Otherness Podcast

By: Todd Peter Levine
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  • Summary

  • The Otherness Podcast is exploring and engaging autism through experienced stories. Dr. Todd Peter Levine presents conversations, concepts and guests covering an array of the interactions and experiences from those with or close to autism.
    Copyright Todd Peter Levine
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Episodes
  • Diagnosed with autism later in life. A Joe Barksdale Story.

    Diagnosed with autism later in life. A Joe Barksdale Story.
    Sep 27 2022
    Joe Barksdale shares his story about a life that was forged and assembled by an abusive and neglectful family in Detroit, tested on football fields, and released in recording studios and on stage. While feeling so much pain and internal self-loathing, he talks about how he tolerated the social discomfort and loneliness of autism. He goes on to describe how he has endured his own darkness to add art to the world and create community which generated the discussion for s2. E7. N17. of the Otherness Podcast.

    This week, Todd interviews Joe Barksdale who is a comedian, musician, and author who was recently diagnosed with autism while struggling with a lifetime of crushing depression. Joe describes how the lens of autism has worsened his depression and feelings of hopelessness while he strives to create community and support through his music and comedy.

    Struggles can come in multiple ways for many to form the people we become. Autism can provide a unique lens which can magnify these struggles into more painful feelings that lead to desolation. Joe Barksdale shares about how he has lived a brave life through his childhood defined by abuse and neglect and time spent playing professional football. Barksdale shares how he wanted to be the best in a focused and concrete way that can be enhanced by autism. Despite his perceived success, Joe explains in this interview how he struggled with gripping depression and consistent suicidal thoughts. Joe talks about how he was an A student in high school who wanted to design the interior of cars before he embarked on his football career which was driven by his desire to show others that he could be the best at what he did. Joe talks about how he succeeded in the game of football, but did not like to be the center of attention. In this episode, Joe shares how he feels most comfortable when performing comedy and expressing his true self to others on stage. Joe goes on to describe how he wants to build a community that supports the creative output and compassion of others, particularly those affected by things with which he has struggled as a black man with mental illness and autism. Joe wants to call the community Moonbeam, which is the name of the first song he wrote for which he felt truly proud. This vision of community may embody Joe’s living force which appears so rooted in darkness.

    The Otherness Podcast is exploring and engaging autism through experienced stories with Dr. Todd Peter Levine and is available on most places and sites where you like to listen to podcasts.


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    Opening Theme Song Music Credits
    “Otherness Podcast Intro Theme Song and Music” by Nicholas Burling
    Copyright 2021 Late Leopard Publishing/Nick Burling (ASCAP)
    Administered by Late Leopard Publishing (ASCAP)
    *******
    Closing Theme Song Music Credits
    “Otherness Podcast Outro Theme Song and Music” by Nicholas Burling
    Copyright 2021 Late Leopard Publishing (ASCAP)
    Administered by late Leopard Publishing (ASCAP)
    *******
    Show More Show Less
    45 mins
  • Faith without knowing. Autism Family Reflections from Mom.

    Faith without knowing. Autism Family Reflections from Mom.
    Aug 4 2022
    Todd talks to his mother, Melanie, about how families form around defining members and moments. The Levine family was created around his brother, Jay, and moved forward with the compassion and conviction of Melanie. They reflect on how they purely embraced who Jay was and how they saw a future of companionship and community for him in s2. E6. N16. of the Otherness Podcast titled Faith without knowing. Autism Family Reflections from Mom.

    It took a while for Todd’s mother, Melanie, to join him for a family conversation on the Otherness Podcast. When they recorded this episode, Todd was able to remember how she led the Levine family into the uncharted waters of being truly present with his brother, Jay. Companionship for Jay was the top priority for Melanie, and she shares the experiences and images that fueled her faith and hope.

    Todd’s brother, Jay, has a steady job, his own apartment, and a caring girlfriend. Objectively, one could say that Jay is a success as a man, let alone one with autism. In this conversation between Todd and his mother, Melanie, these successes are not the focal point. The more meaningful creations were the relationships that were fueled by Jay’s true desire to connect and set by Melanie’s steady faith in his capacity for companionship with individuals and his community.

    Melanie shares an important family story of when she went to a local hardware store many years ago and met an employee there that reminded her of Jay. He wore a wedding ring and Melanie wondered who his wife was. She returned to the store a few days later and saw this man’s wife and was moved by how similar they were to each other as well as to Jay. The image of that couple stayed with her during Jay’s arduous yet fulfilling road towards being with someone who truly cared about him. Todd and Melanie also discuss how she went to the many school meetings to help Jay get the resources he needed being cooperative and non-adversarial, even if she was angry about what wasn’t being done for him. Todd describes what it was like to be forged in autism as Jay’s brother and how there was no real concept of abnormality in the relationship.

    The Otherness Podcast is exploring and engaging autism through experienced stories with Dr. Todd Peter Levine and is available on most places and sites where you like to listen to podcasts.

    S2. E6. N16. of the Otherness Podcast titled Faith without knowing. Autism Family Reflections from Mom.

    *******
    Opening Theme Song Music Credits
    “Otherness Podcast Intro Theme Song and Music” by Nicholas Burling
    Copyright 2021 Late Leopard Publishing/Nick Burling (ASCAP)
    Administered by Late Leopard Publishing (ASCAP)
    *******
    Closing Theme Song Music Credits
    “Otherness Podcast Outro Theme Song and Music” by Nicholas Burling
    Copyright 2021 Late Leopard Publishing (ASCAP)
    Administered by late Leopard Publishing (ASCAP)
    *******
    Show More Show Less
    29 mins
  • Like Father Like Daughter. A Family Discussion About Autism.

    Like Father Like Daughter. A Family Discussion About Autism.
    May 23 2022
    When Todd’s daughter, Sofia, told him she wanted to write about autism for her end-of-year middle school research paper, Todd was both excited and anxious. Both the anxiety and excitement came from wondering what parts of her life experience with autism she incorporated into herself. The connective conversation that took place and became s2. E5. N15. of the Otherness Podcast titled Like Father Like Daughter. A Family Discussion About Autism.

    The tables of the Otherness Podcast are turned as Todd is interviewed by his daughter, Sofia. She asks intuitive questions about how Todd understands challenges hospitals have with engaging families affected by autism, the changing landscape from finding a “cure” for autism towards community and cultural support, and what she was surprised to learn in her research about how autism is actually a part of all of us.

    “Embracing autism is embracing the human condition”

    Like many of us, Todd has understood it is hard to “leave your work at the office”, especially when you spend it with families facing all of the challenges of autism as he does. He realized that his daughter, Sofia, was incorporating some of the spoken and unspoken lessons she learned about autism into her own ideas and questions. This led her to write a research paper on autism for a middle school project and was able to explore what we know and don’t know about autism.

    “I never thought of it as weird, it was just who my uncle was.”

    Todd has always wanted Sofia to form her own voice, which she did. While some of her views overlap with her father, some do not. Their discussion helped Todd realize that the children watching us try to “figure out autism” are actually growing up in an environment where they actually experience autism with those around them. Sofia not only learned about autism from growing up with her Uncle Jay, but saw communities embracing those with special needs. This brings normalcy to relationships grown in autism. She never viewed Jay as anything but her uncle and describes how she can relate to some of his autism traits for herself as we all need tools to cope that may involve repetition and order. They also discuss caring for people with autism in schools, hospitals, and therapy sessions while reflecting on what Jay experienced and what they have seen around them today.

    s2. E5. N15. of the Otherness Podcast is titled Like Father Like Daughter. A Family Discussion About Autism.

    The Otherness Podcast is exploring and engaging autism through experienced stories with Dr. Todd Peter Levine and is available on most places and sites where you like to listen to podcasts.

    *
    Opening Theme Song Music Credits
    “Otherness Podcast Intro Theme Song and Music” by Nicholas Burling
    Copyright 2021 Late Leopard Publishing/Nick Burling (ASCAP)
    Administered by Late Leopard Publishing (ASCAP)
    *
    Closing Theme Song Music Credits
    “Otherness Podcast Outro Theme Song and Music” by Nicholas Burling
    Copyright 2021 Late Leopard Publishing (ASCAP)
    Administered by late Leopard Publishing (ASCAP)

    Like Father Like Daughter. A Family Discussion About Autism.
    Show More Show Less
    24 mins

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