Beyond 6 Seconds: Neurodiversity stories from neurodivergent people

Dr. Eugene Manley Jr. is a cancer scientist, health equity leader, and longtime patient advocate working at the intersection of biomedical sciences, cancer care, AI ethics, and leadership. As a Black healthcare advocate and founder of SCHEQ (STEMM* & Cancer Health Equity), a nonprofit focused on cancer health equity, Eugene runs an annual lung cancer summit that brings together patients, clinician...

As the hosts of the Othering Podcast, Mike and Dory advocate for marginalized communities. Their podcast provides a platform where neurodivergent, disabled and LGBTQ+ people can share their stories.  During this episode, you will hear Dory and Mike talk about: Why they started the Othering Podcast, and how they came up with the name of the show Sharing their own lived experiences of neurodivergenc...

Jasmine Williams-Jacobs is the founder and director of Black Remote She, a community-driven platform for Black queer, trans, non-binary, disabled people and allies interested in working and connecting remotely. Black Remote She connects community members to remote-flexible job postings at equitable work cultures, as well as to liberatory networks, mutual aid support and gender-affirming resources...

This is a special crossover episode with Made For Us, a podcast that explores the intersection of innovation and inclusion. On Made For Us, host Tosin Sulaiman speaks to founders, designers and business leaders who are thinking deeply and creatively about how to build better and more inclusive products. Tosin's guest on this episode is Maura Horton, CEO and founder of MagnaReady, an accessible fas...

Oliver James is a California-based personal trainer, motivational speaker, literacy activist, and influencer. He has been featured by Today, NPR, the Jennifer Hudson Show, the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, Rachael Ray, and ABC News, among many others. Additionally, he received the Barbara Bush National Literacy Award in 2023.   Oliver is the author of "Unread: A Memoir of Learning (and Loving) to R...

Justin Valenti is an artist and disability advocate. He enjoys creating artwork in his home studio and at the VisAbility Art Lab at VisArts in Rockville, Maryland. He is also the business owner of Artistic Expressions by Justin K Valenti, and has exhibited his artwork in Maryland, Virginia and California.  Justin has been an advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities sinc...

Amy Richards is a queer autistic podcaster and business owner from Cardiff in the UK. Amy became self-employed in 2015, after multiple burnouts culminated in a breakdown that ended her previous career as a high school English and Media teacher. With her business hat on, she offers business strategy sessions, builds websites and supports online business owners with their websites, email marketing a...

Pastiche Graham is a proud autism advocate, emerging motivational speaker, children's book author and powerhouse for change and inclusion. After being featured on the CBS Television show Undercover Boss in 2022 (Season 11, Episode 4), Pastiche's platform pivoted towards a lifelong journey of advocacy. Pastiche's first book, "Pia Pistachio Gets a Job," features much-needed representation of autisti...

Max Barrows is an award-winning disability rights leader and advocate based in Vermont. As the Outreach Director for Green Mountain Self-Advocates, Max mentors people with developmental disabilities to speak up for themselves and become leaders. Max is also the Assistant Director of Technical Assistance and Outreach for the Self-Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center (SARTAC), where he...

With a career across media, tech, and entertainment, Kirsty Cullen-Campanelli has held roles at the BBC, Netflix and Apple. Her experience as a corporate executive and a late-diagnosed Autistic woman with ADHD have shaped her neuroinclusive leadership style. On my latest episode, Kirsty shares what life is like for her as an autistic corporate executive with ADHD, and how discovering her autism an...

Sania Khimji is an accomplished artist, model, influencer, and international beauty pageant winner based in India who continues to redefine boundaries and inspire inclusivity in every space she enters. Living with Down syndrome, Sania celebrates her uniqueness as just one part of her powerful story that's rooted in creativity, confidence, and courage. Through her art, modeling, and advocacy, Sania...

This is a special Beyond 6 Seconds episode for Podcasthon, where for one week, thousands of podcasts are highlighting a nonprofit of their choice, to raise awareness and encourage support for charities around the world. The focus of this episode is Meals in the Meantime, a nonprofit organization addressing food insecurity in the Chicagoland south suburbs. Meals in the Meantime provides free, fresh...

Psychotherapist Ivy Rizzo has a master's degree, speaks multiple languages, and owns her own business... but she struggles with doing basic math, remembering important dates, and recalling events in chronological order. Dyscalculia is often dismissed as just being "bad at math," but for Ivy, it has a wide-ranging effect on her life.  In this episode, Ivy talks about: How the severity of her dyscal...

Sonido Reyes is an award-winning and bestselling author who is best known for tackling difficult topics through a hopeful lens. They write stories celebrating their own queer and Mexican identities, including The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School, The Luis Ortega Survival Club, The Broposal, and The Golden Boy's Guide to Bipolar. They also have contributed short stories to the anthologies Transm...

This episode is a special collaboration between Beyond 6 Seconds and the Living with FASD podcast hosted by Patti Kasper. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are lifelong conditions caused by prenatal alcohol exposure that can impact physical, cognitive, and behavioral development. FASD is a type of neurodivergence, but it's often left out of conversations about neurodivergence. This episode i...

Nieta Greene is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Disability Community for Democracy, Inc., an organization focused on safeguarding the rights of individuals within the disability community and providing a platform for political engagement founded on intersectional disability justice. She is a resilient and proud Disabled Puerto Rican, Black, gender non-conforming, gay woman. Nieta openly...

In this year-end solo episode, I celebrate some big milestones that Beyond 6 Seconds achieved in 2025, highlight the variety of topics that my guests and I discussed on my podcast, and share what podcasting-related things I've been up to this year! I also reflect on several challenges that the neurodivergent and disability communities are facing in the United States, and share my focus for the yea...

Caroline Smith founded her business, The Introverted Misfit, to help shy, awkward introverts become socially confident versions of themselves so they can have healthy, manageable social lives. Because of her experience with being autistic, which was the source of many social difficulties and major social anxiety for her, she knows what it's like to build self-acceptance, self-improvement, and a li...

Kellina Powell, known as the Deaf Queen Boss, is a podcast speaker, best-selling author, and passionate advocate for the deaf and disability communities. She empowers young adults with disabilities to chase their dreams, breaks down barriers around mental health, and educates others about deaf culture and inclusion.   During this episode, you will hear Kellina talk about: What it was like for her...

Tiffany Hammond is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and disability advocate. She is the author of A Day with No Words, a picture book about a Black mother and son who use a tablet to communicate with each other and the world around them. A Day With No Words successfully normalizes communication methods outside of verbal speech and provides representation of neurodiversity and autism i...

As a dyslexic child, Sabrina Fandell had to sit in her school's book closet for her reading lessons. Now she sits on the Board of Directors of the International Dyslexia Association - Dallas Branch. She is passionate about fostering inclusive environments and advocating for neurodivergent students in school. During this episode, Sabrina talks about: Her experience growing up as a child with dyslex...

Ava N. Simmons, also known as Ava The S.T.E.M. Princess®, is a 12-year-old S.T.E.M. Ambassador, Entrepreneur, Toy Designer, Author, and the creator of educational toy brand Team Genius Squad. Diagnosed with dyslexia and dysgraphia in 2021, Ava used S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) and entrepreneurial...

Caroline Mincks is a writer, director, and voice actor who is best known for their audio drama "Seen and Not Heard," which is about navigating hearing loss as an adult. Seen and Not Heard features disability representation, including deaf, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and autistic characters. Caroline also works as a consultant, assisting other creators in making their shows accessible to a...

Content note: This episode describes my guest's experience with psychosis, delusions, and suicidality / suicide attempts. Sally Littlefield is a national speaker and mental health advocate dedicated to changing how the world understands schizophrenia. After experiencing a 10-month long psychotic episode that led to a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, she returned to work in communications and...

Content note: This episode discusses abuse in a religious cult, gender dysphoria, body dysmorphia, and the negative impact of U.S. current events on marginalized people. Tas The Artist is an autistic, queer, disabled and deaf graphic artist, illustrator, and advocate who blends storytelling with a passion for accessible design. Tas supports fellow members of their community through vocational coac...