There is Purpose in your pain and Hope in your Journey from trauma to healing.
Mental health, trauma, neurodivergent, pain 2 purpose podcaster/author
Welcome
Meet Ann
Ann Kagarise | Award-Winning Journalist, Author, Podcast Host, and Neurodivergence Advocate
Ann Kagarise is an award-winning journalist, author, podcast host, and neurodivergence advocate whose life's work has centered on turning pain into purpose and helping others find hope in their own journeys.
With a master's degree in divinity with an emphasis in counseling and a bachelor's degree in counseling, Ann brings both professional knowledge and deeply personal experience to conversations about trauma, resilience, neurodivergence, adoption, mental health, and the power of the human spirit.
Her professional journey has taken her into some of life's most difficult circumstances. She served as the director of a battered women's shelter and rape crisis program, worked with women in jail, and served as an assistant director at a school for autistic children. Her background in journalism has given her a unique ability to ask difficult questions, listen beyond the surface, and uncover the stories that too often go unheard.
Ann is also the co-host of Real Talk with Tina and Ann, a nationally distributed podcast that reaches audiences through radio, television, YouTube, and major podcast platforms. With more than 45,000 monthly podcast downloads and a combined radio and television reach of over 5 million, the show features powerful conversations about trauma, resilience, mental health, neurodivergence, faith, and overcoming adversity.
But Ann's greatest understanding of these subjects comes from her own life.
As a neurodivergent woman living with autism, ADHD, and FASD, Ann knows firsthand what it means to navigate a world that often misunderstands different ways of thinking, learning, and processing information. Once told that her disabilities would prevent her from graduating high school through a traditional path, she went on to earn a master's degree, build a career in journalism and advocacy, and discover that success does not have to look the same for everyone.
Ann is the adoptive mother of five children, including three younger children with neurodevelopmental differences, including FASD. Her experiences as both a neurodivergent individual and a parent advocating for neurodivergent children have given her a perspective that bridges lived experience, professional understanding, and the daily realities of raising children whose needs do not always fit traditional systems.
Her memoir, Loving Differently, brings these experiences together in a deeply personal exploration of adoption, trauma, loss, neurodivergence, motherhood, healing, and resilience. Through her story, Ann challenges the idea that our past must determine our future. Instead, she explores how the very experiences that once left us feeling different, broken, or unseen can become opportunities for understanding, connection, and growth.
Ann's work is rooted in one central belief: Our pain does not have to be the end of our story.
Through her writing, podcasting, advocacy, and the development of Living Differently Resources, she hopes to help others recognize their strengths, build their own tools for navigating life, and understand that healing does not mean erasing what happened to us.
Her mission is not to suggest that everything happens for a reason, but to demonstrate that we can choose what we do with the experiences we have survived.
For Ann, it has always been about taking pain and turning it into purpose, giving a voice to those who have felt unheard, and reminding others that being different does not mean being less.
Her message is simple:
There is purpose in the pain and hope in the journey..
Named one of the most inspiring stories with Autism
Unlock Your Full Potential with Ann Kagarise's Motivational Speaking
Ann Kagarise
Speaker | Author | Award-Winning Journalist | Podcast Host | Neurodiversity & Mental Health Advocate
Turning pain into purpose and challenges into possibilities.
Ann Kagarise is an author, speaker, award-winning journalist, and passionate advocate for mental health, neurodiversity, trauma recovery, and resilience.
As co-host of Real Talk with Tina and Ann, reaching millions through radio, television, and streaming platforms, Ann brings powerful conversations about adversity, healing, and human connection to audiences around the world.
But Ann doesn't just speak about overcoming challenges. She has lived them.
An autistic woman with ADHD, dyslexia, and FASD-related executive functioning challenges, Ann was once told she would never succeed academically. She went on to earn degrees in counseling and a Master of Divinity, become an award-winning journalist, and dedicate her career to helping others find their voices.
As an adoptive mother of five, including children with complex neurodevelopmental needs, Ann brings a deeply personal understanding of advocacy, parenting, and what it means to live and love differently.
Her professional experience includes directing a battered women's shelter and rape crisis center, working with abused children and incarcerated women, and serving as assistant director of a school for children with autism.
Speaking Topics
- Turning Pain Into Purpose: Finding hope after adversity
- Loving Differently: Connection, acceptance, and belonging
- Neurodiversity: Different thinking, different strengths
- Training the Neurotypical World: Understanding brains that work differently
- Parenting Through Complexity: Advocacy, resilience, and connection
- Trauma and Healing: Moving beyond survival
- Finding Your Voice: Self-advocacy and reclaiming your worth
Why Book Ann?
Ann combines professional knowledge, lived experience, authenticity, and humor to challenge assumptions, inspire meaningful conversations, and provide practical tools audiences can use immediately.
Whether speaking to educators, parents, mental health professionals, faith communities, or organizations, Ann reminds audiences that different does not mean less, and our past does not have to define our future.
As the author of Loving Differently, Ann shares a message at the heart of everything she does:
There is purpose in the pain and hope in the journey..
Podcast every Wednesday
Real Talk with Tina and Ann
Real Stories. Honest Conversations. Hope for the Journey.
Real Talk with Tina and Ann is more than a podcast. It's a platform for powerful conversations about trauma, resilience, mental health, neurodivergence, and the human experience.
Broadcast weekly on radio and television across multiple U.S. markets, including Atlanta, Colorado, New York, New Mexico, Texas, California, the Washington, D.C. area, and Florida, Real Talk also reaches listeners worldwide through major podcast platforms.
Hosts Tina and Ann bring together bestselling authors, leading experts, advocates, and everyday people with extraordinary stories. Together, they explore grief, abuse, autism, ADHD, caregiving, healing, and the challenges that shape our lives.
What makes Real Talk different?
Tina and Ann don't just explore what people have survived. They uncover what helped them move forward, the lessons they've learned, and the hope they've found along the way.
Their own story began in an unlikely place: a courtroom, where they first met as journalists covering a murder trial. That connection eventually grew into a shared mission to give people a voice and remind others they are not alone.
At the heart of every conversation is one message:
There is purpose in the pain and hope in the journey.
Listen and connect with us:
🎙️ Website and Episodes: https://www.realtalktinaann.com/
💙 Join Our Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/RealtalkTinaAnn/
About Ann Kagarise
My Background
Ann Kagarise
Author | Award-Winning Journalist | Podcast Host | Mental Health & Neurodiversity Advocate
Ann Kagarise is an author, award-winning journalist, podcast host, and passionate advocate for mental health, neurodiversity, trauma recovery, and resilience. As the author of Loving Differently and co-host of Real Talk with Tina and Ann, she uses storytelling and lived experience to challenge assumptions, inspire connection, and help others find purpose beyond adversity.
An autistic woman living with ADHD, dyslexia, FASD, and executive functioning challenges, Ann understands what it means to navigate a world that isn't always designed for different brains. Once told she would never graduate high school, she developed her own learning strategies and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in counseling and a Master of Divinity with an emphasis in counseling.
Ann has dedicated much of her professional life to helping others. She served as director of a battered women's shelter and rape crisis center, overseeing more than 100 volunteers and supporting crisis hotline training. Her work also includes caring for abused children, supporting women in the jail system, and serving as assistant director of a school for children with autism.
Her advocacy is deeply personal. Adopted as an infant, Ann experienced significant childhood loss, trauma, and challenges that eventually led to alcohol use and recovery. Rather than allowing those experiences to define her future, she began building the tools that would help her navigate life differently.
Today, Ann is an adoptive mother of five children, three of whom live with FASD and neurodevelopmental differences, and a proud grandmother of five. Through parenting, homeschooling, and advocating for her children's needs, she has learned that connection begins with understanding the individual, not expecting everyone to fit the same mold.
Her memoir, Loving Differently, brings these experiences together in a powerful exploration of adoption, trauma, neurodivergence, motherhood, healing, and finding your voice. More than a story of survival, it offers a message of resilience, self-acceptance, and learning to live beyond what others believed possible.
Through her writing, speaking, and podcasting, Ann continues to share one message:
There is purpose in the pain and hope in the journey.
Tina and Ann now have a youtube Channel. Watch our weekly podcast every week on YouTube. Click below and make sure to subscribe and like our channel.
https://www.youtube.com/@realtalktinaann
Speaking Topics
Speaking Topics
Stuck on Success
Believe in yourself
Training THE Neurotypical World
Adopting Special Needs Kids
Self-Advocacy
The Sinful Woman: Ann's book
Making it with Autism
Trauma and Autism
Autism in the schools: What I would have told my teacher
What families with disabilities need
Parenting a child with disabilities
What we want teachers to know
Let me know what you would like me to speak about. Expertise in mental health, autism and disabilities.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Podcast every Wednesday ...Real Talk with Tina and Ann
on mental health, mental health and disabilities, autism, fasd, trauma and more
Testimonials
Regarding Tina and Ann's Podcast:
Outstanding podcast! Good content, good interaction between Ann and Tina, good pace and tone. Even the digressions weren't really-they were relevant to your points.
Keith Davis (Chicago)
These are a godsend to me. I very, very much want to thank you for your work.
Annie
Love listening every week! Great conversation and topics discussed. Feels very calming to listen to and it seems like I am sitting in the room with Tina and Ann.
Erica
Testimonials regarding speaking:
Ann breathed life into the room and reminded people why they went into that field.
Kerri
"I took a ton of notes. This was so good. I was reminded that my job is more than just the tangible."
A county DD worker
"Ann moved me to my core."
DODD worker
autism support mental health and disabilities
Ask Ann to come to your event and speak.
Just a simple cool fact
One important fact about me is I have Autism and this is me pictured with one of my advocate heroes, Temple Grandin. Very blessed to have had some conversations with her and hope to live up to who she is even if it's just a small part as a speaker, writer and advocate for people with disabilities.
Photography
Ann's Photography on Etsy
Ann has been a photographer capturing the world through a lens for decades. She has won awards for her beautiful masterpieces. Check out her pieces that she has captured through her autism lens and see the world through her eyes.
CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION!
Author and recognitions
Author
The Sinful Woman is a story of hope and deep insight. The Sinful Woman: Kagarise, Ann: 9781597811408: Amazon.com: Books mental health and disabilities
Named one of the inspiring persons with Autism
Ann was named an Inspiring person with Autism that you need to know from cbs news.
Inspiring stories of people on the autism spectrum (cbsnews.com)
Awards
Journalist/columnist
Journalist/columnist
Awards:
-Helen Waterhouse Award,
-Ohio Professional Writers: Specialty Articles Business,
-Lake Township Chamber of Congress: Recognition of Community Service,
-Ohio State Congress Award for making a difference in my community through writing, -Ohio Professional Writers: Specialty Articles Social Issues,
-Biltmore Who's Who
Journalist/columnist
Journalist/columnist
Journalist/columnist
Ann was a hard news journalist for eight years. She was known for her features and her column Against All Odds. She is no longer doing this, but many of her articles are online. She has written for magazines, as well. Thank you so much for reading. Many lives were changed and can be changed because of one article. Write with purpose.
About Me
Ann Kagarise is an award-winning journalist, podcaster, speaker, and advocate whose work focuses on trauma, resilience, and healing. Her perspective is shaped by her personal experiences with trauma, adoption, and neurodivergence, as well as her professional background serving as the director of a battered women’s shelter, working with women in the jail system, supporting abused children, and serving as an assistant director at a school for children with autism. She co-hosts the podcast Real Talk with Tina and Ann, which has reached over 5 million listeners across radio and television markets. As a mother of five, including adopted children with trauma and neurodivergent needs, her work is both personal and practical.
Contact Me
Questions or Comments?
For more information on availability, send me a message. Tell me about your event, and I will get back to you soon with more information. I would love to speak with you! Let's do this.
Annkagarise
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