The Different Minds podcast series

Broadcaster, John Offord chats to Oliver Vikse, Project Development Champion for ANDYSMANCLUB who talks about his own mental health journey and how he has used his experiences to help others. Andy's Man Club is a mental health charity, described as "a talking group, a place for men to come together in a safe environment to talk about issues and problems they have faced or are currently facing". It was formed by Luke Ambler and his ...

Broadcaster, John Offord chats to Deborah Wortman and Mark Berry about neurotypical and neurodivergent relationships. Deborah is a qualified psychotherapist and co-director of Aspire Autism Consultancy and Mark works in IT. Deborah describes herself as not autistic and Mark as neurodivergent who was diagnosed at the age of 43. This podcast is sponsored by Aspire Autism Consultancy. For further details, see www.aspireautismconsultan...

When Suzanne Alderson’s 14 year old daughter became suicidal in 2015, following a period of sustained bullying, Suzanne found herself in a desperate place, facing an uncertain future with little support and even less understanding. While her daughter was immediately wrapped in professional care, Suzanne found that there was no support available to help her or her husband make sense of the situation and give their child the best kin...

Broadcaster John Offord chats to Jubël, a Swedish duo originating from Halmstad, Sweden about music and mental health as they do their part to destigmatise mental health issues by opening up about their own struggles. Jubël are made up of Sebastian Atas and Victor Sjöström of Tunisian-Italian descent. They are signed to Warner Music and are perhaps best known for their stunning new single, “Weekend Vibe.” The exotic pop-leaning tra...

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 psychiat...

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 ...

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 i...

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:/...

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...

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 effec...