An Interview with Chris Richards- How he fought Autism and came clean so that you can too.

A Influential engineer, Barclaycard employee, a Storyteller, Chris Richards shares his story about Autism.

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1- Chris it is a great privilege to interview you, it takes a lot of courage for a professional to tell us about their Autism, my first question is what made you take this interview and why did you want to share your story? 

Hi Naz, thanks so much for asking me to be part of your journey and this book. It’s funny you mention courage, a lot of people have said a similar thing to me, however I politely have to disagree. There are far more people out there really struggling with far worse things than being “functioning” and on the Spectrum. For example those that are going through Chemo, those who’vd lost a child or a partner in dreadful circumstance. Or those simply with such debilitating physical ill health they can’t live a full and enjoyable life. These people are the real people of courage. 

If anything over the last 6 months of understanding what makes me tick, it’s been an empowering journey of truly understanding myself, finally! Why my brain works the way it does and why I’ve always felt like I never quite fitted in or bonded socially. It’s refreshing to finally have a diagnosis formally.  

So why did I take this interview? Naz, I have seen you grow over the last 12 months and was excited and honoured to be invited to be part of this, but to utilise platforms available to me to empower everyone to unlock and own their kookiness, the things that make them, them. 

If my talking openly about my condition, helps just one person talk about their “issues/mental health or disability", then I have achieved what I’m setting out to do. 

2- Recently you came out and disclose that you are autistic, where you have been quite successful in your career as an influencer, what can you tell others about your journey for those working and are autistic? But are afraid to come out and disclose it? How can you shape others so it helps them tell their story?

To start with I love that you called me an “Influencer”…thanks. That’s going on the CV. 

Now that I’m openly Autistic across my social channels and within the organisation of my work, if anything it’s allowed others to really open up. People are particular engaged with me in wanting to know more about work place Accessibility and learn about the positives and negatives Autism plays in my day to day life.. 

My place of work has amazing culture when it comes to this type of stuff, and have passed my expectations when it comes to support. If anything it’s enabled me to champion our differences from within the organisation and really kick start momentum about how people view this. 

So don’t be afraid to be open about your autism. It won’t stifle your career, in fact It might just be the genuine approach that employers are looking for, that’ll really starts to open doors for you. 

Once people understand your needs, you’ll be given the tools to empower yourself further in the role to do the best job you can. And one of my Autism X-Men Powers is Hyper Focus, which is definitely not a bad thing for an employee to offer an employer as a skill set! 

3-Tell us the steps you took at work when it came to dealing with tasks? What can you teach others that have autism how to deal with it? 

Be open and honest. Don’t try and mask and be someone you’re not. Eventually you’ll get caught out. Own your Autism, don’t let it define you. Use it as a strength as best you can. 

I stood up in a room of 40 people and pretty much said “Hi I’m Chris, I’ve got Autism, any questions?” - although my approach is not to everyones liking, it really helped me own it and deliver a very personal message to my colleagues the way I wanted it to be delivered. 

The stripped back, vulnerable nature of the above delivery resonated with the audience and that word “courage” came up again and again. It was an emotive moment for me, I pulled off my mask and became “Chris" for the first time publicly, with warts and all. No razzle dazzle of a social media profile to hide behind.

4-Was autism a personal thing to you before you disclosed it? Did it make you look at the world differently after you know you were diagnosed with it?

I had my suspicions I wasn’t “normal”, but never really knew until I was formally diagnosed. I just thought It was a bit odd that my mind worked differently to everyone I knew, and i felt the world was an odd place, and that I was a stranger or an alien in, never truly connecting. 

Once diagnosed, my views haven’t changed…but at least I now know why I think other people/ the world's an odd place to me (Laughs). 

5- And my last question to you Autism shouldn't stop anyone pursuing their dream but do you think there should be more learning and education delivered so those that do have it, can you still go out there and pursue their dream? And not let their career hold them back?

Autism should never be a reason to stop anyone pursuing their dream. It’s your right as a human being to live your best life and set goals and dreams that you want to achieve, no matter what. 

Whether that’s being able to write your name with a pen and paper for the first time, or climbing Everest. 

Life is a series of small challenges stacked on top of one another. It’s understanding what’s in your personal tool kit to over come them. 

Regarding careers: I worked for myself for 8 years as a professional magician, and then ended up working for one of the biggest Banks in the world in FinTech and Innovation…”Things” don’t hold me back, they might cause a momentary set back, but if everything was easy what would be the point. I certainly don’t wake up and think “Oh I have Autism, I can’t do this today"…I think “I have Autism, how awesome can I make this and how different will my views be at the table” - I’ve heard recently that there are recruitment agencies and even Microsoft looking for those with Autism and the right skill set for specific jobs, to offer that different view. 

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