Celebrating Unique Minds: Kayla Deickman on 'All Brains are Beautiful'

In this enlightening episode of "Conversations with Rich Bennett," local author Kayla Deickman delves into her journey of crafting children's literature that champions neurodiversity. Kayla shares the inspiration behind her book "All Brains are Beautiful", and “I Love Myself” and emphasizes the importance of positive affirmations for young minds. Drawing from personal experiences and her involvement in autism-led groups, Kayla discusses the need for children to have coping mechanisms to overcome adversity. She also touches on the significance of surrounding oneself with supportive communities and the role of literature in fostering self-worth and understanding in children. Throughout the conversation, Kayla's passion for creating an inclusive world for all children, regardless of their neurodiversity, shines brightly.

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Transcript

Rich Bennett: [00:00:00] So I am joined by Wendy again and we are joined by local author and I'm probably going to find out a lot more probably an artist and everything else. Kayla Deickman. Why are you laughing already? I haven't even started yet. Don't tell me you're also an artist. 

Kayla Deickman: Um, I do do some artwork.

Rich Bennett: Okay, but you didn't do the artwork for this.

Kayla Deickman: No, I did not. I hired local people. 

Rich Bennett: Okay, 

Rich Bennett: never mind that. So we have Kayla Dykman on and we're going to be talking about her books, talking about. Uh, her because I think what you do and I said this about Wendy too is very interesting. So we'll cover that a little bit. But first of all, how are you doing?

Kayla Deickman: I'm doing good. 

Rich Bennett: Good. And you had no problem finding the place, which is awesome. 

Kayla Deickman: Nope. That's because I'm from around here. So. 

Rich Bennett: Well, you weren't supposed to tell everybody that, but that's okay. Nah, I'm messing with you. 

Wendy Beck: No, he likes to bring in local authors, so that's always a, that's a good thing. I'm glad.

Rich Bennett: Well, if, if I have somebody on and they told me that I need to [00:01:00] get somebody on, then I'm going to. And Lindsey told me to get Kayla on, so I can't tell Lindsey no. Exactly. I mean, she's like you. If I tell you no, what are you going to do? Ignore you. Yeah, and I don't want feelings. I don't want that done. Nah.

Rich Bennett: I'll go in here and jump off the curb feet first then. 

Wendy Beck: So we have two books to date right now, and they are children's books. And I, I think that when before we had a really long conversation before we started recording, which, um, kind of gave me a little bit of backstory about your why. And I'm just curious if you wanted to share that because these are, what is, what do you, what do you think the age group for these are?

Wendy Beck: Because they look like they're, they're young. 

Kayla Deickman: Yeah, so the age group is officially three to eight years old. Okay. Um, so you're looking at pre K all the way up to second grade. Okay. Um, given they are a little easy readers for second grade, that's for a reason. It's for my fellow dyslexic friends and [00:02:00] those who may need a little help along the way when it comes to reading.

Wendy Beck: Okay. So then that's an added value. Um, you struggled with dyslexia. Um, I did too as a child. So I, I get not being able to read. Um, Yeah, it's a lot. It's it's so these books are designed for that age group to kind of help make things a little bit simpler. 

Kayla Deickman: Yes. Um, we use big prints so that it's bold and kind of in your face.

Kayla Deickman: Um, we try to use words that are easy for kids to comprehend, easy to sound out. We just want to make it Again, as easy as possible because I use these books as resources and I want these, want children to be able to fully take it all in. 

Wendy Beck: And the, the books, just looking at them right here, um, all brains are beautiful and then I love myself.

Wendy Beck: So they are positive, they're coachy, they're, they're right in [00:03:00] line with self esteem and that kind of thing. And I think your backstory is because that's something that you needed as a child. 

Kayla Deickman: Yes. Um, I grew up like a lot of people in a broken home and I needed a lot more self confidence boosters. I am the oldest of four Children.

Kayla Deickman: Um, so I have younger siblings who looked up to me and are now wonderful, productive members of society. Um, yay. Yay. But, um, ideally, I wrote these books simply to soothe my own inner child. Um, There weren't a lot of resources back then, and because there weren't any resources, I became the resource.

Wendy Beck: I love that.

Wendy Beck: I can relate to that. 

Rich Bennett: Now, do any of your siblings also have dyslexia or anything? 

Kayla Deickman: Um, there's some anxiety problems with my siblings. Um, however, uh, there's a couple things, I'm not going to out them, that's kind of their story. [00:04:00] But growing up, we all had our strengths and our weaknesses. Mine in specific was dyslexia and, um, dysgraph, dyscalculia.

Wendy Beck: What's that? 

Kayla Deickman: I mix up numbers, too. Okay. Um, so I, it, I mix up codes and stuff like that. 

Rich Bennett: Isn't that kind of common with dyslexia?

Kayla Deickman: It is. Okay. Um, there, it's very similar. Yeah. Same type of wiring in your brain 

Rich Bennett: So my question, actually my question for both of you because with both of you having dyslexia How hard was it for you to write the books or is it harder to read?

Rich Bennett: This is where I get confused 

Wendy Beck: best everyone's different and Me personally, like they didn't catch it when I was a child, like I was the one who started having like panic attacks because please do not call on me to read out loud. Like I would literally like count, like I'm not even learning at this point what's [00:05:00] going on in the room.

Wendy Beck: I'm like, okay, everybody's reading a chapter and they're going around the room and there's like four people, I have four chapters. So I needed to like look at that, that chapter ahead of time to see if I could even. Read it when they got to me and I was in a full blown panic, you know, it was a real struggle.

Wendy Beck: It was a real struggle for me. 

Kayla Deickman: So I definitely relate to that, that I did the same things. Um, I think that's when we first realized I had anxiety issues was because of my inability to kind of keep up with my peers. Now, I do read a lot. I love reading and I, I consider reading one of my strengths. However, writing and, uh, The ability to spell things is not a strength of mine.

Kayla Deickman: Nope, me neither. I was 26 or 25 before I could learn to spell the word chocolate. And that was with lots of prompting from my friends. 

Wendy Beck: Because you had to focus on it. And I can relate to that. And this will be a good conversation for what we [00:06:00] were talking about. But like... My form of dyslexia. And again, I self diagnosed because it wasn't picked up.

Wendy Beck: I was put in remedial English classes and stuff like that. Nobody really cared what was going on with me. They just knew that I couldn't. So, um, Even as an adult and I had a, uh, I became a paralegal, so, you know, I was, you know, functioning and working, but I had words on post it notes in my desk that I would open.

Wendy Beck: I still, to this day, cannot spell negotiate because it. I couldn't sound it out, so every time, like, I would type it, it would be so off of the spell check because I just had no ability. I cannot sound out words. I can memorize words. I know all of our sight words. I know people's names. I know what Smith is, but if you give me someone's name that is, like, not the norm and I look at it, I cannot sound it out.

Kayla Deickman: So, [00:07:00] I can definitely relate to that. I, um, struggle heavily with spelling things out, especially when you've got invisible letters in there, um, because You can't hear them. Um, I spelled chocolate with a K for a really long time. Because I didn't hear the ch, um, noise. Okay. Which is how it is. Right. Um, it got better.

Kayla Deickman: Um, I still, I do the post it note thing too. My husband leaves me little sticky notes sometimes. And I have to like. Stick them places so I remember, like, how to spell certain things. Right. 

Wendy Beck: I wasn't even allowed, like, to write the grocery list because my spelling was so bad. That's... 

Rich Bennett: When you guys are texting, and I'm...

Rich Bennett: Well, I know you text. Yeah, 

Wendy Beck: I mean, I've gotten better. 

Rich Bennett: Autocorrect's gotta be a freaking nightmare for you guys, I would think. 

Kayla Deickman: So it is. Um, for me at least, my computer, I don't think ever registers anything anymore. Um, it just says, [00:08:00] this isn't a word. And I'm like, I'm trying so hard to make this a word. This isn't coming up how I need it.

Kayla Deickman: Um, I've started to ask Alexa how to spell things. 

Wendy Beck: Um, Or you know what I do. Not a bad idea, actually. I go into my text message to me. And I say the word like negotiate and it'll pop up. Okay. 

Kayla Deickman: Now you can type it. Yeah. Yeah. 

Wendy Beck: It's, you know, and today having the, these cheats is amazing. Oh, it was very difficult as a child.

Rich Bennett: I mean, I was going to say, cause now in granted things were different for Kayla in school than say you and I. Because back then, at least back... 

Wendy Beck: Are you saying I'm as old as you? 

Rich Bennett: Well, you're not far behind. I mean, back

Rich Bennett: then, or back when I went to school, if you had dyslexia or anything like that, from what I know, they just said you [00:09:00] were stupid. 

Wendy Beck: Well, my mother told me, like, and I was a very... I was like a... You know, like I was a very well behaved child in elementary school and stuff like that and, um, like it wasn't like I caused problems.

Wendy Beck: So I like was under, I was under, no, I wasn't under the radar for any kind of like kids, you know, usually kids that are like hyperactive or bad, you know, they're the ones that get all the attention and stuff like that. Well, I wasn't. And she said that when I was in sixth grade, um, the school came to her and they said, you know, She's really not performing like she should be for her age.

Wendy Beck: We suggest that you hold her back. And I didn't know this, but my mother said, absolutely not. She's like, she's getting ready to go into junior high school and we're not holding her back. And I never knew about this conversation. And I'm kind of glad that she didn't because that would have been devastating all on its own.

Wendy Beck: And it may not have helped anyway. She may not. It wouldn't have because it didn't really like classify what the problem was. But we're getting off track of your wonderful books. And I [00:10:00] think that, um, you know, the beauty of all brains are beautiful is something that we're finally starting to recognize.

Wendy Beck: And, and we didn't. And, and, you know, today with, with social media, I always say how I feel like it's changing our kids brains. And this whole social and, you know, how they love themselves. It's all different. It's all different. And so you wrote these because this is what you needed. And I love that you said you were doing this for your inner child.

Wendy Beck: So tell us about that. 

Kayla Deickman: So, like I said, I grew up in a broken home. Um, a lot of things happened in my childhood and I had, there was, there was drama all the way from the time I was five years old. There's still drama now, and I'm going to be 30 in a couple years. Okay. Um. Me too. It, it kind of is what it is.

Kayla Deickman: The one thing that I remember from growing up specifically, uh, academically at [00:11:00] least, I was always labeled pleasant to have in class, however. And that big however was terrible. Okay. Um, so 

Wendy Beck: what an underachiever or not focused, 

Kayla Deickman: not focused, um, unable to complete tasks. Um, all of these kind of just negative things.

Kayla Deickman: But I was a pleasure to have in class because I was a nice kid. Um, what I didn't have was the support or the skills to help me better myself. Um, Which is why I look at myself now like a resource because I want to help other children who have neurodivergency. So, explain what that is. So that's, um, any type of brain that's different than the average typical brain, also known as a neurotypical brain.

Kayla Deickman: So, people who have any type of chemical, or different changes in their brain, such as [00:12:00] ADHD, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, autism. There's a whole list of things you can be neurodivergent, more so. Um, so these children typically in their youth are labeled as bad children, but they don't have the support.

Kayla Deickman: that they, they need. Um, I didn't have that support. So my family supported the best that they could with what they knew. But now that times are slightly changing and people, this is becoming more, more, more known. Um, now there's more supports in place. Everybody has heard of an I. P. For school or a 504 plan.

Kayla Deickman: I had both. What? Um, so an IEP is essentially a, um, plan in place to help with, um, Organization, and disabilities. 

Wendy Beck: Oh, is that where you have someone in the class that helps you? 

Kayla Deickman: So it depends. So it's different for everybody and it's completely [00:13:00] unique. All you need to know that if you need an IEP, just understand that it is a, it is a legal binding contract between you and the school system.

Kayla Deickman: Um, and that your teachers should follow your IEP, and as a parent, you need to make sure you stay on top of that. Um, a 504 is more of a medical plan. Um, I have both. 

Wendy Beck: Well, and you 

Wendy Beck: know, as a parent, you know, you know, that's something that I, I might have said that my, my younger daughter may have needed, like, I don't know.

Wendy Beck: But I also feel like, you know, we don't. know what these kids need if the teachers aren't telling us. So, you know, with her and I had a lot of stuff going on in my life. My older daughter passed away. We had a divorce, you know, we moved and all of this stuff. And then you have a child who has. This neurodivergent neurodivergency neurodivergency and no one's picking up on it.

Wendy Beck: So she's sitting in class and she's not [00:14:00] feeling loved and she's eventually starting to feel bullied which creates this anxiety. So so. How are these things, like, at this age, tell me about how this is going to 

Wendy Beck: help at that age. 

Kayla Deickman: So, my goal is, for my first book, I Love Myself, I wrote it as a positive affirmations book for kids.

Kayla Deickman: Um, I wrote it as a monkey see monkey do book, and the idea behind it, especially for educators is to read it out to their Children and have them repeat it back to themselves. So that way, these kids are saying these positive thoughts and positive actions about themselves. They love their hair. They love their eyes.

Kayla Deickman: They love their mouth. They love these things about them so that they have the tools in the mindset that inevitably somebody is going to say something. Um, it's just how the world works, but they can go back and basically say, well, even if somebody says something negatively about me, I know that I love who I am.

Kayla Deickman: Right. Um, the first book focuses more on the physical aspect. [00:15:00] Um, it's a super inclusive book. Um, I wanted with my, with my illustrator, um, I really wanted that so that anybody can look in the book and find themselves in some way, shape or form. 

Wendy Beck: I love that. Um. 

Rich Bennett: I think too with that, with I Love Myself, 

Rich Bennett: just from looking at it real quick when I read through it when you two were talking, I'm thinking it's also, it's also teaching the kids to respect themselves as well, which is something that's very much needed.

Kayla Deickman: Yes, and unfortunately there's, there's not, that is a skill that has to be taught. It's not something you inherently learn, um, or know. Um, you need to see these things and, That's how these kids learn them. So I, again, I'm trying to be that resource so that no matter what, if somebody reads this book, they can at least go, go away feeling like they love something new about themselves or something that they didn't.

Wendy Beck: They [00:16:00] may never thought like that. I'm allowed to love my hair. Exactly. Just because my hair looks different than, you know, the girl sitting across the table from me. Maybe I like her hair because it's different than mine, but I can love mine too. Exactly. And I feel like a lot of kids don't know that.

Kayla Deickman: Right. And like I said, that is such a, it's such a learned behavior to do these things. 

Wendy Beck: Why are you smirking? I'm not. I was a 

Rich Bennett: bit. Yes, you are. It almost brought a tear to my eye. I love the, I love, I don't want to tell everybody, but the last page in this, when I looked at it. 

Wendy Beck: That's it. Read it to me. Read it out.

Rich Bennett: That just says, what do you love about you? And it's got a picture frame and it wants you to draw your picture there. 

Kayla Deickman: Oh, I love that. Thank you. Um, that was something that my grandmother suggested because, you 

Wendy Beck: know, it might even just be, someone draws their eyes, right? It doesn't have to be like a real portrait.

Wendy Beck: You know, I love my. Something 

Kayla Deickman: that they love about them. Right. I did a girls camp over the summer, and we [00:17:00] had the girls illustrate a special edition copy of my I Love Myself book, which, hopefully, um, Which is up on my website. But, uh, these girls did so well illustrating this book. Um, and a lot of the girls after said, I'm glad that I did this because it made me feel better.

Kayla Deickman: And that's what I want and they did some amazing drawings. Um, I wish I brought some to share with you guys. Um, they were so good. 

Rich Bennett: They're up on your website? 

Kayla Deickman: Um, so the special edition will be up on my, is currently up on my website as a pre order. Um, but I don't get my proof copy in until this week. Um, and then once I do that, there'll be a little flip through.

Kayla Deickman: So that people can see these girls drawings, cause they did such an amazing job. 

Wendy Beck: Aw, I like that idea. What does that say? Same thing for the brain book. Oh, okay. Well, and then, okay, so the second, the second book, her second book is. 

Rich Bennett: Well, wait, get back to this first, because this is the first, alright, I love myself as the first book.

Rich Bennett: Yes. So you said for ages three to eight. Three to eight. [00:18:00] I got to disagree with you there. Okay. I think younger. I think, and I want to show my daughter these because she works at a daycare. And I think if these are being read to the kids in daycare, yeah. That's going to help. And get them when they're young and pre count.

Rich Bennett: And keep 

Kayla Deickman: going. Yes. And teach 

Rich Bennett: them how to 

Kayla Deickman: read as well. Yes. So, the reason I say it's 3 8 is I also visit schools and elementary schools and they have me come in for second grade and below. Um, and I get My biggest thing is, even though it's age graded, you're never too old to learn these things about yourself, or to say them to yourself.

Kayla Deickman: I've had teenagers come up to my booth and buy the books for themselves because they needed a pick me up. And, 

Wendy Beck: Well, I was thinking this one would be great for my daughter because I know that she probably doesn't love her brain all the time because of her anxiety, because of ADHD, and you know, all of those things, and, and, It's not about the [00:19:00] outside.

Wendy Beck: It's it's about what's inside and and that's and that can be confusing when your brain is functioning different than the people around you. 

Kayla Deickman: You can't judge a fish for their knowledge on how to climb a tree. That is a big thing for me. Mic drop. 

Wendy Beck: Say that again. Where did 

Rich Bennett: you cut? Is 

Wendy Beck: that your saying? I 

Kayla Deickman: have heard it.

Kayla Deickman: I've never heard that before. So there was a comic strip way back when and it was talking about the educational system and how standardized tests are there to get a general consensus on how kids learn. Well, the problem is, is somebody with ADHD is not going to perform the same as somebody who's chronically depressed and down on themselves.

Kayla Deickman: They're not going to perform the same as a neurotypical student who gets straight A's all the time because they are, don't have these additional mental or, um, cognitive struggles. Um, so you can't judge a fish for its knowledge on how to climb the [00:20:00] tree. Essentially. Uh, standardized testing, that's what it is.

Kayla Deickman: You're all climbing the same tree regardless of what animal you may be. So that puts it in perspective, right? Yeah. So everybody's brain is different. Some brains are like a fish or a monkey or some brains are like a zebra. And my favorite is. My brain's like a rabbit because of my ADHD. I'm constantly jumping from one task to another.

Kayla Deickman: So in my book, there's a section of a little brain called my bunny brain and my little bunny brains hopping along, learning different things, um, and doing different things. Where's 

Rich Bennett: the squirrel saying 

Kayla Deickman: come from? I don't know. Um, same thing with the butterfly. 

Wendy Beck: I think the squirrel is. Um, someone who's easily distracted, because you know how squirrels, you know, if they hear something over here, then they take, you know, if they're always moving so quickly.

Wendy Beck: Yeah. They try to cause you 

Rich Bennett: to wreck your car. Well, I don't know about that. Oh, they do. They will [00:21:00] stand there until the last minute. 

Kayla Deickman: So essentially, um, I wanted to try to incorporate different kinds of brains. Um, I'm also self diagnosed as autistic. Um, my brain works differently. And over the years, I've come to the conclusion that it's Valid and I'm valid.

Kayla Deickman: Essentially. That saying alone, I am a valid person for the way my brain works. Well, I 

Wendy Beck: know that the, like, the autism spectrum is so large, like, how do you know something like that? Like, what, what gave you clues to assess that on yourself? 

Kayla Deickman: So, the psych... The tests that psychologists use are online. They are available and they are highly recommended in the autism community.

Kayla Deickman: Um, I don't speak on behalf of all autistic people. Gotcha. Um, I just, I know my own personal beliefs, um, play into effect as well. Um, however, A lot of autistic individuals as adults are being diagnosed every day because they were misdiagnosed as [00:22:00] being as a child and a diagnosis is also a privilege. A lot of people can't afford the doctors or the appointments that it requires.

Kayla Deickman: I know that I can't afford a psychologist all the time. To be able to take these tests that require so much and a lot of people are still not being diagnosed appropriately because psychologists don't believe that women or that adults who have since past, um, past the age group of standard diagnosing have it.

Kayla Deickman: They think it's something you can grow out of and it is not. You can't, no. Um, you don't grow out of your brain, you learn to live with your brain. And, uh, There is a huge spectrum, but it's not nowadays. It is not considered the same type of Linear spectrum. It's more of a circle. Yeah, so now you're looking at Think of it like this person struggles with sensory processing disorder Then they might need support in [00:23:00] that area.

Kayla Deickman: I am a person who I struggle with sensory overload And I have three Children at home. And as a mom, most moms can relate to that because you're going to be touched out at some point. Um, but It's more than that for me. I'm not just touched out. I'm overwhelmed because I can hear the lights buzzing Or the electricity is bothering me for whatever may be the reason I don't shop at Walmart Frequently because I can't handle their lights So it's there's so many things that go into it, but ultimately my goal is A lot of times you're labeled the bad kid when you don't have the right supports, you don't have the right diagnosis, or if you do, people write off you because of your diagnosis.

Kayla Deickman: And that is not the case, and that's what I'm trying to change. Your brain is amazing, it's beautiful, it's unique, it's individual, and it's yours. So learning to love it is so important. It took me until I was an adult [00:24:00] before I came to the conclusion that I am valid as a person. 

Wendy Beck: Actually groundbreaking and and your journey that you've started with this.

Wendy Beck: Which has just begun. It has just begun, and we really do need to change the school system. And, and until we do that, because like you said, they're, everybody's in that, taking that same test. Everybody's expected to perform, and I don't know percentages, but there's probably only a certain percent that actually can even learn that way.

Wendy Beck: So everybody else is just like in this big bucket of, you know, you know, back in the day where you had your, like your nerds and your freaks and your geeks and all that. No, seriously. And they probably, and gosh, do not, do not quote me cause I don't know what I'm talking about, but there's probably some kind of correlation.

Wendy Beck: with the friend groups that you pick based on your learning ability. And so now we're, we're over [00:25:00] here and guess what? We're not in, in the chess club. We're here, we're here with the art group. And now all of a sudden we're labeled as, you know, not smart because we're taking art. And that's where I was in the art group because I shined in the art classes.

Wendy Beck: But if you take me in the reading class, I'm sitting there with a bunch of other kids who can't read and the teacher's sleeping. No, I'm not kidding. Oh yeah. Yeah. Well, that's a whole nother, we can talk about that in the next 

Kayla Deickman: podcast. So I fully agree with that statement. Um, essentially it's kind of a big joke, but it's not really, it's not a real joke.

Kayla Deickman: It's more of a, we've all kind of figured this out now. If your best friends got ADHD and your other best friends autistic, chances are you're the one right in between. You can probably have both. Okay. Or, you know, if you're surrounding yourself and all of your friends are. 

Wendy Beck: Well, that kind of goes with the same perspective that like, you know, kids who have trauma can relate to other kids with [00:26:00] trauma.

Wendy Beck: So they form together because they can, they can support each other or they have an understanding of like, I know what you're going through. And so you might not have the person that's on the sports team, you know, As your best buddy in a new school when you're struggling to read and you couldn't even qualify to get on that team because your grades don't measure up.

Kayla Deickman: And I love Harford County because we are such a big, diverse group of individuals. Um, but you, you still see a lot of that nowadays. There's cliques everywhere and I, I. Grew up in a clicky environment and then I moved to a non clicky environment And I learned what real kind of friends are and I'm not saying you can't be friends with your clicks But I started to learn that you can be friends with pretty much anybody if you get along and you push past the differences[00:27:00] 

Kayla Deickman: Uh, not again, not saying clicks are a bad thing. I mean, well, I think 

Wendy Beck: it, I think that they, they have some bad qualities, of course, especially when it comes to the things that happen because of them, such as bullying, right? Such, you know, there's like There's things that are not okay about 

Kayla Deickman: that. Exactly. So my goal, my goal in life is literally to help those smaller versions of me.

Kayla Deickman: Um, I want to make sure kids have the coping mechanisms and the skills so that they can overcome adversity and so that they can be. More loving to themselves, more lenient with yourself and understanding that sometimes a mental health day is so needed. Right. I let my kids occasionally take a mental health day because they're burned out.

Kayla Deickman: Yeah. And... Well, you're 

Wendy Beck: very knowledgeable. I mean, did you, I don't know your background. Did you, did you go to school for all this? Is this all, you know, self taught? Is it because of your personal [00:28:00] experiences with yourself and your children? 

Kayla Deickman: So it's a little of all. Okay. I do not have any type of college background.

Kayla Deickman: I did take a couple psychology courses, but nothing crazy. Um, and you don't need to, obviously. Right. And, um, I support or I have. Become more knowledgeable because of the groups that I surround myself with. So I am a big part of some autism led groups on Facebook, such as autism inclusivity, which is a group run by autistic adults.

Kayla Deickman: It's not run by people who don't have it right. Because a lot of times people. And again, I'm not saying this bad on anyone or other community. However, sometimes people try to speak for autistic, um, family members or children or what, without taking their input into consideration. And that's why it's important to listen to the adult [00:29:00] autistic individuals who...

Kayla Deickman: Have the ability to share how they feel and not to brush it aside because that still goes on. You can be autistic, have a diagnosis. And I've seen where somebody's parent or somebody who doesn't have, who isn't autistic says. Well, that's just not the case, and I'm just like, but you're not living in on a day to day life and as a parent myself, you know, we do what we can and we do the best things we can for our kids.

Kayla Deickman: So my, my son is special needs. And my biggest thing was I wanted to learn as much as I could because I want to make sure that he is happy and healthy and a wonderful individual and a productive member of society. He is. the light of my life. Um, he was a COVID pandemic baby. I absolutely couldn't picture my life without my son.

Kayla Deickman: My daughter's also My oldest daughter doesn't mind me sharing. She's also has [00:30:00] ADHD and she had an eating disorder. She's eight years old. Um, so we surrounded ourselves not just in communities who support ADHD, but also eating disorder communities because that is also pretty rampant in Children who might have ADHD, anxiety problems, um, eating disorders are also all about control and controlling your life.

Kayla Deickman: One of the couple things that your kid can control is what they put in their mouth. Yep. And my daughter had ARFID, Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. Huh? It's a big, it's a big long one. Um, essentially it is also a precursor for anorexia or bulimia. However, This particular eating disorder is commonly found in autistic children, or children who are neurodivergent.

Kayla Deickman: Um, my daughter is diagnosed with ADHD, and again, she doesn't mind me sharing. So, um, we've had conversations. Um, [00:31:00] she, uh, struggled for a couple years. proper therapy, we were able to get her to the point where she is now eating enough for herself, and she's been graduated therapy for about a year, and she's doing really well.

Kayla Deickman: Um, that doesn't mean we have stopped our snacking and our wonderful things that mom is now slightly traumatized about. So we, we keep it up because, um, It's important, and we also have the rule in our house that all food is good food, um, because, again, everybody is different, so somebody who eats a piece of cake may automatically think that is a bad food to eat because it is not healthy for you.

Kayla Deickman: Well, in my mind, my daughter, who wasn't eating anything at all, Can't have that cake. needs that cake, so if somebody else is telling my child, That they can't have this piece of cake because it's unhealthy. I'm gonna look at them kind of questioning because number one, it's my kid, but it's healthy for her.

Kayla Deickman: And that goes back to some [00:32:00] brains function different with different support and support 

Wendy Beck: needs. Well, and I, I want to bring this up because myself included, um, when you Um, have a child that has a different brain than you. Okay. Like, yes, I have dyslexia, um, but I never had anxiety. I might've been nervous, like looking around the room to count how many, you know, people I have to get to through to pick this chapter, to read this paragraph or whatever.

Wendy Beck: But like overall, I was never really an anxious person. So also growing up in, and I don't know if this is back in our age too, I'm going to say this, where it was more of like a suck it up. You know, it wasn't about, it wasn't about the kids, like it wasn't about me and my brother. We were living in my parents lives, and that doesn't mean that they were doing anything wrong.

Wendy Beck: They, like you said, you know, they were doing the best they could with, with who they were at the time. And, you know, they [00:33:00] were young and, you know, here I am not, not being able to read, but you know, they didn't really notice. I'm not saying that that's not. But I never had the attention on what I struggled with.

Wendy Beck: So when I had children and all of a sudden they're struggling, I don't even know if I was like recognizing these things. Timely enough to like be able to swoop in so I was waiting for the school system because to say, you know, like, Hey, guess what? You know, I think we need to put her, um, have her come in and we'll help her get her organized.

Wendy Beck: You know, she has ADHD. So what I'm trying to say is sometimes we don't know what we 

Kayla Deickman: don't know. Exactly. And so that's why again, one of my biggest things is we do the best we can with what we have. And when you know better, you do better. Yes. The biggest thing that I have with the educational system, and this is from somebody who has had family members in it for as long as she can remember, um, [00:34:00] is that there's always going to be a battle.

Kayla Deickman: It's unfortunately. Because of how large the school system is and how many kids individual needs are not going to be met unless you IEP plan. And normally that has to be initiated by a parent unless there's severe, um, You're severely behind on a topic, in which case the school will do their own testing.

Kayla Deickman: Um, but, in a lot of cases it is missed heavily. Um, and, in a way that that's okay because they don't, They can't keep track of every individual person. However, that's where, you know, sometimes us as parents have to be like, hey, this might be going on, but I'm not sure. Can you keep an eye out for it during class?

Kayla Deickman: Well, 

Wendy Beck: you eventually do become an advocate for them, but it's like, it feels like sometimes it's a struggle to even know where to begin. Yes. It's different. If I, like, had... ADHD. And then I saw the signs of my child having ADHD. I might [00:35:00] be a better parent, you know, than initially to like kind of get a handle on it and help.

Wendy Beck: But sometimes 

Kayla Deickman: you don't know. Exactly. And that's where a lot of people unfortunately fall through the cracks. And we try the best, again, we try the best we can with what we have. And I noticed. things with my daughter because I'm an older sibling. So I knew already what a toddler should be eating and I'm considerably older than my siblings.

Kayla Deickman: So I was a 10 year old with my youngest sibling. So like I knew I was paying attention. I helped. I helped with my siblings. So. I knew when my toddler wasn't eating X, Y, and Z, even though she was my first child, that there was a slight concern. However, had I not had that previous knowledge, I may have thought it was normal for them to be picky, because everybody says toddlers are picky, but there's a difference between being picky Well, and you know, you have that 

Wendy Beck: instinct as a mother, [00:36:00] obviously, and I'm not saying that I was completely oblivious and all of this stuff, but I, but I do feel like, you know, just real world distractions sometimes put other things 

Kayla Deickman: on the back burner.

Kayla Deickman: burner. So yeah, I do. And there's things that I'm sure that I'm completely messing with my kids. Um, we all do. Yeah, exactly. My middle child. We always, we all kind of joke a little bit. She's neurotypical as far as we know, living in a family with all neurodivergent people. So we always make, um, the comment of, man, that's what normal looks like.

Kayla Deickman: Um, because she's hit every milestone. Um, she, she does everything somewhat opposite. So we're in a household that, um, has all these conflicting kind of, um, interests and needs. And sometimes I feel like I need eight arms just so that everybody gets everything that they need. Um, But I'm doing the best that I [00:37:00] can and most parents can probably relate and be like they're doing the best that they can with what they have.

Kayla Deickman: And so my goal is if I'm putting these books out there, then maybe somebody has an additional resource that they can use. Whether it be a parent or a child. Speaking 

Rich Bennett: of the books. You say you wrote the first one in April of this 

Kayla Deickman: year. So the first one came out in April Um, I was working on that since December of the previous year.

Kayla Deickman: Okay It's done fairly well and I'm glad that I've been able to get that out, um, specifically because I like the topic of kids being able to say these positive affirmations for themselves. My second book just recently released about three weeks ago. The first event that I took it to was over the weekend, um, where it had some decent traction.

Kayla Deickman: Um, missed that. It was really good until it rained. Okay. And then it picked back [00:38:00] up for a little while. But, um, it was, it was a long day. Um, so that one's fairly new. Um, we're still trying to get it out there and test the waters with 

Rich Bennett: it. Are you going to be at the artisan author show? In November 

Kayla Deickman: at the Dollar Armory.

Kayla Deickman: I just found out about that. I didn't know that existed. Lindsay didn't tell you? Uh, she mentioned it, um, this past week and I was like, I didn't know about that event. So, um, Lindsay, you're fired . No, she's, she's too valuable. I need her in my life. . Aw. Yeah. I think there's a waiting list for it now. Yeah, most likely.

Kayla Deickman: I'll still probably submit something, but I'm doing a, um, I'm doing a couple smaller events, um, between now and the end of the year. Um, normally I do the Apple festival in Darlington, but they're not having it this year. Okay. I didn't know that. So this, this last festival, the Beller arts festival was my last big one for the year.

Kayla Deickman: Um, unless I book a couple others, but well, 

Rich Bennett: something you and I talked about [00:39:00] before you came in that you need to do because You have the ability to record from home. I do. So, you need to go on other podcasts. Don't focus on just here. Go on other podcasts throughout the, throughout the world, really.

Rich Bennett: Because your book can help. Yeah. 

Wendy Beck: It's universal, honestly. It is. And I feel like these, we have to start when they're younger. Like we really do creating that self esteem because when they get to like, when you start realizing that your child has ADHD or anxiety or depression and they're a middle school and you're trying to tackle that, guess what?

Wendy Beck: They're. going through puberty. They're trying to make friends. They're trying to figure out who they are. And then we're all of a sudden saying, well, wait a minute, let's work on this. It doesn't 

Kayla Deickman: work that way. And it can be so hard once you are there to backtrack. And exactly. The more, the more skills that kids can develop [00:40:00] before that puberty mark, the better, because I hate to say this, kids are relentless and ruthless.

Kayla Deickman: I agree. Um, I, I love kids, but once they hit that middle school age, they are ruthless. Yes. They're 

Wendy Beck: well, they are, and that's not the time to try to change them because they're out, they're trying to figure they're way out of the standard that you're trying to 

Kayla Deickman: create. So that way if you give the tools while they're younger and hopefully give them slight confidence boost, then they can go back when.

Kayla Deickman: the bullying or the crazy puberty hormones hits and everything is changing, they can be like, well, I still love my hair. I still love my eyes. And when you can start with the self confidence there, um, and then you can just kind of reiterate it for them rather than trying to helm this new lesson. And have you started on 

Rich Bennett: the third book yet?

Kayla Deickman: I did. Um, That one's going to be called, I Love My Family. Ooh, I like that already. That one [00:41:00] I'm very excited about. Um, I am also a member of the LGBTQ plus community. Um, my two best friends are as well. And we... I don't see a lot of that. It's gotten way better, um, with the areas that we live 

Wendy Beck: in. In terms of children's books?

Wendy Beck: Both. Is that what you're saying? 

Kayla Deickman: Okay. So with children's books and then as adult individuals as well, um. There's always going to be a stigma around it. Every way, shape, or form, and that's just how it is and how life works. There's always going to be a stigma around brains and about confidence, too.

Kayla Deickman: There's always going to be that. But my next book, I want to gear towards kids who have families that look differently. They might have two moms or two dads. And it's not just going to... talk about the LGBTQ plus families, but also about kids who are in foster care or who [00:42:00] are adopted and their families look different.

Kayla Deickman: Raised by grandparents, yeah. Exactly, raised by grandparents, your uncles, your aunties, um, you know, those kids who may not actually have adult. Um, family members and who rely on their peers to be their family members. Um, like I said, I grew up in a very interesting home and all I can say is seeing other types of families would have helped me with my own broken family, regardless of the type of family.

Kayla Deickman: But I only had growing up seeing friends who had both mom and dad in the house. And I didn't have that all the time. Yeah. And I lived with my grandparents. Um, so seeing that would have helped me and even if it were in a book, so I know there's more books and things like that nowadays, but there's still not enough.

Kayla Deickman: Um, so I want to make sure that kids [00:43:00] can see again, just like with my first book. I want them to be able to see themselves in the book. I want them to be able to see their families, um, interracial families. I want to be able to them to see, um, Family members who have lots of siblings, um, or if you're just an only child, um, which is, 

Wendy Beck: that's a difference in itself that, you know, if you are an only child or you're, you're a child who lost a sibling, like my daughter, she's, it was a essentially an only child, but she really wasn't.

Wendy Beck: And so she felt different because like I was supposed to have a sibling or I'd had a sibling and now I don't, they're gone. And then I'm coming into this family members and I see these units that are, that are like, you know, happy and, and functioning and. And, and relying on each other and being, being a family.

Wendy Beck: And then, you know, she probably felt lonely in a lot of ways because she didn't have that. And but I know people, you know, it's, it's the difference between loss, losing something that you know, you [00:44:00] thought was there versus never having it. So being an only child that never had another sibling is very different.

Wendy Beck: from a child that has lost 

Kayla Deickman: a sibling. And that is something that I would like to touch on. One of my closest friends lost her mom at a young age. So she, unfortunately, you know, she had a couple of years where she didn't have a mother figure and then she went through some things, which I won't touch on today, but, um, her dad got remarried and she's had an amazing step mom for the longest time.

Kayla Deickman: But, you know, I want. Like, that was another one of my, that was a friend of mine who I was like, you know, that sticks to me just because you also grew up with a family that wasn't just mom, dad, brother, sisters. And then I've got another, my other closest friend, she does have both parents at home. You know, and but she doesn't want Children.

Kayla Deickman: So her family units going to look different in the future than say mine with my three kids. Um, [00:45:00] my friend who I just previously mentioned who lost her mom. She wants to adopt kids. She doesn't particularly want or need a partner in her 

Wendy Beck: life. And I love that because that really does say it all because they're every family is different.

Wendy Beck: Exactly. Every 

Kayla Deickman: single one. And regardless of anybody's opinion on the LGBTQ plus community, that doesn't stop it from being out there. Right. That's still there. And those children are now not when, when you start to bring in the, well, we shouldn't have these kinds of books in schools and we shouldn't have this, then those children are starting to lack a resource that they could need.

Kayla Deickman: So. My goal is, again, to be able to give these resources out. I want, I do a lot of book donations when I see a family or somebody who seems that they could, they could use this book. I, I tend to give out my books, um, for things like that. I want kids to have access [00:46:00] to the resources simply because, you know, somebody could be depressed because their family looks a little differently.

Kayla Deickman: And that's true. It would help 

Rich Bennett: them because, and a lot of those kids are bullied and if they don't have the resources to find out why their family's different. Right. You know, you can't go by what these idiots are telling you. 

Kayla Deickman: Exactly. You know, you need Well, kids are 

Wendy Beck: cruel. They are. are as well. Well, yeah, absolutely.

Wendy Beck: But it kind of goes back to like that free, you know, middle school kind of like, you know, nurturing them and helping them. And so I think it's great. I think it's, it's really great. And you know, I, I 

Kayla Deickman: So, currently it's with a student illustrator. Um, I decided... So this will be your Third different illustrator.

Kayla Deickman: Oh, we can cover that part. So, [00:47:00] yeah, my first illustrator is a local artist. She's amazing. Um, her name's Adele. Um, I'm going to say her last name wrong. Verona? Ronan, I think. Um, the second, the second illustrator I had was actually my sister. Um, she's currently at an art and design school in Ohio for illustration.

Kayla Deickman: Um, Huh. And then my third, uh, or illustrator is going to be a student who is kind of doing this to help boost for her college stuff. Local student. Local student that I'm, I'm not gonna share any of her information. Oh, okay. Yet? Not yet. Not yet. Um, but she, um, is very, that's awesome. Very pleasant to work with.

Kayla Deickman: Um, her art teacher is currently kind of supervising a little bit, right. Um. But she's been, she's been a pleasure and she, I just got her this manuscript yesterday, so she's starting on it. Um, and then let me 

Wendy Beck: ask this question. Are you self-published? Yes. Am. Okay. 

Kayla Deickman: Just getting ready to answer. You're gonna [00:48:00] steal my questions.

Kayla Deickman: I am self-published and as much as I'd love to have a big publisher pull me in, that's a thousand nos before a single Yes. And I don't know if I have the confidence yet to do that. Right. But I'm getting there. Let's, you 

Wendy Beck: know, let's just throw that out into the universe. Yeah. Well, it could 

Rich Bennett: work the other way around to 

Wendy Beck: where, 

Rich Bennett: you all these books that are self published and, 

Wendy Beck: and they're making traction in the community.

Wendy Beck: Then you're going to have an 

Rich Bennett: agent call you, and that agent's going to say, we got to help you. And actually, those of you listening, so when you get the books, I Love Myself and All Brains Are Beautiful by Kayla Dykman, make sure, because the kids really can't leave a review. But the adults can't. So leave a review, whether it be on Amazon, Goodreads, or whatever, about the book, a full review.

Rich Bennett: Because that's just going to help Kayla. It's going to help her sell more 

Wendy Beck: books. Well, and some of the things that we talked about, I don't know if it was prior to us starting to record, [00:49:00] but you have some, some potentials in your life that's going to put you within a community that is going to embrace these.

Wendy Beck: And then you're going to have like that, that's my big goal, that vibration that's going to go out beyond your 

Kayla Deickman: circle. Yeah. And I've already started visiting local elementary schools to talk to the kids during mental health awareness weeks. I started doing that last year. Yeah. Smart. And I want to continue.

Kayla Deickman: Library time too, if you could do that. Exactly. Yeah. There are some, um, some rules and stipulations, but I have looked into that. Um, always does. Oh, absolutely. Got a red tape. Yeah. Um, but I actually have another cool project that I'm starting that'll be out around the same time. December, January ish. I'm working on doing a guided mental health journal for teens.

Kayla Deickman: What? Well, pre teens. 8 12 is the goal, um, with the then following next year's goal is to do a second one for um, 12 18. [00:50:00] Cool. Yeah. Okay. Um, 

Wendy Beck: because I like that because it kind of is, um, provoking their 

Kayla Deickman: thoughts. Exactly. And it'll be fully guided, um, with activities to help aid with anxiety. I want to throw a couple coloring pages in there because, you know, sometimes I get anxious and I just want to color.

Wendy Beck: Well, you and I, like, the, the planner, so it's just having that ability to, like, get something out on paper. 

Kayla Deickman: And there'll be, um, positive quotes in it. I'm working with a therapist at the moment, and I'm trying to book in, book kind of like an interview like kind of thing with other therapists and psychologists, um, to answer questions that I may have so that, again, my goal is to help kids.

Kayla Deickman: Right. Not screw them up. 

Wendy Beck: No. So. Well, we do that all on our own. Society and parents and, and we're not perfect. So we need these little safety nets. And honestly, like it's a changing world. And if we're not changing with it, we're not going to be able to [00:51:00] tackle the things that need to be tackled because who would have thought that, you know?

Wendy Beck: Again, I'm pointing to me and you. How many people that you knew when you were in middle school or high school said, I have anxiety or were on anxiety medications? First of 

Rich Bennett: all, I'm so old that there was no such thing as middle school. Okay. 

Wendy Beck: All right. Well, me too. But no, we didn't, I mean, no one said anything about anxiety, like it wasn't a thing.

Wendy Beck: And now it is like the word anxiety is dropped in every setting, every person. And so we need to catch up and figure out how to, you know, heal some of this that's happening. How are you writing 

Rich Bennett: short stories? Um, have you ever 

Kayla Deickman: tried it? I have not tried it. Um, we're going to fall back on that. I'm also dyslexic thing, so sometimes writing can be kind of a challenge.

Kayla Deickman: Yeah, it is. It's hard. But I, I, I have, um, I have had [00:52:00] interest in doing it. Because, 

Rich Bennett: I mean, I just had this crazy idea. And it probably is crazy. But, you know, having local authors like yourself, get Lindsey, um, Derek, Derek Pence, you know, have all of you to have. Going through these struggles, some, you know, some type of mental health struggles and write a compilation book.

Kayla Deickman: I, that would be wonderful. I'll have to talk to Lindsay about that. Talk to, 

Rich Bennett: you know what, we're just going to get you all on a round table. Oh, that could be a good round table podcast for authors. 

Kayla Deickman: There you go. We're all. Not outing my other author friends, but uh, we all have our own little Facebook chat bubble that we're in.

Kayla Deickman: Um, we talk to each other because we're constantly boosting each other up. And it's been wonderful to be part of that community. And it's good to talk about it. Exactly. All of our books are unique in our own ways and none of us are stepping on each other's toes. No, there's enough to go around [00:53:00] for everyone.

Kayla Deickman: Exactly. And each one of our books are so amazingly different with the common theme of... We all love kids and we just want to see kids happy and healthy and unique individuals. When you mentioned the 

Rich Bennett: thing about the preteen, the book you want to do for the preteens, that's when it hit my, clicked in my head.

Rich Bennett: It's like, if you can do something, all of you get together and do something to where it's helping, even a Y group. Who says you can't have a children's book within a preteen book within an adult book? Exactly. It could be the first 

Kayla Deickman: time ever. Again, like I said, I worked with a camp over the summer and I, they did a special edition of my book and with me, I was like a workshop, not well, kind of the camp had me come in and talk to the girls for a day.

Kayla Deickman: It was great. Um, there it's run by two teachers from my children's school. Um, there is a really good camp. The girls, Girls United Camp Hartford. Um, give them a little shout out. Um, [00:54:00] but we were able to have them illustrate the books and I've, I saw some really good illustrations and really happy kids and I still had kids come up to me at the Bel Air farmers market saying we were there and we're so glad that you were able to do this.

Kayla Deickman: And I was like, I'm so glad you guys would be able to illustrate for me because that's giving them a creative outlet and it's also giving them something to look forward to. Not just the winners of our little illustration content work. Thank you. Contest were in the book. Oh, we got all the illustrations in the book.

Kayla Deickman: So I'd love to do some type of creative project with, um, other Groups in the area like the YMCA or like some of the other Boys and Girls Club kind of activity groups where kids could write their own little short story and become a compilation, share their story. Um, so then we could touch in on all the age groups and have them come in for a quote.

Rich Bennett: Sorry, I just, I don't know who that is, huh? Who's that? [00:55:00] She's the one that runs Layla's Gift. Oh, okay. But her daughter, her nine year old daughter, wrote a book when she was six. I don't want to say wrote, it's called Ziggle Bees. And it's just, it's like, you know, it's five things. So it'd be like, I lost my tooth.

Rich Bennett: And it's for special needs kids and they would have to. Like draw pictures and color it off and create a story just from that. Okay. Yeah. I mean, that'd be a great group to work with. There's a lot of great groups out there. Exactly. The ARC, NCR, you already mentioned it. That's another great group you have.

Rich Bennett: Um, Oh 

Wendy Beck: God. I was, I was thinking the Ashley Clubhouse. Thank you. Yes. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. So yeah, we'll have to have to like, you know, give you 

Kayla Deickman: some information. I was going to say, build some connections. Um, 

Wendy Beck: that's one of the reasons I do this. And you have the passion and that's really, and if you have the passion and the [00:56:00] consistency, you will be successful.

Kayla Deickman: Exactly. And as somebody who has ADHD, I will say consistency is hard, but when you find that passion, you have it. And I never thought that I would write. Um, my dyslexia always held me back, and now, as an adult who's just starting out with little children's stories, I'm trying to make an impact for these kids because I was that kid.

Kayla Deickman: And again, now I found my passion because I'm healing my own inner child as we go. And... It just motivates me. I love 

Wendy Beck: she keeps saying that she's healing her inner child. And, and I think we all need to do that. If we could be in touch with the parts that are broken. And even at like my, you know, age, like go back and heal that little girl who was.

Wendy Beck: In the class, trying to figure out how to read and, you know, and, and the things that I do now, um, you know, with, with my work and, and, and being, you know, a nonprofit person, [00:57:00] and I have opportunities to speak and like, just to even write my. own words and, and to read them, that's even hard because, you know, you auto correct with, with, um, with dyslexia, even if you wrote it.

Wendy Beck: I understand. So, you know what I mean? So it, it has this extra layer of nerves and like, no one knows that no one 

Kayla Deickman: knows that about me. When you're saying it a thousand times in your head and you. Still, when you go to speak it, it comes out and garbled. I I do that all the time. Yes. I speak to a lot of places and I've discovered that I'll write it down as many times as I want.

Kayla Deickman: And so we're 

Wendy Beck: gonna, we're gonna kind of, this is like a, you know, futuring that with these types of books. We're going to start healing the inner child before it's broken. 

Kayla Deickman: Exactly. Ooh, we all have trauma and we all, I love that we need to, we really do. And that makes, if we can start doing that process, [00:58:00] then when the trauma does arrive, because we can all say we all have trauma, um, it'll make it a little easier to bear it.

Kayla Deickman: And it'll make it a little bit easier for us to continue moving on forward. 

Wendy Beck: Well, it's the being proactive versus reactive in, in, in, in anything that we're going through in our life. We don't have the tools. We're not going to be able to heal from it as easily as if we have those tools instilled at a really young age.

Wendy Beck: And I don't think that we're doing that. We're, we're missing that. And I think you have touched on the tip of the iceberg and I just want you to keep going. And I'm really excited to see what you continue to do. Then 

Rich Bennett: you know you're going to have to come back on again. Absolutely. Well, you're going to do the round table.

Rich Bennett: Uh, yeah. You're going to do the virtual thing. Yep. Uh, oh god, she's going to become a regular. 

Wendy Beck: Yay! She's going to take your place. Sorry. That was nice. You know. you're trying to figure out a way. Too bad. No. [00:59:00] 

Rich Bennett: It's something very important. Tell everybody your website. 

Kayla Deickman: Oh, uh, yeah. So, um, you can, you can find me on Facebook on KLD Children's Authors.

Kayla Deickman: Um, just type that in the bar and I'll pop right on up. Um, my website is similar. Um, it is KLD Children's Author, or Children's Books, I'm sorry. KLD Children's Books, um, uh, It's dot big cartel, um, dot com. It's the server that I use. Um, okay. Did you say cartel? Yeah, it's the, yeah, yeah. Um, I, I said that too. Um, it's, it's a website platform.

Kayla Deickman: Okay. Um, and I, I use their domain. It's a little easier for me. Actually, when you filled 

Rich Bennett: out the bio, did you put the 

Kayla Deickman: website in there? Um. I believe so, but I'm not sure. I can always send it to me. That 

Rich Bennett: way I can put it into Sure News. Do you have 

Wendy Beck: any questions? No, it was a delight, and I look forward to [01:00:00] seeing you in the future, and at the Dyslexia Roundtable, and the Authors Roundtable.

Wendy Beck: Like, I'll be happy to co host. Awesome. And have input, of course. Do you have 

Rich Bennett: anything you'd like to add? 

Kayla Deickman: Um, just keep loving your brains and love yourself for who you are. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. 

Rich Bennett: I think I got another book for you too. 

Kayla Deickman: Okay. 

Rich Bennett: All hearts are the same color, or something like that.

Rich Bennett: I like it because that's something I've always always said. I don't care what color your skin is. We're all the same inside. We all have the same color. Exactly. 

Kayla Deickman: I 

Rich Bennett: would say same color brain, but I can't say that now because you got in the back of the book to 

Kayla Deickman: color your brain. Exactly. Well, and every brain in that book is different.

Kayla Deickman: So, um, but I appreciate that. Appreciate you guys having me on. It was fun. Thank 

Rich Bennett: you. Thank you so much. And Wendy, of course, thank you. Um, but like I said, doors open anytime you want to come back. Awesome. Thank