Autism Rocks and Rolls with Sam Mitchell

Would you rather recruit someone average or someone exceptional? Sam Mitchell visits us to discuss living with Autism and excelling. Autism, Rocks, and Rolls, his podcast and non-profit, helps people perceive Autism from a different perspective.

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Travis: Hey, welcome to the show I’m here with Sam and Gina Mitchell, the executive director and President of Autism, Rocks, and Rolls. Sam is also the host of the podcast, Autism, Rocks, and Rolls. Gina is his mom helping keep all the cats in order as they come and go. How are you doing today? Sam and Gina.

Sam: How are you doing, good to be here

Gina: Doing well, thank you for having us on.

I’m just excited to talk to you both. I know that Autism, Rocks, and Rolls kind of blossomed out of the podcast that you had been doing and Sam has autism and is a TEDx speaker. How was that an experience? Speaking for Ted X?

That was kind of taping on the fly. We kind of got a couple of recommendations so I think a couple of people pulled the plug for us, but I think it went well. It was virtually, unfortunately, because of COVID, but I still got to do it, and that’s kind of a big deal, and people still check it out some like it, some don’t.

That’s good, it’s great to hear. What do you want to share with us today about your nonprofit Autism, Rocks, and Rolls?

Well, I wanted to say that if you’re thinking about it. You have to be very passionate about it. We started with $70.00. And as a hobby and it turned with over 1000 and into a business central corporation. They don’t want a big building like the Trump Tower, but we have a nice little house for our building.

I do have an office, so that’s good, but yeah, that’s what I was going to say.

You know Sam started with a podcast when he was in high school. He was a junior in high school and he loved it and he resonated with the media and the podcasting. So he said mom he said I want to start a podcast; so he did. And with this, the genuine story that he told caught people’s attention and you know kind of fast forward to now. We’ve had lots of people say through his nonprofit and his really hard work, Sam was paving a path so that my son or my daughter can have one.

As far as breaking down the barriers and kind of taking that stigma away from autism, but also taking away the stigma of people on the spectrum can’t be successful in the corporate world or creating nonprofits.

Or just doing what they set out to do and I think that’s really what resonated with people. You know when he decided what direction he was going to go, it made sense that it was autism. He lives it and he knows all the emotional sides of that, and that seemed like the best thing to talk about. If he was going to start a podcast and then eventually a nonprofit with advocacy work so it made sense.

Oh, that’s cool.

Making your situation work for you.

I know that most of the barriers that we have in society, we’ve created, we’ve made up, we’ve imagined things that are going to hold us back.

I think it was Malcolm Gladwell, who talked about the difference between successful CEOs and not successful CEOs. And there’s a huge, disproportionate number of very successful CEOs that have been diagnosed with dyslexia. And it’s not that they’re successful because they have dyslexia. It’s because of how hard they had to work to learn the things they needed to learn to be successful. The amount of work that had to go in early is what vaulted them to the top of the pyramid.

Sam what does your life look like day today and what kind of experiences have you used to help build your nonprofit?

My life day today is to get involved with it every day and we have board meetings once a month.

I’m an educator. I’m a teacher, that’s my first job. But Sam is a college student and he’s doing digital marketing. Eventually, he’ll do media and he’s doing a business administration right now too, so that’s kind of what we’re putting in the forefront. But you know, of course, the nonprofit is our job too, but every day he does something.

You know whether it’s I do something every day. Some days are slower than others, some days are easier than others.

And faster and harder than others.

Yeah, if he has a speaking event coming up or we have an event. As far as the gala goes, that like we just had a big event eight months, eight months at every day, coming home after my first job and doing that was a lot of work.

I imagine that running nonprofits are hard for everybody. There is so much work that has to be done. So many things you have to do so much administration, so much reaching out so much fundraising so much planning. It’s always the hardest when you’re brand new.

How long have you guys had your nonprofit?

We’ve had it at the state level, probably close to a year, but we’ve been at the federal level for a couple of months. So we are pretty new at the federal level and we do have a spectacular board. We love our board with a board of five and they all hail-time jobs as well.

One of them is retired and a family member. Yeah, but then the other four do have full-time jobs so the amount of work. You know that they put in that and the determination to make it go is incredible. They’re incredible people.

Autism Rocks and Rolls gives back

What kind of advocacy work do you guys accomplish with Autism, Rocks, and Rolls?

Well, we’ve done a lot. We were at Cast for Kids. Helped out with that, on August 14th of last year. And something else is, I’ve spoken to the gala, in Oklahoma, and then another one I helped out the local wrestling show and got to have a booth for my merchandise.

Yeah, there is. That’s how it’s kind of started with a lot of local things and the two main things that we work on. The same speaking and getting up in front of people and telling his story and having the nonprofit is valuable for that because we can do events, we can raise money. We donate that sometimes to big charities, sometimes to small charities, but then some of that money can go back into his business and allow him to travel to places and speak and to do events like the gala that we had, hosted the gala.

It was called Success For All and how we get there. So having the nonprofit and having the event.

Gave us more opportunities than. What a profit would give us kind of.

Yeah, it allows him to do a lot of things to spread his message that people with autism are successful. A lot of times, most of the time, autism doesn’t hold them back. You know, autism is a spectrum, so you have people that are very high functioning like Sam, but then you also have people that are low functioning.

But the little function can use something.

Look at Oklahoma, not here. I was just a coffee shop. Yeah, yeah, we’ve seen stories of very low functions.

Not Your Average Joe, I love Not Your Average Joe they got one in Oklahoma City.

Yeah, they’re incredible people. We met them at the last conference that we did, and you know, said young man Tyler (He has autism) his sister runs it and all of the employees I believe have special needs and it’s incredible.

It’s incredible what they’ve become and the message that they’re sending as well. So, and I believe they’re a nonprofit so.

They are that’s Tyler, and Maggie Bond, isn’t it? I was hosting the Miss Oklahoma pageant. Miss Crossroads, Oklahoma. And Maggie went there, and I got to meet her after I was done MCing and she told me all about Not Your Average Joes. I love those guys.

Maggie, we know that yes she had on her crown and she had her sash and Sam thought she was pretty.

She is very pretty.

She’s very pretty. Sam fell in love with her, she is very pretty. See now I’m going to send this episode to Maggie so she can hear us talking about her.

Yeah, I have no shame. I’ll tell you you’re pretty straight up.

So what I like about you Sam, is you’re real.

Lonliness and Public Speaking

What’s your favorite part about public speaking and why do you think it’s so important?

You got to laugh at this answer. For the attention.

Great, that’s why we started it. because it is for the attention.

But you know, it’s really what is the attention. They hear me out. You know there’s I know there’s a funny side like, yeah, you always; but there’s a serious side to it that people are hearing me out.

Yeah, I think Sam has told me several times. You know when he was in elementary school, Middle School, high school. Well, he wasn’t hurt. I always listened. His or his family. I mean we say we love Sam, and we think Sam is perfect. But as far as his peers, people just wouldn’t take the time to understand what autism was and to understand Sam.

And just because I teach middle school, I know how they are, that’s it. If they’re not comfortable with you, they don’t give you a chance, and so that’s just how that age group is. So, he felt like he was never heard until he was at the podcast and started his mission and now and speaking.

Speaking gigs

And so, yeah, I understand what you’re saying, people.

People are listening and he has never felt like they did, so it’s a change for him.

Yeah, it’s not just listening right. It’s the fact it feels like they don’t care when they’re not listening. They don’t care about you like you’re not important, and it’s crazy. It’s crazy that you know almost everyone on the planet at some point in time feels the same way. There’s so much going on in everyone’s day-to-day lives that is tough.

One of the favorite things Americans say is they’re busy. They love being busy and saying they’re busy and talking about how busy they are. But when we’re all that busy. We don’t have a hard time thinking. Time to let we don’t have the space or the capacity to let people into our world, whether they’re high functioning or otherwise.

And it’s just so it’s kind of heartbreaking in a way that, even the average person deals with the same thing; not just people with the differences on the spectrum.

Right?

I for one like to be nonbusy sometimes I mean.

Yeah, I cannot personality. I feel got to do.

Something he does, but as the older I get – because I we’re very busy too, I mean I have a full-time job – but sometimes just sitting on the couch and just, just be.

That’s what a human being needs sometimes.

I have ADHD remember, so I can’t sit still, yeah.

He has hard times.

Yeah, I can understand that there’s always something pulling our attention.

I’m on your website right now and I’ve seen all the stuff in the background and all the different logos and things you have It’s designed to draw your attention away from what you’re trying to do, what you’re trying to accomplish with who was trying to be, and there’s always something out there willing that people are paying for, right? OK.

Your attention as much as possible, but this would have been coming in reality if you weren’t passionate about what it is they could do so how is it that you? We’re able to corral all your passion and put it towards a project of this magnitude.

I would say the reason is I just believed in it. I had a support team and if I had the support, I mean I think I can get behind it myself.

Yeah, that’s it. I mean, even before he started the podcast, I feel like everything that came out on the podcast is what we all believed.

Anyway, you know Sam has autism. He was diagnosed, he was. I saw this stuff. We always concentrated on what Sam could do. And if he needed to improve something, then like with any parent you know we would help him, you know to improve that.

I’m a pretty out-of-the-box thinker just in general, so when he would think of things, I didn’t shoot a lot down. The golden rule in our house is you are not to be disrespectful because that is non-negotiable.

You know if somebody was going to get hurt or Sam was going to get hurt then that wasn’t acceptable. You know that those were the two main things. But some of these other out-of-the-box ideas that Sam had, I never stood in his way because my mom and dad didn’t stand in my way. So that was when he said I want to do a podcast. Hey, let’s make this a nonprofit.

It was OK. Let’s see if we can get the world to see what we’re trying to say. And so far some people are listening.

Lots of people.

Yeah, lots of people are listening and that’s awesome.

We, truly believe that everybody – there’s success in everything. There is success and it’s in the eye of the beholder. it’s not, what society says you must be successful.

You know you graduate from high school. You drive when you’re 16 or you get married. You have the picket fence and you have a dog and that is not it.

That is, that’s that is not necessarily success. You know, success could be a 35-year-old getting their first apart. Right? Because that’s success to them.

Then well, if you don’t get the mail every day.

Yeah somebody that gets up and goes and can walk down the driveway or go walk to the mailbox. And so I think that we have to instead of focusing on when that what that person can’t do. Why are we not, you know, lifting them and concentrating on what they can do? That’s what society needs to do, and it wouldn’t solve all the world’s problems. But it would solve some. Someone gets solved if we would look at the positive. What people are doing.

Yeah, yeah, the media wants to show you all the terrible things about humanity.

Only bad news makes it overseas

I got to spend a year in the Middle East and I like to ask people what they thought about our president at the time and then what they heard about the news in America. And it turns out it works both ways. Only bad news makes it overseas. So all they saw from America were the worst things that happened.

We’re not all the great things that we’re doing. Not all the ways that we’re coming together and all the ways that we’re working together now the ways that we’re working in nonprofits to solve larger problems in our communities and our world.

They don’t see any of that. All they see is whatever the terrible headline is of the day is very interesting and almost every country in the world cares about American unit news. But Americans don’t even care about American news, let alone any other country.

Exactly that you know, I was called Sam through his.

The best in the world.

Well, you know, yeah, we just got to look at who your mom is.

Just kidding, but I was just going to say the people that Sam knows, other podcasters, Sam, know other people that have nonprofits and at the end of the day, we’re all on the same mission admission to make humanity just a little bit better.

Yeah, so I can we all get along, yeah?

Yeah, so that’s the biggest thing with our mission for our nonprofit is those on the spectrum can be successful? We just have to find it. Just have to recognize it and find it.

Yeah absolutely, and success looks different for everybody. How do you measure success? Do you know the person that’s a millionaire? He’s trying to be a Deca millionaire, and if you only have a $2 million project, is he going to think it’s worth his time? You give that to the average American who makes 40 grand a year or like $2,000,000, I’ll do Dang near anything to get that done because they’re willing to dedicate the time, energy, and effort it takes to do a project like that.

Well, in my definition there’s no rich or poor. There isn’t. There may be millionaires and billionaires, but there are no rich or poor.

Yeah, I mean monetary wise there is, but it just depends on how you like you said how, how you define success. I mean is it always associated with money?

Poor is a mindset. Broke is a bank account number and poor as a mindset. I might be broke, but I’ve never been poor.

Right!

Favorite speaking engagement?

Sam, what’s the coolest place you’ve gotten to go speak? What’s your favorite so far?

Oklahoma, that’s a big one I’ve done.

Well, he’s had several.

I need somebody to ask me and asked me probably after September and like I don’t give you an answer.

He has several books that Oklahoma when opened up the doors for him, he’s got Orlando and Canada next month, and then we’ve got a couple of local ones and then potentially Dallas TX in August and Indianapolis in September.

He gets to speak with Doctor Temple Grandin next month and we’re over the moon. She’s become an awesome mentor to Sam and an awesome friend so.

And awesome friend.

We’re excited about that.

I’m not familiar with her. What is it that she does?

Uh, oh, someone is about to get her spiel out, aren’t you?

Oh, I am a huge fan of Doctor Grandin even before she has become more fringe.

She’s changed the whole agricultural world. She has autism and she’s a professor of animal science out in Colorado. I’m at Colorado State University. And she changed the way that slaughterhouses and cattle handling facilities handled the cattle, and so once she drew exactly what needed to be done, you know there were fewer injuries to humans. There were fewer injuries to animals.

And it changed the whole agricultural farming world and you know she was able to accomplish that because she has autism. That is how her brain works. She’s a visual thinker. She thinks of the pig pictures and so she was able to do that and she’s one of the most sought-after well-renowned speakers in the world.

And she just has a lot to share and makes a lot of sense. So, you have to look her up, she’s there’s a movie about her called Temple Grandin, and we just spoke at that event over the weekend, virtually. And that was exciting and we have got to eat dinner with her next month and we’re over the moon because she’s incredible.

Who's your hero?

Well, who is Sam’s Hero?

Mick Foley. I like him then.

Saying, oh, you like me.

I like films.

Oh, I thought you meant me.

No, he doesn’t like you, mom. He likes him.

Tell me why you like Mick Foley so well?

He has this other spectrum. He also takes these crazy bumps and people call me an idiot for I called a sense of adventure because that’s what he needs to do to make it. Because you guys got to like the rocks at the lake.

There are bodybuilders, he’s not a bodybuilder, he’s just an average daily Joe and he just lives like anyone else stayed going to the bars like any other rest, like flared would probably do when he was so humble as decided to do a lot more reading, visit a lot of museums and battlefields. I even drove a car.

Yeah, he’s the humblest celebrity

You live like us.

Yeah, he’s very he’s uh, the humblest celebrity I’ve ever seen. I mean, he’s, you know he drives a minivan. He’s always driven a minivan.

He slept on the couch once. I didn’t have a hotel. He didn’t get a room and he looks like a homeless person. That was funny, but he did do that.

Well, and he would, he was so willing to, you know when we asked if Sam he would be on Sam’s show he just didn’t hesitate.

He just wanted to do that, and he has a son on the spectrum who’s 20. I just think he’s an incredible human being. And then dad. Like a good dad outside of wrestling. Outside of celebrity status, he’s just a good human. He’s just a good human being.

We need a lot more of those right.

Good human beings. People that spend their time being human.

Public speaking is the best

Yeah, so what’s next for Autism, Rocks, and Rolls?

What’s next is board meetings. Lots of events, honestly.

Yeah, well we are recouping from our event on Saturday because we had about 400 people come to the event and we had a really big silent auction, so that was incredible. We had food trucks, we had autism exhibitors’ vendors. And then we had, you know, as a gala.

So the room looked beautiful and I spoke and Sam spoke and then Doctor Grandin spoke. So it was about eight months, eight months of pretty big planning, and we pulled it off. We did it and now we’re just like, OK, just to take a breath.

There are a lot of speaking events for Sam, and we have some local events that we’re kind of putting together, and we’re already thinking about our next gala.

No. We’re thinking that? No, you are.

You might not be, but.

I’m thinking about a disability fair and I would like the

5K run idea. Yeah, we went.

I thought the more I thought you know what it’s not a bad idea.

The 5K run. Yeah, we’re thinking about putting together a 5K run in like a local town that we have. And then Sam has a really good idea about not so much of a conference, but more of a disability fair to highlight the successes of those on the spectrum.

I have got some ideas about how I want to do that.

Yeah, so our wheels are turning. For sure, they’re always done.

Right? It sounds like it.

What do you plan to do in your free time when you’re down in Orlando?

Well, we’re not going to have free time. I am trying to get her to go to take me if it’s close. I’m not saying if it’s like an hour, we’re not doing it. Believe me, I don’t want to do it.

To universal

And it’s in Universal that you just said you went though we’re going to be working during the day, yeah.

And then I’m going to probably do a lot of pool time. I’m going to be if we can get to the. Beach, I’m going to do.

Orlando is in the middle of this state, there’s no beach.

We may, isn’t it like an hour away? Isn’t there an hour?

That’s an hour each way. That’s two hours you could be at universal.

Come on mom.

No, maybe.

See here’s the deal.

On which side are you going to go the Atlantic side? You’re going to go to the gulf side?

No, or the Disneyland. I want to go to Disneyland, I know. Dad said oh, Dad.

This is a business working.

But hey, if you’re going to have a little bit of fun, why not have a little? Fun when you’re on a business trip?

That’s true, we’ll find something fun to do. Maybe he’ll go do something and I’ll just read my book at the pool.

That’s what I’m looking forward to. OK, but you’re going, but you can draw a Disneyland or universal?

Well, you got like Disneyland, you’ve got Universal, you’ve got Harry Potter world, You’ve got Star Wars, You’ve got some things to see in Orlando.

A lot of options, a lot of.

Yeah, a lot of options. Where are you going to speak in Canada?

It’s called ASET. I don’t know what do you know what?

It’s an assistive special education technology conference and it’s on the Canadian side.

Canadian side by Niagara Falls yeah.

Oh, I’ve been to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. Do you know you can actually go on a tour and walk underneath and behind the falls from the Canadian side?

Oh, you wanna go?

No, we don’t get us there for like 2 1/2 days but just to be able to see it from that point. It’s going to be incredible so we’re very excited.

Yeah, at night they have lights that shine on the falls and the Canadian side. It’s a Canadian flag and on the American side, it’s an American flag.

Yeah, we fly into the Buffalo International Airport, and I think my cousin said to maybe utilizing the Rainbow Bridge to come to go over that way and then just catch an Uber and you know to go to where we need to go. So, since they lift a lot of their restrictions I think it will be a lot easier the process.

Are you guys’ Buffalo wings fans? The original Buffalo wings are at Anchor Bar in Buffalo.

OK, we’ll see it

Yeah, it’s New York food. I know it’s. New York Capital Buffalo wings. Or New York State food.

So, you’ve done the research.

Yeah, oh, he’s well, he’s well-versed in Buffalo wings.

She loves wings. That’s him anytime we travel like my husband and him and we have to seek out the best.

Yeah, for once, or if we went to Virginia for her birthday, I took her to the Poe Museum. She loves Edgar Allan Poe. She’s a big fan. I decided to have Buffalo wings for every meal. And that’s not exaggerating.

He did. He did.

Those what we call #lifegoals having Buffalo Wings for every meal.

He did it. I was like are you serious?

I am a man. If I say I will do something now and how it often doesn’t happen. Usually, it does.

Usually, it does. He did sign, how many autographs did you sign?

They want you to give them ideas, I think.

Well, in my speech I said, well, Sam’s not had, he’s not signed any autographs yet, but never say never, and I think he ended up saying like six that night. He signed like a painting, and he signed the shirts It was pretty cool, it was pretty cool to witness.

So, what’s more, fun public speaking or having a podcast?

Ooh, there, it’s equal.

Oh, what if you have to pick?

I can’t, I can’t,

I’m. Sorry, I’m your mom and I’m saying, you have to.

You’re not my boss anymore, I’m 18. I’m over 18, sorry. I am my person. I can decide for myself.

He doesn’t have a house, it’s my house, I know.

But I still make decisions on my own.

That’s true, I’m just giving you a hand.

I’m going to go play video games.

You want to go and play some video games so, but what is? If you had to pick though, it’s equal.

Yeah, OK, I’m sorry.

It’s equal.

I tell you what, I’m a huge fan of podcasting, but I love being in front of a crowd with podcasting, though I can just kind of roll over out of bed right on camera and be like I can record conferences or public speaking, you had to get up and go somewhere and prepare you’re going to be backstage. It’s a lot of work speaking at conferences.

Well, and I’ll tell you when he started doing this, but you know when veteran speakers would say now, this is how much you have to charge, you know, just to make it worth your while.

That’s what you have to do.

And I just kept thinking, oh my gosh, that’s an incredible amount I just don’t feel comfortable charging that. But then once we traveled a couple of times, you know we’re gone for like three or four days. I understand why because it’s exhausting. I mean you; you know your flights get delayed and then maybe the Uber doesn’t come. I mean It’s a lot of work and so, I get why people charge what do they do?

Yeah, there’s a lot to think about with charging speaking fees, plus travel fees, plus incidentals, plus meals. I can completely understand that depending on where part of the country or what part of the world you’re going to, some of that stuff is just astronomical. Like if I’m going to Dubai, I got to stay at the Burj Al Arab world only a Seven-star hotel. It’s going to be 14 grand a night, but I’m OK with you paying for that, you know?

Right, right, right. And we’ve talked to Temple Grandin a lot about that because she’s traveled constantly. I think she’s slowing down a little a bit because she is.

She’s old, that’s the nicest way to put it.

She’s in her 60s so not that old. She is slowing down, but she gave us a lot of tips. You know, like this is something you need to think about and she’s very well versed and you know traveling efficiently and what you should.

Ask for, yeah it’s she’s awesome. Yeah, she’ll tell you how it is.

She will, that’s why I love her!

Firing for effect

Isn’t it interesting? There are so many people out there that are scared to say something because they’re not sure someone might react or hear about their feelings. You’re like, oh yeah, it’s hit me with the two-by-four give it to me I want to know what it is that is going on here. I don’t want to think about it. I don’t want to dance around it. Just tell me.

I’m like you. Can give me the 2 by 4. I’m also afraid that I’ll say the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time.

Well, I think that’s just part of it. That’s kind of part of being on the spectrum. You know from what I’ve seen, working with people on the spectrum and talking to people, and you know, raising a child with autism, it’s that is just that.

It’s just what autism is. With a typical brain or anything like say that or with someone else brain or whoever.

You know a nonautistic person. They can figure out some social cues you know I can look at somebody and I can think they’re really upset right now and they’re not even talking. It’s just the way that they’re moving their body or their facial expressions, but there are that social cues that the social issues that people on the spectrum often lack. And so when he says, I’m afraid I’m going to say something that I shouldn’t. You know it’s happened. It’s happened several times before.

Man, I got in trouble for it.

Not really in trouble, but we’ve had to say like I understand that that’s what was on your mind and you can’t speak your mind, but to exist to function in society, you do have to think twice. Sometimes you don’t have to walk on eggshells.

That’s what it is. It’s either eggshells or walking, so there’s no middle ground. Right?

Well, there is. There is a middle right. You can decide if the thing that you’re going to say is going to have the desired effect. Right, if someone is in the grocery store with their kids and the kids are screaming and going crazy, someone can walk up and say like geez lady, you can’t control your kids. They’re going all over the place. What the Heck, she knows this already right? Or he could walk up and say, I remember being a young parent just how hard it is to do something as simple as grocery shopping. I understand where you’re coming from. I know how hard it is.

You got your point across either way, but one makes him feel worse, and one makes them feel better, they feel heard, acknowledged, understood, without saying, hey, your kids are going crazy, right?

So really, in the military, you would call it firing for effect. Yeah, you can blow up a building, but what is the building? Was the purpose of the building? If that building is going to have the effect that you want it to have.

Yeah, it’s like you can. Say it, but it’s how you say it.

That’s not a middle though. Still, it’s that it’s the harsh way or the nice way, kind of.

Well, that’s what he’s saying. Oh, you mean it’s either that way.

Yeah, I can see that I can see that.

Creativity

What is an aspect of autism that you experience that is better in you than it isn’t other people?

Creativity side of me. I can be a lot more out-of-the-box thinker and sometimes I think more than her, sorry.

I agree, thanks.

But I would say that that’s what is creativity. And when an idea is a charge, it has to be done.

Well, I think a lot of from what we have seen too, a lot of people that are on the spectrum too are very, very creative thinkers and sometimes logical thinkers at the same time.

So you have known people in history that based on you know their behavior based on what people know now you have these musical geniuses that probably had autism. You have most people that work in Silicon Valley they probably have autism because that is how their brain works. They want to create something you know they want to see from the beginning to the end.

And that’s kind of something else with even nonprofits and employment. A lot of times employers don’t want to hire people on the spectrum, but what we want employers to understand is they’re missing out and that population needs to be tapped into, because people on the spectrum, they’re punctual. They they’re reliable, they don’t want to mess up.

I think for a long time and still probably today, Amazon they were hiring people on the spectrum because they were noticing with data entry and things like that they were not messing up. And but I think that employers sometimes don’t have the training or they don’t understand you know how to give accommodations to somebody that needs it, so that’s kind of disappointing sometimes.

I can understand that. The military is with you full-on as long as you can do what they need you to do. But at the moment you can’t do what they need you to do, they change.

As for the employer situation, I think the comment that popped into my head immediately is I understand you would rather hire someone average instead of extraordinary. Please tell me why you prefer an average individual and maybe what you mean by the average individual.

Exactly. I think it’s getting better. I think things are opening up and people are understanding more, but I think that Sam and these people that are kind of doing the same thing, I call them mountain movers, they’re moving mountains and they’re knocking down barriers and they’re helping the world, employers and just people in general.

So, things are good, but they can be better.

Nonprofit Advice

Yeah, I definitely would agree with that. What piece of advice would you have for someone interested in getting into the nonprofit world?

My advice is if you’re passionate about it, even if it’s the same, go for it. But if it is something similar to you, you got to make it your own and find A twist. You got the same Starbucks companies Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts. There’s something so special about each Starbucks.

Starbucks I think Has just cake pops and sandwiches, but I can still, or if you want a donut coffee, there’s Dunkin’ Donuts. They just have Donuts. It’s just business.

Well, they kind of do their own thing like that when, when even when Sam was trying to think of a title for his podcast (which seems so long ago, but it wasn’t) but you know he got online and he made sure that he didn’t see autism.

Now we saw autism, rock, and roll. And he said I’m not going to do that. We saw autism and rocks. We saw other things and he said mum there isn’t autism, rocks, and rolls. And he combined it with his love of music.

You know he loved it. Rock and roll music and so another thing that I think Sam did too. As he said, you have to make it your own. When he started he thought of all of these acronyms. He thinks in abbreviations sometimes and he thought in his mind if he listened to other autism podcasts, and nobody that he saw had the three categories that he wanted. You know, he doesn’t just do interviews, he does interviews, but he also talks about behaviors that he has experienced. And so maybe somebody on the spectrum that’s listening. He can help them.

When some do, but they know the way I do.

Yeah, or he started telling about the analogies.

No, analogies.

Sometimes two options or whatever I think stands out to me. That is very similar to autism, such as a pinball machine such as rock and roll music itself, or something that I like to do.

Such as watching scooby-doo.

Yeah, when he sometimes he would come now. I just trust him.

I don’t even question it, but he would come to me and he said he’ll say mom, I’m going to … in this episode. I’m going to compare autism to a pinball machine and I thought what are we doing we just interviewed Dr. Temple Grandin and or something like that.

No, what it before Brandon.

Like we just did this and you’re going to this, but it was genius.

And then and then, and I said, trust me, and you trust me.

It was incredible.

Then look what happens.

And it’s it. Is this thinking outside the box? And if you’re going to start any kind of nonprofit you do, you do have to maybe not be the only one, but it has to be you. And it has to be very unique to what you want.

Who's on your interview wish list and how do you contact them?

Yeah, I like that you’re a big fan of rock and roll. Who do you want to interview in the rock and roll world?

James

Durbin, well, that’s not like big though, but he’s pretty big though at the same time he’s not big.

He interviewed James Durbin from American Idol.

He has Tourette’s and autism and he’s still and he still produces music, yeah.

Yeah, it’s a hard one. I don’t know that music. While I start, I guess we can go for one Dad likes.

Stanley,

Paul Stanley.

Yeah yeah, he is in Kiss

But he has depression.

Yeah, some And some facial, something is up with ear.

Really, yeah, yeah.

We’re Alice Cooper.

Yeah, maybe I’ll send Alice Cooper your way. Tag him on Twitter. Still, feel like you’re interviewing.

By all means.

That would be incredible.

So that’s probably what one of my favorite things about Twitter is. You can reach directly out to people because they’re available.

They’re available right. On Facebook Messenger. We need to use Twitter.

I use it. Quite a bit, I know I’ve used it. Oh God, if you could do that, that would be great.

But did you hear me? Though I find when I get celebrities, sometimes I use Facebook Messenger.

But with Twitter, yeah.

Now I might start using Twitter for that.

Yeah, that’s a good idea.

Because let me ask you from your personal experience. If you are not here yet, I already talked to them, but do you, would you rather use Facebook Messenger or Twitter?

I’ve talked to Ricky Gervais on Twitter. I’ve had Steve Sims. I got him through Facebook, and I talked to Bob Berg through LinkedIn wherever, wherever you can find them if they’re willing to message you back. Like Steve Sims, he does amazing work with millionaires and billionaires, and he just says yes to every interview possible.

I don’t know who that is. Who is it?

He wrote Bluefishing: The Art of Making Things Happen. He also hosts Sir Elton John, and the red carpet Oscar party every year and he does amazing things in business.

Hey, Alan John Fenech had epilepsy.

Yeah, that would be good.

Well, who were we trying to get to?

Well, you know we’re already thinking about the gala. I was thinking of, you know, when you have your first annual gala and you start with the Speaker of Doctor Temple Grandin, it’s kind of hard to follow that because of how you know of her influence in the autism world.

But I know we have been trying for three years now to talk to Dan Aykroyd because he has autism. Uh, Anthony Hopkins is another person that I have tried and try. I just emailed on Instagram today. Anthony Hopkins, I just did that today and asked if he would potentially be on Sam Show and maybe even you know, travel next year and. Come and be our speaker so. Those are my two, I think another one that Sam you have talked about is Eminem. Eminem has had kind of a hard life and I think it would fit so. Well with his podcast.

And Gordon Gordon…

Gordon Ramsey

Oh yeah.

Oh no, there’s a serious sign is for a reason. He got beaten up as a child.

He had a rough life too.

Yeah, and the reason he said, the way I am is, I can’t help. But I would still remember I come from, I don’t want to be my father but yeah I don’t. I can’t help it.

Yeah, that’s very interesting.

Where do you want to have people go?

Where can they find you out there on the Internet? Do you have a website you want them to go to?

Find them on social media.

You can find me on Autismrocksandrolls.com and then it has where my podcast is, all about the nonprofit, all about the business side of what we do. everything is on there. Everything you need to know about us.

Yeah, and he’s on I think every podcasting platform.

Except for anchor. No.

You’re not an anchor, no. OK, so yeah, that’s a really good place to start though. I try to keep that updated with everything he has going on and for our nonprofit page you can see our board and you can see the things that Sam’s done locally and nationally.

Well, hey, thank you so much for being my guest today and talking a little bit about the gift of autism and how you’ve made it work for you.

Thank you, we appreciate you.

Sam Mitchell Bio

Sam runs his podcast called, Autism Rocks and Rolls. It has grown over the last year and has become very, very successful. Sam has gained several sponsors and this has boosted his mission and business exponentially. He is nearing 6K downloads. He has had some big names on his show: Armani Williams, the first NASCAR driver to open up about having autism, American Idol Rocker James Durbin who has autism, and Tourette’s. His biggest guest of all was Dr. Temple Grandin, professor in Animal Science at Colorado State University and autism activist. He recently had the actress Sara Tomko on his show, well-known for her roles in Sneaky Pete and Resident Alien. He also got to meet his idol, WWE Hall of Famer, Mick Foley, and Foley have accepted the invitation to be on Sam’s podcast!

Sam has made it to the top 10 in the People’s Choice Podcast Awards, placed second in the state of Indiana for the JAG Entrepreneurship project, was selected as the best business at the CEO trade show in Indiana, has had tremendous guests on his show, and is in the top 200 podcasts in all of Canada. All as a recent high school graduate.

Sam has a mission: To take the stigma off of autism and show people that he is not broken, therefore, embracing autism. His hard work, motivation, and passion led him to create his successful podcast and business, all WITH autism. Sam is not ashamed and wants to be the voice of those with autism or other disabilities. His podcast is helping him change the world just a little bit at a time. Sam, at the end of the day, wants to be the voice of those who do not have one.

Please contact us if you are interested in any of Sam’s services, especially speaking engagements. It is always wonderful too when his information can be posted on Websites for companies that are changing the world like he is.

info@autismrocksandrolls.com

(812) 699-7811

(812) 797-9045