Diagnosed with Asperger's at 65: Charles Grimes on Finally Understanding Himself

Diagnosed with Asperger's at 65: Charles Grimes on Finally Understanding Himself

Charles Grimes has spent nearly 30 years as a business psychologist, helping leaders understand themselves so they could lead others well. But he’s also been trying to understand himself, with therapy, courses, and numerous self-assessment tools. But it wasn't until he was 65 — when a friend made a casual, throwaway comment — that the missing piece finally clicked into place. He had Asperger's. The diagnosis didn't feel like bad news. It felt like freedom. > "It's okay to be Charles. And that's something which I hadn't felt. And I'm 65. This is very late in life to suddenly feel it's okay to be me." HEAR CHARLES TALK ABOUT: * What his friend said that set the whole thing in motion and why he didn't dismiss it * What "masking" is, and the exhausting work of hiding in plain sight for decades * The conductor who walked into rehearsal and transformed a mediocre choir without saying a word - and what this has to do with leadership * What fell into place when he looked back at his life through the new lens of his diagnosis * Learning about love and connection later in life — and why he thinks it's never too late MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: * A Question of Leadership [https://aquestionofleadership.com/] by Charles Grimes * The National Autistic Society [https://www.autism.org.uk/] — where Charles went for his formal assessment Support This Show: * Follow Tell Me What It’s Like in your favorite podcast app * Leave a rating & review — it helps others find the show * Share the episode and tag @RaineMediaCo on social media Mentioned in this episode: Help Others Discover the Show Enjoying Tell Me What It’s Like? Leaving a rating and review in your podcast app helps more listeners discover the show. Thanks for supporting thoughtful conversations and perspective-driven storytelling.

Coming Back to the Game: A Quad Amputee Soccer Coach on Reclaiming His Confidence

When soccer coach Scott Martin contracted a rare illness that took his hands and parts of his feet, it took the way he coached the game as well as his confidence. What followed was years of depression, discrimination, and self-doubt, until he finally found his way back to the game that he loves. > "I was faking it. I was doing a pretty darn good job of faking me being me. But everyone else avoided it too. We never talked about it." HEAR SCOTT TALK ABOUT: * What it was like to wake up from a month-long coma and learn what had happened to his body * Why he skipped past the emotional reality of his illness and what that cost him * The discrimination he faced trying to return to coaching * What it was like to address his disability with his new team of 12-year-olds * How he rebuilt his confidence, and what playing from the heart really means MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: * Play From Your Heart [https://librarytalespublishing.com/products/play-from-your-heart] by Scott Martin * The Five Stages of Grief [https://health.clevelandclinic.org/5-stages-of-grief] by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Support This Show: * Follow Tell Me What It’s Like in your favorite podcast app * Leave a rating & review — it helps others find the show * Share the episode and tag @RaineMediaCo on social media Mentioned in this episode: Help Others Discover the Show Enjoying Tell Me What It’s Like? Leaving a rating and review in your podcast app helps more listeners discover the show. Thanks for supporting thoughtful conversations and perspective-driven storytelling.

Inside Fertility Medicine: Dr. Yemi Famuyiwa on Birth, Loss, and the Science of Having Babies

Dr. Yemi Famuyiwa knew she wanted to be a doctor long before she knew what kind. It was during her third-year rotations at Emory that the answer became obvious. She'd had “a roaring blast” in her OBGYN rotation and couldn't imagine anything else. She went on to specialize in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, and has spent decades helping people navigate one of the most emotional experiences a person or couple can face. In this episode, she talks about what she's noticed inside that world — the science, the cultural pressures that leave women suffering in silence, and the grief that has no name.Nullam id diam metus. Interdum et malesuada fames ac ante ipsum primis in faucibus. Nullam interdum est erat, rutrum tristique ipsum cursus a. > " I hope I never get over it. It's just such a magical moment." HEAR DR. FAMUYIWA TALK ABOUT: * What it was like to guide her first baby into the world and how she hopes she never gets over it * The cultural pressure on women in paternalistic societies to conceive, and what can happen when they can't * Why men suffer in silence too, and how infertility can challenge a marriage * Ambiguous loss: the grief that never ends and has no body to weep over * Why infertility is rising worldwide — and why delaying childbearing is only part of the story * What she wishes people understood about their own biology before it's too late MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: * The Quest for Fertility [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-quest-for-fertility-oluyemisi-famuyiwa/1149956153] by Dr. Yemi Famuyiwa * Dr. Nanette Wenger, [https://www.heart.org/en/news/2024/03/04/dr-nanette-wenger-the-queen-of-hearts] cardiologist at Emory, who influenced her during medical school * Grady Memorial Hospital [https://www.gradyhealth.org/], Atlanta * Emory University School of Medicine [https://med.emory.edu/] Support This Show: * Follow Tell Me What It’s Like in your favorite podcast app * Leave a rating & review — it helps others find the show * Share the episode and tag @RaineMediaCo on social media Mentioned in this episode: Help Others Discover the Show Enjoying Tell Me What It’s Like? Leaving a rating and review in your podcast app helps more listeners discover the show. Thanks for supporting thoughtful conversations and perspective-driven storytelling.

From Blogger to Influencer to Done: Chelsea Coulston on the Creator Economy

In 2012, Chelsea Coulston had just moved to a new house in a new city with a newborn while her husband was deployed. She turned her focus to decorating her new rental home, and turned to the internet for help. But she wasn’t finding much to inspire her, since most of what existed was meant for people who could make permanent changes. So she started a blog called Making Home Base to share renter-friendly decorating ideas for military families. What followed was a 13-year front-row seat to how the internet went from a wholesome, free exchange of ideas to a massively profitable influencer industry — and why she ultimately walked away. > " I think we're to this place where social media doesn't feel good. The content that we see doesn't feel real or authentic a lot of times. " HEAR CHELSEA TALK ABOUT: * How home bloggers were among the first to use Instagram — not to sell, but to send people back to their sites * How the money worked: sidebar ads to Google AdSense to brand deals to sponsored posts, and what that means for authenticity * Why Chelsea calls the creator economy the Wild West, and what it actually takes to keep up * Why everyone with a following is an influencer now and why that comes with responsibility * What made her walk away, and why she'd reset the whole thing to the early blogging days if she could MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: * Making Home Base — Chelsea's blog [https://www.makinghomebase.com/] * Making Home Base on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/makinghomebase/] * Brick [https://getbrick.com/products/grey-brick?nbt=nb%3Aadwords%3Ag%3A22554585833%3A178889132585%3A809268294907&nb_adtype=&nb_kwd=brick+app&nb_ti=kwd-299665985691&nb_mi=&nb_pc=&nb_pi=&nb_ppi=&nb_placement=&nb_li_ms=&nb_lp_ms=&nb_fii=&nb_ap=&nb_mt=b&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22554585833&gbraid=0AAAAA-Z25K2uBSbMuSrPVKAbnh4AvYCj2&gclid=CjwKCAjwidXQBhAZEiwA4egw6AQAvhz4Re4c62eQlWmdIhdWfiPPDZ1LfixxaJ0M34768b9m-fA49hoCz-YQAvD_BwE]— an app designed to help people limit their time on social media Support This Show: * Follow Tell Me What It’s Like in your favorite podcast app * Leave a rating & review — it helps others find the show * Share the episode and tag @RaineMediaCo on social media Mentioned in this episode: Help Others Discover the Show Enjoying Tell Me What It’s Like? Leaving a rating and review in your podcast app helps more listeners discover the show. Thanks for supporting thoughtful conversations and perspective-driven storytelling.

The Reality of Reality TV: The Psychologist Who Decides Who Gets on the Show

Have you ever wondered how the people on reality TV get cast? Dr. Steven Stein is a psychologist who's spent twenty years helping make that call. Working behind the scenes of shows like The Amazing Race Canada and Big Brother Canada, he assesses who belongs, who can handle it, and what might happen when the cameras start rolling. > "People want to be the villain. And if you fake it, we try to screen you out. You can’t fake being a villain." Hear Steven talk about: * How casting works: the psychological assessments, the interviews, and how producers narrow thousands of applicants to a final cast * The personality traits that drive people to apply for reality TV in the first place * What it really means to be the "villain" and why the best ones know the difference between the game and real life * The 12 reality TV archetypes he's identified and the quiz he's developed to find out which one you are * Why social media has fundamentally changed what contestants experience after the show airs * What reality TV has taught him about behavior, emotion, and how people perform under pressure Mentioned in this episode: * Multi-Health Systems (MHS) — Dr. Stein's company, wh [https://www.mhs.com/]ich developed the EQ-i emotional intelligence assessment * Yes, Chef [https://www.nbc.com/yes-chef] with Martha Stewart [https://www.nbc.com/yes-chef] — the cooking competition show Dr. Stein describes as one of the more intense sets he's worked on Support This Show: * Follow Tell Me What It’s Like in your favorite podcast app * Leave a rating & review — it helps others find the show * Share the episode and tag @RaineMediaCo on social media Mentioned in this episode: Help Others Discover the Show Enjoying Tell Me What It’s Like? Leaving a rating and review in your podcast app helps more listeners discover the show. Thanks for supporting thoughtful conversations and perspective-driven storytelling.