Lauren Ober
Lauren Ober is the host of The Loudest Girl in the World. Follow her on Twitter here.
How did you get to audio? Was there a gateway podcast you listened to that got you excited about podcasts? If not, what sparked your interest?
I’ve always been a huge public radio listener ever since I was a kid. My local NPR station in Pittsburgh where I grew up was my morning alarm during high school. So I was always aware of audio storytelling. When iPods became a thing in my life, I remember there were four podcasts I religiously downloaded — This American Life, Planet Money, Freakonomics and Snap Judgment. And I remember wondering how people got into radio/audio. It seemed like a total mystery to me, even though I was working in an adjacent field (print journalism). Then in 2011, I quit my newspaper job. Around the same time, I heard about the Transom Story Workshop on Cape Cod that was teaching people audio storytelling. I applied, got in and I’ve been making audio in one form or another ever since.
Your new project is about your autism diagnosis, was it scary to come out about that?
Hell yeah! First of all, I’m a journalist and I don’t make work about myself. So that’s the first hard thing — overcoming the feeling that I really shouldn’t be making myself the subject by committing memoir. Secondly, I already came out as gay 20-ish years ago, so I didn’t exactly relish coming out again about autism. Also, the coming out process isn’t a one-and-done situation! For example, I told my immediate family last year. But a couple weeks ago, I got a text from a cousin that read “I heard you caught the autism!” Now, obviously he was joking, but that one interaction is just one of many since getting diagnosed. And I expect a lot more of those when the show drops.
Now, it shouldn’t be scary to tell people you love and care about that you were diagnosed with a neurological developmental condition that causes sensory, social and communication challenges. But there are so many misconceptions about autism and neurodivergence writ large that the mere revelation is an uphill battle. There is so much re-education that needs to be done. Also, autistic people are all different (I’m using identity-first language rather than people-first language because that is generally preferred within the broad community of autistics) and how so-called “autistic traits” manifest will vary widely from person to person. So there isn’t a quick and dirty way to talk about my diagnosis. You have to get real personal and make yourself extremely vulnerable. And that’s no fun at all!
What’s the number one thing people get wrong about autism?
What people get wrong about autism could fill volumes. What I have gotten wrong about autism could fill volumes. Autism isn’t a pathology — you can’t autopsy someone and “see” their autism. Autism can take many forms. I have a subtle presentation, but there are many autistic people who have a more pronounced presentation. Some autistics have very few support needs, while some need a lot of support communicating or living independently. And that’s hard for some people to wrap their brains around — that autism is a condition with many contours. Broad sweeping depictions of autism (such as in popular media) often do a disservice to the great variety of autistic people in the world.
Why is this story perfect for the audio format?
Because it’s about me and I could just lazily record myself! Just kidding. I guess I figured this story would work in audio because that’s the medium I work in. I could play around with format a bit while feeling like I had ultimate control over my story. Also, I like to talk so there’s that. But maybe the biggest reason I thought my story could work in podcast form is that nothing like it existed. When I was first diagnosed and I was looking for resources, I first went to podcasts. And while there are a great many shows that deal with autism and neurodivergence, there was nothing narrative. And I love a good story. So I figured I’d just have to make one.
If you were going to start a new podcast, don’t worry about the logistics or whether or not anyone would listen to it, and you have $1M to make it, what would it be?
It would be a podcast called “Lauren Pets Every Dog” and the premise would be I record myself petting every dog.
What’s a podcast you love that everybody knows about?
Heavyweight — in my opinion, it is a perfect podcast.
What’s a podcast you love that nobody knows about?
Stuff The British Stole (I have no idea if people know about this show, but I think it’s a great way to tell dodgy history through objects)
Thanks, Lauren!