On the Spectrum Empowerment Stories with Sonia Krishna Chand: Adult Autism, Neurodivergent, and Mental Health Expert

Send us Fan Mail Join Sonia Chand as she speaks with Vicki Christensen, founder of Blue Glasses Advocacy, about navigating the world of special education, IEPs, and parenting children with neurodiverse needs. Learn how to find support, understand your legal rights, work with schools on accommodations, and hear Vicki's personal journey raising two children with unique needs.  Discover actionab...

Send us Fan Mail A custody fight can turn into a second full-time job when autism or other special needs are part of your child’s world, and the stakes feel unbearable. We sit down with Christopher Anderson, a family law attorney licensed in multiple states and a parent of an 18-year-old on the autism spectrum, to talk about what actually helps families reach better outcomes without handing their...

Send us Fan Mail Aerial yoga can look like acrobatics, but what happens inside the hammock is often the opposite of performance: it’s regulation, relief, and finally feeling safe in your body. I sit down with Melbourne-based teacher Joe Stewart to talk about how aerial yoga supports trauma-informed practice and neurodiversity through simple, powerful sensory tools like cocooning, deep pressure, ge...

Send us Fan Mail Dementia is often treated like a door slamming shut. What we hear from Marilyn is the opposite: a series of doors opening once we stop chasing who someone used to be and start meeting who they are right now. We talk about caring for parents with dementia, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s, and how one family’s long-held rule to “walk away” collided with the real work of love, grief, an...

Send us Fan Mail One bad IEP meeting can change your body, your sleep, and your faith in the “village” everyone promises you. I’m joined by Paula J Yost, who has a perspective you rarely hear in one voice: she’s both a practicing attorney and a licensed psychotherapist. Paula shares how living through clinical depression shaped her, why getting real mental health support in law school changed her...

Send us Fan Mail A car crash can be over in seconds, but a concussion can rewrite your life for years. We sit down with Kelly Tuttle, a former cardiology nurse practitioner who later moved into neurology, to tell the truth about traumatic brain injury recovery, especially the kind that doesn’t show up on a “normal” CT or MRI. Kelly shares the moment she realized something was truly wrong, the fear...

Send us Fan Mail Some of the most dangerous myths about suicide sound polite on the surface: “They were selfish,” “They did it for attention,” “If you talk about it, you’ll make it worse.” We push back on all of that with a conversation that stays human, specific, and real. We’re joined by Kirsten O’Connor, an author from New Zealand and the mother of Kahlia, who died at 24. Kirsten helps us remem...

Send us Fan Mail Ever carried so much for so long that you forgot what you want? That’s where our guest, Debbie Weiss, once lived: 40+ years caregiving for her father after a stroke, advocating for a son on the autism spectrum, and supporting a husband through mental illness and a terminal diagnosis. The cost was anger, exhaustion, and a quiet belief that life was happening to her. Then a 50th bir...

Send us Fan Mail The biggest problem in schools isn’t disengagement—it’s relevance. We sit down with education leader and author Lisa Riegel to unpack NeuroWell, a practical framework that aligns brain science with daily classroom life so students feel safe, seen, and ready to learn. From belonging cues to behavior de-escalation, Lisa shows why culture design is the hidden lever for academic gains...

Send us Fan Mail What if the story you were told about yourself was the wrong one—and the right words finally set you free? We sit down with Christopher Carrazas who was diagnosed autistic at 35, to unpack a life of masking, sensory overload, and the everyday math of trying to pass as “fine.” The moment his assessment named what he’d carried for decades, the static quieted. Relief wasn’t a cure; i...

Send us Fan Mail A confusing label, years without sleep, and a son who couldn’t speak—then a letter board changed everything. We sit down with creative entrepreneur and advocate Neil Rogers to explore how a family built a sustainable framework—inspired by Positive ActivityTM (developed by Neil and his wife Lori set to help people professionally and personally) in order  stay clear, resilient, and...

Send us Fan Mail The story begins with a hard reality many families face: a beloved child who may never speak. Jennifer McGee joins us to share Isaiah’s path through profound autism—years of isolation in a classroom with low expectations, a legal fight to enforce IDEA and FAPE, and the life-changing shift that came with the right ABA team. What unfolds is a blueprint for hope built on practical to...

Send us Fan Mail Big feelings don’t have to mean big blowups. We sit down with author and mom Sarah Hartley to unpack the real-world signals of ADHD and sensory processing disorder, why two siblings can present in opposite ways, and how small environmental tweaks can turn daily battles—showers, transitions, loud crowds—into manageable routines. Sarah takes us inside her home during the pandemic, w...

Send us Fan Mail What if the behavior you see as “disrespect” is actually distress asking for a safer way in? We sit down with Kevin Dahill-Fuschel  of Counseling in Schools to unpack the practical heart of trauma-informed education: how to read behavior as information, build trust without lowering academic standards, and create classrooms where belonging fuels effort. Kevin takes us inside decade...

Send us Fan Mail What if your grandparents’ best stories didn’t fade with time—but could talk back when you needed them most? We sit down with founder Jeremy Horne to unpack how a childhood of mailing cassette tapes to his Nana Winny became the blueprint for Winny an app that nudges better questions, records family memories, and helps people build a living archive of their lives. Then we go deeper...

Send us Fan Mail Disclaimer: This is not to be taken as a therapy directive, but rather this is for learning and entertainment purposes only! Please consult with your physician and/or mental health care team to decide whether this approach is appropriate for you.  Sensitive topics such as trauma and SA are discussed in this episode. What if the loudest story about bipolar disorder—the chemical imb...

Send us Fan Mail We explore why caring for caregivers of neurodivergent people must come first and how small, consistent habits can reverse burnout. Eleonora Magri shares practical sensory strategies, community resources, and a mindset shift that prioritizes human needs over rigid protocols. • expanding caregiving beyond elder care • why caregiver wellbeing is the first treatment step • meeting pa...

Send us Fan Mail Struggle with reading doesn’t mean a child can’t learn; it means they haven’t been taught in a way their brain can use. We sit down with Daniela Feldhausen—who left a 25-year law career to build Kids Up Reading Tutors—to unpack how precise screening and science-backed instruction turn confusion into clarity for students with dyslexia and dysgraphia. No buzzwords, just a workable r...

Send us Fan Mail Trigger Warning: Suicide The hardest part isn’t finding the perfect words—it’s showing up without judgment. We sit down with Helping Heroes founder Tony DeMaio to share a clear, compassionate playbook for preventing suicide among veterans, first responders, and anyone you love who might be slipping into isolation. From the earliest warning signs to practical safety steps, this con...

Send us Fan Mail A store manager said, “There’s no such thing as a special needs shopping cart.” That moment lit the fuse for Drew Ann Long, who turned a napkin sketch into Caroline’s Cart—now standard in Target, Walmart, and Sam’s Club, and a symbol of what happens when families refuse to accept exclusion as normal. We walk through the emotional and practical beats: Caroline’s Rett syndrome diagn...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when the executive with the corner office is hiding a devastating secret? Joshua Case, former VP at a Fortune 500 company, pulls back the curtain on his double life—corporate success by day, battling alcohol addiction by night. Joshua's raw conversation reveals how childhood trauma, including sexual abuse and a complicated relationship with his father, created pa...

Send us Fan Mail Dominick Domasky's story reads like a masterclass in resilience. From losing half a million dollars in a failed restaurant venture in his twenties to founding a publishing company that's helped hundreds of authors worldwide, his journey embodies the power of perseverance and reinvention. "I went bankrupt. I was broke. I was in my early 20s, couldn't even pay fo...

Send us Fan Mail Who believes one story has the power to change someone's life? I know I certainly do, and you know who else does? No other than the Wendy Babcock, Founder of WHEN stories.  As we all are well aware, 2020 changed the world. Many of our work schedules changed, as we had to make that transition from going to a workplace to having to use our home as our office. Wendy Babcock&apos...

Send us Fan Mail Lindsay Abernathy shares her powerful journey through domestic abuse and offers practical guidance for survivors trying to rebuild their lives after toxic relationships. • Abuse can hide behind the appearance of a perfect life with fancy houses and cars • Many victims don't identify their situation as abuse because it doesn't match stereotypical portrayals • Abusers coll...

Send us Fan Mail Trigger Warning: Suicide and SA was discussed. What if everything we think we know about the Gen Z mental health crisis is incomplete? In this eye-opening conversation, suicide survivor, author, and mental health advocate Aly Vredenberg challenges conventional wisdom by revealing four interconnected factors driving declining mental health among young people: economics, isolation,...