Ep. 02 - From Diagnosis to TEDx: How Sam Mitchell is Flipping the Narrative on Autism

Sam Mitchell doesn’t just talk about autism he lives it, owns it, and redefines what it means.
As the host of Autism Rocks and Rolls, Sam has interviewed legends like Temple Grandin and Mick Foley. But his real impact is proving that success doesn’t come in spite of being different, it often comes because of it.

In this episode, Sam joins host Pratyush to talk about breaking stigma, starting a business as a teenager, surviving internet pressure, and the truth about building confidence in a world that still doesn’t fully get neurodiversity.
It’s raw. It’s uplifting. And it’s the reminder you didn’t know you needed: You’re not behind. You’re just different. And different might be your superpower.

Tune in to hear:

• What inspired Sam’s award-winning podcast
• The biggest myth about autism he wants to destroy
• How he’s built a brand, a business, and a movement before 21
• What schools, parents, and creators need to rethink now

Connect with Sam:
Website | YouTube | Podcast

About Pk:
Pratyush has been a designer for more than 6 years. He started creating content to share his knowledge and establish a connection between design and business. He believes that knowledge grows by sharing and he wants to do just that. He is in a journey to help fellow freelancers and content creators make a profitable career.

Connect with Pk: LinkedIn | X | YouTube

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Transcript

00:00:04 [Speaker 1]
Hello, everyone.
00:00:05 [Speaker 1]
I'm Pratyush, and welcome back to our first episode of The Underdog Protagonist, the podcast for those who are there in the hustle period of their lives.
00:00:13 [Speaker 1]
Today's episode is more than a conversation.
00:00:16 [Speaker 1]
It's a challenge to how you see labels, limitations, and what normal even means.
00:00:22 [Speaker 1]
Today, we are joined by Sam Mitchell, a motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and a fellow host of the podcast, autism rocks and rolls.

00:00:32 [Speaker 1]
He had conversations with everyone starting from Temple Grandin to WWE legend Mick Foley.
00:00:38 [Speaker 1]
But he's the proof that success does not need to look like what you expect.
00:00:44 [Speaker 1]
Sam's mission is clear.
00:00:45 [Speaker 1]
He's not broken, and he does not need to be fixed, and neither do millions of people living with autism.
00:00:51 [Speaker 1]
Today, we dive into his journey, the stigmas he's smashing, and why being different can be your biggest strength.

00:00:58 [Speaker 1]
So without any further ado, let's welcome Sam to the podcast.
00:01:09 [Speaker 1]
Hi, Sam.
00:01:09 [Speaker 1]
How are you doing?

00:01:10 [Speaker 2]
Hey, buddy.
00:01:11 [Speaker 2]
Good to be here.
00:01:12 [Speaker 2]
Thanks for having me on today.

00:01:13 [Speaker 1]
Likewise, Sam.
00:01:14 [Speaker 1]
Likewise.
00:01:15 [Speaker 1]
So, Sam, just to give a quick context about you to the listeners, could you share about you briefly?

00:01:23 [Speaker 2]
Yeah.
00:01:23 [Speaker 2]
So I'm Sam Mitchell.
00:01:25 [Speaker 2]
I run a podcast called autism rocks and rolls.
00:01:27 [Speaker 2]
It's a podcast about autism and how we cope with daily struggles that you may or may not understand.
00:01:32 [Speaker 2]
Through the podcast, it's grown so much.

00:01:33 [Speaker 2]
I developed sponsors, a board of six, an event planner, any actions where I'm from.
00:01:38 [Speaker 2]
I also do motivational speaking services.
00:01:40 [Speaker 2]
I've spoken in Oklahoma, Orlando three times, Anna twice, Stuart, Florida, and Washington DC.
00:01:46 [Speaker 2]
I was a keynote speaker in Daniels, West Virginia, and spoken in Columbus, Ohio.
00:01:50 [Speaker 2]
But through the podcast, what I'm really trying to do is change a stigma and a population, like, a view on a population that in my view gets ignored way too much.

00:02:02 [Speaker 1]
Gotcha.
00:02:05 [Speaker 1]
So I know I'm curious and likewise many of the listeners might be curious as well.
00:02:10 [Speaker 1]
It's such a common name but it still feels a bit uncommon out of the box.
00:02:16 [Speaker 1]
Why did you choose the name autism rocks and rolls?
00:02:18 [Speaker 1]
Why did not anything else?

00:02:21 [Speaker 2]
Well, because the autism part is I have it, so it had to make sense.
00:02:25 [Speaker 2]
And then the rocks and rolls is because I'm a big fan of the rock and roll genre music.
00:02:30 [Speaker 2]
Rock and roll music genre.
00:02:31 [Speaker 2]
I have, like, bands like ACDC, Nickelback.
00:02:34 [Speaker 2]
Those are a tie for my favorite ones.

00:02:36 [Speaker 2]
And then ones like Motley Crue, Elvis Presley, Papa Roach, Stars.
00:02:42 [Speaker 2]
I'm trying to get who else here.
00:02:43 [Speaker 2]
Anthrax.

00:02:45 [Speaker 1]
Gotcha.
00:02:45 [Speaker 1]
Do, if you are if I ask you to recall about the first episode you ever hit record for for the podcast in autism rocks and rolls, What was that movement, you know, that ignited the spark within you and pushed you really to start that podcast?

00:03:04 [Speaker 2]
The first episode was a test run.
00:03:06 [Speaker 2]
It was just an introductory about myself and how I who I am and how you can get to know me pretty much pretty well.
00:03:12 [Speaker 2]
And that one was more, just to see if things would go smoothly and got a lot of downloads.
00:03:19 [Speaker 2]
So I figured, well, let's see how this goes.
00:03:22 [Speaker 2]
Let's continue it, and I've continued it since.

00:03:25 [Speaker 1]
What did it feel like when you hit, you know, publish and you got to see your, you know, your voice out there in the public?
00:03:33 [Speaker 1]
How how did what emotion did it spark within you?

00:03:36 [Speaker 2]
Well, the emotion was great, and I'm just so happy for myself that I was able to get a download at least because I was expecting it to be zero, but it wasn't, thankfully.
00:03:49 [Speaker 2]
And I've heard my voice before because before autism rocks and rolls began, I was doing my school's podcast, helping them out through my high school's media club, and that's why I found out that podcasting.
00:04:00 [Speaker 2]
And that's when I found Lovett so much, I wanted to start my own podcast.
00:04:04 [Speaker 2]
Mhmm.
00:04:05 [Speaker 2]
It was a good feeling though with with both.

00:04:08 [Speaker 2]
Sense of pride in retrospect.

00:04:10 [Speaker 1]
Yeah.
00:04:10 [Speaker 1]
So you have, been an entrepreneur, and big entrepreneur meaning, you must have built a lot of brands or helped brands you know succeed or help them scale to a level right?
00:04:21 [Speaker 1]
So podcasting in a way is also creating a brand it's your personal brand right?
00:04:27 [Speaker 1]
So it's not only creating a brand, you're also creating a movement because you're speaking to something, a topic which is a bit sensitive for a lot of people.
00:04:35 [Speaker 1]
Not a lot of people talk about it or feel ashamed in a way and don't like to express a lot about those things, and you're kind of bringing that stigma to build more confidence for those people, which is really, really great.

00:04:47 [Speaker 1]
But when did you realize that this is something bigger than you, and it needs to go out there?

00:04:52 [Speaker 2]
It really does something bigger than me when I started noticing people actually coming up to me and saying, you give me hope or people are not in my podcast.
00:05:04 [Speaker 2]
They're understanding.
00:05:05 [Speaker 2]
They're turning into the leaders themselves because I'm just the guy giving resources.
00:05:11 [Speaker 2]
They're the ones taking it for what it is and they're actually gaining help and feeling better about themselves because of my resource.
00:05:21 [Speaker 2]
It was really over time.

00:05:22 [Speaker 2]
It wasn't really specific time frame though.

00:05:24 [Speaker 1]
Okay.
00:05:24 [Speaker 1]
Do Do you have any love for entertainment or any, love for that creative energy that you see in people?

00:05:32 [Speaker 2]
Yeah.
00:05:32 [Speaker 2]
I definitely have a love for that energy because it's showing that I'm doing something right, and I've always wanted to help out the world, but and I had the opportunity to until I started autism rocks and rolls.

00:05:44 [Speaker 1]
Yeah.
00:05:46 [Speaker 1]
For a lot of people, you know, living with any sort of boundaries or any sort of ailments or maybe you're not that maybe even a limiting belief feels like a blockage you know and that limitation makes them or keeps them from doing anything special or you know going out of the way But once you are stepping out of your comfort zone doing something, achieving something, it feels like a liberation.
00:06:14 [Speaker 1]
Right?
00:06:15 [Speaker 1]
So for you living with autism, how did that shift of narrative came to be from, you know, limitation to feeling like you have achieved liberation now?

00:06:25 [Speaker 2]
Oh, limitation to feeling the word you just said.
00:06:29 [Speaker 2]
I didn't understand it.
00:06:30 [Speaker 2]
But the word I would say my stock and limitation is in my personal journey when at 16 years old, I quit people pleasing.
00:06:41 [Speaker 2]
And after I decided to stop people pleasing, my life changed.
00:06:45 [Speaker 2]
I became more confident in myself.

00:06:47 [Speaker 2]
I grew in podcast.
00:06:48 [Speaker 2]
I got more friends in my world, and I was able to just talk to people without shaking.

00:06:56 [Speaker 1]
Is there is there anything that often gets misunderstood about autism?

00:07:01 [Speaker 2]
Yeah.
00:07:01 [Speaker 2]
We're broken people.
00:07:02 [Speaker 2]
There's a population of autism, and there's a reason why it's called spectrum.
00:07:07 [Speaker 2]
Mhmm.
00:07:08 [Speaker 2]
That everyone on the spectrum is at one end of the spectrum.

00:07:14 [Speaker 2]
Right.
00:07:15 [Speaker 2]
It's not everywhere.
00:07:16 [Speaker 2]
Here's my example.
00:07:17 [Speaker 2]
So we have person a named Hamilton, for example.
00:07:23 [Speaker 2]
Hamilton is on what's the site called?

00:07:27 [Speaker 2]
Bloat functioning.
00:07:27 [Speaker 2]
I hate that term because I think it's too harsh.
00:07:30 [Speaker 2]
He has a mindset of a three year old.
00:07:32 [Speaker 2]
He's what everyone thinks autism is.
00:07:35 [Speaker 2]
Neurologically, he came to the bathroom on his own.

00:07:38 [Speaker 2]
He can't brush his teeth on his own.
00:07:41 [Speaker 2]
Then we all drive a car.
00:07:42 [Speaker 2]
He has to live at home.
00:07:45 [Speaker 2]
Education is on a second grade level.
00:07:49 [Speaker 2]
But then we but people forget about b or c because b, person b is Evan.

00:07:55 [Speaker 2]
Evan is on the middle end, which, again, hate that term, but realistically, he has the mindset of a 10 year old.
00:08:03 [Speaker 2]
He lives independently.
00:08:05 [Speaker 2]
People check on him.
00:08:06 [Speaker 2]
He can brush his teeth.
00:08:08 [Speaker 2]
He go to the bathroom on his own.

00:08:10 [Speaker 2]
He can hold a job, but it's not a Cosmo degree job.
00:08:14 [Speaker 2]
It's working at Walmart, for example.
00:08:16 [Speaker 2]
Mhmm.
00:08:18 [Speaker 2]
But then people also get people like c who has the name Sam.
00:08:24 [Speaker 2]
He's mine for example.

00:08:25 [Speaker 1]
Okay.

00:08:25 [Speaker 2]
Sam realistically, biologically is 22.
00:08:29 [Speaker 2]
But mentally, I would say I'm 19 years old, but I can still do stuff.
00:08:34 [Speaker 2]
I can go to the bathroom on my own.
00:08:35 [Speaker 2]
I can brush my teeth on my own.
00:08:37 [Speaker 2]
I just graduated college and went to college, for example.

00:08:40 [Speaker 2]
I just think at socializing.
00:08:44 [Speaker 2]
You don't need to look at both all end of the spectrum, not just think.
00:08:50 [Speaker 2]
Everyone on spectrum is a three year old.

00:08:52 [Speaker 1]
Right.
00:08:54 [Speaker 1]
You have, certainly made a lot of achievements and being, in a top 10 in people's choice awards is huge thing.
00:09:02 [Speaker 1]
And having your forecast, you know, ranking in the top threes and the I think in Canada, was it?
00:09:09 [Speaker 1]
It ranked in top three.

00:09:10 [Speaker 2]
Yeah.
00:09:10 [Speaker 2]
I didn't know that.
00:09:11 [Speaker 2]
That's what my mother told me.

00:09:13 [Speaker 1]
And I think those achievements are not a small feat and, I believe when you are starting with something there are a lot of people who pull your legs, like, we call them here the crap mentality people who don't like people to succeed they will often pull your leg down when you're trying to climb up.
00:09:31 [Speaker 1]
So there must be people who have told you that you can't do this or that.
00:09:38 [Speaker 1]
And what did you exactly do, and how did you prove them wrong?
00:09:42 [Speaker 1]
And how did that shift of mindset within them, you know, came to be?

00:09:46 [Speaker 2]
I showed them.
00:09:47 [Speaker 2]
When they said you can't do it, I did it.
00:09:51 [Speaker 2]
That's what I did was I pretty much just spoke with my actions instead of my words.

00:09:56 [Speaker 1]
You often say that, in your forecast sessions and the places where you have arrived that, autism is not what makes people broken, you know, and it's not something that needs to be fixed fixed.
00:10:12 [Speaker 1]
So what does that mean to you right now?

00:10:15 [Speaker 2]
Well, it means to me that they don't need society to treat them any differently.
00:10:20 [Speaker 2]
They don't need to feel like outcast.
00:10:25 [Speaker 2]
We can still be a part of the group.

00:10:27 [Speaker 1]
Great.
00:10:27 [Speaker 1]
So going back into the reflections on the interviews that you had with the personalities, Temple Brandon, Mick Foley, Armani Williams, and a whole lot more, you have had a lot of these powerful guests in your podcast.
00:10:42 [Speaker 1]
Was there any particular conversation with them that changed you?

00:10:47 [Speaker 2]
Well, on the moment, Temple Grandin and I had, it made me realize that not you know, everyone spectrum thinks in words like myself.
00:10:53 [Speaker 2]
Mhmm.
00:10:54 [Speaker 2]
They they think in pictures possibly.
00:10:56 [Speaker 2]
They're visual thinkers, bottom up thinkers.

00:10:59 [Speaker 1]
Mhmm.

00:11:00 [Speaker 2]
Everyone on the spectrum is not the same human being.
00:11:04 [Speaker 2]
Kinda like what Temple said earlier in her life.
00:11:06 [Speaker 2]
When you meet one person with autism, you met one person with autism.

00:11:10 [Speaker 1]
And what have these guests taught you about confidence and living in a community?

00:11:15 [Speaker 2]
Well, that guess really wasn't much with confidence as it was the way those with autism think.
00:11:21 [Speaker 2]
The confidence was in myself.
00:11:22 [Speaker 2]
Mhmm.
00:11:24 [Speaker 2]
Because after seeing it, it didn't work for fifteen years of mine.
00:11:28 [Speaker 2]
I just had a change or I wouldn't have made it in this world.

00:11:31 [Speaker 2]
I wouldn't be going to college or graduating recently.
00:11:34 [Speaker 2]
No way if I didn't change my ways or make a difference in my life somehow.
00:11:40 [Speaker 2]
Mhmm.

00:11:41 [Speaker 1]
Oftentimes, what happens is that when we are we are conversating with someone, it's mostly on the surface level.
00:11:48 [Speaker 1]
Right?
00:11:48 [Speaker 1]
And being a podcaster, you need to ask deeper questions.
00:11:51 [Speaker 1]
You need to have that deeper connection, with the people.
00:11:54 [Speaker 1]
So how do you prepare for those conversations that go deeper than most?

00:12:00 [Speaker 2]
I dissect.
00:12:01 [Speaker 2]
The way I call it is I go to into the interview by doing research on people.
00:12:08 [Speaker 2]
If you were my guest, I would ask about your podcast for sure.
00:12:12 [Speaker 2]
I'm the interdoc protagonist.
00:12:13 [Speaker 2]
Mhmm.

00:12:14 [Speaker 2]
But then I try to find you on other media platforms or see if you've done any other interviews, and then just dissect follow-up questions or dissect questions I had about that particular topic.

00:12:26 [Speaker 1]
Mhmm.
00:12:28 [Speaker 1]
And how do you come up with these questions?

00:12:30 [Speaker 2]
I go to the questions through my mind or sometimes I've used AI before, but I try my best to avoid that Mhmm.
00:12:37 [Speaker 2]
Because I want to be my own work but if it comes down to it I will use it for ideas.

00:12:43 [Speaker 1]
Okay.
00:12:43 [Speaker 1]
I just want to hold it back and talk about what life has been you know in your teenage years when you were in school and you know having friends doing activities playing sports How's that, era or that phase of your life like?

00:13:04 [Speaker 2]
It was probably one of my favorite times in my life because I got people for the first time in my life, and I felt secure.
00:13:12 [Speaker 2]
Mhmm.
00:13:12 [Speaker 2]
I felt safe, and I knew who I could rely on.

00:13:17 [Speaker 1]
And, do you have any cousins?
00:13:19 [Speaker 1]
Do you have, a small family or

00:13:22 [Speaker 2]
do you have

00:13:22 [Speaker 1]
a nuclear family, big family?

00:13:24 [Speaker 2]
If you meet intermediate family, it's just me and mother and father.
00:13:28 [Speaker 2]
But if you meet extended family, I got a lot of cousins on one side of the family.

00:13:32 [Speaker 1]
Do they live, nearby?

00:13:34 [Speaker 2]
They live in New York, some in Indiana, but just due to busyness, we don't get a lot of time to see each other.
00:13:40 [Speaker 2]
My best friend is my cousin who goes back and forth from Tennessee to Indiana.
00:13:45 [Speaker 2]
Mhmm.
00:13:46 [Speaker 2]
And then my other friend is pretty much like my brother, but just because of the business, we don't get to chat a whole lot, but we definitely still make time for each other.

00:13:56 [Speaker 1]
Mhmm.
00:13:56 [Speaker 1]
If I talk about my life and my teens, I was kind of an introvert if I have a group of friends with me and they get to connect with a new guy or girl, certainly because we are a group we get to know about the new person there But I never I was never the person who, you know, went out of the way and connected with new people.
00:14:22 [Speaker 1]
So consider myself an introvert.
00:14:24 [Speaker 1]
So

00:14:25 [Speaker 2]
I'm very introverted at first, but once you get to know me, I become very extroverted.
00:14:30 [Speaker 2]
Once you get to know me, I become more comfortable.
00:14:33 [Speaker 2]
I like to joke and say it's kinda like a stray cat turning into a domestic cat.
00:14:38 [Speaker 2]
At first, I'm very timid, not afraid to run away from you.
00:14:42 [Speaker 2]
But once I get used to to even get a grip on who you are, then I'm ready to rub against your leg.

00:14:51 [Speaker 1]
Yeah likewise I mean you get to show your true self when you're trusting people when you're with your tribe right and I feel the same way when I'm with my cousins with my I'm with my brothers and sisters, and they just make me feel like I'm belonging there.
00:15:07 [Speaker 1]
Right?

00:15:08 [Speaker 2]
Right.
00:15:08 [Speaker 2]
You know, a lot of people have become friends with family.
00:15:11 [Speaker 2]
A lot of people said, oh, my mom's their best friend.
00:15:13 [Speaker 2]
Oh, my dad's their best friend.
00:15:15 [Speaker 2]
I have a hard time with that because I'm very old school.

00:15:18 [Speaker 2]
And to me, I don't think that's appropriate to consider your mom or your dad your best friend.

00:15:24 [Speaker 1]
Yeah.
00:15:24 [Speaker 1]
I mean, there's a generational gap.
00:15:26 [Speaker 1]
They might feel something.
00:15:27 [Speaker 1]
They will act like your friend, but not really that.
00:15:30 [Speaker 1]
Eventually, your parents.

00:15:31 [Speaker 1]
Right?

00:15:32 [Speaker 2]
No.
00:15:32 [Speaker 2]
And then that's why at the end of the day, they're your parents who have changed your diaper, discipline you, and I can't be friends with someone who's literally had a clean up after me.

00:15:44 [Speaker 1]
Yeah.
00:15:45 [Speaker 1]
Great.
00:15:45 [Speaker 1]
So let's kick it up a notch let's talk about the hustle that you have failed, hustle that you have felt or you know experienced and the way you have shaped the story and the way you interact with people and the way you look at mental wellness, you know.
00:16:05 [Speaker 1]
Do you ever feel the pressure to perform in a certain way because of the platform that you have built?

00:16:13 [Speaker 2]
I've had it perform in a lot of ways.
00:16:15 [Speaker 2]
I've heard from people who have listened to my podcast.
00:16:19 [Speaker 2]
I speak way too fast, and I have a hard time with slowing it down.
00:16:23 [Speaker 2]
But it's also because I have ADHD, and there's a big science research study because I had a hypothesis that people with ADHD speak fast.
00:16:33 [Speaker 2]
Turns out I was right.

00:16:34 [Speaker 2]
There's a whole science behind it.

00:16:36 [Speaker 1]
I can relate because I also speak fast.
00:16:39 [Speaker 1]
A few times I try to slow down when I hit record again stop the recording play back the footage and see like oh I was fast I need to re record it so yeah I can totally relate to that I mean I am also one of those guys who have been diagnosed by ADHD.
00:16:55 [Speaker 1]
It was not a doctor but still diagnosed with AI.
00:17:01 [Speaker 1]
I don't know if that's that counts or not but anyways this toll that you have on you know your mental health is something that people don't check for often and it's weird that you have done it at your end But I'm really curious on how you, you know, maintain that mental clarity while, you know, ensuring that your well-being is is preserved as a, you know, creator.

00:17:30 [Speaker 2]
I try to when I can at my utmost, I can when I'm people out as I call it is not be around people in certain crowds.
00:17:43 [Speaker 2]
I had to prepare for it.
00:17:45 [Speaker 2]
So go into a concert, for example, I can do it.
00:17:49 [Speaker 2]
I just need time to prepare for it because I know it's gonna be a lot of people just Mhmm.
00:17:54 [Speaker 2]
Swamped in there, and I'm not a fan of big crowds.

00:17:58 [Speaker 2]
I'll do it.
00:17:58 [Speaker 2]
It's just that I'm not gonna do it every often.
00:18:03 [Speaker 2]
Like, put this way, don't spend me at a concert or a theme park every weekend.

00:18:08 [Speaker 1]
Gotcha.
00:18:09 [Speaker 1]
Is there any advice that you give to someone who feels different or unsure if they can make it?

00:18:15 [Speaker 2]
Well, I always believe that for fifteen years, no one's gonna find me interesting.

00:18:21 [Speaker 1]
Mhmm.

00:18:21 [Speaker 2]
I now say and probably the first way to say this, but bullshit.
00:18:25 [Speaker 2]
Because here's why.
00:18:28 [Speaker 2]
There's 8,000,000,000 people on Earth.

00:18:30 [Speaker 1]
Yeah.

00:18:31 [Speaker 2]
If you believe 8,000,000,000 people on Earth are not gonna find you interesting, you will be widely mistaken because not that's unrealistic.
00:18:43 [Speaker 2]
Someone will.
00:18:45 [Speaker 2]
It may not be who you expect.
00:18:47 [Speaker 2]
It could be an 80 year old grandfather, World War two veteran, that finds you interesting when you're 10 years old.
00:18:54 [Speaker 2]
It could be your own younger cousin.

00:18:57 [Speaker 2]
It could be your mother, could be your father, your grandparents.
00:19:01 [Speaker 2]
It could be your neighbor down the street, or even could be someone maybe from the grave.
00:19:11 [Speaker 2]
I don't know if that would happen or not, but it may be the case.
00:19:14 [Speaker 2]
Or it could be your family dog.
00:19:17 [Speaker 2]
Someone will.

00:19:18 [Speaker 2]
You just gotta take time and find the right person.

00:19:21 [Speaker 1]
Exactly.
00:19:22 [Speaker 1]
And what do you think about the importance of, you know, giving those creative tools to these youths who are, you know, neurodivergent?

00:19:32 [Speaker 2]
I would say what I do with those tools is what I try to do with them is I try to show people that we're gonna try and make this work.
00:19:40 [Speaker 2]
I'm gonna try to help you out and try to elevate you Mhmm.
00:19:44 [Speaker 2]
By making yourself feel better.
00:19:46 [Speaker 2]
I always like to joke because I'm a big pro wrestling geek guy.
00:19:49 [Speaker 2]
I'm the manager who wants to help you become the star.

00:19:54 [Speaker 1]
Yeah.
00:19:55 [Speaker 1]
And I've seen a lot of people who make fun of, autism.
00:19:59 [Speaker 1]
I know it's really blunt and wrong in a lot of deeper levels but I have this thought in my head that whenever they bully such people they always bring up this topic that seek therapy or you know diagnose in a way What do you what are your thoughts on that?

00:20:23 [Speaker 2]
Well, my thoughts are I think it depends on what you're using it for.
00:20:28 [Speaker 2]
I am anti cure against autism.
00:20:31 [Speaker 2]
I will I will never believe in curing autism.
00:20:34 [Speaker 2]
That's not my goal.
00:20:35 [Speaker 2]
A lot of people have had different views on mine.

00:20:37 [Speaker 2]
I actually have a friend who shower my nameless who is very old school and believes it'd be great to cure autism.
00:20:43 [Speaker 2]
I'm not that person.
00:20:45 [Speaker 2]
I believe that if you're doing therapy or you're taking medication, it needs to be to improve on a behavior.
00:20:54 [Speaker 2]
I know a lot of people with autism have anger issues, and they've been bad anger issues.
00:20:59 [Speaker 2]
Like, they kicked walls before, and it's made a hole in the wall.

00:21:02 [Speaker 2]
Oh.
00:21:03 [Speaker 2]
If if do I believe that needs to be cured?
00:21:07 [Speaker 2]
No.
00:21:08 [Speaker 2]
But do I believe that needs to be enhanced and improved with medicine or therapy?
00:21:15 [Speaker 2]
Yes.

00:21:17 [Speaker 1]
From, you know, transitioning from being a simple podcast host to getting a stage on TEDx and then to the People's Choice Awards, What's been what's what has been the most meaningful win so far?

00:21:35 [Speaker 2]
I would say the most meaningful win of what I got to do is just make people feel better about themselves.
00:21:45 [Speaker 2]
Show people that the way you think or the way you're being different is phenomenal, actually.
00:21:53 [Speaker 2]
You're the one that stands out from the pack.
00:21:56 [Speaker 2]
You're not doing what anyone else is doing.
00:21:59 [Speaker 2]
You're marching to your own beat.

00:22:03 [Speaker 2]
And in my view, that is what is the best part is showing people these differences or these quirks make you a better human being, not a worse human being.

00:22:16 [Speaker 1]
Was there any a movement where you have felt like you are getting a lot of doubt or fear and you need to push through?
00:22:24 [Speaker 1]
What's that behind the scene looks like?

00:22:28 [Speaker 2]
I mean, with doubt and fear, I mean, I worry about that every day because I'm afraid people won't listen to this or they're not gonna care one day.
00:22:38 [Speaker 2]
Mhmm.
00:22:39 [Speaker 2]
And autism will go back a few steps, and we're not anymore aware of it.
00:22:44 [Speaker 2]
It's just like, oh, you're autistic?
00:22:45 [Speaker 2]
See you later.

00:22:47 [Speaker 2]
Oh.
00:22:47 [Speaker 2]
I get nervous about that.
00:22:49 [Speaker 2]
Because in today's world, I believe we're aware of it.
00:22:52 [Speaker 2]
We're just not accepting of it, and that's my goal too, to get to autism to be accepted.
00:22:58 [Speaker 2]
I said this in a recent episode of my podcast.

00:23:03 [Speaker 2]
Right?
00:23:03 [Speaker 2]
I was comparing broadcasting to autism.
00:23:05 [Speaker 2]
One things I said was autism is a great cause awesome but I want it to be where it's not a just a great cause I want to be where it's an everyday fact of life I

00:23:18 [Speaker 1]
mean there must be moments where well let's forget about the moments but I just want to touch down on the achievements you have made so far and there must be times where you have dealt with obstacles and you have certainly pushed through to get where you are right now.
00:23:37 [Speaker 1]
When did you finally say to yourself that I have made this far, now I'm proud of myself?

00:23:44 [Speaker 2]
I probably say the moment I made it this far and when I was prying myself was when I saw the TEDx talk I was nominated for because I got nominated for people to actually listen to me.
00:23:56 [Speaker 2]
For fifteen years, no one wanted to.
00:24:00 [Speaker 2]
Now they're wanting to.
00:24:03 [Speaker 2]
That's not revelation.
00:24:04 [Speaker 2]
I don't know what is.

00:24:05 [Speaker 1]
Absolutely.
00:24:07 [Speaker 1]
I mean, how does this nomination really works?
00:24:09 [Speaker 1]
Because, certainly, I have not been nominated ever in to speak at TEDx.
00:24:12 [Speaker 1]
So I'm I'm just curious about the dynamics of it.
00:24:16 [Speaker 1]
Like, how do you how does one get nominated?

00:24:19 [Speaker 1]
What's, what's the criteria for it?
00:24:21 [Speaker 1]
Or do people, you know, vote for for a person to get on the dice and speak something?

00:24:27 [Speaker 2]
Yeah.
00:24:27 [Speaker 2]
Well, people have to nominate you.
00:24:29 [Speaker 2]
People have to literally nominate you and tell TEDx corporate or TED talk people, hey.
00:24:34 [Speaker 2]
I think this guy would be a great speaker.
00:24:36 [Speaker 2]
Here's why.

00:24:36 [Speaker 2]
Yada yada yada yada.

00:24:38 [Speaker 1]
Wow.
00:24:38 [Speaker 1]
So is there a form that you have to fill to, you know,

00:24:41 [Speaker 2]
I think there is a form to fill out.
00:24:43 [Speaker 2]
I just don't remember where it is.

00:24:45 [Speaker 1]
Oh, gotcha.
00:24:46 [Speaker 1]
So let's talk about the future.
00:24:48 [Speaker 1]
Okay?
00:24:49 [Speaker 1]
The plans, the dreams, and the mission that you are, you know, chasing after or it's ongoing right now.
00:24:56 [Speaker 1]
What's the next thing for you maybe for the podcast as well?

00:25:00 [Speaker 2]
I would say the next things for me coming down the pipeline is man, I just I got a lot of things going on, obviously.
00:25:08 [Speaker 2]
Here this weekend, I'm gonna be a vendor for the Hall of Heroes Comic Con.

00:25:11 [Speaker 1]
Oh.

00:25:12 [Speaker 2]
And it's kind of like a superhero convention almost for comic books, and I figured that'd be a great way to show people thought it doesn't have superpowers.
00:25:21 [Speaker 2]
I'll be speaking to HR people next month.
00:25:23 [Speaker 2]
Mhmm.
00:25:24 [Speaker 2]
And I have a couple of conferences coming up in November.
00:25:26 [Speaker 2]
There's special education conferences.

00:25:28 [Speaker 2]
One is in Oklahoma City, the other is in Wisconsin.
00:25:31 [Speaker 2]
But what I hope for is when I do these events or these engagements, I wanna show people those with autism can make it in this world somehow, or they may not be able to move out of their mom's house, but can they go work at Walmart?
00:25:50 [Speaker 2]
If you get the right resources yeah.

00:25:53 [Speaker 1]
So do you watch a lot of anime or do you read comic books?
00:25:57 [Speaker 1]
How does that interest towards, you know, Comic Con game to be?

00:26:02 [Speaker 2]
Well, it was kind of a funny story.
00:26:04 [Speaker 2]
So when I was a little bitty boy, I think I not little bitty, maybe a kid.
00:26:08 [Speaker 2]
I actually went to this, place where it's at.
00:26:12 [Speaker 2]
It's called the Hall of the Arts Museum.

00:26:14 [Speaker 1]
Mhmm.

00:26:14 [Speaker 2]
And at that point, they were kind of a warehouse nonprofit.
00:26:20 [Speaker 2]
However, since then, they've expanded.
00:26:23 [Speaker 2]
And when I learned they had a Comic Con, I kinda figured in my brain, well, since those with autism have superpowers, this would be a great place in my view to kind of talk about what suit powers those with autism have.
00:26:39 [Speaker 2]
And I just think in general, this is my opinion, there are certain things those with autism certain certainly like.
00:26:46 [Speaker 2]
So professional wrestling, in my view, from my experience, this may not be true.

00:26:51 [Speaker 2]
There's a whole population of people with autism who like professional wrestling.

00:26:55 [Speaker 1]
Mhmm.

00:26:56 [Speaker 2]
I think in my opinion, it's the same thing with comic books.
00:27:00 [Speaker 2]
That may not be now it may not be true but we're gonna give it a try and see.

00:27:04 [Speaker 1]
I'm certainly enjoying this conversation fam but I'm afraid we are almost at the end of our segments so I must ask you this that if there's one thing listeners can take away from your story, what should that be?

00:27:19 [Speaker 2]
Well, I just think this is not runs of wisdom.
00:27:21 [Speaker 2]
This is the truth of life.
00:27:23 [Speaker 2]
If the road could be nice and not act so stupid, I think we get along so much better, man.
00:27:26 [Speaker 2]
Don't you think?

00:27:28 [Speaker 1]
Absolutely.
00:27:29 [Speaker 1]
The road's never easier but you gotta push through right?

00:27:33 [Speaker 2]
Yeah.
00:27:33 [Speaker 2]
It's all you can do.

00:27:35 [Speaker 1]
Yeah.

00:27:35 [Speaker 2]
Can't go if you can't go around the storm all you gotta do is go in the storm or you're gonna be stuck at point a.

00:27:40 [Speaker 1]
Absolutely.
00:27:41 [Speaker 1]
So we have got a little bit time to spare so I'll propose you this.
00:27:45 [Speaker 1]
How about a rapid fire round with you and

00:27:48 [Speaker 2]
me?
00:27:48 [Speaker 2]
Let it rip, man.

00:27:50 [Speaker 1]
So you need the criteria is you need to go fast.
00:27:53 [Speaker 1]
I mean, not talk fast, but answer fast.
00:27:56 [Speaker 1]
And and we need to finish every question within a minute.
00:28:02 [Speaker 1]
Yeah?

00:28:03 [Speaker 2]
Yeah I'll try my best.
00:28:04 [Speaker 2]
Gotcha.

00:28:05 [Speaker 1]
So first question coming up, one guest you still want to interview but have not yet?

00:28:10 [Speaker 2]
Lots of ties between Eminem and Gordon Ramsay.

00:28:12 [Speaker 1]
Oh that was fast.
00:28:14 [Speaker 1]
What does normal even mean to you right now?

00:28:17 [Speaker 2]
Fulfilling happiness.

00:28:18 [Speaker 1]
Okay, would you like to expand that more on that?

00:28:21 [Speaker 2]
I think it just means fulfilling happiness is doing what makes you enjoyable.

00:28:27 [Speaker 1]
One thing autism helped you discover about yourself apart from the super part thing.

00:28:31 [Speaker 2]
Right, the creative side of myself of how my mind operates.

00:28:36 [Speaker 1]
And if your podcast had a slogan beside your name about let's forget about the music part, about rocks and rolls, what would it be?

00:28:45 [Speaker 2]
Man, I would say the slogan is it kind of is in the name.
00:28:49 [Speaker 2]
Autism rocks and rolls.

00:28:51 [Speaker 1]
That's the thingy.
00:28:52 [Speaker 1]
No rocks and rolls.
00:28:53 [Speaker 1]
What should it be?

00:28:54 [Speaker 2]
Aw dang.
00:28:58 [Speaker 2]
Autism, autism should keep rock and rolling.

00:29:02 [Speaker 1]
That's a clever way to put it.
00:29:04 [Speaker 1]
Gotcha, Sam.
00:29:06 [Speaker 1]
Do you do you have any final message for the people who don't feel like they fit in?

00:29:11 [Speaker 2]
Well, I would always say they don't feel like they're not hanging in there.
00:29:14 [Speaker 2]
Hang in there.
00:29:16 [Speaker 2]
Someone's gonna find you interesting as I said earlier.
00:29:18 [Speaker 2]
And if it's not anyone in this world, come to me.
00:29:21 [Speaker 2]
Maybe I'll try to find you interesting.

00:29:22 [Speaker 2]
See what happens

00:29:23 [Speaker 1]
thank you so much for that sam and I hope this message the mission that you have right now reaches a lot of people and they follow through and don't treat people differently because obviously everyone is equal.

00:29:40 [Speaker 2]
Right, thank you again brother, had a fun time.

00:29:44 [Speaker 1]
Likewise, do you have anything you want to share to our listeners where to find you what you usually do and

00:29:51 [Speaker 2]
Okay.
00:29:51 [Speaker 2]
I can go into that real quickly.
00:29:52 [Speaker 2]
I'm not a hard guy to find if you Google me in your search engine optimization.
00:29:56 [Speaker 2]
Don't do Sam Mitchell because you get a basketball player and trust me.
00:30:00 [Speaker 2]
Too many cheeseburgers would be a basketball player.

00:30:02 [Speaker 2]
But, anyway, if you Google search autism rocks and rolls, I'll pop up.
00:30:06 [Speaker 2]
Not a hard guy to find.
00:30:07 [Speaker 2]
I'm on your favorite media platforms.
00:30:08 [Speaker 2]
Got a website, autismrocksandrolls.com.
00:30:11 [Speaker 2]
Not the whole shebang, my friend.

00:30:13 [Speaker 1]
Thank you so much for tuning in.
00:30:14 [Speaker 1]
I hope this episode inspired you or offered you a fresh perspective.
00:30:19 [Speaker 1]
I'll leave links to Sam's social down the description for you to go and check it out and connect with him.
00:30:24 [Speaker 1]
Listen to his podcast, autism rocks and rolls.
00:30:27 [Speaker 1]
The same links can be found in the description as well.

00:30:30 [Speaker 1]
I'll catch you in the next one, but until then, take care.