Meet Alyssa

 Alyssa is an author, speaker, and advocate writing about marriage, motherhood, neurodiversity, late-diagnosis, and the ongoing search for where she set her phone down... and quite possibly her sanity! Her writing, much like her life, is a blend of honesty, love, and humor.

She has always believed that stories create connection. Whether fiction or nonfiction, stories remind us that we're not alone, inviting us to see the world, and each other, with greater compassion. 

With a background in education and nearly a decade of experience supporting individuals and families in the disability community, Alyssa brings both professional insight and lived experience to her work.

She currently serves as the Volunteer Coordinator for a local domestic violence and sexual assault center, where she continues to build community, foster connection, and support individuals during some of life's most difficult moments.

Throughout her career, Alyssa has been drawn to those whose stories are often overlooked or misunderstood. Whether working in education, the disability community, victim advocacy, or through her writing, her passion has always been helping people feel seen, valued, and less alone.

 Married to a man who was late-diagnosed autistic after nearly two decades of marriage and years of parenting together, Alyssa writes from the unique perspective of someone who spent years loving her family deeply before having the language to fully understand the dynamics shaping their lives.

Her work explores what happens when families begin to reinterpret years of communication struggles, emotional overwhelm, anxiety, burnout, and connection through a new lens—not with blame, but with compassion.

Alyssa writes to create connection, help others feel seen, and provide a safe place to land when life feels difficult. During some of her family's hardest seasons, those were the very things they needed most and struggled to find. It is her hope that through honest storytelling, readers will discover greater understanding, compassion, and the reassurance that they are not alone.

Long before Alyssa even considered writing Before We Had the Words, she wrote a children’s book for her son to help him understand differences, build empathy, and learn to love people exactly as they are. Theodore Edward Makes a New Friend is Alyssa's first book.

Her upcoming nonfiction book, Before We Had the Words, is a heartfelt exploration of marriage, parenting, late diagnosis, communication struggles, and learning to love one another more fully. 

Through storytelling, speaking, and writing, Alyssa hopes to help neurodiverse families feel less alone while also helping others better understand experiences that are often invisible from the outside.

 When she’s not writing, Alyssa can usually be found reading, drinking coffee, reorganizing something she absolutely did not plan to reorganize that day. She loves tacos and dark chocolate, snuggling her pets, and spending plenty of quality time with her husband and son. She and her family reside in Wisconsin on the shores of Lake Michigan.

 Hi there!

Whether you found your way here through a book, a speaking event, a Substack story, or a recommendation from a friend, I'm so glad you're here.

More than anything, I hope Stories by Alyssa feels like a place where you can catch your breath. Honest stories have a way of reminding us we're not alone, helping us better understand one another, and creating connection in places where we once felt isolated.

Thank you for taking the time to visit. I hope you'll leave feeling encouraged, understood, and reminded that hope often begins when we're willing to share our stories.

~Alyssa~