On the Spectrum Empowerment Stories with Sonia Krishna Chand: Adult Autism, Neurodivergent, and Mental Health Expert

Aerial Yoga Can Help You Feel Safe In Your Body Again with Jo Stewart

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2307116/fan_mail/new] Aerial yoga can look like acrobatics, but what happens inside the hammock is often the opposite of performance: it’s regulation, relief, and finally feeling safe in your body. I sit down with Melbourne-based teacher Joe Stewart to talk about how aerial yoga supports trauma-informed practice and neurodiversity through simple, powerful sensory tools like cocooning, deep pressure, gentle rocking, and optional inversions. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed in a crowded studio, bored by repetitive flows, or unsure where you fit in “typical” wellness spaces, this conversation offers a grounded alternative.  We get practical about what a class can look like when it’s built around choice. Joe explains how she uses small group sizes, check-ins, and multiple versions of the same pose to meet different needs in the same room, including examples like a three-level aerial down dog that can stay fully grounded or become a supported inversion. We also break down vestibular stimulation, how spinning or motion can help some people with ADHD or autism feel calm and present, and why the same sensation can be too much for others. The through-line is consent: nothing is framed as a progression, and rest is always allowed.  The episode goes deeper into what happens when yoga language misses the moment. Joe shares a story about taking a “bliss” themed class during a cancer crisis and how that changed the way she teaches, plus the flip side: generosity and community care that made yoga feel like a lifeline. We also talk about access, mental health as health, and cultural appropriation, including why acknowledging yoga’s South Asian roots matters and how aerial yoga still connects to yoga history and ethics. If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with a friend who needs a softer on-ramp to movement, and leave a review so more listeners can find us. To learn more about Jo, please reach out via her website https://gardenofyoga.com.au/ [https://gardenofyoga.com.au/] Her book "8 Limbs of Aerial Yoga" is available also via her website, or you could order here: https://www.amazon.com/Eight-Limbs-Aerial-Yoga-Neurodiversity/dp/1805011898 [https://www.amazon.com/Eight-Limbs-Aerial-Yoga-Neurodiversity/dp/1805011898] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2307116/support]

What If Dementia Does Not Erase Personhood? With Marilyn Raichle

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2307116/fan_mail/new] Dementia is often treated like a door slamming shut. What we hear from Marilyn is the opposite: a series of doors opening once we stop chasing who someone used to be and start meeting who they are right now. We talk about caring for parents with dementia, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s, and how one family’s long-held rule to “walk away” collided with the real work of love, grief, and showing up. We dig into what changes when you embrace the idea of “living with dementia” instead of “suffering from it,” and why person-first language is more than politeness. Marilyn shares how her mom’s move into assisted living created unexpected community, why touch and friendship still matter in memory care, and how repeated questions can hold real meaning if we learn to listen. Along the way, we explore caregiver health, burnout, and why so many family caregivers operate without a net. The most surprising thread is art. A painting class reveals a spark that fear had been hiding in plain sight, and Marilyn explains how creativity can disarm stigma: Alzheimer’s is scary and art isn’t. We also talk about her book, Don’t Walk Away: A Care Partner’s Journey, built from daily moments and illustrated by her mom’s remarkable paintings, plus the bigger system problem of cost and access in quality dementia care. If you’re supporting aging parents, navigating Alzheimer’s caregiving, or trying to communicate better with someone living with memory loss, this conversation offers practical insight and real hope. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find these stories. Marilyn Raichle's book can be found via Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I have provided both links below. I also included the website where you can access more information about Marilyn: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Walk-Away-Partners-Journey/dp/B0DCBMQNDB [https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Walk-Away-Partners-Journey/dp/B0DCBMQNDB] https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dont-walk-away-marilyn-raichle/1144871940?ean=9781969682223 [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dont-walk-away-marilyn-raichle/1144871940?ean=9781969682223] https://dontwalkaway.net/about/ [https://dontwalkaway.net/about/] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2307116/support]

The IEP Meeting That Made Me Throw Up with Paula J. Yost

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2307116/fan_mail/new] One bad IEP meeting can change your body, your sleep, and your faith in the “village” everyone promises you. I’m joined by Paula J Yost, who has a perspective you rarely hear in one voice: she’s both a practicing attorney and a licensed psychotherapist. Paula shares how living through clinical depression shaped her, why getting real mental health support in law school changed her future, and how those therapy tools now show up in the way she helps people in legal settings filled with anxiety, grief, and high stakes decisions.  We get painfully specific about special education advocacy and what it feels like to sit in an IEP or 504 meeting and realize you’re being dismissed. Paula tells the story of fighting for her son, who was born with a cleft lip and palate and needed speech therapy early, and why families should not have to “work around the system” just to get basic services. She explains why “we can’t afford it” is not a valid answer when a child is entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), and she offers practical steps to prepare: define the goal, walk in with a plan, and keep bringing the conversation back to the supports your child needs.  We also talk policy and reality, including fears about Department of Education cuts, debates around school choice and opportunity scholarships, and why early intervention and early childhood education funding can prevent bigger problems later. Throughout it all, Paula comes back to the same message: you deserve support too, and the right village is built on people who will stand with you, celebrate the wins, and help you stay steady.  Paula can be found on Instagram and FaceBook as Paula J Yost Author. Paula is the author of the book "Tumbleweeds. How to be an Advocate For Your "Children and Yourself in a Failing System." Paula referenced organizations in the podcast episode with links (including the one to her book) provided all below: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tumbleweeds-paula-j-yost/1149570835 [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tumbleweeds-paula-j-yost/1149570835] https://mhanational.org/ [https://mhanational.org/] https://www.theamazinggraceproject.com/ [https://www.theamazinggraceproject.com/] If you find this helpful, subscribe, share with a parent who needs it, and leave a review so more families can find these tools. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2307116/support]

A Car Crash That Became A Roadmap For Brain Injury Recovery with Kelly Tuttle

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2307116/fan_mail/new] A car crash can be over in seconds, but a concussion can rewrite your life for years. We sit down with Kelly Tuttle, a former cardiology nurse practitioner who later moved into neurology, to tell the truth about traumatic brain injury recovery, especially the kind that doesn’t show up on a “normal” CT or MRI. Kelly shares the moment she realized something was truly wrong, the fear of not knowing if she’d ever feel like herself again, and the slow, stubborn work of rebuilding a life around a healing brain. We get specific about the tools that made a measurable difference: seeing the right kind of specialist, learning why functional MRI can reveal changes standard imaging misses, and addressing sensory issues that frontline care often overlooks. Kelly explains how a behavioral optometrist diagnosed binocular vision dysfunction, why light and screen time became draining, and how sound sensitivity and sensory overload can hijack focus, mood, and energy. If you’ve been searching for answers about post-concussion symptoms, neurofatigue, headaches, and brain fog, this conversation puts language to what you may be living. We also talk about returning to work after brain injury with real-world strategies and boundaries, including accommodations, the ADA, FMLA, and the hidden cost of “looking fine” while struggling. Kelly connects her recovery journal to the resources she now shares through her award-winning book: "After the Crash: How to Keep Your Job, Stay in School, and Live Life After a Brain Injury."  Substack, YouTube, and her podcast After the Crash. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this with someone who needs proof they’re not alone. What invisible symptom do you wish other people understood? To learn more about Kelly Tuttle, please go to https://kellytuttle.org [https://kellytuttle.org/] You can purchase Kelly Tuttle's book at this link: https://www.amazon.com/After-Crash-School-Brain-Injury [https://www.amazon.com/After-Crash-School-Brain-Injury/dp/B0BMW7TVWT] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2307116/support]

When Suicide Touches A Family with Kirsten O'Connor

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2307116/fan_mail/new] Some of the most dangerous myths about suicide sound polite on the surface: “They were selfish,” “They did it for attention,” “If you talk about it, you’ll make it worse.” We push back on all of that with a conversation that stays human, specific, and real. We’re joined by Kirsten O’Connor, an author from New Zealand and the mother of Kahlia, who died at 24. Kirsten helps us remember the full person behind the loss: a bright, musical, loyal young woman with a psychology background, close friendships, and a huge heart for others. We also talk about the part people miss, how someone can “present well” while living with depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicidal ideation, and how that invisibility can become a barrier to getting help. Kirsten shares the layered realities that often sit underneath suicidality: coercive control and emotional abuse, financial abuse that traps families, the isolating impact of COVID lockdowns, and the devastating ripple effects of sexual assault trauma. We get practical about support, too: safety, medication side effects, therapy access, and why creative approaches like art therapy can help an overthinking mind find a new outlet.  We also spend time on what to say when you’re scared of saying the wrong thing. Asking “Are you feeling suicidal?” does not plant an idea, it can open a door. If you or someone you love is struggling, help is available. If you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find it. Kirsten is the author of the book "The Year After Kahlia." It can be ordered through this link :https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-year-after-kahlia-kirsten-oconnor/1148894926?ean=9780473764609 [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-year-after-kahlia-kirsten-oconnor/1148894926?ean=9780473764609] Kristen also is the founder of This is Grief. More information can be found at https://thisisgrief.nz [https://thisisgrief.nz/book-2] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2307116/support]