Geek

: a person who is socially awkward or unpopular

: a usually intelligent person who does not fit in with other people

: a person who is very interested in and knows a lot about a particular field or activity

Hi, I’m Janae Elisabeth

I wrote this bio in 2019. By November 2024, I will have been teaching about trauma and the nervous system for five years.

I come from a neuro-different family in the southern United States. Today I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina.

I was a nanny and private tutor for 12 years, except for one year when I taught remedial reading at a local public school, and another year when I was too sick to work.

In undergrad, I studied pre-med for two years before switching to an English major, and for a long time I thought those two years were a mistake. Now I know it was part of my path.

I am an autistic person with complex trauma, EDS, POTS, and MCAS. Through education and neuro-affirming support, I am able to manage my life pretty well. But before I knew how my body worked, things were rough.

I was almost always in pain or overwhelmed, and doctors couldn’t help besides blame stress. Out of desperation, I began to research the most recent medical literature, and I became my own advocate, taking what I learned with me to doctors’ visits and teaching them the brand new science.

I recognize that my education and ability to explain things clearly is a privilege, and I hope to use it wisely. One thing I deeply believe, which all my experience working with parents and kids and doctors has confirmed, is that “When people know better, they do better.” My goal with this site and my social media pages is to help people know better.

It takes an average of 17 years for research science to reach the clinical practice. (I know, really!) It takes even longer for doctors to teach their patients the new information, and that knowledge gap has been a tragic source of suffering for many families with young children.

On the topics of neurodivergence and trauma, there is an even larger gap between the community’s experience and the existing research. Many neuro-affirming perspectives that can greatly help people’s qualify of life come directly from the community and can’t be found in research papers yet.

I want to help parents, teachers, therapists, etc learn the most current information that I have access to, and I’m always inventing new ways to do that. My neurodivergence makes me good at pattern recognition and synthesizing information from multiple disciplines. I’ve done workshops, graphics, and consulting so far, but who knows what’s next, maybe a zine or a podcast or a book.

When I’m not geeking out about neuroscience and trauma, I enjoy singing, dancing, hiking, and writing fiction.

Want to learn with me? - click here to view my courses and group programs »

Collaboration

• Living with disabilities and chronic illness is expensive, but I am committed to offering as much free information as possible. If you appreciate my work and want to give back, please click the donation button above.

• I welcome the re-use and re-distribution of my writing as long as I am credited. Here is an example - this booklet was created for free distribution to the houseless population of Bellingham, WA. Download »

• I am available for podcasts and online conferences. I will consider traveling for events if all expenses are paid.

• I am interested in co-teaching and panel opportunities where I can reach more people with the information that has helped me so much.