Hannah Gadsby: How to Communicate Better (Best Of)

5 snips

Feb 23, 2025

Hannah Gadsby, a multi-award-winning comedian and author from Tasmania, dives deep into her later-in-life autism diagnosis, describing it as an “exfoliation of shame.” She shares how neurodiversity shapes her relationships, emphasizing connections through what captivates her rather than societal norms. Hannah's commitment to avoiding self-deprecating humor about her body and identity resonates throughout the conversation. Lastly, she highlights her unique approach to storytelling, preferring to share personal experiences in bulk rather than in intimate settings.

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INSIGHT

Autism vs. Neurotypical

Autism is driven by what's interesting, not what's important, unlike neurotypical people.
This difference causes a disconnect in social interactions and communication.

ANECDOTE

Sensory Processing Challenges

Hannah Gadsby experiences sensory overload due to heightened senses, impacting her daily life.
She often gets injured because of balance issues and is sensitive to spatial clutter.

ANECDOTE

Navigating Social Subtext

Hannah Gadsby often misunderstands social subtext, leading to unintentional miscommunication.
She learned to recognize this difference but ultimately doesn't prioritize it.

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1. Why Hannah describes her later-in-life Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis as “an exfoliation of shame.”

2. How neurodiversity affects Hannah’s relationships–and how she connects to the world through what’s “interesting” instead of what’s “important.”

3. Hannah’s revolutionary commitment to stop using self-deprecating humor about her body, sexuality, and gender–and why we might all consider the same commitment.

4. Why it’s easier for Hannah to share her personal stories “in bulk” on stage instead of one-on-one.

5. What it takes for Hannah to prepare for conversations–like ours on We Can Do Hard Things.

About Hannah:

Tasmania’s own Hannah Gadsby stopped stand-up comedy in its tracks with her multi-award-winning show, Nanette. When it premiered on Netflix in 2018, it left audiences captivated by her blistering honesty and her singular ability to take them from rolling laughter to devastated silence. Its release and subsequent Emmy and Peabody wins took Nanette (and Hannah) to the world. Hannah’s difficult second album (which was also her eleventh solo show) was named Douglas after her dog. Hannah walked Douglas around the world, selling out the Royal Festival Hall in London, the Opera House in Sydney and the Kennedy Center in DC, a sit-down run in New York and shows across the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Douglas covered Hannah’s autism diagnosis, moving beyond the trauma at the centre of Nanette and instead letting the world see the view from Hannah’s brain – one that sees the world differently but with breathtaking clarity. The show was an Emmy-nominated smash hit and is available throughout the world on Netflix, recorded in Los Angeles.

Hannah Gadsby’s “overnight” success was more than ten years in the making, with her award-winning stand-up shows having been a fixture in festivals across Australia and the UK since 2009. She played a character called “Hannah” on the TV series Please Like Me and has hosted multiple art documentaries, inspired by her comedy art lectures. In 2022, Hannah’s first book Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation was published by Ballantine, an imprint of Penguin Random House, in the United States, Atlantic in the UK, and Allen & Unwin in Australia.

Hannah has done plenty of other things over the course of more than a decade in comedy, but that will do for now.

IG: hannah_gadsby

TW: HannahGadsby

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