Autism Resource Podcast

Mandy Casteel-Denney is the founder of Blue Tulip Inclusive Education and a parenting coach who helps neurodivergent families reconnect with calm, confidence, and joy through nature. With a background in environmental education and a lifetime of love for the outdoors, Mandy blends science, lived experience, and play to support emotional regulation, social connection, and authentic self-expression. As a neurodivergent parent raising...

Founder of Blue Glasses Advocacy and mother of a 21-year-old with global developmental delays who proudly wears blue glasses, Vicki Christensen empowers parents with the knowledge and tools to navigate disability rights and is passionate about advocating for families through the Individualized Education Program, or IEP, process.Vicki supports parents and guardians of students in special education by providing effective advocacy str...

Dr. Theresa Lyons is the founder and CEO of Navigating AWEtism, a groundbreaking platform dedicated to turning autism complexity into clarity. With a Ph.D. in Computational Chemistry from Yale University and a deep personal connection as a parent to a daughter with autism, she combines rigorous science with real-world experience to empower families navigating autism.

#neurodiversity #neurodivergent #autism #disabilities #podcast #p...

Jim Festante is a former executive turned digital safety architect. For over 20 years, he built content for media corporations, social media companies, and video game studios, mastering the engagement loops and attention mechanics that keep audiences hooked. Now, he uses that insider knowledge to help families break the spell. As the Executive Director of Health-e-Habits, Jim moves beyond generic “screen time” advice to...

Dr. Alissa Ellis is a clinical neuropsychologist, researcher, and the founder and director of Ellis Effect Psychological Group, a practice dedicated to evidence-based assessment and treatment for children, adolescents, and adults experiencing mood, anxiety, and attention difficulties. As the creator of the thinkSMART® program, she developed the first transdiagnostic group intervention for teens and their parents specifically design...

Lois Brady is a speech-language pathologist, assistive technology specialist, and Certified Autism Specialist with over 25 years of experience. Her accomplishments include winning three Autism Hackathons, the Benjamin Franklin Award for Apps for Autism, and an Ursula Award. She co-authored Apps for Autism and Speech in Action, authored professional courses on technology and animal-assisted therapy, and presents internationally on a...

Paula Yost is a seasoned attorney and mental health clinician who brings a multidimensional perspective that blends legal precision with human compassion. She is deeply committed to what she called “legal social work,” advocating for individuals at the intersection of law and mental health.  

#neurodiversity #neurodivergent #autism #disabilities #podcast #podcasts #advocacy #IEPs #diagnosis #medicalsystem #ped...

Chris is an author and late-diagnosed autistic adult. For decades, he believed he was broken. Productive, capable, outwardly successful, yet constantly exhausted and quietly unraveling, he learned to survive by masking, performing, and pushing through systems that were never built for the way his mind works. He suffered through burnout, psychological trauma, and a near-total collapse. His memoir, Now That I’m Still Here: A Me...

Theresa Inman is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst, Infant Toddler Developmental Specialist, and parent coach with over a decade of experience supporting neurodivergent children and their families. She is the author of the book Pathways to Early Communication. As host of the Parenting on the Spectrum podcast, Theresa shares practical, compassionate strategies rooted in ABA, play-based learning, and mindful parenting to help famili...

Seth Besse is a builder of systems—technical, human, and societal. As CEO of Undivided.io, he leads one of the most ambitious efforts in the country to use AI to transform how families navigate disabilities, learning differences, and the maze of public systems. Since 2022, Seth has overseen Undivided’s evolution into a true end-to-end platform, combining parent-to-parent expertise with AI-powered guidance, real-time doc...

Richard Schreiber is an IT and AI expert with over twenty-five years of experience working for some of the largest Fortune 500 companies and mega law firms. As an autism advocate, his deepest passions as the father of an autistic daughter pushed him to found the Autism Community Group in New York to help parents with children on the spectrum navigate the day-to-day challenges, and the Autism Innovation Community Foundation to promo...

Dr. Kate Lund is a licensed clinical psychologist, resilience expert, author of several books, and host of The Optimized Mind podcast. With specialized training from three Harvard Medical School–affiliated hospitals and more than two decades of clinical practice, she helps parents, athletes, students, and entrepreneurs thrive within their own unique contexts. Through her writing, speaking, and clinical work, she empowers peop...

Lisa Mosko Barros is the founder of SpEducational, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering families of students with disabilities to effect positive systems change in special education. Lisa is known for her highly detailed knowledge of educational policy, her fierce advocacy through community organizing, and her ability to collaborate and build consensus. Among other positions, she has served as Chairperson for the Los A...

Shellee Howard is the Founder and CEO of College Ready and a Certified Independent College Strategist who helps families navigate the college admissions process with a proven, personalized approach. A best-selling author and global speaker, she specializes in helping students gain admission to top-tier schools and graduate debt free. With real-world experience as a mother of four college graduates, she empowers students to build st...

Naomi Matanick is a pediatric occupational therapist specializing in sensory integration therapy, surf therapy, and child development. She has served infants to early adolescents in a variety of areas including physical and emotional regulation, and acquisition of vital developmental milestones. Her mission is for each caregiver and child to feel understood and empowered as they are equipped with life-long tools.

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Lynda has spent her life creating—art, pottery, and writing have always been at the heart of who she is, ultimately serving as a Vice President of Marketing in the skincare industry. When her youngest son was diagnosed with autism at age two, she shifted her focus to supporting him, and published her first book, Squirmy Wormy: How I Learned to Help Myself, igniting a new chapter of advocacy and creativity. Lynda has illustrat...

As a mom and stepmom to eight children—four of whom have intellectual and/or developmental disabilities —Katherine Gyolai founded Find Love Safely to provide a safe, supported way for her children to form relationships. In addition to running Find Love Safely, Katherine is a marketing consultant for a healthcare startup, and an International Coaching Federation-certified executive and team coach.

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