From Flight Attendant to Autism Advocate, with Tabitha Zeigler

The MultiPod is also on video! You can watch today's episode on YouTube here.

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You may have been seeing Tabitha Zeigler pop up a lot lately, and there's a good reason for that: Tabitha is a remarkably driven, engaging advocate who, unsurprisingly, is also a classic multipotentialite.

Today we trace her journey and life story, from pursuing education, learning French, and considering the military, before stumbling into the field she would end up working in for 17 years: a flight attendant in the airline industry.

There must be few jobs better suited to multipotentialites than this one: it inherently attracts worldly, curious and spontaneous people, frequently very well-educated, multilingual and anti-specialist, who seek adventure and variety. Thus, the perfect home for Tabitha through her 20's and 30's.

But, as time time marched on, and biological clocks continued to tick, Tabitha knew she wanted children. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, this meant going down the path of sperm donation and artificial insemination. 

So our conversation quickly pivots to learning the ins and outs of how this process works, and it is fascinating. At once both heavily emotional and very transactional, Tabitha certainly became an expert, going through it twice, and ending up with three kids, the younger two being twins.

And then, all three were diagnosed with autism. Which in turn led to Tabitha herself learning she was autistic. And in the face of all the inherent challenges therein, compounded by the current political atmosphere, Tabitha found herself with a new calling: advocacy.

As an aside - Tabitha and I produced a miniseries documentary in late 2024 that expands on her story as a single parent of three young kids, all with autism, and her journey into advocacy.

Since then, we've launched her podcast: "Staring Down the Storm: Autism Advocacy in America." The podcast raises awareness and fosters connections within the autism advocacy space, highlighting the significance of community support, inclusivity, and the power of personal storytelling in driving change.

Watch Staring Down the Storm podcast on YouTube, or listen in your favourite podcast app!


How to Contact Tabitha:

Website: tabithazeigler.com
Podcast: staringdownthestorm.com
Contact: tabitha.zeigler [at] gmail.com
Instagram:@tabitha.zeigler
Facebook: @tabitha.zeigler.52
LinkedIn: @tabitha-zeigler-33825246


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