The Different Minds podcast series

Broadcaster, John Offord chats to Susanne Antonetta, author of A Mind Apart: Travels in a Neurodiverse World; and Body Toxic: An Environmental Memoir to name but a few. Antonetta is one of America’s leading memoirists, advocates for the value of neurodiversity, and translator of the work of the sciences into new ways of understanding human life. A wide-ranging author, she writes about her experiences as a bipolar woman and psychiatric survivor, her early drug dependency, as well as the environment and her life as an adoptive mother. Awards for Antonetta’s writing include a Pushcart prize, a New York Times Notable Book, an American Book Award, a Library Journal Best Science book of the year, an Oprah Bookshelf listing, and others. Please see https://www.susantonetta.com for more. 

Broadcaster John Offord chats to O'Hooley & Tidow, an English folk music duo from Yorkshire about life as a neurodivergent couple and parenting. Singer songwriter, Heidi Tidow and her wife, singer-songwriter and pianist, Belinda O’Hoole were nominated for Best Duo at the 2013 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Their 2016 album Shadows was given a five-star review in The Guardian, and four of their other five albums, including their 2017 release WinterFolk Volume 1, have received four-star reviews in the British national press. In 2019 their song "Gentleman Jack", from the album The Fragile, featured as the closing theme for the BBC/HBO television series Gentleman Jack.

Broadcaster John Offord chats to Geek Girl author, Holly Smale who was recently diagnosed with autism – at 39. Holly Smale, the writer of the bestselling Geek Girl series, has sold more than three million books but she’s never felt like she fits in. She gives talks on stage to thousands, but has never had a serious relationship and now she thinks she knows why. 

Broadcaster John Offord chats to Alicja Nocon, a late-diagnosed autistic woman who recently retrained as an independent Neurodiversity and wellbeing trainer, consultant and coach. In this episode, Alicja talks about growing up in Poland and reflects on her self-discovery journey. Alicja is currently completing a Master’s degree in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology at University of East London, where her research interest focuses on the role of character strengths and humour in supporting the wellbeing of autistic adults. For more details about Alicja, please visit www.expandthecircle.co.uk

Broadcaster, John Offord chats to autistic YouTuber, Dan Jones about life on the spectrum. Dan has Asperger’s syndrome, ADHD, OCD and Dyslexia. Dan (known as The Aspie World by his followers) creates and shares content for his 100,000 plus YouTube subscribers and his videos cover a range of tips and tricks for living with an autism diagnosis.

This is the final call! Please can you vote for 'The Different Minds Podcast Series' in the Listeners’ Choice Award, supported by BBCSounds. I've had such incredible guests, including Chris Packham, Steve Silberman & Dr Temple Grandin to name but a few!  It only takes 30 seconds and here is the link: https://britishpodcastawards.com/vote Thank you so much for your support!

To celebrate Pride Month in the UK, Broadcaster, John Offord chats to Nick Ransom, a gay autistic man who works for the BBC. Nick has worked on a number of interesting programmes, including A Question of Sport and Bitesize Daily. Nick chats about life on the spectrum, autism and mental health, and the importance of representing the LGBTQ+ experience both on and off-screen. For more details, please see www.nickransom.co.uk

Broadcaster, John Offord chats to American Behaviour Analyst, Inclusion Specialist, and Autism Advocate, Joy F. Johnson for a candid conversation on intersectionality and specifically on the experience of Black individuals on the autism spectrum. Joy also talked about life in Germany and how that differs from the USA, her relationship with her neurotypical husband, Neurodiversity and medical models of disability. Please see https://joyfjohnson.com/

Broadcaster John Offord has an exclusive behind the scenes interview with the director of THE REASON I JUMP, Jerry Rothwell and producer, Jerry Dear – about their ground breaking film on autism. Based on the bestselling book by Naoki Higashida, THE REASON I JUMP is an immersive cinematic exploration of neurodiversity through the experiences of nonspeaking autistic people from around the world. The film blends Higashida’s revelatory descriptions of his autism, written when he was just 13, with intimate portraits of five remarkable young people. It opens a window into an intense and overwhelming, but often joyful, sensory universe. Please see www.reasonijump.film for more details. UK cinema release date is the 18th June, 2021. "An inventive, sensuous documentary... As emotionally piercing as it is beautiful to behold", Guy Lodge, Variety "The Reason I Jump will change the way you think... A masterclass in communication for anyone ready to listen", Fionnuala Halligan, Screen Daily

Broadcaster John Offord chats to Helen Dent, a clinical and forensic Psychologist, Attachment style expert and author of “Why Don't I Feel Good Enough?: Using Attachment Theory to Find a Solution” to talk about attachment theory and explains it’s not our fault how we feel – understanding where the emotions come from – come from our relationships with our first ever care giver. The theme of this podcast episode is the profound effect that early attachment styles (i.e. how you were brought up) have on a person's behaviour and emotions in later life. Understanding how this works and the effect it can have is the first step towards understanding how any emotional problems you suffer from have been caused. No one has perfect parents (leading to a totally secure attachment style) so even people with a basically secure attachment style will also have an admixture of avoidant or anxious attachment styles. Those unlucky enough to have been brought up in a totally chaotic way will have a disorganised attachment style. Helen Dent, who currently works in the field of autism sets out what the three main attachment styles are (anxious, avoidant, secure) and how we can develop a ‘secure base’ in our relationships (and not just in our romantic relationships but also in our friendships and even with our pets!). Helen explains the difference between healthy dependency and codependency in relationships, how we can manage relationship challenges when we have opposing attachment styles to our partner, how autism relates to attachment theory, why we are more likely to come across avoidant attachers when we are dating, how we develop a blueprint for a relationship, how the relationships that we have throughout our lives can influence our attachment style and how we can consciously work towards becoming more secure in our relationships.