Book
From Autism
to Beyond
A Mother’s Journey of Hope. Now available in English.and Spanish
Earnimg Your Stripes Coming Fall of 2023
Introduction
Growing up in Urbandale, Iowa, Marietta Colston was no stranger to being different. As the only Black student from preschool to graduation, she understood what it meant to be on the outside of acceptable norms. Educated and loving parents could have never prepared her for the challenges that her unique existence would unfold.
Determined to create the perfect life for herself, Marietta lived the American dream as she climbed her way to be one of the top executives of Microsoft. That is until the day her son, Tyler was born—ten fingers, ten toes, and “different”. What was later diagnosed as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Marietta wrestled with the gift of a unique-minded child while other areas of her life fell apart.
From Autism to Beyond will give you encouragement when you or a loved one lives amongst those who aren’t like you and the hope that being uncommon brings.
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The Author
Marietta Colston-Davis is a mother, mentor to women / women of color, inspirational leader, philanthropist, and believer in the impossible. An extensive career as a technology leader included high impact roles at IBM, Microsoft, Lotus Development, and Tata Consulting, as well as corporate board roles with SharpSpring and Priority Technology Holdings. Marietta’s passion for service drew her to nonprofit board and volunteer leadership roles. She sat on the national boards of Youth Villages, serving emotionally troubled children and their families in more than 20 states and the District of Columbia, and The Posse Foundation, which develops future leaders and provides college scholarships to youth from diverse backgrounds.
Marietta launched Vision to Learn’s Atlanta presence, partnering with the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Braves to fulfill the organization’s mission to provide free eye exams and eyeglasses to elementary school students in low-income communities. Marietta is a sought-after keynote speaker across the United States on leadership, women in technology, and parenting a child with Autism at conferences and summits. Marietta holds degrees from Bradley University and Loyola University, and executive certificates from Harvard. Her writings have appeared in Thrive Global and HuffPost. Marietta’s first book, an Amazon best seller, From Autism to Beyond, A Mother’s Journey of Hope, was inspired by her oldest son who did not speak until age six and went on to graduate from Clemson University. Marietta’s latest release, Earning Your Stripes, is a children’s book published in English and Spanish.