Joining Sarah on this podcast special episode filmed in The Den in the Children's Library at the Storyhouse for Kaleidoscope Festival, we welcome to the guest spinney chairs (rather than the usual sofa) the first time onto the podcast, Kirstie, a member of the Token Comedy Collective and one of the initial instigators of the next big event at the Storyhouse - the Storyhouse Childless Festival.

Running now for its sixth year this September, Storyhouse Childless is one of first of its kind: a unique event held to explore the diverse experiences of those on the spectrum of non-parenthood whatever their circumstance may be. Creating a community for those that are often hidden in society through this festival with talks, panel discussions and creative workshops, Storyhouse is creating a safe space for honest conversations and giving empowerment to those that are childless, childfree and their loved ones.

Being one of the people that inspired the festival's creation, Kirstie wanted others like herself to not feel alone and to create a bigger community locally for those that are childless. After initial talks alongside her local childless group with Nicola Haigh the Communities Manager, Storyhouse Childless Festival was created with its first festival occurring in 2019. It now has international reach with the weekend passes for this event already sold out. However, there are still tickets available for the first two panels one of which Kirstie is hosting called Neurodiversity: Childless and Childfree Perspectives.

Being neurodivergent herself, Kirstie talks about her experiences of how she became involved in the Childless community, how the research shows  correlations & intersections between being neurodiverse and being a part of this community and about the impact that this festival has had on her making her feel visible in not just the Childless community but in the neurodivergent community too!

Kirstie brings her warm and funny personality through talking about how being a part of the Token Comedy Collective has helped her, a unique tie to the comedy star Miranda Hart that she has with our host and how important community and belonging is to her!

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Joining Sarah on this podcast special episode filmed in The Den in the Children's Library at the Storyhouse for Kaleidoscope Festival, we welcome to the guest spinney chair (rather than the usual sofa) the first time onto the podcast, Sami, a member of the Token Comedy Collective and it's her first time at the Kaleidoscope Festival like us!

As Sami grew up, she always felt different but couldn't pinpoint what it was. When she was at nursery, staff thought she may have hearing issues because when in a group setting, she didn't always respond to her name so she had to have her hearing checked - no issues were found. As a teenager, she started to struggle with her mental health and after years of trying various treatments and medications nothing really seemed to be helping, which left her burnt-out by her 40s.

Sami's life changed forever after she attended some autism training, where she felt such a synergy with what was being talked about on the course that she decided to explore this further. With Sami's only real reference to autism being two members of her family that are non-verbal, this changed Sami's perspective and made her see how much of a spectrum there is when it comes to be autistic.

After getting diagnosed as autistic three years ago, it wasn't a surprise to Sami that she was then diagnosed with ADHD a year later. Sami emphasises during this episode about how incredibly exhausting masking is, the importance of being able to recharge and the irony of trying to recharge as someone with both ADHD & Autism!

With her want for people to increase their acceptance of neurodiversity, Sami talks about how important it was for her to find somewhere like the Storyhouse when she first moved to Chester: having somewhere that felt welcoming and inclusive in a supportive space with people that are understanding of her with an added bonus of finding a new hobby in comedy writing! Sami talks with such brilliant detail about how someone described to her what it feels to be autistic and have ADHD with imagery of a car speed dial; starting at a higher point on the rev scale and then very easily being over-revved into overstimulation. 

Sami talks straight from the heart with such passion about how it's ok if your life doesn't look like a social media feed filled with group holidays & nights out pictures, the care she has put into her extensive collection of vinyl records and how important she feels groups like the Autism Wellbeing Project are for building connection with other people.

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Joining Sarah on this podcast special episode filmed in The Den in the Children's Library at the Storyhouse for Kaleidoscope Festival, we welcome to the guest spinney chairs (rather than the usual sofa) the first time onto the podcast, Rick and Joe are the deputy chair and of Our Chatter Matters, a social action group that comes from Live Cheshire based in Chester.

Rick and Joe are a dynamic, multi-talented duo that are a part of the focus group that brings the Kaleidoscope Festival to life! It's all thanks to Joe that the Autism Wellbeing Project's podcast has been a part of this festival when he brought the idea to the table as he wanted to be able to give disabled people a platform to share their voices and stories alongside them.

Rick talks with such passion and pride especially when it comes to subjects close to his heart including how he wants to change community transport where he lives, about his love of podcasts and about he represents North West Care Co-Operative, a care company that provides PAs for his needs; Out Chatter Matters and the Kaleidoscope Festival focus group (yes, Rick is a very busy guy!). With his love of performing in a choir that recently performed on the main stage at Deva Fest in Chester and performing with the drama group Patchwork as part of Live Cheshire, Rick shares how when he first sat down to record the podcast that he felt nervous  but now he feels "amazing". We are sure he is already planning his next episode with us for the podcast with Joe, which we sincerely welcome!

Joe talks about his biggest achievement that has led to an event occurring in September this year at the Garrett Theatre, Storyhouse; his passion for content creating around Pokemon and how important it is to remember that disability doesn't define you. His love for his friends and family really shines through and is really heartwarming to see. Hearing how as the episode goes on his confidence blooms, Joe brings great insight and advice to anyone that has been diagnosed with a disability, how being driven to walk 500 miles like The Proclaimers has become a goal and tools that help him when he is out and about to adapt to the different environments that he is in day to day.

Rick & Joe bring up really important talking points about how breaking barriers and communicating well is so important, how we define who we are not our disabilities and that it's ok to be nervous to try something new like being interviewed for a podcast!

If you want to attend the event that Live Cheshire is holding at the Storyhouse called "Ask Away", a Question Time-style event for the neurodiverse and disabled community, on the Wednesday 2nd September at 7pm - 9pm, please click on the link here.

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Come and be a part of our inclusive and welcoming community that supports over 300 people across the UK! For more information, please click for the link to our website here

Joining Sarah on this podcast special episode filmed in The Den in the Children's Library at the Storyhouse for Kaleidoscope Festival, we welcome to the guest spinney chair (rather than the usual sofa) the first time onto the podcast, the amazing Vic.

From a young age, Vic thought she was different. She pinpoints primary school being the place that she felt different especially as she was not at the same school as her brothers. Thanks to her mum's incredible advocating for Vic, she was finally told that she was autistic and had a PDA profile when she was a teenager, which she "felt made sense and that it wasn't me it was something I have that I can't control". 

Pathological Demand Avoidance is a diagnosis that is often misunderstood by the general public: Vic talks about how her mum figured out what was happening to her and how it made her feel relieved to know "it's not always me". People with PDA experience an anxiety-driven resistance to everyday requests and expectations; even simple tasks can trigger a "fight-or-flight" response if forced.

Vic talks about her experiences within the education system: the good times of a primary school feeling like a great fit to having her only one option for high school where they could support "her needs": at a boarding school in Wales! She talks about how there needs to be more options available for SEND education, how her experience of boarding school affected her making the transition from primary to high school even harder and her experience of having to go to Saturday school!

Vic is endearing and articulate during the conversation and brings so much natural humour when she talks about her family & how she never wants to leave her family home! As you will hear when you listen to this episode, Vic loves to make people laugh with it being one of her many talents, she also shows a vulnerable side to herself talking about her school experiences and how things need to be better & more options for special educational needs and disabilities education. 

Vic talks about wanting to potentially join the Autism Wellbeing Project joining one of the many activities on offer, her love of singing and how she would be lost without the love and support of her parents!

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Come and be a part of our inclusive and welcoming community that supports over 300 people across the UK! For more information, please click for the link to our website here

After her mental health worker said that she thought Megan was autistic,  she was officially diagnosed as autistic in 2020 followed by an ADHD diagnosis in 2022. From describing herself as someone that would barely speak to anyone with her hood up and barely leave the house prior to meeting Emma, it's hard to believe that the person being interviewed is the same person. 

Megan is such a bright and confident member of our community with such a brilliant sense of humour. You can't help but smile hearing some of her stories from how she now "can't shut up" thanks to meeting Emma five years ago post-diagnosis, all about her favourite food and talking about Megan's ultimate vibe check...talking about her feet!

Megan talks about what activities she loves doing at AWP, how much she can't stand spiders and tells our audience about the iconic 12 months of Megan calendar she gives to AWP every year!

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With his time split between Bristol & Amsterdam, David has had a varied career helping manufacture other people's designs until he came up with the idea for Nook. Flashforward to today, the Nook Pods brand have installed a variety of neuro-inclusive spaces to enhance work, learning and calming environments across the UK and the US; through his work, David came into contact with Emma from the Autism Wellbeing Project, now some of our lived experienced autistic community are volunteers at the Sensory Nook at St. Helen's Rugby Stadium for the Liverpool Women's football and St. Helen's Rugby fixtures. 

Emma talks about the "safe space" that the Sensory Nook brings to the fans at the St Helen's stadium, which is not exclusive to neurodiverse people but for anyone that needs a moment to regulate and to breath. Having the Autism Wellbeing Project involved in the Sensory Nook means a lot to David as he passionately talks about the importance of lived experience in the work that he does. he believes in a very simple philosophy in that "everyone should be able to live the life that they want as long as they aren't hurting anyone else". With the Autism Wellbeing Project, we are so honoured to be a small part of the Nook's story through volunteering and promoting a space that is for everybody to use. 

David shares about his love and passion for sports, the adaptability and evolution of the design, how neurodivergence surrounds his world especially on a personal level and his childhood experiences that eventually came to the idea of where Nook was born. From all of us at the podcast and The Autism Wellbeing Project, we want to say a massive congratulations to David and his team at Nook Pods, who are celebrating their tenth birthday this month! 

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Joining Stephen on the show today is one of our incredible therapists and Therapist Co-Ordinator at the Autism Wellbeing Project, Maria Moreira. From working in an opticians to now working as a Therapist at the project and with her own private practice, Maria is really passionate about the work she does and making sure that she provides a safe space for those that really need it.

Born in Portugal, Maria shares about her early years moving to England not knowing the language and how her curiosity about human behaviour was sparked from her formative years observing schoolfriends and classmates. After first meeting Emma Eager on her counselling course at Warrington & Vale Royal College, fate would bring Maria into Emma & Emily Abbott's vision of support for the adult autistic community joining originally as a volunteer. After she completed & received her qualification from her course, she was then asked to join AWP's therapy team.

Our Research & Admin Extraordinaire of the podcast team, Kath has a message for our listeners about Maria and the work she does: "If you are autistic, thinking about therapy or even if you've tried it and it's not helped, please take a listen to this episode! Even for those who felt that therapy wasn't for you, Maria has made such a difference to so many of us that we are delighted that she's come on our very own podcast!" 

Maria also shares about how exercise is an outlet for her when she's not working, what working with the neurodivergent community has taught her and about being involved with the mentoring circles and wellbeing walks with AWP!

Get in touch, we'd love to hear your thoughts

Want to know about The Autism Wellbeing Project and the amazing activities that are provided for free for autistic adults? 

Come and be a part of our inclusive and welcoming community that supports over 300 people across the UK! For more information, please click for the link to our website here

Joining Stephen on the show today is Community Manager for multi-purpose venue. Storyhouse, Nicola Haigh, on-location for the first time! Recording in this incredible renovated grade II listed Art Deco Odeon cinema, Storyhouse is a charity and an award-winning independent arts centre based in the heart of Chester in the North West of England which is home to theatres, libraries and cinemas as well as free community spaces for groups to meet.

Nestled in The Den of the Children's Library of this incredible building, Nicola is interviewed in this incredible space talking about one of the festivals she co-creates with the community, Kaleidoscope Festival, a week's celebration for those with learning disabilities, neurodiversity and disabled people through different events from dance workshops to a talent show extravaganza. This year, the Autism Wellbeing Podcast has been asked to be a part of this special week as a pop-up podcast, where we will be interviewing people attending the festival on Wednesday 8th July! To be interviewed by the team, slots can be booked through the Storyhouse website (link will be listed below).

Nicola shares about how the idea of the pop-up podcast event that we are hosting  came to fruition, how working at the Storyhouse on co-production projects with the Learning Disability and/or Neurodiverse communities has made Kaleidoscope Festival so unique and what other festivals Storyhouse has to offer.

Get in touch, we'd love to hear your thoughts

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Come and be a part of our inclusive and welcoming community that supports over 300 people across the UK! For more information, please click for the link to our website here

Joining Sarah on her debut as co-host on the show today is Business Development Manager at Remtek Workplace, Chris Barlow. Remtek Workplace is a business that creates inclusive solutions for neurodiverse & disabled people based on their personal requirements, not just by their diagnosis. From assistive technology to ergonomic solutions, they go above and beyond to help tailor accessibility recommendations to help countless employees and students perform the best that they can in further education and the workplace.

Being labelled as "the best kept secret", Remtek Workplace has made its presence in the neurodivergent world by being this year's headline sponsor for The National Neurodiversity Shows, which will be in the North West this week alongside The Autism Wellbeing Project and many other neurodivergent-affirming businesses from the region and beyond! After being there for over 20 years, Chris talks with such passion about the work that they do, the changes he's seen to the assistive technology over the years and how COVID changed their business model for the better.

Chris shares about why taking part in events like The National Neurodiversity Shows is so important for him, how Access to Work effects his colleagues and how her assistive technology helped with his child's schoolwork.

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Want to know about The Autism Wellbeing Project and the amazing activities that are provided for free for autistic adults? 

Come and be a part of our inclusive and welcoming community that supports over 300 people across the UK! For more information, please click for the link to our website here

Joining Stephen on the sofa today is SEN & family photographer and business owner of Hundred Acre Moments photography, Deanna. Being a mum to her autistic child, who is non-verbal, Deanna saw that traditional photography sessions weren't very accessible to her child: expecting her child to sit still perfectly posed in a brightly lit environment or travelling far away for a photographer that was more SEN-affirming just wasn't working. That's when the idea for Hundred Acre Moments was born!

Deanna shares about her life as a SEN parent, why people need to have a better awareness of what autism looks like and an important message that she always says to her child: be the best version of you!

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Come and be a part of our inclusive and welcoming community that supports over 300 people across the UK! For more information, please click for the link to our website here

May the Fourth Be With You listeners! Joining Stephen on the sofa today is biochemical engineer and Star Wars enthusiast, Dr Shari Söderström. Brought up in a male-dominated South Asian society in southern India, Shari left the place where she spent her formative years masking and feeling like she had to be someone she wasn't, moving to the UK to pursue her Masters. In her thirties, she realised why so many of her experiences in her life made sense after receiving both an Autism & ADHD diagnosis.

Shari talks about her being on the podcast helps underrepresented voices like hers to be heard and hopes listeners hearing her story helps others accept who they are. 

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Come and be a part of our inclusive and welcoming community that supports over 300 people across the UK! For more information, please click for the link to our website here

Joining Stephen on the sofa in this episode is Joe Lewis, Wellbeing and inclusion lead (for young people and vulnerable adults) from Chester Storyhouse. Joe talks to Stephen about diagnositic overshadowing and how having cerebral palsy became the catch all diagnosis growing up. his love of being creative and the theatre, how the Storyhouse is a safe space for anyone, how working at the Storyhouse and having his needs met has made Joe thrive, & his journey to confidence now to openly tell people about him being a self-diagnosed neurodivergent person.

Find out more about Chester Storyhouse below:

https://www.storyhouse.com/

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Want to know about The Autism Wellbeing Project and the amazing activities that are provided for free for autistic adults? 

Come and be a part of our inclusive and welcoming community that supports over 300 people across the UK! For more information, please click for the link to our website here

Tune in to find out more

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Come and be a part of our inclusive and welcoming community that supports over 300 people across the UK! For more information, please click for the link to our website here

Joining Stephen on the sofa in this episode we welcome back AWP Co-Director Emily Abbott & her mum Jen. Jen & Emily Abbott talking about AWP, childhood experiences and the challenges with that that inspired Emily's career path with her mum by her side supporting her every step of the way.

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Come and be a part of our inclusive and welcoming community that supports over 300 people across the UK! For more information, please click for the link to our website here

Joining Stephen on the sofa in this episode is Emma & Stevo talking about the fun of co-occurring ADHD & Autism that is AuDHD. They chat about the tug of war battles and the times that the 2 conditions work well together, masking, anxiety and and how Autism Affirming Therapy and support that has helped to improve Stevo's mental health and wellbeing.

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Want to know about The Autism Wellbeing Project and the amazing activities that are provided for free for autistic adults? 

Come and be a part of our inclusive and welcoming community that supports over 300 people across the UK! For more information, please click for the link to our website here

Joining Stephen on the sofa in this episode is Jon Simons, Podcast Producer In this episode Stephen chats to Jon about his journey to being a therapist, his roles within AWP, his passion for keeping fit including his latest challenge for raising funds for AWP, details at bottom of every episode description.

From a personal perspective - I think he's crazy with all his running.......but I do think he is an all round LEGEND Stevo - Lead Producer

Jon Simons is a therapist, supervisor, and trainer who spends most of his time helping people untangle their thoughts without turning therapy into a performance sport.

He works in mental health, but he’s not interested in jargon, grand theories, or pretending anyone’s got it all figured out. His approach is practical, honest, and grounded in the belief that understanding yourself is usually more useful than trying to “fix” yourself.

Jon works with individuals, professionals, and organisations, supporting growth through clear thinking, decent boundaries, and conversations people actually want to have. He values transparency, leads by example, and has a well-developed allergy to anything that sounds impressive but doesn’t help.

In AWP circles, Jon is affectionately known as “Yoda”—partly due to his age, partly due to his habit of asking the one question that stops everyone in their tracks. He denies the wisdom thing. The grey hairs suggest otherwise.

Outside of work, Jon runs long distances for reasons that made sense at the time, builds community projects that escalate quickly, and remains suspicious of any solution that fits neatly on a quote tile.

This is one not to be missed 

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Come and be a part of our inclusive and welcoming community that supports over 300 people across the UK! For more information, please click for the link to our website here

Joining Stephen on the sofa in this episode is our podcast Lead Researcher & Editor Kath & Sarah. In this episode Stephen chats to Kath & Sarah about menopause, mental health, the expectations of women and a whole lot more.

This is one not to be missed 

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Want to know about The Autism Wellbeing Project and the amazing activities that are provided for free for autistic adults? 

Come and be a part of our inclusive and welcoming community that supports over 300 people across the UK! For more information, please click for the link to our website here

Joining Stephen on the sofa in this episode is our podcast Lead Producer Stevo. In this episode we chat more about his journey through life, late diagnosis, finding AWP and training as an Oliver McGowan Autistic Co-Trainer. 

Will Stevo remember his joke? Will Stephen understand the joke and find it funny?

Tune in to find out

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Want to know about The Autism Wellbeing Project and the amazing activities that are provided for free for autistic adults? 

Come and be a part of our inclusive and welcoming community that supports over 300 people across the UK! For more information, please click for the link to our website here

Joining Stephen on the sofa in this episode is our podcast Lead Producer Stevo & our lead Researcher Kath.. In this episode we discuss their journey from being diagnosed late in life. They both chat openly and honestly about some of their struggles, their thoughts and outlook on life ahead. 

A fun one not to be missed!

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Come and be a part of our inclusive and welcoming community that supports over 300 people across the UK! For more information, please click for the link to our website here

Joining Stephen on the sofa in this episode is our podcast Lead Producer Steve O'Brien aka Steve O. We cover his journey through life, late diagnosis and acceptance and training and becoming an Oliver McGowan Autistic Co-Trainer.

A lot to cover, one not to miss!

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Want to know about The Autism Wellbeing Project and the amazing activities that are provided for free for autistic adults? 

Come and be a part of our inclusive and welcoming community that supports over 300 people across the UK! For more information, please click for the link to our website here

For our second episode we have Emma Eager & Emily Abbott. The Founders & Directors of The Autism Wellbeing Project CIC. They are on the sofa with our host Stephen J Holloran chatting all things AWP, Oliver McGowan and our podcast.

Get in touch, we'd love to hear your thoughts

Want to know about The Autism Wellbeing Project and the amazing activities that are provided for free for autistic adults? 

Come and be a part of our inclusive and welcoming community that supports over 300 people across the UK! For more information, please click for the link to our website here

Get in touch, we'd love to hear your thoughts

Want to know about The Autism Wellbeing Project and the amazing activities that are provided for free for autistic adults? 

Come and be a part of our inclusive and welcoming community that supports over 300 people across the UK! For more information, please click for the link to our website here