We had the good fortune of connecting with Tonya Baradaran and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tonya, what inspires you?
My son is my inspiration. The spirit of a five year old is contagious. Everyday, they seek happiness, provide unconditional love, have a spirit to learn, remain pure and authentic in themselves, speak their truth, and live without fear. Somewhere over time, we unlearn those behaviors as we become adults. Leaving a 20 year corporate career and spending the days with my son has allowed me to redefine myself and the parameters of what a successful life truly is. My son is autistic and I witness his courage and growth everyday. He is finding his voice. He does not allow anyone to define him or his happiness. I find that to be incredibly inspirational.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Stay true to yourself, your mission and do the right thing. If you do the right thing, even when its hard, great things will come. Don’t be afraid to truly invest in yourself (spiritually, monetarily, all the things), your mission and what brings you joy. When you do that unapologetically, great things will come and happiness will fill your heart. I find my joy in helping others. So I geared my work to not only help children with their developmental milestones to become their best versions, but I also take a portion of all the sales and leverage The Rosemary Foundation for Kids to provide literacy, education and autism acceptance efforts to others. My stress is low, my happiness is through the roof. I feel like I am finally walking in my purpose.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’d cook them BBQ, go to Klyde Warren Park, stop at my favorite spots at Shadys Burger and Brewhaha for a smash burger and Sundown at Granada for an old fashioned and walk downtown Grapevine.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Big Shoutout to my husband, family and friends for supporting me, cheering me on, selling books, carrying the tables and spreading the word and my work to all they come in contact with.

Big Shoutout to the retailers and community who jumped on board from the start: Half Price Books, Interabang Books, Talking Animals Books, Barnes and Noble, Halcyon 320, Kroger, The Next Chapter Bookstore, Richardson ISD, Dallas ISD, Wallace PTA, One of a Kind Swag and Dallas Public Libraries.

Website: https://www.funspeech.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/funspeechjourneys/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spectrum.journeys.2025/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TonyaBaradaran

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