Hello, this is Anna Kennedy. We're talking all things autism and I was just saying after how long I've been doing this show I think it's been about three years now. So it's just I've had so many amazing guests Like really and one of the guests today, which I'll introduce a little bit later Is Oliver and he is also a past guest But it's got some exciting news that he would like to share with us So it's the start of anti-bullying week this week And obviously anti-bullying is every single day and I'm always being contacted by parents or by autistic adults Or by siblings or by carers about, you know, the increase on bullying. It's usually on lines Now especially it's seemed to be more rife. I would say during lockdown because more people were online You have these keyboard warriors that think it's okay to bully which obviously it isn't So we've had our give us a break campaign that has been all going on quite a few years now And it started off when I was working with the anti-bullying Alliance and also Childline and then were created give us a break which is been going on for as I said quite a few years have kept the strap line because people identify with it and Posters have been created by my anti bullying ambassadors Russell Wiggins, which we still use and we've added this year to the poster A be kind because obviously the focus this year is on one kind word So if you are being bullied, I just wanted to share a few tips with you So and our heart our anti-bullying ambassador is Harvey price and he has been with us now for two years Promoting obviously the anti-bullying campaign and his own Harvey's law so What's happening is that if you are or you feel that you are being bullied whether it's to do with your disability or race Please first of all contact the social media platform in question and report the matter and ask them to take action Contact the police this can be done either online But perhaps the best thing to do is to go to the police station if you can with copies of all the relevant Documents tweets or posts and get a crime number and ask for the contact details of the officer who will be assigned to the matter Which is really important because if not, it gets lost in the system when you contact the officer be polite But persistent the police have the means to identify the person who is making the post There's a range of actions open to the police again Persons who post such material they can serve them with a harassment warning notice Or if the harassment persists or in serious cases the person involved could face prosecution So if you didn't know that just please You know go to the police station and get a crime number and please identify the officer That's going to be dealing with your case. So all this information is on the charity website Just to remind you WWE w w forget get more confused here Www dot Anna Kennedy online.com at first as I said started working with the NSP CC Esther Ranson and The anti-bullying Alliance and they're what they're saying is advice Is for children share how you're feeling with other young people charlines online message board is a non-judgmental space Where you can speak to other children who are in a similar situation to you about your experiences and feelings This can help you feel less alone and will give you an online support network that you can turn to Talk to an adult you trust about the bullying you are experiencing So you feel less alone and so that adults can support you just to remind you of the child line counselor telephone number It's zero eight zero zero one one one one or online at child line org UK just to remind you of that so a child line counselor is zero eight hundred one one one one or online at Childline org UK take a break from your device if you are being bullied online and do something you enjoy such as sport Listening to music or art and remember that bullying is not your fault Report and block someone if they are sending you messages online that upset you I get quite a few People that contact me say no, what shall I do? They're saying this on Twitter or they're saying this on Facebook Whatever the best thing to do is don't encourage them and don't answer them back Just block them and then they can't contact you any more and for adults as well So if you think that your child might be being bullied online And so signs that you can spot is not wanting to go to school or take part in normal activities Getting anxious or angry if you go near their device Feeling withdrawn upset or angry at home problems sleeping or eating Having angry outbursts that seem out of character Spending more or less time online than normal so signs to spot that your child may be being bullied in person Belongings are getting lost or damaged. I know quite a few Autistic children where families have contacted me where their backpacks and things have gone missing or their laptops or whatever that was in the bag books Physical injuries such as unexplained bruising being afraid to go to school not doing as well at school Being nervous or losing confidence or becoming distressed and withdrawn problems with eating or sleeping and Bullying others, so please check out the child line website There's lots of information on there And if you feel that your child is being bullied or indeed if you are Someone that's being bullied online or within the community So I just wanted to remind you about awesome Scott talent. So the entries are open once again So if you feel that you have got a talent that you want to share with the world please contact us on Anna Kennedy online and There is a nomination form there or an entry form that you can put in all your details So whether you're a singer whether you're a dancer with you play an instrument whether you're in a band with your magician Whether you're a poet whether you're an actor, whatever it is that you feel that you excel at please We want to see your talent people are still talking about the last autumn's got time that we had the 10th year anniversary And I'm pleased to say that the highlights video is nearly ready So I'll be sharing that with you soon and that will be again on the charity website. So don't forget It's www.anna Kennedy online.com and we're constantly updating the charity website With recent articles and also updating our resources page where there's lots and lots of information on there And also to remind you about the hero wards they have been postponed until March So if you are interested in coming along to share people's stories and with our finalists It's such an amazing evening It's gonna be at the Chelsea Harper Hotel in London where 36 finalists will be traveling across the UK and overseas To share the experience altogether. You'll need your tissues It's quite an emotional evening And then also at the end of the evening where all if you'd like to have a dance on the stage with everybody Please come and join us. So again, all the information is on the charity websites So my guest today is an inspirational young man called Oliver Jude. He's only 17 years old He's a young entrepreneur from st after being rejected by the educational system from a young age and facing many Difficulties in getting support from the school from being bullied by staff and students to being isolated every day for months at a time It's punishment to something that was simply down to being misunderstood Oliver and his parents fought for the support and moved him schools to rain for time Which was the best decision they could ever make I'm not going to tell you any more about Oliver because it's his story And I want him to share it with you. So welcome Oliver once again to women's radio station Thank you, so he's 17 now, so I think the last time I spoke to you probably about just nearly 16 so You're obviously Still doing really really well with your business. So give everyone just a little snapshot about yourself Obviously, I've said a little bit You know that you live in said helens and obviously the horrendous bullying that you enjoyed but tell tell everybody a little bit more About Oliver. Who are you Oliver? I'm a young entrepreneur from st. Helens. I was diagnosed with autism in October 2016 and it was I think I got the official diagnosis thinking about the end of year seven and Previous to that the school kind of treating me as I had autism to try and see if it could give me as much support as possible and obviously Further down the line we found out that it wasn't because of that and That I needed more support. I needed a one-to-one full-time support as I easily got distracted by other people So easily led down the wrong path. Um many many months went on and We given them the diagnosis. We had no support from that and we Then took the decision of what what are we going to do? I was being a We had a a system called positive discipline in the school at the time And I don't understand how anyone can call Discipline positive when just gonna say that I said what is that? What is positive? Remember what type of things that Was happening to you or was expected of you? Yeah So positive discipline was this new system that the school had brought in and we got given these planners So it was I really enjoyed the planet because being autistic. I love being organized so structure for me is huge So to have this planet was absolutely incredible But then they they gain but our loss as a student was you had these comments So if you didn't put your hand up in the class or you turned up late or you wasn't wearing the correct uniform Or you didn't bring the correct stationery or that it was honestly the list of things you'd get a comment And if you got eight in a week, you'd end up in this isolation Now this isolation was these booths and they were no wider than your seats No No further in than the width of each then the you know, the depth of your chair It was this square basically and it was very very very difficult to do anything in there. I've always said that Your emotions can't fly around the room, you know, you can't express yourself You're not allowed to talk all day. You have to eat the food you give in Basically very similar to prison. I suppose got away with it I know and the the the upsetting thing is is it's still happening in schools now So something I'm trying to do is get my research in on why skills have bought into it what they're gaining from it, but also how it's affecting the kids that are in there and You know It was a very difficult time for me at that time to be sitting in a booth and this would be months at a time every day, so when the school and I remember it was year 8 parents evening and The porters aside and said, you know, we've had an incident and and it actually was and it wasn't me It was a miss and I can't think of the word and it was someone else that had very similar behavioral kind of traits to me and And this other lads had been in a fight and and they assumed it was me because they Created all these problems around my name and and it was my year 8 parents evening and the two rounds wasn't said I no longer place in the school. I'm no longer welcome back. And we were we was escorted up the back door and So, I mean I don't want to name the school because the Change since But yeah, it was it was just a local school in the area that must have affected your confidence Massively, it was a very dark time Very did you get to receive any counseling of any sort? And so at the time I was going through different types of of counseling with different kind of Different people and businesses and organizations in the area But what one thing I found about services are you only get about six or eight weeks worth of counseling now for Your stereotypical person that might be enough time But for someone that has dealt with past trauma that has you know Recently been through all this experience through school and is also autistic That isn't enough time to kind of explain things or is it enough time to build up that kind of Connection and you know professional relationship with the person to actually tell them everything So for me, it's very been in much of a quick fix It's like oh, I'll just deal with this problem with that and then we'll move on but not actually The you know delve further into the problems if that makes sense. I think it was to do with funding Yeah, very much. So very much. So yeah, um, I'm very um, obviously interested in diagnosis And obviously the wait times and all the rest of it So can you remember how long it took before you got the diagnosis and then how did you feel? Um when you got the diagnosis because just recently christine mcginnis actually just a couple of days ago has come out saying That she um was diagnosed She's obviously got three kids on the spectrum as well and she said she feels relieved Um, she said a lot of things make sense to her now She didn't she came out of school without any gcses because she found the exams Difficult to deal with like sitting in a hall with everybody so a lot of things make sense to her now So how did you feel and can you remember the sort of process that you went through? Yeah, and just touching on christine as well I'm, absolutely delighted that she'd bring out a documentary on the 1st of december on a good day So i'm absolutely delighted to watch that Um, but yeah, so I got diagnosed with autism in it was roughly october 2016 And only from speaking to my mum it took us many years to get a diagnosis Because the traits were very kind of Small, but they were very assessment based So, you know, there would be times where someone would come out to the house and you know Kind of like an interview would be asking my mum different questions Um, I was also diagnosed with Tourette syndrome, um a couple of years back which I was heavily bullied for Um, but we had different people um that we'd have to go and see and different assessments and people would be like You know when you have like a teacher that comes and supervises a class It was like this outside person that would come into school and see how I would behave. Um And I know it took a long long time And when I got the diagnosis, my mum was very hesitant of of actually telling me and um since having, you know conversations with her she said that um One of another lads that was in my sister's year, I think a couple of years older Um didn't take the diagnosis very well. So my mum was a bit hesitant of telling me and when she did I was delighted. I it was kind of like the answers to all my questions, you know Why am I being treated like this? Why am I why am I the one that's slightly different to everyone else? And it was kind of well, you've got autism, but Whenever people always look at autism and and and the word autism comes up people like different Disability and now I'd look at it as something that is different about me or something that Doesn't allow me to do things. I look at it as something It's like well surely this is the key to open All the doors that you know, I want to open in life and this is something that's going to help me and It was difficult at first It was very I was very contradicting myself because when we give the diagnosis to the school and I didn't get any support I didn't get any of the help. I was like, so is this really what I needed was this is this really actually doing anything, you know, what is the purpose behind it, but then obviously when we realized further down the line that it was actually the school that weren't meeting my needs and it was um You know, there was no respect for for each other in the school. There's no communication and Then when I moved to rainford high they It then understood to me. It was like yes, this is exactly Is exactly what I needed, you know, it wasn't me kind of going Oh, you know, is this really the right answer? But when when I moved to rainford, it honestly was a huge life-changing moment Um, so when you were at school, um any of the schools, did you actually know anybody else that had autism? um No, so I think the only kind of thing that was recognized was someone somebody that would have been in a wheelchair and That was you know, kind of notes noticeably, you know kind of disabled but in terms of like, um Autism, you know, no So it should be honest Yeah, one of my um, um patrons, um ryan Um, he never before he sort of came on board with the charity He'd never ever met another person on the spectrum. And then when he came to autumn's got talent, obviously the The the theater was pulling people on the spectrum He said he just felt like you know, he'd sort of come home if you like because he never ever met anyone with autism. So Okay, so you you went to school and then you had a school that was supportive So when did you decide that you wanted to be an entrepreneur and start your own business? so whilst I was in rainford, although Moving skills was absolutely brilliant. It was all sort of a challenge because I'd been used to Kind of my previous skill systems and the structure and the behavioral side of things and all these different policies and you know all the kind of boring things um When moving to rainford, it was an incredible experience, but very difficult to Get myself adjusted to the policies and the you know rules and regulations and things and I Was put on a behavioral course. So it was a six-week thing um Which this is what we were told Um was for six weeks and it was basically to re-engage us back into the educational system. So rather than Um, I think there must have been about 15 of us in our year Um It was basically the naughty kids that were all put in the room and we were like guys you need to sort yourself out You know is a six-week thing and then in walks, uh, Miguel de Foro who's the Director of MD creatives now when Miguel walks in it was the complete opposite of what they told us Miguel had come in he was this completely different energy. He was he was like, you know We although he was trying to be in favor of the educational system It was very much of this is how we're we're gonna You know empower you rather than how are you going to fit into the educational system because education isn't for everyone that system is very Structured is very I I call it very military. It's very precise Um, and Miguel come in and was very much of we're going to empower yourselves We're gonna fill you guys with energy and you know Be passionate about something and find your wife and your purpose rather than you know, kind of education if you like And then a lot of people kind of dropped off and wasn't interested Um, but I absolutely loved it Um, and I took a lot of um Influence from Miguel's kind of business side and entrepreneurial side and I was like, I feel like this is a kind of a perfect person to be You know surrounded by to be looking up to and taking influence from and it all went from there really and at the time He was based in Liverpool So I used to get the bus down or the train down to Liverpool and he's got a project called the blank canvas project and it's Absolutely incredible the work he does you It's just these sessions that are free for the community and you attend. It's loads of different creativity from um It's the main things like dancing singing and acting But one thing he did was very much of like a business side. So it was um Kind of Looking at yourself, you know what if you wanted a business, what was it going to be? How are you going to get there? What skills are you going to gain? um, and then it was about year nine or ten of rainford and I uh got the opportunity to have one day off school and It was kind of like a work experience with Miguel and it was honestly the the most incredible time and I ever had really Um, it sounds like he was a lifeline to you then. Yeah, very very much. So um, he was the perfect person that you could ever ask for to kind of Not fix somebody but you know kind of put them back on the right track. Give them the right, you know Energy give them the right passion to get what they want in life And from that I was like I need to give back and I didn't know what to do Um, so I kind of mind map of what different ideas what I was doing and I was like Well, what do we need in life? And one thing was well, we all wear clothes every single day So why not start a fashion brand and that really? Was where it all come from and at first it was Um very much small kids things and I was like I need to take things bigger I need to actually put more time into it more effort more structure and then on the 4th of december 2018 Um, all of your new clothing was born. How did you feel about that? I was absolutely delighted. It was a couple of days previous to that Um, I got an incredible opportunity with my girl to fly over to the abi-dabi grand prix Um, and we I assisted on the project managing for that which was an absolutely incredible experience Um, so at the time I I knew I was expecting um an order of a sample and Um, I remember my mom messaging me whilst I was on the plane. We were ready to uh taxi and my mom messaged me and said the parcels arrived and I was absolutely delighted and when I got back I was So made up and I was it was my my signature design of believe in yourself And I honestly know where to kind of explain How excited I was and kind of it was a quite emotional time as well I was you know, because after having so much kind of negativity put to work just so much doubt It was like wow, you know Now was really the time to shine So did you only have any interest in fashion before you started always? Not really, I mean I did like You know, I would only wear specific clothes and specific um looks So I kind of had a I had a conscious effort to have how I looked and how I dressed Um, but in terms of the industry I'd say no, but now I absolutely love it Oh, so so so tell me a little bit about um the company now that you've set up So how long has it been going and I understand that you're going to have a rebrand Next year, but tell me about like when you sold your first t-shirt and you know How many designs did you come up with and you know, what's been happening since the last time I spoke to you really? Yeah, so the when I first started I um Gained a bit of support from the local press. So the saint helen star and saint helen's reporter did a few different articles on me um And there was a local firm that helped out massively and they basically I think it was about 100 t-shirts They printed for me for free of charge To start me out Um, and they were a massive support and my first designs were believe in yourself I had one that said love one that said I am joy and one that said notice of relax And they were like my fourth signature designs that I absolutely loved and since Um starting It's kind of just been a bit of a a whirlwind to be honest. It was slow at first and the first Maybe 12 or so months. It was very slow very kind of you know It was a new industry for me in terms of fashion and business So it was making sure i'm making the right decisions making sure that i'm taking the business in the direction. I wanted to go in Um, and there was little different pop-up kind of events that i'd go to so at my girl's blank canvas projects Um, i'd i'd have like a little like a little stall there and he did something each year called the love festival which was in um sefton park in limapool and it was a day where we took over the palm house and there was all these different businesses like a bit of a festival type thing um, so I had a stall there and it was an incredible day and then um I started attending um different networking events So really kind of getting the name out there and I was actually Nominated for and won the proudest and helling june community star award back in 2019 So it was actually two years ago last week that i'd won it um and from the everything spiraled I um Was invited to different events up and down the country I was in with a lot of celebrities all these different events I was going to a charity gal the dinners networking events Um, some of them were filming events for the real house lives of cheshire um, there was Honestly, so many different ones the brand launches product launches Influencer events there was hundreds and that Attending these events because obviously there's a lot of social interaction and everything that's going on there You feel about going do you okay with it all? Yeah, so i've kind of always been a quite a confident person But when you put me in the room with a lot of people it was very overwhelming Um, so it was kind of I was very a shy person in the corner, you know kind of I wouldn't approach anyone i'd wait for them to approach me if they were going to approach me Um, and i'd say i'd eat all that I'd um, i'd make sure i'd go with someone so I can talk to them and then slowly talk to other people Now further down the line, you know There's been there's been hundreds of events so it could become normal to me and it must be I think it got to a point where there was like every day there was a different event um And I would go to some of them on my own and i'd go with the intent of meeting new people and You know, maybe i'd gain a bit of business while someone's there i'd maybe gain, you know, a new client a new You know building my network there So further down the line my confidence just grew and I'd go on my own and i'd meet incredible people And you know even to this day i'm still friends With the majority of those people that i met that still support me to to this day um Draining because i've spoken to some people where Um, they're entrepreneurs. They're autistic But when they go to these events and then they come away They feel incredibly drained and they feel like they need to go in their room shut the door have a sleep. Whatever it is to Help them sort of readjust if you like Did you find those the type of things that you had to do or did you sort of take it in your stride? Well a bit of both really it was when I lived with my dad for a period in Manchester And that was really at the top of my kind of event kind of You know life I was it was every day. There was something different i'd be up and down the uk Hey there and everywhere including school everything um, and it was extremely draining like extremely um, but i'd come away with Absolute massive kind of energy i'd be so Kind of energized and some of these events would run to like two three in the morning and then i'd come home I'd have an hour's sleep But then i'd have to be back up and ready for school because I used to leave at six o'clock in the morning To get to school. So it was Extremely draining, you know, I would love getting home and some nights I um, I used to get home It used to be about three o'clock in the morning. I'd get home. I'd do my orders for the business I'd have about 45 minutes and I was sleep and then i'd be back up and leaving for school And then the next day will be different events. So it would become a routine, but it was Very draining. So I used to love going home and not speaking to anyone really I could understand that Um, so you were recognized by the buzz talent agency in london. So tell me a little bit about that. Yeah, so I was um They'd been following me for a while when I looked into it um, and basically helen the the director approached me and said she'd been following me for a while and she's absolutely loved my story and She basically said to me what she thought on During london fashion week and I was like are you for real? I was There was no words coming out of my mouth. I was like, are you actually being serious and she was like yes, so each year we do london fashion week and um, we have a runway In it was the corner rooms. I think in london. I've been there yeah, and um and yeah, so it was a Must have been about a good Or maybe six month process but I think it was the 13th or 12th of february 2020. Um off I went down to london and I had these diverse models run um, wear all my positivity clothing down the runway and it was absolutely Incredible. I couldn't You couldn't even you know Ask for the opportunity. See it. It was one of them things where You couldn't say no, I was so overwhelmed That sounds fantastic. Now you said february 2020. So obviously lockdowns Started sort of march april time of last year So how has that affected your business? Did it affect your confidence? Did it affect your mental health your well-being? Can we talk a little bit about? Um lockdown and what what did it do for you? Um, so in terms of the business, um I think we only ended up in lockdown. I think it was like the very end of march So I was still at all these different events um we actually Was in the middle of filming the real house. I was a Cheshire and I remember We had to attend some different zoom calls and things with producers. Um As they were wrapping up filming due to the pandemic and um, so I was still extremely busy and then When lockdown hit and obviously Boris come onto our screens and said, you know, we're not allowed to leave it was Um very very very challenging for me going from such an extremely busy life to now absolutely nothing was very very difficult and I kind of hit a bit of a dark place because I didn't know what to do with myself, you know I I always say about the first four weeks of it. I was catching up on sleep from all the sleep that I'd lost um But really it was a difficult time because I I just didn't know what to do with myself Or all the time that I had because we had so much of it Um, but the business was still running at the time um with it being online and then when we Um, I had a different meeting with suppliers and manufacturers and they were Kind of hesitant on taking orders due to the pandemic in case Um, you know customers didn't get their orders and and refunds and things like that so we kind of come to a halt and We kind of didn't do anything um with all of your clothing, but then I actually Um, it was one day. I got a bit bored and it was actually coming up to mental health awareness week and I decided to do an instagram live And I was going to do seven days with seven different people talking about mental health And I did did one instagram live And it honestly grew from there. I did I ended up doing a 23 episode mental health series Which is all on youtube that people can watch now um with everyone from different backgrounds from Your ex-professional footballers to your authors your business men your entrepreneurs your property tycoons magicians, um I adds And honestly such a huge range of people Um, which kind of gave me a bit more energy Give me something to do with my time and then when lockdown restrictions slightly started to lift That's when the business come back to our launch a whole new collection um And I think that actually might have been the last time We spoke when I was launching that collection um and then from there, um I then attended md creatives academy And was on the creative entrepreneur course and Then ended up winning Oh, wow. So so what did what did you win? What did that entail? So on the entrepreneur course, um I'll give you a big background on what it is So gail wanted to be able to give all the skills that he gained in life a tight with the qualification And and offer it to young people um, so in his academy had a creative entrepreneur course and it was very much of Business driven young people that wanted a business And for me, it was very much of how I can scale a business rather than start a business with me already having one um So it was a very kind of personalized course Which absolutely worked fantastic for me And it was a 12-month course No, it wasn't a 12-month. It was like a year course as in, you know, the academic year course Um, and at the end of it you won five thousand pounds 12 months in intense mentoring With me gal i'm the sponsor of the award. So i'm currently working with Um, michael mcdade from communications plus who are based in the head office is based in rainford in st helens, but they are an o2 franchise Um or franchisee and they own multiple different o2 stores up and down the uk um, and i'm also working with me gal to Relaunch the business and kind of really take things to the next level when I won the award I was speechless that I didn't actually Believe that I would win it. It was a very Difficult decision. There was me and two other entrepreneurs that I was up against And it and I know after speaking to michael after i'd won He said this was probably the most difficult thing i've ever done It was very difficult for them to to choose and decide who had won. Oh, your mom's really proud of you Yeah, oh me mum was honestly over the moon um, but when I won the reason of of He said why I won was I live and breathe the brand. I am the brand, you know I always wear my clothing every single day. He said you are just a perfect association With who they wanted to kind of be associated with yeah. I think the thing is when you Create something you have to be driven You have to be enthusiastic as you say you have to live and breathe The brand as I do with our charity and you know raising awareness and trying to create platforms for Um, you know autistic people and you know Families as well what i've noticed as well is during the last two years i've spoken to more and more autistic adults That um are you know, either of them been struggling or they're looking for me to um help them You know, maybe if they want to write an article for the charity website, or they just want me to listen to them I get so many where they just call me on the charity phone or they message me via social media And they just want me to listen to them and i'm quite happy to do that Um, so I think the thing is when you create something you have to be very passionate about it And it's not something that you know that you can do for a little while It's consistency and it sometimes can take over your life But as we know we have to have time out Because if not you're going to burn out and then you're going to be no good to anyone So what do you do for your time out? So if someone said to you what do you do for your own well-being? What do you do? so Right now it's very much of a use of sunday. So I have um A kind of like a self-reflect sunday um, and it's just a day where It's kind of contradicting. I don't socialize with anyone because my week is filled with Socializing with people and different meetings and you know different so much going on the week sunday I like to spend the day with myself So that'd be pottering around the house, you know cleaning my washing and and kind of bit of housekeeping, but then I Enjoy reading I enjoy watching kind of influential documentaries. So it's very much of a time where I just Kind of don't do a lot with my time because I am so busy Recharging your batteries. Yeah, so for me, it's just very much of a Downtime and not really Do much, you know kind of spend the day on the couch and um, but in a good way of Like you've just said recharging your batteries and refocus and then usually I spend one hour Where I plan my week, um, because I can't start one day without planning my week It just would drive me insane So I spend an hour of a sunday to plan the week ahead and make sure i've touched base with the people I need to touch base with make sure i've You know i've i've got me plan of what I want and the goals I want to achieve that week So I know that um, we have a little chat before you came online that you've moved into your own place since the last time I saw you So how has that been for you when i'm interested as well because um, I started this process with my son two years ago then obviously Covid came along so we've put it on hold but we've started the process again Um, it's going to take a little bit of time because it is a scary thing to live on your own when you've you know been with family so talk to me about Why did you decide to move into your own place and how was it for you? What did you do to make it a success? So the reasoning behind why I moved out was I I've always been very independent my whole life i've always Kind of i've never asked for help, you know I've never been the the person that is Kind of put my hand out and gone. I need help, you know, i've been very independent. I've got on with things a lot by myself Um, and I i've always kind of wanted to live on my own. It's kind of always been a dream um as I struggle with authority. So, you know, my mum and dad telling me off it was very difficult for me to take because I'm like i'm right. I you know with me being set in my ways It was difficult and i've had a difficult relationship with both my mum and my dad growing up because of that challenge so when I decided to move out it was the Best decision I ever made and I absolutely love living on my own. I enjoy my own company so much And I just like having my own space that I can kind of I can do what I want with my time. Um, so When I moved out I found a place and it wasn't the right place Um, it was it was a nice, you know, it was just a one bedroom apartment, which is really nice Um, but it just what didn't feel right didn't feel homely didn't feel as safe Um, and I lived there for about two months and then I actually moved in with my mum for a week Um until my new place was ready and now I live just in a nice two bedroomed Apartment in st. Helens in the town centre. I've got a bedroom and an office And I just kind of crack on So, um, you said you had a sibling what's your relationships look like with your sibling? So prior to me moving in so before I had my own place I I've only got one siblings my sister and we didn't really get on it We kind of had the stereotypical sister brother fights a lot, you know, we hated each other but now Now that i've got my own place on my own space. I have a much better relationship with my sister and with my mum and my dad um Because I have my own space and because I kind of You know, i'm in charge of of me and I have this responsibility and it's something I look after And you know, it is kind of mine. It feels feels homely so Um, but in terms of my sister, you know, I have a a lot better relationship with with everyone really now that i've got my own space Oh, that's good. So if someone's listening in and they think right. Oh, I think I might like to start my own business What advice would you give? To this person and also in hindsight stepping back. What would you have done differently? So my advice to someone wanting to start a business would be Find find what it is you want You know find what it is you're passionate about I had a lot of mind mapping at first and it I was very unsure of what Clothing type of clothing I wanted to go into so my advice would be Sorry, can I just stop you there? So people might be listening and thinking mind mapping. What is that? okay, so mind mapping is Um, my best interpretation of that is to get a plain piece of a4 paper or any paper and um Write all your ideas down onto it So actually I do some workshops and we do a lot of work around Self-value And so I get people to write their name in the middle of the piece of paper and everything around them who they are and their values So in terms of business I would say write down the word business or idea In the middle of the page and write down all your different ideas Of what you want this business to be around it and then maybe Cut it down. Maybe you could have a hundred So cut it down to 50 and kind of keep going smaller and smaller until you have about three or four And then look at each one and write down your pros and cons So all the positive things about that one idea all the kind of negative things of why you wouldn't want to go into it You know, what's the industry like? Um and and write your pros and cons of each one and kind of really balance up Which one is is best and make sure you're passionate about it Like you said earlier when you live and breathe a brand Your energy comes from passion So for me after being through so much negativity to then give positivity back It was my drive to kind of switch that energy And that's really where it all comes from and kind of I had that energy and passion to do what I do Can I just say since the last time I spoke to you it's probably been a year or so I can see a huge difference in you because when we originally had our Conversation and obviously it was again on women's radio station. We spoke for an hour There's quite a few pregnant pauses in your conversation with me, which I remember and I kept having to jump in and sort of Almost like prompt you but today you're just a completely different person. You're much more confident Yeah, you just really know what you want and it just you know, it's really refreshing to see how you have progressed I just wanted to share that with you not It's a really positive thing. So don't take it the wrong way, but it's just like totally agree It's funny that you've mentioned that because I haven't done a radio interview in so long It honestly must be nearly two years that I haven't done a radio interview before So wow, I feel like i'm back in the flow. It really you know, I love it Yeah, I know I can definitely definitely see a big big difference in you. So i'm pleased to hear that So, um, can I just also ask as well because um i'm focusing a lot on anti-bullying our campaign give us a break Um, if people are being bullied, is there any tips that you could give to them? Because obviously you've experienced it yourself and sometimes people hold on to those negative feelings So have you got any tips that you could share with? I know you mentioned a few earlier. Um, but it is finding My thing was finding someone you trust making sure that you're comfortable with the person make sure You feel safe in telling them what you're going to tell them make sure that they can actually help. I always found that when um telling some of my problems I was very struggling of have I told the right person? And are they actually going to help are they going to do something or am I just telling them for the sake of telling them? So make sure you find a person that you can trust and that you will that you know Can actually help and that is actually going to do something with what you're going to tell them Um, and I know you mentioned earlier as well. I think um, it was a helpline, you know, it is just reaching out and um, it might take a while for someone to get into a position of you know, explaining the kind of Life, I suppose and the the different experiences they're going through. Um But my thing would be is making sure you're comfortable in in what you're doing and comfortable in what you're saying as well Okay, and another thing I wanted to ask you if somebody is just going through the process Of a diagnosis of autism or they're thinking they're maybe on the spectrum, but they're worried about going for an assessment Is there any tips or advice that you could give again? You know if you could have hindsight and you could go back Was there anything that you might have done differently? Um, so is there any tips and advice that you could share? yeah, so with the diagnosis, it's I think a lot of people look at it as a negative thing and it looks to kind of like a label Now in my experience, it was this label that got attached to you But now when I moved to rainford, um, it was a very positive thing. So never never feel that you're different never feel that you um a kind of in a dark place with having autism and if you're on the Spectrum waiting to maybe get a diagnosis or you think you are autistic then think of it as a superpower Like I always think autism absolutely incredible thing now now Because it's open so much for me and I think and to be totally honest I don't think I would change anything looking back Because I wouldn't be where I am now If I changed anything Oh So you told me um that you're going to be 18 in I think it was able is that right? Yeah, you're going to be relaunching the business. So what does that mean? What does that include? Yeah, so it's actually the first time i'm mentioning this so I am hosting a fashion show in april in a hotel in hometown of st. Helens and I am working with michael and megal from communications plus and nb creatives to basically create this incredible event and to showcase More of my achievements But all the new products that are coming out from the different collections the new things what's going to be happening after the event You know, what's my goals? What's my vision? And I really want to create it into kind of like a yearly thing So each year I can go Let's all get back together. Let's show all these incredible um Models with all these different incredible products and then you know, what's next for the 12 months So then I can in the 12 months I can do all the work and then it gets to the event again And I can go we've smashed it we've achieved it. We've done more than we said we would um, and I also kind of want to um Make a place where people can come together of different entrepreneurs. Maybe you're in the fashion industry Maybe you're in the child care industry, you know and bringing everyone together to um Kind of uplift each other and you know really embrace who we are You'll have to live stream it because there's a lot of people obviously because that's what this is what i've noticed obviously during Lockdown and covid and everything that's been going on We normally have the uh, what's called the ikio charity expo and we usually do it at brunell university So for two years we haven't been able to do it because of everything that's been going on This and that and the other so we decided to do it online So we brought eight speakers together online And a lot of people said oh prefer it this way Because obviously we can't get down to brunell or live in scotland or i've got child care issues or whatever it is that you know It prohibits them to come down. So what they're saying is it's great that you're doing it online So it means we can be part of it So what we're going to do next year is we're going to be still organizing the expo at brunell Which is going to be a little bit later on the year normally it's in march But we're thinking of doing it in june But we're also going to be doing it online as well So then everyone can benefit from listening to our fantastic speakers So think when you do your fashion show, I think obviously to get the word out there So that not only across the uk, but you know overseas as well that they can see and also be motivated by you especially autistic Adults or even families that you know going through it with their son or their daughter Um that they think or they might be on the spectrum a bit worried about them going for an assessment I think it will really help them be motivational for them. So do you think you might be able to do that? I know i'm in the stages of talking to a few different people in terms of production companies to Um see what we can do and how we can kind of make the event incredible So something I actually I will I will mention is live streaming it because to be totally honest. I didn't even think a lot Oh, well, there you go. Um, so, you know when you come up with your slogans and um Where do you get the inspiration from? Do you like is it something that you do yourself or do you put it out there and say to people or what? Would you like to see on the t-shirts or whatever it is that you create? Yeah, so a lot of the time. Um, I Someone will say something to me and it might be like a little bit of a quote or a few words And i'll always put them in my notes Um, so I actually spend quite a lot of time scrolling back through my notes on my phone, um To look at what what these words people have said and then I type me it could be a word It might be I don't know believe and then I type the word into pinterest and see what all the different things there are Okay I usually work with like a a graphic designer guy that can I'll say um usually I get like five five different designs together and go Okay, I want that feature on that design and pull different things from each of them to create the one Okay, so you sound very much like um, one of my ambassadors ben pierce and I spoke about earlier He's also been on women's radio station So he created a clothing company because at that time when he first started you find it difficult to get clothing to fit him Because he was 30 stone. He's no longer 30 stone now. He's so focused at the end of it He's um, I don't know how much he weighs now, but definitely not 30 stone and he's created big clothing for you up there clothing And we were just chatting on men's radio station and I was Astounded that now he's turning over five million quid A year he's got 22 staff that are working for him He was diagnosed quite early on and then his mom couldn't cope and he ended up in care And he was in care till he was about 17 years old and that he met someone that helped him turn his life around And now, um, he's in his sort of late 20s. He's just recently got married And um, he's got this clothing company as I say and also going into property now, uh And just really turned his life around so he's amazing. So I think you're probably on his his tracks there Yeah, if you want to follow him his name's ben pierce and the name of the clothing is up there clothing and big Clothing for you. It's for people that find it difficult to get big clothing Uh for themselves. So, um, yeah, he's amazing. So I was reading And you've also shared with me in the past that you've touched on it early about being invited to many gala dinners So, um some of the celebrities that you've met have been jama Collins real housewives of cheshire, which i've never seen actually i've never seen that Dawn ward tanya bardsley and receiving sport on social media from phones for you billionaire john cordwell so how did you meet these people and um Tell me a little bit about if you can if you can remember we've got a few minutes left About meeting them and what they've done for you um, yeah, so I um Everything you know at the hype of all the events I was going to it was very kind of spiraled out of control Many different things. So it was really just um being introduced to person to person and then you Get introduced to you know, dawn ward and tanya bardsley and then you get invited to come and film with them So you meet the rest of the cast and you attend the events and um, it was very much of you know Being surrounded by the right people to get introduced to different people. Um So it was just like friends of friends You know, that's how I kind of got to know these people. Um But I do have to say my probably biggest one would be Dawn ward wore one of my t-shirts on the housewives of cheshire. I think it was series 10 episode 10 And um, you can also spot me on tv on that episode as well and series 11 episode 1 Okay Your favorite slogan then believe in yourself. Is that the one she wore? She she won't know to self-relax Okay It was when she was doing a the she does an event over here called the creme ball and and She she kind of very much took it off. I need to stay relaxed before this absolutely incredible event and But my signature one is believe in yourself 100 Yeah, that's the one you set me and I wore and there was a lot of positive response from that t-shirt that I wore um, so and I and I love it, um, so and I Yeah, it's it's just I just it's it's not fancy, but it just gets the message out there That's the right way of saying it I'm not a fashion person Yeah, I think i've never wanted to create a designer brand I want to create a brand that is reliable That is supportive to the community and that gets the message across so exactly what you've just said You know it says what it says and does what it does Yeah, and i'm also um, I know you've worked with and i'm proud to be ambassador for born anxious. Um, which is kelly barker so, um, she supports the charity and um, we've got our give us a break campaign t-shirts that the logo was created by One of my ambassadors who have spoken about earlier, which is russell wiggins So if people are interested in purchasing one of the t-shirts, um, or you want to check out born anxious It's www.bornanxious.co.uk And um, if you check on our charity website as well on our shop, you will see the give us a break t-shirts which have been worn by quite a few people now and um, they're available for children and For adults and as I say, um kelly is um She's been supporting our charity for quite a while now. So amazing lady very kind She supports quite a few charities. So we've just got a couple of minutes. So before um We sort of wind down. Tell me a little bit about what you see yourself achieving in three to five years time time What can what how you know, what do you what do you want it to be like? What do you want your company to be like? Um, so I always see myself as being a um huge online brand I had a conversation with um, michael and megal and I wanted a shop originally and When I actually looked into the reasons behind a shop, I was going in in it for the wrong reasons So i've decided to stick online and just become the biggest of what I can be um working with different companies working with Um different influences and different people and network that I know To boost my brand to get it out there spread the message, you know have incredible products Um, so really in the next like three to five years I just see the business growing taking on staff creating departments, you know working with bigger influences working Um to be the best of the best So do you just work on your own at the minute? So where do you stock everything? Yeah, so at the minute I've got a home office. So everything's cramped into the home office and i'm a i'm a one-man band Okay Oh, well, i'm sure I can see like ben you have been lots of staff I've got another entrepreneur as well. Uh mattie was one of my ambassadors. He's for team carton. Um, he's working with Team brit and he's sponsoring, um autistic adults and um, antonio balasteros who's one of the dads to um, Sandro, um, he's doing amazing and our anna kennedy online, um, logo is across the front of the car and it was um Around brand's hatch. I was just like so amazed by this young man. He's only 15 and he's driving already So he's he's going to go far as well So we've only got a minute to go and I just wanted to say that, you know, as i've said, I can really see that how you've progressed You're so much more confident now You can see where you want to be and it's just so inspiring to listen to so I just want to say thank you Very much for joining me today and for sharing your story. Thank you for having me on and to anyone out there listening Don't stop believing Most definitely not and thank you again to everybody for listening in To all things autism and check out the charity website, um, w-w-w dot anna kennedy online.com at anna kennedy online Um for facebook at anna kennedy oba for instagram and at anna kennedy 1 for twitter Thanks, everyone. Stay safe. Keep going and one day at a time. Bye