My Brain (Okay, His Brain) Made Me Do It: The ND Life Origin Story

It started with snacks, laundry, and a 3D printer... and somehow turned into a whole neuro-jammin’ movement. Welcome to the chaos that built ND Life.

Hi. I’m Tara — single mom, chaos coordinator, and reluctant CEO of a brand I accidentally created while trying to keep my son regulated and myself caffeinated. ND Life Collection didn’t start with a vision board or a five-year plan.

It started with a 3D printer and a 13-year-old making "bank" selling fidget toys to his friends.

From Fidget Empire to Merch Madness

My son had the genius idea to print fidget toys and sell them to whoever would listen to his pitch. And when I say genius, I mean he was making a "killing." It was like watching a tiny neurodivergent entrepreneur build a business from a pile of plastic and pure dopamine.

Then one night, mid-meltdown (his, not mine), surrounded by laundry (his), snacks (mine), and a kid with ADHD bouncing off the walls, I had a lightbulb moment.

Well… more like a lightning bolt I lobbed as a distraction tool to interrupt his downward spiral:

“Hey… what if you designed your own fidget? Something better. Something new. Something other kids like you would love.”

So we sketched it. We dreamed big. One problem....Neither of us had a clue how to use a CAD program, or, you know, build working mechanics. Just a tiny obstacle.

While we were trying to figure that out, I said the words that would shift everything:

“Okay... while we learn that, why don’t we start with something easier?”

(Cue dramatic music. Spoiler: it was absolutely not easier.)

Enter: ADHD-inspired merch.

This Brand Is Built On Brains That Don’t Sit Still

ND Life isn’t about blending in. It’s about calling out,“Hey! Where are all the clothes for the neuro-jammin’, stim-happy, emotionally explosive, hyper-empathetic humans who don’t fit in those beige Pinterest vibes?”

Spoiler: They didn’t exist. So we made them.

Every shirt, hoodie, and tote in this shop has a story — usually involving ADHD chaos, dyslexic brilliance, or that time my kid was halfway to a meltdown but saved it with a perfectly timed drum solo.

Why It’s More Than Just Merch

This collection is for:

· The kids who get sent home for “not focusing, taking things that don't belong to them, getting into fights, or just acting out"

· The adults masking burnout behind polite smiles

· The caregivers decoding behavior charts like they’re written in ancient runes

It’s for the ones who stim, tic, zone out, explode, shut down, and still get back up anyway.

This isn’t just clothing. It’s context. It’s fashion that gives the finger to conformity. It’s gear for the gloriously overstimulated.

If You’re Here, You’re One of Us

Whether you're ND yourself or love someone who is — welcome to the club. We’re not here to “fix” the weird. We’re here to celebrate it — with rainbow graffiti, typo-prone text, and unapologetic authenticity.

And if all that sounds too loud, too bold, or too much?

Perfect. That means we nailed it.

Wanna Join the Movement?

Click around. Laugh at a shirt. Cry over a hoodie (we’ve all been there).And if you leave with nothing else, let it be this:

You are seen, and weird is wonderful.

— Tara

ND Mom. Co-Founder. Executive Assistant to the 3D Printing King.

This is the ND Life Origin Story