We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maynell Evans a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Maynell , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

Before my son was diagnosed with autism, the first place I decided to check into was YouTube. There, I realized so many vulnerable families were sharing their stories. Before that, I did not have a YouTube channel, so I gained inspiration from them and started my channel- Love Mayc and The Autism Storyteller. I started Love Mayc first because I wanted to give back to others the way they gave to me. I was deeply inspired by their willingness to share their stories and give advice to their following. I learned how to be an advocate, where to discover resources, and how to discuss my concerns with professionals. This can be very scary in the beginning-especially if you have never done that in the past. Advocating is a skill that requires confidence and if you are a beginner, it is best to seek out help from others. I was very nervous at first to start my channel because I was worried that I would not make connections and I lacked confidence. I realized I had to do it because I truly wanted to help others. After all, it is important to give back. I am glad I started my channel because many people have reached out to me and said they are inspired by me. Right now, I am currently writing an ebook to help families prevent dental trauma their children could face. I had this idea because for years my son experienced dental trauma. After one of his visits, I realized I wanted things to improve and change so that’s when I began the writing process.

Maynell , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Maynell Evans and I am a Texas native. I love the beach, sunshine, and summer is my favorite time of year. The way I got into my craft was through my son’s autism diagnosis which led me to go back to school to obtain my degree. I recently graduated Cum Laude from Ball State University with my Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Behavior Analysis with an emphasis in autism which has opened many doors for me and now I am currently pursuing my master’s degree. I started to become creative during my junior year and that’s when I created The Autism Storyteller which is how I share stories about autistic people’s challenges, hardships, and accomplishments. Since autism is a broad spectrum, I am currently focusing on dental trauma which occurs heavily in the autism community. As I mentioned before, writing my ebook is something I feel is necessary for the people who follow me. Dental trauma is not something I was told or warned about when I first took my son to the dentist so ultimately, he went through it. I am most proud that I have a wonderful family that has always supported me through my ideas. What I want potential followers to know about me is that I care about others. I care about the experiences and hardships you may face and I believe in giving back to others. My work will always aim to demonstrate that through my YouTube channels.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

During my senior year, I wanted to give up. I was going through a lot mentally and I was burned out from the struggles of keeping up with school work, family life, and my work. It was very difficult to manage and although I am grateful now, I still reflect on how it was a massive struggle for me. I went through a brief moment of depression which caused me to procrastinate on all my daily demands of life. I am strong in my faith in God and I always leaned on him during those moments. The reality set in that I needed to overcome this for my family. Not everything will be easy but one thing that I always reminded myself was to “remember my why” Why am I doing this- It is important to have a ‘why” because that gets you through your challenges.

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

My goal is to let others know they are never alone. I believe sometimes we feel we are the only ones going through anxiety, depression, or fear but we are not. Most likely, we have all experienced these emotions at some point in our lives due to life demands. It is important to find healthy ways to manage our emotions and lean on others who have been where we are going.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_lovemayc/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMDfbviZqhEE5FeFJ5Yas7Q
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgPXnSFWrOpVG7jFInfC55A