HUGELY EXCITED to be a part of this powerful week of celebrating, advocating for and educating about neurodiversity !!
Neurodiversity Celebration Week, in partnership with LEXXIC (‘Empowering Neurodiversity’) are hosting this incredible event.
Every single event is completely free of charge and the itinerary for every day is packed with important, impactful information.
I shall be representing Anna Kennedy Online Charity and will be on the panel for * Understanding and Empowering Neurodiversity in Children* with Dr Anna Kennedy OBE on Tuesday 22 Marchfrom 2.30pm – 4pm GMT.
The week is just bursting with talks and panels hosted by some truly inspiring people and leaders in their field.
Please click on the link below to register for free and to see the huge array of talks and events.
Just CARTWHEELING with joy and passionate dedication to have been added to the “pool” of contributors for the UK’s best selling Autism magazine, Autism Eye.
I am SUPER PROUD !! What an honour !
I LOVE freely sharing help, advice , ideas and experience, especially during this time when it has never been needed more.
So for the SPRING Issue 2022 of Autism Eye which is just packed full of incredible and valuable advice and articles, I was invited to give some insights and input into the section on Outdoor Sensory Play.
I LOVE outdoor sensory play and sensory play of any kind …. it’s PHENOMENAL and I LOVE it, so I immediately agreed to contribute.
This is just a LITTLE insight into what I have shared…
( Lovely Fiona, the journalist who interviewed me was doubtless dashing to the chemist to buy all their supplies of Aspirin for her poor head afterwards …. I was a bit passionate !!)
Outdoor sensory play creates bonding and stimulates emotional and social skills.
It helps with maths by measuring,weighing and recognising empty and full.
It helps with English with all that eye to hand co-ordination.
It boosts communication.
It also reduces emotional or violent outbursts in the classroom and connects our gorgeous children to nature.
As well as helping them to assess risks and explore !
As Einstein once said “Play is the highestform of research”
I really wish it was possible to just give him a massive cuddle ……
Really REALLY happy to be joining Clare Carter again at 9.15 am on BBC RADIO SOMERSET 95.5 FM Breakfast Show getting all “my” children’s voices heard and having a chat about The National Diversity Awards !!
A play back link will be available for 30 days after the interview which I will post on here for anyone who misses it and would like to hear it back.
The absolutely LOVELY Bryan Leaker MBE of West Somerset Radio 104.4 FM will be interviewing me about my recent experience at the National Diversity Awards ceremony where I received a Certificate of Achievement as a shortlisted 2021 Positive Role Model for my work , message and journey at the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral on 4th February 2022.
Tune in from around 12.30 pm on Wednesday 16th February if you would like to catch our conversation …. I am still so excited and pinching myself over the whole experience !!!
What a beautiful venue at the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral in a city I have fallen madly in love with !
I have met the most beautiful human beings who are making such a difference to this world and I know I have made some friends for life .
CONGRATULATIONS to all the well deserving winners. I would have hated to have been a judge !! It was passionately electrifying to be in a room amongst leaders and pioneers . I shall be absolutely buzzing unbearably with energy and even more motivation for weeks !! It all still feels like a dream that I was even there, nominated and shortlisted.
ITV news and other sponsors were all there and even had my photo taken on my first ever red carpet. ( I normally hoover carpets, not have my picture taken on them !! )
I am SO PROUD to have been awarded a Certificate of Achievment as a shortlisted Positive Role Model at this great National Event which was live streamed from YouTube as well as the National Diversity Awards website. I am particularly proud of being shortlisted out of a whopping 50,000 nominees because this for me was always about the children and young adults I work with and do such extensive charity work, public speaking and advocating for – the unique, ABLE and incredible people whom I have watched grow their wings and find their voices and strengths – these people with no voices whom I work with, learn from and fight so hard for.
This shortlist nomination will remain on the National Diversity Website for the next FIVE years !!
It was also overwhelming and strange but also very emotional to feel seen for the first time as myself in over twenty years.
I have absolute dedication to getting others seen and heard ; but I have never,ever thought about being seen as me, Giuliana . I am always surrounded by people and just intensely focused on doing all I can to bring about real change for them , for us All.
I never expected nor have ever looked for the incredible experiences and opportunities I have had along this journey. I am still pinching myself.
A mother to four neurodiverse children, my journey with my autistic son Ollie in particular ,we were often left for weeks or even months at a time trying to survive well below the breadline, enduring ever intensifying domestic abuse on every level, including having our home saturated with illegal spyware and cameras. My work bag and car would be tracked as would my children’s bags if they ever went to see friends or girlfriends. I was dragged from a speeding car by my coat collar when it was discovered I was writing my book ; I was accused of everything you could possible imagine. I began this work with just £50 in my pocket and a badly broken foot ( I had invented the job as no one was working with autistic children at that time in this way as far as the CMA knew) .
I still managed to somehow keep it not just going, but growing ,through two Crown Court hearings and a High Court Hearing where my ex husband’s custodial sentence of 21 years , which had been broken down into 4 concurrent sentences which had brought it down to six and a half years, was challenged by him.
I had even dropped my own charges in a “deal breaker” plea from the defence barrister , to protect my children.
This was unanimously refused by the three judges.
Then COVID hit us all and I had to learn rapidly in order to protect a business based around touch and to keep my message growing.
I have achieved all of this totally on my own, no team, no staff, no sets of volunteers , no backing of any sort …. I was the only one there in this situation.
So for once in my life I really do feel the hugest pride and emotion in being awarded my certificate.
I will use this to be and do even more, even if I break myself, because I love and believe in what I do and things need to change for ANYONE who doesn’t have a voice or basic human rights.
Labels, colours, sexual orientation, gender, culture or creed …
We all bleed red.
We all need to be included.
We all have a right to be heard.
So an enormous, enormous, ENORMOUS heartfelt thank you to ALL of you who have cheered me on, kept me strong and believed in me during this incredible first experience. ThAnk you again to Tess Eagle Swan of KRATU fame for nominating me in the first place and to Anna Kennedy OBE for supporting me on the night. What a a beautiful time to have shared.
I will never forget it and know that this is the platform I needed to TURN UP THE VOLUME until we are ALL heard, valued and included.
Click on the link below to the whole evening for those of you who missed the live streaming of the evening and would like to see the event:
I did make a special YouTube video on my channel to say how I felt about this incredible Awards ceremony. It’s not very long but absolutely captures what this whole evening and my certificate mean to me .
Please click on the link below if you would like to see it.
So So Happy …. Really hope that my article on page 32 of this Jan/Feb 2022 Issue 116 of SEN Magazine brings autistic and neurodiverse young people nd their families REAL hope of what CAN be achieved.
NEVER TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER …..
Click on the link below to read the article on page 32. The WHOLE magazine is a brilliant issue as always with so many valuable and top contributors. Really proud to be amongst them.
Just received the live YouTube link to this coming Friday’s NATIONAL DIVERSITY AWARDS ….. only 3 more sleeps as I write ( or in my case 3 non-sleeps as it is so overwhelming !! ) to go …….
All I know is there are truly TRULY so many incredibly inspiring and dedicated shortlisted nominees ,that whoever wins will thoroughly deserve it.
I have been in touch with a few of them and they are awe inspiring. So I shall be on a HUGE unbearable buzz for months after meeting them all !!!!
Thank you to ALL of you for all your votes, encouragement and support along this journe, and to Tess Eagle Swan for nominating me. Thankyou Anna Kennedy OBE for coming along to support me at honestly THE single most amazing thing ( apart from the births of my children ) that has EVER happened to me.
AAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH !! Don’t know what to do with myself !!!!
It was really lovely to be be invited as a guest onto Gordon Glenister’s Weekly Influencing Marketing podcast show at 8.30am on 19th January 2022. A whole new experience for me – which I am always up for !
It is a very warm and friendly show where the topic changes each week and we all have a great big delicious conversation about it !People can ask questions about their own businesses and share social links so long as they have an influencer perspective.
This week was all about how to maximise Twitter and I was very happy to learn that in spite of being self taught, I seem to have got the balance right between “educational, inspirational and entertaining” with some “controversial” thrown in too at times .
I also learned so much extra about how to maximise my twitter handle so that I can give even more to all those I work so passionately and tirelessly for and a bigger voice – a voice that cannot be ignored.
Gordon’s work is really valuable. It was wonderful to meet him and all the other guests taking part.
It is also so refreshing to meet others who are prepared to go that extra mile during these difficult times to share freely of their knowledge and bring people together.
Click onto the link below to see the podcast and hear some of Gordon’s fantastic advice.
Just so extraordinarily happy to have been invited back to Gateway Essex Radio 97.8 FM on Thursday 13th September2022 from 11.30am !!
I felt a gorgeous surge of deliciousness when I picked up the email!
What a beautiful and enriching way to begin the New Year.
This time I am being interviewed by the wonderful Anna Kennedy OBE and the incredibly talented Aston Avery where I will be chatting and sharing practical ideas on therapies and well being for half an hour!!
These two are just a magic combination with Anna ,mother to two autistic sons who tirelessly raises awareness and education through her charity and Aston who is autistic and yet has bust so many myths and gone on to inspire and lead with his many gifts and talents.
Previously I have appeared on the show where I have discussed my personal journey through raising four neurodiverse children single handedly through a very abusive and controlling “marriage”. On a second occasion I was invited on to discuss the basic neuroscientific “happy hormones and coping chemicals” which we all need daily, along with how to stimulate them. This was all part of raising awareness with Anna and the actor Kacey Ainsworth about the exciting re-vamp and re-launch of the Anna Kennedy Take 5 Mental Health Campaign of which I am proudly the Charity’s Wellbeing Ambassador. On a further occasion I was interviewed by Aston and Steven Smith, celebrity hairdresser to the stars, about raising autism and mental health awareness.
This time I am just so excited because the interview will be all about freely helping as many people as I can through my various therapies and techniques.
I ended last year just listening to so many anxious, fearful, depressed and exhausted human beings who all seemed to have got to the very end of their tethers with a third year of Covid approaching.
In spite of my 18 hour average days, writing endless free articles, blogs, posts and charity work, recording weekly You Tube videos as well as updating daily FaceBook and social media groups I had set up since the start of Covid, the nagging feeling that I needed to do more, reach more people, never left me.
As many of you will know it is very difficult to get articles published or receive TV or radio interviews so I feel especially blessed by this particular invitation, most especially because I will be able to keep reaching more and more people with practical advice and techniques to ride the challenging wave we are all clinging onto. ( from matchboxes it seems at times!) I would much rather talk about my work and know I have brought practical help to people I would not have ordinarily met, than be in the spotlight myself. (unless it is to bring hope and belief.)
I will give my absolute best and my All … and I do talk an awful lot! I just LOVE what I do and making a difference.
So if you can tune in, it might be a good idea to keep a couple of paracetamol handy for afterwards !!