Hope Without Sight

On this episode, a man shares his life story of growing up and being bullied, having few friends, having difficulties with forming relationships and not knowing why for years. As it turns out, he has been on the autism spectrum his whole life; it was just missed and was not officially diagnosed until 2005. That diagnosis is what helped him understand more about himself, his framework and how to improve his situation.

He leaves a message of not to be afraid of a diagnosis and interpret it as a label; it only helps you figure out how you can move forward because despite having a challenge, you also have gifts, you just have to figure out what they are and how to use them.

About the Guest:

I’m Rob Hodes, I grew up in Long Island, NY with undiagnosed Autism. When I was learning to speak during childhood, I could only say vowels, not consonants. I had very few friends and was bullied incessantly as my stuttering continued until my late teens. I had very low self-esteem, self-confidence, depression, inability to maintain relationships, and a deep distrust of other people and life in general. I didn’t know then that many of those things were symptoms of Autism.

Rebuilding myself has led to my life’s passion.

Change in the direction of Yes, I CAN: In 1984, I decided to make changes in my life and took direct action to create those changes. I've spent thousands of hours taking courses from Tony Robbins, Toastmasters International, Peak Potentials, Landmark Education, The Mankind Project, Dave Ramsey, Esther and Jerry Hicks, Jennifer Hadley, Michael Beckwith, and Bruce Lipton. I've also read books and listened to YouTube videos from Wayne Dyer, Dennis Waitely, and A Course in Miracles among many others. 

This was an investment in learning about the roadblocks I’d created myself, roadblocks that kept me from living my life to its fullest potential. A lifetime of misinformation took thousands of hours of education to assist me in communicating with confidence, rebuilding my self-confidence and self-esteem, and healing numerous internal wounds I collected along the way. I accomplished this by 1) Asking myself the proper questions which unraveled the many interconnected parts to reconstruct my self-confidence/self-esteem. 2) Learning how to connect with others so they trusted me and my leadership. At Toastmasters (TI) after I mastered how to communicate with conviction, I led two different clubs to earn the highest award that TI offered its clubs. 

I wasn’t diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome/High Functioning Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder until 2005. The first two are part of the Autism Spectrum or ASD. I struggled most of my life with issues that I didn’t know had a name until I was diagnosed. Training sessions after 2005 further assisted me in understanding my own uniqueness and assisted me in developing the necessary framework and emotional insight to remove the many labels that both myself and others put on me and turn my life around. The CDC estimates more than 5 million people are on the Spectrum. That framework serves as the foundation to assist others in leading more fulfilling lives. 

My personal mission statement is to inspire individuals on the Autism Spectrum to defy societal labeling by taking strategic action to achieve your goals and dreams and use your unique gifts by authentically sharing my life story. 

Before 1984 misperceptions and bullies led to devastating self-doubt and an extremely limiting self-image and self-worth that was not authentic. Now I have the power of infinite self-worth and dreams without limits that I hope to bring to you. I will assist you in eliminating negative self-talk, removing judgmental labels, flip the script on your own future self by empowering the positive actions that link your unique gifts with your big dreams for a happy and healthy life.  

I look forward to assisting you in your quest to be an even better version of your already great self.

Website:

https://www.myautismgifts.com/

About the Host:

I am Saylor Cooper, Owner of Real Variety Radio and host of the Hope Without Sight Podcast. I am from the Houston, Texas area and am legally blind which is one of the main reasons why I am hosting this my show surrounding this topic , to inspire others by letting them know that they can live their best life an reach their highest potential.

Website:

https://realvarietyradio.com/

About the Co-host:

My name is Matthew Tyler Evans and I am from the Northeast Texas area. I am blind like Saylor is and we have the same retinal condition. I decided to join Saylor‘s podcast because I have a strong interest in teaming up with him and I think together, we can inspire the world with others with disabilities.

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