Autism Rocks - A chat with Sam Mitchell

  EP 017

In this episode, I'm talking with Sam Mitchell,  a teenager living with autism.  Sam has had obstacles in the past, and he still has some daily struggles, but he's on a mission to celebrate everybody and to help to reduce the stigma that surrounds autism.

He has a podcast, he is the host of a podcast, autism rocks and rolls, and is a motivational speaker with a TEDx talk, as well.

We talk about:

• Sam's experience of Living with Autism
• Language used when addressing Autism
• Sam's Advice to parents
• Sam's Podcast - Autism Rocks & Rolls
• Talking to celebrities
• Sam's Favourite Interview
• Sam's favourite things
• Sam's Mission and Speaking Events

Link to Sam's podcast: https://www.podbean.com/pu/pbblog-rq2d4-61bf79

Link to Sam's TED Talk: Sam Mitchell: Understanding Autism: Controlling chaos with structure | TED Talk



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Transcript

Unknown: 0:00

Welcome to the everyday determinator podcast with your host, Okafor founder of the determinator collective we want to help you get off that hamster wheel of life and turn you into an everyday the Terminator by sharing stories for people who have overcome varying challenges in life and careers and by reviewing and signposting you to helpful resources to start you on the journey to achieving your goals. For more information on the determinator collective, please visit www.un okafor.co.uk Thanks for listening determinator.

Anne Okafor: 0:50

Hello, and welcome to the everyday determinator Podcast. Today I'm talking with Sam Mitchell is a teenager living with autism. Some has had obstacles and as had in the past, and he still has some daily struggles, but he's on a mission to celebrate everybody. And to help to reduce the stigma that surrounds autism. He has a podcast, his host of a podcast, autism rocks and rolls, and as a motivational speaker as the TED speech as well. Hi, Sam, it's great to have you here with us today. How are you?

Sam Mitchell: 1:23

Yeah, it's good to be here. Thanks for having me on.

Anne Okafor: 1:25

You're very welcome. So tell us a little bit about Sam, what would be like a day in the life of Sam, what does that look like?

Sam Mitchell: 1:33

Well, the day like varieties right now it's just get up at 10am. And because I'm off on break with college, but as of now it is, but in the meantime is really going to college doing podcast, we're in the bed and same old, same old.

Anne Okafor: 1:50

So what are you studying at college, some

Sam Mitchell: 1:52

media entrepreneurship. Right now, in General Studies, as of now I'm hoping to transfer the Vincenz for me or entrepreneurship.

Anne Okafor: 2:03

Okay, cool. Well, that really fits in with what you're doing at the moment with the podcasts and your speaking events. So why the mission that you're on what's so important to you by getting this word out, and the mission that you're on?

Sam Mitchell: 2:16

The show autism acceptance, I think we're aware of it. And that's great, but we're not accepting of it. And that needs to change off the bat. We need to be more accepting of who we are as individuals and who others are as individuals as well.

Anne Okafor: 2:29

Again, no, absolutely. And how best can we do that? You know how best because someone like me, who doesn't really have much knowledge of it? How best can I support someone that has autism? Or how can I be more than aware?

Sam Mitchell: 2:44

Pretty simple, except our quirky and kind of unique traits.

Anne Okafor: 2:48

Okay? Have you in your in your daily life? How do you overcome the obstacles that you may be presented with in terms of living with autism

Sam Mitchell: 2:57

live, what lies every day, like every day is a privilege. I don't take it for granted. But what I use to cope is I use music, I use certain aspects of life, I use calming techniques, I do different things. I sometimes lock myself in the studio, when I'm out right now just to take a breath of fresh air, go outside, do whatever I need to do to help myself out.

Anne Okafor: 3:21

I think in your TED talk, I noticed he said that autism, I think currently maybe affects one in 54 children in the US. So and I know part of your mission is talking to parents who maybe have just got the news that their child has been diagnosed with autism and try and help them to understand that it's, you know, it doesn't need to be a scary thing, and that you can still reach success. And I know your story is very much testament to that. So what would you say to a parent who has maybe just gotten used to that their this diagnosis for their child?

Sam Mitchell: 3:54

I would say don't treat as a threat, but as a gift. And someone else needs a doctor's name to stop saying like, Hey, I'm sorry, Your son has autism or in muscular dystrophy or whatever. Instead say, Hey, I know your son has autism, or muscular dystrophy or spinal bifida. But you know, we'll probably be able to do fine, we'll do block blankety blank.

Anne Okafor: 4:18

Yeah, and not see it. And as I limited, that's a really great, really good point. Because I think we do live in a society where, you know, we do almost apologise for it, and see it as a limiting condition where, you know, it doesn't need to be that way. And it shouldn't be that way. It shouldn't be viewed that way. So what sort of things are you doing? And obviously, you've got the podcast and you're doing some speaking engagements and things to tell people that why it's important to reduce the stigma around autism. So what sort of thing are you telling people when you go around?

Sam Mitchell: 4:50

What I do when I try to go around people is don't do the accepting obviously, if anyone of everybody, but I want them to take the stigma off of autism or other conditions or show that there's no need For pigness, there's nothing to be sorry about.

Anne Okafor: 5:02

No, absolutely. I agree. Is there any other things that we should know about living with autism? That you would like to tell us? You know, in your experience?

Sam Mitchell: 5:13

Yeah, sure, I might. Some that I guess I could say is it might be challenging to converse with them sometimes. But when they're hard headed, or when they're like, got something in their mind when they're focused on they're hyper focused, there is nothing going on else. And when they're conversing, they're want to cause a talk about something, it can be a challenge for them to not to eventually drop the topic we may talk about for two hours. And I personally, I've never seen the problem with it. Probably maybe just because I'm biassed with the autism maybe because that's just who I am. I don't know. But I guess rather, that's a hard reason. And I'm really honest, I don't understand why.

Anne Okafor: 5:48

What would you say are your traits I know people living with autism will have different traits. And what one person may experience another maybe totally different. What would you say your traits are in terms of what you present with?

Sam Mitchell: 6:02

Um, definitely a unique ability to be outside the box and be creative. I like to do certain things that others always you like rewatch wrestling every day of my life. Same, same, same episodes, same series, all that and not go to the new thing. Sometimes I'll stick and watch the same old, same old so I keep it fresh in my mind every day.

Anne Okafor: 6:25

I guess it's not like a comfort thing. You know, it just makes you feel good to to rewatch things.

Sam Mitchell: 6:30

Every watch and study a little more each time. Yeah,

Anne Okafor: 6:33

yeah. And learn more from I know him. You mentioned restaurant there. I know you had an interview with them. One of the stars from WW Pardon my ignorance, because I'm not a very big one. I used to watch a little bit when I was younger, but not so much.

Sam Mitchell: 6:48

Right. So I'll give you that.

Anne Okafor: 6:50

Good. So yeah, I think you had Mick Foley on your on your show. And what was that? Like?

Sam Mitchell: 6:57

It was great, man. He's the I'm telling you. Probably one of the most humble celebrities, if not the most humble. He's in the top five. Yeah. Is he he has some money guy. He was like an average daily Joe. And I guess apparently, I just learned this the other day. He's so like rent room. Sometimes he'd sleep on the couch like a homeless person would.

Anne Okafor: 7:18

I suppose whatever you're comfy with, I guess.

Sam Mitchell: 7:21

I guess I'm surprised because you think he'd go to the hotels and all that. Yeah. Get on the cast, like a homeless person. I thought. That's your, that's your main event right there.

Anne Okafor: 7:32

That's a superpower in itself, isn't it? And the cool part

Sam Mitchell: 7:35

is, and a lot of the wrestlers also be going like after the matches would go to bars and strip clubs and all that, and say that he wasn't like that he was more of like a guy who would like read visit battlefields and museums, and but also then maybe go home, or rush to find the last flight to visit his family. Yeah, you gotta admire that.

Anne Okafor: 7:54

Well, absolutely. And I think that just goes to show that, you know, we're all different sometimes. And you know, even what people may think about us, or you know, what people may see me or we think celebrity, we think, you know, whether we go into the lavish hotels and going to all the parties and actually really, he's just not like that, you know, and I think we all do that. Sometimes we maybe have thoughts in our mind, or someone's gonna be like, and then actually we need to learn a bit and get to know them and find something different. So talking of your podcasts, I know you've had some really good success with the podcast. You know, your am flying really, I think you've got quite a lot of episodes and you've had some some other celebrities. I think I read that you had an Australian rock band on and you've had NASCAR people and lots and lots of different, you know, interesting guests on it. Did you have a favourite episode?

Sam Mitchell: 8:44

With a guest it was for episode wise, it's probably Mick Foley. But I feel like celebrity that wasn't make really as James Durbin. He's the fourth runner up of the American Idol 2011 season, okay. And he has autism, but he he's a rock star. He also has Tourette's Syndrome. And he's a father and all many successful attributes that he has, and he is pretty great too. But I did once upon a time a London you might hurt hear this on he was on Britain's Got Talent, David Tubby. And he's a blind comedian. He was on Britain's Got Talent. And he has a degenerate AI disorder. So he's blind basically, but he still lives like an average Joe.

Anne Okafor: 9:24

Good. I think it's really great that you're showcasing and, you know, people that are living with conditions that, you know, we look at from the outside as being, you know, troublesome or, you know, hard to live with. And I'm sure that our challenges, but the important message that you're getting across is that you know that there's absolutely still the capability for people to succeed and to live your wonderful lives and doing wonderful things. You know yourself you're doing wonderful thing speaking events on your podcast and living a normal, successful life with your kids. rather than, you know, we hear a lot of times people refer to as suffering from a condition that really is living with a condition. Would you agree? Yeah, I

Sam Mitchell: 10:09

would call I would say that. I could say that. Yeah.

Anne Okafor: 10:12

Yeah. So is there a guest maybe that had a different impact on you are something that you learned from one of your guests that you didn't know, on the journey into autism? You know, I think I mentioned before that maybe people have different attributes or different experiences with autism. Did you learn something that surprised you from one of your guests?

Sam Mitchell: 10:35

Sure. Not surprised, but I learned some from her if you hear from Temple Grandin, she's a big autistic advocate and being in the agriculture science world. She's very straight to the point she has or understand chit chat so that's kind of cool about her but what I wanted for her she thinks in pictures and you have to be very specific with her you can't say go to the drawer to the left just be like well, what drawer? The top drawer to the left, you got to be kind of very specific with her. And that's why I think sometimes we're there somewhere on the spectrum you gotta be very specific. You can't say find the one thing is a funny story with me as I once upon a time my grandparents they really say to me go get the thing on the island. Okay, what the heck is an island I envision an island that was saying and trees that's all I know. But I guess on the poverty on the tail is a part of he'll call the island I can never I still cannot figure it out. You gotta be like, Okay, we're on the aisles specifically. corner left on the island up right on the island because the key details here.

Anne Okafor: 11:36

Yeah. Just more detailed. I think you mentioned Temple Grandin. I think you're having a gala as I connect next year.

Sam Mitchell: 11:44

Yes, ma'am. I do not know much my editors knows more about than I'll be honest. But yeah, but I do know she's the keynote speakers will be speaking virtually. We will have social canteen and smoke works. around us. We also have a silent auction that we will be producing. We will have food. We do not know what food yet. We'll be honest. Yeah. And we'll have some music. It'll be a good time.

Anne Okafor: 12:05

Yeah, absolutely. I think you've been you do a number of them speaking and things like that, don't you you go about and do speaking events as much as you do your podcast, right?

Sam Mitchell: 12:14

I've I haven't done much. I've done a couple I've spoken I you nurses and any other university. I've also spoken to I've done like may smallest to a chamber of commerce. But the big one I have is February 2022, where I'll be speaking in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma to a National Autism conference.

Anne Okafor: 12:33

Okay, that's amazing. So how are you preparing for that?

Sam Mitchell: 12:37

I haven't done much of it yet. We've been so busy. But we're hoping one day that will get you and I have like a full PowerPoint. All right. I'm going to use and the like I've used some passing. Let's go tweak it up a little bit. Yeah. Make it easy on us.

Anne Okafor: 12:48

So you're excited about that opportunity? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Good.

Sam Mitchell: 12:53

to Oklahoma. I'm excited to visit I guess a fairly broken air isn't big. And I'm excited because even though it's not the biggest experience, I love the travel challenge. Always a fun experience when I try like a vacation like a big holiday sometimes. Yeah. Business trip. But, you know, I like to experience the world a little bit. I told my mother like, if we go here, that's fine. But understand we need to experience a little bit of this. Even if it's going to the broken smallest broken arrows. Oklahoma Museum. Yeah, let's just experience a little bit. You

Anne Okafor: 13:23

know, I Well, that's something I'm meeting you have in common there some because when I like to go somewhere, even if as a business shop, I like to go somewhere and experience something even if it is like you say one museum or one park or just a part of that.

Sam Mitchell: 13:38

I've been a big fan of national parks because to me national parks always the same. It's like, oh, you know, I can see this in Indiana. in museums. You can't see some stuff in Indiana. Yeah. And there's some that I mean, I'm a big fan of like zip lining tours, learning shopping. I mean, not like, like shopping like souvenir shopping. Wax museums always been a big fan of that. And like every big kid at heart need amusement parks. Yeah, we love probably a go to for me as a an waterparks. But probably a big go to for me is because of the themes. And it's different each time and I personally love that.

Anne Okafor: 14:12

Good. Well, I hope you have a great trip. When you go to Oklahoma in February, then I'm sure you will. And what would you say to people who are looking to maybe support people with autism, in reducing the stigma and, you know, increasing awareness around what your mission is? What would you say to those people, people that want to help the mission?

Sam Mitchell: 14:36

Well, I would say the way to get involved is really to contact me in like a fair way for you to definitely help out. But really, sponsorship is a big way of helping assure that you're behind this mission every Dang day. Or collaborative work with me. I'm always looking for collaborative work. And feel free to ask questions. If you have a question about someone who's on the spectrum or someone who is autistic and What you should do, that's a way to help I can show you what to do where we can learn the ropes.

Anne Okafor: 15:05

That would be great. And what we'll do is we'll include your website and things in the links to podcasts in here. So that if people want to listen to some of the episodes we've spoken about or get in contact with you, we can do that. What other things do you like to enjoy someone who you mentioned they're going to museums and settling in but what do you do for fun when you're you know, you've been at college all day, and you come home and you've had your dinner? What do you do for fun?

Sam Mitchell: 15:31

Probably a lot of music to help just to calm down for the day and wake up for the day and then just relax really big fan that I hang out with friends or something I do. Love going out to eat is a probably a big thing our family likes it like at Outback Steakhouse why my favourite restaurant of all time, believe it or not Burger King. I mean not like fast food but like sit in spots like me Crossroads we like to go out to eat. That's our probably our probably the thing that keeps our family holding up our notches that pie the love and support I get but as far as favourite things to do, that's something we all love to do.

Anne Okafor: 16:05

I think can your mom and some of your family maybe helped with the podcast and the production and things that there's

Sam Mitchell: 16:12

a we have a board, and my mother is on the board? My father is on the board, but my grandfather is also on the board

Anne Okafor: 16:19

to keep it all going with you and keep the mission rolling.

Sam Mitchell: 16:23

Yeah, but we have other people who support it. Yeah, treasurer and a secretary who's not related at all.

Anne Okafor: 16:30

Okay, so you mentioned music as well. What kind of music do you go to? What's your faves?

Sam Mitchell: 16:36

Rock? Right. Also, I like a little bit of variety as well. Country rap. You know? I mean, I like to keep it all the same.

Anne Okafor: 16:45

Yeah. Well, I mean, I agree with that. I'm the same. I'm a rock'n'roll heart, probably as well. Whereas most of my friends are probably not. But yes, it's good fun to have a bit of

Sam Mitchell: 16:56

horror music. I'm not a big fan like games startled or anything like that. I know. It just makes me mad. But I don't mind scaring someone else. So it's kind of an odd, right? personal perspective. But I do like horror music. I guess some of the horror music that's slow and kind of odd is very comforting, and is cool and calm and relaxing to me.

Anne Okafor: 17:15

Yeah. It's all about finding something that works for you. And I think depends what your mood you're in that day as well, doesn't it? If you're trying to relax? Or if you're trying to go party, then it's two different things, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. Well, so you know, it's really good talking to you. Is it anything else that you would like to tell our listeners in terms of your mission? Or anything about Autism Live not picked up today? Is there anything else you'd like to add to the conversation for reclose?

Sam Mitchell: 17:45

Well, I guess obviously, what's my advice? I think the role could be nice and not be stupid. I think we get along perfectly and pretty well. And even the second part be stupid. It's hard for me. So admit that.

Anne Okafor: 17:55

Yeah. Well, thank you so much, Sam. I really appreciate that. It's been lovely talking to you. And what we'll do is we'll example add your links into the show notes for this episode, so that people can contact Sam Alexey. He's got a fabulous website and what's awesome information and pictures and of the guests that he spoke to on autism rocks and rolls. And, you know, so we recommend that people take a listen. And as Sam said, get in touch, if there is anything that you would like to ask or contribute to the mission as well, in terms of sponsorship, or, you know, helping in any way. Thank you so much for joining us, Sam would really appreciate that. And you've been given us some really good insight into what you do and what your mission is. And we'd really appreciate that. So thank you very much.

Sam Mitchell: 18:46

You are welcome. And thank you for having me on again. It's been an honour.

Anne Okafor: 18:49

Your remarkable Thank you. So whether you're bouncing back from a challenge or story forward to the next one, the determinant our collective is here for you. Stay remarkable the terminators.

Unknown: 18:59

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe so you don't miss when new episodes are posted. He will continue to deliver real life insights on overcoming challenges, practical tips and advice on becoming unstuck with a collective of people just like you are everyday the Terminator. Until next time, take care of yourselves and your friends. Thanks for listening to terminators