I’m Caroline — your formerly socially anxious & awkward, yet still introverted woman.

I’ve always been quiet and introverted, but for about a decade, my personal and professional growth was stunted by my severe social anxiety.

And what was at the source of that anxiety? My innate social ineptness, or as it’s more commonly known as high-functioning Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which is a neurological disorder that affects the way I communicate and socialize.

My most of my younger years, I felt like I was sitting on the sidelines and watching all of my peers participate in the game of human connection and relationship-building…

But I couldn’t play because I didn’t know the rules. To make it worse, every time I tried to play the game, I was rejected and laughed at because I just couldn’t get it quite right.

As a result, I chose seclusion and emotional withdrawal. I would walk with my eyes glued to the ground, jump at the thought of having a basic conversation with someone, and hide behind poor clothing choices just so that I could avoid people talking to me.

But once I learned that communication skills and self-confidence are for EVERYONE — whether you have a disorder or not — and that I didn’t have to fake having a lively personality to socialize, my social life changed for the better, and I was able to create thriving relationships for myself.