Recently, I had an amazing opportunity to sit with an artist nominee Chris Redding To discuss his journey with autism, his spokeswoman and the way he uses his platform to make changes. As someone deeply passionate about autism awareness, this conversation was both inspiring and opening eyes.
In this episode Alicia Trautwein Podcast, Chris, shares his personal experiences, challenges he met with, and his mission to support the more integration world. His story is a testimony to the force of using his voice to change something.
Connect with Chris:
🌍 website: https://www.chrisreddingmusic.com/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chris_redding_
Below you will find a full script of our conversation. Regardless of whether you prefer to read or listen, I hope that this episode resonates with you as much as with me. Let’s continue cooperation to create a world in which every autistic unit feels seen, heard and valued.
Autism with Chris Redding: a powerful conversation about spokesman and acceptance
Alicia Trautwein: Hey everyone, welcome again Alicia Trautwein podcast! Of course, I am your host, Alicia Trautwein and, as always, we are here to have real, forthright conversations about parenthood, neurodic diversity and everyone in between.
A month of acceptance of autism just around the corner, I am glad that I can welcome today’s guy-Nominated to the artist and lawyer, Chris Redding. His music is not only a lovely artistic expression, but also a powerful voice of mental health awareness and acceptance of autism.
Chris’s latest album, Colors in my mindHe delves into mental health, and is also a co -founder of the ST. Ellis, in which we will jump a little later. It is a resource that provides children with children in access to various support. He is going on a lot! Let’s immerse ourselves in this conversation and learn more about his travel, music and influence he exerts.
Chris, Hello! How are you feeling today?
Chris Redding: I’m great! Thank you very much for me here. Every time I can share my story and voice in this space, I love it. I live for that, so thank you very much for having me on this platform.
Alicia: Absolutely! First of all, great congratulations because of the Grammy nomination! What was the moment for you when you found out?
Chris: It was a surreal moment, but also a moment to take and realize – WOW – all the tough work we put in is finally recognized. However, I would say that the most crucial thing is that it can really be a voice on a platform like Grammys for so many people Neurodiver – people who have felt unheard of and imperceptible for many years. The ability to share this kind of history and recognition is simply phenomenal.
Alicia: Absolutely! And your previous album, Sound visionsHe was deeply inspired by your son, who is autistic and non -verbal. Can you tell us about how this album has come to life and what does it mean to you as a father and musician?
Chris: As a father, I think it was the most powerful experience I’ve ever had. The ability to connect to your son, who is non -verbal – is simply phenomenal. When Christian was born, he did not make much eye contact and he did not really show interest in communication until we began to play music for him.
When we started playing music, he wanted to open more. He wanted to try to communicate more – whether through sign language or simply other sounds he would make vocally, including echolalia and stimulating. We took it all and made it part of the innovative process. It was an amazing feeling and I learned a lot about myself. It helped me experience this relationship with him in a completely novel way – very powerful.
Alicia: Absolutely! Now your novel album, Colors in my mindHe focuses on mental health, which is such an crucial topic, especially for the Neurodivegent community. What inspired you to discover this motif in your music?
Chris: This is part of my personal journey to mental health, as well as travel of other people in the world. I think we live in a time when mental health is discussed more widely and we see its importance more than ever.
For me, this album was a continuation of my journey in science, what it means to be a Neurodiver’s unit in the Neurodiverse family. I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 13 and I always knew that my mind was working differently. But it was a journey consisting in finding my strengths and learning to develop in every environment.
So for me Colors in my mind was a continuation Sound visions. Sound visions He was like a shock – using my life will be different in a way that I never imagined. I tried to understand and understand it and how it looked with my son. But Colors in my mind The point is that I have this understanding about myself, it depends on me whether I continue learning and developing-I am able to do what I do what is needed to deal with my mental well-being and support others in their travels.
Alicia: I absolutely love it! Your music is not just about craftsmanship – it’s about influenced, which is extremely powerful.
So you are also a co -founder St. Foundation Elliswhich provides resources for families with autistic children. Tell us more about what prompted you to start this foundation and what kind of support it offers.
Chris: Absolutely! It was the idea of my wife Serena. She really wanted to give back to other families and connect with them in a significant way. After receiving the diagnosis of our son, our journey began, but we came across so many other families who were at different stages in their journey and needed tips or support.
We wanted to build a community that supported it – one of them in which parents could connect, find support resources and access resources. St. Foundation Ellis consists in meeting people where they are in their process – whether they only get a diagnosis or have been moving for years. We have great connections and partnerships through the Foundation and we are proud of the work we do.
Saint Ellis is actually the second name of my son Christian, so this foundation is also part of his life.
Alicia: It’s amazing! So many families try to find appropriate support and resources, especially right after the diagnosis of autism. From your perspective, what are one of the biggest challenges that parents face and how can we do better?
Chris: I would say that acceptance is still a challenge – not only from society, but even in families. As parents, we had to accept the fact that it is our normal, that this is how our son’s brain works. Every day we are working on understanding his perspective of the world.
Many times people perceive autism as something that should be “fixed”. Although therapy and support are crucial, it is also about understanding and accepting how our children experience the world. It was the whole experiment at the back Sound visions– I wanted to immerse myself in the world of my son through music and communicate with him in a novel way.
Alicia: Absolutely. And music can be a powerful tool for all of us, regardless of whether we are a neurodiver or neurotypical. It’s an amazing way to connect, treat and express yourself.
Do you jump into your experience as music – how did the music play a role in your own trip to mental health?
Chris: Music is a huge part of my everyday life. Not only for me, but for my whole family. When my boys are excessively stimulated or have a tough day, I play calming music for them, and this helps to change their mood. When I have to relax after a long day, I do the same. Music helps regulate emotions and serves as a powerful tool for expressing yourself and healing.
Alicia: I love it! This is such a truth-musika can be used in so many ways to have emotional well-being.
Chris, thank you very much for sharing your journey with us. Your support and craftsmanship are really inspiring and I can’t wait to see what you are doing next!
Chris: Thank you very much for having me! I appreciate the conversation and the opportunity to share my story.