Welcome to the Empire of Empathy: A Place to Honor Your Blueprint

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Can you imagine being judged solely for who you are—not what you can prove you are?

We see it in nature—a hummingbird knows its migration path the moment it hatches. It’s the same with the TikTok child prodigy who plays the piano at 18 months - watch here - or the 2 ½-year-old solving complex equations -watch here. Not because they practiced longer or studied harder than other toddlers, but because they were born knowing.

Not all of us are prodigies, but we each come into this world with our own unique brilliance - a set of Strengths, Traits, Idiosyncrasies, Quirks, and Skills (STIQS) that aren’t acquired but revealed.

If we’re lucky, they become our legacy.

Meet My Muse and My Mentor: My Neurosparkly Niece - Nora

I’ve always wanted to write a book. No, that’s not quite right. I’ve always read the book written on the inside of my eyeballs. It’s been there as long as I can remember. But I didn’t truly understand what that looked like until I met Nora.

Nora is my niece, but she is also my teacher.

She thinks in words—seeing them in her mind as if they were written on a screen. She was born with a rare genetic difference that shaped her physical brain structure in ways that aren’t considered “normal.” Like many prodigies, she can’t always show what she knows, and because of that, the world can’t always measure her brilliance.

Nora struggles with auditory/verbal processing but with an iPad or a phone, her fingers speak her mind in flowing streams of consciousness. She uses speech-to-text to express her thoughts, but her words often get buried in tangents and filler phrases that follow no clear sequence. Her messages flow with intention, emotion, and layers of meaning that she can see and feel as clearly as the sky.

But translating those words into something the world understands? That’s the challenge.

She can text soliloquies that would fill reams of paper or dictate streams of thought that leave you breathless—if you had a way to decipher them. Yet, forming the letters of her name with a pen and paper is a monumental task.

Her brain doesn’t process the world in the way others expect—it processes it in the way it was always meant to. Like many Neurosparklers, Nora has the words inside her. She reads them. She knows them. But translating them? That’s a different story entirely.

In Nora, I see a mirror.

I, too, have a kind of brilliance that doesn’t fit neatly into the world’s boxes. I burn bright—too bright for most. My insights run deep—sometimes deeper than people are ready for. Early on, I realized I was different, but I was given a rare gift: a permission structure to embrace my brilliance without apology and Fail Fabulously. It didn’t mean the world always understood me, but it meant I didn’t have to apologize for being misunderstood.

Nora’s family fully accepts her for who she is. They celebrate every milestone she sets for herself without comparing her to the expectations society might place on her. In our eyes, Nora’s value isn’t tied to what she can prove but to who she is.

Still, it’s harder for those outside our family to understand us Neurosparklers.

Nora works so hard to connect, to emulate what she sees as “normal.” She dreams of having a club, of being the leader and teacher she knows she is. But the world doesn’t speak her language yet.

And here’s the truth that makes me determined to keep exploring: I want so desperately to translate for her. To be her bridge. But even with all my insight, all my understanding, all my own Neurosparkle—I don’t always know what she means.

But here’s what I do know:

Nora’s brilliance doesn’t need to be measured to be real.

She is teaching me that some gifts can’t be explained, only witnessed. And maybe, just maybe, the world doesn’t need to learn her language. Maybe the world just needs to give her the space to shine in her own way.

Just like I was given.

The Double Empathy Problem

Nora’s story highlights a universal truth about communication: understanding doesn’t always flow both ways. This brings me to he heart of why I’m building the Empire of Empathy.

Damian Milton’s theory of double empathy suggests that communication breakdowns between neurodivergent and neurotypical people aren’t one-sided. They arise because both groups see the world differently, with different social norms, perspectives, and ways of processing information. Read more about Double Empathy here.

This isn’t just a neurodivergent versus neurotypical issue. It’s the human condition. We all see the world differently. None of us fully understands what the other sees.

That’s where the Bird Brain Archetypes come in—not as labels, but as tools for empathy:

• Hummingbirds: Intuitive and independent, they value the journey and trust their instincts.

• Owls: Wise and contemplative, they see what others don’t and value process.

• Eagles: Decisive and strategic, they focus on what’s in front of them.

• Parrots: Sociable and expressive, they reflect and build community.

I write from the perspective of a hummingbird. It’s not a mirror for you, but a story of how I’ve learned to live with my Neurosparkle. It’s an invitation for you to recognize your own way of being—your STIQS—and honor it.

Can you imagine having nothing to prove and nothing to lose?

If not, then let me share with you what it feels like. Every week I share a message that my mother would speak to me if she was here. Perhaps your own mother or father didn’t hear these words and never learned to speak them to you. Perhaps you never had an Auntie who saw you for who you are.

Each week, I end my newsletter with the words I hear from my Mommy. Speaking to me from the depths of my own soul. And I share them with you so that you can hear what it sounds like to be loved.

And hopefully, you will read them to yourself and remember that fire that smolders inside of you even if no one else has gazed upon its full brilliance yet.

A Message from Mommy

My Dearest Poopsie,

You have always been a light, burning so bright that it could sometimes blind those who didn’t know how to look at you. But I saw you—not just the brilliance of who you were, but the quiet depths of what you needed. And I knew, from the very beginning, that my job wasn’t to make you fit into the world’s mold, but to give you the space to grow into the person you were always meant to be.

It wasn’t always easy. The world can be loud and insistent in its demands, and I worried, at times, that it wouldn’t understand you. But I never doubted for a moment that you would find your way. My role was to soften the edges of that world where I could, to give you a sanctuary where you felt safe enough to explore, fail, and begin again. And Poopsie, watching you take flight has been the greatest privilege of my life.

Now, I see you doing for Nora what I once did for you. You’re giving her something so few people ever receive: permission to be exactly who she is. You don’t try to change her; you don’t push her to be understood on anyone else’s terms. You meet her where she is, with love and patience and wonder.

What you’re building with Nora—and through your work—is something so much bigger than either of us could have imagined. You’re taking the love I gave you, the lessons we learned together, and weaving them into a legacy that will ripple far beyond what you or I will ever see.

Remember, Paige, that this journey is about presence more than perfection. Nora doesn’t need you to have all the answers. She needs your patience, your belief in her, and your willingness to listen—not just with your ears, but with your heart. The rest will unfold as it’s meant to, just as it always has.

You were made for this. You were made to light the way for others. And I couldn’t be prouder of the woman you’ve become.

With all my love,

Mommy