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PODCAST

Chelsea"s Vocation

Chelsea"s neurodivergent offspring are the reason her heart and mind have grown year after year for two decades. As a neuromajority human caring for and about autistic humans, she has learned to apply a thing or two about brain wiring and wants to share that learning with other people so they can know better and do better, too. These 20-minute long shows will be released every two weeks (two per month max), feature occasional guests, have a neuroaffirming focus, and highlight autistic

kids & family parenting

All Episodes

24:28

SpIns & Autism

Chelsea"s Vocation ·

2025/11/05

Humans are built for joy and community. Somewhere along the line, neurotypical people decided autistic joy inspired by special interests was “perseveration” and required “extinction”. Neuroaffirming perspectives recognize the universality of passions, fascinations, and collections, even if their expansiveness and topic are beyond the neuromajority bell curve. Chelsea welcomes guest Margaret Fairbanks, co-founder of and Director of Education at Islands of Brilliance, to talk about leaning into...

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24:19

Masking & Autism

Chelsea"s Vocation ·

2025/10/22

The component of Halloween that’s all about pretending lends itself to talking about autistic masking. What is it? Is it inherently bad? Why is it such a pervasive part of being autistic? Guest Donna Brendel joins Chelsea to give fresh insight in this episode. Donna is a late-diagnosed woman on the autism spectrum, but she’s arriving on the scene just in time. She is the host of the podcast, “I Should Say That Out Loud,” and the author of two memoirs, Autistic Revelations: Body Edition and Ca...

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25:01

Diagnostic Criteria for Autism

Chelsea"s Vocation ·

2025/10/08

How is autism diagnosed, and what is the value of seeking a medical diagnosis? Chelsea turns to local experts Amy Heffelfinger, who diagnosed Chelsea’s own children two decades ago, and her colleague Lauren Miller for answers in this episode. Dr. Amy Heffelfinger is a mom of two 20-something daughters, a proud professor and chief, a child neuropsychologist, a wife of 28 years, a lover of nature, and a grateful child of God. She loves to work with young children and their families. While basic...

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24:01

Autism Assistance Service Dogs

Chelsea"s Vocation ·

2025/09/24

Once upon a time, there was a mother of two young children with autism whose husband traveled a lot for work. She was exhausted all the time. She often wondered how she could take her two children out of the house by herself and keep them safe. One day while she was folding laundry and the TV was tuned in to Animal Planet, she landed upon coverage of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Commentator Ron Reagan made frequent references to specific breeds of dogs that made great therapy dogs … ...

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23:01

Language Development & Autism

Chelsea"s Vocation ·

2025/09/10

When a social communication deficit (by medical standards - see DSM-5 below) is the primary indicator of autism, a lot of people take notice. Chelsea certainly did when her now-grown children were young, particularly her son Justus. Having met and interacted with many autistic people over the last two decades, her fascination with autistic language development has deepened. But her first meaningful professional connection in the field was with Trisha Sacharski. Trisha is a dedicated Spe...

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20:41

"Magnetosphere" and Synesthesia

Chelsea"s Vocation ·

2025/08/27

Since Chelsea’s youngest Noey disclosed nonchalantly that they see music in color, Chelsea has been intrigued by synesthesia. Learning about “Magnetosphere”, a recently-released feature film depicting protagonist Maggie’s inner and outward experiences with synesthesia, prompted her to zoom in on the topic for this episode. Guest Nicola Rose is the writer and director of “Magnetosphere”, a movie about a neurodivergent 13-year-old girl (Shayelin Martin) realizing she has synesthesia. You can wa...

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23:16

Early Elementary IEPs

Chelsea"s Vocation ·

2025/08/13

For students with “Special Education needs” as determined by criteria put forth in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the IEP (Individualized Education Program) is a critical contract. With back-to-school season upon us, Chelsea revisits her own children’s IEP meetings with Brittany Freund. Brittany is a dedicated Special Education Teacher, beginning her 11th year supporting students in kindergarten through third grade. She works in a cross-categorical setting, meet...

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26:29

College Considerations

Chelsea"s Vocation ·

2025/07/23

As a prospective parent, Chelsea presumed her children would go to college. When they were diagnosed with autism, post-secondary education was definitely not part of the conversation among educators and allied health professionals on their teams. While both Justus and Noey went to college, the learning curve was steep for everyone involved. Cue this episode’s guest: Emily Raclaw is Director of On Your Marq, a college success program for neurodivergent students at Marquette University (Milwauk...

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23:15

Puberty & Autism

Chelsea"s Vocation ·

2025/07/09

Katrina Tarke-Karge is a Clinical Child and Adolescent therapist at Evidence Based Counseling Solutions in New Berlin, Wisconsin. She has worked with autistic individuals in a variety of capacities from young children to adults for almost 20 years. She has recently taken on a new role as the Director of Child and Adolescent Services and hopes to expand access to mental health treatment for neurodivergent kids, teens, young adults and their families. While puberty is a biological process, the ...

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21:07

Gender Identity & Autism

Chelsea"s Vocation ·

2025/06/18

A 2023 graduate from Columbia College Chicago, Noey Budde is still very much trying to find their place in the world, but has a great start with an illustrious background in both the humanitarian and creative fields. Noey is an educated composer creating pieces for various forms of media, primarily podcasts (including this one!) and film. When not in their studio, they’re found working alongside the bright students of Chicago as a substitute teacher. One of their biggest dreams is to create m...

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23:24

Dadding Autistic Humans

Chelsea"s Vocation ·

2025/06/04

Chelsea is delighted to welcome “autism dads” Nick Backes and Justin Sneesby to this Father’s Day episode of the podcast. Nick is husband and father of three children. Born and raised in southeastern Wisconsin, he is an autism advocate and a stay-at-home dad. Justin has been a husband to his wife for over 15 years, and they have two children. Their oldest son, Ronnie, is 9, while their other son, Chandler, is 5. They all live in Greenfield, Wis. Currently, Justin is a full-time student pursui...

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23:40

Mental Health & Autism

Chelsea"s Vocation ·

2025/05/21

Betsy Spalla is a finance professional by day, and a perpetual student of humans’ emotions. Mom of two now-adult babies, one of whom is on the spectrum, she was diagnosed with ADHD after the birth of her second child. Her journey as a mom of a neurodivergent human, in light of her own neurospiciness, has given her a keen insight into human behavior. She is adept at helping her people identify their feelings and triggers to make positive change. After Chelsea frames the episode with her three ...

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22:28

Momming Autistic Humans

Chelsea"s Vocation ·

2025/05/07

Dani Jo is a married mama of two autistic girls (well, now women). She definitely never expected to have the “Autism Mama" title but is thankful for the journey and the fierce women she has met along the way. She “bucked the system" as her children were leaving elementary school, as her home school was not implementing their IEPs. She spent a few years advocating for choices for special needs children and played a critical role in getting the "Special Needs Scholarship Program" passed i...

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21:31

Neuroaffirming Practices

Chelsea"s Vocation ·

2025/04/23

Jess Sciborski has been a dedicated special educator for over 20 years, working with students in grades K-12 with a wide range of disabilities, especially emotional/behavioral disabilities and autism. Currently a 1:1 Special Education teacher for an area educational agency, she is a fierce advocate for student needs, dignity for all, and celebrating neurodiversity. She believes in presuming competence and meeting students where they are. Outside of teaching, she’s a proud hockey mom to an ama...

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20:16

Acceptance & Autism

Chelsea"s Vocation ·

2025/04/02

Chris Krasovich wears many hats, as a wife, elected official, board member, butterfly raiser, rabid volunteer, stress baker, world traveler, and appointed representative on the Wisconsin Governor's Autism Council, but her favorite hat is her mom hat. Chris has two spectacular children, one of whom is neurospicy, who she laughs with and learns from every day. In this episode, Chelsea chats with Chris about what acceptance means for her, especially since her son Jacob was diagnosed autistic as ...

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22:55

Faith & Autism

Chelsea"s Vocation ·

2025/03/19

Sue Vock is a Christ follower, wife, and mom to three, who has worked for nonprofits her entire career. Her daughter Molly is 30 years old, and was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at age 17 after years of evaluations. Sue ministered at a church for over 18 years, worked at an autism nonprofit, and is currently the Director of Development & Marketing at Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha & Jefferson Counties. She is currently leading a support group at her church for parents of c...

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19:02

Pete's Growth

Chelsea"s Vocation ·

2025/03/05

Pete Budde is a devoted husband to his high school sweetheart, Chelsea, and a proud father to two incredible adults, Justus and Noey. A lifelong learner, he finds joy in reading, music, and competition. With nearly 30 years of professional experience, Pete has been fortunate to work alongside exceptional teammates and colleagues, forming lasting friendships along the way. His passion for growth and connection defines both his personal and professional life, making him a valued friend, mentor,...

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20:19

Chelsea's Evolution

Chelsea"s Vocation ·

2025/02/19

It seemed to Chelsea that just as she was learning to adult, she had to learn to parent. And then had to learn to be the parent of children with developmental disabilities. She frames her experiences of navigating this journey to nurse Jennie Wright's 7 Stages of Grief (2011). Chelsea explains her initially ableist feelings around autism and her own feelings of overwhelm kept her in the first four stages longer than she would have liked. But once she hit that Upward Turn, with the belief that...

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23:01

Noey's Journey

Chelsea"s Vocation ·

2025/02/05

Chelsea's second-born, Noey, contributes so much valuable insight in this episode introducing them. A recent graduate from Columbia College Chicago, Noey Budde is still very much trying to find their place in the world, but has a great start with an illustrious background in both the humanitarian and creative fields. Noey is an educated composer creating pieces for various forms of media, primarily podcasts (including this one!) and film. When not in their studio, they’re found working alongs...

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20:27

Introducing Justus

Chelsea"s Vocation ·

2025/01/22

Chelsea introduces her son Justus, who made her a mama, and taught her so very much about neurodivergence (different brain wiring).From the precious story about Mr. Muffin the cat, which illustrates why Justus is often called an "animal whisperer", to the neurotypes Justus rocks in addition to autism (including bipolar disorder, an intellectual disability, and obsessive compulsive disorder), this insight into who Justus is helps inform listeners about the topics that will follow after the nex...

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21 results

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