagement Coordinator, in charge of helping people feel comfortable and make friends! This change gave me new purpose, new focus, and new energy – the best remedy for getting out of a rut. While it didn’t happen overnight, my anxiety slowly faded and I was able to use that experience to relate to many of the students who also experience social anxiety. Today, I still use many of the mental strategies I learned to manage insecurities and challenges. So, my advice to anyone feeling trapped by a mental health struggle is to accept the challenge or create one for yourself! To make a change, you have to change something.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
In a nutshell, I am a coach, advocate and visionary for the adult autistic community. I discovered this passion when I randomly met the CEO of nonPareil Institute (a vocational program for adults on the spectrum) and he invited me for a tour. I fell in love with the program and the students and immediately signed up to volunteer, which later led to a job working as the receptionist. A few months after being hired, I was promoted to help start a new portion of the program where I designed and led all social programming and assisted with community outreach and volunteer coordination.
After three great years at nonPareil, I decided to take a new position as a live-in care provider for three young men with IDD (yes, we shared a home as full-time roommates!). Though I only intended to stay there a year as a learning experience, I ended up staying for four! We made it through COVID together and I decided to go back to school to get my Master’s in Social Work; because of the care provider schedule (working mornings and evenings, off during working weekdays), I was able to maintain full-time employment while taking classes and completing required internships, which was a huge blessing. I specialized in Community and Administrative Practice, looking at big-picture solutions to large scale social challenges.
Since graduating with my MSW, I am finding my footing as a new business while also scheming up some long-time dreams. I currently work in a new home as a live-in care provider for one young man, do consulting for a local nonprofit/disability provider (CHAI Inc), and provide coaching services for adults on the spectrum. Coaching provides support to people with autism who are navigating the complexities of adulthood, from employment to college to independent living. My business, All My Friends LLC, is expanding to include companion services with plans to host community events in the near future! I am also working to start a nonprofit that provides supported housing for adults on the spectrum – essentially replicating the home I lived in for four years – to provide an alternative to the group home model. Needless to say, lots of exciting things are happening and I am grateful to have discovered this passion and community!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three personal qualities that have been most prominent in my journey thus far are compassion, authenticity, and vision. We all know passion fuels good work- and in the work of human services, it’s impossible to have passion without compassion for the people you’re serving. I would define compassion as the capacity to care about the lives of others in a way that compels you into action. Just like any other skill, I believe compassion is something you can practice. Practice getting outside of yourself by contemplating the experiences of others. Practice listening to people who are different from you or people who are suffering. Practice gratitude for your own life and circumstances- after all, it’s hard to have compassion for others if you’re feeling sorry for yourself! Compassion has sustained me through the various roles I’ve filled in the last 10 years – though it has waxed and waned through different periods and personal circumstances – and it is what fuels me to keep dreaming today.
Authenticity has been key for me in gaining a deep and intimate understanding of the experiences of people on the autism spectrum. Authenticity is contagious, and it opens the door to vulnerability which opens the door to understanding. If the person I’m talking with can tell I’m being real – meaning present, honest, genuine, invested – they are more likely to respond in an authentic manner. Because of this, I’ve had countless amazing conversations with people on the spectrum who graciously open up to me about their experiences (the good, the bad and the ugly!) which allows me to better serve them and represent them when talking with others. Authenticity also helps build trust, which the bedrock of any fruitful relationship.
The final quality I’ll highlight is vision, or the ability to see things as they should be, not as they are. While it takes many other skills/qualities to make a vision a reality (some of which are challenging for me!), new ideas and positive change always start with vision. I would argue that vision comes from a regular practice of asking good questions – what do people really need? What would best case scenario look like? How does this connect to the bigger picture? What is the ultimate goal, and is everything we’re doing serving that goal? Do we have to do it the way it’s always been done? Questions like this can spark a vision and help keep it on track as it comes to life.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
It seems simple, but pause and reflect! When I’m feeling overwhelmed, it’s often because I’m not finishing any one thought and instead jumping from half-finished thought to half-finished thought. With so many different focuses right now, this happens to me a lot. I generally use some form of thought-mapping where I’ll write out the different categories of things I’m thinking about and then will make notes under each category- what I need to do, how I’m feeling about it, questions I need answered etc. Looking at everything on one piece of paper makes it easier to prioritize and plan, and generally slows down and streamlines my thought process.
I also organize my task list and calendar in a way that works for me – my task lists are organized by category (coaching, consulting, business admin, nonprofit planning, personal/fun) and I re-do the lists weekly so they stay fresh. I use the lists as a basis for planning/calendaring!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.allmyfriendsllc.com
Image Credits
Pixel Perfect Rose
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