The internet is now full of stories about people finding out more about autism, ADHD, and other neurodiverse differences, but this episode is my story on how to advocate for your neurodiverse child in school and in life.

It's very easy as a parent to assume that the education and health systems are working as they should and that the experts will provide everything you need.

Unfortunately, at the moment, this isn't the case. The understanding around neurodiversity is growing, but the knowledge is still sporadic and inconsistent, and the systems to support it have not yet caught up with how to manage the vastly increasing number of young people and adults who are getting assessed and diagnosed.

So, for now, there is one person in your child's life who is in the absolute best place to advocate for them and ensure they are getting what they need - you! In our current society, it is up to parents to push for the right care and education, and this starts with expanding your own knowledge and making sure you are putting your child's needs at the heart.

Have a listen to this episode as I talk through my personal experience and what educational options there are for you if you don't feel like the mainstream education system suits your neurodivergent child.

Come say hi and join the Limitless Community!

Socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠ || ⁠Facebook⁠ || ⁠Instagram⁠

Mailing list: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.limitlesscommunity.co.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠limitless.supercast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The episode was edited by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ali Walker Audio⁠

Are you or your children autistic? Have you struggled to be understood and fit in at school or in life in general?

Chris Bonnello is an autistic speaker, trainer, teacher, author, and all-round advocate for all autistic people and their families. He began life not really fitting in at school, both as a student and then as a teacher, and began to wonder how he could help the children he could see struggling in the classroom, and himself.

In 2015, he launched the Autistic Not Weird network for those who wanted to join an autistic community. He now brings his wealth of personal and professional experience to schools and stages and is a Speaker Award winner for his work.

I love Chris' down-to-earth style, his very individual stories, and his honesty and reflections about his own life and experiences. It was a joy to speak to him about his work, so if you're an autistic person who would love to be more of a campaigner and advocate for other autistic people, come and have a listen!

Find out more about Chris:

• Website: https://chrisbonnello.com
• Autistic Not Weird network: https://autisticnotweird.com
• ⁠Connect with Chris on LinkedIn⁠

Come say hi and join the Limitless Community!

Socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn || Facebook || Instagram

Mailing list: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.limitlesscommunity.co.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠limitless.supercast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The episode was edited by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ali Walker Audio⁠

Does your child have ADHD or autism and struggle to fit in at school?

Jessie Hewitson is an author, writer for The Times and The Sunday Times, and a neurodivergent mother to two neurodivergent sons.

In this episode, she talks about her experience with understanding her sons' diagnoses, getting diagnosed herself, and the tireless work it takes to find a way through the current education system to get the support required for a child with SEND.

She draws from research and her own personal experiences to discuss the real-life challenges in the current system and suggests ways we might improve it to work for everyone.

Find out more about Jessie:

• Connect with Jessie on LinkedIn
• Buy her books (ADHD: How to Raise a Happy ADHD Child, Autism: How to Raise a Happy Autistic Child)
• Read her columns in The Times

Come say hi and join the Limitless Community!

Socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠ || ⁠Facebook⁠ || ⁠Instagram

Mailing list: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.limitlesscommunity.co.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠limitless.supercast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The episode was edited by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ali Walker Audio⁠

Are you interested in home education for your family, or are you already doing it?

I feel like every home education journey has a story behind it. Often a deep and meaningful one, a story with passion or fire or heartbreak or challenge. In most countries, the road to home ed is rarely easy, because it's still not seen as a standard option, parents often know very little about it, there's a lot of stigma still around it, and there is often no funding and not much support from local authorities. Plus, in many countries it's completely illegal.

I would love to see a future where home education is delivered to parents as one (of many) different educational options for their child, with the proper support, financing, and resources available as is offered through mainstream schools.

In this episode, I share my own personal home education story, how I discovered it, and our COVID lockdown trial, before finally taking the leap as my daughter entered secondary school.

I've never looked back!

Come say hi and join the Limitless Community!

Socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠ || ⁠Facebook⁠ || ⁠Instagram

Mailing list: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.limitlesscommunity.co.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠limitless.supercast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The episode was edited by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ali Walker Audio⁠

Who knew that when you provide great stuff to people, for free, they decide to pay you for it anyway?!

Lara Stafford was a science teacher, and then she started something in lockdown which is still running now - free, livestreamed science lessons for home-educated kids (of which there were a lot in lockdown) through her Facebook group and YouTube channel, Theatre of Science. We all did crazy things in that strange two month period didn't we... and this was Lara's.

Except, she didn't want to stop! So many people seemed to be enjoying her lessons, and so many home educated kids stuck around past the lockdown period, that she wondered if she could ask people for a few pounds to support her work... and that turned into a full-time income.

So, she now still streams free lessons to the internet, that anyone can watch each week (including recordings), but she now makes her living out of the donations from those who appreciate her work.

What a way to change the world, and make sure you can put food on the table!

Check out this episode to hear the full story, to meet the lovely Lara, and to be inspired to do your own thing for free, too.

Meet Lara:

Theatre of Science website: ⁠https://www.theatreofscience.co.uk/⁠

Facebook group: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTheatreofScience/⁠

YouTube channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/theatreofscience⁠

Come say hi and join the Limitless Community!

Socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠ || ⁠Facebook⁠ || ⁠Instagram

Mailing list: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.limitlesscommunity.co.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠

Community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠limitless.supercast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

The episode was edited by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Ali Walker Audio⁠

The change I'm making in the world... how I launched Education Start Ups with Jo Symes and why it wasn't always smooth sailing.

It's really easy, I find, to look at what others are doing from the outside and wonder how they ever managed it, and how they have the time/energy/motivation/skills/winning personality/whatever to make it work. It's often hard to see inside the reality of what happened, the late nights, the emotions, the procrastination, the self-doubt, the help and support required from others, and all the times when they thought it just wasn't worth it or it wasn't possible.

I always wanted to share the reality of my journey on this podcast, and that is what this episode is all about. How I love the fact I'm finally doing something that feels like it's making a difference in the world, but that getting here, and still going forward, is never plain sailing!

Find out more about Education Start-Ups:

Mailing list: educationstartups.org/email-sign-up

Community: educationstartups.org/community

Come say hi and join the Limitless Community!

Socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠ || ⁠Facebook⁠ || ⁠Instagram

Mailing list: ⁠⁠⁠www.limitlesscommunity.co.uk⁠⁠⁠

Community: ⁠⁠⁠limitless.supercast.com⁠⁠⁠

The episode was edited by ⁠⁠⁠Ali Walker Audio

Have you ever been to boarding school, or know someone who has?

In this episode, Piers Cross discusses the systemic challenges in the boarding school experience for so many young people and the impact that has on them as adults. We talk about the struggle to develop the skills to emotionally connect with others, and what that means when we see how many of our political and business leaders went through boarding school.

What does this lack of connection mean for making leadership decisions that affect hundreds, if not thousands or even millions of people?

Check out this episode as we talk about the antidote - compassion, connection, vulnerability, and learning to feel your feelings.

Find Piers Cross:

Piers Cross website and Compassionate Leadership programme: www.piers-cross.com

Boarding on Insanity documentary: www.boardingoninsanity.com

Come say hi and join the Limitless Community!

Socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠ || ⁠Facebook⁠ || ⁠Instagram

Mailing list: ⁠⁠www.limitlesscommunity.co.uk⁠⁠

Community: ⁠⁠limitless.supercast.com⁠⁠

The episode was edited by ⁠⁠Ali Walker Audio

How much more could you achieve if you felt like you had the power to choose everything in life?

In this episode, we meet Robbie Swale (again!), life coach, podcaster, and author, who shares the optimistic view of life, and we talk about such an important topic... how we can choose the way we interact with life.

As changemakers, we will often have to overcome setbacks, battle the status quo, and have to potentially make really difficult choices between what we choose to do with our time, with no right answer, and the ability to choose how we approach these situations rather than feeling like they are "done to us" is so powerful.

So, come join us for this great conversation, and if you want to continue the conversation with me and other changemakers, also come and join the Limitless Community over on ⁠www.limitlesscommunity.co.uk⁠! You can get behind-the-scenes content, give me your ideas for future podcast episodes, and support my work so I can keep bringing you more great interviews.

Enjoy! :)

Where to find Robbie:

• His website: www.robbieswale.com
• Connect with him on LinkedIn (also check out his regular blog!)

Come say hi and join the Limitless Community!

Socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠ || ⁠Facebook⁠ || ⁠Instagram

Mailing list: ⁠www.limitlesscommunity.co.uk⁠

Community: ⁠limitless.supercast.com⁠

The episode was edited by ⁠Ali Walker Audio

It's back!

The Limitless podcast has returned for another season, and this is the first episode, with just me on the mic! I share with you the reason it's been *cough cough* nearly 21 months (!) since the last episode was released, and what I've learned from my time in between.

If you have some difficult life stuff going on and are struggling to get back into the zone with your project, heed my lessons in this episode:

• Don't give up, you'll get back to it when the time is right
• Lean on people for help where you need it
• Remember the core reason why you're doing this work

In this series, I want to share more stories about the truth behind doing this changemaker work, AND I want to meet YOU and hear your stories too!

Come and join the Limitless Community over on www.limitlesscommunity.co.uk so you can support the podcast, hear what I get up to behind-the-scenes, and give me your ideas for making the podcast even better!

Enjoy :)

Come say hi and join the Limitless Community!

Socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠ || ⁠Facebook⁠ || ⁠Instagram⁠

Mailing list: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.limitlesscommunity.co.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠limitless.supercast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The episode was edited by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ali Walker Audio⁠

What if you could demonstrate your skills and learning through projects you're passionate about instead of classes?

Learnlife was born from a deep desire to free learning from the constrains of the standard classroom. Devin and his co-founders visited and researched 100 different schools across the globe and picked out what works and why to turn it into the first Learnlife hub in Barcelona.

Now with multiple hubs and training delivered to teachers across the globe, Learnlife wants to spread the word that the future of education will not be taught - the future will guide, facilitate and help learners follow their own passions.

In this episode, we are privileged to get to meet and talk with Devin and three of the learners at the hub, Sol, Lorenzo and Pep. We hear all about how the hub runs day-to-day, what the learners are working on and why it is such a different experience to a standard curriculum-based school.

• Check out Devin's new book, The Future Will Not Be Taught.

Get inspired!

I'd love to hear from you, get in touch :)

X (Twitter): @alexoneill

The music in this episode is Indestructible by Noah Smith