The Autistic VOICE Project

Matt and Erin are back! After a much-needed summer break, they're kicking off a new season of The Autistic VOICE Project with burnout, special interests, community, and a whole lot of things to geek out about. Because fighting for a better world is important, but so is having fun along the way.We cover:Why making a podcast can be exhausting, especially when you're already navigating a world that wasn't exactly designed with autistic people in mindThe special interest swap: stamp collections, model trains, knitting, custom plushies, and all the cool things people are passionate aboutPatreon, keeping the podcast going, and building a community where people can connect without everything having to be about therapyThe importance of making room for joy, even when there's plenty to be angry aboutWhat's coming this season: more guests, special interest deep dives, and possibly some Ghostbusters, Doctor Who, and Dungeon Crawler CarlAlso: Dragon Ball's Spirit Bomb, a basement turned into a castle armory, foam swords, Kona the Portuguese water dog, audiobook Easter eggs, and why sometimes we need to borrow a little energy from our friends.We're glad to be back. Bring your special interests, your cool collections, and whatever makes you happy. There's room for all of it here.

Matt and Erin are wrapping up Season 1 of The Autistic VOICE Project this week — and after 48 episodes, they’re talking honestly about burnout, sustainability, community, and what it takes to keep showing up as Autistic people doing work they care about.We cover:Why we're taking a summer break and what autistic burnout actually looks like in real lifeEnergy accounting, reducing barriers, and finding ways to make daily life more sustainableThe difference between stopping completely and intentionally cutting back before burnout gets worseWhy asking for help can be part of healthy community careBuilding a podcast without burning ourselves out financially, emotionally, or physicallyIdeas for Patreon, merch, sponsors, and ways listeners can help support the future of the showUpcoming plans for Season 2, including new guests from the Autistic community, artists, and creatorsAlso: leaking foundation walls, Prius appreciation, shampoo-bodywash-conditioner "all-in-one goo," PBS pledge drive energy, dethroning Joe Rogan, Dan Aykroyd's elusive guest appearance, Star Wars memes, Godzilla sponsorship dreams, and Bob from Topeka.We're taking the summer to rest, regroup, and build something more sustainable behind the scenes. Thank you for listening, sharing, and being part of this community.We'll see you in August.

Matt, Erin, and friend of the show Hunter Hammersen are here this week talking about something a whole lot of Autistic people want and struggle with at the same time: friendship. Specifically, how do you make local, in-person friends when leaving the house already feels exhausting?Hunter shares her deeply Autistic, surprisingly effective friendship protocol involving spreadsheets, rules, recurring events, and finding “friend-shaped people” in places like libraries, rock shops, yarn stores, and grocery stores. The conversation digs into rejection sensitivity, masking, awkwardness, and why being “one sentence weirder” in public can actually help you find your people.We cover:• Why Autistic people aren’t actually “bad at people”• Going to events three times before deciding you hate them• “Autism sparkle” and signaling safely to other weirdos in public• Different levels of friendship and why acquaintances matter too• Building community through low-pressure invitations and shared activities• The difference between authentic connection and performing neurotypical social rulesAlso: Joanne Fabrics grief, silent book clubs, purple grocery store masks, Mary Poppins crack dealer energy, fabric scissors as weapons, and Matt describing himself as Gollum in public.

Matt and Erin are back for another mailbag episode — and this one gets deeply personal. From losing an “anchor person” to navigating autistic grief, relationships, PDA parenting, and co-regulation, this episode explores what happens when the people who help hold our world together are suddenly gone or overwhelmed. It’s vulnerable, funny, heartbreaking, and very, very autistic.We cover:Why autistic grief can feel like losing your “internal compass” — not just a loved oneHow partners, friends, and safe people often function as essential disability supportsThe fear, disorientation, and loneliness that can come after losing an “anchor person”Matt and Erin’s personal experiences with divorce, loss, burnout, and rebuilding stabilityPDA parenting, “dueling gremlins,” and how co-regulation creates room for flexibilityWhy autistic love is often rooted in safety, routine, and nervous system reliefTransformers, Doctor Who, fountains, art galaxies, chicken nuggets, and the sacred role of biscuits and gravyAlso: the loneliest whale in the ocean, emotional support toast, “people…” as a replacement swear word, and Matt casually admitting he’d probably make a good spicy audiobook narrator.

Matt, Erin, and guest Nyck Walsh are here this week — and this episode turns into a really good conversation about somatic therapy, autistic processing, nervous systems, sensory joy, and why neutrality can feel radical when your body has spent years stuck in survival mode. We talk about: Rocks, Nintendo buttons, foodgasms, hypervigilance, and the very real experience of trying to exist in a world that keeps demanding “normal”Nyck explains “VAST” (Variable Attention Stimulus Trait) as a more affirming alternative to ADHD languageWhy a lot of somatic therapy can accidentally become ableist when interoception differences aren’t consideredThe autistic processing pause: looking away, slowing down, and needing time to actually build an accurate responseUsing rocks, pets, blankets, textures, fidgets, and sensory anchors to ground in the present momentThe difference between sympathetic overdrive and parasympathetic rest — and why many autistic people rarely get to experience neutralityHow pleasure, sensory joy, and “stopping to smell the roses” can become survival tools instead of luxuriesCats, Caprese omelets, NES controller fidgets, and the very important concept of the food danceNyck’s new book Neurodivergent Somatics and Therapy and the upcoming audiobook narrated by Nyck themself Also: Erin accidentally inventing “somagic,” Tuck the adventure cat making emotional drive-bys, and a surprisingly deep discussion about how touching a really good rock can help keep your nervous system online. This is a ride. We’re glad you’re here.

This episode gets into perimenopause through an autistic lens—what it actually feels like, why it hits differently in autistic bodies, and how little real guidance exists. Matt, Erin, and Eleda talk through the biology, the lived experience, and the frustration of trying to make sense of something that affects so many people but still isn’t well understood—especially when you add autism into the mix.We cover:How sensory differences can amplify menopause symptoms (hot flashes, sweat, fatigue, migraines) into something much more intenseThe overlap between hormones, histamines, and autoimmune conditions—and why everything can spike at onceThe lack of research, missed diagnoses, and why so many autistic people are left figuring this out on their ownReal, often overlooked symptoms (phantom smells, joint pain, anxiety surges) and what it’s like not knowing what’s happening to your bodyWhat it takes to advocate for care, find informed providers, and experiment with supports like HRTThere’s no clean roadmap here. Just real talk, shared experience, and a starting point for conversations we should’ve been having a long time ago.

Matt, Erin, and Eleda get into special interests, collections, and what it means to have a space where Autistic joy isn’t hidden—it’s the whole point. This one’s about building community through the things we love, and why that matters more than most people realize.We cover:Turning a business into a place where people come to connect—not just buy thingsWhy collections matter (and what happens to them when we’re gone)The shame people are taught to feel about joy—and why we reject thatAutistic joy, special interests, and being “too much” for other peopleFinding your people—whether that’s a shop, a hobby group, or this podcastAlso: unicorn collections, tiny horse economies, estate herds, and the real work of building (and protecting) a personal museum of the things you love.

Matt and Erin are joined by Eleda Towle, an Autistic store owner whose lifelong focus on model horses turned into a business—and a gathering place for other Autistic people. This one moves the way Autistic conversations often do: tangents, deep dives, and a lot of “wait, that connects to this.”It’s about discovery, community, and what happens when people finally find their thing—and their people.We cover:Eleda’s late autism discovery at 52—and the moment everything started to make senseBuilding a business around monotropic focus (yes, plastic horses) and accidentally creating Autistic community spaceWhy Autistic conversations “maze” instead of staying linear—and why that’s not a problem to fixThe deep (and very real) Autistic roots of toy culture—from model horses to My Little Pony loreIntrinsic motivation, PDA, and why “just try harder” doesn’t work for Autistic peopleSelf-directed learning, reward systems, and a nonprofit using play to support neurodivergent kidsSide note: yes, we go from horses → Ninja Turtles → Brainspotting → electric towers → taxes → government frustration… and it all makes sense if you’re following the thread. That’s the point.This is what it sounds like when autistic people talk to each other. A little chaotic. Very real. And honestly, kind of the best way to understand how our brains actually work.

Matt, Erin, and Jamie Roberts are here this week—and we get into identity development for autistic teens, the pressure to turn yourself into something “useful,” and what it actually looks like to figure out who you are when the world keeps handing you scripts that don’t fit. It’s real, a little chaotic, and very recognizable.We cover:• Why identity gets tangled up with productivity, money, and “what are you going to do with that?”—and how to separate who you are from what you earn• The role of interests (yes, even YouTube, gaming, makeup, or “too much time online”) as actual data—not distractions—and how adults can either shut that down or build from it• Using “experiments” instead of pressure—trying things, gathering information, adjusting, and trying again without making it a pass/fail identity crisis• The difference between “this is hard because it’s new” and “this is hard because it doesn’t fit me”—and why that distinction matters• Representation, visibility, and why seeing someone like you (purple hair, special interests, all of it) can shift what feels possible• Jamie’s book Neurodiversity for Teen Girls and the six “gem” archetypes—how different autistic teens navigate identity, masking, relationships, and self-advocacyAlso: Lord of the Rings name drops, musical theater brain tangents, Lego reward systems for finishing a book (yes, really), and a solid reminder that “sucking at something” is part of learning—not a sign to quit.Side note:This one stays with the same core message we keep coming back to—there’s no clean, linear way to figure out who you are. It’s messy. It’s iterative. It’s a lot of “try this, nope, not that.” And yeah, that’s frustrating.But it’s also how identity actually forms.This is the way.

Matt, Erin, and guest Jamie Roberts sit down to talk about autistic teen girls—the ones who get missed, mislabeled, and pushed through systems that don’t fit. This is about what’s actually happening underneath the behaviors adults dismiss.Highlights:Why teen girls are overlooked in diagnosis—especially when they’re labeled with anxiety, depression, or “typical teen behavior” instead of being understood as neurodivergentHarm reduction as a real, non-shaming approach to self-harm—what it is, why it works, and how teens use pain to regulate overwhelming or absent emotionsThe pressure to conform during adolescence—and how masking, school systems, and social expectations create impossible standards for autistic teensWe also get into sensory needs, emotional regulation, and why “just deal with it” isn’t a skill—it’s a setup. Plus: tangents on capitalism, school systems, and the quiet ways autonomy gets denied to teens (especially girls).