My very first memory of what I wanted to be when I grew up?
A monster truck driver.

That love for engines, movement, and building things never really left me. Through middle school and high school, I gravitated toward anything creative or hands-on — art, welding, teaching, special needs, building things, and cars. I loved creating with my hands just as much as I loved understanding how things worked.

After graduation, life took a different turn than I expected. I became pregnant young, and not long after, a car accident forced me to leave college — not because I was seriously hurt, but because it gave me deep anxiety about being in a vehicle at all, which I still struggle with to this day. It wasn’t the path I had planned, but it was the one that shaped me.

What’s funny is that almost everything I loved back then is still part of who I am today. I still love art — it’s literally my job now. I still love gears, cars, and building things. And most of all, I still love and care deeply about special needs.

What I didn’t know then was that I would grow up to be the mom of two truly incredible brains on the spectrum, along with one neurotypical child who is every bit of me. Not every day is easy. Not every neurodivergent child is the same. But this is where my heart always belonged — I just didn’t realize it at the time.

As our family grew, so did our creativity. The Freestyle Project™ isn’t something I built alone — it’s something we build together. From sketching design ideas at the kitchen table to talking through new product concepts in the living room, my kids are part of the heart behind this brand. I want them to feel like they belong to something meaningful — something that matters — because they do.

I’ve owned businesses before, and while they were fulfilling, something was always missing. I wanted to create something that said:

It’s okay to be different.
It’s okay to struggle.
You’re not alone.

I know shirts and products don’t solve problems — but awareness matters. Support matters. Feeling seen matters. And sometimes, that’s where healing begins.

That’s how The Freestyle Project™ came to life.

I don’t pretend to know everything — because I don’t. I’m learning more every day through trial and error, through the things that work and the things that don’t. The Freestyle Journal began before The Freestyle Project™ as a simple place for me to share my thoughts, experiences, and the lessons I’ve learned along the way. As this space grew, it felt only right to bring the journal here — where it now has its home.

I don’t share because I have all the answers. I share because something I’ve lived, something I’ve learned, or something I’m still figuring out might help someone — somewhere — someday. And if it does, then it matters.

This space exists to grow, to learn, and to remind others that being different doesn’t mean being broken.

It just means you’re blooming in your own way.