NeuroDiverse World

My guest today is a clinical psychologist, nationally recognized keynote speaker, and a proudly autistic advocate for neurodiversity. He is a bestselling author, most recently of "Neurodiversity and the Myth of Normal" and his TEDx talks about his life with autism have been viewed over 750,000 times. He consults on autism and neurodiversity for leading organizations including Google, Harvard, and Blizzard Entertainment, and his expertise has been featured by Bloomberg Magazine, the American Psychological Association, and the Great Place to Work Summit. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from George Fox University and works as a clinical psychologist specializing in autism, neurodiversity, and social relationships. Dr. Daniel Wendler!

Excerpt from a recent substack he wrote:

"A goal can be a threshold or a spectrum. A threshold either happens or it doesn’t. Nothing else matters.

• If a sports team loses, it doesn’t matter if they lost by 1 point or 100.• If you’re late for a flight, it doesn’t matter if you miss it by 5 minutes or 5 hours.

• And, if that plane crashes, it doesn’t matter if it crashed on takeoff or flew 1000 miles before going splat.

A spectrum, conversely, is an infinite line. You can move up and down the line, but you never reach the end.

• If I go on a walk for 10 minutes, I become a little healthier.

• If I spend 10 dollars at Taco Bell, I become a little less healthy

The deepest lie of “not good enough” is that it trains us to view spectrums as

thresholds. Your 10 minute walk wasn’t good enough, because it wasn’t a 10 mile run. Your talk wasn’t good enough, because it didn’t get a standing ovation. Your writing wasn’t good enough, because it didn’t turn out exactly the way you wanted.

This is a trap.

A spectrum stretches on forever, so there will always be more that you could do. When you compare what you could have accomplished with what you actually accomplished, you’ll never feel like you did “good enough.”

But what matters is not what you could have done. What matters is what you actually did.

You created a good thing where nothing existed before. You moved the spectrum of the world closer to goodness.

Maybe you could have created a better thing. So what? The thing you made is still good, and imagining a hypothetical better thing doesn’t change that. Maybe the thing you created is small and imperfect.

So what? Kittens are small and imperfect, and the world is much better because they’re here.

And, no great thing ever starts as a great thing anyway. We build mountains by stacking a lifetime of imperfect pebbles. The internal critic only judges your pebble because it doesn’t recognize the seed of a mountain."

Special thanks to:

Thank John Ewing and Charlie Carignan for the music

Also thank you to the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for helping start this

program.

Wendler Links

Videos:

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SocialSkillsVideos

What being autistic taught me about being human | Daniel Wendler |

TEDxBend: https://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_wendler_what_being_autistic_taught_me_about_being_human?

utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

My Life with Asperger’s: Daniel Wendler at TEDxUniversityofArizona:

https://youtu.be/B-xgdqNtcDI

Websites:

https://www.danielwendler.com

https://www.improveyoursocialskills.com

Writing:

Substack: https://writing.danielwendler.com

Audible: "Neurodiversity and the Myth of Normal" -  https://www.audible.com/pd/Neurodiversity-and-the-Myth-of-Normal-Audiobook/B0CVBKYHQD

Level Up Your Social Life: The Gamer's Guide To Social Success: https://www.amazon.com/Level-Up-Your-Social-Life-ebook/dp/B01BMVK43I?ref_=ast_author_dp

Improve Your Social Skills: - https://www.amazon.com/Improve-Social-Skills-Daniel-Wendler-ebook/dp/B00NJNQ3U6?ref_=ast_author_dp

Credits:

Music by John Ewing and Charlie Carignan

Supported by Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation For Autism

All hail King Flobberdeest!

This episode is in memory of a fiercely curious neurodivergent who had explored science and art and at the intersection of them had created some fascinating pieces of work.  He was a professor with a BA in microbiology,  MFA is in Computer Art with a concentration on 3D animation and physical computing. Stefan Prosky.

Speaking in memory of Stefan is his younger brother, John Prosky. 

John Prosky's Credits:

John Prosky’s regional theater credits include Arena Stage in Galileo, Our Town, and The Matchmaker, Guthrie Theater in Candida, Mark Taper in Sahara (new works fest.), Pasadena Playhouse in Camping with Henry and Tom, The Geffen in Warmusic, The Walnut St Theater in The Price, and in New York at The Lucille Lortel in Camping with Henry and Tom and at Playwright’s Horizon in Once Upon a Time There Was a Family. He was seen at The Odyssey Ensemble in Passion Play and at Sierra Madre Playhouse in A Walk in the Woods(ovation nom.best actor). At The Antaeus Theater Company in LA where he is a company member he has been seen in The Crucible, Cousin Bette, Tonight at 8:30 and Wedding Band. With The Unvarnished Theater where he is proud to call himself a founding member, here in Savannah, Prosky has performed in The Realistic Jonses, The Moors, and Glengarry Glen Ross.

On television he has re-occurring roles on such shows as Suits LA, Perry Mason, The Fosters, Scandal, and ER, and guest starred on such shows as Fringe, Criminal Minds, Found, and Mentalist. He has done over fifty films including such movies as Straight Outta Compton and Ouiji 2.

He has taught extensively in the juvenile prison system of Los Angeles county and served as head of the education outreach for Antaeus where he is one of the creators and the lead teacher of The Odyssey Artist’s Workshop at Antaeus; a Shakespeare and dramatic writing program for the incarcerated and underserved young people of Los Angeles. At SCAD where he teaches, Professor Prosky has directed the plays Indian Summer, Men on Boats, Everybody, Gloria and most recently Shakespeare in Love at The Lucas Theater for The Arts . He is the proud son of the late, great Robert, the proud father of Joseph Kai, and the happy husband of Kimiko Gelman.

Stefan Prosky Triumverate Rule

John Prosky Links:

IMDB - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0698763/

Stefan Prosky Links

Youtube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@profProsky/videos

Examples of Music Performances

Artwork:

Credits:

Music by John Ewing and Charlie Carignan

Supported by Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation For Autism

This episode's guest was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 4 and  has been featured on all three seasons of Love on the Spectrum U.S. She has a paranormal YouTube channel called The Spirit Keepers where she ghost hunt and do paranormal storytimes. And works as an activist with the Doug Flutie JR. Foundation for Autism. Emma Hodgson!

Emma's Links

The Spirit Keepers Trailer: https://youtu.be/d4tYUGG38ak?si=TtPUFWpNCM-heBfN

Love on the Spectrum

Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81338328

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19037550/

Credits:

Music by John Ewing and Charlie Carignan

Supported by Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation For Autism

This episode features actor, aspiring casting director, and fellow improvisor who you may know as Lil Rick Moranis on Atlanta, Byron on The Outsider series, and Sam on Popular Theory. Jordan Duffy!

Jordan's Links

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8994124/

Atlanta: Available on Disney+ and Prime - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4288182/

Popular Theory: Available on Prime - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8550800/

The Outsider: Available on Prime and Nowtv - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21956238/

Special Mention

Upright Citizen's Brigade: https://ucbcomedy.com

Credits:

Music by John Ewing and Charlie Carignan

Supported by Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation For Autism

All hail King Flobberdeest!

This episode's guest is a man of many voices, Sebas Brannen. Sebas is an autistic individual who was diagnosed at the age 3.  At a young age he found a love for movies, animation, and especially voice acting. As a voice actor he wants to spread his voice out there to inspire those on the spectrum to be motivated and pumped so they know what they can do in life.

Sebas is currently attending Sante Fe College studying Digital Media Video Production. In 2020, he launched a YouTube channel, Sebas’ Voiceover World, where he shares voice actor spotlights and interviews with a growing community of over 3,000 subscribers.

In his spare time, Sebas participates in marathons, traveling around the country inspiring hope. 

Sebas' Links

Sebas’ Voice-Over World: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe1FTICIJdmtLAQc8woYpUw

Sebas' Website: https://sebasvoiceoverworld.com

Sebas' Billy Kametz dedication video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-4EAiicORc

Sebas on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sebastian.brannenochoa

Music by John Ewing and Charlie Carignan

Supported by Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation For Autism

Today's episode features DJ, Music Producer, Singer, Sound Designer, Songwriter, and Audio Engineer who has performed in Fresno & Clovis, CA; Fenway Park (2023), Veteran's Memorial Stadium (Quincy, MA 2024), Universal Studio CityWalk (California 2025) and is a local band assistance with Eminent Groove. Ne10!

Also featuring the keyboardist/vocalist of the Eminent Groove band (from Fresno, CA) who is also an R&B, pop, country, soft rock singer-songwriter and producer. Nico Vargas!

Ne10's Linktree

Nico's Spotify

Eminent Groove on Instagram

Fresno, CA, USA Area

July 2025

12 - Wyndham Visalia (Private Party) 8PM-12AM

13 -  Yosemite Falls Cafe: Blackstone 3:30PM-6:30PM

18 - Fresno Elks Lodge 439 7PM-10PM

19- Eagle Mountain Casino 9PM-12AM

25 - Bass Lake Marina Bar & Grill 6PM-9PM

26 - Table Mountain Casino 9PM-12AM

27 - BarrelHouse Brewing Co. Visalia 2PM-5PM

August TBD

Music:

"If Only I Can Help It" performed by Nico Vargas (March 2024)

"Esoteric" by Neoluminum performed by Ne10, DM8 and Easy Password

"Biosphere" by Neoluminum performed Ne10

Special Thanks

Music by John Ewing and Charlie Carignan

Supported by Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation For Autism

Today's episode highlights guest Victoria Boateng.

Victoria is a teaching artist in the art of West African Drumming for individuals with disabilities. She is also the founder of the Victoria Djembe Academy in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Victoria wants to prove that individuals with disabilities that they can do anything they put their mind to. She uses West African Drumming as a way to build social skills, self confidence, independence, and healing from the soul.

As of the posting of this episode, events coming up:

Music by John Ewing and Charlie Carignan

Supported by Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation For Autism