Dyspraxia, journalism and life-changing storytelling – with Nadine Drummond
Beyond 6 Seconds: Neurodiversity stories from neurodivergent people
05/09/22
•64m
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Nadine Drummond is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker from London with roots in Jamaica. A former producer and reporter at CNN and Al Jazeera, she now develops media and content strategy for 14 African countries in her role at the United Nations.
Nadine is also dyspraxic. She struggled growing up pre-diagnosis. When her disability was finally diagnosed in college, she denied and hid her dyspraxia at first, then came to accept it and eventually talk about it publicly in a LinkedIn post that went viral in 2021.
Nadine wasn't supposed to be a journalist. She was supposed to be a lawyer – that was the career path her family picked for her. After realizing she hated law school, though, she broke away from her family's expectations. She left her home country to build her career in journalism – a profession where she uses her dyspraxic strengths to improve and save the lives of people around the world.
On this episode, Nadine shares all of these stories and more. Her experience is a testament to how working in your strengths can empower you to make a difference.
(Content warning: Starting around minute 50 of this episode, Nadine talks about gender based violence and sexual assault in Central African Republic. This is the topic of her life-changing film that helped extend the life of The Water Project, which directly protected and improved the lives of the women living in that country.)
Learn more about Nadine at the links below:
- "This Little Girl is me" – Nadine's viral LinkedIn post
- Nadine's Medium blog
- Nadine's journalism projects
Watch the video of this interview on YouTube!
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Click here for the episode transcript.
*Disclaimer: The views, guidance, opinions, and thoughts expressed in Beyond 6 Seconds episodes are solely mine and/or those of my guests, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer or other organizations.*
Previous Episode
This podcast was recorded live at the Intersectional Infinity Summit on 3/30/2022.
Ky Kennedy is a mother, lactation consultant, author and autism advocate. After seeing a need for an autistic founded and ran organization, Ky and their sister founded Autistics Unmasked (AU). Now Ky and the rest of the team at AU are well on their way to providing educational resources to schools, employers and family members of autistic people across the nation.
During this session, we discuss:
- Ky's experiences as an undiagnosed autistic child and their self-diagnosis in adulthood
- Why Ky and their sister founded AU to support BIPOC and queer autistic people
- Some of the challenges that autistic BIPOC face in society, and how AU is addressing these challenges through educational curriculums for first responders and schools
- The exciting work AU is doing now and planning for the future!
Learn more about Autistics Unmasked at www.AutisticsUnmasked.org.
Learn more about the Intersectional Infinity Summit on Twitter @NINE_On_Can.
Watch the video of this interview on YouTube!
Subscribe to the FREE Beyond 6 Seconds newsletter for early access to new episodes!
Click here for the episode transcript.
*Disclaimer: The views, guidance, opinions, and thoughts expressed in Beyond 6 Seconds episodes are solely mine and/or those of my guests, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer or other organizations.*
Next Episode
Fabulously Tourette – with Peter Zhao
May 16, 2022
•43m
Content warning: Mentions of racism/racist language, suicidal thoughts and auditory hallucinations
Peter Zhao grew up in Nanjing China and then in Bayside Queens, New York. Now he lives in Long Island, New York, works in Healthcare, and is a husband and father of two sons.
Peter has Tourette Syndrome, ADHD and OCD, and recently got his bipolar diagnosis. He started to advocate for Tourette's after he fought back against bullies in 7th grade and continues to advocate for Tourette Syndrome awareness and mental health every day.
During this episode, you will hear Peter talk about:
- The different cultural expectations he faced in China and the US regarding his tics and mental health
- How he finally received his bipolar diagnosis as an adult
- His experience with managing his tics and mental health, both with and without medication
- His journey of becoming an advocate for Tourette Syndrome and mental health, starting from 7th grade into adulthood
Connect with Peter on social media:
IG: @fabulously_tourette TikTok: @fabulouslytourette Twitter: @FabulouslyTour1 Facebook: FabulouslyTourette
Watch the video of this interview on YouTube!
Subscribe to the FREE Beyond 6 Seconds newsletter for early access to new episodes!
Click here for the episode transcript.
*Disclaimer: The views, guidance, opinions, and thoughts expressed in Beyond 6 Seconds episodes are solely mine and/or those of my guests, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer or other organizations.*
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