Tourette's Podcast

Riyani Patel, 16, just came out with her second book and it's blowing up Amazon, showing up as the #1 new release in books in the category of disability for young adults. Solid. On this episode, Riyani tells us what led her to write "The 'Terrible' Bullies," what she hopes the public takes from it, and what advocacy -- a likely career value -- means to her. PLUS: Adult ADHD and reading -- your thoughts.  Ryani Patel, The "Terrible" Bullies The Boy Battle

Danni's story is amazing. Tough upbringing, a younger brother to protect, a surprise introduction to tics, and finding a way to make total sense of the sometimes elusive thing that is identity through a kind of physical transformation. Danni is wildly smart about, and creative with, the journey through Tourette, even regarding Tourette as a distinct kind of personality -- with a name. Danni Jack on Twitter  Ben with Amanda Talty as guests on the TOTS Podcast http://www.totspodcast.com/ Join the Tourette's Podcast Discussion Group Tourette's Podcast is made possible by the Tourette Association of America, tourette.org. Support! You can give Tourette’s Podcast individual support at https://www.patreon.com/tourettespodcast.

This conversation with our guest this week, Gianna, from New York, was recorded on the night of Election Day in the U.S., meaning, yeah, it served as a much-needed break from the mud throwing. Gianna, who has a master's degree in psych and works with disabled children, was a lot of fun to talk with and we did so like a regular hangout, the kind we'd probably have if we weren't recording. We talk Tourette analogies, self-accepting, being queer but finding it harder to come out as having TS, how to find relatability, frames of reference, and how to roll it all into real advocacy work. Sounds kind of serious, but it's fun. But, first, a deep, vulnerable word from a listener named Jackson. Scrunchies for Tourette shoptoni.co / https://shoptoni.co/collections/scrunches/products/gianna 

First thing -- a THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the 2020 Tourette Association of America Virtual Gala. Lots of great post-gala talk and Tourette's Podcast appreciates all the support before, during and since. On this episode, we hear from MMAJunkie.com writer and martial artist Dan Tom, who brings us a long, steady conversation with lots of vulnerabilities, candidness and analogies best described as Quentin Tarantino inverting Disney. Get ready to go deep. This one's great. Plus: Your responses to the question from last week -- when's it okay to laugh about Tourette Syndrome? Dan Tom on Twitter At MMAjunkie.com Protect Ya Neck Podcast Join the Tourette's Podcast Discussion Group Tourette's Podcast is made possible by the Tourette Association of America, tourette.org.

One of the most requested guests in Tourette's Podcast history is here. Jamie Grace is a two-time Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and actor who has refreshing angles on Tourette Syndrome, OCD, ADHD, anxiety and the components of each that are, sure enough, a privilege to have. (Hear her out!) She has a new book, called 'Finding Quiet,' a concept everyone in the room can relate to, and do we ever. On this episode we talk about all the brain-compressing things competing for our attention and where to find the elusive pause button. Really, it's been quite a year; this episode is healthy. Notes: The new book by Jamie Grace, ‘Finding Quiet’ Jamie Grace central, http://jamiegrace.com/ Tourette's Podcast is made possible by the Tourette Association of America, holding its Virtual Gala (emceed by Tourette's Podcast host Ben Brown) on Oct. 29, 2020. Check out https://tourette.org/get-involved/gala/. Join the Tourette's Podcast Discussion Group

Jollyville Radio maker Michael Crosa joins us this week with a Tourette story that's different from the standard model. He remembers his first tic down to the date and time of day. It was that jarring. This is an episode that gets more and more interesting as it goes. He also has a career that's kind of perfect for a Touretter. Can't wait for you to hear this one. And don't forget, I'll be emceeing the Tourette Association's Virtual Gala on Oct. 29. Make sure to check tourette.org/gala for the details. Michael's podcast, Jollyville Radio https://www.jollyvilleproductions.com/ 

Season 6 picks up right where Season 5 left off, and we'll leave it to Adam Curry to explain the how and why. Yep, that Adam Curry, the former MTV VJ these days known far and wide as the Podfather, a title that's followed him around since one of his inventions -- podcasting -- started to catch on. Not only would Tourette's Podcast not exist without it, but -- wouldn't you know it? -- Tourette Syndrome actually figures into the backstory. Here, Curry opens up like never before in discussing his life with Tourette Syndrome, from his youth, through his early radio and MTV days, and into his work as a hyperconscious tech and internet expert analyzing government legislation. Curry is a host of the popular No Agenda podcast and lives in Austin, Texas. You might've caught him recently on the Joe Rogan Experience; he addresses his tics within the first few minutes of that episode. Oh yeah, and what's a "gidget"? You'll relate. Big thanks to Adam Curry for spending time with us. Relevant links: Curry's main site  No A

Some catchup, your feedback, a shredded voice, and a request to join me (in virtual fashion) at a big event coming up --https://tourette.org/get-involved/gala -- as we kick off Season 6 of Tourette's Podcast, which opens with a GREAT guest, Adam Curry, the Podfather. 

Unbelievable. It's the FINALE of Season 5. But we go out the right way -- raising a glass with a special guest, Aidy Smith, who you know from the great docu-series The Three Drinkers on Amazon Prime. We talk about Aidy's background developing a world-class knowledge of wine and spirits and where Tourette Syndrome fits in. Aidy's opening-up about TS in his life has led to an important media sweep in the UK, where news outlets are sharing a relatable story from a popular presenter. Thanks to everyone who played a role in making Season 5 a highlight. Tourette's Podcast is made possible by the support of the Tourette Association of America.  http://aidysmith.com/  https://www.thethreedrinkers.com/ https://www.instagram.com/sypped/ https://twitter.com/sypped HuffPo feat. on Aidy 

We know sleep evades the "average" Touretter, but answer this, whoever you are: How do you typically start your day? Do you protest with the ol' "I just wanna keep sleeeeeping" or "I can't do this today"? Or do you do what Ellis Pascal does -- waking up exclaiming and jolting into the day -- ? Ellis is one of the most driven and energetic people we've heard from on this show, and his advice for a good life, balanced, productive life is pretty solid. He's used his own methods to tame his tics and create an environment for himself where he can help other people -- his ultimate goal. Really interesting guest here. This podcast is made possible with support from the Tourette Association of America, online at tourette.org.  Ellis Pascal on Instagram Elli$D on Spotify TAA Young Investigator Award

New studio; new guest, and one many of you said you were excited to hear: Brian Lane. He's one of Tourette's best, working as an educator who, partly via TS, ends up being the perfect kind of person to lead a class and relate to what his students go through. He even helped one find a Tourette diagnosis. Brian himself lived a rough and disconnected youth, but found strength as he managed his TS and cultivated his own special skillsets of performing. On this episode we talk about isolation -- the bad and the potential okay-ness of it -- confidence and self-advocacy in a not-always-understanding world. Tourette's Podcast is made possible by the Tourette Association of America, tourette.org.

Attack of the teens continues! This week: Hara, who brings us a maximally convivial and poignant conversation about the funny and not-as-much moments of being a teenager with Tourette Syndrome. But there's a lot more to it -- ethnic backstories, family dynamics, queerness and intersectionality. Really lucky to have Hara walk us through it all, with one of the best family about-face stories we've gotten to hear, a tense moment in the grocery store, and a weird time being yelled at while trying to get a diagnosis. Tourette's Podcast is made possible by the support of the Tourette Association of America, tourette.org. https://tourette.org/about-us/diversity-inclusion/ 

You asked for it -- more teenage voices on Tourette's Podcast. Shylah, known around the web as Simply Tourettes, represents that voice dang well, and candidly so. She opens up, smartly dissects the struggles of reckoning with a perceived-to-be-weird thing like Tourette Syndrome at her age of 13, and finding ways to build structure around it. Everyone can relate to this one in one way or another. PLUS: Upcoming free webinars, and a notable listener gives Spot the TS Studio Cat a stylish hat. Simply Tourettes on YouTube  Simply Tourettes Instagram  Shylah on Tourette Talk with Britney Wolf  Tourette Association of America upcoming events, webinars 

We're nearly to the end of June, and in turn near the end of Pride Month, which has celebrated and boosted awareness for the LGBTQ+ community. Obviously these celebrations (need to) continue beyond a single month, and Tourette's Podcast is always there for it. The Tourette Association of America has been gathering stories from the LGBTQ+ community of Touretters at tourette.org/pride. If you'd like to share your experience, please visit that site. On this episode we have Carter, who TAA recently featured in an Instagram post for Pride Month. Carter, a trans man, was diagnosed with TS later in his adult life but has long known about his tics. We talk about the importance of having people in your life who know your context, so you don't have to spend all kinds of weighty time explaining your situation -- TS in this case. TS is not the only thing Touretters want to talk about, folks. We also discuss the sense of melody and musical talent so familiar to the TS community -- Carter plays drums and ukelele. Tourette'

Rinada is a prime example of a hero parent cutting through the red tape to get her son the world he needs while also giving him the room to live it his own way. As a woman of color, she also underlines the importance of storytelling, because when you don't see yourself in the everyday conversation, the everyday portrayal, the everyday slate of leadership and authority, you can feel isolated, and it's not really made better when the inclusion doesn't capture the heart of the experience. Sharing your experience will help others in your community feel empowered to share their stories, too. PLUS: Answering a question about sleep, a trying not to interrupt Zoom meetings with vocal tics.  Webinar on TS and sleep (focusing on youth) with Dr. Emily Ricketts

The interview you're about to hear was recorded before the George Floyd news story and the subsequent demonstrations across the country. But it gets into some of the points that have been brought up with regard to the lack of certain life experiences in politics, or in government, or leadership or authority. Our guest this week, Justin Farmer, is a local elected official who's running for a state legislative seat, and his story of getting into public service involves his experience not only as a young black man but also as someone with Tourette Syndrome, who understands the disability community and being misjudged for outward characteristics. Tourette's Podcast is made possible by the support of the Tourette Association of America, https://tourette.org. https://tourette.org/awareness  Justin Farmer

I posted this in the Tourette’s Podcast Discussion Group earlier and figured I should here too — It's been a long day here, but I wanted to say something: If there's one thing the Tourette community knows, it's how to be empathetic and appreciate the stories of wrongly treated populations. Clearly the magnitude of protest we're seeing expressed in so many cities in recent days highlights how long the black community and other historically oppressed populations have asked broader society and its elected leaders to truly listen and take the need for meaningful, permanent change seriously, and how it can't wait any longer. Sure, there have been great strides toward a better world over the past few decades, but there's been a lot of comfortable pretending that it's all mission-accomplished; we're obviously not where we should be. There's a horrible passivity in letting the grievances of affected people be downplayed or, if listened to, quickly forgotten as news cycles move on to the next thing. I can't imagine ho

Amanda Talty is back! The president and CEO of the Tourette Association of America talks ways to maximize Tourette Awareness Month, what's happening in the world that hopefully leads to an easier time discussing mental health, what happened at the recent TAA Virtual Conference, and what TAA's programming is focusing on. Plus - listeners questions for Ben: What's your most awkward tic? What's kept you busy during the quarantine? Also - masking tics with an actual mask. Oh, and if you musically inclined Touretters (or anyone else) want to submit Tourette's Podcast jingles, that's 100% welcomed. Tourette's Podcast is made possible by the support of the Tourette Association of America, https://tourette.org/. TAA Virtual Conference  "The Story of the Human Rubberneck" by Shaharah Gaznabbi

Dr. Christine Conelea is a star in the Tourette research field (and an important support beam for Tourette's Podcast in the process). She has an fun energy for tackling TS research questions, but isn't content letting the results of her work (or anyone else's) sit quietly in the vaults. Instead, she wants the Tourette community to know what questions the scientists are researching, and even question their relevance. How can scientists know what's really important to the people who live with the disorder they're studying? And how can the Tourette community better understand what scientists are doing? Dr. Conelea is all about the creating connections of mutual information to maximize benefits on both ends. Fascinating talk here with Dr. Conelea about Tourette research and how Touretters can help to advance it. Tourette's Podcast is made possible by the support of the Tourette Association of America, https://tourette.org/.  @cconelea Tourette scientists directory https://www.treatingtourettetogether.org/ Lele P

When Kyle was growing up, he experienced the very torment so many Touretters can relate to -- being bullied, being punished for tics, a lack of empathy within the family, et cetera -- and in turn vented angrily to the people around him. Once he noticed his young son, Bryson, was clearly displaying tics, Kyle was determined to give him a different outlook. Today, Bryson, 9, is a highly focused taekwondo competitor viewed as advanced for his age, so much that people around him view his Tourette as a strength. Posting videos of his training and words of Tourette positivity, Bryson has built a following on Instagram. Now, his entire town knows his face -- it's on a giant billboard advertising Tourette Awareness Month, which begins now -- May 15 -- and runs through June 15.  There is some discussion of CBD and marijuana in a medicinal sense on this episode. Remember, Tourette's Podcast is not a medical advice show; any discussions of medications or forms of treatment you hear on the show are just things we talk ab