Welcome to Homebase for the Autistic Culture Podcast.
Our website is hosted by Substack and it’s a little different than other website platforms. You can listen to the Autistic Culture Podcast, for free, anywhere you get your podcasts. Just type in the name of the show and we will come up. But when you follow our show through our Substack page, instead of just listening to us on a podcast player, there are a few advantages. But, before we get to that, let’s go through some basics.
WHAT'S SUBSTACK?
Substack is simply a platform where creators (like us!) can publish podcasts, articles, videos, and updates directly to readers. Subscribing means you'll get our podcast episodes straight to your email and you have early access to videos from each episode. You do NOT have to pay to subscribe. You don’t even have to subscribe to be reading this page.
WHY SIGN UP FOR OUR SUBSTACK?
The free subscription has 3 main benefits:
📧 BENEFIT NUMERO UNO - Email reminders when new episodes come out! (Because it's easy to forget to listen)
🎥 BENEFIT NUMERO DOS - Early access to video versions of each episode if you are into that sort of thing!
📑 BENEFIT NUMERO TRES - Complete transcripts of each episode if you would rather read or read along!
HOW DO YOU SIGN UP?
Here's exactly how it works, step-by-step:
1. Go to AutisticCulturePodcast.com. You'll first see a landing page asking for your email. You have 2 options. You can enter your email or you can continue without entering your email. If you entered your email, congrats! You are subscribed. If you skipped that step read on.
2. If you are on this page, you should see some option in the top right corner to either upgrade or subscribe. Click that button.
3. Once your email is in the system you'll be presented with subscription options. It will say Choose a Subscription Plan.
IMPORTANT: One of these plans is completely free (labeled as "None"). Just choose the free option to access all our standard content without cost.
Once you've subscribed, you'll get our latest posts delivered directly to your email inbox. You can also browse older posts on our Substack page anytime.
Also, Substack has an app, but you absolutely do NOT need to download it. The app is entirely optional—it just provides another way to conveniently read content if you prefer apps. You can fully access our content and subscribe without ever touching the app.
WHY ARE WE USING SUBSTACK INSTEAD OF FB, TWITTER, or TIKTOK?
Simply put, Substack aligns better with our values. It's also the only platform like this not owned by billionaires. The owners are 3 guys from New Zealand, Canada, and Japan—Hamish McKenzie, Chris Best, and Jairaj Sethi. Now that does not make them perfect (cuz they aren't) but when Vivian's estranged father who shall remain nameless tried to buy the company, they told him to eff off and then systematically poached Twitter's top creators. I appreciate that. I think Hamish said it best recently on a podcast/substack of a guy I don’t even like (you can find the full name at the bottom), but here’s what he said:
I think the foundation of it, the thing that makes it different for Substack versus the likes of TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X, is that our model creates different conditions that produce different types of results, different behaviors and different content, rewards different behaviors and rewards different content than those other machines reward.
On those other machines, you're rewarded for keeping people scrolling. Keeping people maximally engaged in the feed, keeping their emotions maximally peaked. On Substack, you're rewarded for demonstrating that you're a trustworthy voice that it's worth continuing to show up for. Even if you don't always agree with the writer, you've invited them into your inbox for a subscription, even if it's a free subscription: that's a big barrier to jump over. And you can punish that writer by unsubscribing if they lose your trust. Even more extreme is you can pay with your money out of your pocket to say I really trust you and then the writer's responsibility is to keep living up to that standard and keep living up to that trust. When you change the business model that drives the whole platform, then you change the outcomes. You change the culture of the platform.
Unlike other platforms, Substack allows user greater control over what they see, because readers and subscribers are the customers instead of making the advertisers the customers. By taking direct payments from the subscribers instead of making money like a TikTok influencer from ads and advertisers, Matt and I are incentivized to serve you instead of playing like an algorithm game hoping to go viral in the social media context. A small percent of our subscribers are paying for bonus content from us, and the Substack platform takes 10% of that which seems fair and better than selling our souls for free access and sponsored content. This ensures our communication isn't controlled by algorithms or large corporations. This means fewer distractions, no selling of your data, and more direct, meaningful interactions between us and you.
WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THE PAID OPTIONS?
We believe that celebrating Autistic Joy is our greatest act of resistance in a world that was not made for us, and some days feels like it seeks to destroy us for being who we were born to be. We make our main podcast totally free, but it’s quite expensive to make and is a huge time commitment.
Just to break it down for you we have to pay for domains, web hosting, storage services, editing services, audio engineering, transcript and show note services, technical coders to put the episodes up, and a lot of admin - more than you are probably imagining! There is so much we want to do that we just don't have the budget for.
As a thank you to those who can help us defray our costs we have some extra and bonuses including a private book club, live calls with Matt and I, early access to our book, Adult Autism Home Assessment, discounts on tshirts and stickers, and the option to have a piece of your writing in our annual paid subscriber literary anthology, Neurodivergent Narratives.
So, if you do have the budget for it, we would love to welcome you to our producer circle as a paid supporter of the show.
Join us in celebrating the extraordinary minds, and unique contributions, of our Autistic “family members” across history. We’ll be your sassy, fun-loving guides as you journey with us into the values, traditions, and norms of “Autistica”—all of which, tie back to the one thing that we all have in common: the monotropic focus of our hyper-connected brains.
Book us as a Podcast Guest or Speaker for Your Event
Matt and Angela are available for Podcast interviews, virtual summits & conferences, mastermind guest talks, and customized workshops, both individually and together.
Podcast Guests:
As podcasters ourselves, we understand the important role guests play in the success of your show. We have been featured on a number of podcasts including:
Hear Angela as a guest on:
Meet My Autistic Brain: How AI Benefits Autistics
Connected Conversations for Creatives: Embracing Neurodiversity
Women at Halftime: Diagnosing the Autistic Culture with Dr. Angela Lauria
Spectrumly Speaking: Embracing Autistic Joy with Dr. Angela Lauria
Successful, Self-employed, and Disabled: Dr. Angela Lauria Talks About Creating Success as an Autistic Entrepreneur
Beyond Confidence: Innovators on the Spectrum
Relationship Diversity Podcast: Understanding Autism and Mixed Neurotype Relationships
The Shameless Mom Academy: Navigating the World After an Adult Autism Diagnosis
Square Peg: Relaxing into the Truth of who we are as Late-diagnosed Autistic Adults
1000 Voices: Unmasking Autism - and Revealing its True Power
Not Your Average Runner: Talking Autism and Running with It
Read articles featuring Matt:
Bristol Post: Autism diagnosis at 39 'saved my life'
Hear Matt as a guest on:
No Limits with Lisa Jacovsky: A conversation wtih Matt Lowry licensed psychological practitioner, autistic man and parent of an autistic individual
The Diversity Pivot: April is Autism Acceptance Month with Matt Lowry
Differences not Deficits: A Conversation with Matt Lowry, LPP Pt. 1
Differences not Deficits: A Conversation with Matt Lowry, LPP Pt. 2
Neurodiversity Podcast: Not a Disease, Understanding Autism as a Difference
Two Sides of the Spectrum: Strengths Based Diagnostics & "The Legend of Autistica”
Read articles featuring Matt:
Forbes Magazine: 3 Ways To Be Better Ally To People With Autism In The Workplace
Masterclasses, Talks & Workshops:
Matt and Angela can customize talks for your audience, goals, and time frame.
The Neurodiversity Movement is a rapidly growing, global effort to have neurodiversity recognized as a natural and beneficial form of human diversity. Having people with lived experience centered in all public conversations is viewed as critical to the mission of expanding true understanding and ending oppression.
Autistic Culture is rich, diverse, and nuanced. Like any culture, autism has art, music, mannerisms, dress, language, rituals, food, and yes—podcasts! By exploring our Autistic heirtage and our “family tree,” we provide insights to bridge the “double empathy” gap between autistics and allistics, to make the world a safer and happier place where people of all neurotypes can thrive.
Angela and Matt can speak individually or together about Autistic Culture, sharing success stories and best practices for creating a more neurodiversity-affirming world.
Angela and Matt have been featured together by the Association for Autism and Neurodiversity From Community to Culture: Valuing the Autistic Identity and at the Autism Symposium at Sunriver Resort, Oregon.
Additionally, here are some sample topics for Matt as a solo speaker:
Beyond the DSM: Reframing Autism as Neurodiversity
Centering the Autistic Experience in Therapy: An Introduction to Autistic-Centered Therapy (AuCT)
Family-Friendly Policies for Neurodivergent Parents
And, here are some sample topics for Angela as a solo speaker:
The Competitive Advantage of Having Autistic People on Your Team
Accommodating All Brains: Creating More Accessible Workplaces
Amplifying Neurodivergent Voices: Sensory-Friendly Workspaces for Focus and Productivity
Do you want to book Matt & Angela to be guests on your podcast or to speak at your professional event?
To inquire, e-mail us at info@AutisticCulturePodcast.com with:
The name + a link or web address for the podcast or organization.
The venue (virtual or in-person).
Times and dates of recording or event.
What is the topic of the podcast or event?
How did you learn about us and why do you think we’d be a good fit?
No missing puzzle pieces here! We’re here, we’re Autistic, get used to it! Thank you for joining us in celebrating differences and embracing the fullness of Neurodiversity.
Authentically yours,
Angela:
Diagnosed with autism at 39, Angela understands firsthand the challenges and strengths that come with being late-diagnosed. She’s dedicated to sharing these insights, whether it’s through The Autistic Culture Podcast, her bestselling book The Equalizing Quill, or through her work as a book coach and ghostwriter for Autistic experts. Angela's ability to take big ideas and make them practical and digestible is what draws people to her work.
Broadway musical lover. Lifelong Rockhound. Unapologetic nail-biter. Angela brings her passion for neurodiversity and her thoughtful, grounded approach to everything she does. Beyond the podcast, Angela is deeply involved in autism research as a postgraduate researcher at the University of Kent. She’s also a member of the editorial board of Neurodiversity Journal, where she contributes to shaping inclusive, neurodiversity-affirming conversations within academia.Angela holds a B.A. and M.A. in Journalism and Media Affairs from George Washington University, a Ph.D. in Communications from European Graduate School, and a certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility from the University of Colorado.
Favorite Stims: echolalic singing, nail-biting, fidget bubble poppers
Beloved SPINs: BOOKS!, Crowded House, investigative journalism podcasts
Find Angela at: www.AngelaKingdon.com
Matt:
Star Wars superfan. Dedicated dad. Passionate investigator. Caring, thoughtful, curious, insightful, generous. Matt Lowry, LPP is a Licensed Psychological Practitioner who works exclusively with Autistic clients, performing neurodiversity-affirming Autism evaluations and providing Autistic Centered Therapy (a form of therapy that he founded). Don’t let his imposing frame and big beard fool you—Matt is a sensitive professional, friend, and dad.
Matt works hard to expand autistic access, and is currently involved in Trailhouse: an Autistic-friendly, Autistic-ran, medical facility in his home state of Kentucky. The podcast benefits from his insights and quick quips. There’s a reason that Matt has gone viral on TikTok TWICE without even having a TikTok account—tune into the pod to find out why!
Favorite Stims: heavy D100, multi tool fidget spinner, leg bouncing
Beloved SPINs: Star Wars, Lego, world mythology
Find Matt at: www.MattLowryLPP.com
*The Neurodiversity movement is a grassroots movement that wouldn’t exist without the support of people like you! As always, please share Autistic Culture on your social media and with your family, friends, (and, hey, if you can) doctors, therapists, teachers, and local politicians! Together, we can make the world a safer, more accepting place, where people of ALL neurotypes can thrive!
