Hi, and a very warm welcome!

I started Sandra Bell ND Coach because I want to support the neurodivergent community.

I discovered I was autistic in my early 40s when my oldest child was being diagnosed. I remember that lightbulb moment. We were in the process of having them diagnosed, and I was reading a book about how autism can show itself in childhood. And I thought to myself – but that was how my childhood was, shortly followed by the thunderbolt – I must be autistic! The more I replayed in my mind all the communication and social difficulties that I had experienced, from as young as I could remember – that I had put down to me being “wrong” or “less than” the more I realised it was all just because I was autistic in a world that, let's face it, most of the time isn't autistic friendly. And a weight lifted off my shoulders and my battered self esteem.

So how am I qualified to support you as an ND coach?

I have been an informal coach for many years to friends, colleagues and family members. When I knew – when I just knew in my very core – that this is what I was meant to be doing, I first got an online life coaching qualification from Transformation Academy, but I wanted more (studying is one of my special interests), so I completed a Certificate IV in Life Coaching and I'm currently most of the way through a Diploma of Counselling.

But I think most importantly I have lived experience, not only as an autistic individual myself, but also as a mum to 2 autistic kids that have ADHD as well, or AuDHDers. The lived experience means I get the highs and the lows, and the day to day of this journey we are on. I get that mainstream strategies don't fit us and our kids. I've experienced having children that are school can't, life can't, gender diverse, PDA, have learning difficulties, social difficulties, being bullied, mistakenly being seen as a bully, and the list goes on.

I also have an honours undergraduate degree in Psychology, and a PhD in developmental psychology. One of my other special interests is research. I have been a professional researcher for over 20 years, in social, health and business research settings. And I've been researching autism, neurodivergency and related ideas since my oldest started going through the diagnostic process over 5 years ago.

I'm here; I get you; I got you.