Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Doug Blecher. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Doug, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I had been working with autistic children for almost a decade. I had seen them learn and grow, but then one day I thought where will supports be for them when they become teenagers and adults? I then did some research and saw a huge lack of services available to teens and adults. That’s when I founded Autism Personal Coach in 2013 as a result of seeing there being a lack of support for autistic children as they age out of childhood. Autism Personal Coach provides autistic teens and adults with extraordinary support to live self-sufficient and purpose-driven lives through customized coaching and community events.

Doug, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Autism Personal Coach has provides neurodiversity-affirming support by autistics, for autistics. For the last ten years, we have offered customized coaching and community events. We know that every client of ours comes from a unique perspective with different identities. That is why our coaches are a diverse group of humans, they are either Autistic or Autistic-selected for their commitment to trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming strategies. Our coaches offer support and education to help you achieve what you want, wherever and however that feels best for you. Whether it’s your coach helping you to make a plan and stay on track to achieve your desired outcomes, building habits that prioritize embracing your autistic identity, or helping you to develop or improve your existing relationships, you will be thankful for your opportunity to work with us. To learn more about Autism Personal Coach visit autismpersonalcoach.com.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When the pandemic hit in 2020, much like so many other businesses we had pivot. Up to that point approximately 90% of our coaching was done in person. When the pandemic hit we had to pivot to about 90% remote coaching or our business wouldn’t be in existence. Prior to the pandemic we provided almost exclusively in person coaching because I felt the coaching absolutely had to be in person otherwise it wouldn’t be helpful.

When we pivoted ,I quickly learned I was wrong about in person coaching. While many autistic teens and adults absolutely need in person coaching, there are many that we have found are as successful or in some situations more successful with remote coaching. This pivot has allowed us to support autistic teens and adults throughout the United States. While things are starting to shift somewhat back to pre-pandemic times, we are still providing remote coaching to approximately 75% of our clients.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Its really important to find your voice as a business owner and organization. Doing things that everyone else is doing isn’t helpful unless that is authentically you. We have had steady growth on social media using messaging is in line with who we are. We provide coaching services to autistic people, so learning from autistic people about their experiences and how our coaching can help them falls right in line with our voice and mission. That led to me starting a podcast in 2018 that has certainly helped people learn about what our existence and reach out to use our services. The podcast is Autism Stories and it was a podcast in which I interview autistic people every Monday and Thursday. Autistic people are the true experts of the autistic experience and Autism Stories is where we interview autistic people to learn from their stories, experiences, and get their insights.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.autismpersonalcoach.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/autismpersonalcoach/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AutismPersonalCoach
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/company/autism-personal-coach