April 6, 2025 • 37 mins
Elijah gets you caught up on his past weekend, & answers questions centered around autism awareness month.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Elijah Winfrey Show. Each week, Elijah gets
you caught up on his work in the community, talks
with guests about issues and causes that are important to them,
while also answering your email questions. So sit back, relax,
and enjoy the show. Here's your host, Elijah Winfrey.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Hello, folks, and welcome to the Elijah Winfrey Show. I'm
Indija host Elijah Winfrey. I am excited to be with
you today. We have a terrific show lined up for you.
We have some fantastic questions I am going to get
to centered around Autism Awareness Month or Autism Acceptance Month.
(00:51):
That's right, April is all about autism.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Listen.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
I think every day it's all about raising awareness for autism,
but the month of April is pretty special. I get
excited about this month strictly because of, you know, the
events that I have planned centered around autism yesterday. First off,
(01:19):
before I get into my little die travel, what I've
been up to, I hope that your weekend has gotten
off to a good start and that is winding down
really well. I hope you've had time to reflect on yourself,
and I hope that you've checked in with family and friends,
and you've done something fun. Yesterday here in Washington State,
(01:41):
it was beautiful. It was absolutely gorgeous. It's kind of
it's kind of a preview of what summer is going
to be like. The summers are always beautiful here, so
I was able to get out and do something pretty special.
I hosted a golf clinic, very small, very short golf
(02:05):
clinic for a group of kiddos on the autism spectrum
as part of Autism Awareness Month. And I am always
emotional about it. You know, I'm very moved about it
simply because you know, being around you know, those kids
(02:28):
and listening to some of the stories from the parents,
some of the questions that they have, it's it brings
me a lot of joy and it keeps me motivated,
it really does. And yesterday it was just a wonderful time.
(02:52):
Like I think, everything came together, the weather came together.
And although I haven't hit a golf club in about
i hit a golf ball in about two years, I
did okay yesterday. And I need to get working on
my golf game because I am going to plan this
charity event on behalf of the first Tier of Greater Seattle,
(03:12):
which I will talk more about as it gets closer,
but yesterday was fun. I really enjoyed my time, and
those are the types of things that I really enjoy doing.
Doing Autism Awareness Month is giving back in that way.
(03:34):
We don't have at the moment anything currently planned as
far as more, you know, golfing activities. We may we
may get back to that at some point. I do
miss that. I do miss hosting clinics for kids and
(03:57):
getting an idea on what the dreams and goals are.
So hopefully I'll do more, if not this year, definitely
in twenty twenty six. My past week was business as usual.
Things that I've been working on a starting to take shape. Now,
(04:22):
you know, I'm gonna have some big announcements on the
back end of April, and.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
I'm excited about that.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
I've really worked hard on some things that I can't
wait to share with you. I have an upcoming golf
clinic Saturday, April twenty sixth, sixth with a group of
young African American young men who I've worked with before
and with the help of Gerald Donaldson aka Mister D
(04:54):
We're going to be at Top Golf in Renton, Washington,
and we're going to talk about dreams, goals. We're going
to talk a little bit about the work that I
do and you know what motivates me to keep going.
So I'm excited about that. My fourth children's book, It's
(05:16):
on His Way. It will be released in late May.
We'll have an efficient announcement about that, probably on the
back end of this month. So I have a lot
of things going on, a lot of things physically and mentally.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
I'm feeling pretty decent.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
I am working really hard on building my body up
as I get ready to do a little bit of modeling.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
That's right at fifty one, I still got it. No,
I'm just kidding. I'm teasing.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
I have a few opportunities to tomorrow some clothing from
an amazing clothing company and they've supported me for a
while and I love the pieces of clothing that they've
sent me, and I wanted to show my support to them.
(06:13):
And I'm going to be rocking some athletic where as well.
You know, I'm not trying to be like this physical specimen,
you know, with muscles popping out of my body like
that's That's not what I'm going to get to. But
I've always been athletically looking. You know, I have slim fit.
(06:35):
You know, I'm not a huge guy, but I'm excited
about the opportunity. You know, I'm trying to take advantage
of a lot of things that that have come my way,
a lot of doors that have opened, and you know,
this was perfect timing, and I'm really grateful. And I
(06:56):
think also this is this is a lot of this
is come about because of the way I use my
social media. You know, I try to be extremely positive,
but I also try to share the work that I'm doing,
hoping that and inspire somebody, you know, and you know,
being noticed for doing good things is such a blessing.
So I'm looking forward to doing some modeling. Family doing well.
(07:25):
I think we are. We're ready for spring break. I
know that I'm definitely ready to unplug and kind of
really recharge, and I think the rest of the family
feels that way as well. So I can. I can,
(07:46):
as you know, I can continue to go on and on.
But we have some wonderful questions today that we're sending
by you and my amazing producer folks, Greg Nice. He
puts it all together. He goes into the email bag
and he pulls out some wonderful questions that I'm going
to answer him on the show today and shout out
(08:07):
to him for the amazing work that he does on
this show and other shows that he produces.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
He moves around quite a bit.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
My goal is to get him on this show at
some point to speak live with the listeners. I do
get emails asking about him, so we're going to do
our best. As he nods his head, no, he doesn't
want to come on the show anyway, continue to send
your questions in to me, and as always, will do
our best to get these questions answered. Without further ado,
(08:39):
let's get into the first question from Olivia and Gainesville, Florida.
Olivia Wrights, Hi, Elijah, I really love your show. What
inspired you to become such an active voice in the
autism community? Great question, Olivia. My niece and nephew are
really you know, they're a big part of the reason.
(09:02):
You know, they were in need of a voice when
they were very little and.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
I didn't know much about autism.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
And I'll tell you this story as quickly as I can.
I was at my mom's house and Elijah was gosh, seven,
maybe eight nine, something like that, But I was playing
(09:41):
video games with a friend of mine who lived next door,
and we were playing games and Elijah came in the
room and he started flapping his hands and he got
really close to my face and then he backed right.
And when he did it the first time, I didn't
(10:04):
know what it was.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
I thought he was just saying hi.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Right, and then he did it again, and then he
did it again, and my friend looked at me, and
I don't know if my friend was uncomfortable, but he
kind of asked me what was that about?
Speaker 3 (10:24):
What's going on?
Speaker 2 (10:26):
And I didn't know, you know, I just thought he
was trying to be friendly. So I went into the
kitchen where my mom was and she was putting some
things away, and I said, Mom, you know, Elijah comes
up to me and he's flapping his hands and then
he backs away, but he comes back and he gets
(10:47):
really really close. And my mom said, well, yes, autism.
And before I could say anything, right before I could
respond to that or tell her, I didn't know.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
What it was.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Said, before you say anything, go study what it is
before you before you cast any judgment, go and study it.
Educate yourself. So I started to do that, and I
started to understand a little bit of what it was
(11:20):
and how broad the spectrum is, and the more I
read and studied about it, the more I wanted to
get involved and help him. And at the time, I
didn't know my niece was also going to be on
the spectrum, which happened, you know, a couple of years later.
(11:43):
But as I studied and learned, I became a voice
for Elijah, you know, in the school system where he
you know, the school that he was attending, you know,
I would go in and we would sit down with
teachers and talk about services and what was the best
(12:04):
route for Elijah to be successful, Like what do we
need to get him, do we need to get him
a therapist or you know, on top of helping him
in the classroom.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
So we were able to communicate that.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
And in doing that, it just inspired me to continue
to learn and reach out to other autism organizations like
Autism Speaks. That's kind of where I started, and you know,
that ultimately led to me starting my nonprofit, you know,
my niece and nephew, But I think that's one of
(12:39):
the stories that inspired me to do it. As more
families reached out right it, it really helped me identify
my purpose from my calling, and I really wanted to
(13:01):
serve in that community. Now I still have a ways
to go, just like all of us. I learned new
things every day about autism. I've been surrounded by some
terrific and I mean terrific, some terrific advocates, and I
(13:22):
equated to go into college and learning because a lot
of the people that I've met they have years of
experience with autism, and those things inspired me to keep going.
And yes, I'm a voice, but there are many voices
(13:45):
in the community, and I love to collaborate with those
voices to help families that you are in need of
getting services. So Olivia that that that's inspired me. You know,
my niece and nephew. I continued partnerships with other organizations
(14:09):
that are doing amazing work, and not just here in
Washington State, I mean all around the world. I have
relationships with some amazing people around the world who I'm
learning from, who do a tremendous job. So I you know,
I'm I'm grateful and I'm inspired by that. Next question
(14:35):
is from Emma and Charlotte, North Carolina. Emma Rights Elijah,
can you share a memorable a memorable moment from your
community outreach that had a lasting impact. Emma, They've all
had a lasting impact on me. I really can't. I
(14:58):
really can't pinpoint one particular story. I'll say this. There
was a young man that I interacted with. He went
to the over Lake Specialty School, which is located here
in Washington State. And when I was part of the
(15:23):
first tier graded Seattle, I would teach these classes, you know,
kids on the spectrum, kids would behavioral needs. And as
they would come to golf class, sometimes we didn't even
play golf. We just talked and we laughed and I
listened to their stories. This one young man in particular,
(15:49):
he was nonverbal, and on his last day of class,
he wrote, he wrote something on a piece of paper
and he showed it to me and he was very emotional.
He said, you're a great golf coach. You don't yell.
(16:12):
I'm gonna miss you. And he showed it to me
and he teared up and I tear it up.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
It was.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
It was really moving to see to see him and
to read that and to know that I had that
impact on him. And he would come to class and participate,
you know, and sometimes he would smile. Sometimes he wouldn't,
but he always had a good time. He gave me
(16:45):
a high five all the time. But when he wrote that,
it really let me know how he felt about the
class and about me. And recently we reconnected. He follows
me on social media, uh and I follow him and
(17:07):
to see his his growth. I always believed in him,
like I knew he was gonna do wonderful things.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
But too.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
For him to reach out to me now, it means
it means so much to me. It means that everything
that I've done in the autism community thus far has
been worth it. Not that it hasn't before, but when
you when when people reach out to you organically after
having a having an interaction with you, right, it means
(17:41):
a lot. There's another young man who also reached out
to me this past week. He made his high school
team and I posted that on my social media page
on Instagram at Eli O six two six and he
was playing basketball his high school team made a jump shot.
You should and I'm telling you watching him, you know,
(18:04):
celebrate when he made that shot, I was moved to tears.
So I you know, those are some of the things
that leave a lasting impact on me and that I'm
grateful for and it tells me the work that I'm doing,
it's it's it's worth it. It's well received. Next question
(18:31):
is from Charlotte and Idaho. Charlotte writes, Elijah, how does
Team Win we support families affected by autism, especially during
Autism Awareness Month. Well, here's here's what we do, Charlotte, Like,
we we do our very best to raise awareness, to
be a voice. If we cannot be that voice, we
(18:53):
find services for them that will help them, you know,
navigate the things that they need to navigate. We don't
always have the answers, and you know, during Autism Awareness Month,
I think we just try to highlight a lot of
the families, a lot of the organizations that are doing
(19:13):
the work that are sometimes not seen, not heard, and
so we try to amplify them and we try to
focus you know, that attention toward these families so they
can get the things that they need. You know, we're
out there, but we're also trying to stay behind the
(19:35):
scenes and do the work privately.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
Right.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
A lot of these stories that you know I talk about,
I try to be very careful without naming names because
I don't have the consent to do so. But these
families also know, in order for us to raise funds
to help the community, that I have to at least
provide in some detail, you know, the situations that we
(20:02):
are invested in and why we need the funds that
we need in order to help these families. So you know,
we're always very active. It's not just Autism Awareness Month,
but we try to stay behind the scenes as much
as possible. And it's it's it's worked for us. Great question.
(20:26):
Next question is from Amelia in California, Amelia Rights Elijah,
I love your show. I really miss Tony too. My
question to you is why is inclusion such a critical
part of your mission? That's a great question. So inclusion
(20:50):
is is a part of everything that I do. I
think everybody deserves to feel seen, valued, empowered, no matter
that background or ability, right or circumstance. You know, I
work really hard for myself to be seen, you know,
(21:11):
it is it's it's extremely hard running a nonprofit. You know,
I do so many other things in the community. I'm
very active, but inclusion is a big one, you know,
because I think we all need to feel seen in value,
(21:32):
and I don't think that's that's always been the case
I think some of us are working extremely hard. Yet
still you know we're not We're not visible the way
that we should be. And so you know, I understand
the barriers that we face. I understand when people are
(21:57):
excluded and overlooked and listen. Inclusion to me, isn't just
It's not just about fairness. It's also about healing growth, creating,
you know, a stronger, more compassionate community where we can
all thrive. And there's steps to this process. You know,
(22:23):
I've seen a lot of things that that gets that,
it gets clossed over, people skipping steps, people forcing things.
That's not inclusion. Not to me, I've seen it done right.
It is hard, but there's a process. Just like everything
(22:44):
else in life that we do, there's steps. You can't
skip steps on your way to inclusion.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
You cannot. It is.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
It is extremely hard at first, it's messy in the middle,
but in the end, if it's done correctly, it is
beautiful to see. I've seen it done. I've seen it work.
But we have to continue to follow the steps. Whether
(23:19):
you're mentoring kids, you know you have to you have
to really talk about these things. The only way it
works is if we all come together and understand one another.
Right now, I think everybody has their own personal definition
(23:42):
of inclusion, and I think we have to find a
way to get on the same page because I've seen
people organizations do it right, follow the steps. Yes, it's hard,
it's hard, it may seem unfair in the beginning, but man,
(24:02):
when it's done right, it's beautiful to see.
Speaker 3 (24:08):
So I just believe.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
That we need to feel seen, and we need to
empower those who are doing it, who are following the steps,
and we cannot be afraid to have our ideas not
be the idea. Maybe your idea of inclusion right now
(24:39):
isn't the idea. Don't be selfish and feel like because
your idea didn't work, you're gonna pull back now and
you're not gonna be involved. Doesn't work that way. My
ideas aren't always the best ideas. But I'm able to
(25:00):
sit there and sit in it and say, Okay, I
want to hear the others and maybe I can build
off of their idea to make it work. I want
to continue to lock hands, right. I don't want to
be selfish and say you didn't take my idea or
what I think should be should be the best thing
for the child. So because you didn't take my idea,
(25:23):
I don't want to work with you. No, no, no no,
But I believe we're going to get there. It's just
going to take it's going to take more time, but
we'll see it through. That's a great question, It really is, Amelia,
(25:44):
because I think I think sometimes we get in our
own way of success and of progress. A lot of
people would rather be right than be free. So that's
(26:11):
how I see it, and I really hope that that
answers your question. All right, let's take a couple of
more questions here. These questions are good this week. Next
question is from Sophia and Alabama. Sophia Rights Elijah. How
can others get involved in spreading autism awareness and support
(26:31):
in their own communities? Continue to educate yourself. Don't be
afraid to get it wrong. You got to get it
wrong to get it right. I've said that this past
week and for a while now, Like that's like my
new saying. You got to get it wrong to get
it right. Find a way to get involved and understand
and learn and listen. No, you don't have the answered
(27:00):
yourself and listen. That's one of the ways to get involved.
A lot of these families have some heartbreaking stories, but
it'll find a way to fix your vision on what
you really see. But tend some of the autism events.
You know, they always put together these autism walks. You know,
(27:23):
they have some sporting events, some charity events. Get involved,
get online and study. Start at the bottom, work your
way up. But don't be afraid to take the risk
because a lot of these families, a lot of these
(27:44):
kids and a lot of these adults, they need you.
Speaker 3 (27:49):
They need you.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
Next question is from me Isabella in South Carolina. Isabella, right, Eli,
how is your work as a par of educator shaped
your approach to advocacy? Well, listen, I see a lot
of good things. I see a lot of bad things.
(28:14):
As far as my work as a parent educator, I think.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
I think it's shaped it.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
And in this way, right, I'll say this, as a
parent educator and I'm inside the school now, I'm able
to see a lot of things that that's good and
some things that I'm uncomfortable with that I see, but it.
Speaker 3 (28:41):
Helps me.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
Navigate the things that I'm struggling with within the community.
I think there are a lot of these these teachers
that are that are doing their best to get it right,
there's still a need for additional support. And you know,
I've said this to friends and people who will listen
(29:09):
to me. To a degree. We we we have a
lot of work that needs to be done in the school,
in the community. Are we willing to listen. As a
(29:35):
parent educator, I've tried my best to listen to a
lot of the kids when they start sharing stories. You know,
I have to know when to cut it off when
they're talking. But I think I've always wanted my role
(29:55):
as a parent educator to sync up with the work
that I do in the community, and and it just
hasn't been the case, at least not yet right. I
still have a couple of more months left, and maybe
you know that happens. But as far as it's shaping
my approach to advocacy, I think it's given me. I
(30:22):
think it's given me more intel, more information that allows
me to create, if that makes sense. So it's shaped
my approach a little bit, but not a lot.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
I would say.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Outside of the building and running my nonprofit, I kind
of have full control as a parent educator, I don't
have full control, right, I can give them my opinion
on what I see and what I don't see.
Speaker 3 (30:58):
But I have very little control.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
And I know there have been people who've told me
that they think I have a bigger voice.
Speaker 3 (31:07):
I don't.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
I don't think that, at least not right now. So
that's the answer to my my, my question. Uh, and
you know it is what it is, all right. One
more question. This question is from Anastasia in New York
(31:33):
Anastasia Rights.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
Put it back on the screen, put it back up.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
Yeah, there we there we are, Anna Stasia from New
York Rights. Elijah, how do you balance community work with
self care and personal growth? That's a good question too.
How do I balance work?
Speaker 3 (31:54):
Hmmm?
Speaker 2 (31:59):
I think I've created a few pockets where I can
pull back from things if I absolutely have to. You know,
I've done a much better job and taking care of
myself recently, you know, from a self care standpoint, and
(32:20):
you know, I I'm pretty thankful for that growth because
it wasn't always the case. I would go until I
burn out, you know, and I would flame out pretty
badly toward the end of the year because I would
just go and go and go and go, and I
don't really care about self care personal growth. I think
I'm always evolving every day. I think I've always been
(32:42):
that way. You know, I've learned a lot from my mistakes, which,
by the way, I make every day right. I think
I've accepted my flaws and weaknesses right, so nobody can
really use them against me. I know what I am,
and because of that, I'm able to evolve at a
(33:05):
much quicker rate than I did when I was younger.
Like when you're young, you think you know everything, you
have all the answers, nobody can tell you're different, and
you know. So, I'm at a point now where I've
seen a lot of personal growth.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
You know.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
I work really hard on myself to be a better
person every day, and I think having that self care
now is so important. But I have these little pockets
of space and time that I can withdraw from everybody
and really deal with myself. And no matter how big
or how small, those breakthroughs are, when I'm doing that,
(33:44):
their breakthroughs, and it allows me to step back into
my work stronger, more refreshed, and I can do more things.
I have more ideas. Doesn't mean these ideas are going
to work or come to fruition. It just means that
I'm able to clearly kind of navigate things. You know,
(34:07):
since I've been able to develop these pockets, I've learned
to write children's books. I journal more on my phone.
I have a notepad that I write things down on,
and that's to me, that's a former self care. I
may have a thought that comes to me right away,
(34:27):
I'll grab the paper and write, or I'll pull out
my phone. I have this app on my phone. It's
like a notebook app, and I just if I have
a thought right away, I'll write it down and remember
it right And if I'm spreading something positive, I try
to remember what I said and how I thought in
that moment, and I try to apply it. So I
(34:52):
I'm pretty fortunate. And I have people around me too
that all so assist in the self care. You know,
my family, I have some close friends that I'm able
to I don't want to say I hate to say
unload baggagehn, but you know, there's a there, there's a
(35:12):
there's a friend that I am able to kind of
really talk to about things, and that's help as well.
So that's what I do, Anastasia, and I you know,
I'm thankful that I'm able to kind of evolve into
the person you know that I'm becoming and that I
(35:36):
am taking care of myself now. And I know there
are some who listen to the show, you know, because
I'm not sleeping. I think they get worried or nervous.
Speaker 3 (35:47):
I assure you.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
I am trying to do all the right things. I
am definitely am all right. That is it for questions, folks,
And unfortunately we've run out of time today. I know
last week's show we went in our plus we were
a lot at that time, and I'm grateful that that
(36:13):
happened and that was allowed. But this week we are
trying to stay on track. We still have some additional
questions that I would love to answer, and at some
point I will, but we've run out of time today.
I want to thank everybody for tuning in the live listeners.
(36:36):
I want to thank everybody who continue to download the
show and support the show. And when you see me
out and about you talk about the show, really really
appreciate that. Thank you, thank you, Thank you do me
this favor. Get out in your communities and check in
on your family and friends. Remember it doesn't take a
lot of energy to do that at all. It really doesn't.
(36:58):
Thank you for listening to the Elijah Win Free. Please
be sure to download this show wherever you download your
favorite podcast until next week. Actually, there will be no
show next week, so I'll see you in two weeks,
all right, Take care, God bless bye bye
Welcome to the Elijah Winfrey Show. Each week, Elijah gets
you caught up on his work in the community, talks
with guests about issues and causes that are important to them,
while also answering your email questions. So sit back, relax,
and enjoy the show. Here's your host, Elijah Winfrey.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Hello, folks, and welcome to the Elijah Winfrey Show. I'm
Indija host Elijah Winfrey. I am excited to be with
you today. We have a terrific show lined up for you.
We have some fantastic questions I am going to get
to centered around Autism Awareness Month or Autism Acceptance Month.
(00:51):
That's right, April is all about autism.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Listen.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
I think every day it's all about raising awareness for autism,
but the month of April is pretty special. I get
excited about this month strictly because of, you know, the
events that I have planned centered around autism yesterday. First off,
(01:19):
before I get into my little die travel, what I've
been up to, I hope that your weekend has gotten
off to a good start and that is winding down
really well. I hope you've had time to reflect on yourself,
and I hope that you've checked in with family and friends,
and you've done something fun. Yesterday here in Washington State,
(01:41):
it was beautiful. It was absolutely gorgeous. It's kind of
it's kind of a preview of what summer is going
to be like. The summers are always beautiful here, so
I was able to get out and do something pretty special.
I hosted a golf clinic, very small, very short golf
(02:05):
clinic for a group of kiddos on the autism spectrum
as part of Autism Awareness Month. And I am always
emotional about it. You know, I'm very moved about it
simply because you know, being around you know, those kids
(02:28):
and listening to some of the stories from the parents,
some of the questions that they have, it's it brings
me a lot of joy and it keeps me motivated,
it really does. And yesterday it was just a wonderful time.
(02:52):
Like I think, everything came together, the weather came together.
And although I haven't hit a golf club in about
i hit a golf ball in about two years, I
did okay yesterday. And I need to get working on
my golf game because I am going to plan this
charity event on behalf of the first Tier of Greater Seattle,
(03:12):
which I will talk more about as it gets closer,
but yesterday was fun. I really enjoyed my time, and
those are the types of things that I really enjoy doing.
Doing Autism Awareness Month is giving back in that way.
(03:34):
We don't have at the moment anything currently planned as
far as more, you know, golfing activities. We may we
may get back to that at some point. I do
miss that. I do miss hosting clinics for kids and
(03:57):
getting an idea on what the dreams and goals are.
So hopefully I'll do more, if not this year, definitely
in twenty twenty six. My past week was business as usual.
Things that I've been working on a starting to take shape. Now,
(04:22):
you know, I'm gonna have some big announcements on the
back end of April, and.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
I'm excited about that.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
I've really worked hard on some things that I can't
wait to share with you. I have an upcoming golf
clinic Saturday, April twenty sixth, sixth with a group of
young African American young men who I've worked with before
and with the help of Gerald Donaldson aka Mister D
(04:54):
We're going to be at Top Golf in Renton, Washington,
and we're going to talk about dreams, goals. We're going
to talk a little bit about the work that I
do and you know what motivates me to keep going.
So I'm excited about that. My fourth children's book, It's
(05:16):
on His Way. It will be released in late May.
We'll have an efficient announcement about that, probably on the
back end of this month. So I have a lot
of things going on, a lot of things physically and mentally.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
I'm feeling pretty decent.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
I am working really hard on building my body up
as I get ready to do a little bit of modeling.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
That's right at fifty one, I still got it. No,
I'm just kidding. I'm teasing.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
I have a few opportunities to tomorrow some clothing from
an amazing clothing company and they've supported me for a
while and I love the pieces of clothing that they've
sent me, and I wanted to show my support to them.
(06:13):
And I'm going to be rocking some athletic where as well.
You know, I'm not trying to be like this physical specimen,
you know, with muscles popping out of my body like
that's That's not what I'm going to get to. But
I've always been athletically looking. You know, I have slim fit.
(06:35):
You know, I'm not a huge guy, but I'm excited
about the opportunity. You know, I'm trying to take advantage
of a lot of things that that have come my way,
a lot of doors that have opened, and you know,
this was perfect timing, and I'm really grateful. And I
(06:56):
think also this is this is a lot of this
is come about because of the way I use my
social media. You know, I try to be extremely positive,
but I also try to share the work that I'm doing,
hoping that and inspire somebody, you know, and you know,
being noticed for doing good things is such a blessing.
So I'm looking forward to doing some modeling. Family doing well.
(07:25):
I think we are. We're ready for spring break. I
know that I'm definitely ready to unplug and kind of
really recharge, and I think the rest of the family
feels that way as well. So I can. I can,
(07:46):
as you know, I can continue to go on and on.
But we have some wonderful questions today that we're sending
by you and my amazing producer folks, Greg Nice. He
puts it all together. He goes into the email bag
and he pulls out some wonderful questions that I'm going
to answer him on the show today and shout out
(08:07):
to him for the amazing work that he does on
this show and other shows that he produces.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
He moves around quite a bit.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
My goal is to get him on this show at
some point to speak live with the listeners. I do
get emails asking about him, so we're going to do
our best. As he nods his head, no, he doesn't
want to come on the show anyway, continue to send
your questions in to me, and as always, will do
our best to get these questions answered. Without further ado,
(08:39):
let's get into the first question from Olivia and Gainesville, Florida.
Olivia Wrights, Hi, Elijah, I really love your show. What
inspired you to become such an active voice in the
autism community? Great question, Olivia. My niece and nephew are
really you know, they're a big part of the reason.
(09:02):
You know, they were in need of a voice when
they were very little and.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
I didn't know much about autism.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
And I'll tell you this story as quickly as I can.
I was at my mom's house and Elijah was gosh, seven,
maybe eight nine, something like that, But I was playing
(09:41):
video games with a friend of mine who lived next door,
and we were playing games and Elijah came in the
room and he started flapping his hands and he got
really close to my face and then he backed right.
And when he did it the first time, I didn't
(10:04):
know what it was.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
I thought he was just saying hi.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Right, and then he did it again, and then he
did it again, and my friend looked at me, and
I don't know if my friend was uncomfortable, but he
kind of asked me what was that about?
Speaker 3 (10:24):
What's going on?
Speaker 2 (10:26):
And I didn't know, you know, I just thought he
was trying to be friendly. So I went into the
kitchen where my mom was and she was putting some
things away, and I said, Mom, you know, Elijah comes
up to me and he's flapping his hands and then
he backs away, but he comes back and he gets
(10:47):
really really close. And my mom said, well, yes, autism.
And before I could say anything, right before I could
respond to that or tell her, I didn't know.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
What it was.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Said, before you say anything, go study what it is
before you before you cast any judgment, go and study it.
Educate yourself. So I started to do that, and I
started to understand a little bit of what it was
(11:20):
and how broad the spectrum is, and the more I
read and studied about it, the more I wanted to
get involved and help him. And at the time, I
didn't know my niece was also going to be on
the spectrum, which happened, you know, a couple of years later.
(11:43):
But as I studied and learned, I became a voice
for Elijah, you know, in the school system where he
you know, the school that he was attending, you know,
I would go in and we would sit down with
teachers and talk about services and what was the best
(12:04):
route for Elijah to be successful, Like what do we
need to get him, do we need to get him
a therapist or you know, on top of helping him
in the classroom.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
So we were able to communicate that.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
And in doing that, it just inspired me to continue
to learn and reach out to other autism organizations like
Autism Speaks. That's kind of where I started, and you know,
that ultimately led to me starting my nonprofit, you know,
my niece and nephew, But I think that's one of
(12:39):
the stories that inspired me to do it. As more
families reached out right it, it really helped me identify
my purpose from my calling, and I really wanted to
(13:01):
serve in that community. Now I still have a ways
to go, just like all of us. I learned new
things every day about autism. I've been surrounded by some
terrific and I mean terrific, some terrific advocates, and I
(13:22):
equated to go into college and learning because a lot
of the people that I've met they have years of
experience with autism, and those things inspired me to keep going.
And yes, I'm a voice, but there are many voices
(13:45):
in the community, and I love to collaborate with those
voices to help families that you are in need of
getting services. So Olivia that that that's inspired me. You know,
my niece and nephew. I continued partnerships with other organizations
(14:09):
that are doing amazing work, and not just here in
Washington State, I mean all around the world. I have
relationships with some amazing people around the world who I'm
learning from, who do a tremendous job. So I you know,
I'm I'm grateful and I'm inspired by that. Next question
(14:35):
is from Emma and Charlotte, North Carolina. Emma Rights Elijah,
can you share a memorable a memorable moment from your
community outreach that had a lasting impact. Emma, They've all
had a lasting impact on me. I really can't. I
(14:58):
really can't pinpoint one particular story. I'll say this. There
was a young man that I interacted with. He went
to the over Lake Specialty School, which is located here
in Washington State. And when I was part of the
(15:23):
first tier graded Seattle, I would teach these classes, you know,
kids on the spectrum, kids would behavioral needs. And as
they would come to golf class, sometimes we didn't even
play golf. We just talked and we laughed and I
listened to their stories. This one young man in particular,
(15:49):
he was nonverbal, and on his last day of class,
he wrote, he wrote something on a piece of paper
and he showed it to me and he was very emotional.
He said, you're a great golf coach. You don't yell.
(16:12):
I'm gonna miss you. And he showed it to me
and he teared up and I tear it up.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
It was.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
It was really moving to see to see him and
to read that and to know that I had that
impact on him. And he would come to class and participate,
you know, and sometimes he would smile. Sometimes he wouldn't,
but he always had a good time. He gave me
(16:45):
a high five all the time. But when he wrote that,
it really let me know how he felt about the
class and about me. And recently we reconnected. He follows
me on social media, uh and I follow him and
(17:07):
to see his his growth. I always believed in him,
like I knew he was gonna do wonderful things.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
But too.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
For him to reach out to me now, it means
it means so much to me. It means that everything
that I've done in the autism community thus far has
been worth it. Not that it hasn't before, but when
you when when people reach out to you organically after
having a having an interaction with you, right, it means
(17:41):
a lot. There's another young man who also reached out
to me this past week. He made his high school
team and I posted that on my social media page
on Instagram at Eli O six two six and he
was playing basketball his high school team made a jump shot.
You should and I'm telling you watching him, you know,
(18:04):
celebrate when he made that shot, I was moved to tears.
So I you know, those are some of the things
that leave a lasting impact on me and that I'm
grateful for and it tells me the work that I'm doing,
it's it's it's worth it. It's well received. Next question
(18:31):
is from Charlotte and Idaho. Charlotte writes, Elijah, how does
Team Win we support families affected by autism, especially during
Autism Awareness Month. Well, here's here's what we do, Charlotte, Like,
we we do our very best to raise awareness, to
be a voice. If we cannot be that voice, we
(18:53):
find services for them that will help them, you know,
navigate the things that they need to navigate. We don't
always have the answers, and you know, during Autism Awareness Month,
I think we just try to highlight a lot of
the families, a lot of the organizations that are doing
(19:13):
the work that are sometimes not seen, not heard, and
so we try to amplify them and we try to
focus you know, that attention toward these families so they
can get the things that they need. You know, we're
out there, but we're also trying to stay behind the
(19:35):
scenes and do the work privately.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
Right.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
A lot of these stories that you know I talk about,
I try to be very careful without naming names because
I don't have the consent to do so. But these
families also know, in order for us to raise funds
to help the community, that I have to at least
provide in some detail, you know, the situations that we
(20:02):
are invested in and why we need the funds that
we need in order to help these families. So you know,
we're always very active. It's not just Autism Awareness Month,
but we try to stay behind the scenes as much
as possible. And it's it's it's worked for us. Great question.
(20:26):
Next question is from Amelia in California, Amelia Rights Elijah,
I love your show. I really miss Tony too. My
question to you is why is inclusion such a critical
part of your mission? That's a great question. So inclusion
(20:50):
is is a part of everything that I do. I
think everybody deserves to feel seen, valued, empowered, no matter
that background or ability, right or circumstance. You know, I
work really hard for myself to be seen, you know,
(21:11):
it is it's it's extremely hard running a nonprofit. You know,
I do so many other things in the community. I'm
very active, but inclusion is a big one, you know,
because I think we all need to feel seen in value,
(21:32):
and I don't think that's that's always been the case
I think some of us are working extremely hard. Yet
still you know we're not We're not visible the way
that we should be. And so you know, I understand
the barriers that we face. I understand when people are
(21:57):
excluded and overlooked and listen. Inclusion to me, isn't just
It's not just about fairness. It's also about healing growth, creating,
you know, a stronger, more compassionate community where we can
all thrive. And there's steps to this process. You know,
(22:23):
I've seen a lot of things that that gets that,
it gets clossed over, people skipping steps, people forcing things.
That's not inclusion. Not to me, I've seen it done right.
It is hard, but there's a process. Just like everything
(22:44):
else in life that we do, there's steps. You can't
skip steps on your way to inclusion.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
You cannot. It is.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
It is extremely hard at first, it's messy in the middle,
but in the end, if it's done correctly, it is
beautiful to see. I've seen it done. I've seen it work.
But we have to continue to follow the steps. Whether
(23:19):
you're mentoring kids, you know you have to you have
to really talk about these things. The only way it
works is if we all come together and understand one another.
Right now, I think everybody has their own personal definition
(23:42):
of inclusion, and I think we have to find a
way to get on the same page because I've seen
people organizations do it right, follow the steps. Yes, it's hard,
it's hard, it may seem unfair in the beginning, but man,
(24:02):
when it's done right, it's beautiful to see.
Speaker 3 (24:08):
So I just believe.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
That we need to feel seen, and we need to
empower those who are doing it, who are following the steps,
and we cannot be afraid to have our ideas not
be the idea. Maybe your idea of inclusion right now
(24:39):
isn't the idea. Don't be selfish and feel like because
your idea didn't work, you're gonna pull back now and
you're not gonna be involved. Doesn't work that way. My
ideas aren't always the best ideas. But I'm able to
(25:00):
sit there and sit in it and say, Okay, I
want to hear the others and maybe I can build
off of their idea to make it work. I want
to continue to lock hands, right. I don't want to
be selfish and say you didn't take my idea or
what I think should be should be the best thing
for the child. So because you didn't take my idea,
(25:23):
I don't want to work with you. No, no, no no,
But I believe we're going to get there. It's just
going to take it's going to take more time, but
we'll see it through. That's a great question, It really is, Amelia,
(25:44):
because I think I think sometimes we get in our
own way of success and of progress. A lot of
people would rather be right than be free. So that's
(26:11):
how I see it, and I really hope that that
answers your question. All right, let's take a couple of
more questions here. These questions are good this week. Next
question is from Sophia and Alabama. Sophia Rights Elijah. How
can others get involved in spreading autism awareness and support
(26:31):
in their own communities? Continue to educate yourself. Don't be
afraid to get it wrong. You got to get it
wrong to get it right. I've said that this past
week and for a while now, Like that's like my
new saying. You got to get it wrong to get
it right. Find a way to get involved and understand
and learn and listen. No, you don't have the answered
(27:00):
yourself and listen. That's one of the ways to get involved.
A lot of these families have some heartbreaking stories, but
it'll find a way to fix your vision on what
you really see. But tend some of the autism events.
You know, they always put together these autism walks. You know,
(27:23):
they have some sporting events, some charity events. Get involved,
get online and study. Start at the bottom, work your
way up. But don't be afraid to take the risk
because a lot of these families, a lot of these
(27:44):
kids and a lot of these adults, they need you.
Speaker 3 (27:49):
They need you.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
Next question is from me Isabella in South Carolina. Isabella, right, Eli,
how is your work as a par of educator shaped
your approach to advocacy? Well, listen, I see a lot
of good things. I see a lot of bad things.
(28:14):
As far as my work as a parent educator, I think.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
I think it's shaped it.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
And in this way, right, I'll say this, as a
parent educator and I'm inside the school now, I'm able
to see a lot of things that that's good and
some things that I'm uncomfortable with that I see, but it.
Speaker 3 (28:41):
Helps me.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
Navigate the things that I'm struggling with within the community.
I think there are a lot of these these teachers
that are that are doing their best to get it right,
there's still a need for additional support. And you know,
I've said this to friends and people who will listen
(29:09):
to me. To a degree. We we we have a
lot of work that needs to be done in the school,
in the community. Are we willing to listen. As a
(29:35):
parent educator, I've tried my best to listen to a
lot of the kids when they start sharing stories. You know,
I have to know when to cut it off when
they're talking. But I think I've always wanted my role
(29:55):
as a parent educator to sync up with the work
that I do in the community, and and it just
hasn't been the case, at least not yet right. I
still have a couple of more months left, and maybe
you know that happens. But as far as it's shaping
my approach to advocacy, I think it's given me. I
(30:22):
think it's given me more intel, more information that allows
me to create, if that makes sense. So it's shaped
my approach a little bit, but not a lot.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
I would say.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Outside of the building and running my nonprofit, I kind
of have full control as a parent educator, I don't
have full control, right, I can give them my opinion
on what I see and what I don't see.
Speaker 3 (30:58):
But I have very little control.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
And I know there have been people who've told me
that they think I have a bigger voice.
Speaker 3 (31:07):
I don't.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
I don't think that, at least not right now. So
that's the answer to my my, my question. Uh, and
you know it is what it is, all right. One
more question. This question is from Anastasia in New York
(31:33):
Anastasia Rights.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
Put it back on the screen, put it back up.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
Yeah, there we there we are, Anna Stasia from New
York Rights. Elijah, how do you balance community work with
self care and personal growth? That's a good question too.
How do I balance work?
Speaker 3 (31:54):
Hmmm?
Speaker 2 (31:59):
I think I've created a few pockets where I can
pull back from things if I absolutely have to. You know,
I've done a much better job and taking care of
myself recently, you know, from a self care standpoint, and
(32:20):
you know, I I'm pretty thankful for that growth because
it wasn't always the case. I would go until I
burn out, you know, and I would flame out pretty
badly toward the end of the year because I would
just go and go and go and go, and I
don't really care about self care personal growth. I think
I'm always evolving every day. I think I've always been
(32:42):
that way. You know, I've learned a lot from my mistakes, which,
by the way, I make every day right. I think
I've accepted my flaws and weaknesses right, so nobody can
really use them against me. I know what I am,
and because of that, I'm able to evolve at a
(33:05):
much quicker rate than I did when I was younger.
Like when you're young, you think you know everything, you
have all the answers, nobody can tell you're different, and
you know. So, I'm at a point now where I've
seen a lot of personal growth.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
You know.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
I work really hard on myself to be a better
person every day, and I think having that self care
now is so important. But I have these little pockets
of space and time that I can withdraw from everybody
and really deal with myself. And no matter how big
or how small, those breakthroughs are, when I'm doing that,
(33:44):
their breakthroughs, and it allows me to step back into
my work stronger, more refreshed, and I can do more things.
I have more ideas. Doesn't mean these ideas are going
to work or come to fruition. It just means that
I'm able to clearly kind of navigate things. You know,
(34:07):
since I've been able to develop these pockets, I've learned
to write children's books. I journal more on my phone.
I have a notepad that I write things down on,
and that's to me, that's a former self care. I
may have a thought that comes to me right away,
(34:27):
I'll grab the paper and write, or I'll pull out
my phone. I have this app on my phone. It's
like a notebook app, and I just if I have
a thought right away, I'll write it down and remember
it right And if I'm spreading something positive, I try
to remember what I said and how I thought in
that moment, and I try to apply it. So I
(34:52):
I'm pretty fortunate. And I have people around me too
that all so assist in the self care. You know,
my family, I have some close friends that I'm able
to I don't want to say I hate to say
unload baggagehn, but you know, there's a there, there's a
(35:12):
there's a friend that I am able to kind of
really talk to about things, and that's help as well.
So that's what I do, Anastasia, and I you know,
I'm thankful that I'm able to kind of evolve into
the person you know that I'm becoming and that I
(35:36):
am taking care of myself now. And I know there
are some who listen to the show, you know, because
I'm not sleeping. I think they get worried or nervous.
Speaker 3 (35:47):
I assure you.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
I am trying to do all the right things. I
am definitely am all right. That is it for questions, folks,
And unfortunately we've run out of time today. I know
last week's show we went in our plus we were
a lot at that time, and I'm grateful that that
(36:13):
happened and that was allowed. But this week we are
trying to stay on track. We still have some additional
questions that I would love to answer, and at some
point I will, but we've run out of time today.
I want to thank everybody for tuning in the live listeners.
(36:36):
I want to thank everybody who continue to download the
show and support the show. And when you see me
out and about you talk about the show, really really
appreciate that. Thank you, thank you, Thank you do me
this favor. Get out in your communities and check in
on your family and friends. Remember it doesn't take a
lot of energy to do that at all. It really doesn't.
(36:58):
Thank you for listening to the Elijah Win Free. Please
be sure to download this show wherever you download your
favorite podcast until next week. Actually, there will be no
show next week, so I'll see you in two weeks,
all right, Take care, God bless bye bye
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