Neurodiversity Episodes

April 15, 2024

Autistic burnout and career change – with Shayonee Dasgupta

Content note: This episode mentions thoughts about suicide and self harm. Shayonee Dasgupta is a Mumbai-based freelance writer and editor who initially pursued a career in law, working with corporate law firms in India. She found out she's autistic and …

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April 1, 2024

Art, neurodivergence and self-discovery – with Nick Heaney

Nick Heaney is a resident artist and co-founder of Artnova Gallery in Chatham, Massachusetts. Nick has always found art to be his most authentic way of connecting with the world around him. He was diagnosed with dyslexia during elementary school. …

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March 18, 2024

Down syndrome, leadership & advocacy – with David Egan

David Egan is a leader and advocate who promotes the causes of people with disabilities. He is the first person with Down Syndrome to serve as a Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Public Policy fellow on Capitol Hill and with the …

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March 4, 2024

Neurodiversity affirming community – with Katie York

Katie York (aka The Distracted Autistic) is a late-diagnosed Autistic who also has ADHD. They are currently program coordinator at the Community College of Baltimore County in Baltimore, Maryland. Katie is also an advocate and community organizer. In...

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Feb. 19, 2024

Supporting the Hispanic Tourette's community - with Claudia Scott

Born and raised in Costa Rica, Claudia Scott was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome in her early teens. Now she lives in the U.S., where she is the Capital Access Manager for Kiva Northwest Arkansas (NWA) at Startup Junkie and an …

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Feb. 5, 2024

How to support employees with invisible disabilities - with Jenn Grin…

Jenn Grindeland has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership. She is also a multiple brain injury survivor. With this background, she teaches leadership skills designed to support equity and inclusion...

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Jan. 22, 2024

Ending epilepsy stigma through filmmaking – with Under the Lights dir…

Miles Levin is a filmmaker and public speaker living with epilepsy. His short film “Under the Lights” starring Pearce Joza and Alyssa Jirrels has become a beacon for epilepsy representation in movies...

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Jan. 8, 2024

Swarit Gopalan – Nonspeaking autistic writer and poet

Swarit Gopalan is a 12-year old autistic nonspeaker who uses a letterboard to spell and a keyboard to type to communicate. He lives with his family in Florida and goes to Invictus Academy for school. Swarit is a talented writer …

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Nov. 27, 2023

Neurodivergent stories from India - with Aditi Gangrade

Aditi Gangrade is a film director and writer based in India. She is autistic and has ADHD and PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder). She is the co-founder of Much Much Spectrum, an inclusive storytelling content and insights wing of Much Much …

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Nov. 13, 2023

Neurodivergent personal trainer & weightlifting champion Bayley Garnh…

Bayley Garnham is a personal trainer from Auckland, New Zealand. As a teenager, Bayley spent 7 years competing in Olympic Weightlifting at a national level. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Sport and Recreation, with a major in Sport and …

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Oct. 30, 2023

Neurodivergence and gender identity – with Charlie Ocean

Charlie Ocean is an award-winning LGBTQ+ speaker, trainer, and consultant who is neuroqueer and nonbinary. They have a background in social work and over 15 years of experience with LGBTQ+ community organizing. To date, they've trained thousands of...

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Oct. 16, 2023

Creating an inclusive world through dance – with Marisa Hamamoto

Marisa Hamamoto is the first professional dancer to be named as one of People Magazine’s "Women Changing the World." Her award-winning nonprofit and professional dance company, Infinite Flow, employs disabled and nondisabled artists with a mission to foster inclusion. Marisa …

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Oct. 2, 2023

Tourette Syndrome advocacy – with Jhonelle Bean

Jhonelle Bean is a 28-year-old disability advocate living with Tourette Syndrome and PTSD. Jhonelle shares her experience with Tourette Syndrome through social media to educate others and help destigmatize the condition, especially within communities...

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Sept. 18, 2023

Autistic and dyspraxic actor Ross K. Foad

Ross K. Foad is a professional actor and voice artist in the United Kingdom. A second generation actor, he was just 18 months old when he made his acting debut, but would get his proper start in acting on the …

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Sept. 4, 2023

Dissociative Identity Disorder - Amber Louise Ainsworth

Amber Louise Ainsworth is a dissociative identity disorder (DID) system from the UK. Since realizing they are a DID system at age 38, they’ve been working through their healing...

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