I have been thinking a lot recently, and I have made a decision. I want to take a few minutes and talk about it. This blog is pushing 12 years of age, and it’s seen a great deal of change over the years.

It started as Lost and Tired and evolved into what you see today. The evolution was necessary and, in many ways, a continuing process.

One of the things that I have struggled with, especially as the kids got older, is privacy. When they were little, I was comfortable sharing more personal things because they we so young. As they get older, trying to balance sharing meaningful information and privacy, has been more challenging. If I’m candid, that’s a large part of why I don’t write as often as I used to. It’s also why I share things in a more general sense.

I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, and I’ve wanted to evolve things once again. Unfortunately, COVID was a huge distraction, as were some significant life changes for me. I also struggled with how to develop things and what my goal with said evolution ultimately was. I’ve talked a lot about personal growth and how I’m looking inward to find a better path forward for myself and my kids. This is part of that journey.

In many ways, the evolution began with the podcast. I was able to do something different, and I enjoy it. The podcast has taken off and while I’ve slowed down on releasing things lately, to give myself a break, it’s very much a focus for me.

As I’m growing, I’m becoming more aware of needed changes, and I’m actively planning out some long-overdue adjustments. I’m not entirely sure what all of the changes will look like or what my final vision is, but I know the direction I’m going in.

Ultimately, I want to provide comfort, inspiration, validation, and support for those who need it. That’s always been the goal, and I feel like I’ve accomplished quite a bit in this area. I want to grow the business side of things and continue expanding the podcast.

The other side of this evolution will focus on privacy. I want to keep our personal lives personal. I’ve been moving in that direction for a long time but just never talked about it. I share far less than I used to, and when it comes to the kids, I’m cautious. As my family evolves, so do their needs, privacy being one of them.

I don’t know what that will look like, but I want to get back to writing meaningful things that help raise awareness. I want to write about specific things that benefit families in our community. I want to talk about self-care and avoiding things like burnout. I can use my personal experiences to help shape those articles, but I feel like much of the day-to-day stuff going on in my life is no longer relevant.

I’m looking to refocus on what matters most, as well as create a separation between The Autism Dad and my personal life, if that makes sense.

My life, like this blog, is constantly evolving, and I think that’s a good thing. Growth isn’t always linear, and sometimes we need to explore changes to continue to grow in a positive direction.

A few things you may notice going forward.

I’m separating some of my social accounts into business and personal. My personal accounts will be private for family and close friends, and my business accounts will be everything related to The Autism Dad stuff. Again, I’ve wanted to do this for a while, but change can be difficult, and life is full of distractions. I feel terrific about this because it frees me to focus on what I want to focus on while allowing for an additional layer of privacy for my family, myself, my kids, and the people in my life.

Change can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. I’m hoping I’ll be more creative and provide relevant, helpful information that benefits the many families out there. All of my existing content is in place, but in the future, you will start seeing more thoughtful informative posts. I’m always down for sharing my thoughts and opinions. My experience and personality will still very much be present as well. I want to continue to set a positive example and help wherever I can. I’m still as accessible as always, so never hesitate to reach out.

I wanted to talk about this because I know not everyone does well with change. I understand that. I hope that explaining why I’m doing this will help to ease the transition.

Lastly, I’m open to topics, ideas, and projects that you would be interested in. Leave me a message in the comments below and let me know if there’s anything you’d like me to write about. ☺

I feel good about this and I’m looking forward to this new phase of The Autism Dad journey.