The Neurodiversity Voices Podcast

Welcome to the Neurodiversity Voices podcast, where we celebrate and amplify the unique perspectives and experiences of neurodiverse individuals. I'm your host, Paul Cruz, and I'm thrilled to launch our podcast and to have you join us on this journey. And I'm not alone joined by my four amazing co hosts, Livia Ward, Tatara Puteaux, Karen Habashi, and Gino Akbar.

Everyone, like Paul said, my name is Liv, and I'm just in my last semester at UBC for my bachelor's degree where I'm studying psychology and English literature. And as my degree indicates, I love people, I love how they think, and I love their stories. My family has always been quite involved in the neurodivergent community, and I have seen and felt how isolating feeling different can be. So I feel extremely privileged to be here to listen to neurodivergent people tell us about how they walk through the world.

Everyone, I'm Letara Couto, and I can't wait to dive into the world of neurodiversity with everyone. As a learning strategist and adaptive technologist, I work closely with neurodiverse students to help them embrace their strengths and find tools that actually work for them. I also was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 12, but didn't really explore anything, until I got older. And I also want to talk about parenting with experiencing neurodiversity as well. I'm excited to lean into

understand ADHD. I'm an Egyptian living in Canada, so there's a lot of, I think, lack of experience or stories from my community, and I can't wait to share my own experience and learn from other people's stories and guests. I'm also a dentist turned writer, so I have a passion for stories and storytelling, and I can't wait to learn more and dive into this podcast and share our experience. Thank you.

Hi. I am glad to be invited to be part of the New York Diversity Voices podcast. My name is Jean Akhari, one of your co hosts. I've spent most of my life helping people develop the skills they need to navigate life's challenges. I've worked in the military, been an athlete, a business owner, and my interest took me to get certified in cognitive behavior therapy, hypnotherapy, NLP, and continuing on down that road.

And I suppose what really drives me is we will be talking a lot about neurodiversity of this program as how to support, understand, advocate for neurodiverse individuals. I think where my learning will come in is what about the people who support them? The parents, partners, friends, and caregivers. How do they take care of themselves so they can show up as their best selves for their loved ones? I'm looking forward to this podcast, which will be about real conversations, practical tools, and a little bit of humor along the way, I hope.

Thank you.

In each episode, we'll explore the challenges, triumphs, and everyday experiences of those who think and perceive the world differently. We'll hear from inspiring guests, including advocates, experts, and researchers, authors, and speakers, and neurodiverse individuals themselves, who will share their stories, insights, and strategies for thriving in a neurotypical world.

If you're a neurodiverse yourself, a family member, a friend, or an ally, this podcast is for you. Our goal is to foster understanding, acceptance, and empowerment for all neurodiverse voices.

This podcast means so much to me because I know what it's like to feel misunderstood or unsupported, and also what it's like to find your voice. And now as a neurodivergent mom raising two neurodivergent kids, that mission feels even more personal. Parenting through ADHD sensory overload is real and it's hard, but there's so much beauty in learning how to support each other.

Thanks for listening and don't forget to like, subscribe and comment on any platform you listen to podcasts on. And don't forget to show love to our social media, whether Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.

So sit back, relax, and get ready to be inspired.