As a Caribbean people, why we so fraid?!!!! I’ve come across many instances in the last few weeks that has me questioning why Caribbean people are generally so fearful and less adventurous. Of course I can put myself in this category too because if you've ever seen me around a lizard you would understand!!! I saw a video where someone (a Trini) was traveling on a plane and was extremely scared, and the comments were inundated with people saying they’re scared of flying as wel

Something I learned on my semi-sabbatical last year was the process of nervous system regulation. Before September, I thought that taking a short break or a day off would help me to reset, and I’d be refreshed and ready to go again. This was clearly not the case. Short vacations and breaks helped, but it didn’t get to the CORE of my nervous system woes. I took the sabbatical because I realised I needed a longer time to recover. I started the semi-sabbatical in August/Septembe

The next Lunch & Learn topic is on screen time, so I’ve been doing some planning for it and getting my thoughts together. I’ve been thinking about social media and how it has made the world feel smaller and more connected in some ways, yet it still reminds us of how different we are. On the other hand, it shows how quickly wrong or misleading information can be spread, while those who share the positive and uplifting information might tend to get diminished among the louder v

Recently I was a guest speaker at the Down Syndrome Family Network’s Conference in Tobago, in celebration of World Down Syndrome Day. The theme of this year’s conference was “Together Against Loneliness" and I could think of no better way to combat loneliness than through sport, as I have seen the impact of sport in my own life. Here is the summary of my speech at the conference, which can be applicable for all individuals with a difference, not just those with Down Syndrome.

Someone hit me with this line a few days ago. This was at the back end of a six-week programme I’d just delivered on neurodiversity (autism specifically). On the one hand, thinking that everyone has some sort of difference and may need support should mean that we’re more predisposed to giving grace right?! But nah, I absolutely HATE when people say “we’re all a little autistic” because, respectfully, NO. Your neurotypical brain doesn’t process the way my autistic one does. Wh

At what point do you think professional guidance is needed? If your child needs therapy, can you do it all alone? If you needed therapy, can you read a book, watch a few videos, or go to Google and be better? In reality, some people can, and I don’t judge those who think they can manage on their own……to a point. Hear me out. Many years ago, I was recapping a session with a parent and explaining that we used play doh and what we did. I suggested to the parent to play with play

The realisation that it’s Wednesday already hit me like a ton of bricks just now! It’s a good thing I put a note about posting this blog on my weekly to-do list, otherwise it would have gone right out of my head. That’s what happened last week: I blinked and it was Thursday, and I realise I had completely forgotten about my weekly Wednesday post! You see, although I’m committed to being consistent in posting blogs, it has not yet become a habit. It is still something that I n

I’m writing this on Ash Wednesday, after so many people across Trinidad and Tobago have experienced joy, celebration and revelry over the past few days. This morning was quiet and calm as I drove to swimming, as if nothing had happened. My Carnival was spent at home, but it was good to see the pictures of everyone on my timeline in pure celebration mode, true happiness. That’s what I love about Carnival - it’s a time where all the usual stresses can disappear for a bit and we

We all need someone who will give us some hard truths: someone we can trust to give us the facts even when they’re uncomfortable. It can be a significant other, a parent, a friend, a mentor, or even a child! Too often these days, in the world of political correctness and not wanting to offend people (and don’t get me wrong - I fully support everyone’s right to live their lives how they want), the art of the hard truth is sometimes lost. In the last few weeks, I’ve been conf

I recorded a video this week for our new Lunch & Learn series (it’s FREE to watch, did you check it out yet?!) and one of the things I spoke about for improving attention was doing “check-ins”. This got me to thinking: how often do we do our own check-ins? How often do we take a step back, breathe, and think about how we’re feeling and how we’re really doing? We’re just over a month into the new year, and I don’t know about you, but woooooo!!!!! January was a mountain! On top