There is Purpose in your pain and Hope in your Journey from trauma to healing.
A mental health, autism podcast/speaker on becoming your best self
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 | Mental Health Advocate | Podcast Host | Neurodiversity Advocate
Helping people turn pain into purpose and challenges into possibilities.
Ann Kagarise is not simply a speaker. She is a storyteller, advocate, and bridge-builder who transforms difficult conversations into meaningful action.
With a rare combination of professional expertise, lived experience, and emotional honesty, Ann has dedicated her life to helping others overcome adversity, embrace who they are, and discover that there is purpose in the pain and hope in the journey.
Ann is the co-host of Real Talk with Tina and Ann, a podcast reaching millions through radio, television, and streaming platforms, where she interviews world-renowned authors, experts, advocates, and everyday people whose stories inspire change.
Her work sits at the intersection of mental health, trauma, neurodiversity, parenting, resilience, faith, and human connection.
Why Book Ann?
Because Ann doesn't just talk about overcoming obstacles. She has lived them.
She is an autistic woman with ADHD, dyslexia, executive functioning challenges due to FASD, and a history of trauma who was once told she would never succeed academically. Instead, she earned degrees in counseling and a Master of Divinity, built a successful media platform, became an award-winning journalist, and has devoted her life to serving others.
Ann is also an adoptive mother of five children, several of whom are neurodivergent and have complex needs. Her perspective is both deeply personal and highly practical.
Her professional experience includes:
• Director of a Battered Women's Shelter and Rape Crisis Center
• Crisis hotline training and volunteer leadership
• Working with abused and at-risk children
• Supporting incarcerated women in the jail system
• Assistant Director at a school for children with autism
• Mental health advocacy and educational advocacy
• Award-winning journalism and storytelling
Speaking Topics
- Turning Pain Into Purpose
- Loving Differently: Redefining Love Through Connection
- Neurodiversity and the Power of Different Thinking
- Parenting Through Complexity
- Training the Neurotypical World
- Trauma, Healing, and Resilience
- Finding Your Voice After Adversity
- Mental Health, Advocacy, and Belonging
- Building Hope in Difficult Seasons
- Creating Communities Where Everyone Belongs
What Makes Ann Different?
Ann doesn't speak from theory alone.
She speaks from experience.
Her audiences walk away feeling understood, empowered, and reminded that their story is not over.
Whether speaking to educators, mental health professionals, disability advocates, parents, faith communities, corporations, or community organizations, Ann brings warmth, authenticity, humor, and practical tools that people can immediately apply to their own lives.
If your audience needs hope, connection, and a reminder that impossible doesn't have to be permanent, Ann will leave them inspired to take the next step forward.
Because every person deserves to know one thing:
You are not defined by what happened to you. You are defined by what you choose to do next.
Podcast every Wednesday
Real Talk with Tina and Ann isn’t just a podcast—it’s a movement. Broadcasting weekly on radio and TV across Atlanta, Colorado, the Bronx (NY), New Mexico, San Antonio (TX), San Francisco (CA), Fairfax/DC, Florida WZQR, and streaming on every major podcast platform, we bring powerful conversations straight to you, wherever you are.
Every episode, hosts Tina and Ann open the door to raw, honest dialogue on the issues that matter most—trauma, grief, abuse, autism, ADHD, neurodivergence, caregiving, and mental health. Our guests include bestselling authors, fierce advocates, and change-makers who share their stories of struggle, resilience, and triumph.
What sets us apart? We don’t just talk about survival—we talk about thriving. We spotlight the voices that need to be heard, shining light on the journeys that remind us we are never alone.
The story of Real Talk began in an unexpected place: a courtroom. Tina and Ann first met while covering a murder trial as hard news journalists. Neither of them knew then that their paths would lead to building a platform that now reaches thousands each week, offering hope, healing, and a reminder that no matter what life throws at us—we can make it.
You can listen to all their episodes on any podcast platform
Real Talk with Tina and Ann. and you please join their page at
Real Talk with Tina and Ann | Facebook
Latest episode
About Ann Kagarise
My Background
Ann is a passionate mental health advocate, podcaster, and author who turns personal adversity into powerful storytelling that uplifts, educates, and heals. As a neurodivergent mother of five, three with autism, she champions resilience, purpose, and authenticity through her podcast Real Talk with Tina and Ann and her upcoming memoir Love Differently.
Ann has an undergrad in Counseling. She also has a Master of Divinity with an emphasis in counseling. Ann spent most of her working years in the helping profession. She worked at a group home for abused kids, worked as a Director of a Battered Woman's Shelter/Rape Crisis facility and oversaw over 100 volunteers. She helped to train them and also helped with the crisis hotline. She has also worked with women in the jail system and just loved them dearly. She also worked as an Assistant Director at a school for kids with autism.
Ann has gone through quite a bit herself, living with multiple disabilities. She is autistic, has ADHD, dyslexia, and also struggles with executive functioning and working memory. She was told she would not graduate high school, but she proved them wrong by teaching herself how to learn. To her, the word “no” simply means finding a different direction.
Perseverance has always defined Ann’s life. She was adopted at a young age and lost her father when she was only eleven. Her childhood and young adult years were marked by feeling lost, disconnected, and unsure how to navigate life’s most basic needs. Alcohol became a way to cope, but eventually she entered treatment and began the path of healing.
Her story is one worth hearing. Ann adopted all five of her children, three of whom are autistic. She has learned how to connect with each of them differently and individually, understanding that no two people with autism or ADHD are the same. Her belief is that we must always meet them with love first. She spends her days caring for her children, advocating for their needs, homeschooling one of them, and using her podcasting platform to make a difference in the world. Together, her family loves traveling the United States and embracing life’s experiences. She also loves her five grandkids very much!
Ann is also an accomplished journalist, having written hard news, feature stories, and her own column. She has won numerous journalism awards.
She has an upcoming book: Loving Differently
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 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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