Today we’d like to introduce you to Navah Paskowitz-asner
Hi Navah, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born into an incredibly unique family
I have 8 older brothers, no sisters, my father, a a Ukrainian Jewish surfer who was also a Stanford educated doctor met my Native American mother in 1959 and proceeded to travel the world ,mostly taking care of the indigenous Indians of America for free while creating a tribe of professional surfers, myself included!
There was a great documentary created about this story called SURFWISE.
Flash forward 35 years and my youngest of four children was diagnosed with autism. I reached out to one of my older brothers friends, Matt Asner for Support. He was working for the big machine, autism organization at the time and gave me the best advice I’ve ever been given, join a mom support group once I had that incredible tribe of like-minded special needs family surrounding me. I was able to get the courage to start my own business doing water therapy for special-needs kids and later becoming one of the first LIFECOACHES specifically for special needs parents.
When Matt and I got married and blended our two families, we now had six kids three autistic soon to have a fourth son diagnosed and we wanted to create a facility for the entire special-needs family would have support as well as mental health services, seasonal camps, a FULL day adult day program and so much more . We are now coming into our eight year at our CENTER The Ed Asner Family Center, lovingly named after Matt’s father the late great actor and huge supporter of Autism, Ed Asner.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
When you’re not being supportive with seed money And you have a staff as small as we have it’s really all on our heads Matt and I currently still work seven days a week and do the brunt of the fundraising after the madness of Covid fundraising throughout all nonprofits has declined dramatically.
This has been the biggest obstacle, especially when so many of our families depend on scholarships. The majority of our families are single mom and low income..
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’ve always been more of the creative side of the ED ASNER FAMILY CENTER.
It’s what works Matt does the majority of the marketing and fundraising and I create the programs.
There are many aspects to this that I think set our programs apart from others. One is my own neurodivergent background allows me to understand in a unique way how important it is to have autistic minds and voices a huge part Of the creation and the instruction of almost all of my programs.
We have autistic individuals employed as day-to-day teachers, as well as creatives
Including our one of a kind relationship course “The Dating Spectrum “
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
I think the biggest advice I would give somebody is to just not to bite off more than they can chew in the beginning of their journey, I learn this the hard way and really almost burnt out in the beginning. I’m trying very hard to take the advice. I give every day to my parents who called me begging for support that we all have to find a balance between working and having what my dad used to call. REcreation.
I need to do that more. Work is important but it can’t be EVERYTHING.
Find your passion and it becomes your daily Joy I know that MY passion, MY joy comes from helping parents who are in that dark place I was in myself not so long ago. Letting them know they have a community and are not alone in this journey.
That’s my biggest Joy. Truly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.teafc.org
- Instagram: edAsnerfamilycenter
- Facebook: Edasnerfamilycenter
- Twitter: Edasnerfamilycenter
- Youtube: Edasnerfamilycenter
