Explore the powerful intersection of neurodiversity, trauma theory, and liberation in this in-depth conversation with therapist Sara Eldridge. Discover how understanding these three frameworks can help us navigate modern life with greater compassion and authenticity.

Sara explains why neurodiversity should be celebrated rather than "fixed," how trauma shapes our responses to the world, and why liberation means challenging oppressive systems while finding personal agency.

This episode offers transformative insights for anyone seeking to understand themselves better, support others more effectively, or create more inclusive communities. Learn why interdependence is the philosophy we need right now in a society that often values independence above all else.

⭐ Resources from this Episode: 

- Things Sara talked about: 

– Values assessment test: https://personalvalu.es/personal-values-test

– Values assessment choices: https://brenebrown.com/resources/dare-to-lead-list-of-values/

– Book recommendations on Sara’s site: https://www.saraeldridgelcsw.com/recommended-reading

– Book recs (affiliate links to support the show if you wanna): 

— Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman: https://amzn.to/42ZFvJd

— The Myth of Normal by Gabor Mate: https://amzn.to/44WdNQa

— The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk: https://amzn.to/439Oo39

— Normal Sucks by Jonathan Mooney: https://amzn.to/3RRB91J

— Neuroqueer Heresies by Nick Walker: https://amzn.to/42YnVW8

- Things I talked about: 

– 15 to Sunrise: https://forms.gle/81DHLF8Ef5YtMAgn7

⭐ Learn More about Sara: 

▶️ If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to the channel for more: https://www.youtube.com/@joel_austin?sub_confirmation=1

🎭 Joel Austin is an actor, writer, filmmaker, and podcaster living in Los Angeles, CA. He teaches at UCLA Ext. and produces Beyond the Walled Garden with Joel Austin. He releases multiple videos and shorts every week. Find more about him below. 🎭

⭐ More about Joel Austin:

⭐ More about Beyond the Walled Garden:

#Neurodiversity #MentalHealthAwareness #TherapeuticConversation

In this installment of the Regenerative Questions series, I explore why it's worth it (or maybe it isn't) to make anything in this world of ours. In the face of a torrent of art and content (not to mention AI), what's the point in making things at all?

As always, I explore this question using philosophy and the thoughts of some great creators, as well as provide ten actionable experiments you can use to bolster your own creative process. 

🌳 Things mentioned in this episode: 

- ToSalem: https://tosalem.com

- Salem's Ghosts Season One: https://youtu.be/LkG7aCdXL9s?si=QkW7r41_tEyNUUSK

- Salem's Ghosts Season Two: https://youtu.be/p05vQFXDz7Q?si=zrkYdMkT-vUCHA6s

⭐ More about the host Joel Austin:  

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@joel_austin?sub_confirmation=1  

- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/joelaustin.bsky.social  

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whyisjoelaustin  

- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1792430/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3_tt_0_nm_8_in_0_q_joel%2520austin  

- Site: https://joel-austin.com  

- Email: [email protected]

⭐ More about Beyond the Walled Garden:  

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkghuyUIQo2L5-X-gsEDwoVKDYuCYruc4  

- Podcast Platforms: https://beyond-walled-garden.podbean.com/  

- All Other Links: https://linktr.ee/beyondthewalledgarden

In this powerful episode of Beyond the Walled Garden, I chat with Julio Angel Rivera, a martial artist, writer, and mental health advocate. Rivera opens up about his journey with bipolar disorder and how martial arts became both his sanctuary and a way to help others. 

From discussing the enforcer culture of jiu-jitsu academies to exploring the intersection of mental health and physical discipline, this conversation offers profound insights into healing trauma and finding purpose.

🌳 Mentioned in this Episode: 

🥋 More from Julio Rivera: 

▶️ If you enjoyed this episode, please consider rating and commenting on the episode

🎭 Joel Austin is an actor, writer, filmmaker, and podcaster living in Los Angeles, CA. He teaches at UCLA Ext. and produces Beyond the Walled Garden with Joel Austin. He releases multiple videos and shorts every week. Find more about him below. 🎭

⭐ More about Joel Austin:

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#MentalHealthAwareness #MartialArts #BipolarDisorder

In this episode, I examine the critical question: Who do your values actually serve? Discover how many of our deeply held values may be inherited rather than consciously chosen, and explore the hidden beneficiaries of your belief systems. Through philosophical context and practical experiments, this episode guides you to recognize whose interests are truly being served by the values you hold.

Join me as I investigate the origins of your values and question whether they authentically support your well-being or primarily benefit others. This exploration will help you distinguish between values that genuinely serve your growth and those that may be unconsciously limiting your potential.

⭐ More about the host Joel Austin:  

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@joel_austin?sub_confirmation=1  

- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/joelaustin.bsky.social  

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whyisjoelaustin  

- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1792430/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3_tt_0_nm_8_in_0_q_joel%2520austin  

- Site: https://joel-austin.com  

- Email: [email protected]

⭐ More about Beyond the Walled Garden:  

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkghuyUIQo2L5-X-gsEDwoVKDYuCYruc4  

- Podcast Platforms: https://beyond-walled-garden.podbean.com/  

- All Other Links: https://linktr.ee/beyondthewalledgarden

In this episode of Beyond the Walled Garden, Joel Austin sits down with El, a non-binary filmmaker from Atlanta, Georgia, to discuss creativity, identity, and resistance during politically turbulent times. El shares insights about their film projects including "Cam Girl" and "Going Native," while offering wisdom on how to create art with limited resources. The conversation explores how marginalized creators can carve out safe spaces, build community, and maintain artistic practices despite feeling under attack from multiple fronts.

El provides valuable perspective on the thriving underground art scene in Atlanta, the realities of sex work portrayed in their project "Cam Girl," and how creators can start small while pursuing ambitious creative goals. This insightful discussion offers both practical filmmaking advice and philosophical reflections on finding joy and purpose through creativity during challenging times.

⭐ More about El: 

⭐ More Resources from this Episode: 

🎭 Joel Austin is an actor, writer, filmmaker, and podcaster living in Los Angeles, CA. He teaches at UCLA Ext. and produces Beyond the Walled Garden with Joel Austin. He releases multiple videos and shorts every week. Find more about him below. 🎭

⭐ More about Joel Austin:

⭐ More about Beyond the Walled Garden:

#FilmmakingIdentity #CreativeResistance #IndependentFilm

In this first episode of the Regenerative Questions series, I explore how our relationship with time might change if we measured it in seasons rather than hours. Modern society imposes linear time on our naturally cyclical bodies, creating tension that may contribute to burnout and depression. Discover 10 practical experiments to reconnect with cyclical time and realign with natural rhythms.

Our biological systems—from heartbeats to sleep cycles—naturally operate on cyclical patterns, yet we force them to conform to artificial schedules. What if we followed the wisdom of ancient cultures who viewed time as a recurring wheel rather than a straight line?

🎭 Joel Austin is an actor, writer, filmmaker, and podcaster living in Los Angeles, CA. He teaches at UCLA Ext. and produces Beyond the Walled Garden with Joel Austin. He releases multiple videos and shorts every week. Find more about him below. 🎭

⭐ More about Joel Austin:

⭐ More about Beyond the Walled Garden:

#CyclicalTime #SeasonalLiving #MindfulnessJourney

In this episode of Beyond the Walled Garden, I'm joined by Anthony David Vernon, adjunct professor of philosophy at St. Thomas University and Miami Dade College, to explore Epicureanism, an ancient Greek philosophy that offers surprising wisdom for our modern struggles. While stoicism dominates social media feeds, Epicureanism provides a refreshing alternative focused on finding pleasure through simplicity, friendship, and the removal of unnecessary pain.

Anthony helps us understand how Epicurean principles might combat today's challenges of hyper-consumerism, social media anxiety, and the constant pursuit of productivity. We discuss practical applications, misconceptions about pleasure vs. hedonism, and why this forgotten philosophy might be exactly what we need in our chaotic modern world.

📙 More from this episode: 

🎭 Joel Austin is an actor, writer, filmmaker, and podcaster living in Los Angeles, CA. He teaches at UCLA Ext. and produces Beyond the Walled Garden with Joel Austin. He releases multiple videos and shorts every week. Find more about him below. 🎭   

⭐ More about Beyond the Walled Garden:  

#AncientPhilosophy #Epicureanism #ModernLife

In this episode of Beyond the Walled Garden, I speak with indie filmmaker Ashton Livingston about the rewards and challenges of pursuing a creative life through filmmaking. Ashton shares insights from making his 80s-inspired horror comedy "Rat Problem" and discusses how independent films are filling the void left by struggling studio productions. 

Learn about crowdfunding strategies, artistic fulfillment, and why the joy of creation outweighs the financial uncertainties.

In this conversation about the artistic life, we also explore how the film industry is evolving, why indie film is making a comeback, and the fulfillment that comes from creative expression even amid challenges.

🐀 Ashton's stuff mentioned in this episode: 

🧛 My stuff mentioned in this episode: 

▶️ If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to the channel for more: https://www.youtube.com/@joel_austin?sub_confirmation=1

🎭 Joel Austin is an actor, writer, filmmaker, and podcaster living in Los Angeles, CA. He teaches at UCLA Ext. and produces Beyond the Walled Garden with Joel Austin. He releases multiple videos and shorts every week. Find more about him below. 🎭  

⭐ More about Beyond the Walled Garden:  

#IndieFilmmaking #CreativeLife #HorrorComedy

In this episode of Beyond the Walled Garden, Joel explores how to navigate our information-rich world with guest Emily Pabst, founder of Remake the Rules. Emily reveals strategies for managing information overload, making better decisions, and finding meaning amid digital chaos. From online dating to business leadership, discover how to use technology as a tool without letting it define your life.

Emily shares her expertise as an Information Specialist who helps individuals and organizations process complex data systems more effectively. Learn practical approaches to reduce overwhelm, prioritize what matters, and reclaim your relationship with technology.

- Connect with Remake the Rules: https://www.linkedin.com/company/remaketherules/

🎭 Joel Austin is an actor, writer, filmmaker, and podcaster living in Los Angeles, CA. He teaches at UCLA Ext. and produces Beyond the Walled Garden with Joel Austin. He releases multiple videos and shorts every week. Find more about him below. 🎭

⭐ More about Joel Austin:  

⭐ More about Beyond the Walled Garden:  

#InformationOverload #DecisionMaking #Meaning

This episode of Beyond the Walled Garden features Diego Zanella, a Patrol Commander in Washington state with over 20 years of policing experience. Diego discusses his mission to reform law enforcement from within by moving away from traditional paramilitary structures toward community-focused service.

Learn how modern police departments are integrating social workers, improving mental health response, and reimagining what effective policing looks like.

👮‍♂️ About Today's Guest: 

Originally from Florence, Italy, Diego Zanella moved to the United States 25 years ago. Over the past 20 years, he has built a diverse career in law enforcement, serving as a patrol officer, school resource officer, detective, special operations officer, supervisor and mentor. Currently, he holds the position of patrol commander at a police department in Washington State.

👮‍♂️ Connect with Diego: 

- Check out Diego's Podcast Lo Scudo Blu (The Blue Shield): https://loscudoblu.libsyn.com

- Chat with Diego: [email protected]

🎭 Joel Austin is an actor, writer, filmmaker, and podcaster living in Los Angeles, CA. He teaches at UCLA Ext. and produces Beyond the Walled Garden with Joel Austin. He releases multiple videos and shorts every week. Find more about him below. 🎭

⭐ More about Joel Austin:

⭐ More about Beyond the Walled Garden:

#PolicingReform #CommunityPolicing #LawEnforcementReform