Christopher Cleveland M.ED shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Christopher, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Integrity because the rest can be gained, regained, lost, and found again. But integrity is something that doesn’t require very much to have.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m an autistic adult based out of Moab, Utah. I’ve been a caregiver for the elderly/disabled, I’m a seven (going on eight) year martial artist, I’ve worked a myriad of entry level jobs whilst in undergrad college, and I just barely got my Master’s of Education in School Administration along with two grad level certifications to supplement it and put a bit more emphasis on my strengths in working with neurodiverse youth which I currently do as a professional mentor for my local school district.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I was a chronic people pleaser who spent his days working himself half to death for a taste of the acceptance, belonging, and understanding I had to learn to give myself especially since my family (as I was growing up) was mentally and emotionally incapable of providing it.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
The death of my mentor was the first HUGE one because I learned about the true extent of my father’s unavailability to help me grieve for him as well as help me out with big problems I was facing in life as a general. I’d also had a relationship last year (as of writing this, it’s 2025) that lasted for nine months with a working mom of 3 little ones that came to an end in October and we haven’t had contact in June of this year (partly my fault).
I healed from the death of my mentor by remembering the best of what he instilled in me before he died.
I didn’t REALLY allow myself to feel the breakup with my last relationship (apart from the actual day and week of) until this past summer when she decided she didn’t want any further contact with me despite her kids still adoring me. I healed from having to let HER go by remembering that the things I was able to do that were good in the relationship were because of who I am at my core. Healing from the fact I won’t get to be the father figure I’d hoped to be for her kids has involved remembering that so long as they can feel safe around me and laugh in my presence, we still love each other and (hopefully) always will.
For both, having the network of friends I’ve had (though small in a meaningful way) has absolutely been crucial in the recovery process. Reason being that my bio mother has been absent from my life for 4.5 years and my father still doesn’t know himself well enough to know how to help me in the ways I’d need him to.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
In the work I do, I think one area in which the smartest minds have yet to even consider examine is that you can have all the science in the world and all the intelligence and techniques possible but without the experience of actually living something, it’s only going to get you so far.
A psychotherapist who’s never had some form of anxiety isn’t going to have the same capacity for empathy (generally) towards a client they may meet who has it as a therapist who has it AND has the training. I feel the same is true with autism, especially since so much of the research around it has been characterized by people who don’t possess it trying to understand it on their terms rather than learning from the people they’d help which is WAY wrong.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
My deeds in my community and the way I’ve made the people feel about what I’ve done. And I believe that will manifest most universally as the children I’ve served looking back on their lives and remembering me with fondness as they get older. And that’s all I could ever really hope for.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: clevelandautismmartialarts2022
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopher.cleveland.516125/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@80619Chris
