WOW, well this is new.....

 

Minding Us by Nicole is an online platform, developed by Nicole Duggan. 

Nicole is the mom behind the well-known blog My Boy Blue, which she set up in 2017, after her son Riley received a diagnosis of Autism. Nicole blogs their every day lives, covering the good and the bad days, the wins – no matter how small, the tough side of being a parent to a child with additional needs, and the challenges they face together, navigating life after diagnosis. Nicole has a strong online presence, with a large reach, and a community built up of parents, teachers, SNA’s, therapists and so much more, with close to 90,000 followers across all platforms.

My Boy Blue has become a household name, in the Autism Community, with Nicole and Riley having regular television and radio appearances. Nicole’s content is regularly shared out on News and Media platforms around the world, with well-known names such as ABC News, Love What Matters, and Fox News known for sharing her work. Nicole’s honesty, and drive to teach others, has seen her take a seat on the RTE Today Show with Maura and Daithi numerous times to speak about Autism, as well as taking to the RTE Late Late Show stage with Ryan Tubridy, where Riley and Nicole spoke about Autism, reaching out to the nation, and touching the hearts of many in the process. Nicole’s work has been recognised in Ireland, with various awards ceremonies celebrating the work done by My Boy Blue, some of these awards under Nicole’s belt include, the Hidden Hearing Wonder Woman award, The Woman’s Way Social Media Mum of the year award, The Red Fm Supermum award, and the Irish Independent and Gala Retail Inspirational Carer award.

My Boy Blue has grown from strength to strength, and in sharing Riley’s story, Nicole has become very aware of other parents, and how a diagnosis can personally impact you. Being very open about suffering with anxiety, stemming from Riley’s diagnosis, and a lot of self-doubt, Nicole has connected with so many parents through personal experiences. Parents who are drained, tired and close to burn out, something which Nicole has experienced first- hand. These parents, like Nicole, are people who put so much into their children, and the result is them forgetting themselves.

Here is where the idea for Minding Us by Nicole came from.

2020 was a hard year for most, with the world in the grips of a deadly global pandemic. With the ensuing school closures, along with the withdrawal of supports for children with additional needs, parents across the island are struggling now, more than ever. 2020 was particularly challenging for Nicole, with plenty of hurdles placed in front of both Riley and Nicole to overcome, a legal case against our health system, and the impact on Riley of an unfit for purpose school system to name but two. Nicole met these obstacles head on, and again without hesitation, threw herself into the fight for her son.

Yet again, she lost herself.

2021 is the year Nicole aims to find herself again, and in doing so has created something special, which may help others on a similar path, to find themselves again.

And so “Minding Us by Nicole” was born.

A community with a common purpose, Nicole intends to develop a platform with the aim of helping parents of children with a broad range of additional needs (not limited to autism) to remember themselves. To remember they were someone before they received this diagnosis, an individual, which many can forget so quickly.

Nicole wants to help parents lost in the world of additional needs to find themselves again.

As a branch off My Boy Blue, Minding Us by Nicole will be launched, as Nicole’s safe space. A place to empower parents, forget the challenges, and find you again. 

Join us on this journey. Mind yourself no matter what journey you may find youself on. Because we cannot pour from an empty cup, and if anyone know this, it is a parent of a child with additional needs. I cannot wait for you to join us on this journey!

Nicole

xox