by Ben Branson
<h3>The lightbulb, Willy Wonka, The Beatles & even the screen you’re reading this on would not exist without neurodivergent minds.</h3><h3><br></h3><h3>Join Ben Branson (Autistic/ADHD), the visionary founder of Seedlip, as he sits down with great minds that think differently: from neurodivergent entrepreneurs & talented creatives to renowned authors, psychologists & experts. </h3><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
1/9/2024
Email Addresses
1 available
Phone Numbers
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April 16, 2025
<p>If you’ve binge-watched a British teen classic, you’ll know Kimberley Nixon — from Wild Child to Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging and Fresh Meat. But it’s her off-screen honesty that’s truly resonated.</p><br><p>In this chat with Ben, Kimberley shares her raw and harrowing journey through perinatal OCD — a time when she felt trapped in “the Upside Down from Stranger Things,” her mind flooded with the darkest thoughts imaginable. They explore motherhood, mental health, and the compulsive need for repetition. Together, they unpack the overlaps between OCD, autism, and ADHD — and how Kimberley is helping shine a light on the struggles so many experience in silence. </p><br><p>00:00 Introduction</p><p>1:54 Kimberley VS Her Brain</p><p>3:07 How Other People Think</p><p>4:10 Autism And Brains That Work Differently</p><p>4:52 The Brain VS OCD</p><p>5:39 OCD Stereotype VS The Reality: Hurricane Kimberley</p><p>6:47 Who Flagged Perinatal OCD?</p><p>8:04 Perinatal OCD: What We Need To Know?</p><p>9:36 Examples of Perinatal OCD</p><p>11:44 Intrusive Thoughts: Am I a Secret Serial Killer? Is My Brain Broken?</p><p>17:28 How Does Perinatal OCD Manifest?</p><p>18:45 Kimberley’s Husband VS Her Perinatal OCD</p><p>20:12 Autism & ADHD NHS Diagnosis Assessment Wait List</p><p>23:27 Ben’s Podcast Catalyst for Getting an AUDHD Diagnosis</p><p>25:43 The Cross Overs of OCD, Autism & ADHD Traits</p><p>30:40 Celebrating That Everyone’s Brain Is Different</p><p>31:20 How Does Kim’s Autism Show Up?</p><p>31:43 Opening Up To Friends & Family: “You’re Not Autistic!”</p><p>32:40 Taking Off The Mask</p><p>35:28 Physical Compulsions in Perinatal OCD</p><p>36:56 The Journey of Recovery: Being Kinder To Yourself</p><p>41:03 Literal Autistic Brains VS April Fools Day, Reading Between The Lines & Acting</p><p>44:09 Taking Off The Autism Mask & Becoming Yourself</p><p>45:22 OCD Therapy: Learning To Stop Enabling Reassurance</p><p>47:43 Why Did Kim Decide To Go Public With Her Perinatal OCD Crisis?</p><p>49:56 The Leading Cause of Death in Mother’s The First Year After Birth</p><p>50:33 Are You Born With OCD?</p><p>51:22 Avoiding Smoking & Drugs Due To Addictive Traits</p><p>52:37 The Power of Familiarity & Autism: Kim’s Secret Audio Book Safe Place</p><p>55:49 Autism, Motherhood & Resistance to Change</p><p>59:19 Ben’s Unofficial Autism Diagnosis</p><p>1:00:20 Perinatal OCD: Facing The Never Ending Nightmare</p><p>1:01:47 Excuses VS Explanation</p><p>1:08:08 The Benefits of Autism & A Career in Acting</p><p>1:10:17 What Does it Mean To Be Neurodivergent in Today’s Society?</p><p>1:16:49 Intrusive Thoughts: You Are Not Alone</p><p>1:17:43 Kimberley’s Promise</p><p>1:19:15 Kimberley’s Green Light</p><br><p>__________</p><br><p>On "The Hidden 20%," host Ben Branson chats with neurodivergent [ADHD, Autism, Dyscalculia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Tourette's etc.] creatives, entrepreneurs, and experts to see how great minds.. think differently.</p><br><p>Host: Ben Branson</p><p>Head of Production: Bella Neale</p><p>Assistant Producer: Phoebe De Leiburné</p><p>Video Editor: James Scriven</p><p>Social Media Manager: Charlie Young</p><p>Music: Jackson Greenberg</p><br><p>Brought to you by charity The Hidden 20% #1203348</p><p>_____________________________________</p><br><p>Follow & subscribe…</p><br><p>Website: www.hidden20.org</p><p>Instagram / TikTok / Youtube / X: @Hidden20podcast</p><p>Ben Branson @seedlip_ben</p><p>Simon Baron Cohen @sbaroncohen</p><br><p>If you'd like to support The Hidden 20%, you can buy a "green dot" badge at https://www.hidden20.org/thegreendot/p/badge. All proceeds go to the charity.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
April 9, 2025
<p>In this episode, Ben sits down with Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, one of the most influential yet controversial leading figures in Autism research. As the director of Cambridge’s Autism Research Centre, Simon has spent 40 years shaping how we understand autism, from pioneering diagnostic tools to exploring the genetics behind neurodiversity.</p><br><p>Together, they dive into some of the most hotly debated aspects of his work, confront some uncomfortable truths, and explore the link between autism and unique talents. They also unpack fascinating research into why women with PCOS are more likely to have autistic children.</p><br><p>This is Part 2 of a two-part episode — if you missed it, be sure to catch Part 1 from last week!</p><br><p>00:00 Introduction</p><p>1:54 Can You Become Autistic?</p><p>3:47 Autism: What Has Simon Proven?</p><p>4:39 Why Women With PCOS Are More Likely to Have a Child With Autism</p><p>5:48 The Role of Hormones in Autism</p><p>6:45 Autism: What Has Simon Changed His Mind On?</p><p>7:37 Simon’s Thoughts on His Controversial Work: Genetics</p><p>9:00 What is Mind Blindness?</p><p>10:58 Why Did Some Not Like This Concept?</p><p>12:23 How Simon Deals With Criticism</p><p>13:20 Ben: What Could Have You Done to Improve that Situation & How Much Were Autistic People Consulted?</p><p>14:26 How Much Do We Know About Autism?</p><p>15:53 Autistic Statistics: Autism: Some Dark Home Truths</p><p>19:06 Autism Assessment Waiting List Crisis VS Suffering Adults</p><p>20:07 Comorbidities VS Neurodivergence</p><p>21:58 Autism: What Are The Top 3 Questions That We Need To Know?</p><p>23:05 Mortality Rate VS Autism</p><p>24:04 Autism VS The Need For Further Research</p><p>25:22 Ben The Inventor: Unpacking ‘The Pattern Seekers’ & Autistic People</p><p>31:08 Neurodiversity VS Lack Of Role Models</p><p>32:40 Autism: Where Will We Be In Ten Years Time?</p><p>34:20 Simon’s Green Light Choice</p><br><p>__________</p><br><p>On "The Hidden 20%," host Ben Branson chats with neurodivergent [ADHD, Autism, Dyscalculia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Tourette's etc.] creatives, entrepreneurs, and experts to see how great minds.. think differently.</p><br><p>Host: Ben Branson</p><p>Head of Production: Bella Neale</p><p>Assistant Producer: Phoebe De Leiburné</p><p>Video Editor: James Scriven</p><p>Social Media Manager: Charlie Young</p><p>Music: Jackson Greenberg</p><br><p>Brought to you by charity The Hidden 20% #1203348</p><p>_____________________________________</p><br><p>Follow & subscribe…</p><br><p>Website: www.hidden20.org</p><p>Instagram / TikTok / Youtube / X: @Hidden20podcast</p><p>Ben Branson @seedlip_ben</p><p>Simon Baron Cohen @sbaroncohen</p><br><p>If you'd like to support The Hidden 20%, you can buy a "green dot" badge at https://www.hidden20.org/thegreendot/p/badge. All proceeds go to the charity.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
April 2, 2025
<p>In this episode, Ben sits down with Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, one of the most influential yet controversial leading figures in Autism research. As the director of Cambridge’s Autism Research Centre, Simon has spent 40 years shaping how we understand autism, from pioneering diagnostic tools to exploring the genetics behind neurodiversity.</p><br><p>They unpack the history of autism diagnoses, why prevalence has risen, and the shifting perception from ‘disorder’ to celebrating a different way of thinking. Plus, they dive into some of the most debated topics in autism research - The complexities of empathy and the ethical challenges of genetic studies.</p><br><p>This is the First of a Two Part Episode - tune in for some groundbreaking research next week in Part Two!</p><br><p>00:00 Introduction</p><p>2:08 Ben’s Child Asks Simon: 'Are You REALLY the World's Top Autism Expert?'</p><p>2:50 Back In Time: Autism 40 years Ago</p><p>4:08 Autism Diagnoses Then vs. Now: How Children & Adults Were Diagnosed 40 Years Ago</p><p>4:45 The Moment Autism Prevalence Began to Rise</p><p>5:21 Autism Diagnostic Criteria & Disappearance of Aspergers</p><p>10:42 The History of Autism</p><p>11:48 What Sparked Simon’s Interest in Autism?</p><p>13:44 Societies Beliefs and Understanding of Autism 40 Years Ago</p><p>15:07 Genetics and The Hidden 20%</p><p>17:05 Why Autism Isn’t 100% Genetic</p><p>17:34 Ethical Minefields: Genetics Research VS Autism</p><p>20:42 Were Scientists Trying to 'Cure' Autism 40 Years Ago?</p><p>21:57 When We Started Celebrating Autistic Strengths</p><p>23:23 Brains That Think Differently: The Birth of Neurodiversity</p><p>24:26 Autism VS Closing The Gender Gap</p><p>26:39 Brains That Systemise VS Brains That Empathise</p><p>28:32 Autism & Empathy: Cognitive Empathy VS Affective Empathy</p><p>35:33 Do Vaccines Cause Autism?</p><p>36:37 Why Are the CDC Investigating the Correlation Between Autism and Vaccines?</p><p>39:43 Changing The Way We See Autism: Celebrating the Differences</p><p>__________</p><br><p>On "The Hidden 20%," host Ben Branson chats with neurodivergent [ADHD, Autism, Dyscalculia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Tourette's etc.] creatives, entrepreneurs, and experts to see how great minds.. think differently.</p><br><p>Host: Ben Branson</p><p>Head of Production: Bella Neale</p><p>Assistant Producer: Phoebe De Leiburné</p><p>Video Editor: James Scriven</p><p>Social Media Manager: Charlie Young</p><p>Music: Jackson Greenberg</p><br><p>Brought to you by charity The Hidden 20% #1203348</p><p>_____________________________________</p><br><p>Follow & subscribe…</p><br><p>Website: www.hidden20.org</p><p>Instagram / TikTok / Youtube / X: @Hidden20podcast</p><p>Ben Branson @seedlip_ben</p><p>Simon Baron Cohen @sbaroncohen</p><br><p>If you'd like to support The Hidden 20%, you can buy a "green dot" badge at https://www.hidden20.org/thegreendot/p/badge. All proceeds go to the charity.</p><p><br></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
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