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The Empowered Parent with Dana Baltutis
Welcome to The Empowered Parent Podcast Series 2.
This short series is inspired by the Australia and New Zealand Inaugural Neurodivergence and Wellbeing Conference.
Over the next few episodes, we’ll be shining a light on what it truly means to belong, and celebrating the lives, strengths, and stories of neurodivergent people.
I’ll be speaking with leaders, advocates, and thinkers from across Australia and New Zealand who are pioneering change. Together, we’ll explore how families, schools, and communities can move beyond old deficit views - and instead see neurodivergence as a vital part of human diversity.
This series is about hope, celebration, and possibility. It’s about recognising that there is a place in the world for everyone - and that when we create belonging, we all thrive.
Don’t forget to follow along, share your reflections, and join the conversation. You can connect with me at danabaltutis.com or mytherapyhouse.com.au
Let’s celebrate neurodivergence. Let’s celebrate belonging.
The Empowered Parent with Dana Baltutis
Season 2 NEURODIVERSITY - Episode 4: Living Authentically: How to Embrace Your Neurodivergent Identity (Joanne Hatchard, Social Worker, Advocate, Podcaster)
What happens when we truly embrace neurodivergence as a fundamental part of human diversity? Joanne Hatchard, founder of Better Being Me and creator of the "Be Me Completely" course, brings profound wisdom from both personal and professional experience to this conversation about acceptance, connection, and living authentically.
Diagnosed with dyslexia at 16 and later recognizing her own autistic identity through her son's diagnosis, Joanne shares how self-acceptance freed her from exhausting masking behaviors. She offers a refreshing cosmic metaphor—neurodiversity as the universe with each diagnosis representing a planet—emphasizing that every neurological variation has value and purpose within the whole.
The conversation dives deep into practical approaches for supporting neurodivergent individuals, particularly the power of acceptance from parents. "If the parents don't have it, it's really hard for the child to have it," Joanne explains, highlighting how mixed messages create confusion and anxiety. She distinguishes between avoiding labels versus embracing accommodations, showing how families can develop their own language around neurodivergence without shame or secrecy.
Perhaps most valuable is Joanne's candid advice against seeking a single guru with all the answers. "One theory doesn't have all the answers," she emphasizes, encouraging parents to understand their own values before selecting from diverse perspectives. Her signature blend of professional knowledge and lived experience allows her to "connect the dots" between abstract research and practical strategies families can actually use.
With humor and compassion, Joanne reminds us of the ultimate freedom in self-acceptance: "You're not dead. You can do it again tomorrow, different, if you want to." This grace-filled perspective offers both hope and agency to anyone navigating a neurodivergent journey, whether for themselves or someone they love.
Share this episode with anyone seeking to understand neurodivergence more deeply or create more accepting spaces for neurodivergent individuals to thrive authentically.
https://betterbeingme.com.au/
https://betterbeingme.com.au/blog/
https://go.betterbeingme.com.au/bbmecompletely295544
danabaltutis.com, mytherapyhouse.com.au, https://mytherapyhouse.com.au/your-childs-therapy-journey/ https://www.danabaltutis.com/services
