Listing All the Wins From 2024
Autism Business, Substack Friends, Launching Children
Most days, we wake up, get some coffee, and trudge through the daily chores and work responsibilities. But on the last day of every year, it’s good to take an aerial view of our lives and see the big picture. The babbling idiots who host the New Year’s Eve shows might talk about important people who died or blockbuster movies this year. Me? I’m thinking about my weird year and counting up all the wins.
The Autism Business
I’ve always been the steward of my autistic son’s education and support services. Over the years, his schooling ranged from adequate to terrible, with a few catastrophic years where he was warehoused in a half-sized room with all the other square pegs. In 2021, when he was preparing to leave high school, we hit a crisis that dwarfed past challenges.
The school system was preparing to boot him out the door, but I knew he wasn’t ready for work or college. Because I had no plans for him, I made them continue to educate him while I learned about autism and the transition to adult life.
Getting Ian set up for the next step in life became my full-time job. Writing about schools, my main job for twelve years, went on the back burner. I spent three years networking with experts, traveling to various programs, hiring professional support, watching hundreds of evening webinars, attending transition fairs, talking with more knowledgeable parents, and learning through trial and error.
Gradually, I became more knowledgeable. I began offering advice to others in my community. Word spread on the parent gossip channels that I was informed, and strangers began calling the house asking for help. Overwhelmed by these constant requests for help, I vented to the local superintendent. He suggested that I start a consulting company.
The next week, in February 2024, I set up an LLC, calling my company The Autism College Connection. I made a website and Facebook page. I started writing a bi-monthly newsletter, slowly growing to a 1,600 mailing list. I wrote one-hour lectures, created informative PowerPoint slides, and sold tickets for my webinars on Eventbrite.
People began calling — and paying me — for help. Other experts contacted me, and we shared resources. I was a fully operational company in just two or three months. In June 2024, I started writing a book.
That same month, a philanthropist asked me to join a new autism non-profit, where I would be part of a large team helping parents manage the education and support needs of their autistic children. This non-profit will open in a state-of-the-art building in March 2025 (fingers crossed).
Throughout 2024, I built up my business, which will get folded into a new non-profit this spring. I’ve been building up both operations simultaneously this year. I attended a ten-week special education law class. I have a manuscript and a complete proposal going to agents soon.
Along the way, I met hundreds of interesting, wonderful people. I’ve gained skills and utilized a dozen new business applications. I’m way smarter now than I was back in January.
Substack Friends
I have two regular substack newsletters: Laura McKenna’s Apt. 11D and A Great Leap. This newsletter is a continuation of my long-running blog, with essays about politics, culture, and random thoughts about the British Royal family. A Great Leap is my place for workshopping chapters for my autism book.
My substack newsletters operated on a limited basis for a few years. In 2020, I used this newsletter to vent about the ill effects of school closures on children. I published articles that were rejected by mainstream newspapers and magazines.
This year, I decided to make this hobby more professional. I put more time into my pieces and publicized them on social media. To encourage readers to support my work, I occasionally ran paywalled posts. (Please subscribe, everyone!)
I wrote a few posts this fall that have done very well, which has increased my subscribers and followers. Over the year, both newsletters were viewed about 100,000 times. Thanks, all!
With political life about to get super wacky, I will keep the substacks stacking throughout 2025.
Family Life
My family is my third job.
Both boys are well. The oldest doesn’t like me to write about him, so I can’t say more than he’s doing awesome. We are packing up my younger guy for college. In two weeks, he’ll return to an autism college in Vermont, where he attended a summer program last year. At age 22, he’ll finally experience being a full-time college student living in a dorm. He even got a scholarship.
Other wins: I took running to a new level and ran many 5K races. We traveled to Mexico and Spain. I hosted Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Eve meals for nearly twenty people.
Steve and I will travel more in 2025 — both with children and solo. We’re taking Ian to a Nintendo exhibit opening in Florida this year. We have yet to decide on our big summer adventure. Maybe it will be the Shetland Islands and Norway. Maybe we’ll visit New Zealand if the older kid goes there.
I’m still hooked on the idea of getting a tear-drop camper. Steve wants to get a hut in the woods. I hope to revive my antique book hobby. Those plans might not happen immediately, but one thing is certain — we’ll have more fun in 2025.
Counting Wins
I hope that you count up your professional and personal wins today. Fly that drone up and admire your year from 500 feet up in the air. It’s helpful to flip through your photo app and look at the full year’s pictures. If you have time, you can share the best ones with your loved ones. Then pat yourself on the back for being an excellent human being.
Happy New Year’s, everyone!!
I don't comment often and I don't read all your work, Laura, but I check in whenever I can, and this morning I want you to know that your wins are much deserved, and an inspiration to many--me most certainly! Here's to a wonderful 2025 for the McKenna clan!
I enjoy reading your articles.