Hi, I’m Tia.
I’m a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, writer, blogger, and the ADHD brain behind Little Miss Lionheart.
All my life I was told I had anxiety. Even as a mental health therapist myself, I also thought I had a stubborn case of it. At the ripe old age of 28, I found out the truth. My primary care doctor saw my ‘anxiety’ for what it was: ADHD. Considering most doctors still have the same poor understanding of ADHD that I had at the time, my PCP was a rockstar.
That sent me on a journey to understanding everything I possibly could about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, how it manifests, and how to live a better life with the brain I have.
That was 7 years ago. Since then, I’ve put in countless hours of learning through formal and informal training, reading both popular literature and research journals, and educational materials from ADHD experts to better help myself and others learn how to work with their uniquely divergent brains. Because when you have ADHD, that’s really what you have to do: learn how your brain works best and tailor your strategies to align with that. Most of the tips and tricks that are out there are great for neurotypical brains without the chaos of poor executive functioning holding them back. Unfortunately, they don’t work super well for ADHD.
It’s like this: If neurotypical brains are automatic engines, ADHD brains are 5 speeds. Not bad, not wrong, not ‘less than’, just different. Using neurotypical strategies for a neurodivergent brain is like trying to drive a 5 speed as if it were an automatic. You end up with a lot of false starts, stall outs, and if you get where you’re going, it’s by the skin of your teeth alone.
I had to learn how to help myself, then how to help others. I figured out what worked for me, then I started helping other ADHD brains in my clinical practice figure out what works for them. I love being an ADHD therapist; but I want to take my experience and expertise to help more people. As many as possible. Research indicates that up to 75% of women who have ADHD are still undiagnosed (or, more commonly misdiagnosed with other things). I want to close that gap.
That’s why I started Little Miss Lionheart. First, to help those ADHD women who are still undiagnosed discover the truth about themselves. And second, to teach as many 5 speed brains as I can how to drive their lives without so much overwhelming frustration, exhaustion, and shame. There’s no one strategy that works for all of us, but there are some fairly universal ADHD brain principles that, with a little creative problem solving and the willingness to experiment, can be turned into strategies that work for YOU.
That’s what Little Miss Lionheart is all about. And in the last 7 years, Little Miss Lionheart has helped countless women discover their ADHD and learn to work with their unique brains. It’s the coolest thing in the world to be able to help so many ADHD women discover themselves and create the lives they’ve been working so hard to build.
When I don’t have my head buried in research journals, you can find me painting, writing poetry, and playing with my two dogs who I am ridiculously crazy about. I live with them and my husband in Charlotte, NC.
See Where I’ve Been Featured
Find Me on Social Media
Check Out Our Most Popular Posts
