On the Spectrum Empowerment Stories with Sonia Krishna Chand: Adult Autism, Neurodivergent, and Mental Health Expert cover art

On the Spectrum Empowerment Stories with Sonia Krishna Chand: Adult Autism, Neurodivergent, and Mental Health Expert

On the Spectrum Empowerment Stories with Sonia Krishna Chand: Adult Autism, Neurodivergent, and Mental Health Expert

By: Sonia Krishna Chand | Adult Autism and Neurodivergent Mental Health Expert | Empowerment Coaching
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About this listen

Welcome to On the Spectrum—the essential podcast exploring autism, neurodivergent, and mental health expert insights and heartfelt stories.

Hosted by Sonia Krishna Chand, acclaimed autism advocate, speaker, and author of Dropped In The Maze, this podcast dives deep into autism, neurodivergent experiences, and mental health.


Whether you're a parent, educator, clinician, or neurodivergent individual, On the Spectrum offers practical strategies, empowering conversations, and a supportive community to help you navigate life with confidence.


Why Listen?

🔹 Autism & Mental Health: Understand sensory triggers, masking, anxiety, and self-acceptance.
🔹 Neurodivergent Well-Being: Explore neurodiversity-affirming approaches to relationships, education, and advocacy.
🔹 Real Stories, Real Solutions: Hear raw, inspiring journeys from autistic adults, parents, and experts.


Key Topics

Parenting & Family Dynamics – Navigating milestones, IEPs, and healthcare.


Raising a child on the autism spectrum comes with unique joys and challenges. Sonia shares practical parenting strategies, tips for fostering connection, and advice on navigating developmental milestones, education systems, and healthcare resources.


Relationships & Social Connection – Building meaningful bonds.


Autism doesn’t just shape individual lives—it profoundly impacts relationships. Episodes explore topics like building meaningful connections, navigating romantic relationships, and fostering social skills in neurodiverse individuals.


Mental Health & Self-Identity – Overcoming anxiety and embracing neurodivergence.


Learn how to effectively advocate for your child or loved one in schools, workplaces, or the community. Sonia will explore Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), inclusive learning environments, and overcoming systemic barriers.


Celebrating Strengths – Harnessing creativity and resilience.


The intersection of autism and mental health is vital yet often overlooked. Sonia tackles issues like anxiety, sensory processing challenges, and the journey to self-acceptance and empowerment for individuals on the spectrum. Neurodiversity is about valuing every brain's unique wiring. The podcast highlights stories of resilience, innovation, and creativity from people on the spectrum, proving that differences can be extraordinary strengths.


Meet Sonia Krishna Chand
Sonia Krishna Chand is a passionate voice in the autism community, dedicated to fostering understanding and inclusion. As the author of Dropped In The Maze, Sonia weaves powerful storytelling with expert insights to help readers navigate the complexities of neurodiverse living. Her podcast extends that mission, providing an audio space where listeners can feel seen, heard, and inspired.


Who Should Tune In?
Parents, educators, clinicians, and neurodivergent individuals seeking understanding and empowerment.


About Dropped In The Maze
Sonia’s transformative book explores neurodiverse experiences with raw honesty and actionable guidance.


Buy “Dropped in a Maze” Book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dropped-Maze-Sonia-Krishna-Chand-ebook/dp/B0F3B7BQJ7/


Get Your Copy on SoniaKrishnaChand.Net/Book Here: https://www.soniakrishnachand.net/book

© 2025 On the Spectrum Empowerment Stories with Sonia Krishna Chand: Adult Autism, Neurodivergent, and Mental Health Expert
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Episodes
  • How Schools Build Safety, Trust, And Belonging with Kevin Dahill-Fuschel
    Dec 9 2025

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    What if the behavior you see as “disrespect” is actually distress asking for a safer way in? We sit down with Kevin Dahill-Fuschel of Counseling in Schools to unpack the practical heart of trauma-informed education: how to read behavior as information, build trust without lowering academic standards, and create classrooms where belonging fuels effort.

    Kevin takes us inside decades of school-based counseling across New York City, from the aftermath of 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy to the long tail of COVID. He shares how teachers can shift daily interactions—simple compliments, noticing prosocial acts, realistic goals—to break cycles of suspension and avoidance. We talk about the power of community identity, why early-year rituals matter, and how interest-based groups help differentiation feel supportive instead of stigmatizing.

    Bullying gets a hard reset for the smartphone era. Kevin explains why the true danger is invisibility online, and why limiting devices during school hours is boosting engagement and making harm easier to spot. You’ll hear actionable ideas: and ask better questions :What did you post? Who tagged you? How did it feel?—so problems surface early. We also argue for measuring social growth and hope alongside test scores, bringing basic mental health literacy into classrooms, and modeling adult regulation so students see what recovery looks like.

    We close with nuts-and-bolts choices that shape culture, from co-creating community agreements about headphones to using free, bilingual tools from Counseling in Schools’ Partners in Healing hub. If you’re an educator, parent, or counselor, you’ll leave with strategies you can try tomorrow and resources to go deeper.

    Kevin can be found at https://www.counselinginschools.org/team/kevin-dahill-fuchel/

    Subscribe, share this with a colleague who needs a lift, and leave a review with your top takeaway so we can keep these conversations moving.

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    52 mins
  • Building Human Connection With AI Through Family Memories with Jeremy Horne
    Dec 2 2025

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    What if your grandparents’ best stories didn’t fade with time—but could talk back when you needed them most? We sit down with founder Jeremy Horne to unpack how a childhood of mailing cassette tapes to his Nana Winny became the blueprint for Winny an app that nudges better questions, records family memories, and helps people build a living archive of their lives. Then we go deeper into Forever You, a conversational avatar that only says what you actually said—anchored by real video and audio proof.

    Jeremy shares how leaving big-brand agency life wasn’t a leap into hype, but a return to purpose: reduce friction, raise the quality of conversation, and make it easy to preserve the stories that define us. You’ll hear how context-aware prompts bridge an 8-year-old and his 80-year-old granddad, why gentle guidance can help autistic family members join in, and how journaling shapes smarter questions over time. We get honest about risk, too: encryption, privacy controls, and the reality that anything digitized carries exposure. The answer isn’t fear; it’s transparency—digital signatures that show who authored an avatar and authenticity scores that link claims back to original recordings.

    We also explore the tactile side of memory. QR codes on heirlooms turn a vase into a time capsule, while a “Storopedia” approach makes discovery simple at dinner or across continents. And the horizon is closer than it looks: voice-first experiences, wearables, and assistants that suggest, “Want to record this?” the moment a meaningful call starts. If you care about family history, social health, and designing technology that feels human, this conversation offers a practical, moving roadmap for capturing the people and stories you love.

    To learn more, check out Jeremy Horne's website aforementioned in the episode https://foreveryou.life/. Go on your Apple Store to download with Winny App.


    Listen now, subscribe for more thoughtful conversations on human connection and tech, and leave a review with the one story you’d want future generations to hear.


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    37 mins
  • Rethinking Bipolar Disorder with Sean Blackwell
    Nov 18 2025

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    Disclaimer: This is not to be taken as a therapy directive, but rather this is for learning and entertainment purposes only! Please consult with your physician and/or mental health care team to decide whether this approach is appropriate for you.

    Sensitive topics such as trauma and SA are discussed in this episode.

    What if the loudest story about bipolar disorder—the chemical imbalance—misses the point? We sit down with author and facilitator Sean Blackwell to peel back that narrative and explore bipolar through a wider lens: trauma held in the body, spiritual emergency as a potential breakthrough, and why empathetic presence can do what power struggles never will.

    Sean recounts his own 1996 crisis that looked like acute psychosis yet became a turning point that reshaped his life. From supporting his wife’s nieces through multiple episodes to building retreats rooted in holotropic-style breathwork, he shows how non-ordinary states can surface buried memories, emotions, and meaning.

    You’ll hear specific case studies, including a client whose years-long coccyx pain disappeared after a powerful somatic release and another who reclaimed traumatic memories months after retreat, finally aligning emotional truth with experience.

    If you’re curious about alternatives to one-size-fits-all approach, this conversation offers a compassionate, grounded path: respect biology, honor the body, and allow meaning to emerge. For books, videos, training, and retreat details, visit https://www.bipolarawakenings.com/ If this perspective resonated, follow the show, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review to help others find it.

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    42 mins
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