Jacob is twenty years old and the creator of the TalkAnything podcast. On paper, this probably looks like a conversation between two podcasters. It wasn't. It quickly became a conversation about identity, kindness, autism, purpose, and what it means to become a good man in a world that constantly tells you who you should be.
What struck me most was Jacob's curiosity. At twenty years old he isn't pretending to have life figured out. If anything, he seems genuinely fascinated by people and by the process of trying to understand himself. I found that refreshing. Most of us spend years trying to convince the world we know who we are. Jacob seems far more interested in asking whether we ever really do.
We spoke about his autism and I appreciated how honestly he described it. There is a growing trend to either frame autism as nothing but a disability or nothing but a superpower. Jacob sits somewhere much more grounded. He openly acknowledges the struggles it has brought into his life, while also recognising that it has given him a different way of seeing the world. That honesty made the conversation far more interesting than simply trying to force it into one narrative or the other.
One part of the conversation that really landed for me was around identity. After reading my book, Jacob spoke about how easy it is to build an identity around labels. Being autistic. Being a podcaster. Being misunderstood. Then he asked a question that stayed with me.
Where does understanding yourself end and limiting yourself begin?
I thought that was a remarkable question for someone his age, and probably one many people much older still haven't asked themselves.
We also spoke about kindness. Not as something soft or passive, but as something intentional. Jacob described himself as the person his friends call when they need someone to listen. Someone who genuinely wants to make other people's lives a little easier. At the same time, we explored the difference between kindness and people pleasing, because there is a fine line between giving freely and quietly abandoning yourself.
As the conversation unfolded, it became less about autism, podcasting, or even identity. It became a conversation about growing up. About trying different versions of yourself. About recognising that who you are at twenty probably won't be who you are at thirty, forty, or fifty. That isn't failure. It might actually be the whole point.
The statement Jacob leaves for the next guest is this: No matter the faults, no matter the problems, all you can do is try and be kind.
Jacob can be found at: https://talkanythingpodcast.wordpress.com/
It’s You. Oh Fuck. It’s ME. In Session with a Psychotherapist Hosted by Chad Taylor. Author of It’s You. Oh Fuck. It’s ME
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