Welcome, Mama.
I’m Keely, and I’m so glad you’re here.
I’m a mother myself to two beautifully imperfect and sensitive souls who have taught me so many things I never knew I needed to learn.
I’m also a writer, trained therapist, late-diagnosed neurodivergent woman, and founder of The Divergent Mom.
For most of my life, I thought something was wrong with me. I just didn’t seem to feel happy or relate like others I knew. But I desperately wanted to be liked, so I masked my emotional struggles, I over-functioned to prove my worth, and I powered through the adaptations I had to constantly make to feel like I fit in.
It’s when I became a mother that the cracks really began to show. Suddenly, all the strategies that had helped me “keep it together” no longer worked — and I was left feeling enormously overwhelmed, the deepest angst I’d ever known, and utterly alone in everything.
Through the early years of being a mom, I never stopped asking myself, “Why is motherhood so hard for me?” Not having an answer yet, there was a lot more struggling and suffering my family and I went on to feel. But thankfully I never stopped searching for an answer, because I eventually discovered the lifeline truth that clicked everything into place, something no one else had ever named for me —
I’m not broken, I’m just wired differently.
💡ADHD
💡Sensory sensitivity
💡Autism traits
💡Social anxiety
💡Executive dysfunction
💡Slow processing speed
All the things I’d carried for decades without the language to name it or the tools to support it.
It’s only when I began putting the pieces together and started to see others’ neuroDivergent stories in myself too that I was able to start rewriting the narrative of my life, understanding my experiences of being a mom through a new, more compassionate lens, and find a new kind of self-love that changed everything.
I am neuroDivergent. And that is my superpower.
My Own neuroDivergent Motherhood
Before I understood I was neuroDivergent, I moved through motherhood feeling like I was constantly doing it wrong. The proverbial bad mom who must not care to do “better” since I never seemed to.
I desperately needed routines, but at the same time somehow couldn’t seem to keep them up.
I was always overstimulated, running late, and blaming myself for not being more patient, more present, or more emotionally put-together.
I melted down again and again, in front of my kids or even with my them sometimes. I always said, “I’ll never be a mom who yells!” And the kind of shame that follows when you do is fierce.
But when I began to uncover how all of my struggles might be explained by ADHD, sensory sensitivity, and even some autistic traits, something shifted for me. It wasn’t a magic fix, but it was a massive reframe.
Suddenly, my “struggles” started making sense. My patterns had a name. My overwhelm had a context. And my need for rest, silence, flexibility, or space wasn’t a weakness — it was my body’s own wisdom coming through.
Realizing I was neuroDivergent didn’t erase the hard parts of motherhood, but it did do something even better — It gave me permission to stop trying to mother like everyone else.
Now as I’m re-learning how to fully be myself, mother my own way, follow my own rules: slowly, imperfectly, honestly with compassion for my nervous system and support for my brain —
I’m enjoying motherhood so much more, and sharing my deep, defiant knowing with you.
Different does not mean broken.
Different does not mean broken.
That’s Why I’m Here
The Divergent Mom is a space I’m creating for all mothers like me who feel different, like they don’t fit the traditional motherhood mold. Maybe you too are on a path to better understand yourself so you can enjoy being a mother more. This project has been a long time coming for me, and I have never been more ready to share with you the gift that is self-compassion and radical self love.
Here, you’ll find —
Honest, unfiltered stories from the trenches of neuroDivergent motherhood.
Resources and reflections for late-diagnosed ADHD/autistic and other ND women navigating complex lives and role transitions.
Soulful validation and nurturing for the parts of you that feel “too much” or “not enough.”
A rebellion against the systems and forces that created the myth of the “perfect mom” to begin with.
Above all, I want to reassure you that you’re not lazy, crazy, selfish, or alone. You may be wired differently, AND —
You deserve motherhood to honor who YOU truly are.
The Divergent Mom is here to help all moms with the journey that is unmasking your struggles, unlearning all the wrong scripts, and coming home to yourself (and your kids).
One fully real, messy, beautiful day at a time.