“My Brain Was Never Broken — It Was Brilliant in Its Own Way.”

I didn’t need fixing — I needed understanding. And now I offer that understanding to others like me.

As a little girl in Antigua, I used to sit in class feeling like I was from a different world.

I couldn’t sit still.

I was always talking, always moving, always dreaming.

But when it came to reading, writing, or focusing on the board, my mind would wander far away — sometimes to space, sometimes to anywhere but that classroom.

I repeated classes.

I came last on tests.

And I started believing something was wrong with me.

I didn’t learn the way others did… and I was embarrassed.

I felt different — like I didn’t belong.

I was wild, talkative, and full of energy. But instead of being nurtured, I was often scolded for being “too much.”

What I didn’t know then is that I had traits of ADHD and dyslexia — two ways of being that no one ever explained to me.

As an adult, I still have challenges with focus. I get restless. I still learn best in motion, not sitting still.

But now I see it differently.

I see it as a gift.

Because despite all those struggles — I made it.

I didn’t just survive.

I became a mother. A healer. A coach.

And then… an astronaut.

I went to space with my daughter, holding the flag of Antigua and Barbuda — the same girl who once sat in class thinking she wasn’t smart enough.

Now, I speak to those who feel different.

To the child who talks too much.

To the girl who can’t sit still.

To the boy who keeps daydreaming and feels left behind.

To the adult still masking their gifts to fit in.

I’m here to say:

You are not broken.

Your brain is beautiful.

And it’s time the world catches up to your kind of brilliance.

This is why I’ve chosen to become an advocate for ADHD and dyslexia.

Because awareness brings understanding.

And understanding brings healing.

Let’s stop trying to fit in.

Let’s start building a world where we are free to learn, think, feel, and create in our own extraordinary way.