🧠How I Built My Brave Brain (And Started a Book Club About It)
What started as red marks on a behavior chart turned into a journey of emotional growth, music, and storytelling. Brandon’s brave brain didn’t come from being perfect—it came from learning why big feelings were showing up and how to handle them. In his own words, Brandon shares how he went from classroom struggles to becoming the Kid Founder & Emotional Explorer-in-Chief of his very own Book Club. 💬 Real story. 🎵 Real tools. 📚 Real growth. ➡️ Read Brandon’s full blog post to see how one kid turned a tough start into something beautiful for kids everywhere. #BraveBrain #EmotionalLearning #NeurodivergentKids #KidPowered #BraveBrainBookClub
Brandon F
5/8/2024
🧠How I Built My Brave Brain (And Started a Book Club About It)
Hi, I’m Brandon—and I used to get a lot of red marks on my behavior chart.
Not just once in a while… like, every day.
Some of the things written were:
“Ran out of class again.”
“Took things from other students.”
“Hit another kid.”
“Making fun of classmates.”
Yeah… that was me.
But I wasn’t trying to be bad. My brain just felt like it was exploding sometimes—and I didn’t know what to do about it. I felt mad, nervous, silly, out of control… all at the same time. And when that happened, I’d react fast.
I didn’t have the words. I didn’t have the tools.
But I do now.
🚨 What Changed?
My mom helped me figure out what was going on inside my brain.
We started talking about what feelings really are. We made pictures. We made up stories. We made songs about calming down. She didn’t just tell me what to stop doing—she helped me learn what to start doing instead.
I learned how to:
Take deep breaths when I feel rumbly inside
Name what I’m feeling
Use my calm-down tools
Walk away instead of fight
And even talk about things after they happen
✨ And That’s How the Brave Brain Book Club Started
We started making books for other kids like me. We wrote stories that teach real skills (but still feel fun). We made music that helps kids learn how to breathe, move, and be proud of who they are. We even made a whole website!
Now I’m the Kid Founder & Emotional Explorer-in-Chief of Brandon’s Brave Brain Book Club. And I love it.
🧠I Didn’t Do This Alone
I gotta be honest—this didn’t happen all by myself.
My mom helped a LOT.
My therapists taught me how to check in with my brain.
My teachers saw the hard days and didn’t give up.
My counselor listened when I needed to talk.
Even the principal and assistant principal—yep, the ones who gave me referrals—played a part.
And my dad… well, he helped me learn some lessons the hard way, but I think that counts too.
All of them—whether they helped me grow, challenged me, or just watched me learn—helped build the Brave Brain I have now.
đź’› What I Want Other Kids to Know
If you’re reading this, and your brain feels wild sometimes—don’t worry. You’re not bad. You’re not broken. You just need your own brave brain tools.
And if you're a grown-up reading this—thanks for helping us figure it out.
Let’s grow brave together.
— Brandon
Emotional learning tools