On the Spectrum Empowerment Stories with Sonia Krishna Chand: Adult Autism, Neurodivergent, and Mental Health Expert
Welcome to On the Spectrum—the essential podcast exploring autism, neurodivergent, and mental health expert insights and heartfelt stories. Hosted by Sonia Krishna Chand, acclaimed autism advocate, speaker, and author of Dropped In The Maze, this podcast dives deep into autism, neurodivergent experiences, and mental health. Whether you're a parent, educator, clinician, or neurodivergent individual, On the Spectrum offers practical strategies, empowering conversations, and a supportive community to help you navigate life with confidence. Why Listen? 🔹 Autism & Mental Health: Understand sensory triggers, masking, anxiety, and self-acceptance. 🔹 Neurodivergent Well-Being: Explore neurodiversity-affirming approaches to relationships, education, and advocacy. 🔹 Real Stories, Real Solutions: Hear raw, inspiring journeys from autistic adults, parents, and experts. Key Topics ✅ Parenting & Family Dynamics – Navigating milestones, IEPs, and healthcare. Raising a child on the autism spectrum comes with unique joys and challenges. Sonia shares practical parenting strategies, tips for fostering connection, and advice on navigating developmental milestones, education systems, and healthcare resources. ✅ Relationships & Social Connection – Building meaningful bonds. Autism doesn’t just shape individual lives—it profoundly impacts relationships. Episodes explore topics like building meaningful connections, navigating romantic relationships, and fostering social skills in neurodiverse individuals. ✅ Mental Health & Self-Identity – Overcoming anxiety and embracing neurodivergence. Learn how to effectively advocate for your child or loved one in schools, workplaces, or the community. Sonia will explore Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), inclusive learning environments, and overcoming systemic barriers. ✅ Celebrating Strengths – Harnessing creativity and resilience. The intersection of autism and mental health is vital yet often overlooked. Sonia tackles issues like anxiety, sensory processing challenges, and the journey to self-acceptance and empowerment for individuals on the spectrum. Neurodiversity is about valuing every brain's unique wiring. Meet Sonia Krishna Chand Sonia Krishna Chand is a passionate voice in the autism community, dedicated to fostering understanding and inclusion. As the author of Dropped In The Maze, Sonia weaves powerful storytelling with expert insights to help readers navigate the complexities of neurodiverse living. Who Should Tune In? Parents, educators, clinicians, and neurodivergent individuals seeking understanding and empowerment. About Dropped In The Maze Sonia’s transformative book explores neurodiverse experiences with raw honesty and actionable guidance. Buy “Dropped in a Maze” Book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dropped-Maze-Sonia-Krishna-Chand-ebook/dp/B0F3B7BQJ7/ Get Your Copy on SoniaKrishnaChand.Net/Book Here: https://www.soniakrishnachand.net/book Book A Coaching Call with Sonia: https://cal.com/sonia-chand/self-esteem-coaching-call
Episodes
Aerial yoga can look like acrobatics, but what happens inside the hammock is often the opposite of performance: it’s regulation, relief, and finally feeling safe in your body. I sit down with Melbourne-based teacher Joe Stewart to talk about how aerial yoga supports trauma-informed practice and neurodiversity through simple, powerful sensory tools like cocooning, deep pressure, gentle rocking, and optional inversion...
Dementia is often treated like a door slamming shut. What we hear from Marilyn is the opposite: a series of doors opening once we stop chasing who someone used to be and start meeting who they are right now. We talk about caring for parents with dementia, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s, and how one family’s long-held rule to “walk away” collided with the real work of love, grief, and showing up.
We dig into w...
One bad IEP meeting can change your body, your sleep, and your faith in the “village” everyone promises you. I’m joined by Paula J Yost, who has a perspective you rarely hear in one voice: she’s both a practicing attorney and a licensed psychotherapist. Paula shares how living through clinical depression shaped her, why getting real mental health support in law school changed her future, and how those therapy tools ...
A car crash can be over in seconds, but a concussion can rewrite your life for years. We sit down with Kelly Tuttle, a former cardiology nurse practitioner who later moved into neurology, to tell the truth about traumatic brain injury recovery, especially the kind that doesn’t show up on a “normal” CT or MRI. Kelly shares the moment she realized something was truly wrong, the fear of not knowing if she’d ever feel l...
Some of the most dangerous myths about suicide sound polite on the surface: “They were selfish,” “They did it for attention,” “If you talk about it, you’ll make it worse.” We push back on all of that with a conversation that stays human, specific, and real.
We’re joined by Kirsten O’Connor, an author from New Zealand and the mother of Kahlia, who died at 24. Kirsten helps us remember the full person behind ...
Ever carried so much for so long that you forgot what you want? That’s where our guest, Debbie Weiss, once lived: 40+ years caregiving for her father after a stroke, advocating for a son on the autism spectrum, and supporting a husband through mental illness and a terminal diagnosis. The cost was anger, exhaustion, and a quiet belief that life was happening to her. Then a 50th birthday trip cracked the script. If ti...
The biggest problem in schools isn’t disengagement—it’s relevance. We sit down with education leader and author Lisa Riegel to unpack NeuroWell, a practical framework that aligns brain science with daily classroom life so students feel safe, seen, and ready to learn. From belonging cues to behavior de-escalation, Lisa shows why culture design is the hidden lever for academic gains and healthier staff.
We ex...
What if the story you were told about yourself was the wrong one—and the right words finally set you free? We sit down with Christopher Carrazas who was diagnosed autistic at 35, to unpack a life of masking, sensory overload, and the everyday math of trying to pass as “fine.” The moment his assessment named what he’d carried for decades, the static quieted. Relief wasn’t a cure; it was a compass.
Chris talk...
A confusing label, years without sleep, and a son who couldn’t speak—then a letter board changed everything. We sit down with creative entrepreneur and advocate Neil Rogers to explore how a family built a sustainable framework—inspired by Positive ActivityTM (developed by Neil and his wife Lori set to help people professionally and personally) in order stay clear, resilient, and inventive while raising an adult son...
The story begins with a hard reality many families face: a beloved child who may never speak. Jennifer McGee joins us to share Isaiah’s path through profound autism—years of isolation in a classroom with low expectations, a legal fight to enforce IDEA and FAPE, and the life-changing shift that came with the right ABA team. What unfolds is a blueprint for hope built on practical tools, persistent advocacy, and a refu...
Big feelings don’t have to mean big blowups. We sit down with author and mom Sarah Hartley to unpack the real-world signals of ADHD and sensory processing disorder, why two siblings can present in opposite ways, and how small environmental tweaks can turn daily battles—showers, transitions, loud crowds—into manageable routines. Sarah takes us inside her home during the pandemic, when early intervention paused and an...
What if the behavior you see as “disrespect” is actually distress asking for a safer way in? We sit down with Kevin Dahill-Fuschel of Counseling in Schools to unpack the practical heart of trauma-informed education: how to read behavior as information, build trust without lowering academic standards, and create classrooms where belonging fuels effort.
Kevin takes us inside decades of school-based counselin...
What if your grandparents’ best stories didn’t fade with time—but could talk back when you needed them most? We sit down with founder Jeremy Horne to unpack how a childhood of mailing cassette tapes to his Nana Winny became the blueprint for Winny an app that nudges better questions, records family memories, and helps people build a living archive of their lives. Then we go deeper into Forever You, a conversational ...
Disclaimer: This is not to be taken as a therapy directive, but rather this is for learning and entertainment purposes only! Please consult with your physician and/or mental health care team to decide whether this approach is appropriate for you.
Sensitive topics such as trauma and SA are discussed in this episode.
What if the loudest story about bipolar disorder—the chemical imbalance—misses the point? We sit down w...
We explore why caring for caregivers of neurodivergent people must come first and how small, consistent habits can reverse burnout. Eleonora Magri shares practical sensory strategies, community resources, and a mindset shift that prioritizes human needs over rigid protocols.
• expanding caregiving beyond elder care
• why caregiver wellbeing is the first treatment step
• meeting parents where they ar...
Struggle with reading doesn’t mean a child can’t learn; it means they haven’t been taught in a way their brain can use. We sit down with Daniela Feldhausen—who left a 25-year law career to build Kids Up Reading Tutors—to unpack how precise screening and science-backed instruction turn confusion into clarity for students with dyslexia and dysgraphia. No buzzwords, just a workable roadmap: phonological awareness to he...
Trigger Warning: Suicide
The hardest part isn’t finding the perfect words—it’s showing up without judgment. We sit down with Helping Heroes founder Tony DeMaio to share a clear, compassionate playbook for preventing suicide among veterans, first responders, and anyone you love who might be slipping into isolation. From the earliest warning signs to practical safety steps, this conversation is built to help you n...
A store manager said, “There’s no such thing as a special needs shopping cart.” That moment lit the fuse for Drew Ann Long, who turned a napkin sketch into Caroline’s Cart—now standard in Target, Walmart, and Sam’s Club, and a symbol of what happens when families refuse to accept exclusion as normal. We walk through the emotional and practical beats: Caroline’s Rett syndrome diagnosis, the day-to-day realities of ca...
What happens when the executive with the corner office is hiding a devastating secret? Joshua Case, former VP at a Fortune 500 company, pulls back the curtain on his double life—corporate success by day, battling alcohol addiction by night.
Joshua's raw conversation reveals how childhood trauma, including sexual abuse and a complicated relationship with his father, created patterns of codependency that...
Dominick Domasky's story reads like a masterclass in resilience. From losing half a million dollars in a failed restaurant venture in his twenties to founding a publishing company that's helped hundreds of authors worldwide, his journey embodies the power of perseverance and reinvention.
"I went bankrupt. I was broke. I was in my early 20s, couldn't even pay for a spaghetti dinner,"...
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