Unpacking Neuroqueerness

In this episode I host Matthew Broberg Moffit, fellow autistic chef and author of "Color, Taste, Texture"*Check out Matthew's book by accessing this link: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/704923/color-taste-texture-by-matthew-broberg-moffitt/

In this episode I talk about the different support need levels of Autism, why functioning labels are harmful and the pizza graph of Autism traits.

In this episode my friend A and I talk about the nuances of his experiences growing up in Russia, the UK and US. We also talk about many subtopics such as masking, diagnosis disclosure, navigating the dating world and TV shows that do a poor job of representing the actual autistic experience from the inside rather than what it looks like to non-autistic people.

In this episode, I host Ashra Louisa (AKA the Autistic Thrifter). Ashra and I talk about what it's like navigating society as a high masking autistics, and our own unique journeys and experiences that led us to where we are today.Ashra also talks about what led her to start creating content and organizing support groups for the autistic community.Check out Ashra's website below and join one of her community support groups if you'd like:https://autisticthrifter.org/

In this episode I talk about many autistics like myself do consider being autistic part of our identity, since autism is essentially the operating system for our brains, and influences a multitude of things, such as how we process information, interact with others and much more. I also explain why people saying "your disability doesn't define you" can often rub some disabled folks like me in the wrong way, even if the intentions of the person saying the phrase are positive.

In this episode I talk a little bit about "Sheldon Cooper" from "The Big Bang Theory", and why despite having enjoyed the show as a teenager and related to the main character, I now see some issues with the way he was portrayed.

In this episode I host fellow neurodivergent friend Noah Feld, to talk about his experiences growing up with Autism and Dyslexia back when there was very little understanding about these disabilities.

In this episode my friend X and discuss the "refrigerator mother" theory and how it is rooted in patriarchy and ableism.X then talks about their experiences (as a queer cisgender woman) with sexism and ableism (and how intertwined they are).

In this episode, my longtime friend and basketball trainer Jerome Gumbs and I talk a little bit about our own unique experiences navigating life, taking positive lessons from negative experiences and creating environments where people can thrive by feeling accepted and motivated to pursue their dreams and goals, even if those are considered ambitious or outlandish by others.LINK TO VIDEO VERSION: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzLqTIURMygLINK TO EMPOWER ME ACADEMY WEBSITE: https://www.empowermeacademy.net/

In this episode I talk about how easy it can be to feel misunderstood by our neurotypical peers and why it's so important to have access to other autistics.

In this episode I explain why I feel like the HSP label is a way for undiagnosed high masking autistics with internalized ableism to speak about their experiences while avoiding the word Autism, which can harm the greater autistic community by keeping Autism stigmatized and tabooed.*I acknowledge that everyone has the right to use whatever label feels best for them. In this episode I am simply pointing out why I personally feel uncomfortable with the HSP label.

In the first episode with my brand new microphone (Thank You Grandma), I talk about how exhausting it feels to be constantly misinterpreted, misjudged and ostracized by society, including on this platform itself. I talk about getting my first official negative email related to the podcast yesterday from someone that completely distorted my use of the terms "time blindness" and "autistiphobia" (coined by Dr. Nick Walker from "Neuroqueer"), which was largely inspired by the term homophobia, widely used in the queer community for several decades.

In this episode I talk about how it feels like disability rights are still so massively misunderstood and ignored, even amongst progressives and pro-social justice individuals.

In this episode I talk with neurodivergent life coach Michelle Markman about some ways that can be helpful for some of us neurodistict individuals to accommodate ourselves when it comes to struggles with executive dysfunction, setting schedules, dealing with insomnia, parenting, food sensitivities, and PMDD (Premenstrual dysphoric disorder).MICHELLE'S COACHING WEBSITE: https://michellemarkman.com/MICHELLE'S TIKTOK PAGE: https://www.tiktok.com/@ndcoachinc

In this very short guest episode, my grandma comes back on briefly to talk about a couple great disability related films, check them out here:CRIP CAMP: https://www.netflix.com/watch/81001496?trackId=255824129&tctx=0%2C0%2Ce103040c-cf29-44e5-83b8-9363dac66d22-768162%2Ce103040c-cf29-44e5-83b8-9363dac66d22-768162%7C2%2Cunknown%2C%2C%2CtitlesResults%2C81001496%2CVideo%3A81001496%2CminiDpPlayButtonDARIUS GOES WEST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooZOFtwXAk4&t=47s

In this episode I have my grandmother Theo Gund back on the podcast to discuss her struggles with alcoholism followed by the experience of being a mother to an ADHD child (my father George Gund IV from episodes 50 and 102)*Link to "A day with no words" book by Tiffany Hammondhttps://bookshop.org/p/books/a-day-with-no-words/18942107?ean=9781736949795&gclid=CjwKCAjw8ZKmBhArEiwAspcJ7n8oGUWOs0wqxaHGcoDqE1uvJevVLXYDAonJXlsNhXkrzsF0oMvG7RoCLukQAvD_BwE*Link to Tiffany Hammond's Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/fidgets.and.fries/

In this very special episode, I talk with neurodistinct burnout restoration specialist Carole Jean Whittington from the "Beyond Autistic Burnout" Talk showLink to get your ticket to the ENERGIZE & RESTORE Experience Dayhttps://resources.mindyourautisticbrain.com/products/courses/view/1154816Link to pre-order Carole Jean's book, “Unleashing Sustainable Energy: A Strategic Approach to Transforming Spicy Burnout for ADHD/Autistic Professionals”https://resources.mindyourautisticbrain.com/spicyburnout

In this episode I talk a little bit about one of the most misunderstood characteristics of ADHD, time blindness. I also talk about how disgustingly normalized ableism is in our society, even in progressive communities.

In this episode I have a great conversation my family member Rick. He talks all about his experiences growing up with undiagnosed ADHD, as well as navigating life as a teacher, and now a husband and parent as well.

In this episode I talk about how important it is to set boundaries, and why this is especially true for neurodivergent people like myself.

In this episode I give a brief explanation and overview about the term "neuronormativity" and what it means.

In this episode I talk briefly about Pathological Demand avoidance (PDA) and what it means in the neurodistinct community. I also talk about why many autistics don't agree with the concept of authority. I explain that for us autistic folks, it doesn't matter how many accolades you have or what position you are in, you have to earn our trust first in order to earn our respect.

In this episode I have the honor of interviewing one of my favorite advocates and the founder of Autism Career Pathways, Maisie Soetantyo.Maisie and I talk about the main challenges autistic people continue to face in the workplace due to schools and businesses' lack of interest in the employee's personal strenghts and the concept of neurodiversity, which is what led to her to start her business, Autism Career Pathways (check out their website and Instagram page below).AUTISM CAREER PATHWAYS: https://autismcareerpathways.org/AUTISM CAREER PATHWAYS IG PAGE: https://www.instagram.com/autismcareerpathways/

In this episode I talk about something many neurodistinct folks can probably relate to struggling with, time management. I give a brief explanation of what can cause these struggles and some strategies (such as reverse scheduling) that can be helpful for many folks, including myself.

In this episode I talk about common types of challenges that neurodistinct people tend to face in the workplace and how businesses can better accommodate their neurodivergent employees.

In this episode I talk about my recent decision to start accepting donations for my podcast. The goal is to keep the podcast free of charge and free of ads while still bringing in some funds to offset domain fees and other expenses, as well as to get a little compensation for all the hard work I've put and will continue putting in to this podcast :)*Link for donations: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-support-unpacking-neuroqueerness

In this episode I explain the concept of the neurodiversity umbrella and the different conditions it can encompass. I also explain the definitions of terms such as neurodiverse, neurodivergent and neuroqueer.

In this episode I talk a little about how it feels just having gotten diagnosed with combined type ADHD and give a little refresher on what that means, as well as how common it is for autistic people to also have ADHD.

In this episode my father George F. Gund (who is also neurodistinct and you may remember from Episode 50) comes back on the podcast to talk about a variety of different topics, including his passion for photograph, his farming work at Blue Marble Acres Marin and his views on spirituality.Check out these links to see his great work! :)GUNDPHOTO PHOTOGRAPHY WEBSITE: http://www.gundphoto.com/BLUE MARBLE ACRES: https://www.bluemarbleacres.earth/

In this episode I explain why I personally don't resonate with the term "autistic traits", because being autistic (to me) is about the frequency, intensity and ability to regulate certain sensitivities and mannerisms, not the experiences of the sensitivities and mannerisms themselves.

In this special bonus episode I explain what happened to Episode 35 and why it's no longer listed on this podcast

In this episode my friend Faina and I talk about how draining and exhausting it can be to have to mask things such as hyperactivity, attention regulation in a society that expects us to "function" in standard neuronormative ways that simply don't match our brain patterns. We also talk about how each of us like to be supported and what makes us feel heard and understood after meltdowns, rather than ashamed, embarassed and burned out.Be sure to check out my film (that we were both a part of), which includes a sprinkle of neurodiversity education :)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ6mvUzpxXA

*Sensitive content advisoryIn this episode I talk about how despite it's undeniable value in a highly capitalistic society, money can't buy everything, especially when it comes to highly valuable things such as our health.

In this episode I say a special thank you to all my listeners for helping me hit the 4,500 downloads mark. I also explain that this podcast has never been about fame or making money, it has always been and will continue to be about impacting and helping people.

In this episode I talk about the blatant ableism and discrimination that occurs in the acting industry and my perspective on it as an autistic actor.

In this episode I talk a little bit about the experience of overstimulation and burnout and what it tends to look like for autistics and ADHDers.

In this episode my friend Utkarsh talks about his experiences growing up in India, being bullied but making the best of it in the end, scoring 100% on his math tests by 12th grade and eventually starting a new life in the United States. Utkarsh also talks a little about how impactful it was for him to be in a space where mental health is discussed more openly and what led him to suspect he might have undiagnosed bipolar disorder.Check out our film "Bipolar", written and directed by Utkarshhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYnOlZAMvpQ(*Trigger warning: film contains highly sensitive content)

In this episode I explain the deal with "autistic traits" and why we experience things such as sensory overload and meltdowns very differently than how our neurotypical peers experience them.

*Sensitive Content AdvisoryIn this episode I talk about the astoundingly high suicide rates among autistic people, a very important that definetely needs to be discussed and shows just how damaging it is to allow autistics to grow up in a society where they are constantly judged, mistreated and gaslit

In this episode my friend Maeve returns to the podcast to talk about the ups and downs of sharing her ADHD diagnosis with her family and confronting dated stigmas and stereotypes surrounding ADHD, Autism and neurodiversity in general.*Apologies for the muffled sound in the first few seconds of the recording

In this episode I break down another highly problematic "hype trend" article about neurodiversity. This one was written by Emma Camp from the New York Times.I explain why this kind of rhetoric is so harmful to the autistic community, and especially to autistics with higher support needs and those that are multiply marginalized.

In this six month anniversary special episode, my friend X and I talk more in depth about dealing with the burnout that can result from navigating social situations as neurodistinct individuals in a world that is not often kind to us.*References - brave.dave https://www.tiktok.com/@brave.dave?lang=en - Parrot video calls https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/04/21/science/parrots-video-chat-facetime.html

In this episode I talk about the show "Heartbreak High (2022)" on Netflix and why I find it to be the best authentic autistic representation I have ever seen in TV and film to this day.Autistic actor and advocate Chloe Hayden does a fantastic job with her portrayal of Quinni, a young queer autistic high schooler with lots of personality (not your standard stereotypical autistic person).

In this episode my friend Faina and I share experiences around neuronormative job experiences and expectations and how hard it can be to navigate those as neurodistinct individuals.

In this very special episode, I host one of the main autistic podcasters that inspired me to start this podcast nearly 6 months ago, Melissa Tacia from "Oh, that's just my autism"! :)Melissa and I talk about struggles with getting accommodations and acceptance around certain struggles we experience, such as executive functioning differences.Melissa also talks about what it's like parenting and advocating for her autistic daughter as an autistic parent.Check out Melissa's great podcast as well: https://open.spotify.com/show/4RDyBTLKsbzD5eyk6cLDvX

In this episode I talk about how many autistic people (including myself) like to be supported after a meltdown. We need to understand that meltdowns are a result of unmet needs that an autistic is trying to communicate while under distress, and that punishing an autistic person after a meltdown will only make things worse. The person having the meltdown needs to be understood and talked to with compassion. Once that door has been opened, then mistakes can be talked about and learned from.

In this episode I literally "unpack" the term neuroqueerness and what it means to me.

In this episode I vent a little about the constant ableist thinking that I see among groups of parents and caretakers that constantly underestimate their disabled children for not being able to behave or "function" like non-disabled folks. I highlight that what really needs to happen is more advocacy to make society more accommodating, and stop trying to make disabled folks fit molds designed by non-disabled folks.*I acknowledge that there are many wonderful parents and caretakers who do support their children and advocate for their needs to be met, my issue is with those who don't

In this episode I give my personal take on what name I would pick for ADHD in order to still honor the struggles and strengths of this neurotype, without using the term "disorder".

In this episode I talk about what we need the most from our friends and family members during Autism Acceptance month and how you can help us :)