154. Living and Thriving on the Autism Spectrum with Daniel Keith Austin

FINE is a 4-Letter Word

What do Anthony Hopkins, Dan Aykroyd, Courtney Love, Daryl Hannah, Jerry Seinfeld, Albert Einstein, Heather Kuzmich, Elon Musk, Lionel Messi, Eminem, and Satoshi Tajiri have in common?

Celebrity?

Creativity?

Fame?

Fortune?

Yes, all of them have these things to varying degrees. Each and every one of them also has (or in Einstein’s case, had) autism.

So does author, actor, autism advocate, and animal rights activist Daniel Keith Austin, creator of the children’s book series, Chelsea’s New Journey. I was especially interested in hosting Daniel on the show because there are a lot of misconceptions around what autism is and how people with it interact with the world. It’s a topic that’s near and dear to my heart because my nephew is on the spectrum.

Daniel was raised with the core beliefs of striving to be a good and decent person who treats people well, does things for the overall benefit of mankind, and helps people lead better lives.

He also grew up as one of four autistic siblings and experienced many challenges. He was a disruptive kid who struggled in an educational system that just wanted him to follow orders and behave while doing little to support him in learning to form relationships and communicate effectively. He didn’t find out he had autism until he was 14 years old.

In Daniel’s case, you could say things were never “fine” – for him, Fine is a 4-Letter Word and always has been.

In a moment, when you meet Daniel, you’ll discover how his passion for writing, performing, and storytelling led him to create a series of children’s books about Chelsea the Golden Retriever.

Revolving around the life story of a Golden Retriever based on Daniel’s childhood dog, this series breaks down and transforms complicated, contentious themes into an understandable, relatable tale that powerfully addresses themes of abandonment, the need for acceptance and belonging, and triumph over adversity through seemingly impossible challenges from the perspective of someone who lacks a human voice.

Through Chelsea’s eyes, Daniel invites you to join an engaging and thought-provoking story arc around Chelsea becoming a therapy dog for people on the autism spectrum.

Daniel’s hype song is “Something’s Coming” from West Side Story.

Resources:

• Daniel Keith Austin’s websites: https://danielkeithaustin.com/ and https://www.chelseasnewbeginningbook.com/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/chelsea.the.golden.retriever
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/chelseathegoldenretriever88/
• X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/ChelseaTheGold2

Invitation from Lori:

Before we get to this thought-provoking, emotional conversation that delivers a new perspective on thriving with autism, let me mention that in my special guide, 5 Easy Ways to Start Living the Sabbatical Life, you can discover, step-by-step, how you can stop settling for “fine” and look at your life with a fresh set of eyes. Even if, like many people in today’s high-speed world, you’re not in a position to take a month or year-long sabbatical.

You know how you normally hear the disclaimer “Don’t try this at home!” In this case, you CAN try this at home. And not just “try,” DO.

Once you read it, you’ll

✅ Discover a counter-intuitive approach to making intentional changes in mindset and lifestyle.

✅ Learn how to own your feelings and your struggles so you can address them.

✅ Find out how to face fears, step out of your comfort zone, and rewire your beliefs.

It’s only 7 pages, so it won’t take you long to get through. When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine, this guide is the place to start and it will give you new perspectives that could change your life starting today!

Go to https://zenrabbit.com right now to download it for free.

Now, let’s meet Daniel. Here he comes down the street, walking several dogs. I can’t wait to hear the stories he has to share with us today!