Anna Commons on raising her nonverbal autistic son and creating work that feeds her passions as well as her family

Anna Commons is the founder of The Autism Collective and mother of two delightful boys, Jackson, who has nonverbal autism, and Hunter. Her life has been one of incredible experiences and serious growth.

Her career began in marketing, then somewhere in the middle she waited tables, and now, she's a motherhood mentor and coach who also works with families navigating the NDIS.

In this episode, Anna shares her journey, from Jackson's diagnosis to what autism means in his day-to-day life. And we also talk about the importance of charging what you’re worth, why over giving leads to resentment and how she created work that feeds her passions as well as her family.

If you're a parent who has received a fresh diagnosis and is looking for comfort, I think you'll find it in this episode. Anna accounts the facts of Jackson's diagnosis and what this means day to day in a really pragmatic way here, so if you're needing to protect yourself from emotional content at the moment, know that this really isn't it (in my opinion). There were no tears shed and I left this chat feeling empowered and hopeful.

I know firsthand that it can be hard when someone you love receives a seemingly "scary" diagnosis, and both Anna and I are open to a chat in our DMs on Instagram. And the very last thing Anna says in this chat is true: you won't always feel this way and you're not alone.

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You can find Anna on Instagram here.

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which I''m lucky enough to raise my son always was and always will be Aboriginal land. I Pay The Rent and you can too here.

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