We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amaris Avellan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Amaris, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
“I didn’t get a choice. I knew I would work for the family business.” as my father’s response when I once asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. In my family, work wasn’t just about making a living—it was about responsibility, community, and purpose. I was so fortunate that this runs on my maternal and paternal family lineage. My paternal grandparents, Willie & Ilois A. Fuller, built a business in Jacksonville’s Soutel Dr. area in the 1950s, and I grew up watching them selfless pour parts of themselves in each endeavor the company took on (In the 90s, way before the food truck wave, my grandmother converted an old Winnebago into a food truck). While I only remember my maternal grandparents being “retired” , living on land that included a citrus tree grove, pecan trees, and the homes of one great-grandmother, three great aunts, one great uncle and three cousins, and when they built the road through the middle that we had to learn to cross. I also recall during the summer and spring breaks spent with them, I saw them rise with the sun as real life demonstrations of what can be achieved when effort and purpose work hand in hand. No one act was ever simply for self; their labor always benefited others.
That same mindset fuels any endeavor that I am involved in, including my private school, Monarch Academy for Neurodivergent Youth & Young Adults, aka MANY, where we craft individualized education plans based on each student’s strengths, sensory needs, and interests. Just as my family included me in meaningful work, parent engagement is an important aspect of what we do at MANY. Parent coaching programs like MANY’s RePairenting group, equips families with the tools to support their children’s growth within the family dynamic and throughout their lives. For most humans, most things are easier when we are having fun. With that said, Work isn’t just about persistence—it’s finding a flow space where opportunities are created , barriers are broken, and time gets all…”melty” as I call it and before you know it, the job it done.
A friend, commented that many within my family “have that thing” being an entrepreneurial spirit. I remember my grandmother creating beautiful flower arrangements and opening a food truck. My father often said, “Be so good that they can’t say no.” While I appreciate the sentiment, I realized that “they” can always say no without explanation. So, I adapted it to, “Be so good that they betray themselves by saying no.” I also embrace my unique work style; I don’t compare myself to others and understand that I thrive in spurts, often working late into the night when many are asleep. This environment and mindset have shaped my strong work ethic.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
“Me: I want to build a space where neurodivergent students felt truly seen, understood, and empowered. My Best Friend: So you want to be Professor Xavier from X-Men, basically?
Me: Yes, including the capes, hats, and costumes.”
As the founder of Monarch Academy for Neurodivergent Youth (MANY), that vision, and being a steward for children, drives everything I do. MANY is a private immersion school where students receive individualized education plans based on comprehensive psycho-educational assessments, sensory-based instruction, and their unique strengths and interests. Instead of forcing students to conform to traditional models, we adapt learning to them, ensuring they thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
What makes MANY special is its holistic, student-centered approach. Students learn in collaborative, scaffolded teams called Biomes that reflect the natural ecosystem in our outside world. Students who qualify can receive onsite occupational and speech therapy, and engage in movement-based learning activities that support focus and self-regulation. Special interests—whether it’s history, mechanics, art, or nature— and sensory processing profiles are integrated and considered in every step taken so that learning is engaging, relevant, and endogenously motivating.
Beyond the classroom, we’re expanding access to neurodivergent-affirming support. Our Quirky Quokka Program is a new initiative offering interest-based social and learning experiences through after-school tutoring, guided social interactions, and creative projects. MANY is now registered to accept Florida FTC, FES-UA, and FEC Funds for Quirky Quokka and is working toward scholarship approval for tuition in Duval, Nassau, and St. Johns counties. We also provide sliding-scale tuition and private endowments to ensure that financial barriers don’t prevent a child from receiving the education they deserve.
At the heart of everything I do—whether through MANY, Quirky Quokka, my neurodivergent-affirming consulting, or RePairenting coaching—is uplifting the voice and experience of truth from the perspective of individuals who often are not dignified seats or even consideration at the “decision making table.” Children are incredibly insightful, honest, and love to share their experience. I think it is beyond time for adults to listen, not just hear them out. I’m excited about our continued growth, the impact we’re making on students and families, and expanding access to learning environments that truly embrace and immerse themselves in neurodivergence to learn more.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Tolerating the Discomfort of “No”—and Owning It with Confidence Rejection is inevitable, but resilience comes from learning to sit with that discomfort rather than avoiding it. Every “no” creates an opportunity to slow down and pivot rather than becoming discourteous or even worse, quitting. If the answer must be No, make it a confident no. Do your due diligence, ensure you’ve explored all options, and stand by your decision. This advice was given by Captain S.L. Smith, a U.S. Navy pilot and previous Commanding Officer during my time as a Hospital Corpsman on active duty. After pondering what life experience created this understanding within him, I later learned that he had to eject from his aircraft and tread water in the freezing ocean for over an hour before being rescued. His survival wasn’t just about endurance—it was about decisive action. When the time came to eject, there was no hesitation, no second-guessing. When you know something isn’t viable, own that decision and move forward with certainty.
Growth is Proportional to Discomfort
Studies suggest that most people feel the urge to quit at around 70% of their maximum exertion threshold—but real growth happens beyond that point. Whether in business, education, or personal development, leaning into discomfort is the key to transformation. The moments that feel the hardest are often the ones that shape us the most. I think about most tasks like lifting weights. I only start counting reps when I feel the discomfort because I know that the desired growth that lead me to that uncomfortable point, only starts after their is rupture, rest, and repair.
Enjoy the Process & Embrace Failure Fast
If you want to sustain progress, find a way to enjoy the process—not just the outcome. As a PROUD Autistic individual, individuals have commented that my process seems “uncomfortable”, “complex” and “unnecessary”. My response is typically, “I know, right? Most things are like this the first time, but few are as transparent about it as I am.” I previously squished myself down and made my experience translucent in an attempt to assuage their feelings before learning that it was not my responsible to make others merely watching my discomfort feel better. Focus on the task and reserve explanation for those who truly desire to have their understanding stretched….after the task is completed.
I believe that a change of mind/heart is often viewed negatively, though it is highly correlated to fast problem solving. I will also suggest developing the skill of seeking help without hesitation and embedding rejection response actions to offset the guaranteed negative responses to your efforts. If you can create a process that incorporates time for the sake of metrics, but releases the attachment to a time frame. In my culture, we often say, that something is finished when it “looks/feels right”, meaning that exact measurement can will achieve the result, while mastery does not require this but yields a comparable, if not at times, better result. The faster you fail, the faster you learn—and failing fast is the best feeling ever because it means you’re moving forward.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
One of the most valuable areas of growth has been recognizing when to step back from unfulfilling work and realign with a greater purpose. A shift in perspective can redefine any situation. Over the past year, my biggest area of growth has been reframing challenges as opportunities for alignment and impact. I initially chose to repeat my licensure hours in a new state, but after completing over 11 psychological reports in 60 days—with no role in how the data was implemented—I realigned with my original goal and was reminded that, while lucrative, practicing psychotherapy and assessment wasn’t my true ambition. This realization was like viewing a DNA helix from the top instead of the side—what once seemed complex and tangled suddenly became clear and structured. Instead of continuing down a misaligned path, I pivoted fully into education, expanding Monarch Academy for Neurodivergent Youth. During this period of waiting, I made a choice to do what exactly what a “waiter” in an establishment would do, which is be of service. I decided to create, Hu-Story with Dr. Amaris, a weekly virtual storytime exploring life lessons through literature, mythology, and pop culture. This shift reinforced that my passion lies in direct engagement, mentorship, and storytelling as tools for transformation. Learn More and Register by visiting https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1300253285579?aff=oddtdtcreator
