Steph West: Starfish Social Club and the Neurodivergent Community

Send us Fan Mail Steph West on Building Starfish Social Club: Social Skills, Neurodivergent Friendship, and Helpful Social Feedback Host Tony Mantor in Nashville introduces “Why Not Me: Embracing Autism and Mental Health Worldwide” and interviews Steph West, founder and director of Starfish Social Club in San Antonio, Texas, which runs small-group social skills programs for neurodivergent kids and teens (autism, ADHD, learning disabilities) in person and via Zoom. West describes her path from special education teacher to autism/behavior specialist and “accidental entrepreneur,” the origin of the Starfish name, early challenges with marketing, pricing, and hiring, and how COVID shut down her in-person business but led her to create online classes, develop her own curriculum, and license others to teach it. She explains how her ADHD helps her understand students and take risks, emphasizes that autistic people are often misunderstood (including around empathy), reframes friendship as “someone we choose to spend time with,” and outlines her interpreter approach between neurotypical and neurodivergent “social languages.” She shares a story illustrating blunt but respectful feedback and her goals of building students’ social competence, confidence, and connection, and invites listeners to find her at starfishsocialclub.org and take one small step toward their ideas. 00:00 Show Welcome and Mission 01:21 Meet Steph West 02:31 Why Starfish Social Club 04:09 The Starfish Story Name 05:22 Local and Online Reach 06:20 Accidental Entrepreneur Challenges 08:59 COVID Pivot and Curriculum 10:25 ADHD as a Superpower 11:51 Autism Myths and Empathy 12:55 Redefining Friendship 14:21 Helping Parents Understand 16:46 Protecting Emotional Energy 18:56 Goals Competence Confidence Connection 21:10 Why Not Me Mindset 22:28 Helpful Social Feedback 25:26 Finding Steph Online 25:35 A Story That Stuck 28:50 Vision for Clubs Everywhere 30:21 Final Thanks and Sign Off INTRO/OUTRO: T. Wild Mantor Music BMI The content on Why Not Me: Embracing Autism amd Mental Health Worldwide, including discussions on mental health, autism, and related topics, is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only.  The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not reflect those of the podcast, its hosts, or affiliates. Why Not Me is not a medical or mental health professional and does not endorse or verify the accuracy, efficacy, safety of any treatments, programs, or advice discussed. Listeners should consult qualified healthcare professionals, such as licensed therapists, psychologists, or physicians, before making decisions about mental health or autism- related care. Reliance on this podcast's contents is at the listener's own risk.  Why Not Me is not liable for any outcomes, financial or otherwise, resulting from actions taken based on the information provided. https://tonymantor.com https://Facebook.com/tonymantor https://instagram.com/tonymantor https://twitter.com/tonymantor https://youtube.com/tonymantormusic intro/outro music bed written by T. Wild Why Not Me the World music published by Mantor Music (BMI) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.