My Story

I’m a certified life coach, motivational speaker, autism and mental health advocate, writer, consultant, and media collaborator.

I was born and raised in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, and diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3 (later at age 7 was rediagnosed with Asperger Syndrome). Being on the autism spectrum brought many challenges — I was nonverbal until age 4, placed in special education, delayed in school for a year, and struggled with social communication, severe anxiety, repetitive behaviors, and depression.

But through it all, I’ve found ways to overcome. Formal therapies like speech and occupational therapy played a role, but honestly, my greatest lessons came from life itself — the school of hard knocks. I went on to graduate from Seminole State College with a bachelor’s degree in Business and Information Management, earning Magna Cum Laude honors with a 3.7 GPA. In 2018, I published my memoir An Autism Unscripted Life, which was later translated into Spanish in 2019 as Una Vida Autista Sin Libreto. Last, but not least, I completed my life coaching certifications through The International School of Coaching. 

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of appearing on media outlets such as CNN en Español, Univision, Telemundo, and Mega TV. I also hosted two of my own podcasts: My Time with Tony Hernández Pumarejo and Hablemos Autismo.

In my spare time, I profess my faith by going to mass and daily prayer. Not a hobby, but fulfilling my commitment to the Lord. I also like to travel, exercise, read, volunteer in the community, sometimes play video games, watch classical movies and much more.