Staring Down the Storm: Autism Advocacy in America

About Staring Down the Storm: Autism Advocacy in America

Tabitha Zeigler hosts a fiery, truth-packed podcast filled with people doing the work in the trenches for autism and neurodiversity advocacy. These everyday heroes are leading the way for the next generation. At a time when so much is at stake, ordinary individuals rise up to fill the inequalities in our society. Join us in our struggles and triumphs while trying to provide resources, access, and programs for all. We welcome you to the fight. Learn more at https://staringdownthestorm.com (https://staringdownthestorm.com/)

Publisher

Tabitha Zeigler

Category

kids & family · news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Feb 2025

Latest episode

25 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

74 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   25 Sept 2026

   Severe Mental Illness, Criminalization, and the Fight to Create Real Care. With Kimberly Bowman

   Today, I am going deep with Kimberly Bowman, who brings more than 45 years of combined professional and lived experience in mental health to our conversation. She shares with me how her journey started as a teenager when she encountered severe bipolar disorder in her then-partner’s family and explains how, later on, her younger son showed concerning symptoms early in childhood, around 18 months old. She explains why her family initially struggled to differentiate what was “normal” and what behaviors needed intervention, as so many of us do in the beginning, before lived experience provides clarity. We talk about the long and difficult process of getting the right diagnosis for her son, including multiple misdiagnoses such as ADD, ADHD, and major depressive disorder before bipolar disorder was even recognized. Kimberly had to learn to advocate for her child in a complicated and convoluted system where even the professionals would not agree on what was clearly the correct diagnosis. Things went from bad to worse, as her family navigated medication changes, side effects, and shifting symptoms while her son grew older. Is it surprising that he would eventually also experience psychosis, homelessness, and repeated cycles of incarceration and hospitalization? No, because those are the “solutions” available in our non-existent support structure. After years of working in administration at a state psychiatric hospital and later at NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), Kimberly could see very clearly that the problem was not just a broken mental health system, but, in fact, that this country never intentionally designed one in the first place. So, she has committed to building America’s ideal mental health system through a national design commission that includes clinicians, law enforcement, judicial voices, crisis responders, and lived-experience advocates. Her work provides coordinated, upstream prevention and more options than just the hospital or jail when someone is in crisis. You are not alone on this journey. Kimberly has made it her mission to provide knowledge, resources, and support to anyone struggling with their mental health or that of a loved one. Read her books, listen to her speak. How do we go about building a better framework? How do we take a proactive approach to crisis intervention? How do we get the people calling the shots to hear our demands for reform before another life is lost to the “system”? Learn more about Kimberly Bowman below: Insight to Impact website  (https://www.insighttoimpactmh.org/) Purchase No One Told ME - What Every Family Needs to Know About Mental Illness in America HERE (https://bookshop.org/p/books/no-one-told-me-kimberly-a-bowman/57836d8a98de21e9?ean=9781961605589&bkshp-astro=t) Purchase The System We Never Built - Severe Mental Illness, Criminalization, and the Fight to Create Real Care HERE (https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-system-we-never-built/38cd440a8ec1c6c2?ean=9781961605725&bkshp-astro=t) Chapters 0:16 Navigating Mental Health Challenges in Family 6:13 The Struggles of Diagnosis and Treatment 11:11 Advocacy and the Role of a Parent 16:06 Understanding the Mental Health “System” 23:57 Building a Better Mental Health Framework 25:51 Insight to Impact: A Journey of Advocacy 32:09 The Role of Lived Experience in Mental Health 36:22 Innovative Approaches to Crisis Response 41:24 Preventing Crises: A Proactive Approach 45:00 Books as Tools for Change Contact Tabitha: staringdownthestorm@gmail.com (mailto:staringdownthestorm@gmail.com) https://tabithazeigler.com (https://tabithazeigler.com/)

2. 

   18 Sept 2026

   The Future of Progressive Politics and LGBTQ+ Rights in America. With Jamie Hill

   This week, I connected with Jamie Hill, an openly trans non-binary candidate who ran for Congress in Michigan’s second district. Growing up in a rural community on the state’s east side, Jamie, a “dirt road farm kid,” has a family history of subsistence farming stretching back generations. When you are raised in a conservative, church-centered environment, with no visible queer communities to learn from or positive trans role models to look up to, what do you do when you realize something is different inside but you don’t have the language to describe it? Jamie speaks candidly about reaching a point where transition or suicide felt like the only options available. How heartbreaking that so many people feel ending their own lives is a less painful choice than seeking acceptance for who they truly are from the people around them. It was only after receiving gender-affirming care that Jamie felt allowed to thrive as their authentic self. Determined to become the adult they needed as a teenager, Jamie earned EMT and paramedic credentials, degrees in public safety studies, healthcare, and emergency management, and a PA education from Yale School of Medicine. But when rural hospital systems would not call them back once they were openly non-binary and actively job seeking, it became very clear that bigotry pushes out well-qualified individuals looking to serve the communities they love. After settling in rural western Michigan, Jamie decided to run for their local congressional seat because candidates should be grounded in lived experience, not just polished resumes or Washington credentials. Refusing to run on the model of only speaking to wealthy donors and not individual voters, Jamie insists that real change happens when ordinary people show up, participate, and donate as little as $5 to home-grown candidates that need their support. When the seats at the table are bought and sold to the highest bidder with the wealthiest friends, when the players in the game are only straight white men, who is looking out for the rest of us? When we tolerate intolerance, EVERYBODY loses. We must do better. We must be better. Learn more about Jamie Hill below: Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/p/Elect-Jamie-Hill-61576906293686/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/electjamiehill/?hl=en) YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@electjamiehill) Chapters 00:16 Growing Up in Rural Michigan 12:23 Navigating Identity and Acceptance 20:30 Confronting Misconceptions and Stereotypes 24:25 The Changing Political Landscape 28:52 Advocacy and Activism in Faith Communities 33:47 Challenging the Status Quo 37:13 The Role of Money in Politics 43:01 The Dynamics of Political Engagement 48:56 Pushing for Progressive Change 52:11 The Importance of Standing Firm on Principles 56:07 Future Aspirations and Community Involvement Contact Tabitha: staringdownthestorm@gmail.com (mailto:staringdownthestorm@gmail.com) https://tabithazeigler.com/ (https://tabithazeigler.com/)

3. 

   11 Sept 2026

   When Power Goes Unchecked, Who Pays the Price? With Nicole Locklin

   What happens when you stop yelling at the television and decide to actually run for Congress? That’s where my conversation with Nicole Locklin begins. Nicole is an attorney, a late-diagnosed neurodivergent woman, a survivor, and now a candidate for Florida’s 26th Congressional District. She didn’t set out to become a politician. She reached a point where she decided somebody had to step up. We talk about what it means to live under political systems that can feel increasingly disconnected from the people they’re supposed to serve. Gerrymandering, campaign money, corporate influence, government accountability—these aren’t abstract political talking points when they shape whether people can afford housing, access healthcare, feel safe, or have control over their own lives. And then we get personal. Nicole and I talk about ADHD, autism, late diagnosis, sexual violence, domestic violence, and what happens when survivors are failed by institutions that are supposed to protect them. How much are we willing to tolerate from people in power? And why do we keep treating accountability like an optional feature of government? We also talk about immigration, human rights, racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive freedom, and the responsibility of allies to speak up—especially when it would be easier to stay quiet. Because democracy doesn’t survive on spectators. At some point, somebody has to decide: "I’m not sitting this one out." Learn more about Nicole Locklin: Website: Locklin For Congress (https://locklinforcongress.com/) Email: info@locklinforcongress.com (mailto:info@locklinforcongress.com) Facebook  (https://www.facebook.com/Locklin2026/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/locklin2026?igsh=MWU1ZGprMzBzaWV1cA%3D%3D) YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@Locklin2026) Chapters 00:00 Nicole Locklin’s Journey to Politics 10:15 The Importance of Community and Roots 20:19 Navigating Neurodiversity and Advocacy 24:13 The Journey of Advocacy and Activism 27:47 The Impact of Government Actions on Communities 32:46 Confronting Societal Issues and Historical Context 37:47 Addressing Child Protection and Justice 44:58 The Rise of Extremism and Its Consequences 47:00 Navigating the Justice System 50:28 Racism and Political Accountability 57:37 The Importance of Representation 63:10 A Call for Accountability and Change Contact Tabitha: staringdownthestorm@gmail.com (mailto:staringdownthestorm@gmail.com) https://tabithazeigler.com/ (https://tabithazeigler.com/)

Podcast Authority Score: 9 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

18

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

Contact Staring Down the Storm: Autism Advocacy in America

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.