The Caffeinated Advocate

09/01/2026

This event with Achieving True Self, Inc. and other local Morgantown, WV providers is ONE MONTH AWAY! If you live in the region, I hope you can join us for this special community event for families. You can RSVP to me via ATS, or you can also DM me and I'll add you to the guest list. I'm lucky to be one of the panelists sharing both professional as well as personal experience as the mother of a neurodivergent son. 🩵

"Stronger Together, Brighter Futures" is ONE MONTH AWAY! 💙

The school year is underway, and with it can come questions about IEPs, 504 Plans, autism services, community resources, and where to turn for support for your family.

That’s exactly why we’re bringing families, professionals, advocates, and community organizations together in Morgantown, WV on October 1st!

Join Achieving True Self for our FREE "Stronger Together, Brighter Futures" Community Resource & Family Support Event, designed to help families find answers, make connections, and discover resources available right in their community.

What to expect:

• A panel discussion with local professionals and advocates
• Information about IEPs, 504 Plans, autism services, and family supports
• Community resource tables
• Opportunities to ask questions and connect with providers and other families
• A welcoming, supportive space for parents, caregivers, educators, and community members

We’re grateful to be joined by WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities, Chatter & Chalk, SteppingStones Recreation, West Virginia Birth to Three RAU-1/Catholic Charities, Autism Caring Center, and members of the Achieving True Self team.

📅 Thursday, October 1, 2026
🕠 5:30–7:30 PM
📍 SteppingStones Recreation | Morgantown, WV
💙 FREE & open to the community

September is here. School is back. If you’re already thinking, “I have questions…” then you should bring them to this special event. That’s why we’re here.

📧 Please RSVP to [email protected] for planning purposes.

Stronger families. Stronger connections. Brighter futures. Together. 🫶

08/31/2026

VERY excited for this keynote opportunity coming in December 2026! ✨

Achieving True Self, Inc.
Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce

08/30/2026

Well, hello friends. I'm back.

(Slowly, anyhow.)

This summer has asked me to rethink a lot of things, including what capacity really means for me.

My health has forced me to slow down in ways I didn't choose, but it has also made me much more intentional about where I spend the energy I do have. And it has humbled my (somewhat dysfunctional yet strong) heart. ❤️‍🩹

The beautiful part? There's already a lot brewing. (Pun fully intended)☕️

Books. Valuable conversations. Podcast interviews. Advocacy. Leadership. Storytelling.

And perhaps a new adventure quietly taking shape with a dear friend. 👀🎙️

Those projects, alongside my full-time work, family caregiving, and the continued priority of taking care of myself, will occupy most of my available capacity through the end of 2026.

But my door is still cracked. 🚪

For the remainder of 2026, I will still welcome:

☕ Meaningful connections and conversations where we can genuinely support one another

🎙️ Select, aligned podcast and interview opportunities

🌻 Caregiver coaching and advocacy support

📚 Conversations about book, editing, and storytelling projects for 2027

🎤 Select speaking opportunities for 2027

I'm not interested in filling every available space on my calendar. I would rather do what is right while remembering the value of my "no" or "not now."

So if you've been thinking, "I should reach out to Cathy because..."

You still can. Just know that these days, my yes is incredibly intentional.

I think that's a very good thing, don't you?

Stories. Strategies. Solutions.

Forevermore,
Your Caffeinated Advocate 💛☕🌻

08/28/2026

Today is a VERY special day.

First, it’s my friend LaJuan Vines’ birthday. 🎉

And second?

She released her book!📚

Autism Unfiltered: A Real-World Guide for Families Living With Aggression is officially out in the world.

I had the incredible honor of being chosen to edit her sacred manuscript, and I can tell you this with my whole damn heart: this book's content will forever stay with me.

It is honest.
It is vulnerable.
It is practical.
And it gives language to experiences that far too many families live through in deafening silence.

There were moments while editing when I had to stop and just sit for a few moments with what she wrote. I kept thinking the same thing:

Someone needed to say these things.

Well, LaJuan did.

And today, on her birthday, she had the courage to put her words out into the world.

If you are a parent, caregiver, professional, advocate, or someone who loves a family navigating autism and aggression, I hope you’ll pick up this book and help me celebrate an author who chose truth, vulnerability, and service over staying quiet.

Happy birthday, LaJuan.

And congratulations on doing the damn thing. 💛

More coming soon. But today?

We celebrate. 🎉📚

Link to purchase is in the comments.

08/22/2026

A Journey For Avery posted this, and I felt these words so deeply. So many of you will too. ❤️

Hardest caregiver lesson 🫶

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A Journey For Avery

08/20/2026

To the mom sending her autistic child back to school… 💛

I know this isn’t just back-to-school season for you.

It’s packing the backpack, reviewing the IEP, and carrying a thousand invisible worries that don’t fit inside either one.

Will they be safe?

Will they be included?

Will someone recognize that behavior is communication?

Will someone be patient when words are hard?

Will they have a friend?

Will they be happy?

And maybe the hardest question of all…

Will people see the child I see?

The funny one. The brilliant one. The determined one. The affectionate one. The curious one. The child who has worked so incredibly hard to get here.

Mama, whatever you’re feeling as you send your child through those school doors is allowed.

You can be proud and terrified. Hopeful and anxious. Excited for them and still cry in the car after drop-off.

You can desperately want them to grow while wishing you could protect them from every hard thing.

Those feelings can exist together. 💛

And still… leave a little room for hope.

Because somewhere in that building may be the teacher who gets it.

The paraprofessional who learns what their quiet means.

The classmate who saves them a seat.

The adult who offers compassion instead of judgment.

The friend who doesn’t need them to be anything other than exactly who they are.

There may be hard days, but also beautiful ones. Setbacks and victories. Tears, advocacy, celebrations, and moments that take your breath away.

You don’t have to stop worrying in order to be hopeful.

So, to every autism mom standing at the edge of another school year with a brave face and a tender heart:

I see you.

I see how fiercely you love. I see the advocacy no one applauds. I see the courage it takes to entrust your most precious person to a world that doesn’t always understand them.

May your child be safe, included, understood, challenged with compassion, and reminded every single day that they belong.

May our children find people who see their magic.

And may we moms find enough moments of reassurance to exhale a little, too. 💛

— Your Caffeinated Advocate 💛☕️🌻

08/13/2026

What does it really mean to belong?

That's the question Reid Miles and I explored on a recent episode of .

We didn't just talk about autism.

We talked about people.

About the stories that shape us.

About the turning points that redefine us.

About what caregivers really need.

About why sharing our lived experiences matters.

About hope.

And about one simple question that has guided my life for many years:

"How can I help?"

As an autism mom, national behavioral health leader, founder of The Caffeinated Advocate, and someone who believes deeply in the power of storytelling, I left this conversation reminded that belonging isn't something we stumble upon.

It's something we create.

One question.

One family.

And one brave story at a time.

Thank you, Reid, for asking questions that invited authenticity instead of easy answers. It was truly one of my favorite conversations to date.

🎙️ Listen here: https://smartlink.ausha.co/neurodivergentconnection-thecuriousstroyteller/building-belonging-one-question-one-family-and-one-brave-story-at-a-time

📺 Watch here: https://youtu.be/VIH2r0e7SRs

📝 Read the companion article: https://aspergersstudio.com/how-to-build-a-village-after-an-autism-diagnosis-lessons-from-catherine-hughes/

🌍 Don't miss the LinkedIn article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-belonging-really-means-neurodiversity-support-reid-miles-znlsc/

08/12/2026

In a world where you can become anything you want …

✨ Be bold.
🔥 Be passionate.
📣 Be the one who speaks up.
☕ Be appropriately caffeinated.

But first, BE KIND. 💛

Because advocacy without kindness is just ... noise. The way we speak to people, show up for people, and make space for people is important.

You can be fierce AND compassionate.
You can have boundaries AND a big heart.
You can challenge the system AND still lead with kindness.

Actually … that might be the whole vibe. 😉☕💪

Go change the world, my friends.

Just don’t forget to be a good human while you’re doing it. 💛

08/11/2026

What a special evening with the Autism Open. 💛

I had the opportunity to join Autism Open virtually last night at their "Mom's Night Out" for a brief conversation about Imprisoned No More—but, as the best conversations often do, this one took on a life of its own.

We talked about caregiving. Grief. The invisible prisons we sometimes create for ourselves. Self-care. And also, the reality that waiting for life to "calm down" before we take care of ourselves usually means we'll be waiting a very long time.

But my favorite part? People shared. They opened up about their own experiences, challenges, and journeys—and that's when a presentation becomes something so much more meaningful.

I'm incredibly grateful to Courtney and Autism Open for inviting me into this space, to those who participated so openly, and for the very sweet sight of Imprisoned No More sitting on that table. 🥹📚

And because apparently I have no ability to end my talks appropriately, I'll leave you with my closing words from last night:

"Do what fills your cup. And in my case, my cardiologist can go to hell because I'm filling it with coffee." 😂☕️

Hey, self-care looks different for everyone. 🤷‍♀️

07/30/2026

When you look past inability, you will see the ability. Not doing so, is a disability.

Read that again.

We were all made for more. 🤲🏻