about

The first time I heard the word neurodivergent was when the movie Divergent starring Shailene Woodley came out.

I thought being divergent was way too cool, and I was almost disappointed not to be. I was already imagining myself defying authority with a nonconformist mindset, taking the lead in a dystopian society, with a 2.0 version of Theo James as my ultimate ally.

As it turned out, my neurodivergence expressed itself a bit differently. Because, like so many young girls, I was (unconsciously) masking the way my brain worked.

So, I rediscovered myself years later, specifically during lockdown.

Everything came rushing back : the fear of displeasing people, of being "too much," of feeling everything far too intensely, of not being able to stand certain sounds or textures, of being so attached to specific routines that I'd get anxious if anything didn't go exactly as planned.

In short : operating differently.

I'll spare you the uncontrollable crying fits, to the point of using my pillowcase as a tissue.

I'll spare you the appointment with my GP, who heavily implied that I reminded him of his "gifted" (zèbre) daughter, only to refer me to a therapist.

And I'll spare you the two years of therapy with her, where literally everything I had repressed, buried, and suffocated came roaring back a thousand times stronger.

I felt like a deer caught in the headlights, turning its head right before a car crushes it. The emotional, physical, and mental toll of my own inner workings was completely draining me.

Yet paradoxically, it set me free. I finally understood how I functioned. I also realized I wasn’t alone.

Neurodivergence (or neuroatypicality) encompasses a multitude of realities: autism, ADHD, high sensitivity, dyslexia... It’s a term that is sometimes used as a catch-all, where the moment someone lives life a bit differently, they get labeled.

Yet, this need for rigid categorization feels completely outdated to me. When you lift the veil, you realize that neurodivergence is much more widespread than people think.

This is particularly true for women. We are the first to mask our traits to fit into the mold, often at the expense of our mental and physical health. But female neuroatypicality is an integral part of who we are. It impacts absolutely every area of our lives: our friendships, our love lives, our sex lives, our careers, our finances...

Our uniqueness requires a unique and specific way of organizing things to navigate our daily lives peacefully. We can’t function "like everyone else" and honestly, so much the better. We need to do things our own way, at our own pace. We operate differently, so our lives will inevitably look different, and that is by no means a bad thing.

Neurodivergent people are the ones who think against the grain, who act differently, and who change society from the inside out. It’s no coincidence that so many artists, entrepreneurs, and visionaries share this way of thinking.

That’s exactly how the idea for just a neurodivergent girl was born : a space to bring people together, share experiences, and democratize female neuroatypicality.

It's about daring to break the taboos around topics that are nevertheless essential.

Being able to talk about finances, creating a tailor-made professional life, or romantic relationships that thrive off the beaten path, all while providing concrete tools.

And realizing that this way of functioning isn’t a burden, but on the contrary, a gift.

In short, you get the picture: the ambition behind just a neurodivergent girl is to help each other thrive as active young women in our twenties, without ever compromising on our deep identity, and to never, ever feel... "too much" again.

 

 

(disclaimer : just a neurodivergent girl is a platform built on personal experience, community sharing, and lifestyle tools. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of a qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.)