Connecting with Children through Theatre and Play with Mick Collins
Release Date: 09/03/2025
Hannah’s Whirlwind
Your Voice Matters
How do we ensure disability, ADHD and neurodivergence inclusion at work (and personal life). That’s the topic of this week’s podcast episode. "Life sometimes is difficult and we are thrown lots of different hands. It's about getting back to self-acceptance. Put your own oxygen mask on first. It's not selfish, it's necessary." Hannah Gibson, founder of a disability inclusion consultancy and registered blind advocate, shares her personal journey of unmasking and self-acceptance. She opens up about living with retinitis pigmentosa, her experiences masking in corporate leadership roles, and...
info_outline
People Pleasing in the Neurodivergent Community with Carly Considine
Your Voice Matters
Why is people pleasing so common in the neurodivergent community? We discuss that very topic on this week’s episode of the podcast. "It is what it is. If people don't wanna be friends with me, it is what it is. Every day should be a learning day. Every day should be a day to work on yourself and your confidence." Asma welcomes back autism advocate Carly Considine to explore the often overlooked topic of people-pleasing within the neurodivergent community. Carly shares her personal journey with people-pleasing, anxious attachment, and rejection sensitivity dysphoria. She offers...
info_outline
Amplifying Student Voice in SEND Education with Alex Silk
Your Voice Matters
How do we amplify student voices when it comes to SEND education? Neurodiversity and inclusion specialist, Alex Silk, comes on the podcast to discuss. "We need to be asking how they feel about their school experience. Do they feel a part of that whole school dynamic? Do they belong?" In this episode of Your Voice Matters, Asma Jacob welcomes Alex Silk, with 12 years of expertise in special educational needs. Alex shares her journey from a well-paid corporate career to working as a teaching assistant in a special needs school, where she discovered her true calling. Alex discusses the vital...
info_outline![Managing School Anxiety with Sam Bowley [Includes Guided Meditation] show art](https://assets.libsyn.com/content/196627455?height=50&width=50)
Managing School Anxiety with Sam Bowley [Includes Guided Meditation]
Your Voice Matters
What if the key to helping your child navigate school transitions isn't about removing their anxiety but giving them the tools to transform it? "On the other side of fear is the thing that you want." In this episode of Your Voice Matters, Asma Jacob welcomes Sam Bowley, a hypnotherapist specialising in anxiety management for neurodivergent children and young people. Sam shares her experience running transition programmes that support children moving from primary to secondary school and between year groups. From creating safe spaces to understanding the unique challenges neurodivergent children...
info_outline
Finding Strength in Dyslexia: Chris's Journey from Shame to Empowerment
Your Voice Matters
"When I put my mind to something, I get it. No matter what's in my way, I get it." In this episode of Your Voice Matters, Asma Jacob speaks with Chris, a hypnotherapist and former paramedic who shares her journey with dyslexia. For decades, Chris kept her dyslexia hidden, carrying shame from being labeled 'a bit slow' as a child in the 1970s. From hairdressing to becoming a paramedic and eventually a hypnotherapist, Chris reveals how she pushed through education and career challenges without accepting help, fearing judgment and different treatment. Now, Chris...
info_outline
Carly talks about Anxiety
Your Voice Matters
"Anxiety is more than nothing. It's extremely exhausting and debilitating. It's okay not to be okay." Anxiety doesn't always need a reason and it's never "nothing." In this episode of Your Voice Matters, Asma Jacob speaks with Carly Considine, an autistic adult and mother of autistic children, about the reality of living with heightened anxiety. Carly shares personal stories of panic attacks, the struggle to find rationality in anxious moments, and practical coping strategies that help her family navigate daily challenges. From mindfulness techniques to the exhaustion of masking,...
info_outline
Music, Regulation & Play with Bella Ely
Your Voice Matters
"We sing, we create, we play, we have fun and it can't be one without the other." In this episode of Your Voice Matters, Asma Jacob speaks with Bella Ely, a music teacher with 23 years of teaching experience who specialises in working with autistic children. Bella shares how she discovered the power of music as a tool for emotional regulation early in her career, working with vulnerable children in foster care and orphanages. She explains her unique approach to online music sessions that combine creativity, play, and emotional regulation strategies, helping children and their families...
info_outline
Malaika (MK) on Life in our Shoes & Finding your Spark
Your Voice Matters
Trigger warning: This episode discusses childhood trauma, sexual abuse, medical trauma, paralysis, and societal discrimination. Living with a disability and neurodivergence while defying the odds, Malaika (MK) proves that medical expectations don’t define your journey and achievements. "Find your spark. Go make your soul happy. Do what you love, and let's heal this world together." - Malaika (MK) In this episode of Your Voice Matters, Asma Jacob chats with Malaika, a multi-creative advocate who shares their journey of navigating multiple disabilities, childhood trauma, and discovering...
info_outline
Strength and Resilience in Neurodivergence with Belinda Moscoso
Your Voice Matters
Trigger warning: This episode includes honest discussion about isolation, stigma, and the challenges of living with chronic illness. In this episode of Your Voice Matters, Asma Jacob speaks with Belinda Moscoso, a passionate advocate for the neurodivergent and SEND communities. Belinda shares her journey of receiving a late diagnosis of ADHD and autism alongside her son, as well as her experiences of living with chronic illness. Together, they explore the importance of acceptance, resilience, inclusivity, and the power of advocacy in breaking down stigma. This episode...
info_outline
Connecting with Children through Theatre and Play with Mick Collins
Your Voice Matters
Trigger warning: This episode touches on themes of trauma, isolation, and the impact of the pandemic on children’s mental health. Please take care while listening. In this episode of Your Voice Matters, Asma Jacob chats with Mick Collins, a storyteller, theatre practitioner, leading practitioner in Trauma Informed Practice, and educator. Mick shares his creative and compassionate approach to working with SEND children and children with trauma backgrounds, showing how theatre, play, and sensory experiences can open up communication and connection. Together, they explore the importance of safe...
info_outlineTrigger warning: This episode touches on themes of trauma, isolation, and the impact of the pandemic on children’s mental health. Please take care while listening.
In this episode of Your Voice Matters, Asma Jacob chats with Mick Collins, a storyteller, theatre practitioner, leading practitioner in Trauma Informed Practice, and educator.
Mick shares his creative and compassionate approach to working with SEND children and children with trauma backgrounds, showing how theatre, play, and sensory experiences can open up communication and connection.
Together, they explore the importance of safe spaces, understanding behaviours, and rebuilding communication between children, families, and schools. Listeners will gain practical ideas and inspiration for supporting children in joyful, strength-based ways.
“It's not just the kids we work with. We work with the families, and we work with the schools, because for me, what's happened is communication's broken down.” - Mick Collins
Key Takeaways:
-
Follow children’s interests. Bringing their passions into learning spaces helps them feel safe and engaged.
-
Play builds connection. Creativity and play are powerful tools for communication.
-
Families matter too. Supporting parents and schools is just as important as supporting children.
-
Safe spaces help healing. Environments like sensory gardens and interactive theatre allow children to express themselves.
About Mick:
Mick Collins is a storyteller, theatre practitioner, leading practitioner in Trauma Informed Practice, and teacher with over 30 years of experience and passion in theatre and education. His speciality is technical theatre, specifically light, sound, and AV. He believes stories are imaginative learning experiences that can be accessed through the senses. His work combines technical theatre, sound, light, and movement with a love of dance and play. Mick currently teaches at Root’n’Branch Acres, an 18-acre woodland stage and working farm in the UK, where he helps children, many from trauma backgrounds, build confidence and connection through storytelling and creativity. When a story is interactive, he knows it becomes play, which is how he teaches.
Learn more about Achievable Journey
Follow Your Voice Matters and connect with Asma on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and X.
Remember to subscribe to Your Voice Matters wherever you listen to podcasts!
Share this episode with someone who could benefit from hearing the voice of the SEND and neurodivergent community.