Autism Stories

"One of the biggest parts of how I move through my life is when I deal with stress or overwhelm, is to have some sort of practice to channel that energy forward instead of letting it spin into anxiety. And I think tarot is one of those things [for me]", says Neisha Hirsch. Neisha returns to Autism Stories to discuss being a coach at Autism Personal Coach and how her experience as a tarot reader ma...

"With online learning, I can concentrate better on what truly matters, which is my academics. In fact, for junior and senior year of college, I'm doing fully online, not necessarily to save money, but so I can concentrate on academics," says Kadin McElwain. Kadin joins us to discuss what has been helpful to him as a college student and the importance of writing in his life. To learn more about Kad...

"One of the skills that I realized that I had early on is I could read text written by one person. And if I had enough of it, I could mimic their style. I could mimic their vocabulary, their cadence, and basically duplicate their writing style, " says J.D. Barker. J.D.  joins us to discuss being a New York Times Bestseller, how his autism impacts his creativity, and how collaboration helps his wri...

"My goal is to have us be a part of, not exclusionary. I think that there is a way that we could have everything be sensory safe across the board", says Joanna Cetaj. Joanna joins this episode to discuss making environments more sensory safe and how therapy has been helpful to her. To learn more about Joanna visit please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannabelievesinu/

"But traveling is definitely instrumental in me dealing with the burnout and sensory overload because when I travel, [...] the experiences [of] not only the nonstop responsibilities that I have every day, but the nonstop noise and traffic, I don't ever deal with that in most of the places that I go to", says Darnell Lowe. Darnell joins this episode to discuss raveling around the world and the over...

"I've gotten a lot better at recognizing when I'm feeling overwhelmed and like trying to address it before it gets to [elopement]. And it's just like learning other ways to cope on, you know, using my headphones and fidgets and weighted vests," says Olivia Debortoli. Olivia joins us to discuss elopement as an adult, writing her memoir, and being an identical twin. To learn mo...

"I believe, and my guides revealed to me, that in all that 240,000 years of existence, it was the autistic people who were the people other people came to for help in communicating with the divine. That's just our natural role", says Leah Welborn. Leah joins this episode to discuss reiki, spirit guides, and the importance of  celebrating each season. To learn more about Leah and her...

"We all like rest and relaxation. [...] So the changes that I made were really about trying to say, OK, well, what are the [stressful] things that we might not think are going to regular retreat? And how can I lower that stress level and make it welcoming and inclusive to everyone who comes?", says Sam Stein. Sam joins this episode to discuss her YouTube channel Yo Samady Sam and creatin...

"So emotions as an empath can get heightened when we are uncertain if they are, as you said, ours or those of others. But when we put emotional boundaries in place, we can definitely use this gift to our advantage", says Gaby Desmarais. Gaby joins this episode to discuss being an empath, getting her sensory needs met, and living in South Africa. To learn more about Gaby visit https://ins...

"I mean, we obviously talk about autism being this spectrum, so when you're coming from a Caribbean background or an African background or an Asian background, there were definitely cultural similarities in being autistic that we may have in common that say someone from an Irish or Scottish or American background may not have", says Tee Cee Johnson. To learn more about Tee Cee visit https://www.te...

Peter Jung joins this episode to discuss facilitating D & D social skills groups, silos in the autism community, and routines in socially demanding situations. To learn more about Peter and his blog visit https://rollforkindness.com . If you could subscribe on your favorite listening platform we would really appreciate that. If you are looking for extraordinary support support to live self-suf...

Russ Coleman joins this episode to discuss accessibility in art and creating one million drawings over the next five years. To learn more about Russ visit https://russcolemanstone.com If you could subscribe on your favorite listening platform we would really appreciate that. If you are looking for extraordinary support support to live self-sufficient and purpose-driven lives through customized coa...

Jade Stuart joins this episode to discuss the journey of unmasking and healing from trauma. To learn more about Jade visit ⁠https://jmswellbeing.co.uk⁠ . If you could subscribe on your favorite listening platform we would really appreciate that. If you are looking for extraordinary support support to live self-sufficient and purpose-driven lives through customized coaching then visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Vince Rinicella joins this episode to discuss energy and its connection to apraxia. We also talk about hosting his first Christmas party for his closest non speaking friends. To learn more about Vince and his blog visit https://theunfilteredmindofvincent.wordpress.com . If you could subscribe on your favorite listening platform we would really appreciate that. If you are looking for extraordinary...

Sam Brandsen joins this episode  to discuss bias in AI , starting a playgroup for autistic children, and supporting those with high support needs. To learn more about Sam and All Neurotypes visit https://www.allneurotypes.com If you could subscribe on your favorite listening platform we would really appreciate that. If you are looking for extraordinary support support to live self-sufficient and p...

"I noticed there wasn't much of a poetry space online for autistic poets so I figured why not create one so I did that a few years ago. The main way it has improved my life is making new friends who experience the world so similarly", says Rei. Red joins this episode to discuss their poetry and how greek culture has impacted their autistic experience. To learn more about Rei visit ht...

Tanya Valencia joins this episode to discuss how mobility aids have improved her life and accessibility at music festivals. To learn more about Tanya visit https://www.instagram.com/audiotism_tanya/ . If you could subscribe on your favorite listening platform we would really appreciate that. If you are looking for extraordinary support support to live self-sufficient and purpose-driven lives throu...

Josh Merritt joins this episode to discuss his experience in developing a career as a screenwriter. To learn more about Josh visit https://joshmerritt.co.uk/index.html If you could subscribe on your favorite listening platform we would really appreciate that. If you are looking for extraordinary support support to live self-sufficient and purpose-driven lives through customized coaching then visit...

Rosalie Babbette joins this episode to discuss the need for more research on autistic black people. her experience working in cybersecurity. To learn more about Rosalie visit https://www.tiktok.com/@theautisticgiraffe . If you could subscribe on your favorite listening platform we would really appreciate that. If you are looking for extraordinary support support to live self-sufficient and purpose...

"The advice that I would give autistic job seekers if they do decide to attend networking events is to seek out connections that are or could potentially be useful to you in your career. Don't go to an event unless you've identified at least one organization or one individual that you'd like to connect with at that event", says Janna Vassil. Janna joins this episode to discus...

Britney joins this episode to discuss her autistic experience in the Bahamas, misophonia, and training to be a pastry cook. Learn more about Britney by visiting https://www.instagram.com/bahautistic/ If you could subscribe on your favorite listening platform we would really appreciate that. If you are looking for extraordinary support support to live self-sufficient and purpose-driven lives throug...

"I was very much focused on martial arts, because that's all I did. I worked odd jobs like retail and all that stuff, and martial arts was a very good way for me to work towards something that was beneficial to my life, essentially", says Nickolaus Keeper Nickolaus joins this episode to discuss being a Taekwondo instructor and his love of light sabers. To learn more about Nickolaus v...

Blue Skye joins this episode to talk about sharing his autistic experience through music and afrofuturism. To learn more about Blue Skye visit https://www.instagram.com/thecosmicblueautie/ If you could subscribe on your favorite listening platform we would really appreciate that. If you are looking for extraordinary support support to live self-sufficient and purpose-driven lives through customize...

Leo joins this episode to discuss his podcast about Generation Z, comparing himself to others, and his creative process. To learn more about Leo and the Generation Change podcast visit https://www.instagram.com/genchangewithlf/ . If you could subscribe on your favorite listening platform we would really appreciate that. If you are looking for extraordinary support support to live self-sufficient a...

"The thing is with my career is because I'm a soloist, I kind of work alone in a way. There's always a saying that a career as a soloist is a lonely career. [...] I love the fact that I'm on my own and I travel everywhere alone", says Sophia Grech. Sophia joins us to discuss her career as an opera singer and ambassador for Autism by the Maltese government. To learn more about...