Today's episode features your host, Stephanie.

Stephanie created Autism Journey in 2015 as a way to connect with other parents of autistic children. 

This is the final episode of season one. Autism Journey, the podcast, will be back to bring you more stories from across the spectrum.

Please don't forget to subscribe to Autism Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music, so you don't miss an episode. 

Follow Autism Journey on Instagram @autism_journey

Carlos Joseph Hernandez is a 32-year-old autistic barber living and working in Avondale, Arizona.

Carlos discusses his childhood, being bullied, his fear of haircuts, how he turned his fear into a career and more.

You can follow Carlos on Instagram at @cjtheautisticbarber

Carlos is on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/CJTheAutsiticBarber

Please visit www.autismjourney.org/podcast for the shownotes

Don't forget to subscribe to Autism Journey the Podcast so you don't miss an episode

Jan Stewart is a highly regarded mental health and neurodiversity advocate. Her brutally honest memoir Hold on Tight: A Parent’s Journey Raising Children with Mental Illness describes her emotional roller coaster story parenting two children with multiple mental health and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Her mission is to inspire and empower parents to persevere through the most difficult of times and have hope, as well as to better educate their families, friends, health care professionals, educators and employers. Jan chairs the Board of Directors at Kerry’s Place Autism Services, Canada’s largest autism services provider, and was previously Vice Chair at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

She spent most of her career as a senior Partner with the global executive search firm Egon Zehnder. Jan is a Diamond Life Master in bridge and enjoys fitness, genealogy and dance.

You can purchase Hold On Tight on Amazon, or anywhere books are sold

www.janstewartauthor.com

To read Jan’s column’s on Today’s Parent, Click Here

You can follow Jan on Instagram @janstewartauthor

Jan is on Facebook

On this episode of Autism Journey, we speak to Cameron Mitchell. He resides in the UK and he discusses his autism, his family, friendships, his fiancee and so much more.

Individuals with Asperger's syndrome, which is now typically referred to as part of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), can often experience feelings of estrangement and being perceived as outcasts due to the unique challenges they face in social interactions and communication. These feelings can arise from various factors related to their condition such as social difficulties, sensory sensitivities and family dynamics to name a few.

To contact Cameron, you can find him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-mitchell-3296a0198

Shalita Thomison is a single mother raising two boys, Jaylan and Kenden. Kenden, her youngest, is autistic.  Shalita started a blog called Exploring the Life of Kenden Carter, along with an Instagram account with the same name. There she chronicles life with Kenden, her continuous battle with the school system, Kenden's new milestones and so much more.

You can visit Exploring the Life of Kenden Carter at:  https://mrkcom6.wordpress.com/

Instagram @exploringthelifeofkendencarter

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/shalita.thomison

Please don't forget to subscribe to Autism Journey so you don't miss an episode. You can find Autism Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts.

For the show notes, please visit www.autismjourney.org/podcast

Robert "RJ" Salso is an aspiring motivational speaker. He has many interests such as playing the ukulele and talking about the weather. RJ is autistic and shares his thoughts and feelings about living with autism and more.

If you'd like to follow RJ, you can do so via the following links:  

Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@RJSalso

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/robert.j.salso?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/salso_rj/

Mishka Sibert is the Founder of Happy Autism, an advocate for autism and autism siblings, an international speaker, and a Certified Life Coach registered in the American Union of NLP.  Mishka created Happy Autism with her autistic non-verbal brother Samko, who is nine years younger than her. Samko's art was recognized by the Hollywood actors Ben Affleck & Anna Kendrick and featured in American Forbes and in the national Slovak media. Mishka has been a speaker at autism events for global companies like ADP and Adobe.
Mishka was born in Slovakia and studied at the University of Westminster in London, UK. She wrote and published an internationally praised book Mother’s Guide to Sibling Relationship's about navigating the sibling relationship on a journey with autism.

Connect with Mishka:

Website: https://happyautism.co/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/happyautism

Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@happyautism6236

Road to Independence documentary:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4VZ0nrAy90

Click here to purchase her book The Mother's Guide to Navigating Sibling Relationships: Navigating the Sibling Relationship on the Journey with Autism

Today we meet Olivia or "Liv."

In this episode, she discusses her autism diagnosis, childhood experiences, her current struggles, and her support system. Olivia experiences severe anxiety, depression, and meltdowns due to her autism. She has a lot of support from her family and friends, but still struggles with feeling like a burden.

You can follow Olivia on Instagram @livdream1234

To learn more about STARability, please visit https://starability.org/

Visit www.autismjourney.org/podcast for the show notes.