Episode 42: Mark Metry – Humans 2.0

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 2022, they founded Harford County Neurodivergents to build a network for neurodivergent adults & provide neurodiversity-affirming resources and education. Katie is a member of Harford County Public Schools Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee and a proud board member of Upper Chesapeake Bay Pride.

During this episode, you will hear Katie talk about:

• How they discovered their neurodivergence later in life  
• Creating the Harford County Neurodivergents group, and the local peer support and community it provides
• What it means to be “neurodiversity-affirming,” and how that can be important for neurodivergent people
• The impact that Harford County Neurodivergents has had on their members so far
• What inspired them to get into local politics and advocacy, and their advice for people who want to become more involved in their communities

Learn more about Katie on their website at TheDistractedAutistic.com and on Facebook.

If you want to join the Neurodivergent Podcasters Discord group, email beyond6seconds at gmail.com to receive an invite.

Join the Autistic Corporate Professionals group on LinkedIn.

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*Disclaimer: The views, guidance, opinions, and thoughts expressed in Beyond 6 Seconds episodes are solely mine and/or those of my guests, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer or other organizations.*

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 advocate for Tourette's education and support. Claudia uses her experiences to support people with Tourette's, especially in Spanish-speaking communities.

During this episode, Claudia talks about:

• How she discovered she had Tourette’s when she was growing up in Costa Rica
• Her experience of how Tourette’s is viewed by the general public in Costa Rica and the United States
• How her Tourette’s has changed over the course of her life, and how she managed through those changes
• The support she provides to the Hispanic Tourette’s community, including a Tourette’s support group for Spanish speakers

Learn more about Claudia at her travel blog The Tourette Traveler and follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

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*Disclaimer: The views, guidance, opinions, and thoughts expressed in Beyond 6 Seconds episodes are solely mine and/or those of my guests, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer or other organizations.*

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 for employees with non-apparent, invisible disabilities.

During this episode, Jenn talks about:

• How her life changed when she had her first traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Why inadequate job accommodations during her TBI recovery hurt her relationships at work
• How she teaches teams to better support employees who are neurodivergent and/or have non-apparent disabilities
• Why she thinks many people are scared to advocate for themselves in the workplace
• Advice for managers who want to support the people with disabilities on their teams

Learn more about Jenn and her work on her website TheWorkingWell.us and on LinkedIn.

Watch the video of this interview on YouTube.

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*Disclaimer: The views, guidance, opinions, and thoughts expressed in Beyond 6 Seconds episodes are solely mine and/or those of my guests, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer or other organizations.*

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. The film has inspired people to create daily fan art, learn more about epilepsy and open up about their disabilities. He is now making the full length film of Under the Lights, in an effort to create the single biggest epilepsy awareness campaign in history. 

During this episode, you will hear Miles talk about:

• How his life experience with epilepsy inspired Under the Lights
• The powerful impact that Under the Lights is having on audiences
• His fundraising campaign to make the full-length film of Under the Lights (and how you can support the campaign!)

Watch the short film of Under the Lights.

Support the fundraiser for the full-length Under the Lights movie (ends on January 30!)

Follow Under the Lights on social media: 
@underthelightsfilm on Instagram
@underthelightsfilm on Facebook
@underthelightsfilm1 on TikTok

Watch the video of this interview on YouTube.

Read the episode transcript.

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*Disclaimer: The views, guidance, opinions, and thoughts expressed in Beyond 6 Seconds episodes are solely mine and/or those of my guests, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer or other organizations.*

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 and poet who shares his writing on Facebook and Instagram. He is also a passionate advocate for other nonspeaking people. 

During this episode, Swarit talks about:

• Learning to communicate using a letterboard and keyboard 
• What inspired him to start writing about his life experiences on social media
• How he defines dysregulation and how it affects his life
• Going to school as a nonspeaking student
• The joy of meeting other nonspeaking people and their families
• How people can be good friends and allies to nonspeaking people

Follow Swarit on social media to read his writing:

• Facebook: Swarit Gopalan - My truisms unfiltered
• Instagram: @swarit_my_truisms_unfiltered

Learn more about resources for nonspeakers mentioned in this episode:

• Motormorphosis Conference for Nonspeakers
• Directory of Nonspeaker Blogs and Pages (from Neuroclastic)

Watch the video of this interview on YouTube.

Read the episode transcript.

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*Disclaimer: The views, guidance, opinions, and thoughts expressed in Beyond 6 Seconds episodes are solely mine and/or those of my guests, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer or other organizations.*

In this year-end episode for 2023, host Carolyn Kiel reflects on the big milestones that Beyond 6 Seconds achieved in 2023 and some of her goals for the show in 2024.

Below are links to the resources mentioned in this episode.

How you can support Beyond 6 Seconds!

• Follow and share the podcast
  
  • Visit my website at beyond6seconds.net
  • Play episodes in your favorite podcast app
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• Subscribe to my email newsletter to get new episodes delivered to your inbox
• Support this podcast with a donation or advertisement
• Let me know by email what this podcast means to you: beyond6seconds(at)gmail.com

Some of the advocacy & publicity I’ve done in 2023:

• Disability Pride Month (July 2023): 
  
  • Curated a list of podcast episodes about disability pride and history for the Sounds Like Impact newsletter (also shared on LinkedIn)
  • Wrote an article for Women Who Podcast Magazine about how to make your podcast more accessible
  • Started a LinkedIn group for autistic corporate professionals to connect and share resources
• My guest appearances on other neurodiversity and mental health podcasts:
  • Think Inclusive
  • Ignorance Was Bliss
  • Be A Better Ally
  • The Neurodiversity Podcast
• Podcast promo swaps:
  
  • Psychocinematic
  • The Other Autism 
  • Differently Brained
• Signal Awards (and other recognition) for Beyond 6 Seconds

Watch the video of this interview on YouTube.

Read the episode transcript.

Follow the Beyond 6 Seconds podcast in your favorite podcast player.

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Support or sponsor this podcast at BuyMeACoffee.com/Beyond6Seconds!

*Disclaimer: The views, guidance, opinions, and thoughts expressed in Beyond 6 Seconds episodes are solely mine and/or those of my guests, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer or other organizations.*

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 Media, a Mumbai-based boutique studio that has worked with brands like Netflix, Instagram, Google and Coca-Cola Foundation. Through Much Much Spectrum, Aditi is working to mainstream stories and representation of mental health, neurodiversity, and disability.

During this episode, Aditi talks about:

• How she discovered that she is neurodivergent
• What her life was like growing up as an autistic girl with ADHD in India
• How she got involved with Much Much Media and Much Much Spectrum
• The importance and impact of sharing intersectional neurodivergent experiences in an Indian context
• How Much Much Spectrum fosters community among neurodivergent people from all around the world

Learn more about Aditi and her work at MuchMuchMedia.com, by emailing partnerships (at) muchmuchmedia.com, or on YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Watch the video of this interview on YouTube.

Read the episode transcript.

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Support or sponsor this podcast at BuyMeACoffee.com/Beyond6Seconds!

*Disclaimer: The views, guidance, opinions, and thoughts expressed in Beyond 6 Seconds episodes are solely mine and/or those of my guests, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer or other organizations.*

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 Exercise Science. Bayley was diagnosed with dyspraxia and dysgraphia at the age of 12, and he’s passionate about promoting the benefits that physical activity brings for neurodivergent people.

During this episode, you will hear Bayley talk about:

• Discovering that he had dyspraxia and dysgraphia at the age of 12
• How he developed his passion for personal training and weightlifting, after struggling with team sports as a child
• His approach to successfully training his clients – especially teenagers (and neurodivergent teenagers)
• The life benefits he has seen from going to the gym
• His experience competing in Olympic Weightlifting

To hear more about Bayley and his work, you can read his feature article in Dystinct Magazine or email him at bayleygarnham at gmail.com.

Watch the video of this interview on YouTube.

Read the episode transcript.

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Support or sponsor this podcast at BuyMeACoffee.com/Beyond6Seconds!

*Disclaimer: The views, guidance, opinions, and thoughts expressed in Beyond 6 Seconds episodes are solely mine and/or those of my guests, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer or other organizations.*

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 youth and adults on various LGBTQ+ topics in various settings. Charlie is also the host of Allyship is a Verb, a Sonic Bloom Awards and Ambie-nominated podcast.

During this episode, Charlie talks about:

• What led them to start their LGBTQ+ advocacy in high school
• How they realized that they were nonbinary and neurodivergent – and what being neuroqueer means to them
• How their personal experiences in the workplace led them to start their consulting practice
• Addressing allies' common fears and making space for messy (but necessary) conversations about allyship

You can find Charlie’s work at the following links:

Instagram
LinkedIn
Website
Allyship is a Verb podcast

Listener shout-out! A big THANK YOU to Will, a Beyond 6 Seconds listener, for supporting this podcast on Buy Me A Coffee! Check out BuyMeACoffee.com/Beyond6Seconds if you’d like to help support or sponsor a future episode!

Beyond 6 Seconds is a winner at the 2023 Signal Awards! My September episode about Dissociative Identity Disorder with Amber Louise Ainsworth won a Gold Award from the judging panel and a Listener’s Choice Award in the Best Conversation Starter award category. See the official listing on the Signal Awards website. 

Watch the video of this interview on YouTube.

Read the episode transcript.

Follow the Beyond 6 Seconds podcast in your favorite podcast player.

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Support or sponsor this podcast at BuyMeACoffee.com/Beyond6Seconds!

*Disclaimer: The views, guidance, opinions, and thoughts expressed in Beyond 6 Seconds episodes are solely mine and/or those of my guests, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer or other organizations.*

Content note: This episode contains mentions of sexual assault, describes a stroke and recovery, and has occasional swearing.

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 is also a stroke survivor who is autistic and has PTSD.

During this episode, you will hear Marisa talk about:

• Her lifelong passion for dancing, despite facing bias and exclusion within the dance world
• How a heartbreaking rejection by her dance school classmates inspired her to make a boldly inclusive decision, and showed her how small actions can lead to big change
• The life-changing stroke that paralyzed her for months, and the long process of healing from the physical and mental trauma that followed
• How a salsa dance performance in Japan rekindled her passion and confidence as a dancer
• Her dancing partnership with a disabled athlete that inspired her to found Infinite Flow
• How she was diagnosed with PTSD and autism as an adult – and reflecting on her life, now knowing that she’s autistic

You can also find out more about Marisa on her website MarisaHamamoto.com and connect with her on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Watch Infinite Flow Dance performances at InfiniteFlowDance.org/portfolio.

Sign up for Marisa's newsletter and the Infinite Flow newsletter.

Watch the video of this interview on YouTube.

Read the episode transcript.

Follow the Beyond 6 Seconds podcast in your favorite podcast player.

Subscribe to the FREE Beyond 6 Seconds newsletter for early access to new episodes.

Support or sponsor this podcast at  BuyMeACoffee.com/Beyond6Seconds!

*Disclaimer: The views, guidance, opinions, and thoughts expressed in Beyond 6 Seconds episodes are solely mine and/or those of my guests, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer or other organizations.*