The Autistic VOICE Project

Matt, Erin, and friend of the show Hunter Hammersen are here this week talking about something a whole lot of Autistic people want and struggle with at the same time: friendship. Specifically, how do you make local, in-person friends when leaving the house already feels exhausting?
Hunter shares her deeply Autistic, surprisingly effective friendship protocol involving spreadsheets, rules, recurring events, and finding “friend-shaped people” in places like libraries, rock shops, yarn stores, and grocery stores. The conversation digs into rejection sensitivity, masking, awkwardness, and why being “one sentence weirder” in public can actually help you find your people.
We cover:• Why Autistic people aren’t actually “bad at people”• Going to events three times before deciding you hate them• “Autism sparkle” and signaling safely to other weirdos in public• Different levels of friendship and why acquaintances matter too• Building community through low-pressure invitations and shared activities• The difference between authentic connection and performing neurotypical social rules
Also: Joanne Fabrics grief, silent book clubs, purple grocery store masks, Mary Poppins crack dealer energy, fabric scissors as weapons, and Matt describing himself as Gollum in public.

Matt and Erin are back for another mailbag episode — and this one gets deeply personal. From losing an “anchor person” to navigating autistic grief, relationships, PDA parenting, and co-regulation, this episode explores what happens when the people who help hold our world together are suddenly gone or overwhelmed. It’s vulnerable, funny, heartbreaking, and very, very autistic.
We cover:
Why autistic grief can feel like losing your “internal compass” — not just a loved one

How partners, friends, and safe people often function as essential disability supports

The fear, disorientation, and loneliness that can come after losing an “anchor person”

Matt and Erin’s personal experiences with divorce, loss, burnout, and rebuilding stability

PDA parenting, “dueling gremlins,” and how co-regulation creates room for flexibility

Why autistic love is often rooted in safety, routine, and nervous system relief

Transformers, Doctor Who, fountains, art galaxies, chicken nuggets, and the sacred role of biscuits and gravy

Also: the loneliest whale in the ocean, emotional support toast, “people…” as a replacement swear word, and Matt casually admitting he’d probably make a good spicy audiobook narrator.

Matt, Erin, and guest Nyck Walsh are here this week — and this episode turns into a really good conversation about somatic therapy, autistic processing, nervous systems, sensory joy, and why neutrality can feel radical when your body has spent years stuck in survival mode.
We talk about:
Rocks, Nintendo buttons, foodgasms, hypervigilance, and the very real experience of trying to exist in a world that keeps demanding “normal”
Nyck explains “VAST” (Variable Attention Stimulus Trait) as a more affirming alternative to ADHD language
Why a lot of somatic therapy can accidentally become ableist when interoception differences aren’t considered
The autistic processing pause: looking away, slowing down, and needing time to actually build an accurate response
Using rocks, pets, blankets, textures, fidgets, and sensory anchors to ground in the present moment
The difference between sympathetic overdrive and parasympathetic rest — and why many autistic people rarely get to experience neutrality
How pleasure, sensory joy, and “stopping to smell the roses” can become survival tools instead of luxuries
Cats, Caprese omelets, NES controller fidgets, and the very important concept of the food dance
Nyck’s new book Neurodivergent Somatics and Therapy and the upcoming audiobook narrated by Nyck themself
Also: Erin accidentally inventing “somagic,” Tuck the adventure cat making emotional drive-bys, and a surprisingly deep discussion about how touching a really good rock can help keep your nervous system online. This is a ride. We’re glad you’re here.

This episode gets into perimenopause through an autistic lens—what it actually feels like, why it hits differently in autistic bodies, and how little real guidance exists. Matt, Erin, and Eleda talk through the biology, the lived experience, and the frustration of trying to make sense of something that affects so many people but still isn’t well understood—especially when you add autism into the mix.
We cover:
How sensory differences can amplify menopause symptoms (hot flashes, sweat, fatigue, migraines) into something much more intense
The overlap between hormones, histamines, and autoimmune conditions—and why everything can spike at once
The lack of research, missed diagnoses, and why so many autistic people are left figuring this out on their own
Real, often overlooked symptoms (phantom smells, joint pain, anxiety surges) and what it’s like not knowing what’s happening to your body
What it takes to advocate for care, find informed providers, and experiment with supports like HRT
There’s no clean roadmap here. Just real talk, shared experience, and a starting point for conversations we should’ve been having a long time ago.

Matt, Erin, and Eleda get into special interests, collections, and what it means to have a space where Autistic joy isn’t hidden—it’s the whole point. This one’s about building community through the things we love, and why that matters more than most people realize.
We cover:
Turning a business into a place where people come to connect—not just buy things

Why collections matter (and what happens to them when we’re gone)

The shame people are taught to feel about joy—and why we reject that

Autistic joy, special interests, and being “too much” for other people

Finding your people—whether that’s a shop, a hobby group, or this podcast

Also: unicorn collections, tiny horse economies, estate herds, and the real work of building (and protecting) a personal museum of the things you love.