A podcast for parents and professionals supporting Neuro-diverse children and young people, focusing mainly on those with Neurodivergence such as being Autistic and having Attention differences. Host Sam Harris has been supporting Neurodivergent children and young people and there families for 15 years and his training courses and support to families over the years has been highly acclaimed. He believes that the best way to understand and learn about Neurodiversity, is to meet different peop ...
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Join Laura Nicol (your host) as she dials into the untold stories of startup operators. Each podcast episode reveals the incredible—and often challenging—journeys of building and scaling startups, told from the operator's perspective. Together, we'll master the art of 'building the plane while flying it', drawing on practical insights from leaders and rising stars at Tracksuit, Canva, Culture Amp, Atlassian, me&u, Airwallex, Eucalyptus, and more. Laura is Maxine Minter's Chief of Staff at Co ...
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Ep 29. Building Scar Tissue: Albert Patajo’s Path from Venture Capital to Fatherhood and Scaling Nexl Beyond Series A
41:58
Episode Summary: In this episode, we explore Albert’s journey from growing up as an immigrant in Australia to becoming a startup leader and new dad to his daughter, Ava. Albert is a true fundraising nerd, and watching him level up on his way to Victory Road is a joy. We dive into how he built conviction to leave venture capital and step into a lead…
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Ep 28. From Rowing to an All-Women-Founded Exit: Maddi Ingham’s Playbook for Building Unstoppable Chief of Staff Partnerships and Mastering M&A
41:06
Episode summary: Connecting to Maddi Ingham, former Chief of Staff at Verve Super, now founder. In this episode, I dial into a conversation with Maddi Ingham, 2x Chief of Staff, now working in stealth on her next venture. Maddi's career is a testament to her commitment to creating a better world for people and the planet. We explore her journey fro…
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Ep 27. Mikayla Hopkins on Building a World-Class Marketing Function and Brand at Tracksuit—Journey from Beer to Beauty to B2B SaaS
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Episode summary: Connecting to Mikayla Hopkins, Head of Marketing at Tracksuit. Mikayla builds brands people can't stop talking about. Her latest project is Tracksuit, recognised in The Generalist's Future 50 list as one of the world's highest potential startups. We dive into her career journey from beer to beauty to B2B SaaS; the bumpy (but amazin…
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Ep 26. A new era, Handing over Calling Operator to Laura Nicol, from front row with Anna Wintour to Chief Of Staff at Co Ventures
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Episode summary: This week, we’re thrilled to introduce Laura Nicol, the new host of the Calling Operator podcast! In this special transition episode, we get to know Laura and her incredible journey—from the front rows of London Fashion Week beside Anna Wintour and Vivienne Westwood to the picturesque Queenstown, New Zealand, where she was among th…
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Ep 25. Shilpa Mohan's journey from award winning interior designer to head of ops at ProcurePro and finding confidence through changes
41:36
Episode summary: This week, we sat down with Shilpa Mohan, Head of Operations at ProcurePro. We explore themes of confidence, career transitions, and true self-belief beyond external validation. Shilpa shares her inspiring vision for diversity in startups, highlighting the positive changes happening in the ecosystem. Tune in for personal stories, i…
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Ep 24. Georgia Marshall on Building community, co-living across the world and small changes for big impact
40:37
Episode summary: This week, Georgia Marshall takes us through her journey from Fishburners to founding Humans for Good and Flock. Georgia shares her experiences building communities, running pitch nights, and developing Flock, a database of diverse communities. Discover how she creates meaningful connections and leverages no-code tools. Perfect for…
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Ep 23. Jared Bergman's Journey to Vow — From Bionic Eyes to Blowing Up the Bioreactor (Not Literally, Yet)
56:10
Dive into Jared Bergman's journey on this week's episode, where he shares his transition from developing bionic eyes at university to pushing the boundaries of biotech at Vow. Discover the thrilling world of engineering innovative solutions for sustainable food production. This episode is a must-listen for anyone intrigued by the intersection of te…
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Ep 23. Gaby Howard on Navigating the Shift from Founder to Operator in Tech: Insights from Carted and Flaunter
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This week, we delve into Gaby's journey from founding Flaunter to spearheading operations and growth at Carted. Gaby takes us through her unique journey back to an operational role after experiencing the highs and lows of being a founder herself, the shifts in mindset and approach required when moving from leading your business to amplifying someon…
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Ep 22. Polina Nesterova on Pioneering Meaningful Change in Health Tech with Neurode, Inventia Life Sciences, and HealthMatch
51:40
Resources mentioned: Radical Candor, Kim Scott Spades, Hearts, Diamonds feedback framework Outlive, the science & art of longevity, Peter Attia Never miss an episode. Subscribe on your favourite platform: Spotify Apple Podcasts (Other) CallingOperator.com A note from your host, Laura: My goal for Calling Operator 2.0 is to open-source stories with …
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Ep 21. Emma Earley From Unconventional Paths to Remarkable Outcomes: Defying Norms & Embracing Inclusive Leadership at Remarkable
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Resources mentioned: Fair Play by Eve Rodsky Emotional Agility by Dr. Susan David Never miss an episode. Subscribe on your favourite platform: Spotify Apple Podcasts (Other) CallingOperator.com A note from your host, Laura: My goal for Calling Operator 2.0 is to open-source stories with world-class operators and learn how they excel at building and…
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Ep 20. Deanna Hood on Becoming a technical leader in Health Tech robotics at Vexev and Inventia, Embracing Learning as a Skill and Shattering STEM Stereotypes.
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Find Deanna here: TikTok / @deanna.stem Instagram @deanna.stem https://dhood.io/ Resources mentioned: Quiet: the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking Brave not Perfect: Fear less, Fail more and Live Bolder https://www.meetup.com/
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Ep 19. Sam Garven from dreaming of living in the forrest studying gorilla's to people leadership at ZipCo, Kinde + more
1:10:52
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You can find Sam here on Linkedin Resources mentioned: WGEA report: Gender Pay Gap Fair Work amendments 2024 Josh Bersin Podcast Never miss an episode. Subscribe on your favourite platform: Spotify Apple Podcasts (Other) CallingOperator.com A note from your host, Laura: My goal for Calling Operator 2.0 is to open-source stories with world-class ope…
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Ep 18. Holly Brooks - From Childhood in Doha to Overcoming Early Career Hurdles, Achieving Her Dream Job at Startmate
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Resources mentioned in this episode: MKT1 Newsletter Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. Never miss an episode. Subscribe on your favourite platform: Spotify Apple Podcasts (Other) CallingOperator.com A note from your host, Laura: My goal for Callin…
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Ep 17. Nicole Meaker on studying Engineering in adulthood, figuring out what you actually find interesting and working at Marqo as a Product Manager
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Listen to this interview with Nicole Meaker and dive into... Unexpected Paths Lead to Rewarding Careers: Nicole's journey into tech was unplanned. Despite an initial lack of interest in math and science, her diverse experiences, including working in bars and a call centre, led her to discover a passion for technology. A reminder to never forget the…
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In this episode I have the privilege of sitting down and recording a chat with a young Autistic man called Zac, who I have supported for a number of years through his transition between mainstream school and into alternative provision. He is wonderfully open and honest about his experiences and able to articulate things that I feel many other Neuro…
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Ep 16. Alex Crawshaw from boarding school to a grad job at Deloitte and then finally landing a dream role at Halter
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Alex Crawshaw is a finance manager and chartered accountant at Halter, a New Zealand AgTech startup on a mission to enable farmers to run more productive and sustainable farms. Alex grew up in NZ and went to boarding school (with her now founder, Craig Piggott!) before university which ended up with her landing a grad job at Deloitte. We chat throu…
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Ep 15. Dr Izzy Bigio from six years at med-school, to two years as a Doctor and then a massive personal rebrand before landing at Blackbird as a community partner
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** Apologies for the radio silence! I have moved interstate, had some tough family news and am also at a new job - this episode is an absolute banger to come back to, so please enjoy 🙏 **This week I sat down with Dr Izzy Bigio, Blackbirds Aotearoa-based Platform manager and my first colleague to come on calling operator. Izzy takes us through her j…
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Ep 14. Gemma Clancy & Will Richards, creators of the Overnight Success newsletter talk about building something from nothing
1:12:45
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Interesting in Overnight Success? find them here Resources mentioned: Acquired podcast Tech Safari Acquisitions anonymous Lennys newsletter Never miss an episode. Subscribe on your favourite platform: Spotify Apple Podcasts (Other) CallingOperator.com A note from your host, Laura: My goal for Calling Operator 2.0 is to open-source stories with worl…
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Ep 13. Monica Masaoka from Airwallex on pushing against the conventional path, going from retail at Mecca to Zip co and finding her place in RevOps at Airwallex
54:55
Resources mentioned: Scaling People, Claire Highs Johnson Rosalyn Santa Elena, RevOps influencer RecOps Impact Newsletter, Jeff Ignacio Pavillion University Never miss an episode. Subscribe on your favourite platform: Spotify Apple Podcasts (Other) CallingOperator.com A note from your host, Laura: My goal for Calling Operator 2.0 is to open-source …
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Ep 12. Royina Bakshi from Nutromics on turning adversity into a superpower and finding the perfect spot in a MedTech hardware start-up
43:35
Resources mentioned: Influence: The psychology of persuasion Inside the nudge unit: how small differences can make a big difference Never miss an episode. Subscribe on your favourite platform: Spotify Apple Podcasts (Other) CallingOperator.com A note from your host, Laura: My goal for Calling Operator 2.0 is to open-source stories with world-class …
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Ep 11. Carrie Gray from Atlassian on being a humming bird person and using her experience to cross pollinate the world
48:24
Resources mentioned in this episode: Atlassian Playbook Atlassian Team 2023 online event Elizabeth Gilbert: the Curiosity-Driven life podcast TedTalk - Hire a Mum Midset: Ben Crowe: Mojoespresso Never miss an episode. Subscribe on your favourite platform: Spotify Apple Podcasts (Other) CallingOperator.com A note from your host, Laura: My goal for C…
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Ep 10. Garry Williams on a non-linear pathway into tech, loving life at Tractor Ventures and hard life stories
52:56
**Content warning at the bottom of this section** ** Please note that this episode touches on grief and murder and may be distressing for some listeners. If you or someone you know is experiencing grief, please visit the below resources and remember to take care of yourself. https://www.beyondblue.org.au/ Griefline 1300 845 745 Lifeline 131 114 Hea…
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Ep 9. Estelle Berton on landing at Eucalyptus, the power of peer learning and removing 'sorry' from your vocabulary
53:20
Resources mentioned: Podcast, Radical Candor Podcast, the imperfects John Cutler, LinkedIn Never miss an episode. Subscribe on your favourite platform: Spotify Apple Podcasts (Other) CallingOperator.com A note from your host, Laura: My goal for Calling Operator 2.0 is to open-source stories with world-class operators and learn how they excel at bui…
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Ep 8. Bronte McHenry, Storyteller, Ex-Startmate, Ex-SmartCompany 5 Life lessons & 20+ resources wrapped in a beautiful story
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Podcasts: Lenny’s podcast Future of storytelling Unseen Unkown The future of everything Planet Money Newsletters: Overnight success Lennys newsletter Not borning Why is this interesting The irrational labs newsletter Never miss an episode. Subscribe on your favourite platform: Spotify Apple Podcasts (Other) CallingOperator.com A note from your host…
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Ep 7. Lance Hodgson, from semi-professional soccer to VP of marketing at Sitemate. It's all about intentionality, and consistency.
59:14
Lance Hodgson had a decision to make, go on to try and become a professional soccer player OR move to California and study marketing. It's pretty fair to say he made a great decision. Now, VP of Marketing at Sitemate, one of Australia's next big rocket ships. We caught up on his journey, tips on how to supercharge your career and an interesting not…
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Ep 6. Sophia Witherington on scaling the Startmate fellowship through push back, Product management at Canva (and cleaning the fryer at KFC)
54:31
Resources mentioned: Angela Duckworth - Grit Lenny's Newsletter EPISODE TIMESTAMPS 1:39 - Sophia, from Scotland to Sydney 2:45 - Cleaning deep fryers at KFC 4:50 - Swapped my non-slip shoes for high heels 7:40 - A rant about typecasting 10:43 - An accidental share house with a founder 12:59 - One small step into Start-ups (part-time) 16:24 - One bi…
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Ep 5. Jessica Telford on vulnerability as a superpower, what customer success actually is and the world of Culture Amp
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0:29 - Jessica Telford, upbringing and background 4:40 - Moving to London and landing the wrong job 8:15 - First interview at a tech startup, setting in motion the next decade 10:15 - The early days of customer success 13:02- Learning to be vulnerable at work 14:29 - It's cool to fail; there is so much learning 16:43 - All about Culture Amp 22:22 -…
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In this episode, we cover: (01:09) Katie's background, strong opinioned child to Law grad (02:32) Moving to the NT to work with indigenous communities (04:51) Taking a job at Indigenous Business Australia and discovering pitching and partnerships (08:06) Joining Startmate women's fellowship as due diligence on the ecosystem (10:11) Outreach hesitat…
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In this episode I get the opportunity to interview Alfie Kohn, author of one of my favorite books 'Unconditional parenting' as well as 'Punished by rewards' and several other works.I must admit to being a little starstruck. His work is so important in not just outlining some of the key elements of my own approach to supporting Neurodivergent young …
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Ep 3. Daphne Shen from LiDAR to Lyka and how having a service-oriented attitude can take you anywhere.
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Episode timestamps: 4m - Hackathon, Daphne co-founds a VR solution for learning Japanese 14m - Volunteering at Blackbirds sunrise and dipping into the ecosystem 17m - Joining Baraja and becoming Chief of Staff to the CTO of a LiDAR hardware start-up 27m - LiDAR to Lyka, self-driving cars to pet wellness 32m - Over-coming imposter syndrome 39m - Pra…
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Ep 2. Daragh Kan, from falling into hospitality at 13 to becoming the first product hire at Mr. Yum
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RESOURCES MENTIONED Marty Cagan, INSPIRED: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love Lenny Rachitsky ‘what is product management Getting things done, David Allan Stolen focus, why you can’t pay attention, Johann Hari Never miss an episode. Subscribe on your favourite platform: Spotify Apple Podcasts (Other) CallingOperator.com A note from your hos…
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It's been a while and so in this short episode, I explain future plans for the podcast and have a big announcement to make! Plus, I reveal the next guest I have lined up which for me is a huge one. Someone whose work and ideas follow a very similar perspective to my own and who since discovering, has also influenced it greatly. As a result, aside f…
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Ep 1. Harry Hamilton on moving from the big 4 to product management at Safety Culture, to coaching product at Minnow.
39:22
I sat down with Harry Hamilton to talk through his journey from management consultancy into the early days of SafetyCulture and how his superpower of breaking down complex problems has led him to founding Minnow, a course for aspiring product managers. Learn more about Minnow Learn here Learn more about SafetyCulture here Never miss an episode. Sub…
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In this episode I chat with Eliza Fricker, creator, illustrator, advocate, blogger and now, in a much more proper sense then me, podcaster. In all of these areas she uses her own lived experience of Neurodivergence and parenting. Eliza's illustrations on her missing the mark facebook page and blog are widely recognised in the Neurodivergent advocac…
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In this 2nd part of my journey to discover if rumours about my Neurodivergence are true, I outline my plan to go about a possible unofficial but thorough self-identification. I have chosen to enlist some help with the diagnostics from a friend who is a clinical psychologist and Dr of psychology, in order to combat my own potential bias if I looked …
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Maddie Roberts and a petition to stop fines for non school attendance
1:08:22
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In this episode I am joined by Maddie Roberts, who contacted me regarding a petition to stop fines for school absences for parents of SEN children. I am so behind anything that looks at making a positive impact and change for families of Neurodivergent young people, that I wanted to get her on the podcast to discuss the petition and her own persona…
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After lots of comments, self-relisations and connections and advice and support from the fantastic Neurodivergent people I am now fortunate enough to work with, it is time for me to explore my own possible Neurodivergence. To be honest. I am just not sure either way. In this episode [recorded at 4am in the gym with my mind whirring....not sure if t…
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Mental health and a Piggyback Marathon with Pete & Dom
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1:06:30
A bit of a shift from the usual content for this episode but one I am very proud to have on the podcast. Around this time last year I got chatting to a friend, Pete Howard. We talked and got onto the subject of mental health, of wanting to do something to raise awareness and money. Somehow, a year later we have just completed a marathon by alternat…
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Kieran Rose discussing masking, stigma around differences how we move forward
1:14:58
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Around a year ago I was made aware of a research paper and the work of a fantastic Autistic advocate, author and researcher by the name of Kieran Rose. Some of the connections his paper helped me make around the Autistic experience of masking where truly game changing for me. It helped me understand how stigma and prejudice around what is 'normal' …
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Talking Autistic experience and attachment styles with Linara Tyler
1:07:25
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I am joined in this episode by Linara Tyler, Autistic and PDA Self-Advocate, Relationship Consultant & Mentor. Linara is someone I have bene fortunate enough to run some webinars with and her area of focus is in Attachment styles and how understanding them can play a helpful part in improving your relationships. In this episode, Linara shared some …
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I am joined by Author, Advocate, parent of 3 Autistic children and Autistic adult Jodie Isitt. Jodie is also the creator of the Nurture programme, an online programme for parents of Neurodivergent children and young people. In this episode, Jodie talks to me about her own diagnosis and reflects on how it impacted her childhood and in school. She sh…
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The BIS-pod is no more! Long live the Neurodive pod!Another great episode where I [Sam Harris in case you didn't know that bit] get to speak to the awesome Tigger Pritchard. Ignore the first few minutes as this was recorded a few months back in my transition from BISnet the Neurodive and Running Deer, so had to hold it back until I knew I would be …
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We had a few [well.....2] requests to hear more about my professional journey. I don't need much excuse to talk about myself and at the same time, Craig Bowden of CEDA and his brother Chris, a CEDA service user, wanted to interview me for their show on Access all Ariel's radio station. Feel free to skip this one.....I am a little concerned I have o…
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Why is Tigger called Tigger and lots more with Tigger Pritchard
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1:43:30
In this episode Sam is joined by the awesome Tigger Pritchard, creator of The Autism Coffee shop and Tigger Training. He is someone with a wealth of experience supporting Autistic people and in particular Autistic people with a PDA profile. During Lockdown, Tigger came to a realisation about his own Neuro-diversity. Something he talks really wonder…
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The group pick up the conversation around socialising and NT expectations as opposed to 'the right way to socialise,' the value of silence and being comfortable with awkwardness.They then discuss value of the Autistic experience over Autism research and how this should shape all support and services for Autistic people, as well as the mistake peopl…
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In part 1 of this 2 part episode, host Sam is joined by Harry Thompson, Mollie Sherwin and Chloe Farahar. Three Autistic adults with a huge depth of knowledge and experience, making this an absolute must listen for anyone supporting or working with Autistic people.In part 1, they discuss terminology and Harry and Chloe educate Sam in the most curre…
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In this episode, host Sam Harris talks with Harry on the ever shifting roles an Autistic person with a PDA profile might give themselves, the automatic nature of a demand avoidance response and how backing off can sometimes be enough to allow the demand avoidance to reduce, priming virtues rather then demanding help-fullness for the sake of it.The …
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In this episode of the podcast, host Sam Harris is joined once again by PDA Extraordinaire Harry Thompson, author of 'The PDA Paradox.' They discuss current ideas, opinions and diagnostic influences on terminology surrounding PDA. Harry also helps Sam understand the difference between demand avoidance in general and for an Autistic person with a PD…
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In this episode, host Sam Harris is joined again by Special educational needs specialist Fintan O Regan, author of Can’t learn, won’t learn, don’t care and creator of the SF3R model. They discuss the current state of support for young people with additional needs in the current education system as well some ideas and advice for parents and professi…
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Harry Thompson is a public speaker, PDA Emissary and Consultant, and the author of The PDA Paradox. He was diagnosed with Pathological Demand Avoidance as a teenager and in this episode of the podcast, he gives host Sam Harris some insights into how he experiences the world, demands and anxiety. They also discuss supportive approaches that are used…
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