Authentic Achievements Episode 6 with Special Guest Sam Mitchell
In this episode, I am delighted to be joined by Sam Mitchell Founder and host of the popular Autism Rock’s and Rolls Podcast.
Sam has a TED Talk called Souled Structure, is a motivational speaker, entrepreneur, writer and blogger. He recently graduated high school! Sam is a high-functioning human being on the autism spectrum and has a mission: to show people that he is not broken, he does not need to be fixed, that there is no normal in this world, and he is successful, with autism. His passion is to celebrate the successes of all people.
Find out more about Sam and Autism Rocks and Rolls
If you want to find out more check us out at www.kimadelerandall.com or www.authenticachievements.co.uk
Full Transcript:
Authentic Achievements with Special Guest Sam Mitchell
Kim-Adele
Hello and welcome to this edition of authentic achievements. And I am delighted to be joined today by the fabulous some Mitchell, who is the podcast owner of this really successful autism rocks and rolls. He’s also a Ted speaker with his Ted talk sold structure, and he is here to share with us his amazing journey so far and what he’s got planned for the future. So Sam welcome.
Sam
Yeah. Thank you for having me on, it’s good to be here,
Kim-Adele
It’s an absolute delight. You’ve done so much already and you’re only what is it 19. So I can’t wait to see what else you’ve got involved in the future, but could you start by telling us a bit about your journey so far, please?
Sam
Yeah. So how long, what I’m standing at? So I do on the podcast, autism rocks and rolls, and it is about autism and how we cope with daily shortages that you may or may not understand are nearing 10 K downloads. I had big guests on the show, such as Temple Grant and Mick Foley. And I do enjoy creative writing and the great outdoors, but I’ve done the podcast since October, 2019, and I have done many episodes. So we’ll see what the future holds with that.
Kim-Adele
And what made you get started with authentic autism rocks and rolls?
Sam
After I joined my high school’s media club and that’s when I found podcasting and after I did that, I decided to start my own pockets is as the only way I knew how to continue my own media skills.
Kim-Adele
And is that what you’re continuing to study? Fantastic. So you’ve had some amazing guests. How did you get it? How did you get guests coming along? How did you grow? I mean, to grow your podcast to 10,000 downloads is amazing, such a great achievement. You must be very proud.
Sam
I am I the way to get guests really is just as, and most people really responding some don’t obviously, but some, some do and lots of them do. And that’s how I just asked through messenger Facebook or whatever way I can reach to them.
Kim-Adele
Fantastic. So what I love about that is you you’ve got that drive and desire haven’t is I what the worst what’s the worst that can happen is they can just say no. Yeah,
Sam
Yeah. Pretty much
Kim-Adele
Fantastic. So, so far, I mean, we’ve already done so much, but what, what would you think has been the greatest achievement you’ve had so far?
Sam
Probably the Ted talk and being able to speak actually last month in Oklahoma.
Kim-Adele
Oh, wow. So could you talk to me more about the TedTalk. What’s it about what’s the biggest message people are going to get from it?
Sam
Yeah, sure. So this Ted talk was about social structure and why autistic people need structure. We had virtually due to COVID, but it was still officially a Ted talk. It’s still announced as it, it was about why do people need structure? And the reason being a house structure is very helpful to those on the spectrum and those including like me. Yeah.
Kim-Adele
So, could you tell me more about that? I’m really fascinated. Why is structure so for so important to people that are on the spectrum,
Sam
Because it gives me order and it gives me control in a world where there isn’t really any
Kim-Adele
Okay. That makes total sense. So if we’re trying to obviously drive a more inclusive and, and supportive way of interacting with people, what are the other things that we could do that would make it easier for people on the spectrum to deal with us and for us to be able to help them?
Sam
Well, definitely take a deep breath and know that we’re all human at the end of the day and you won’t find make mistakes at some point, but in all, honestly, just give us a chance. I mean, it is a shot at redemption for us, so we just really need the chance and that’s all we can ask for. And I don’t know. I’m just wondering if that’s too much to ask for.
Kim-Adele
I’d like to hope not. I mean, all of us deserve a chance, don’t we? And I think we all have that. We’ve all got something within us. We’ve all got a story and is that we want to get out and actually if we can just be kind and listen to each other, there may be, we can help everybody get their story out and find their space.
Sam
Yeah. I agree with that.
Kim-Adele
So is there, is there other, you know, are there other things, because one of the bits that I think is amazing now is that society is starting to embrace neurodiversity. So recognizing that rather than seeing the differences, we’re actually seeing the benefits that we get from the fact that we are all different and actually that’s how we learn and grow. Have you seen that in what you’ve been doing with the Ted talking and that, and the podcast that people are starting to embrace, what they can learn from the differences rather than holding people accountable for them
Sam
Through the journey. Yes, I haven’t, I have seen changes, but I’m hoping one day we can get to the point where we don’t have to be judgemental. And I just hope one day we get to the roadway or we all just don’t look at the guy and just think he’s a weirdo. And just because you don’t know what story,
Kim-Adele
That’s so true, isn’t it. We don’t, we make those immediate judgments. And what we don’t do is, seek to understand. And yet I think our base human beings want to be listened to, they want to be understood and they want to be respected. So if we can instead say, tell, tell me your journey, tell me about yourself, tell me where you’re coming from and where you’re hoping to go to. Then actually I can seek to understand rather than make a judgment. And I guess that was kind of one of my reasons for doing this podcast to help people share their story and say, tell us, tell us what your journey has been like, tell us how we can help you on your journey next, because that’s going to be how we all learn and grow. Isn’t it?
Sam
Yep. Correct.
Kim-Adele
So what do you think has been the most, the greatest achievement so far on your journey? I mean, you’ve got the, you’ve got the podcast, you’ve got the TedTalk, you’ve graduated,
Sam
I’m being an advocate for autism and mental health and just being the person who can step in when needed.
Kim-Adele
I love that because it’s so important, isn’t it to ensure that everybody has got a voice and you do that so well for people that are autistic, ensuring that people understand better, what it is like to be autistic and how we can be more inclusive and supportive instead of judgmental and probably exclude people of suffering. So if you could give us what, you know, one thing you’d like us to take away from, from today’s conversation, what’s the one thing you’d like to do differently to make it easier for people with autism.
Sam
Well, instead of being the person who, when, you know, hear the word autism don’t think, oh no, it’s a threat where they’re not even capable of anything. Hmm. Try again, buddy. That’s not true. It’s oh my gosh, they have autism. That’s so cool. Let’s see what gifts they can do.
Kim-Adele
Absolutely. Because I mean, clearly, you can do lots and it’s just, you do things differently, but that’s how we learn. Isn’t it?
Sam
Correct.
Kim-Adele
So when you’re, when you’re thinking about kind of what, what you’d like for the future, what’s, what’s next for you
Sam
Hopefully to grow this podcast as much as possible, but always say, ask me five years and we’ll talk again in this podcast one day at a time and we’ll see where it goes. So, and maybe it’s doing something different down the road. You never know. But as of now, I plan on doing this, but if I use it could change, man.
Kim-Adele
No, absolutely, my Nan used to say every day’s a school day and my granddad used to say live each day as if it should last and one day you’d be right, and I try and live my life between those two, which is live for today and try and learn something. And, you know, I learned something from everybody I get to speak to because they’ve all got such a different way of looking at the world. Haven’t they?
Sam
Yes, they do.
Kim-Adele
Nope. Who has been your favourite so far?
Sam
My favorite. What now?
Kim-Adele
Your favourite guests. fo far,
Sam
Oh, Mick Foley, the professional wrestling legend, the hardcore legend. He was fun and pretty cool to hang out with.
Kim-Adele
And what was it, what was his biggest giveaway takeaway for it, for your audience?
Sam
Probably the fact that you can be, you can have all the money in the world, but it doesn’t give you true happiness. You can still be humble.
Kim-Adele
Yeah. I love that. Cause it’s true. Isn’t it? You know, it’s like we come into the world with nothing and we leave with nothing. I think sometimes in the middle, we forget that that and it is life’s biggest leveller.
Sam
I would, I would agree with that. Yeah.
Kim-Adele
So he, sounds fab. If you could get anybody on your podcast, who would it be?
Sam
That’s a lot. That’s a good question. There are a lot of possibilities out there, but I guess my main two would be Eminem I think Mick Folley was the big one, but I guess the other two now is Eminem and Gordon Ramsey.
Kim-Adele
So I’m going to take one at a time. Why I’m an Eminem
Sam
As he’s on the spectrum. And I think he would be very interested and I like plus his songs have been very helpful to me as a child and as an adult, more of that, more likely as an adult,
Kim-Adele
He has got amazing songs on there. They all got a real message in there. If you really listen.
Sam
There’s more to that, there’s more to the cussing. Let’s put that.
Kim-Adele
Yeah, absolutely. I also do international imposter syndrome, awareness day. And he has a song where actually, although he doesn’t say it, he talks very clearly about his own struggle with feeling like an imposter.
Sam
Which one? I don’t know. That’s the reason why I’m asking.
Kim-Adele
Walk on water,
Sam
Walk on water.
Kim-Adele
Yeah Walk on water with Beyonce in it as well hasn’t he, if you listen back through it, he talks about the kind of fear of his work, not being good enough.
Sam
Very, I’m a very music geeky kind of guy. So I’ll check that out.
Kim-Adele
Yeah, it’s one that I listen to quite a lot it’s very cleverly done. Okay. So that’s why Eminem and that’s fantastic and great that I think music does help us doesn’t that, but I, I guess, I don’t know, cause I’m not on the spectrum. Is this something that is extremely helpful to people that are autistic or is it just a personal thing, do you think?
Sam
I think it could personally, it depends on the person, but for me, it’s a very personal thing. I just think that I would rather do music than watch a movie or anything like that. It’s nice because, through the podcast, I turn more audio, I guess it’s the way it goes. I mean, there’s been music therapies at Indiana where they help on the spectrum play music. So I think it’s a little bit for me, both.
Kim-Adele
Okay. That’s useful to know because I’m a lover of music too. And I think music can really help me change my mood. I’m in, I’m in the wrong mood and I put the right music on. It can really shift my energy. And I wondered if that was, you know, if that’s similar, I guess that’s just a musical piece as opposed to anything else. Isn’t it?
Sam
Yeah.
Kim-Adele
So that’s Eminem Why Gordon Ramsey?
Sam
Well, at first it was kind of funny. I thought the biggest problem was he was in like an a-hole for honesty and blood for no reason. People, some hate that I actually admire that, but there’s a hard story behind it. If you’ll watch the gold cast video with just talking about him, apparently his father whipped him with the belt for no apparent reason. And he had to deal with a lot of abuse with his father and his brothers. His brother was on heroin. He’s seen a lot. He’s on a grownup past, I think.
Kim-Adele
Yeah. He has had a sad, a lot of sadness in his, background. And I think, I guess that comes back around, doesn’t it to your point, which is, don’t just judge the book by its cover, read the book, get to know the person, understand what they’ve gone through.
Sam
And what I’ve heard is outside of that kitchen, he’s fine. One of the nicest guys it’s like hanging out with your dad when you hang out with him.
Kim-Adele
Yeah. And often that’s the thing, isn’t it? Yeah. When people play to a persona, a persona that works for them, that gets them, you know, that gets them known. I shouldn’t be now reminded of the moment in Shrek. And I don’t mean it for any other reason, but the moment in the final Shrek where the guys goes “do the roar, do the roar.” And they’re like, that’s all he’s been known for was being an ogre that roared. And yet actually when you get to know him, he was, you know, the character got many more layers than that hadn’t he. He was a father and an all of the rest of things. And yet we do sometimes just, unfortunately, hone in on that one thing, don’t we?
Sam
Yep.
Kim-Adele
So what’s what is next for you right now? What’s your next three months looking like
Sam
Three months probably doing this more working on season two and having a lot of fun and adventures because summer breaks go around the corner and I’m hoping to get out of the house and have some fun, do some zip lining and all that jazz,
Kim-Adele
I love it. I absolutely love it. And if you could give this one a hard one, if you could give advice to your younger self when you’re already so young, but if you could give advice to your younger self, what would it be or to anybody younger that’s watching,
Sam
That’d be awesome That’s actually easier one. Take a deep breath. First of all. And every, if I had a shirt, I would still it, but every little thing is going to be all right. I still don’t think that, but I think it was like, I learned it more now, back then when I was 10, I wasn’t, as I’m not as stressful, I feel a lot more happier than I was once upon a time.
Kim-Adele
Oh, good. I’m glad. And you’re right. Sometimes we do just have to take a breath then and recognize that we’ve survived a hundred percent of the challenges life’s thrown at us so far that’s quite a batting average. So I always say, use that to trust yourself that you’ll survive whatever comes next, Me too. I love it. So if people want to get involved or learn more about it, how best do they get in touch with you?
Sam
You can go to your favorite media platform area. Think I am, I’m probably there, but my main like home domain is podbean at autism rocks rules. You can search it on Podbean or go to my website www.autismrocksandrolls.com. That’ll have all my information on and what I do to learn more about and really get involved.
Kim-Adele
Fantastic. Well, we’ll make sure also that all of the links to all of your sites and how people can contact you is included in the show notes. Is there anything last you’d like to say to the audience before we let you go?
Sam
Sure. I think it, the world could be nice and not be stupid. I think we’ll get along perfectly.
Kim-Adele
I love that being nice and don’t be stupid what great advice. And thank you so much for coming along and sharing part of your journey with us. We really appreciate it. And until next time,
Sam
Of course. Thank you again.
Kim-Adele
Pleasure. Speak soon.