Catherine Hughes

Meet Catherine Hughes. Hailing from a small town southeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, dubbed "the most boring town in Pennsylvania," Catherine Hughes is the daughter of two English professors. She is a passionate advocate, innovative storyteller, and community strategist. Catherine is an international best-selling author and/or editor of over twenty books. Her long-awaited memoir, Imprisoned No More: A Mother and Son Embrace Autism and Journey to Freedom released in August 2020. She presented her father's poetry (Seeking Utopia: The Art, Poems, and Passages of John J. Tomko) on what would have been his 77th birthday (1/16/21). The release of both of these books (and all of her other projects) fulfill the promise she made to her father in his final days. Catherine has managed a blog and social media platforms as The Caffeinated Advocate since 2018. In August 2020, Catherine not only released her memoir, but also founded The Caffeinated Advocate, LLC. She is the Chief Inspirational Officer (CIO), and offers a wide array of services as an author, editor, coach, consultant, speaker, and trainer. She is a Certified Master Life Coach, with certifications endorsed by Transformation Academy of Clearwater, Florida. She partners with Grace & Hope Consulting, LLC as a coach and as their Editor-in-Chief, and with Sunnie Vibes Studio Yoga & Wellness in her hometown to offer life coaching supports and journaling workshops. For two decades, she has provided comprehensive support and passionate advocacy to individuals and self-advocates, their families, and surrounding natural supports throughout their communities. She considers herself a servant leader, one who cultivates, develops and maintains relationships with grace and grit in order to create, enhance, and promote services and programs that transform lives. On a personal level, her calling (not a career) allows her to give back some of what has so graciously been given to her family. She proudly serves as the Director of Family Support and Community Engagement at Achieving True Self, supporting families across the Northeastern U.S. Living with her in that "boring" (ok, it's not actually boring) town and very much not boring household are her mother, forever known as "Mama Betty," her son, Christian, as well as Callie, Cookie, Candie, Hannah, Maddie, and Raven the furry felines -- that's right, six cats. *** Connect with Catherine The Caffeinated Advocate: www.thecaffeinatedadvocate.com Facebook: @caffeinatedadvocate Instagram: @caffeinatedadvocate LinkedIn: @catherineahughes Pinterest: @caffeinatedadvocate YouTube: The Caffeinated Advocate