This is the Story of ADHD Wise UK.
In 2016, I clicked “create page” on Facebook without any idea what would follow.
I remember asking people to help me name it. I remember the nerves of those first weeks when there were few followers and no clue if people would ever care about what I had to say.
It didn’t start with confidence. It didn’t start with a big strategy. It started with a need – and me trying to find my voice.
I was searching for information to support myself and my children, and it simply wasn’t out there in a way that felt real, usable, and human. But as a SEND specialist teacher, I knew how to dig, how to learn, and how to translate research into practice. So I started writing. About things I read. About what I was learning. About what I was living.
And slowly, people began to show up. They connected. They related. They shared.
That’s how ADHD Wise UK began, and how, one step at a time, it grew.
Today, ADHD Wise UK has 41,000 Facebook followers. That number blows me away. But it’s still a slow and gradual progression. I guess the slow and steady growth is why it still feels deeply rooted in being real, and has survived difficult times. Algorithms are turned down on this kind of work now – and yet we are still going and growing.
It doesn’t mean I’ve got everything figured out.
It doesn’t mean I’m perfect.
It doesn’t mean I never mess up.
I’m still just me.
Unmasked.
Awkward.
Fallible.
Authentic.
I’m not the story. The people are the story. The families. The individuals. The professionals. The conversations. The community.
From Acorns to Advocacy
Like so many others, my journey into SEND started with needing to re-evaluate my vision of parenting, looking for answers in the weeds of worry, frustration, and love. Like so many others, somewhere along the way I realised my own neurodivergence, too.
That discovery gave me clarity. It gave me purpose. And it gave me the courage to keep showing up.
ADHD Wise UK exists for one reason. Because people need people. Community matters.
Where We Are Now
From nothing in 2016.
To my full-time job in January 2019.
To now, with a small, brilliant team and an incredible network of associates (past and present).
Today, ADHD Wise UK:
- Coaches – empowering people to explore, understand, and embrace themselves.
- Trains – equipping schools, workplaces, and organisations to better support neurodiverse people.
- Advocates – standing beside families and individuals navigating complex systems.
- Produces content – resources, posts, blogs, and videos that inform and inspire.
- Screens for neurodivergent conditions – offering clarity and a first step on the journey.
- Supports and conducts research – shaping the evidence base so practice evolves with real-world experience.
- Informs practice – ensuring lived experience influences how professionals work.
- Publishes books – with more in the pipeline.
We’ve grown beyond Facebook. You can now find ADHD Wise UK on TikTok, Instagram, this brand-new website, and through our well-established newsletter community.
Over the years, there have been award nominations and a few shortlists. No wins – yet. But honestly, that’s okay. The measures that matter most aren’t handed out at ceremonies. They arrive in private: the emails, the messages, the quiet thank-yous from someone who finally feels seen or achieves a dream. That’s why we do this.
The People Behind the Page
Although I’ve written this blog from my perspective, ADHD Wise UK has never been just about me. My team are amazing. Dedicated, passionate, and deeply committed. And many who once worked alongside us have since moved on to follow their own dreams, which makes me just as proud.
This story may have started with one voice, but it has always been carried by many.
A Thank You
If you’re reading this, you’re part of the story. Whether you’ve been here since the very beginning or you’ve just arrived, whether you’ve worked with us, shared a post, or simply nodded along quietly in the background, you matter.
Thank you for being here.
Thank you for every minute of your time.
Thank you for every pound you’ve invested.
Thank you for every ounce of trust.
Nine years in, I’m still standing in awe of what a community can build together. ADHD Wise UK started from nothing and together, we’re creating something that changes lives.
So welcome to the first new post on ‘The Neurodiversity Wise Blog’.
