From Farm to Clinic: My Journey to Neurodiversity-Affirming Practice

From Farm to Clinic: My Journey to Neurodiversity-Affirming Practice

If you had told 16-year-old me, sewing my own dress for the school dance in Zimbabwe, that one day I’d be running a thriving paediatric allied health clinic in Perth, mentoring therapists across Australia, and standing on stages talking about neurodiversity-affirming care... I probably would’ve smiled politely, then gone back to icing the wedding cake I was making for a friend.

Because for me, the story has never been about ambition in the glossy sense. It’s always been about making a plan. About showing up, learning as I go, and doing what’s needed with heart, integrity, and sleeves rolled up.

Beginnings on a Zimbabwean farm

I grew up surrounded by gumboots, wild animals, and more than a little chaos. My family lived on a farm my grandfather built from the ground up. My primary school had a game park. I grew up arranging flowers, baking cakes, and learning by necessity how to make things work, often with very little.

But high school brought turbulence. The political landscape shifted. Our family, like so many others, lost everything we’d built. We left our home in the dead of night, headlights off, driven by fear and held together by love. That experience, that upheaval, shaped me. It taught me resourcefulness. Grit. And perhaps most importantly, the power of sticking together.

Building a life, then a clinic

After stints in the UK and New Zealand, I finally landed in Australia with a newly minted speech pathology degree, a husband, and not a dollar to spare. My first job in Perth paid just enough to get us through those tight early months. But what it gave me, more than money, was mentorship, connection, and a place to begin.

Over the next few years, I wore all the hats. I was a wife, mum, therapist, employee, student, dreamer, and do-er. Some roles lifted me. Others crushed me. I was sacked (yes, really), overlooked, and told I wasn’t good enough. I was also encouraged, uplifted, and eventually brave enough to do things my way.

In 2017, with Caleb in nappies and Joshua just starting school, I opened the doors of my own solo practice. It was just me, a car boot full of toys, and a deep desire to offer therapy that felt like home.

The evolution of Perth Hills Allied Health

Today, that little mobile practice has grown into Perth Hills Allied Health. It is a multidisciplinary clinic in Kelmscott offering speech therapy, art therapy, and support that feels as real and safe as your nana’s lounge.

We are proudly neurodiversity-affirming. That means we don’t view difference as deficit. We support kids and families to feel safe, seen, and celebrated, not “fixed.”

Our reports are strengths-based. Our goals are collaborative. Our therapy is playful, purposeful, and led by what lights our clients up.

And perhaps most importantly, we walk alongside families. Always.

Why neurodiversity-affirming practice matters

As a mum to a neurodivergent child and a clinician with lived experience, I know how the system can feel: cold, clinical, and full of forms and expectations. I also know how it could feel: nurturing, creative, and empowering.

That’s why I champion neurodiversity-affirming approaches. Not as a buzzword or a trend, but as a deeply held value. Every child deserves to be understood in the context of their strengths, their needs, their culture, their nervous system, and their joy.

Therapy should feel good. It should help a child grow into themselves, not away from who they are.

Wearing all the hats (and honouring boundaries)

Running a practice means wearing a thousand hats. I am a therapist, mentor, marketer, boss, bookkeeper, tech troubleshooter, and mum-on-the-run.

I don’t pretend to do it all, and I don’t glorify the hustle. What I believe in is integrity. I focus on doing things in a way that’s sustainable, honest, and human.

That’s why I’ve built in support. I have an incredible Admin Angel and systems that evolve as we need them to. I also treasure time outside in the bush with my family to refill my own cup. I’m incredibly lucky to have a network of family and friends who cheer me on, lend a hand, and help hold all the pieces together when things feel wobbly.

We can’t pour from empty. And as caregivers, leaders, and therapists, we model that balance.

Mentoring with meaning

Through The NeuroAffirming Zone, Supervision with Di, and my Adult Learning Zones, I get to work with incredible therapists across the country. These include new grads finding their feet, seasoned clinicians wanting to shift to ND-affirming work, and business owners learning how to lead without losing themselves.

I don’t show up as a guru. I show up as a guide. I’ve made the mistakes, faced the burnout, and found better ways.

What I offer isn’t just training. It’s connection, courage, and community.

What I wish every therapist knew

You don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t have to fix anyone. You don’t have to do it the way it’s always been done.

You do need to listen. To stay curious. To be brave enough to ask, “What if there’s a better way?”

Because therapy, when done with heart, changes lives. It changed mine. It continues to.

Where to from here?

We’re expanding our Adult Learning Zones with even more accessible, empowering PD. We’re watching the art therapy space with hope and a little fire in our belly. We’re dreaming big, while keeping our feet on the ground.

And most of all, we’re showing up. For families. For therapists. For kids who deserve to feel safe in their skin and strong in their voice.

Because at the heart of it all, I’m still that girl in the handmade dress. I’m figuring it out, making it work, and believing in something better.

Thanks for being part of this journey.