Before you explore
Sovereignty was never ceded. No treaty was ever signed. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the Traditional Custodians of the lands and waters on which this work is made, and that does not become less true with time, legislation or silence.
FREE 2B ME acknowledges Elders past, present and emerging. This body of work exists because systems cause harm when they ask people to become easier to accommodate. No community in this country has been asked to do that more often, or for longer, than First Nations peoples.
We hold that as a matter of practice, not sentiment.
For your life
You don’t have to become less of yourself to have more of a life.
Judging, hiding or squashing parts of yourself takes energy. Accepting more of who you are can free some of it for your ideas, your people and the things you love. The rest depends on the people, places and support around you making room too.
Start with what matters to you
Making. Moving. Laughing. Resting. Being with people who get it. What would you make room for if it didn’t have to improve you?
Explore community →People, in their own right
The one with an idea. The one changing direction. The one who wants to lead. The one who wants something entirely different.
With or without disability. With or without support. With ambition. With no interest in proving a thing.
People of all genders. Your identity, your choices and your way of being deserve room here.
Sometimes what limits that room isn’t you. It’s the people, places or systems around you. That is worth talking about too.
LGBTQI+ belonging
Queer. Trans. Non-binary. Gender-diverse. Intersex. Questioning. Your name, your relationships and your way of being deserve respect.
There is room for joy here, too. Friendship. Creativity. Being known for what you love, what you make and what makes you laugh.
You choose what you share. You don’t have to tell your story to earn your place.
Sparkly Aliens Inc. is a separate not-for-profit offering access and community connection. Check its current availability and enquiry options directly.
The parts you proudly share. The parts you’re still getting to know. The contradictions, the ordinary days and the things that don’t come easily.
You are valuable when you’re creating, achieving and lighting up a room. You are equally valuable when you’re resting, struggling, changing your mind or needing help.
Less fixing. More living.
Books for your life
Understanding yourself, what nourishes you, the support you choose and the life you want to live. Each stands on its own, and each has a companion book for practice.
Find your book. Pre-order here. Reserve today. No payment until launch.
A rights-based guide to distress, communication and support that helps.
A$39 · No payment until launch
Reserve this book · A$39
Done with being told to breathe deeper, meditate harder and just calm down? This book swaps self-management for something better: finding what actually feeds you. The music, the movement, the people, the quiet, the ridiculous joys. Calm is welcome. It’s not the price of entry. This is a book about pleasure, aliveness and a body that gets to enjoy its life.
A$39 · No payment until launch
Reserve this book · A$39
Why you belong in the design of your support and your life.
A$39 · No payment until launch
Reserve this book · A$39A question to come back to
Am I building something I can actually inhabit?
Can I contribute without performing someone else’s version of professional?
Can I be known without becoming manageable?
Can I participate differently and still count as participating?
Can I need support without losing authority?
Can I say no, disagree, communicate differently and still belong?
Want more room to think? The free reflection helps you notice what you want more of, what you want less of, and what would make life feel more like yours. Free. No email needed.
Start the free reflectionCommunity, in real life
In Caloundra: shared interests, relationships, individual support and community partnerships.
THE NEST / CALOUNDRA
Operated by Neurodivergent Empowered.
Gaming, art, music, animals and movement, with people who enjoy them too. Join in, watch first, take a break or come back.
Individual support with room for talking, typing, AAC and quiet participation.
Same space. Different goals. Individual support.
Visit The Nest ↗Community partnerships
Groups run by other organisations, hosted at The Nest.
COMMUNITY PARTNER / headspace CALOUNDRA
Run by headspace Caloundra, hosted at The Nest.
A free social group for LGBTQIA+ young people, those questioning, and allies aged 12 to 16. Connect, hang out and be yourself.
At The Nest, Caloundra.
Every second Monday, 3:30 to 4:30 pm.
For sign-up details, contact headspace Caloundra on (07) 5222 4009.
Email us about a partnershipWhat we make possible
Build lives we could not yet imagine for them.
Participant support
TanyaHicks.com is the home of Tanya Hicks’ books, speaking, frameworks, research translation and professional learning. Participant supports are delivered separately through Neurodivergent Empowered and The Nest within the relevant practitioner’s qualifications, professional scope and active provider registration.
To ask about participant supports, contact Neurodivergent Empowered through The Nest website.
Visit The Nest at free2bme.auA sentence for your pocket
You don’t have to justify the life you want.
Keep the words that help. Leave the rest.
by Tanya Hicks