Let's Talk OCD

Let's Talk OCD


Neurodiversity Parenting and OCD

November 01, 2024

In this episode of Let's Talk OCD, Natalia Aíza, founder of Kairos Wellness Collective, interviews Jan Stewart, Author & Mom's Choice Award Recipient, on her personal experience raising a neurodiverse child with OCD. Jan discusses her personal experiences as a parent, suggestions for treatment refusal, how she reduces accommodations without alienating her child, and much more.


Jan Stewart is a well-known OCD, mental health and neurodiversity advocate, author, speaker and parent. Her award-winning book Hold on Tight: A Parent’s Journey Raising Children with Mental Illness inspires and empowers readers to persevere, have hope and know they are not alone. Jan previously served on the Board of the Ontario OCD Network, created the OCD Parent Support group at Toronto’s SickKids Hospital, was Vice Chair at Canada’s leading psychiatric hospital CAMH and served on the Parent Advisory Board at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Department of Neuropsychopharmacology. She currently chairs the Board at Kerry’s Place Autism Services, Canada’s largest autism services provider, and is a Today’s Parent columnist on mental health and neurodiversity. Jan’s family was featured in the highly-regarded documentary OCD: The War inside. She spent the majority of her career as a senior Partner with the global executive search firm Egon Zehnder. She enjoys fitness, genealogy and dance.