Taya Austin

Taya Austin is a civil rights professional based in the suburbs of Washington, DC. She’s a local community leader, speaker, and sleep advocate—and someone who loves the small things, like a good brain teaser, a solo trip, or laughing with friends until it hurts.

Taya lives with idiopathic hypersomnia (IH), although she didn’t know the name for it until 39 years of age. What started as a frustrating 25-year road to diagnosis turned into a commitment to transparent storytelling, patient advocacy, and sleep equity.

Driven by a passion to ensure equitable access, through her advocacy Taya hopes to help others feel seen, motivate individuals to thrive in the face of an invisible illness, and empower patients and caregivers to push for the care - and sleep - they deserve.

While she serves in many roles, to include professional napper, her all-time favorite title is “basketball aunt.”

Click here to read all of Taya's articles on Idiopathic-Hypersomnia.net.

Follow her on Instagram: @AlwaysTaya