#MakingLivedExperiencesMatter #OpenConversations Sharing this with a lot of care. Being part of this anthology shifted something essential in how I understand neurodiversity, inclusion, and myself. The essay I contributed came from a moment where I had to face a hard truth that while speaking strongly about inclusion, I had not included myself. I had learned the language and the positions, but not yet allowed my own experience to stand without translation or permission. This space made that possible. What this anthology holds is the reality that “I am not you,” and yet our needs are deeply human and shared. What shapes us is different. Our nervous systems carry different histories. And the boxes we rely on, neurotypical and neurodivergent, helper and helped, one who understands and one who seeks understanding, often collapse complexity rather than support it. They strain relationships and exhaust people on all sides. Here, I did not have to shape my voice to sound acceptable or correct. I could write as I am. Patterns repeated, in me and around me, but this time I could meet them with clearer boundaries, more resilience, and a steadier sense of agency. That shift did not come from insight alone. It came from being in a space where repair was modelled with accountability and responsibility was actually taken. That matters more than we often admit. Some people and some spaces arrive for a reason. Some stay for a season. This one was both. It will remain one of the most important parts of my learning journey. Thank you to Smitha, Swati, and the MyndStories team for holding a space where stories could exist without being shaped to fit. This anthology carries voices that matter because the people behind them matter. I hope these words are held with the same care with which they were written. Pre-orders for the MyndStories anthology essays are now open. https://books.myndstories.com/our-stories-are-us
