Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tiffany Simpson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Tiffany, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Before I had my son, I did not have a clearly defined career path. I had changed my mind many times about the career I would pursue. I had rushed into the career path of becoming an engineer, only to take a break because deep down I wasn’t 100% sure that was what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing. After I finished college, there was this feeling of defeat. I didn’t feel a sense of fulfillment in getting my first degree and started a publishing company a little while later.
During high school, I started to journal my thoughts and feelings. I would handle big emotions through journaling and this practice helped me make sense of the world around me. Little did I know that this practice of journaling would help me overcome some of my life-changing challenges. I continued to write during college, but the high academic demand made it hard to keep up.
A few years after college, I gave birth to my son. At about age three, he was diagnosed with autism and my whole world shifted. Even though I was unsure of what autism was (and I still am), I felt a sense of peace and calm. Like I was right where I was supposed to be.
Overcoming the many challenges with my son’s autism is what pushed me to become the best version of myself. My greatest purpose in life was to pursue a career path that would help me help my son. I would fight for my little boy. Even in the darkest of times, my energy did not fade.
I have gone through several periods of creating solutions to help my son overcome challenges with his speech and social skills. The results were amazing. Today he is 17 years old and has a business in illustrating. We are a mother-son duo who write and illustrate children’s books and greeting cards.
I also run programs that empower kids, special needs adults and autism moms. Because of my journey with my son, I feel passionate about helping those in my community. My son is proof of what is possible. I believe my son came to me to give me my purpose.
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?
My name is Tiffany Simpson. I am a self-taught writer and certified cognitive behavioral therapist. I run several businesses and programs. I started the Read With Me Club back in 2016, which was originally a solution to help my son develop his speech and reading fluency. Today, my son illustrates for the club and I write the books. Together, we publish children’s books about culture and diversity.
We also run a company called Personalized Greeting Cards. He illustrates the ideas for the cards and I write the greetings. We started this business recently and it has been doing well. It is also a community where special needs adults can find empowerment and learn to use their creativity to create gifts. We collaborate with them to create something truly unique for our customers.
In 2021, I started the Moms of Autism community. This community helps autism moms to deal with the mental load of parenting children on the spectrum through journaling. Throughout the year, moms from the community would write their autism journey, based on prompts I provide and then rewrite with positive intent. Many of the journal entries are showcased on our website and social media. I also help with practical ways for helping these moms share their wisdom with others through our book projects. Some books highlight each mom’s journey. My son and I also illustrate and write stories about their children that they can share with their child’s school and other communities their child is a part of.
Through this journaling practice and innovative therapy solutions, these moms can gain control of the narrative surrounding their child’s autism, like I did. They get to decide how the story is told and we help them to publish books and other materials that help them to shift their perspective and educate those around them about autism. It is a truly empowering and therapeutic experience for the members.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Starting anything new in life is scary. It doesn’t matter how well you prepare. Your plans can be diverted at any moment. You may not be able to figure things out the right way. And that is ok. One of my go-to solutions for making sense of what is happening around me is journaling. Journaling helps me to organize my thoughts and sort out my emotions. Journaling helps me keep track of what is working and what isn’t. I don’t have to rely on memory.
The qualities I believe that were most impactful in my journey were consistency, grit and self-belief. I always did my best and I never let anyone downplay my efforts. You can read thousands of books and find millions of articles online about being successful. It still boils down to you believing that you are capable.
Consistency and grit will help you get to that sweet spot in your journey where you have developed your creative muscles and things start to get easier.
Most importantly, take care of yourself. You would be able to come up with fresh ideas or maintain your creative edge if you are not taking care of yourself. I recommend spending 30 mins per day journaling and another 30 mins being active. Your physical and mental well-being needs to be at optimal capacity for you to keep going.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
As an autism mom, I have had to deal with the feeling of overwhelm many times in my journey. As a therapist, I have designed solutions to help myself and others deal with overwhelm. My advice is to take a step forward.
Big things are made up of many small steps that we already know how to take. The enormity of a situation can feel overwhelming. This is when you look for the smaller, more familiar steps and start to tackle them. Each step you take brings more clarity. Clarity brings solutions and solutions resolve the feeling of overwhelm.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.momsofautism.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momsofautism
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