I welcome Jeremy and Ilana Hamburgh back for an encore guest spot! Jeremy and Ilana are friendship and dating coaches who teach the strategies and skills that empower autistic and neurodivergent adults to find community, make friends, start dating, and build relationships. Ilana has over 16 years of experience as a special education teacher in New York City and Jeremy has over 13 years of experience as a social coach for autistic and neurodivergent adults.
Jul 04, 2024•21 min•Ep. 138
Norman Wasserman is the founder of Friend Entertainment USA, and has been fundraising for nonprofits for over 35 years. He started Friend Entertainment to provide high-quality entertainment for nonprofit fundraising concerts. Norman says he understands the great need to make a difference in this world and is driven by the belief that we are here to help one another and have great fun along the way.
Jun 11, 2024•16 min•Ep. 137
Jason Weissbrod has a Bachelor’s degree in Directing and Acting for Film and Theatre and has directed, produced, written, edited and starred in many films, television shows, web series, commercials and theatre productions. Jason became involved with the neurodiverse and autism community over 15 years ago. Many neurodivergent and autistic artists told Jason they wanted to work in the entertainment industry and this inspired Jason and his colleague, Garth Herberg, to create Spectrum Laboratory....
Apr 10, 2024•23 min•Ep. 136
Jojo Williams is a certified massage therapist who began working in the field in 2011 and in 2015, left her previous career of 24 years, supporting individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities, to focus solely on massage. She opened her own business during the pandemic of 2020 and now serves many individuals & families with wellness support.
Apr 01, 2024•11 min•Ep. 135
Jen Malia is an autistic mom of three autistic children. She is the author of The Infinity Rainbow Club series and Too Sticky! Sensory Issues with Autism . She is also a Professor of English and Creative Writing Coordinator at Norfolk State University. She joins me to discuss her journey, the inspiration for her books, and the insights she has gained along the way.
Mar 21, 2024•20 min•Ep. 134
Jeremy and Ilana Hamburgh are friendship and dating coaches who teach the strategies and skills that empower autistic and neurodivergent adults to find community, make friends, start dating, and build relationships. Ilana has over 16 years of experience as a special education teacher in New York City and Jeremy has over 13 years of experience as a social coach for autistic and neurodivergent adults.
Mar 09, 2024•21 min•Ep. 133
Since entering private practice in 1980, Valerie Vanaman has become an acknowledged leader in providing representation for individuals challenged with disabilities and for their families, securing her clients’ educational rights. She served as a teaching fellow at Harvard Law School and is a member of numerous Bar associations, including the U.S. Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, and several at the Federal District and State Court levels.
Feb 16, 2024•21 min•Ep. 132
Dr. Jennie Trocchio is an autism educator, advocate, and VP of Clinical Operations at Positive Development, which is a leading provider of developmental care for neurodiverse children and their families. We discuss the various therapies they provide and how families can access their services.
Jan 24, 2024•13 min•Ep. 131
David Wildkress was diagnosed with dyslexia at age 6. He is a learning specialist who is passionate about supporting neurodivergent people and has developed expertise in supporting folks with complex profiles. David holds a master's degree in education and a certificate in educational therapy, and has helped countless students and adults improve their executive function and metacognitive skills.
Jan 15, 2024•14 min•Ep. 130
Christian Vinceneux has been in the neurodivergent space his entire life. He grew up as an anxious and shy kid with ADHD in a neurodiverse family. Professionally, he worked as an occupational therapist for over 30 years with neurodiverse families and has now transitioned as a parent coach. Christian has developed a unique approach to help parents navigate neurodivergence and identify practical solutions for everyday challenges while focusing on building a strong relationship with their child....
Jan 08, 2024•26 min•Ep. 129
Wendy Jones is the founder of Be Better Life and Media, a transformational life coach, and the mother of four kids, both neurodivergent and neurotypical. Through her coaching at Be Better Life and productions at Be Better Media, she helps people unlock their potential and grow through greater self-awareness that helps them create more flow in their lives.
Dec 13, 2023•19 min•Ep. 128
Anne Ryan is the Online Program Director for STRIVE Worldwide, an online program designed to teach independent living skills to individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism. STRIVE offers a variety of classes and students can learn at their own pace. Students are supported during the learning programs, and Anne shares course details and success stories from their enrollees.
Dec 05, 2023•15 min•Ep. 127
Ben Drew has worked in the field of intellectual disabilities for over 25 years. He grew up in the UK and qualified as a learning disability nurse. In 2003 Ben founded Options in Bristol to help people with intellectual disabilities buy or rent their own homes and manage their own support. In 2008 Ben moved to New York and founded Open Future Learning, an organization that helps support staff assist their clients to their best possible potential.
Sep 09, 2023•18 min•Ep. 126
Megan Smith is the founder of Harmony Restored, a company focused on helping individuals heal from the stress that is at the root of their physical and emotional pain. She is also President of Guiding Arrow Nature Camp, a non-profit regenerative farm and healing retreat center specializing in providing transformative outdoor experiences in a safe and nurturing community for neurodivergent children and young adults, and their families. Megan shares her experiences as the mother of two autistic ch...
Aug 20, 2023•16 min•Ep. 125
Antoinette Banks is an accomplished author, researcher, and CEO of Expert IEP , an EdTech company that supports students who learn differently and their parents. The platform helps to navigate the often confusing and daunting IEP process and system. Her book, " Better than A Diagnosis: A Single Parents Guide to Autism ," draws on her experiences as a mother of an autistic teenager to offer practical guidance and emotional support to others navigating similar challenges....
Aug 20, 2023•26 min•Ep. 124
Nicole Homerin is an Inclusion Communities Manager at Partners for Youth with Disabilities and has over a decade of experience working with disabled children and youth. She has a background as a special education teacher and adaptive performance arts instructor, and joins us to discuss the training provided by her organization to support neurodivergent and disabled individuals and the community that supports them.
Jul 19, 2023•16 min•Ep. 123
Dr. Emily Levy is the founder and director of EBL Coaching, a specialized tutoring program that offers individualized one-on-one home, virtual, and on-site instruction. Her program uses research-based, multi-sensory techniques that have proven successful in helping students who are struggling with their studies. We discuss academic challenges often faced by neurodivergent students and the best ways to support them both in and out of school.
Jun 28, 2023•12 min•Ep. 122
Ben VanHook is a young, neurodivergent person whose goal is to reform employment and education policy to make both domains more inclusive for neurodivergent individuals. He is a speaker and writer and has been featured in the media from PBS programs to the New York Times. In this second episode of a two-part appearance, he shares his own experience of being employed and neurodivergent, as well as various challenges he has faced.
Jun 12, 2023•22 min•Ep. 121
Ben VanHook is a young, neurodivergent person whose goal is to reform employment and education policy to make both domains more inclusive for neurodivergent individuals. He is a speaker and writer and has been featured in the media from PBS programs to the New York Times. In this first episode of a two-part appearance, he shares his own experience of being adopted and neurodivergent, as well as various challenges he has faced.
Jun 12, 2023•15 min•Ep. 120
Professor Andrew Whitehouse helped to create the first national guidelines in Australia for diagnosing autism and supporting autistic children. He is the Director of Clinikids based in Perth, where they are breaking ground in terms of combining research and support for neurodivergent children and their families. Andrew also discusses the importance of early intervention and guiding parents through the first few years of a child’s life. Clinikids makes their services available to families all ove...
Apr 24, 2023•23 min•Ep. 119
Devon MacNerland is a neurodivergent advocate and documentarian. He has been working in this realm for several years and is spending his time and resources on bringing his cause to the media realm. He discusses his latest project, a documentary about restraints and restrictions for neurodiverse students in schools. He highlights relevant issues and shares his thoughts on needed change and system reform. Warning: This episode contains material that some listeners may find disturbing....
Apr 06, 2023•18 min•Ep. 118
Zhara Astra is a writer, producer, and television executive. She is also a professor at Arizona State University where she developed the first course in the world on understanding neurodivergent women. After discovering as an adult that she was on the autism spectrum and had ADHD, she set out on a mission to help other women better understand themselves and their potential neurodivergences, while aiming to educate and equip the neurotypical world with a greater understanding of how to interact w...
Mar 18, 2023•17 min•Ep. 117
Eddie Tuduri is a career musician who has worked with many of the world’s great entertainers. He has also received many awards for his work with neurodiverse and disabled communities all over the world. After a near-death and disabling experience, Eddie founded The Rhythmic Arts Project, known as TRAP, which he created to help neurodiverse and disabled individuals overcome learning issues and address cognitive, emotional, and physical challenges.
Mar 03, 2023•29 min•Ep. 116
Ashley Keller, Founder of Empower Self-Care and Consulting joins us to discuss helping families cope with the challenges they face when the system has failed them and they lack the support and resources they need. She talks about the “old vs. the new” ABA model. She believes in building proper communication on a foundation of mutual respect and trust between parent and child. Her goal is to maintain a strong parent-child bond, address caregiver burnout and support children to build skills that h...
Jan 31, 2023•20 min•Ep. 115
Jay Baldwin, Program Navigator at the Help Group’s Kaleidoscope organization for LGBTQIA+ youth, joins us to discuss the intersection of autism and LGBTQIA+ identities. They share the importance of creating a safe place for these young people to explore and grow. Jay also offers advice for the families of these individuals to support them in their journeys, as well as to facilitate communication in order to ease the transition and discovery process for everyone concerned.
Jan 17, 2023•15 min•Ep. 114
Dr. Nora Baladerian joins us to discuss the prevalence of abuse among the neurodiverse and disabled communities. Statistics show the rate is much higher than in the general population and the abuse is not limited to a particular type. She also shares the approach and treatments she uses to deal with the associated trauma and reduce the risk of the abuse happening in the first place. Dr. Baladerian treats those at all levels including those who are non-verbal or whose disabilities are profound....
Nov 28, 2022•17 min•Ep. 113
Walt Karniski, MD, author of the book “ADHD Medication: Does It Work and Is It Safe?” joins us to share his expertise. We discuss diagnosis, presentation in males versus females, the various medications and their side effects. We also talk about transitioning to adulthood with ADHD, and the results of research and certain studies that have been done. Dr. Karniski’s background as a developmental pediatrician supports an informative and intriguing conversation.
Nov 16, 2022•42 min•Ep. 112
California State Senator Anthony Portantino joins us to discuss how he supports the neurodiverse community. He stresses the importance of advocacy and shares his plans for legislation that will make important changes for the benefit of this population. He also shares his thoughts on social justice and access to services. He believes that addressing mental health is just as important as physical health and talks about the need for reform in our educational system.
Oct 21, 2022•18 min•Ep. 111
Ernie Merlan is the Founder of Muralism, an organization dedicated to connecting people with special needs to their community through art. They create large-scale murals wherever they are commissioned, from city streets to museums, to government offices. It is a group effort, and everyone from the public to politicians works side by side with the artists. The organization is heading towards its goal of 100 murals by the year 2028. Muralism teaches young neurodiverse artists to work while doing s...
Oct 13, 2022•13 min•Ep. 110
Chris Latham, CFP, gives us an overview of financial planning for those with special needs. He shares his insights on what it takes to properly plan for the future. He offers information on special needs trusts, ABLE accounts, using life insurance as a tool, and more. He stresses that financial wellness and physical/mental health go hand in hand.
Sep 24, 2022•18 min•Ep. 109
