Show Notes
Hey everyone, just a heads up that in this episode Jessica mentions times in her life when she was suicidal. If this brings up anything for you, please reach out to someone you trust, or contact one of the support lines we’ve included in the show notes. Take care of yourselves, and feel free to pause or skip this one if you need to.
This week we are chatting to Jessica Horner about neurodivergent stories. Jessica is a proudly AuDHD and disabled woman and she works as a policy advisor with People With Disability Australia. She has previously worked as a journalist at the ABC, where she focused on the experiences of late diagnosed Autistic adults across Australia and wrote, among other pieces, a long form feature article called “A Rich New Lens”. She would later be nominated as a finalist for this article, alongside her producer, for the Media Diversity Australia Award, issued by the Walkley Foundation in 2023. She has also written for ABC Everyday, ABC News, Reframing Autism, Yooralla, and others.
In this episode we deep dive into how neurodivergent stories are told, by whom, and for what purpose, and unpack to impact of this on the neurodivergent community.
We cover: How Jessica thinks about neurodivergence. Jessica’s experience of her neurodivergence, and how this evolved over time along with her sense of self and identity. What are stories, why do we tell stories, and why are stories important? How power dynamics become embedded in cultural stories and ways we can work to shift this. Unpacking how neurodivergent stories are told. What does trauma-informed journalism and storytelling look like? Jessica’s current hyperfixations and a personal story on how Autism can show up for her.
You can find Jessica through her website, Spoonfuls of Whimsy, or on Instagram and Facebook @spoonfuls_of_whimsy
Looking for mental health support? Try these resources: Immediate Support Lifeline Australia — 13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention) Suicide Call Back Service — 1300 659 467 (24/7 telephone and online counselling for people affected by suicide) Beyond Blue — 1300 22 4636 (24/7 support for anxiety, depression, and suicide prevention) Kids Helpline — 1800 55 1800 (24/7 free, private, and confidential phone and online counselling for young people aged 5 to 25) Additional Resources headspace — Support for young people aged 12–25, with mental health, physical health, work, and study support. SANE Australia — Support for people living with complex mental health issues and their families. 13YARN — 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support line run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) QLife — 1800 184 527 (Support for LGBTQIA+ people, available every day from 3pm to midnight)
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More from The Neurodivergent Woman
For our final episode for Season 7, we’re thrilled to welcome clinical psychologist and lived-experience speaker, Lumen Gorrie (they / them), to speak with us about gender diversity. Lumen is a queer, trans, multiply neurodivergent, chronically ill, and disabled person based in Naarm. Lumen is passionate about neurodivergence, gender, queerness, disability and accessibility, making systemic change, and (in their words) neuroqueering the heck out of things!
This week Monique chats with Avril Fazel about living in regional, rural, and remote areas as a neurodivergent person. Avril lives on the lands of Kuungkari, Bidjera and Inningai peoples, between the rural towns of Blackall and Tambo in outback Queensland. She identifies as intersectional feminist with lived experiences in mental illness and neurodivergence, and her social discourse is influenced by her backgrounds in education, community work, and being a local grazier.
In this week’s episode we’ll be discussing family violence and domestic abuse. These are important conversations, but they can also be distressing or triggering for some listeners. If this episode feels too difficult to listen to right now, please take care of yourself and consider coming back to it when you feel ready—or just skipping it altogether. And if you or someone you know is currently experiencing domestic abuse, please know that you're not alone and that support is available. We’ve included links and resources below if you need help or someone to talk to.
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