Chelsea's Vocation
Chelsea Budde
Publishing Details
About This Podcast
Chelsea's neurodivergent offspring are the reason her heart and mind have grown year after year for two decades. As a neuromajority human caring for and about autistic humans, she has learned to apply a thing or two about brain wiring and wants to share that learning with other people so they can know better and do better, too. These 20-minute long shows will be released every two weeks (two per month max), feature occasional guests, have a neuroaffirming focus, and highlight autistic experiences.
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Recent Episodes
S2E28 Becoming While Autistic
Becoming the adult you want to be takes time, self-awareness, and sometimes hard work. Add the dimensions of disability and neurodivergence to adolescence, and the complexities deepen. Chelsea’s…
S2E27 Ableism & Autism
Fed up with exclusion from relevant conversations, disability rights activists popularized a slogan in the 1990s: “Nothing about us without us.” Was this group marginalized because non-disabled…
S2E26 Setting Up for Success
Creating supportive environments for autistic children involves understanding their unique needs and making intentional adjustments in various settings.In this episode (the longest to date), Chelsea…
S2E25 Trauma & Autism
If all behavior is communication for an autistic person, could some of that behavior actually be a response to trauma? Chelsea welcomes guest Becky Aten, who identifies as neurodivergent and…
S1E24 Bonus Content
Even if you listened to all 23 episodes of this inaugural season of the Chelsea’s Vocation podcast, this will be all new to you! Chelsea realized her humility makes room for God’s power. She refers…
S1E23 Holiday Hacks
When Chelsea didn't receive any feedback from families about how they were "winning" the holidays, she deduced that maybe it was hard to get those "W"s. That made her think of five ways extended…
S1E22 Partners in the Journey
If there are couples who consider the possibility that they might raise children with developmental disabilities, Chelsea and Pete were not one of them. In fact, Chelsea admits they had all sorts of…
S1E21 SpIns & Autism
Humans are built for joy and community. Somewhere along the line, neurotypical people decided autistic joy inspired by special interests was “perseveration” and required “extinction”. Neuroaffirming…
S1E20 Masking & Autism
The component of Halloween that’s all about pretending lends itself to talking about autistic masking. What is it? Is it inherently bad? Why is it such a pervasive part of being autistic? Guest Donna…
S1E19 Diagnostic Criteria for Autism
How is autism diagnosed, and what is the value of seeking a medical diagnosis? Chelsea turns to local experts Amy Heffelfinger, who diagnosed Chelsea’s own children two decades ago, and her colleague…
S1E18 Autism Assistance Service Dogs
Once upon a time, there was a mother of two young children with autism whose husband traveled a lot for work. She was exhausted all the time. She often wondered how she could take her two children…
S1E17 Language Development & Autism
When a social communication deficit (by medical standards - see DSM-5 below) is the primary indicator of autism, a lot of people take notice. Chelsea certainly did when her now-grown children were…
S1E16 "Magnetosphere" and Synesthesia
Since Chelsea’s youngest Noey disclosed nonchalantly that they see music in color, Chelsea has been intrigued by synesthesia. Learning about “Magnetosphere”, a recently-released feature film…
S1E15 Early Elementary IEPs
For students with “Special Education needs” as determined by criteria put forth in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the IEP (Individualized Education Program) is a critical…
S1E14 College Considerations
As a prospective parent, Chelsea presumed her children would go to college. When they were diagnosed with autism, post-secondary education was definitely not part of the conversation among educators…
S1E13 Puberty & Autism
Katrina Tarke-Karge is a Clinical Child and Adolescent therapist at Evidence Based Counseling Solutions in New Berlin, Wisconsin. She has worked with autistic individuals in a variety of capacities…
S1E12 Gender Identity & Autism
A 2023 graduate from Columbia College Chicago, Noey Budde is still very much trying to find their place in the world, but has a great start with an illustrious background in both the humanitarian and…
S1E11 Dadding Autistic Humans
Chelsea is delighted to welcome “autism dads” Nick Backes and Justin Sneesby to this Father’s Day episode of the podcast.Nick is husband and father of three children. Born and raised in southeastern…
S1E10 Mental Health & Autism
Betsy Spalla is a finance professional by day, and a perpetual student of humans’ emotions. Mom of two now-adult babies, one of whom is on the spectrum, she was diagnosed with ADHD after the birth of…
S1E9 Momming Autistic Humans
Dani Jo is a married mama of two autistic girls (well, now women). She definitely never expected to have the “Autism Mama" title but is thankful for the journey and the fierce women she has met along…
Frequently Asked Questions
Chelsea's Vocation has published 28 episodes since January 2025, covering topics in Education, Kids & Family.
Chelsea's Vocation is currently highly active with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 23m.
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