Your Voice Matters

Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussions of isolation, stigma, and the emotional challenges of coming out. Listener discretion advised.

In this episode of Your Voice Matters, Asma Jacob speaks with Andrea Schiff, a proud trans woman, neurodivergent advocate, and creative spirit. Andrea shares her journey navigating life with ADHD and dyslexia while exploring gender identity in a world that often misunderstands both. 

Toge...

Trigger Warning: This episode explores themes of identity, including autism, gender, and asexuality. It touches on feelings of isolation, confusion, and the emotional impact of not having the language to describe one’s experience. These topics may be sensitive for some listeners. Please listen with care.

In this episode of Your Voice Matters, Asma Jacob speaks with Riko Ryuki, a neurodivergent parent, advocate, and writer, about th...

Trigger Warning: This episode discusses the emotional challenges of parenting a neurodivergent child, including topics such as burnout, meltdowns, sensory overload, and parental guilt. Some listeners may find these themes emotionally sensitive or triggering. Please take care while listening.

In this episode of Your Voice Matters, Asma Jacob speaks with Nia Zihni, a neurodivergent parent navigating life with her autist...

Trigger warning: This episode includes discussions of chronic illness, physical pain, medical trauma, and the emotional impact of living with invisible conditions. Listener discretion is advised.

“The more experience you have with something, the less hard it gets. The more knowledge, the more wisdom you have about it. It's freeing your mind.” — Carolyne Shallop

In this episode, host Asma Jacob...

Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussions of stigma, isolation, and parental guilt, which may be sensitive for some listeners.

In this episode of Your Voice Matters, host Asma Jacob speaks with Karen Brennan, a family practitioner, advocate, and mother, about her journey supporting neurodivergent children and families. 

Karen shares her personal and professional insights into recognis...

“I reduce demands before an activity so that my anxiety reduces.”

In this episode of Your Voice Matters, Asma Jacob chats with Julia Daunt, a passionate advocate for the neurodivergent community. Julia shares her lived experience with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and ADHD, offering insights into how she overcame the challenges she faced from childhood and adulthood. 

She discusses the l...

“If we don’t take breaks, we burn out. Accept help where you can.”

In this episode of Your Voice Matters, Asma Jacob speaks with Folashade Dan-Oketola, a parent, caregiver, and advocate for the neurodivergent and SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) community. Folashade shares her journey of parenting an autistic child, highlighting the importance of understanding neurodiversity and embracing ...

"As an autistic individual, as somebody that's neurodiverse, the ability to organise information and filter out what's important, all those ki...

"The diagnosis is not a label, it's a key. It's a key to understanding."

In this episode of Your Voice Matters, host Asma Jacob speaks with psychotherapist and coach Jen Slaton, who has extensive experience working with the neurodivergent community. Jen shares her personal and professional journey,...

"Masking is a form of trying to fit into social norms—pretending to be someone you're not. It comes at a cost: burnout, anxiety, and mental health challenges."

In this episode of Your Voice Matters, host Asma Jacob welcomes back advocate Carly Considine for another insightful conversation about masking within the neurodivergen...

"We all should be thoughtful of each other. Whether we see something or don't see something, we should all be treated with respect, politeness, and a willingness to learn and grow from whomever we’re interacting with."

In this episode of Your Voice Matters, host Asma Jacob speaks with Antonio Myers, a dedicated disability advocate and host of the TonioTimeDaily podcast. Antonio shares his inspiring journey as an autistic adult, hig...

“Listen to autistic voices because you will not get the same advice in a book that you would from people who live it every day.”

In this episode of Your Voice Matters, host Asma Jacob speaks with Carly Considine, an autistic adult and mother of three, about the challenges of isolation and the impor...

“Strategies are a really important thing with PDA, but we tend not to call them strategies. We refer to them as helpful approaches because there’s no one-size-fits-all.”

“Surround yourself with people who understand, and you do find your tribe.”

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