Hello Reader,

This morning my husband dropped the kids to school so I could head straight out to the office. When he got home to find me still there, he asked what was going on. I shared that I got sidetracked challenging someone online about their negative opinion of Autistic Barbie.

If you haven't already seen, Mattel have launched a new doll, Autistic Barbie and it's created a lot of conversation online. To be clear, I didn’t challenge this person because they didn’t like the doll. I challenged them because they were talking about why they personally thought the doll was harmful to Autistic people, but they were speaking as someone who is not Autistic, and their reasoning didn't sit right with me.

When I suggested that, as they have a large and influential platform, it would be a good idea for them to get Autistic perspectives before sharing something effecting the Autistic community, they informed me that they did get Autistic perspectives but they didn’t agree with them. This not how Allyship works. Allyship is about elevating the voices of those that are marginalised. Ignoring those voices because you think you know better is literally the problem.

This exchange served as a reminder that I have neglected building my own platform for too long. My business doesn’t exist just to help neurodivergent business owners design sustainable offers. It’s about helping them to support themselves energetically and financially in a world that wasn’t designed for them. It’s about doing business in a way that’s affirms people’s identities and promotes inclusion. And this work needs to be done loudly and proudly.

And if there’s one person that springs to mind when I think of getting visible and vocal it’s Lindsay McGlone. An instagram expert and influencer, Lindsay is the queer, neurodivergent poster child of showing up loud and proud, and a fierce advocate for inclusivity. I’ve learned a lot from them just by having witnessed how they show up in spaces.

Whilst I’m always learning from others online, I haven’t taken the time to really nurture my own social media presence or connect with my audience. So I’m excited to be attending Lindsay’s FREE Instagram masterclass, ‘My Content Brings All The Leads To The Yard’* on 22nd January.

Will you join me there, Reader? It's a great opportunity to learn how to show up in a way that feels authentic AND serves your audience.

​Book your seat now!

From Laila with love ❤️

P.S. TL/DR Join a Free Instagram masterclass

P.P.S. I'll be sharing my thoughts on Mattel’s Autistic Barbie in a blog post shortly, in the meantime I recommend checking out these Autistic Advocates for helpful perspectives if you'd like to learn more:

​@fidgets.and.fries​

​@kaishawna_music​

​@livedexperienceeducator​

​@yellowladybugs_autism​

​@diversity_in_neurodiversity

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