We recently connected with Tess Markham and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Tess thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Our main goal is to fight the stigma surrounding mental health and neurodiversity. We’re trying to create a community where we can come together to celebrate everyone’s differences, aid in normalizing self-care, and provide guidance straight from the people who’ve been through it themselves.

As someone whos been treated unfairly or had incorrect things assumed about me as a direct result of stigma, it’s so incredibly important to me that I make a positive change in any way I can. I’m a late-diagnosed autistic with ADHD and learning disabilities. I also have lifelong battles with an anxiety disorder, eating disorders, a personality disorder, and OCD. It’s been a long journey in learning how to accept myself as I am and manage my struggles as I work toward healing and recovery.

The stigma behind my differences has held me, and so many others that I love, back for a long time. Even in some medical or therapeutic settings, professionals too often are misinformed about how autism and ADHD present differently in some people, especially AFAB individuals. It’s time that neurodivergent voices spoke their truth and be authentically themselves; even when that looks different than how most people expect autistic and neurodivergent people to be.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Tess; a small business owner from upstate NY. I’m 25 and live with my fiancé, Abby, and our spoiled pup, Olivia. I love music, theatre, art, writing, animals, psychology, and exploring nature!

Abby and I both work full-time on the business and have for two years now! We were so fortunate to have one of our TikTok videos go viral, and the rest is history!

We create handmade, therapeutically weighted sloth stuffed animals, as well as other weighted, awareness, and stim/fidget products, but the sloths have been our main focus since they’ve been the most popular. Everything we create is designed specifically for individuals with mental illnesses or neurodevelopmental disabilities.

What makes our weighted plushies so unique is that each one comes with a story tag telling their story, related to a specific diagnosis. Each tag talks about struggles faced, healthy coping mechanisms to use in difficult moments, and how they help break stigma they face.

The purpose behind adding a special story to each sloth is for validation, representation, and so those with similar struggles don’t feel so alone. We use our platform as a way to raise up the voices of those who too often aren’t heard. It’s so important for people working on self-acceptance, recovery, or healing from trauma to see themselves in others, in art, and in society in general. We want to create a safe space to collectively share these stories and perspectives.

We also aim to encourage education on these difficult topics by using simple terms without romanticizing or sugar-coating them. I feel it’s helpful for people to educate themselves so they’re better equipped to advocate for themself and their specific needs in any given scenario. Or so they can better help others. We diligently work with our “slothie” community to create as well diverse and accurately represented company as possible! We are always learning, changing, and improving. We feel that everyone should feel included and validated.

Each of our sloths also comes with a removable crystal heart in their “heart pocket”! Just as a small comfort item and a special little detail.

I’d also like to mention, we get the question a lot, “but why are they weighted”? Heavy products like lap pads, blankets, vests, and stuffed animals are often used to comfort individuals who may be experiencing anxiety, panic, sensory overload, or trouble with focusing or sleeping. Weighted products apply deep pressure which can calm anxiety, supply positive sensory input, improve focus, and provide comfort in moments of distress. They are also helpful for grounding techniques, relaxation, and self-soothing.

To give back, for each sloth we sell, a portion of the proceeds goes directly to the mental health non-profit “To Write Love On Her Arms”, dedicated to funding treatment, recovery, and other resources to the community. We’re so fortunate to have the opportunity to help them help others each and every day!

Have you ever had to pivot?

We started this small business for a collection of reasons. As a neurodivergent person who struggles with mental health, working my “normal” 9-5 office job in plain cubicals was so challenging. My old job did not accommodating my needs or satisfy my dreams and desires. I have a creative mind. Ever since I was a little kid, I have craved helping others in unique and non-traditional ways, while also creating art. This business was the byproduct of needing to accommodate my differences, as well as doing something that made me feel productive and fulfilled.

How’d you meet your business partner?

My business partner also happens to be my life partner. We met in college when we were both studying to get a degree in music therapy. We’ve now been together for over 5 years and plan to get married in 2023! We work very well together and have accomplished so much since the time we met. She’s just a beautiful person inside and out and I’m so incredibly grateful to have her!

We came up with the idea of Awful Sloth together, and her honest feedback in my original few prototypes pushed me to learn and create something with quality we can both be proud of.

That’s actually how we got to the name “Awful Sloth”. because my first few attempts were just that bad, she made a face trying to be honest without hurting my feelings. I read her well, and asked “it is because of my awful sloth?”. That being an inside joke phrase around the house and it just stuck!

Contact Info:

• Website: awfulsloth.com
• Instagram: @awfulslothofficial
• Facebook: Awful Sloth
• Youtube: @awfulslothofficial

Image Credits
Austyn Buck @infullbloom.photo