We recently connected with Britney Wolf and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Britney, thanks for joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

My mom and dad were a huge impact on me growing up and how I present myself today when it comes to Tourette Syndrome and advocating for others. From the beginning they never let me feel like there was anything wrong with me or that my diagnosis was a big deal. Now looking back I know that they were worried at the time and but they never let that show in front of me. I remember asking my mom one time as I got older about that because it was kind of crazy to me that I never saw that on their faces or heard whispers in the family or anything like that, that would show concern. But, my mom told me that was what they wanted for me. They didn’t want me to continuously hear all the bad things or see and hear worry and concern from family members because then that would cause worry and concern for me too. My Tourette Diagnosis was a big thing, but they didn’t allow it to feel too big for me as a seven year old girl. Both my parents always just let me be me, tics and all and never let me think that I wasn’t capable of something because of it. They wiped my tears on the bad days and made me laugh through them. They believed in everything I wanted to do with my advocacy work and I credit it all to them for making me who I am today. They’re belief, they’re acceptance, and they’re love mean more to me than they will ever know.

Britney, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

When I was a child there was not a lot of advocacy or information out there about Tourette Syndrome. We still need more today if I’m being honest, we need more representation, but we have come so far. But when I was a child I often wondered why no one knew about this thing that I had. Why didn’t anyone talk about it? Why didn’t I ever see anyone like me? Although I had an amazing family and support system, it still often felt lonely because it felt like I was the only one who couldn’t control my own body and no one seemed to want to talk about it unless it was a joke on the television. So, at a young age I decided if no one else will talk about it, then I will. And I began telling anyone who would listen. I started by writing about it in school for my papers if I was allowed to choose my topic, presenting on it to the class when I could, and just talking about it as openly and best I could as a child and young adult. I wanted to control the narrative about my life and why I couldn’t sit still.

As I got older that advocacy changed and grew with the times. Social Media has been a huge game changer in the advocacy world in both positive and negative ways. It became less about me and more about the Tourette Syndrome community as a whole. I was able to create a platform that brought people who were like me and unlike me into my world. I wanted to make sure no other little girl, little boy, or even adult felt like I did when I was younger and that they knew there was someone like them out there in the world. So, I started making videos on Youtube and started Social Media Channels under the One Tic at a Time name. I decided that if I helped just one person feel less alone, or helped one person understand that Tourette Syndrome is a very real disorder and disability and not a joke, then I’ve done what I needed to do.

I continued and still continue to try and find new ways of advocating every year. I’ve written a book about my life with Tourette syndrome which is published by Edumatch Publishing. That is probably something I’m most proud of. It was a lifelong dream of mine to get a book published and to know that my words connect with so many people and help people, means the absolute world to me. I’m also a Public Speaker through the Teach Better Speaker’s Network where I go to schools, businesses, and conferences and teach people about Tourette Syndrome and advocate for students in the classroom and employees in the work force. I try every avenue that I can to advocate for the Tourette Syndrome Community and myself. Most recently I joined the board as the Vice President of the ScholasTIC’s Tourette Supporters Non-Profit that gives out scholarships to students with Tourette Syndrome. It’s work that I’m very passionate about and hope to help make it successful to give students with Tourette Syndrome some help while going off to college.

I’ll keep trying to find new ways and exhaust every avenue that I can for this community. It’s important and although it can be tiring and exhausting work, I will never stop.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think being incredibly honest about my life and my journey has helped me the most in the advocacy world. I’ve always been open about what Tourette Syndrome can do to me or to a person who has it in general, and I try to show all sides of it. Generally, I try to have a positive attitude when it comes to my tics and everything my body goes through on a daily basis, but sometimes that’s not always possible. There are days where it’s just beating me down to my core and I don’t talk about those days often, but I try to every once in a while.

It’s a really difficult thing to open up to strangers on the internet because you never know what kind of responses you will get and the internet can be a very ugly and mean place. But, I remind myself that it isn’t just for me and that is usually what keeps me going. Just recently I made a video where I was at probably one of my lowest states. My tics have unfortunately increased severely due to some personal matters and it has affected me on every level – emotionally, physically, and mentally. I remember even telling myself that I’ll probably just delete it because I didn’t want anyone to think I was trying to get pity because that’s not what it was at all. I wanted the people who still think that this disorder is nothing but a joke to know what it can actually do to a person and how you never always know the true story. People think they see a 60 second video and all of a sudden know your whole life and think they can judge how difficult something is and that’s not true. Although it was my most vulnerable post that I’ve made, it was important and I received so much love from the TS community it was overwhelming. Some even said it helped them feel “seen” and that made me thankful I pushed down my fears and posted it to open up to anyone that was willing to sit and listen.

Being honest and true to myself is something I promised myself I would always do when I started this advocacy journey and I like to think that is what helps people connect with what I do.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I would say my goal or mission is to tell the whole world about Tourette Syndrome. I know that’s a lofty goal, but when it comes down to it, that’s true. I want to encourage others to share their stories and lives with Tourette Syndrome because we need them too. Not everyone will connect with my story and how TS presents itself in my body, but they might connect with the next person and that’s important. So, together, all the amazing and incredible advocates that inspire me every single day, will help to tell the world and hopefully one day change the views of what this disorder really is.

Contact Info:

• Website: britneywolfspeaks.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_britneywolf/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oneticatatime/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIsaKWuRuFr4bPcoRyB186A

Image Credits
First photo on the beach area was from Paloma Esperanza Photography