Lauren Brown (she/they) is a heart-forward nonbinary, queer neurodivergent person who thrives in big ideas, challenging neurotypical norms everything, and connecting to others. Lauren understands neurodivergence from all sides as a proudly late diagnosed PDA AuDHDer living with OCD, mother to 2 amazing PDA AuDHD kiddos, spouse to an AUDHDer, and a Sib (sibling of someone with a disability). As someone who has spent her life advocating for themselves and others, she’s passionate about providing warm and safe support to those journeying for answers that may empower them, their loved ones or clients to move through the world in a way that feels true to themselves.
After a lifetime of being told they were too sensitive, too angry and everything in between, Lauren found a homecoming in their diagnosis. Now she is thrilled to spend her time with PDA North America guiding others to the support they may need to empower themselves so that others do not have to feel the painful loneliness of being PDA in a world that can oftentimes feel cruel in its judgement and misattunement. Lauren is adamant in building strong neurodivergent identities and culture through radical community building, mutual aid, and meaningful connection without shame.
Like a true autodidact, Lauren’s passionate side quests have led her down a lot of different exciting paths. 3 different colleges in 3 years had her finally land at The Culinary Institute of America, where she took her degree in culinary arts and paired her love of food, travel, storytelling and accessibility through the pages of national magazines & books, television, radio, food & beverage public relations, event design, urban dairy yogurt production, energy healing, neurodiverse organizing and wedding planning. Regardless of what they’ve got their hands into, Lauren loves connecting people, bringing a little more love into the world, and helping people feel truly seen and heard.
When Lauren is not helping at PDA North America, they are part of the wonderful team at Neuron & Rose Psychology and run a local neurodivergent support group. In their free time, Lauren is dedicated to living a vibrant and connected life outside of neurotypical expectations; believing that we can find ways to thrive when we move in the motion of what feels good for us, instead of life’s “shoulds”. Lauren lives with her 2 kids, a loyal dachshund, Gator, and her husband, Jake, on Mahican, Lenape, and Munsee land in New York’s Hudson Valley.
