Mr. Maxwell: Recent Episodes
Mr. Maxwell
My name is Sam, I am an autistic adult who struggles with autoimmune diseases. I am a teacher by trade, a husband, father of three and a creative who likes to paint sneakers and make things.
My podcast is inspired by the interactions that I have with my students, and my musings as I journey through life.
My goal is to share my personal journey and thoughts about life, creativity or whatever else pops into my head.
Grab a cup of tea and let’s talk.
I struggle with depression, and I am currently in a depressive episode. Instead of hiding this, I wanted to be vulnerable, to talk about depression, and share five strategies that I am using to help me get through it. Trigger warning: discussion of suicide and suicidal thoughts. If you are dealing with suicidal thoughts please call or text 988 to speak to someone with the suicide prevention hotline. You are not alone.
2023 has been a year of constant change, I have not had a normal day since January. When my life feels like too much is going on I can get very overwhelmed, and I begin looking for ways to ground myself. To do that I have been going over my journals, and re-exploring ideas that brought me to where I am and that will help me find my way going forward. One of those is the concept of Ikigai. Ikigai is a Japanese term that has gained popularity in recent years for its powerful insights into finding purpose and living a fulfilling life. Since I am reviewing it for myself, I thought I would share my notes with you.
Light is a wonderful part of our world, but for some it is also a source of pain and discomfort. Today I am sharing what I’ve learned from researching how light affects me as an autistic adult with an autoimmune disease. My sources are: Decreasing exposure to ultraviolet light, Lupus.org, https://www.lupus.org/resources/decreasing-uv-exposure-from-fluorescent-lightsUV exposure: What you need to know, lupus.org, https://www.lupus.org/resources/uv-exposure-what-you-need-to-knowLudlum, Kerry, Lupus Photosensitivity and UV Light, WebMD, https://www.webmd.com/lupus/lupus-photosensitivity-uvDigre, Kathleen B., MD, What is Photophobia and Can It Be Treated? https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/what-is-photophobia/#:~:text=Photophobia%2C%20or%20extreme%20light%20sensitivity,daily%2C%20disabling%20sensitivity%20to%20light. Tips for Managing Sensitivity to Light, lupus.org https://www.lupus.org/resources/tips-for-managing-sensitivity-to-light
Time is a funny thing, something that many struggle with, some more than others. Today I am sharing what I learned about Dyschronometria, and how I manage time in my own life as a person with a career, family, and multiple creative pursuits. Here are some of the sources I used while researching this topic: NPR, All Things Considered: “A Woman With Dyschronometria Shares Her Experience Of Losing Track Of Time”, May 18, 2020, https://www.npr.org/2020/05/18/858236566/a-woman-with-dyschronometria-shares-her-experience-of-losing-track-of-time Weissenberger S, Schonova K, Büttiker P, Fazio R, Vnukova M, Stefano GB, Ptacek R. Time Perception is a Focal Symptom of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults. Med Sci Monit. 2021 Jul 17;27:e933766. doi: 10.12659/MSM.933766. PMID: 34272353; PMCID: PMC8293837.Maynard, S. (2022, July 1). "we don't see time; we feel it". ADDitude. Retrieved April 5, 2023, from https://www.additudemag.com/does-anyone-know-what-time-it-is/
Last week I didn’t post an episode because I was dealing with a busy work week, and I was dealing with a lupus flare. Today I’m reflecting on last week and how I can apply the concept of situational awareness to my physical and mental health.
I am beginning to realize that when I hide my goals, hobbies and who I am, I risk missing opportunities to do new things and find new ways to connect with people. My fear of rejection leads to a lack of connection.
Today I’m reading some more poems from my new (first) book of poetry Words From My Brain vol. 2. Please grab yourself a cup of tea, coffee or whatever you prefer.
Today I’m reading some poems to you from my new (first) book of poetry Words From My Brain, vol. 1. Please grab yourself a cup of coffee or tea (or whatever beverage you prefer) and enjoy a bit of poetry.
The other day I was having breakfast with a friend of mine, and she mentioned that she was learning about dyslexia. Her son is dyslexic, and she is starting to realize that she might be as well. During the conversation I realized that I know nothing about dyslexia, other than that it affects a person’s reading ability. I have had dyslexic students in my classroom, and so far the only thing I know is that dyslexia is not the same for everyone. So, now that I am seeking to remedy my ignorance and learn more about this form of neurodiversity. I don’t know if this is right or not, while I will use the term disability, I am going to intentionally try and avoid using the word disorder while talking about dyslexia. Grab some tea or coffee (or whatever it is that you drink) and join me as I learn about this form of neurodiversity.
Today I want to share my five philosophies for life. I do not believe that everyone needs to follow my philosophies, but I do think that it is important for everyone to develop their philosophies for their own lives. These philosophies should not explain how you are already living, but I think that they should be based on who you want to be. That being said, my five philosophies are: 1-Life is hard, 2-You are important, beware of self-importance, 3-Your life is not only about you, 4-You are not always in control, 5-You are going to die, so live well.
“When children have opportunities to develop executive function and self-regulation skills, individuals and society experience lifelong benefits.” -Harvard Center on the Developing Child. In the course of two episodes, I want to talk about 8 different forms of Executive Function that I learned through my research into this topic. I will cover forms 5-8 today. Sources:-7 Executive Functioning Skills Your Child Should Have, Hill Center https://www.hillcenter.org/7-executive-functioning-skills-your-child-should-have/-Executive Function and Self-Regulation, Harvard University Center on the Developing Child https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/executive-function/ -Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2011). Building the Brain’s “Air Traffic Control” System: How Early Experiences Shape the Development of Executive Function: Working Paper No. 11. http://www.developing child.harvard.edu-What is Executive Dysfunction?, by Kati Mortonhttps://youtu.be/LQ5coA0tTJU
“When children have opportunities to develop executive function and self-regulation skills, individuals and society experience lifelong benefits.” -Harvard Center on the Developing Child. In the course of two episodes, I want to talk about 8 different forms of Executive Function that I learned through my research into this topic. I will cover forms 1-4 today. Sources:-7 Executive Functioning Skills Your Child Should Have, Hill Center https://www.hillcenter.org/7-executive-functioning-skills-your-child-should-have/-Executive Function and Self-Regulation, Harvard University Center on the Developing Child https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/executive-function/ -Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2011). Building the Brain’s “Air Traffic Control” System: How Early Experiences Shape the Development of Executive Function: Working Paper No. 11. http://www.developing child.harvard.edu-What is Executive Dysfunction?, by Kati Mortonhttps://youtu.be/LQ5coA0tTJU
(Quick note: Even though this episode and the previous one is titled Autism and Friendship, I believe that some, if not all of these reasons affect people of other neurotypes.) I found an article on the Ambitious About Autism website called 10 reasons people with autism struggle with friendships. https://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/blog/10-reasons-people-autism-struggle-friendships Isn’t it funny how often writers like to imagine that they have distilled a problem down to a precise number of reasons? I am sure that is not the intent of the writer, but when I read that I take it to literally mean that there are only ten reasons, but they are probably just discussing the ten reasons they are aware of when it comes to the problems that autistic people have with friendships. Today I am going to go through reasons 6-10.
When facing the death of dream, we have a choice, to view it as the end, or a chance for new beginnings.
I can’t believe that we are starting season 3 of the Mr. Maxwell podcast! Today I am taking some time to reflect on the past year, and look ahead to the new year.
Throughout my life o have had my share of struggles with making and keeping friends. Today I am sharing an article I read about autism and friendship along with my thoughts about it.
I have been reading Oprah’s book, What Happened to You?, and I have been learning so much from it! Today I want to share some insights I have learned, and my thoughts about the book.
Hey friends, I missed an episode last week, been dealing with some health stuff. Rather than posting a normal episode today, I thought I would give you a quick update on how I am doing.
This week was rough, not gonna lie, but I try to find some positive things to talk about as well.
Grab some tea (I’m having Earl Grey today), coffee, or whatever you like and join me as I answer some of your questions.
Today I wanted to talk/ rant a bit about Grades, Studying, and Children’s Mental Health in today’s K-12 Education system.
As a teacher and as a parent, one’s of the things I fail to remember is that the journey through our k-12 education system is not an easy road. It’s thought being a kid. While there may be more conveniences than every before, the problems some children face are less about external threats than a it is about their mental health and wellbeing. One area where this becomes an issue is with their grades. As an educator, I am not a big fan of how we track and document student progress. There is too much of a focus on the end result, and not enough on the child’s progress and growth. A good grade often makes a child feel “smart”, and a poor grade often makes a child feel “dumb or stupid”. I try to encourage my students to focus more on the process and on the work, than on the end result and I try to encourage their growth and hard work, in an attempt to put the focus on developing grit, than on simply praising them for the a result. If they do well, I try to remember to focus on how and why they got that end result, than just on the result itself. As a parent I try to do the same thing, focus on the work and habits that my children are building rather than just the grade they get. Today I want to share a moment when my child was upset about their grade and how I handled it.
“Why do you want us to be involved in art?”- 5th grade student
As a teacher I have always been a big proponent of the arts. Instead of bright academic posters about word usage, grammar, history facts or whatever I usually have some kind of artwork up in my classroom. I have invested in gallery wrapped prints and framed artwork to display in my rooms. When teaching history I often encourage my students to draw, recreate images and maps from their textbooks. In English I like for students to draw stories, write and read poetry or make comics, and encourage those who like to draw to have a sketchbook or notebook that is dedicated to drawing while in class. Usually at some point during the year a student, parent or member of school leadership will ask me why I have the kids drawing in my classroom when I am not an art teacher, why do I put so much value on drawing and poetry, skills that are not usually attributed to gaining admission into prestigious universities or earning. Today I want to share with you a talk I recently gave with my 5th grade class. So grab some tea or coffee and pretend for a few moments that you are my student.
I have always been different, and throughout my life I have had to deal with everything from so-called “friendly” teasing to outright bullying for not being manly enough, not black enough, not grown up enough, not normal enough for those around me. Then, when at age 39 I was diagnosed autistic, I began to understand why I am the way I am. Over the last couple years I have been on a journey, one where I discovered more about how my mind and body functions, and how I can help myself navigate a world that is not made for me. Today I am going to share a how I use that knowledge to help design the outfits I wear and choose the accessories that I use everyday to help me navigate my workplace.
I have had a lot of requests to read The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe, so today we are doing a poetry reading. I hope that you enjoy!
I recently did a TikTok of a tutorial where I showed how I made made a book clutch. I figured not a lot of people would be interested in the video, so instead of trying to be all polished and put-together I just shared my authentic and rather chaotic method of making things. I even referred to myself as a “chaotic creative”. The response was far more enthusiastic than I could have ever imagined. The video out performed almost of all of my other videos. What really touched my heart was that there were so many people who commented that they too were Chaotic Creatives. Grab some tea (or coffee, or water, or hot chocolate, or a chicken nuggie I don’t care get what you want it’s your life) and join me as I talk about the creative process and try to figure out how to explain my complicated and chaotic relationship with creativity.
My second year of teaching, while getting ready to go on a field trip I collapsed. My blood pressure was in the 200s over 120-something and I quickly found myself in an ambulance heading towards the hospital. This was the beginning of years of mysterious health crises that resulted in me receiving two important diagnoses: Systemic Lupus Erythematousis and Autism. This week I wanted to share my diagnosis story.
Lately I have noticed an increase in YouTube videos where people show their morning and evening routines. Part of this is because I am obsessed with routines, I have come to love creating routines for the recurring tasks in my life. Grab some tea or coffee and sit with me as we talk about routines, what they are and how they impact our lives, productivity and creativity.
I recently stumbled across a paper I wrote while pursuing my masters in education in which I had to develop my own philosophy of education. I thought I would share parts of it with you, as this paper truly embodies who I believe I am as an educator, and continues to drive why and how I do what I do in the classroom.
This week I have been thinking about the Power and Importance of Rest
I had to relearn this lesson the hard way last Monday. I have been working full time again, and I was not resting enough the previous weekend and I spent the night in pain, and by morning I was exhausted and hurting. So I had to spend the day in bed. As I lay in bed, I began thinking about the importance of rest, and why I cannot afford to forget how important it is for me to take care of myself.
Recently I was talking with some friends of mine who are engaged about Marraige, and the lessons I’ve learned from being in a 20+ year relationship (friends 1 year, dating 3 years and married 16.5 years). These lessons are built around my 5 philosophies, and while I can articulate these lessons, they are ones I have to relearn more times than I care to admit. Even after all this time I am still learning how to be a good husband/ life partner to my wife. As always, let me know what you think, and please consider buying me a cup of tea (or coffee) to help support the work I do here. www.buymeacoffee.com/mrmaxwell16
Now that school is going back I wanted to share a few thoughts about why I believe that caring for my students mental health takes top priority for me as a teacher. I also share some insights into how I care for the mental health of my students, my own children and myself as an educator.
Heard a story where Warren Buffet helped his pilot with setting goals for his life. I began to think about my list of 17 things I want to accomplish in life. What if I truly focus on just what is in front of me? What if I focus on my top five and use that as a filter for how I spend my time? Here are my top five: 1–Family: being a good husband and dad 2–Teaching: helping others to live meaningful lives 3–Content Creation: share things that entertain and inspire me through short form videos 4–Art/ Design: create stickers, t-shirts and hoodies that I can sell 5–Fencing: I want to compete in epee once a year. What are you top five goals/ priorities?
One of my favorite YouTubers is Casey Neistat, he is one of my heroes when it comes to creativity. I have been mildly obsessed with his work lately, and I have been studying his vlogs and watching recordings of his talks to try and learn what makes him great. One thing I learned is that audacity plays a large role in how he does what he does and he shares who he is with the world.
In a world in desperate need of hope, are we waiting to elect the right person to play the role of savior? Are we hoping that our favorite content creators are going to start a movement that will change our world? Or are we doing what we can to make our own little corner of the world a little bit better? These are the things that are running around in my head lately. I have realized that while I claim to care about community, I am not a part of it. I am realizing that if I want the world to be a better place, I need to quit looking at what other people are doing and focus on what I can do to be of service to those around me.
Let’s pour a cup of tea (or coffee) and talk. I was looking at the TikTok questions, and thought, this would be a great activity to do with a friend, to get to know them better. So I thought that we could do this today, let’s imagine that we are enjoying a cup of tea or coffee together and give you a chance to get to know me better.
This week I wanted to talk about my new weekend rest routine, and how I set aside time on Sunday to get ready for the next week.
So in case you didn’t know, I am attempting to write a novel, which is progressing at a glacial case. The story is about Franklin, an autistic young man who, in an attempt to make the world a better place becomes a hero, though many will see him as a villain. Today I wanted to share a reading from this work in progress, I hope you like it.
T.W.: Reference to suicide and drug overdoses. A friend once asked me why we often assume the worst in life. I talk about what I believe are some historic reasons for fear, as well as some modern day problems that cause us to believe the worst. For the sake of time I do not cover every reason for fear or concern. Grab a cup of tea and join me as I ramble about this topic.
Today I wanted to revisit the subject of unmasking by going over an episode that I posted last July. I talk about the movie Luca, and reflect on how it made me think about my own journey and the masks I am tempted to wear as an autistic adult living with a chronic illness. I talk about why I sometimes choose to mask, and why I am trying to mask less as time goes on.
Today I am taking a moment to reflect on the past year by going through an After Action Review. Birthdays are a great time to reflect on your life’s progress. Join me as I walk through this.
In this episode I am building on my thoughts around GPS devices and how I teach/ parent. I originally talked about this in a TikTok post, and wanted to add more thoughts to it and reflect on the different responses I received.
If you could have any superpower, what would you choose? What if you had the power to make people feel seen and heard? That is the inspiration for a story I am working on. While it is a rough draft, I hope that you enjoy it. Thank you to my Patreon supporters for sponsoring this episode, if you want to help support my podcast, please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at patreon.com/mr_maxwell16
Join me as I ramble about being vulnerable on social media, dealing with constructive criticism and what annoys me about people trying to help me solve my problems. This episode, like all of my personal ones is a bit raw, definitely unscripted but hopefully it will make sense in the end.
Today I wanted to talk about identity, how losing the things we base our identity on can cause us to lose sight of who we are. Frankly this is mainly me processing this problem out loud for myself, if you can relate then I hope it will give you the knowledge that you are not alone in this.
This story was inspired by a conversation that I had with a friend about mental health, and the struggles of the healing process. It’s still in the drafting stage but I wanted to share it with you now. I hope that you enjoy it.
This is part two of my Q&A time, where I answer questions given to me by my TikTok tribe. Today I talk some more about my diagnosis journey, life when I was 21 and why I don’t like dogs from a sensory perspective.
Today I’m answering some questions from my TikTok friends, discussing safe food and my Lupus diagnosis story.
I am struggling this week health-wise, so this 3-minute episode is an example of how I adjust my goals to fit my health without giving up on them entirely.
Today I want to talk about how set down my life vision, create dreams boards then plan for how I will do my part to achieve my goals through routines and habits. This one’s a bit of a ramble but hopefully will be useful. To learn more about what I do, follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok @mr_maxwell16
Today I wanted to talk about the opportunity the impermanence, suffering and emptiness gives us to find perfectly imperfect moments in daily life. If you want to deeper down the rabbit hole of my world, you can find me on tiktok, instagram and twitter @mr_maxwell16
Today I am sharing the story behind why I use skulls in my art, and how my experience as a teacher inspired the art I create.
A quick chat about having good days, bad days, and in-between days as a person living with chronic illness. I would love to hear your thoughts. You can find me @mr_maxwell16 on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram I would love to hear from you!
I want to talk about how we can use poetry to model creativity for our students and children. I’m going to share a couple silly poems I wrote with my class, and talk about the importance of creating a safe space for creative expression.
I was thinking about a time when I needed something for a fencing camp I was teaching, and being unable to find what I needed I chose to create it myself. The experience made me think about what it means to take creative risks, and how we are not limited by what the world makes available to us.
I had a few more mostly unscripted thoughts to share about vulnerability, so come along as I ramble and mull over how vulnerability, tribe and confidence intersect.
Vulnerability and authenticity are often praised in today’s culture, but there are also some dangers to being vulnerable.
I want to share a poem with you that I recently wrote as I reflected on my desire to live life more deeply (pretty sure I said that wrong).
Once again, sorry about the poor audio quality. Let’s take some time to reflect on last year and think about what we want to focus on as we enter 2022.
After having so much fun sharing Margaret Mead with you, I thought I would share some quotes from Lao Tzu, a philosopher from ancient China. He is most known for being the author of The Tao de Ching. Today I will read five quotes and share my thoughts on them.
In this final episode on our series of Margaret Mead quotes, we discuss work ethics, gender roles and what determines success.
Today we are looking at three more quotes by Margaret Mead, and sharing my thoughts about them. It’s a bit of a ramble but hopefully I will give you something to think about. I would love to hear your thoughts about this episode, did I make sense? Was I way off track? Did I say something that you disagreed with? I would love to hear from you! You can find me on instagram or tiktok @mr_maxwell16
This week I am sharing a few quotes from Margaret Mead. She was an anthropologist and writer who lived from 1901-1978. Today I am reading some of her quotes, and sharing my thoughts about them. To see more of my content or to contact me, follow me on tiktok and Instagram, @mr_maxwell16
I recommend not listening to this one. I am saving it for myself, to keep a record of my growth as a podcaster. But isn’t being authentic about sharing the bad days as well as the good? I completely crash and burn during this episode while reading a poem and trying to talk about it. Part of being neurodivergent is that some days my brain does not want to work for me, and today was one of those days. I hope to one day go back and listen to this episode and laugh at how bad it was, and how far I have come.
I am having a difficult time with my writing and this in creating content. So today I am rambling about my struggles as I drive to work.
I am sharing a poem written out of a season of difficulty. I hope that it can give you courage on difficult days.
Today I am sharing an excerpt from the book I am writing. Hopefully there is something of value here for you.
Today I am sharing another poem of mine, and giving a little commentary on what it is about and why I wrote it.
In the spirit of sharing my creative voice, I am sharing a poem that I wrote, follows by an extremely awkward attempt to talk about my poem. The episode is a bit cringe, but the only way I will get better is if I do the thing.
Let’s talk about the scariest thing when it comes to being creative,….sharing our work with others!!!!
We are getting real today. I am talking about Demand Avoidance and how I let someone I love and care about down.
I wanted to share my personal reflections after watching the movie Luca. Warning, there are spoilers in this episode.
I’m going to tell you a story about one of my history classes, and what they learned about resilience. I hope the lesson can be of value for you too.
I had a friend ask me if they should stay with people who say they care about them but don’t show it. In today’s episode I give a brief overview of the main relationships that we have in our lives.
Today we’re gonna have a little talk about whether or not we should change who we are to fit in with others or if we should stay true to who were born to be.
Have you ever worried about causing harm to others while interacting with them? Have you ever felt frustrated because people get mad at you and you have no idea what you did wrong? I ramble a little about this today. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://autisticphilosopher.art.blog/2021/04/14/causing-harm/
In this, my first episode ever, I make a mess of trying to introduce myself. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://autisticphilosopher.art.blog/2020/12/12/why-start-a-blog/