After both of her children are diagnosed with autism, writer Stephanie Hanrahan discovered that the lives we’re taught to fear are every bit as worthy as the ones we’re taught to want.

Stephanie Hanrahan once believed that in order to belong, she must meet the expectations handed to her: be quiet, be small, and by all means, just be normal. The world won’t welcome you otherwise.

But when both of her children were diagnosed with autism, every belief she’d inherited about what makes a good woman, mother, and child was suddenly called into question. Eventually, a stunning new possibility emerged:

What if the problem was never difference—but the way we’ve been defining it?

In That’s Not Normal, Hanrahan explores what happens when the life you’re living no longer resembles the one you were taught to want. Through deeply honest, culturally-aware reflection, she reveals that the things we’ve learned to fear—an autistic child, a sexless marriage, a growing body, a shrinking friend group—were never evidence of a lesser life. They’re an invitation to a more meaningful one.

Whether your difference is a divorce or a diagnosis, something chosen or something unexpected, Hanrahan casts the net far beyond autism, offering a hopeful vision to anyone navigating a life they never imagined. Her promise is not rooted merely in finding beauty within what the world calls broken, but in recognizing that true freedom awaits when we question whether broken was ever bad to begin with.

That’s Not Normal is an anthem of radical acceptance for the outliers among us, showing that it was the expectations that were wrong all along.

After making her private journal public, Stephanie Hanrahan achieved viral success with her online community, Tinkles Her Pants, which chronicles her journey through abuse, chronic illness, and parenting two children on the autism spectrum. She can be found leaking nothing but the truth on the Today Show, CNN, Yahoo News, The Daily Mail, and her TEDx Talk, The Problem with Being Perfect. 

Stephanie is also a co-founder of Pip Productions LLC, an educational platform for families of all abilities. Within twenty-four hours of its release, Stephanie’s published curriculum, True Hues Color Wheel: An Activity to Better Understand Autism, became number one on Amazon in Inclusive Education and Parenting Books on Disabilities. It is now internationally used by parents, healthcare providers, and educators to increase empathy and inclusion for neurodiverse individuals.

Stephanie resides in Frisco, Texas with her husband, two children, and rescue pup, Nana. When she’s not watching reality TV and eating Taco Bell in bed, she can be found fighting for radical acceptance for anyone who has ever felt othered.