I named this after a song.
It says tomorrow isn't guaranteed, so ask for what you need and let people help you. It says it always works out. I love that song. It's been inspiring me through a hard time.
So I'm not going to give you a sob story. I'm going to show you my work, tell you how I feel, and ask.
I've already done the work.
I started Bow Tie Kreative in Calgary in 2013 and it's still running. I put out three books in 2025. I speak on stages about invisible disabilities. I host two podcasts, and my videos have reached millions of people.
And I have been in a financial rut my whole life. Both of those are true at the same time.
I was homeless. I'm still digging out.
I was homeless. I've been trying to dig myself out of poverty, and my rent is $2,350 a month. Now my son's mom is moving away, so soon it's me and my son, full time.
It scares me when I can't do basic things. It scares me to travel for a speaking gig with no credit card. I just want to be okay.
People hear me talk and think I'm fine.
Because I speak well, people figure I can do everything else. Speech is not do. They don't see me pacing around my house. They don't see the shutdowns. I'm smart and I'm really disabled.
It's hard when people can't see it. They question my motives, and I end up isolated.
What my disability is really like.
I'm autistic. For repetitive behaviours I'm level 3, the highest support level there is. I do the same things over and over and I get stuck. When money is tight it gets so much tougher.
I also have ADHD, dyslexia and dyscalculia. My brain looks for patterns. I don't operate like the average person, so people have a hard time understanding what I've been through.
DSM-5-TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2022): level 3 means requiring very substantial support.
I'm good enough to work. I need support.
People ask why I don't go on social assistance. I don't need to. I can work, and I'm good at it. My trouble is the people part. My industry is about who you know.
I've been used. I've had to crawl on my knees for opportunities, and I don't want to do that anymore. I need someone consistent in my corner.
Strangers gave $800,000 to a woman who called a child the N-word.
That was 2025, on a playground in Rochester, Minnesota. People sent her money fast. So I know the money is out there. I know people move when they care about something.
What if we invested like that in people who just need a break? In somebody who has been teaching and inspiring people this whole time?
Sources: Newsweek, 2025; KTTC, Aug. 27, 2025.