Beyond 6 Seconds

Jordyn Zimmerman earned her bachelor's degree in Education Policy from Ohio University and her Masters of Education at Boston College. As a nonspeaking autistic student who was denied access to effective augmentative communication until she was 18, Jordyn has personal experience challenging the educational status quo. Her experience is featured in the 2021 documentary, “This Is Not About Me.”  Technology helped open Jordyn's world, and she began advocating for students. She has keynoted and presented at conferences around the world, is on the board of CommunicationFIRST, works as Director of Professional Development at The Nora Project, and has been featured by prominent media outlets. Recently, Jordyn was appointed to serve on the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. Jordyn is passionate and determined to make a difference in the world of education — making sure every student can access effective communication and exercise their right to a truly inclusive education. During this ep

After working as a gifted education teacher, Emily Kircher-Morris became a clinical mental health counselor who supports gifted and twice-exceptional (gifted + neurodivergent) children. She is also the host of The Neurodiversity Podcast and the author of several books, including "Teaching Twice-Exceptional Learners in Today's Classroom" and the revised edition of "A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children." She has three neurodivergent children and is neurodivergent herself. During this episode, Emily talks about: What her life was like as a twice-exceptional student (gifted and ADHD)   Her experience as a teacher of gifted and twice-exceptional children, and why she decided to become a clinical mental health counselor The importance of neurodiversity-affirming therapy, and what it looks like in practice What inspired her to start The Neurodiversity Podcast The story behind the books that she wrote Find out more about Emily and her work at these links: Twitter: @EmilyKM_LPC The Neurodiversity Podcast Neurodiversi

How do you get an education when you cannot speak, and the school system does not understand your abilities or support your needs? This was the experience of Ben Breaux, a 22-year-old nonspeaking autistic man with epilepsy who uses a letterboard and a text-to-speech app on his iPad to communicate.  Ben is an aspiring journalist who feels it is very important that non-, minimal- and unreliably speaking autistic people have equal rights, opportunities, and voices in society. He writes and advocates on these topics and more on his public Facebook Page, for numerous autism advocacy groups worldwide, and on advocacy boards and committees in his home state of Virginia and nationally.  During this episode, Ben discusses: What life was like before he learned how to communicate using a letterboard The struggles he faced to earn his education The advocacy work he does for nonspeaking autistic people with two nonprofit organizations, NeuroClastic and CommunicationFIRST    What inspired him to start sharing his writing

Note: This episode contains occasional swearing (coprolalia). Monica Nguyen is a 20-year-old disability advocate who lives in Sydney, Australia. Monica began sharing her experiences online after facing a lot of discrimination from people who don’t understand her Tourette Syndrome. Her goal is to inspire, educate and empower. During this episode, you will hear Monica talk about: What her life has been like with Tourette’s, as someone living in Australia who is part of a Vietnamese family The discrimination she’s faced in public because of her tics and coprolalia, including a confrontation at a train station that compelled her to start sharing her life experiences with Tourette’s online The positive community she has built on TikTok by creating videos about her life with Tourette’s The goals she has for her advocacy Follow Monica on TikTok @meowmons and Instagram @ticswithmon. This episode features a promo from the Psychocinematic podcast, which discusses the representation of disability and mental health con

Content warning: This episode mentions emotional abuse. Tessa McEvoy is autistic, has a speech disability called Oral Motor Apraxia, and was recently diagnosed bipolar. She talks about her experiences on her popular Facebook page, Apraxia Story, and advocates for autistic, bipolar, abuse survivors and apraxic individuals online. In 2022 she wrote, illustrated and published her book called “What is it like Living with Depression?” During this episode, you will hear Tessa talk about: What inspired her to start sharing her apraxia story online The difficulties she’s faced as a neurodivergent person with a speech disability, including being judged, abused and isolated Why she advocates for disabled people who are experiencing abuse The inspiration and motivation behind her book Sharing her life experiences to help people in similar situations feel less alone Follow Tessa on Facebook at Apraxia Story, join her Patreon community and check out her book, “What is it like Living with Depression?" on Amazon. Watch th

Rickey Z is a Pre-K Special Education teacher who started her podcast management business in 2020. She is a co-host on Woe Nelly Media's "Geekin' Out" and is in partnership with ADHD + Black, an up-and-coming organization whose mission is to provide support and resources for the Black neurodivergent community. Rickey Z was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 30 while in the process of coming to terms with untreated depression and anxiety. During this episode, you will hear Rickey Z talk about: How she discovered that had ADHD at the age of 30 What it was like growing up as a Black girl with undiagnosed ADHD Why she thinks boys are identified as neurodivergent at younger ages than girls are How realizing she has ADHD impacts how she views and manages her depression and anxiety Managing her life as a special education teacher, mother and owner of a podcast management business How her partnership with ADHD + Black creates resources to support Black neurodivergent people You can find out more about Rickey Z and h

Jeremy Andrew Davis is a screenwriter, film director, and consultant for disability representation in media. He describes himself as multi-disabled with several neurodivergencies as well as chronic illnesses. As a recognized name in disability, he became one of 12 LinkedIn Top Voices of Disability Advocacy of 2022. Jeremy is also a social media influencer with more than 100 million video views across his career, including a TikTok channel that grew to almost 300,000 followers after only six months. During this episode, you will hear Jeremy talk about: How he discovered his neurodivergencies later in life The types of stories he has been telling through his filmmaking, starting from a young age His processes for writing characters – and how he writes diverse casts of characters outside of his own identities and lived experiences What’s required to make media that’s authentically representative of people with disabilities (it’s more than just hiring a disability consultant!) His thoughts on the representation

Diane J. Wright is a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility media consultant working in film and television. She is also the founder of Autastic.com, which provides resources and community for late-identified autistic people of color and their allies. During this episode, you will hear Diane talk about: How burnout led her to discover that she is autistic and has ADHD Why it is difficult for her to detangle the intersections of her racial, gender and neurodivergent identities What inspired her to create Autastic.com How the Autastic community encourages meaningful conversations and connections among late-identified autistic people of color and their allies The valuable curated resources for late-diagnosed autistic adults on Autastic The life-changing impact that Autastic has had on its community members Her hope for more Black and brown autistic people to find each other, feel less alone and less vulnerable Visit www.autastic.com for more information about Autastic and check out www.autastic.com/su

Dr. Lola Day is a multi-passionate busy mother of 3, a pediatric cardiologist, podcaster and ADHD trained life coach and productivity strategist for women. She is also the CEO and Founder of LollieTasking, a coaching and consulting firm that teaches high achieving, easily distracted professional women how to accomplish their goals without overwhelm or their brain sabotaging their efforts. During this episode, Lola talks about: How she learned she had ADHD while in medical school How she compensated for the challenges and leveraged the strengths of her ADHD, even before getting her diagnosis The systems she put in place – the processes, people, structures and more -- that helped her succeed How she became an ADHD trained life coach to help people lean into their interests and build their own systems for success Why coaching that works for neurotypical people may not work for people with ADHD – and what techniques people with ADHD may want to try instead Find out more about Lola on her podcast, LollieTasking

Jack RH O'Sullivan is an award-winning independent filmmaker and film director based in London. He is autistic, has Tourette Syndrome and OCD. He has directed ten short films including “Tourettes & I”, a coming-of-age drama about his own experiences with Tourette’s. With this film, he intends to raise awareness about Tourette Syndrome, so others don't have to go through the tough childhood of bullying and misinformation he went through. During this episode, you will hear Jack talk about: His late diagnosis of Tourette’s, autism, and OCD and how that affected his early life in school The negative and misleading depictions of Tourette’s in the media, and the authentic representation that “Tourettes & I” brings to the big screen Casting an actor with Tourette's in the film's lead role  How the UK charity Tourettes Action supported the film The film's impact on audiences and at film festivals Learn more about “Tourettes & I” and Jack’s other films on Movie Making Media's website, Facebook, Instagram

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month, and I'm excited to host my first podcast guest who is talking about Down syndrome! Mary Borman is an ambassador for Down syndrome and 2018 Self-Advocate of the Year for the National Down Syndrome Society. We recorded this episode a few weeks ago, while Mary was preparing to compete at the Down Syndrome World Swimming Championships in Portugal this month. We talk about several of Mary's accomplishments, which include: Swimming competitively and winning medals at the Special Olympics National Games and Down Syndrome World Swimming Championships Modeling in Northwest Arkansas Fashion Week Lobbying for disability rights and legislation Speaking to organizations across the U.S. about Down syndrome Learn more about Mary and her work at MaryBorman.com and follow her on Instagram and TikTok. Watch the video of this interview on YouTube! Subscribe to the FREE Beyond 6 Seconds newsletter for early access to new episodes! Support this podcast at BuyMeACoffee.com/Beyond6Seconds

Miya Sae is an autistic Christian, blogger, and aspiring author. Through her writing, she strives to help bridge the neglected gap between autism and Christianity, while bringing hope and encouragement to other misunderstood neurodivergent Christians like herself. During this episode, you will hear Miya talk about: What her life was like before her autism diagnosis How her views of her own autism and her relationship with God changed over time The initial conflict she felt between her faith and her secular special interests, and how she feels about her special interests today The advice that she has for other neurodivergent people who are struggling with their faith You can find more about Miya and read her writing at MiyaSae.com, and follow her on Instagram and Twitter. Watch the video of this interview on YouTube! Subscribe to the FREE Beyond 6 Seconds newsletter for early access to new episodes! Support this podcast at BuyMeACoffee.com/Beyond6Seconds and get a shout-out on a future episode! Read the epis

"You can choose to keep living your life in isolation... Or, you can break yourself out of that isolation and start to own the things that make you, you. One of which is having Tourette's, right?" Kevin Helgren's mom shared these encouraging words with her son after seeing him struggle with his Tourette Syndrome diagnosis in middle school. This conversation helped give Kevin the confidence to talk about his Tourette's and start accepting it as a unique and authentic part of himself. Last year, Kevin shared his story in a keynote speech at Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he recently got his MBA. His speech, called “You're Scaring the Bears: The Power of Tourette's,” helped him educate even more people about Tourette's when it was published on YouTube. In this episode, Kevin talks about living with Tourette's and sharing his experiences publicly, where the unique name of his speech comes from, the importance of leaning into your authentic self, and the intersection of his identities as a neurodiverg

Lee Chambers is a business psychologist and the founder of Essentialise Workplace Wellbeing, which helps organizations design and deliver well-being and inclusion strategies. He is the current Great British Entrepreneur of the Year for Service Industries and can be often found speaking on gender equity and menopause in the workplace. During this episode, you will hear Lee talk about: Getting his autism diagnosis as an adult His experience growing up as an undiagnosed autistic Black boy, including his struggles to fit in and find role models His eclectic career path that led him to entrepreneurship How he helps organizations improve employee well-being in the workplace – what that means, why it’s important for employee retention, talent development and a healthy workplace culture – and why organizations need to “Show, not Tell” when it comes to inclusion The connection between menopause and talent management that's often ignored To find out more about Lee and his work, you can find him on his official websit

Hamish Hallett is a podcast host and journalist who creates online content about auditory processing disorder (APD). He wants to help those with learning difficulties not to feel limited and to embrace what they have, rather than feel ashamed of it. During this episode, you will hear Hamish talk about: His childhood and school years with auditory processing disorder (APD) The importance of neurodivergent kids having support in schools How an essay assignment helped him see his university experience in a new light What inspired him to start creating content about APD His opinion about calling learning disabilities “superpowers” or “special needs” What it’s like hosting his interview podcast, In Pursuit of Passion, as a host with APD His advice for people with APD Follow Hamish on Instagram and TikTok and listen to his podcast, In Pursuit of Passion. Watch the video of this interview on YouTube! Subscribe to the FREE Beyond 6 Seconds newsletter for early access to new episodes! Support this podcast at BuyMeAC

Madge Woollard has run her own business teaching piano and keyboard since 1994. Madge was diagnosed autistic in 2016 at the age of 44. She lives in Sheffield UK with her wife who is also late-diagnosed autistic. A graduate of Cambridge University, she teaches children and adults, privately and in schools, and is keen to specialize in working with neurodivergent students. She is also a member of Spectrum Theatre company, which features neurodivergent and neurotypical performers. During this episode, you will hear Madge talk about: How she and her wife got their autism diagnoses How she struggled to find a teaching job and decided to start her own business instead Her success with teaching piano to autistic and non-autistic students Finding a sense of belonging within local autistic communities, including the Autscape conference and the Spectrum Theatre company The intersections of autistic and LGBTQ+ identities Madge also wrote a chapter for the book “Learning from Autistic Teachers: How to Be a Neurodiversi

Quincy Hansen is a young autistic activist, writer, public speaker and college student from Colorado. He is the author of the new book “Shake It Up! How to be Young, Autistic, and Make an Impact” and writes a blog at SpeakingOfAutism.com. During this episode, you will hear Quincy talk about: Being known as the “bad kid” in school whose struggles were seen as behavior problems -- until he found the right educational environment where he could thrive How connecting with other autistic people online inspired him to blog about his experiences and helped build his self-confidence How his blog grew in popularity after one of his early posts went viral: “How do I get an autistic person to X?” – You’re asking the wrong question. How his blog led to other advocacy opportunities, including writing his new book, “Shake It Up!” The importance of practicing self-care so that you can sustain your advocacy His advice for advocates and content creators You can find Quincy’s writing on his blog, SpeakingOfAutism.com, and fo

Mads Johan Øgaard is an award-winning artist, filmmaker and public speaker. He is known for his animated short films about being a neurodivergent child: the multi-award-winning “I AM DYSLEXIC” (based on his own school experiences) and “WITH THE UNIVERSE IN MY SUITCASE” (based on the experiences of people with ADHD who worked on the film with him). During this episode, you will hear Mads talk about: Receiving his dyslexia and dyscalculia diagnoses as a child How drawing helped him focus and learn in school, where he had to advocate for his own learning needs What led him to create his film “I AM DYSLEXIC” while at university, and the international impact it has had since he released it Why he was asked to make a film about ADHD Watch Mads’ films: “I AM DYSLEXIC” and “WITH THE UNIVERSE IN MY SUITCASE” (about ADHD) Get Mads’ book: “Hacking the Code: The Ziggety Zaggety Road of a Dyslexic Kid” Find Mads through his website www.madsjohanogaard.com and follow him on Instagram and TikTok. Watch the video of this

Brianne Leeson is a writer, artist, and voice actor from Dallas, Texas. She is the creator of the queer supernatural comedy audio drama, “Today’s Lucky Winner.” Brianne was diagnosed as autistic and with ADHD at age 30, and she has since become a passionate advocate for autism acceptance and representation in media. During this episode, Brianne talks about: How she got her autism and ADHD diagnosis during the pandemic, when her world was turned upside down How her diagnosis helped her reassess and reframe her past struggles with mental health Why an experience with hot sauce removed any doubt in her mind about her autism diagnosis How she realized she had written her own neurodivergence into the two main characters of Today’s Lucky Winner Why she decided to explicitly mention during the show that these characters are neurodivergent – and the positive impact this has had on the show’s fans How writing helped her process her diagnosis For more information about “Today’s Lucky Winner”, check out the links belo

Jennifer Opal is a DevOps Engineer with the HelloSign Team at Dropbox, a multi-award winning neurodiversity & inclusion advocate, blogger & keynote speaker. She also has dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD. Jennifer has worked with clients such as Bloomberg, Google and HackAJob, providing insight on being a neurodivergent queer Black woman engineer in tech, in the hopes of educating & inspiring others. During this episode, you will hear Jennifer talk about: How she got diagnosed with dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD as a university student What inspired her to get into coding and tech as a career The challenges she’s faced as a neurodivergent employee, and as the only Black person at one of her first tech jobs The importance of inclusive work environments How she shares her story and tech career journey to educate and inspire others To find out more about Jennifer and her work, you can follow her on LinkedIn, Twitter, and TikTok. You can also find her on JenniferOpal.com.   This episode features a promo fo