The last year has been very odd. I’ve been slowly adjusting to a few different things such as changes in my work, housing, support and autonomy levels.
I don’t think I have that much more energy than I did 12 months ago. However, I’m learning how to make the most of the energy I have. How to work with my body, rather than fight against it. Making the most of life in an autistic way.
About a year ago, I co-hosted a couple of BBC Ouch Podcast Episides with the wonderful Robyn Steward. It went really well and we had a cracking time, so it led to a chat about a broader show.
1800 seconds on autism is the project that resulted. A podcast series produced by the BBC hosted by Robyn, Lion and me. It’s unusual. It’s not a show about autism as such. The show it about life as experienced by Robyn, me and the guests we had the pleasure to interview and work with along the way.
I’m excited about the show because it covers autism in a way which is broadly non medical. We’re not a charity fundraiser or a documentary. Our aim is to give representation to how we experience autistic life.
Robyn and me approach our lives in different ways. In making the series I learnt lots from her. I have huge amounts of respect for Robyn and her work. I also learnt lots of our producer Damon. He helped structure our discussions on behalf of the listener and he made sure we didn’t get lost, distracted or confused too often.
FInally, the recordings would not have been possible without the wonderful studio staff who made the recordings happen, or Oli who provided the support to get me too and from the studio.
Making the show has been a challenging, rewarding and sometimes overwhelming project. I hope you enjoy listening to it just as much as we enjoyed making it!
The first episode can be found in the BBC Sounds app or anywhere else where podcasts can be found.
