Differently Brained

Simon McCarthy is figuring things out

Regional journalist and writer Simon McCarthy drops by to talk about anxiety, work, and trying to figure out his different brain.
Simon McCarthy is a journalist working at the Newcastle Herald in NSW. He writes news, features and produces video and multimedia for the Herald and the Weekender magazine, and he contributes regularly to the Newcastle Herald's daily Topics column. He is a photographer, writer, and co-creator of the Toohey's News Podcast. He's also one of the Differently Brained team's oldest friends.
Check out some of the things we mention in this week's episode:
Simon McCarthy, Newcastle Herald
The Newcastle Herald's Topics column
Find Simon on Instagram
David Foster Wallace 'This is Water' commencement speech
Elif Batuman on Longform
Elif Batuman: 'Japan's Rent-a-Family Industry'
 
HOW TO FIND US
Join our private Facebook community
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Twitter
Check out our website
Shoot us an email to differentlybrainedpodcast@gmail.com
Follow our personal stuff - @jacintadietrich & @ruthooftheloch
CREDITS
This episode was produced by Lachlan Rutherford and Jacinta Dietrich.
ABOUT DIFFERENTLY BRAINED
Differently Brained shares the opinions of individuals and does not consider your personal circumstances. Differently Brained exists purely for information purposes and should not be relied on as health or medical advice. Because no brain is the same, please consult your healthcare professional for your personal medical needs.
The Differently Brained team acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands on which we record, edit and stream this podcast. We pay our respects to all First Nations peoples and their Elders part, present and emerging. We extend that respect to all First Nations cultures and their ongoing connection to the lands, waterways and communities.

Add your mums, add your dads: Feb community wrap

Encore: Jordon Steele-John gives us the lowdown on the ADHD Senate Report

Another one from the archive! Jacinta and Lachlan were lucky enough to chat with Greens senator Jordon Steele-John not once but twice last year! In this episode, the ins and outs of the ADHD Senate Report are discussed (and despite the findings, ADHDers are still facing a slew of issues in 2024!)
How to find us 
Follow us on Instagram
Join our private Facebook community
Follow us on Twitter
Check out our website
Shoot us an email to differentlybrainedpodcast@gmail.com
Follow our personal stuff - @jacintadietrich & @ruthooftheloch
 
About the podcast
Differently Brained shares the opinions of individuals and does not consider your personal circumstances. Differently Brained exists purely for information purposes and should not be relied on as health or medical advice. Because no brain is the same, please consult your healthcare professional for your personal medical needs.
The Differently Brained team acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands on which we record, edit and stream this podcast. We pay our respects to all First Nations peoples and their Elders past, present and emerging. We extend that respect to all First Nations cultures and their ongoing connection to the lands, waterways and communities.

Encore: Kay Kerr's Love & Autism will make you cry (in a good way)

You may have heard this one before - or maybe not! Either way, it's well worth a listen.In one of our most popular episodes we sat down to chat with Kay Kerr about her book 'Love & Autism' which, given the timing (a week after Valentine's Day) seemed like a good reason to do an encore.
 
Original Episode Description:
In this episode, Jacinta and Lachlan interview Kay Kerr about her new book Love & Autism. Love & Autism presents an uplifting celebration of neurodivergent love, the search for it and a deeper look into the lives of autistic Australians. We chat to Kay about where the idea came from, the interview and drafting process, autistic affirmation and joy, and what she thinks lies ahead for the next generation of autistics. 
 
About our guest
Kay Kerr is an autistic author and journalist from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. Her debut novel Please Don’t Hug Me (2020) was shortlisted for Book of the Year for Older Children at the Australian Book Industry Awards in 2021, and listed as a ‘Notable Book’ by the Children’s Book Council of Australia. Her second novel, Social Queue, was released with Text Publishing in October 2021. Kay’s freelance writing has appeared in The Guardian, SBS Voices, Daily Life, Broadsheet, and Peppermint Magazine, amongst others. She writes about autistic representation, disability, parenting, pop culture, gardening, and feelings. Kay's new book Love & Autism is out now. 
 
Representations & resources
Kay's website
Please Don’t Hug Me
Social Queue
Love & Autism
The Overshare
Clem Bastow's Late Bloomer
Chloe Hayden's Different, Not Less
Tim Chan's & Sarah Chan's Back From the Brink
Anna Whateley (Peta Lyre's Rating Normal)
Jen Wilde (This Is the Way the World Ends, Queens of Geek, Going Off Script and The Brightsiders)
Helen Hoang (The Kiss Quotient, The Bride Test and The Heart Principle)
Kate Foster (The Bravest Word, Paws, Harriet Hound, The Unlikely Heroes Club and All the Small Wonderful Things)
We’re Not Broken by Eric Garcia.
You can purchase all of these book titles and more from your local independent bookseller or Booktopia. Please note by purchasing through these Booktopia partner links we are provided a small commission which allows us to continue to provide the podcast at no cost to our audience. 
 
About the podcast
Differently Brained shares the opinions of individuals and does not consider your personal circumstances. Differently Brained exists purely for information purposes and should not be relied on as health or medical advice. Because no brain is the same, please consult your healthcare professional for your personal medical needs.
The Differently Brained team acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands on which we record, edit and stream this podcast. We pay our respects to all First Nations peoples and their Elders part, present and emerging. We extend that respect to all First Nations cultures and their ongoing connection to the lands, waterways and communities.

Hearts & minds: navigating Valentine's Day

Episode description
Valentine's Day is...a lot. Whether you love it, hate it, or are somewhere in between, it's pretty firmly in the collective culture!Jacinta and Lachlan chat about their thoughts on Valentine's day and give a couple of ideas on how to make it more fun/less daunting/more tolerable!
 
How to find us 
Join our private Facebook community
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Twitter
Check out our website
Shoot us an email to differentlybrainedpodcast@gmail.com
Follow our personal stuff - @jacintadietrich & @ruthooftheloch
 
About the podcast
Differently Brained shares the opinions of individuals and does not consider your personal circumstances. Differently Brained exists purely for information purposes and should not be relied on as health or medical advice. Because no brain is the same, please consult your healthcare professional for your personal medical needs.
The Differently Brained team acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands on which we record, edit and stream this podcast. We pay our respects to all First Nations peoples and their Elders part, present and emerging. We extend that respect to all First Nations cultures and their ongoing connection to the lands, waterways and communities.

Community catch up

Money money money with Nicole Haddow

Shame, secrecy and the private world of pulling with Adele Dumont

 
 
About our guest
Adele Dumont is an Australian writer and critic. Her work has appeared in Griffith Review, Meanjin, Southerly, ABR, and Sydney Review of Books. Adele’s first book, No Man is an Island, is an account of her experiences teaching English to asylum seekers in detention. Her second book, The Pulling, is a work of memoir charting her experience of trichotillomania.
Adele's Twitter
Adele's website
 
Representations 
Bezoar by Guadalupe Nettel, translated by Rahul Bery
 
Resources
TrichStop website
TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors website
 
How to find us 
Join our private Facebook community
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Twitter
Check out our website
Shoot us an email to differentlybrainedpodcast@gmail.com
Follow our personal stuff - @jacintadietrich & @ruthooftheloch
 
About the podcast
Differently Brained shares the opinions of individuals and does not consider your personal circumstances. Differently Brained exists purely for information purposes and should not be relied on as health or medical advice. Because no brain is the same, please consult your healthcare professional for your personal medical needs.
The Differently Brained team acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands on which we record, edit and stream this podcast. We pay our respects to all First Nations peoples and their Elders part, present and emerging. We extend that respect to all First Nations cultures and their ongoing connection to the lands, waterways and communities.
 

Rest is best with Laura Pettenuzzo

 
 
About our guest
Laura is a disabled writer and bibliophile living on Wurundjeri land. She has a Masters of Professional psychology and works as a plain language and Easy English content writer. Her words have appeared in places such The Age, Kill Your Darlings, ArtsHub, ABC Everyday and The Guardian. She is also a member of the minister-appointed Victorian Disability Advisory Council.
 
Representations 
Palestinian writers
Songs of the Living and the Dead 
Cerebral Palsy
The Amazing Edie Eckhart by Rosie Jones
The Heights
Bridie McKim
Special 
Mental health and neurodivergence
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
United States of Tara
Peta Lyre's Rating Normal by Anna Whateley
If I Fall, I Die 
Social Queue, Please Don't Hug Me and Love & Autism by Kay Kerr
The Bravest Word by Kate Foster 
Xavier in the Meantime by Kate Gordon
How to find us 
Join our private Facebook community
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Twitter
Check out our website
Shoot us an email to differentlybrainedpodcast@gmail.com
Follow our personal stuff - @jacintadietrich & @ruthooftheloch
 
About the podcast
Differently Brained shares the opinions of individuals and does not consider your personal circumstances. Differently Brained exists purely for information purposes and should not be relied on as health or medical advice. Because no brain is the same, please consult your healthcare professional for your personal medical needs.
The Differently Brained team acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands on which we record, edit and stream this podcast. We pay our respects to all First Nations peoples and their Elders part, present and emerging. We extend that respect to all First Nations cultures and their ongoing connection to the lands, waterways and communities.
 

Setting your new year intentions

Are you halfway through January and already tanked your new year resolutions? Or maybe you don't make them but feel a little adrift without a focus come midyear? Then we have the episode for you. Jacinta and Lachlan sit down and chat about why they are making a 2024 intention and how they picked theirs.
 
Representations
 
 
 
Resources
 
 
 
How to find us 
Follow us on Instagram
Join our private Facebook community
Follow us on Twitter
Check out our website
Shoot us an email to differentlybrainedpodcast@gmail.com
Follow our personal stuff - @jacintadietrich & @ruthooftheloch
 
About the podcast
Differently Brained shares the opinions of individuals and does not consider your personal circumstances. Differently Brained exists purely for information purposes and should not be relied on as health or medical advice. Because no brain is the same, please consult your healthcare professional for your personal medical needs.
The Differently Brained team acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands on which we record, edit and stream this podcast. We pay our respects to all First Nations peoples and their Elders part, present and emerging. We extend that respect to all First Nations cultures and their ongoing connection to the lands, waterways and communities.