21andsensory Podcast

On today's episode I have the lovely Emily Katy on as my special guest, who you might know from social media as @itsemilykaty.

Emily was previously on episode 51 of the 21andsensory podcast but I shall of course reintroduce her...

Emily is an autistic woman with ADHD and OCD. She is a blogger, author and advocate, and works with neurodivergent children and young people.

Emily is a Trustee for the Autistic Girls Network and Former youth participation council member and Former Public Governor for her NHS Trust. She is also a #NotAloneTalk Host on Twitter. Emily has given talks in many different health settings and written many articles on her own experiences.

So listeners might be thinking - oh Emily Katy is back on your podcast?! But that’s because Emily has some very exciting news - she is now a published book author!

On todays episode my special guest is the lovely Rachel Charlton-Dailey. Rachel is an is an award-winning disabled editor, journalist, activist and more recently author!

Rachel is a disability rights columnist for The Daily Mirror where she guest edited the series Disabled Britain. Rachel writes mainly about disability and women’s rights and her work has featured in publications such as HuffPost, The Guardian, Glamour and The Big Issue. Her specialisms are political issues affecting disabled people, disability in the media and the gender health gap.

Her first book Ruby Hastings Writes Her Own Story was published by Collins Big Cat on January 8th! When Rachel isn’t writing, she can be found walking her sausage dog, Rusty (which OF COURSE we chat about!)

Rachel’s Links:

We last had a chat (a recorded chat - I speak to her outside the pod!) on Episode 35 in April 2021...but she’s back again for a catch-up…it’s my sister!

Today I have the wonderful Courn Ahn on as my special guest. Courn is a Queer Autistic Korean-American Illustrator and Designer. Their work depicts social justice, antiracism, and all things activism and they have over 5 years experience in the creative industry.

You may know Courn through @candy.courn on TikTok and Instagram with their wonderful series of videos all about navigating life as an autistic asian ace with video topics including their special interests, home interior design and all things art and design!

Courn's links:

Grab a hot drink and a snack because it's time for a catch-up episode with Emily!

Links to things I mentioned:

On today's episode I have special guest, Alice. Alice is 25, autistic and studying speech and language therapy. I've known Alice for quite a while now - we both knew each other growing up and we were both late-diagnosed as Autistic so this should be an interesting chat!

Links to things Alice mentioned:

On today's episode I have the super lovely Ella Maisy Purvis. Ella is a classically trained ballet dancer who went on to retrain as an actor at LAMDA. Ella was a finalist at Theatre Royal Stratford Easts SLAMbition 2022, a monologue slam for deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people. TV and Film credits include Blueprint, a BFI short, Heartstopper on Netflix, Malpractice for ITV and A Kind Of Spark for BBC. *Episode contains swearing.

Ella's social links:

On todays episode I have the awesome Jordan Ellis. Jordan describes himself as a T-shaped visual designer specialising in all things creative in FinTech (which is short for financial technology). He is currently working at Anna Money and working to better life as a neurodivergent in the creative industry. He has done it all, from working in huge creative teams in fin-tech unicorns, to an army of one in a start up!

Jordan's Links:

Hello! It's time for an episode with just me* - grab a drink and snack and let's have a catch-up!

This episode will cover all things life, job and mental health related as well as some books I have been reading, dog-sitting and I answer some listener questions!

*TW: Discussion includes mental health issues such as dissociation, anxiety, medication.

Links mentioned:

On todays episode I have the lovely Marianne Eloise. Marianne is a writer and journalist who lives in Brighton in the UK. She writes about things such as TV, wellness, disability, film, business, digital culture, sex and alt music for outlets including The Cut, The New York Times, Courier, Dazed, Vulture, i-D and the Guardian to name a few both in print and online. 

Sophie Broadgate is an Autistic Writer, Director and Filmmaker based in Cumbria and Manchester. Sophie's work spans across Narrative, Documentary and Art Film. She started her career in production, working as a Production Assistant and independent Producer. As a Producer she has seen her work screen at BFI Flare, Queer Lisboa and Palace International film festival and soon at the BIFA Manchester film festival. 

Over time Sophie has transitioned to work more as a Writer / Director, focusing on personal subjects. Her debut short film “The Water Tower” was developed through “Lost Stations”, a residency programme for artists with Cumbrian roots. The film was produced independently and self funded, later receiving a grant for festival distribution. Sophie is currently developing a slate of short films with the aim of moving into features and has been working on addressing accessibility in the film industry for autistic people.

Sophie's Links:

On todays episode I have the lovely Ashleigh Thompson. Ashleigh is 24 and works full-time as a project manager remotely. Ashleigh is Autistic and lives with her boyfriend Charlie who is also Autistic. Now you might know Ashleigh from her fab Tiktok videos @ashleighfare where she has over 35,000 followers. She also has a blog where she talks a lot about her experiences realising she is autistic and has lots of helpful advice (which I'll link below!)

Ashleigh's Links:

On todays episode I have the lovely Rosemary Richings.  Rosemary is a Dyspraxic Pro writer, editor, author, and neurodiversity advocate. Currently Rosemary is serving on the board of trustees of Dyspraxic Me, a UK-based charity providing peer support for dyspraxics ages 16-25. She is also a founding member of Dyspraxic Alliance, along with a Dyspraxia Magazine Panel member. Rosemary is originally from Toronto, Canada, but moved to Marrakech (which is in Morocco) in 2021.

In this episode I was joined by special guest Lydia Wilkins. This is the third time I've had Lydia on my podcast (she was the special guest on Episode 21 and Episode 40). Lydia is a freelance NCTJ qualified journalist, with bylines in The Independent, Readers Digest, The Metro, Refinery 29, Debut Careers, BN1 Magazine, and more. Lydia was diagnosed as being on the Autistic Spectrum in January 2015, two months shy of her sixteenth birthday.

Lydia is back on the podcast today* to chat about the new book she has written called 'The Autism Friendly Cookbook' with Jessica Kingsley Publishers which is out November 21st 2022! I am super excited to chat to Lydia about the book (particularly because Lydia chose me to be the book's illustrator!!!).

*Content / Trigger Warning: We talk about Eating Disorders and sensory issues to do with food.

Podcast marked as explicit due to two swear words.

Lydia's Links:

On today's show I have the awesome Matt 💫. Matt is an AuDHD parent, partner, and self-taught artist currently located near Baltimore. They specialise in things like ads, album covers, packaging, merch design, social posts/stories, marketing collateral & branding. I’ve been following Matt for a while on their epic Instagram account called @prettycoolstrangers and at this point I’m basically obsessed with Matt's design video tutorials on how they make posters (and posts on recommendations for cool fonts) so can’t wait to chat to them!

Matt's links:

I am really excited to chat to today's special guest which is the lovely Chloe Tear. Chloe is 24-years-old and is an award winning disability blogger and freelance writer with 9 years experience. On her blog she documents her lived experiences as a disabled young woman and she currently works in the charity sector as a Content Designer.

Hi everyone! On today's episode I have the very lovely Cheryl who you may know as @_thislineismine on TikTok and Instagram!

This is the second time Cheryl has been on my podcast, we last spoke in December 2020 (Episode 28) about their autism diagnosis and journey on TikTok. Cheryl had 200,000 followers on TikTok at that time and they now have over HALF A MILLION (524,000) followers!

So Cheryl is here for a catch-up about everything they have been up to and there's been some hugeeeee things happening recently!

Cheryl's links:

On today's show I have a very special guest, the wonderful Ruby Woods. Ruby is an Autism activist, blogger and a disabled theatre maker who is currently developing her practice in disability arts and inclusive theatre working as a lead practitioner.

You may know Ruby from her wonderful TikTok (where she has over 100,000 followers!) and her Instagram both called @rubyofmyeye. She also has a brilliant youtube channel named Ruby Woods, so I think I'm going to have a lot to chat about with Ruby today!

Ruby's Socials:

On today's episode we are having another little catch-up, so just me no guests (but keep an eye-out because I've got some exciting guests coming on soon!).

I wanted to chat through some life updates, some autism-related books I have been reading, a Sensory Street project update, and how to make your own DIY Sensory Box.

Links:

Sensory Street (Oxford University Project):

On today's episode I am very excited to chat to special guest Dr James Cusack. James is the Chief Executive at Autistica which is the UK’s leading national autism research charity. He joined the charity in September 2015 as Director of Science following a career in autism research at the University of Aberdeen, and he later became Chief Executive there in 2020 and is the first openly autistic CEO of a major charity.

Autistica focus on enabling autistic people to live happy, healthy, long lives. They do this by by working with autistic people to understand their needs, funding research and shaping policy.

Welcome back to another 21andsensory Podcast! On this episode I'll be chatting about an Oxford University project called Sensory Street. I am very lucky to be part of the project team and I thought it would be great to base an episode around the project and speak to some lovely people who are on the team! I chat to Becky from Sensory Spectacle, Dr Keren MacLennan and Catherine Woolley about their project roles.

On today's episode I have special guest Dr Camilla Pang. Camilla holds a PhD in Biochemistry from University College London and is a Postdoctoral Scientist specialising in Translational Bioinformatics. At the age of eight, Camilla was diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and ADHD at 26-years-old. Her career and studies have been heavily influenced by her diagnosis and she is driven by her passion for understanding humans, our behaviours and how we work. 

Camilla is the award winning author of 'Explaining Humans' which through a set of scientific principles, examines life's everyday interactions. Her book won the Royal Society Insight investment science book award in 2020 - she was the youngest writer ever to win the prize, and the first writer of colour. She has a new children's book out in March 2022 which is super exciting! She is also a speaker and neurodiversity advocate, and does a range of charity and voluntary work.

TW for this episode: We chat about Exercise and Anorexia between 33:43 - 38:20

We chat about:

• About about her background and her Autism and ADHD diagnoses
• Autistic masking and sensory struggles
• Her experience growing up within the education system and support she had access to
• Her work as an Author, how she goes about writing her books, book promotion and what it's like for her to see her own book in a bookshops!
• Her hobbies and special interests

Camilla's links:

On today's episode I have a very special guest...my brother! We chat about his FASD and Autism diagnoses and a bit about his life and growing up. We also chat about his special interests and hobbies. This episode was recorded in mid 2021.

If you haven't heard of FASD it stands for Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. It is a term used to describe the permanent impacts on the brain and body of individuals prenatally exposed to alcohol during pregnancy resulting in a spectrum of physical, emotional, behavioural and neurological characteristics. I spoke on the podcast about my experiences growing up with my brother and how he made my parents realise my sensory processing difficulties. 

Hi everyone! Welcome to another 21andsensory Podcast. On today's episode I have Chris and James from the London Autism Group Charity!

A quick intro to Chris and James:

Dr Chris Papadopoulos is a Principal Lecturer in Public Health at University of Bedfordshire and director of health research in the School of Society, Community and Health. He teaches on a range of post-graduate health courses in particular the MSc in Public Health. He founded the London Autism Group in 2014 and London Autism Group Charity in 2017 and he is the Charity lead. Chris has 3 children, 2 of whom are Autistic.

James Gordon is an Autistic adult and a London Autism Group charity trustee as well as a dad and carer to his own Autistic son. He is also the mastermind behind the London Autism Services Map which I'll get him to chat about in the episode!

London Autism Group Charity links:

EPSIODE 50! WOOP!

To celebrate episode 50 of my podcast it's just me chatting today...

Links to everything I spoke about:

Sensory Street (Oxford University Project):

On today's episode I have special guest Sarah O’Brien. Sarah is an autistic writer and engagement professional currently working within the charity sector. She is known for her witty remarks and commitment to giving those who face disadvantage a voice.

Sarah lives and works in London and in her free time she can be found reading, crafting and planning future projects. She is currently writing a post-diagnostic book for Jessica Kingsley publishers which is super exciting and something I am definitely going to ask her more about!

This episode is marked as explicit due to a couple of occasions where we said swear words!

We chat about:

• Sarah's Autism diagnosis (the process she went through, waiting times, etc). We talk about late diagnosis, other diagnoses Sarah has and more about Autism and co-morbid conditions.
• Sarah's studies - she has studied a BSc in Psychology, Masters in Clinical Psychology and is currently doing a PhD! We talk more in-depth about why she chose this subject area and how it's a special interest for her.
• Her journey writing on her blog, for media and on Twitter and how she started up her presence online.
• The autism community online
• Sarah's post-diagnostic book she is currently writing for Jessica Kingsley Publishers. We through the process of pitching the idea to where she is now? (It's due out Spring 2023).
• Her hobbies and special interests, favourite fidget toys and stims.

Sarah's Links:

On today's episode I have special guest Pete Wharmby. Pete is an Autistic writer, speaker, parent, teacher, tutor and advocate who has immersed himself in working to improve autistic awareness, acceptance and making the world a more suitable place for the neurodivergent community. Pete is most active on Twitter where he has over 45,000 followers, which is how I reached out to him. His first book on autistic special interests is out next spring so we will definitely be having a chat about that!

We chat about: 

• A bit of background on Pete and his life right now
• His Autism diagnosis - the process he went through, waiting times, whether he disclosed his autism diagnosis at work, etc
• What it was like being a secondary school teacher and how /when he became a speaker and transitioned to doing talks and conferences
• How the world doesn't feel set-up for autistic people. We chat about this is regards to education settings and workplaces and how Pete thinks these places could be better set up and more inclusive
• Pete's journey writing on his autism and teaching blog and his presence on Twitter - and how he has managed with it's amazing growth!
• Pete's special interests and more about the book he is writing on his own special interests
• His lego collection!

Pete's Links:

I am super excited for today's episode as I have special guest Abigail Balfe. Abigail is a Brighton-based writer, illustrator and Emmy Award winning creative producer. Abigail is an author and has just had her first book published. It's called 'A Different Sort of Normal' and it documents how Abigail didn't realise she was autistic until she was an adult. The book includes funny stories including her love of cats, fear of toilets, and an amusing story featuring her dad and a tub of ice cream. There are also more serious ones: a very difficult experience at a swimming pool, and her experience of navigating the overwhelming stimuli of a crowded train.

Along the way, there is also crucial information about autism, including commonly held misconceptions. She also includes tips to help readers navigate key milestones – attending ‘big school’, puberty, and making friends – especially if you do differ from the ‘norm’ around you.

I reached out to her to ask if she might like to come on my podcast to chat a little more about her book!

We chat about:

• Abigail's Autism diagnosis and the process / journey behind it
• Diagnosis of Autism in women and late diagnosis
• Abigail's experience of Masking as an Autistic person
• Abigail's career as a Creative Producer, Author and Illustrator!
• Abigail's studies at Cambridge School of Art (MA Children's Book Illustration course) and we chat about how her book came about as a result of her final MA uni project.
• How Abigail went about creating her book and how she juggled being both the Author and Illustrator as well as a chat about doing book PR
• Abigails special interests and hobbies and her favourite sensory / fidget items!
• Where you can buy her fab book from!

Abigails's links:

Hi everyone! Welcome to today’s episode, I have special guest Ella Tabb, who you might all know as PurpleElla. Ella is an Autistic adult with ADHD who is a Public Speaker, Content Creator and YouTuber. She makes fantastic videos sharing thoughts, ideas and tips on life as a proud neurodivergent adult. Ella lives with her husband, three children, a cat called Katsu and Coco who is an adorable autism service dog!

We chat about:

• Ella's diagnoses of Autism, ADHD and chronic illness (hEDS), the process behind receiving them and waiting times and late diagnosis.
• Ella's two children and their autism diagnoses - we chat about going through the diagnostic process herself and with her children.
• Ella's YouTube channel - when she first started on the platform and how she has been managing with it's amazing growth!
• How Ella manages her online presence and content creation and tips on avoiding burnout and protecting your own mental health.
• What Ella loves about being a content creator and pubic speaker
• How Ella copes with daily life - the main challenges she faces and how she has found managing through the pandemic
• Ella's lovely dog Coco! Ella explains what an autism assistance dog does day to day and how Coco helps her and Dogs for Autism: https://dogsforautism.org.uk
• Ella's Purple People Community membership and Born Anxious merchandise!

Ella's Links:

Hi everyone! Welcome to today’s episode, I have special guest Sara Gibbs. Sara is a UK-based comedy writer, author and notorious cat lady. She is a graduate of the National Film and Television School's Writing & Producing Comedy course and her comedy writing credits include the Daily Mash, Dead Ringers, the News Quiz, the Now Show, Sketchtopia, the Mash Report, Greatest Ever TV Blunders, Greatest Ever Movie Blunders and Have I Got News for You amongst many others.

Sara was recently diagnosed as Autistic and has a new book out called 'Drama Queen: One Autistic Woman and a Life of Unhelpful Labels' which is described as a 'memoir of a woman's life that didn't make a lot of sense until she was a third of the way through it'. We chat about so much in this episode including:

• The journey and process behind her autism diagnosis
• Autism in women, being late diagnosed and imposter syndrome
• Sara's experience with chronic pain, her support needs and we mention independent living
• The timeframe between Sara getting her diagnosis and then deciding to write a book and her experience of beginning to write her book and writing through the pandemic
• The PR work such as articles and interviews she has done to promote the book and accommodations that have helped along the way
• Sara's adult life, interests, and finding a comedy course and her book being a No.1 Bestseller on Amazon!
• Sara's new Aut Hour podcast and what to expect
• Social media and protecting yourself from burnout

Sara's social media:

On today's episode I have special guest Luke Poulton who some of you may know as @veganluke across social media. Luke is (as his username suggests) vegan, he is 30 years old and is an Autistic stand-up comedian who was awarded Essex Comedian of the Year in 2019. At the time of recording Luke has over 60,000 followers on TikTok which is insane and I'm going to be asking him more about his brilliant videos in this episode!

We chat about:

• Luke's Autism diagnosis and support within education
• His university experience, what he studied and accommodations for autistic people at university
• What life was like after uni, and his experiences working as a postman, in a supermarket and at a law firm
• How Luke got into comedy and the stand-up scene
• Luke's TikTok page - when and why he started it and managing with it's amazing growth!
• Luke's (fascinating) special interests 
• How he copes with daily life and through the pandemic
  

In this episode we mentioned:

My guest on today's episode is Jane Green. Jane is an educationalist and adviser on Autism, Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS) and hypermobility (HSD). Jane is autistic, and is a single parent of two, one with severe medical issues and one autistic. Jane was diagnosed as autistic aged 54 and we chat a bit about autism in women and late diagnosis. 

Jane has volunteered with all ages to gain experience and study for her degrees. Jane worked in all phases of education, including epilepsy and autism schools. Unfortunately, her illness worsened, and she had to retire “medically unwell” in 2015. Following this, she finally received diagnosis of Ehlers Danlos Syndromes (EDS), but sadly had no support as her illness was not officially recognised at that time. She started volunteering for the national EDS charity, but wanted to do more, so founded SEDS (Sussex Ehlers-Danlos and Hypermobility Support) in 2018. 

Outside SEDS, Jane also volunteers her skills as a carer trustee for a local carers charity, and is an “expert patient” for various other committees, patient ref. groups, clinical commissioning groups, NICE advisory committees, and social care round tables. She has sat on various guidance on autism from child to adult transitions, and has overseen new co-production autistic led social care tool kits to embed the NICE capabilities. 

Jane's links: 

I am super excited for today's episode as I have special guest Holly Smale on to chat! Holly is the author of Geek Girl, Model Misfit, Picture Perfect, All That Glitters and Head Over Heels and Forever Geek as well as two seasonal Geek Girl supplements, Sunny Side Up and All Wrapped Up.

Geek Girl was the no. 1 bestselling young adult fiction title in the UK in 2013 and was shortlisted for several major awards and has been translated into a whopping 28 languages worldwide!

Holly was recently diagnosed with Autism and has written some fab articles on her diagnosis for The Times and The Sun as well as being interviewed on multiple radio and TV shows. I reached out to her to ask if she might like to come on my podcast to chat a little more about her diagnosis.

We chat about: 

• Her Autism diagnosis, the process leading up to it and the 'relief and grief' that comes with knowing
• Late diagnosis in women
• Holly's experience of masking
• More about Holly's work as an Author and we chat about the Geek Girl series she wrote. We also discuss how she copes with book PR and promotion
• What daily life is like for Holly and how she has managed during the pandemic
• Holly's hobbies and special interests

Holly's links:

In this episode I was joined by special guest Lydia Wilkins. This is the second time I've had Lydia on my podcast (she was the special guest on Episode 21). Lydia is back on the podcast today to chat about the new book she is writing called 'The Autism Friendly Cookbook' with Jessica Kingsley Publishers. I am super excited to chat to Lydia about the book (particularly because she has asked me to be the book's illustrator!!!). Also we chat about her new podcast she is working on called The Disability Collab with journalists Eloise Barry and Izzie Jani-Friend.

Lydia is a freelance NCTJ qualified journalist, with bylines in The Independent, Readers Digest, The Metro, Refinery 29, Debut Careers, BN1 Magazine, and more. Lydia was diagnosed as being on the Autistic Spectrum in January 2015, two months shy of her sixteenth birthday.

We chat about:

On today's episode I have special guest Daisy Shearer. Daisy is a PhD candidate in experimental condensed matter physics at the University of Surrey’s Advanced Technology Institute. Her PhD research focuses on semiconductor spintronics for quantum technology applications.

You might know Daisy from her amazing Instagram page @notesfromthephysics lab. She is passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion in STEM with a focus on disability and neurodiversity as she is autistic herself.

We chat about:

• Daisy's journey to getting her Autism diagnosis and the process she went through contacting university disability support
• Her uni experience as a PhD candidate and what her day-to-day looks like (including a mention of her scientific equipment and awesome Magnet called Emily!)
• The accommodations Daisy has been offered as an Autistic person studying at university and some experiences she has had at university where a range of accommodations have really benefitted her
• When she started up her @notesfromthephysicslab Instagram account and how she documents her life across her social media platforms and blog
• When she began the @Neurdivergent_in_STEM visibility project which shares the stories of neurominorities working in STEM and encourage accessibility in STEM fields
• How she is coping with daily life and how the pandemic affected her and her studies
• Daisy's range of hobbies including knitting and gardening!

Daisy's links:

On today's episode I have special guest Amy Chrissy. Amy is a 21 year old autistic homous enthusiast (which I'll definitely be asking her more about!) she is an Autism advocate who creates amazing and really informative educational videos on her TikTok @amuwamu where she has over 40,000 followers!

We chat about:

• Amy's autism diagnosis and other diagnoses she has
• Her experiences with ABA therapy as a child
• Her journey through primary and secondary school
• Amy studying sociology and psychology at university and how her first year on the course has been
• Her special interests and creative hobbies a
• Amy's TikTok journey
• Getting back out in the world, socialising and the struggles of eye contact!
• ...and Homous!

So on today's episode it's just me! I thought I'd do a catch-up episode, I will be chatting about:

• Feedback on my last episode with my sister
• What I've been up to recently, freelance work, projects and life updates
• Being asked to illustrate a real-life actual book?!
• Why my dog has been driving me crazy
• Medication struggles
• The anxiety and sensory issues surrounding getting back out into the world after lockdown
• ...and I generally just ramble!

In this episode I speak to Glenn who is the manager of Waltham Abbey Focus which is a disability and SEN football team at the top of their game! Glenn chats about all things football-related and we discuss a documentary that's being made about the team with the intention of raising awareness of disability football, and promoting it as an inclusive sport that can be enjoyed by everyone.

We talk about:

• Glenn's autism diagnosis and how he got into football from an early age
• All things Waltham Abbey Focus FC! How the team started up and and the role Glenn plays within the club
• How long Glenn has been involved with the club and what his day-to-day look like
• We chat about the exciting documentary that's going to be focused on the club and discuss how the idea came about.
• Raising awareness of disability football and it being an inclusive sport that a lot of people aren't aware of
• Discuss how Glenn and the players at Waltham Abbey Focus are finding UK lockdown and how have they all been getting on as they have not been able to train and meet-up as a team regularly.

Waltham Abbey Focus FC Links: