You’re Not Broken: Reclaiming Neurodivergence as Brilliance

So many of us grow up wondering what's wrong with us—without ever asking whether that question itself might be wrong.

If you've spent your life feeling like you don't quite fit, constantly adjusting yourself to be more “acceptable,” more “normal,” more manageable for others… you’re not alone. You’re also not broken. You may just be wired differently in a world that doesn’t yet know how to make room for that.

This is the heart of something I recently shared over on Tiny Buddha: a powerful reframe of neurodivergence, not as a deficit or disorder, but as a form of insight, creativity, and resilience. 

But today, I want to go deeper.

What if the traits you’ve been told to hide are actually gifts?

For many neurodivergent people—those living with ADHD, autism, learning differences, or trauma-related wiring—life can feel like an endless loop of being misinterpreted. You’re told you're too much, or not enough. You’re praised for masking and punished when your truth shows up unfiltered.

But what if distraction is really fast thinking? What if daydreaming is creativity in action? What if sensitivity is a form of wisdom? What if the things you’ve had to work so hard to suppress were never flaws at all?

The world wasn't built for all kinds of minds—but that doesn't mean your mind is the problem

Neurodivergence simply means your brain functions in a way that diverges from what's considered “typical.” That might affect how you process information, how you learn, how you respond emotionally or socially—but it doesn’t mean you’re deficient.

In fact, some of the most innovative, emotionally intelligent, and perceptive people I’ve met are deeply neurodivergent. Their brilliance might not always be “classroom-shaped” or “corporate-polished,” but it shows up in how they notice what others miss, feel deeply, love hard, and think outside the lines.

We need to stop mistaking survival strategies for pathology

Many of the behaviors that get labeled as dysfunctional—especially in people with trauma histories—were actually creative adaptations. Dissociation, hypervigilance, sensory seeking or withdrawal, avoidance, over-attunement… These are not signs of weakness. They’re signs that your nervous system was trying to protect you.

What if instead of diagnosing these traits out of context, we honored the intelligence behind them? What if healing didn’t mean erasing these parts of you, but integrating them?

Reframing difference starts with permission

You don’t need to keep performing for a world that only accepts one kind of brilliance. You don’t need to keep hiding the parts of yourself that don’t fit. You don’t need to apologize for the ways your brain works.

What you do need—what we all need—is language for what makes us different, support that honors our nervous systems, and community that celebrates us as we are.

Your difference is not your defect. It is your doorway.

If this message resonates—if you’ve ever been made to feel “too much” or “not enough”—know that you’re not alone. There is space for all of you here. And if you’re ready to stop asking what’s wrong with you and start reclaiming what’s right, I invite you to begin today.

Let’s talk about what it looks like to stop shrinking and start becoming. Reach out today for a free 15 minute consultation.