my credentials for "Listen Up," online Q&A series
/I'll soon be answering your questions as part of an online Q&A series called Listen Up.
It's a way for me to use my Autistic superpower of listening to help others.
While I think messages from the heart can make the most impact, I also recognize that formal credentials can make some folks feel safer and more confident in asking a stranger a question.
So here are some formal credentials.
👩🏻🎓 I have a degree in journalism from Baylor University.
👩🏻💼 I was in full-time professional roles from ages 22 to 29 until I quit to be a freelance writer and content marketer.
🧠 In every job I've ever had, I took it upon myself to become a subject matter expert on anything I wrote, edited or reviewed. My brain is a never-ending vault of information, resources and big-picture processing.
✍️ I've had direct experience in book publishing/editing/writing, engineering, self-publishing, healthcare, writing coaching, global immigration, inbound marketing and probably some other things.
🧘🏻♀️ I'm also certified in mindfulness awareness meditation.
☯️✝️🕎 I also have a minor in religion and spent several years after college self-studying the theological variances in most of the major world religions.
🙇🏻♀️ Another reason I am sharing these credentials is because I want more people to understand that Autistics have an incredible capacity to deeply study and absorb things that interest them.
💡And we often have the ability to frame challenging topics using language that makes those topics more accessible.
I don't have a great capacity for bullshitting. I'm really comfortable saying "I don't know the answer" because my brain naturally operates in very literal terms. (I enjoy working with nuance, but it is a skill I constantly work at.)
All this to say, if you ask me a question, I have some credentials from folks who said I passed tests in a satisfactory manner. And in my answers I'll try to do a few things:
1️⃣ point you in the direction of someone who's a master teacher or someone I trust,
2️⃣ spend time using my gift of visualization to put myself in your shoes and
3️⃣ always offer a piece of both my mind and heart
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