In 2026, I created The Neurodivergent Owl book series to tell my story of growing up as a neurodivergent individual through a variety of life challenges such as educational challenges (school safety drills, assemblies and field trips), employment challenges (being flexible and open minded, finding the fit not forcing the fit and overall everyday life (going to the doctors office, social gatherings, etc.). These book are not just a personal story, but also can serve as a guide

... When I was a special education student, I always got along well with the head honchos of the school I was in. Administrators had always looked up to me the same way as the classroom teacher or other support staff. They saw me demonstrate leadership, an ability to thrive on getting good grades and maintaining social standing with both fellow students and teachers. However, not every public school administrator is created equal. I get the fact that being a public school

For those of you who have known me either for a long time now or throughout my entire life, you have heard me time and time again talk about the importance of supporting neurodivergent individuals whether it would be in an educational setting, an employment setting, a medical setting, etc. I do it till people are deaf in the ear because it needs to be addressed in today's society. ... Yesterday, I announced that volume 1 of my new book series, "The Neurodivergent Owl" was av

When it comes to Easter, I'm pretty sure many of you have your own traditions marking the moment JC rises from the dead, triumphant over sin and death. Some of you attend sunrise services, do Easter Egg hunts, eat Chocolate Bunnies that would make your dentist have a field day or have a traditional Easter dinner with Ham, Beef or whatnot. ... However, if you are someone who is big into Easter television specials, there are quite a few to choose from. Not as much as Christm

... Don Knotts: Speaking Broken French Dean Jones: "Will you give it to me in English?" Don Knotts: "Sure, we're lost." Dean Jones: "Thanks." ... Now, this may seem like an odd pairing...you've got Dora the Explorer followed by a quote from the first lines of "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo" (1977) and I'm pretty sure you are scratching your heads thinking, "what do these have to do with doing government related tasks?" To put it simply, while we have been down here in Sanibel Is

/ When Walt Disney made his very last visit to Disneyland in October of 1966, he looked out over Tomorrowland, his land of the future and remarked that if Tomorrowland truly needed to be his place of the future, he would have to constantly change the land to counter potential aspects in the park that would quickly become obsolete. Of course, Walt himself would pass away two months later and the company would have to adjust itself in that regard. The truth is, change is the

If you have been following me for some time now, then you probably have heard me talk about autism meltdowns and sensory overloads. I've travelled this road many times and let me tell you, it's something that I always try to avoid, but have been unsuccessful. Recently, I've been going through a very severe bout of autism withdrawal as I get ready to head down for my winter retreat in Sanibel Island, Florida. This withdrawal started with a winter storm, Winter Storm Fern if

... As we start on 2026, I'm pretty sure many of us are thinking of what we want to accomplish in the new year. For many, it's about accomplishing a specific goal whether it'd be to be more healthy, more engaging or setting boundaries to make yourself healthy and happy. But, there are some goals that people build over time and will stop at nothing to achieve those goals, where we tend to put quantity over quality on that specific goal. In the 5 years since I founded Going t

... As the winter holidays continue, we now reach the point that the time will soon come to close the book on 2025 and open a fresh new book on 2026. A lot has changed at "Going the Distance" as we prepare to mark the 5th anniversary of the organization that I built with the purpose of advocating and training the importance of neurodivergent acceptance from someone who is living the experience. ... While I will say that 2025 has been a year of change and restructuring, I hav

... As you know, we are coming the close of another year and this is the time of year where we come together to celebrate the fact that there should be peace on Earth and goodwill toward men. If you have been following me for some time, you know that I do a yearly rendition of Dr. James Allan Francis' essay, "One Solitary Life" every thanksgiving to empathize the importance of what the holiday season really is, no matter how you celebrate it. ... But this holiday season is o