Steph West: Starfish Social Club and the Neurodivergent Community
Descripción del Episodio
Steph West on Building Starfish Social Club: Social Skills, Neurodivergent Friendship, and Helpful Social Feedback
Host Tony Mantor in Nashville introduces “Why Not Me: Embracing Autism and Mental Health Worldwide” and interviews Steph West, founder and director of Starfish Social Club in San Antonio, Texas, which runs small-group social skills programs for neurodivergent kids and teens (autism, ADHD, learning disabilities) in person and via Zoom.
West describes her path from special education teacher to autism/behavior specialist and “accidental entrepreneur,” the origin of the Starfish name, early challenges with marketing, pricing, and hiring, and how COVID shut down her in-person business but led her to create online classes, develop her own curriculum, and license others to teach it.
She explains how her ADHD helps her understand students and take risks, emphasizes that autistic people are often misunderstood (including around empathy), reframes friendship as “someone we choose to spend time with,” and outlines her interpreter approach between neurotypical and neurodivergent “social languages.”
She shares a story illustrating blunt but respectful feedback and her goals of building students’ social competence, confidence, and connection, and invites listeners to find her at starfishsocialclub.org and take one small step toward their ideas.
00:00 Show Welcome and Mission
01:21 Meet Steph West
02:31 Why Starfish Social Club
04:09 The Starfish Story Name
05:22 Local and Online Reach
06:20 Accidental Entrepreneur Challenges
08:59 COVID Pivot and Curriculum
10:25 ADHD as a Superpower
11:51 Autism Myths and Empathy
12:55 Redefining Friendship
14:21 Helping Parents Understand
16:46 Protecting Emotional Energy
18:56 Goals Competence Confidence Connection
21:10 Why Not Me Mindset
22:28 Helpful Social Feedback
25:26 Finding Steph Online
25:35 A Story That Stuck
28:50 Vision for Clubs Everywhere
30:21 Final Thanks and Sign Off
INTRO/OUTRO: T. Wild
Mantor Music BMI
The content on Why Not Me: Embracing Autism amd Mental Health Worldwide, including discussions on mental health, autism, and related topics, is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only.
The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not reflect those of the podcast, its hosts, or affiliates.
Why Not Me is not a medical or mental health professional and does not endorse or verify the accuracy, efficacy, safety of any treatments, programs, or advice discussed.
Listeners should consult qualified healthcare professionals, such as licensed therapists, psychologists, or physicians, before making decisions about mental health or autism- related care.
Reliance on this podcast's contents is at the listener's own risk.
Why Not Me is not liable for any outcomes, financial or otherwise, resulting from actions taken based on the information provided.
https://tonymantor.com
https://Facebook.com/tonymantor
https://instagram.com/tonymantor
https://twitter.com/tonymantor
https://youtube.com/tonymantormusic
intro/outro music bed written by T. Wild
Why Not Me the World music published by Mantor Music (BMI)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episodios Recientes
Más podcasts de Sociedad y Cultura
Ver toda la categoría →
Julia en la onda
By shows
Julia Otero te trae toda la información y el humor de los fines de semana de Onda Cero
Pablo Torre Finds Out
By shows
<p>Follow Pablo down the rabbit hole, beyond the game — every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday — on his Pulitzer-winning video podcast, part of The Athletic Podcast Network.</p><br><p>You’ll get a deep-dive "talkumentary" episode, reported by Pablo and Curiosity Correspondents like Emmy-winning comedian Wyatt Cenac and Oscar-winning director Ezra Edelman, answering urgent questions such as: Are you smarter than an NFL quarterback? Does Giannis intentionally miss free throws to win free chicken for fans? And why does the FBI director play so much hockey? This storytelling has been honored by the Pulitzer Prizes, the Emmy Awards, the Peabody Awards and the Edward R. Murrow Awards. (Journalism!)</p><br><p>Plus: Pablo hangs out with handpicked figures from sports, culture and politics like Sue Bird, Action Bronson and U.S. Senators… plays Share & Tell with friends like Domonique Foxworth, Mina Kimes, Katie Nolan and Dan Le Batard (aka his boss)… and unveils the secrets of capitalism with David Samson and John Skipper on The Sporting Class.</p><br><p><br></p><p>Follow PTFO…</p><br><p>https://www.youtube.com/@PabloTorreFindsOut</p><br><p>https://www.instagram.com/pablotorrefindsout</p><br><p>https://x.com/pablofindsout</p><br><p>and subscribe to Pablo's newsletter: https://pablo.show</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Monólogo de Latorre
By shows
El director informativo de Más de uno expone su reflexión sobre la actualidad del día
El Larguero
By shows
El deporte por dentro, el deporte como forma de vida, con Manu Carreño. Sin tremendismos, con humor y, a la vez, con rigor y pluralidad: escucharás distintos enfoques y puntos de vista. En directo de lunes a viernes a las 23:30 y a cualquier hora si te suscribes.
Nayo Escobar Podcast
By shows
Aquí tendremos historias asombrosas de personas que han logrado vivir feliz haciendo lo que le apasiona; tendremos también música para el alma, relatos de crecimiento, críticas culturales y discusiones sobre temas que, no nos atrevemos a hablar pero nos encanta escuchar.
Sastre y Maldonado
By shows
Una charla entre José Luis Sastre y Miguel Maldonado puede derivar por cauces imprevistos, derroteros impensables y argumentos que nunca imaginarías. En el piloto, Sastre le preguntó a Maldonado qué tendría este podcast que no tuvieran los demás: Que en otros podcasts no estamos tú y yo. Y es verdad. Maldonado está en otros podcasts y Sastre en otros programas. Pero juntos, sólo en este. Que se sepa.
Hora 25
By shows
Cuando todo pasa demasiado deprisa: Hora 25, con José Luis Sastre. El pulso de la vida, la última hora y el mejor análisis en el programa informativo más veterano de la radio, renovado para seguir siendo la referencia de la actualidad. Día a día, hora a hora, un espacio para conocer y entender qué pasa, quiénes somos, qué ha cambiado y hacia dónde vamos. De lunes a viernes desde las 20:00 y siempre en tu plataforma de podcast favorita.
Más de uno
By shows
Más de uno: información, actualidad, entrevistas y entretenimiento cada mañana en Onda Cero con Rafa Latorre y Carlos Alsina.