Beyond 6 Seconds: Neurodiversity stories from neurodivergent people
First impressions can take only 6 seconds to make! But if you’re neurodivergent, those quick judgments about you can be misleading.
That’s where the Beyond 6 Seconds podcast comes in! Join me, Carolyn Kiel, as I talk with neurodivergent entrepreneurs, creators, advocates & more about their lives and identities. Their stories shatter misconceptions, break stigma and showcase the vibrance of neurodiversity.
- Update frequency
- every 13 days
- Average duration
- 32 minutes
- Episodes
- 244
- Years Active
- 2018 - 2025
Swarit Gopalan – Nonspeaking autistic writer and poet
Swarit Gopalan is a 12-year old autistic nonspeaker who uses a letterboard to spell and a keyboard to type to communicate. He lives with his family in Florida and goes to Invictus Academy for school.…
Celebrating 200 episodes and looking ahead to 2024
In this year-end episode for 2023, host Carolyn Kiel reflects on the big milestones that Beyond 6 Seconds achieved in 2023 and some of her goals for the show in 2024.
Below are links to the resources…
Neurodivergent stories from India - with Aditi Gangrade
Aditi Gangrade is a film director and writer based in India. She is autistic and has ADHD and PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder). She is the co-founder of Much Much Spectrum, an inclusive storyte…
Neurodivergent personal trainer & weightlifting champion Bayley Garnham
Bayley Garnham is a personal trainer from Auckland, New Zealand. As a teenager, Bayley spent 7 years competing in Olympic Weightlifting at a national level. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Sport and Re…
Neurodivergence and gender identity – with Charlie Ocean
Charlie Ocean is an award-winning LGBTQ+ speaker, trainer, and consultant who is neuroqueer and nonbinary. They have a background in social work and over 15 years of experience with LGBTQ+ community …
Creating an inclusive world through dance – with Marisa Hamamoto
Content note: This episode contains mentions of sexual assault, describes a stroke and recovery, and has occasional swearing.
Marisa Hamamoto is the first professional dancer to be named as one of Pe…
Tourette Syndrome advocacy – with Jhonelle Bean
Jhonelle Bean is a 28-year-old disability advocate living with Tourette Syndrome and PTSD. Jhonelle shares her experience with Tourette Syndrome through social media to educate others and help destig…
Autistic and dyspraxic actor Ross K. Foad
Ross K. Foad is a professional actor and voice artist in the United Kingdom. A second generation actor, he was just 18 months old when he made his acting debut, but would get his proper start in acti…
Dissociative Identity Disorder - Amber Louise Ainsworth
CW: Mentions of drinking, drug use, suicidal thoughts, depression, trauma, and occasional swearing
Amber Louise Ainsworth is a dissociative identity disorder (DID) system from the UK. Since realizing…
Trans and autistic inclusion at work – with Nate Shalev
Nate Shalev is a leading expert and advisor on inclusivity helping to create workplace cultures where both businesses and people thrive. They were named a LinkedIn Top Voice and have been highlighted…
Autistic music therapist and singer Swara Swami
As a young autistic girl, Swara Swami could sing before she could speak. Now Swara is a music therapist and singer who advocates for mental health and autism awareness on her social media.
Swara has …
The Autism-Friendly Cookbook - with Lydia Wilkins
Lydia Wilkins is a freelance journalist and author based in the UK who covers disability and social issues. Her work has appeared in publications such as The Metro, The Independent, Refinery 29, The …
Dyscalculia education and advocacy – with Elena Chambers
Elena Chambers is a disability advocate, writer, poet and photographer. On her blog, Dyscalculia Community, she writes about disability in a social context, societal-level ableism, and her personal e…
Autism in Black – with Maria Davis-Pierre
Maria Davis-Pierre is a licensed mental health counselor, autism awareness advocate and founder of the organization Autism in Black. As the parent of two autistic children, and being autistic herself…
Fragile X and ADHD – with Sarah Brown
Sarah Brown is a New York City based podcast producer and editor. She has worked on shows such as Minority Korner, Get on Up, #Matter and Fixing the Future. She also produces her own show called The …
Life as a Black Deaf Autistic musician, AAC user and student -- with Kaishawna
Kaishawna is a 21 year old Deaf Black Autistic woman, clarinet player and college student who is studying to become an educator for neurodivergent and disabled students. She communicates using an Aug…
Dysgraphia and ADHD representation in children’s books – with Patty DeDurr
Patty DeDurr is a mom, healthcare worker and award-winning author of two children’s books: "This Kid Can Hyperfocus" (a story about ADHD) and "This Llama Can Write" (a story about dysgraphia). She pr…
Beauty in the broken pieces – TBI, epilepsy and ADHD with Kate Wallinga
Content note: This episode describes instances of medical trauma and mental health crises, and mentions violence and death.
Kate Wallinga is a forensic psychologist and crisis clinician by training, …
Autism, community and the DataFam – with Adam Mico
Adam Mico is the Principal of Data Visualization and Enablement at Moderna. He is a Tableau Visionary, 3x Tableau Ambassador, an Advisory Board Member of the Data Leadership Collaborative, and a memb…
Supporting mental health in Black autistic & disabled communities – with Janelle Johnson
Janelle Johnson, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), is a wife, mother, and Founder of Bridges Family Life Center, a Systemic Therapy and Consulting group practice near Raleigh, North Caro…