The Great Canadian ATC Expedition For Autism Awareness

This episode is different. This time, I’m sitting down with Jake, a man taking on an incredible mission across Canada on a Honda Big Red 250 three-wheeler to raise awareness for autism, advocate for early diagnosis, and support autistic individuals and their families  But this ride is about far more than the kilometres ahead. It’s about the people who slipped through the cracks. It’s about growing up feeling different without understanding why. It’s about the silent struggles that follow many autistic individuals through childhood, school, relationships, marriage, work, mental health battles, and everyday life when support and understanding come too late — or never come at all.

Jake opens up about his own experiences growing up, the realities of living undiagnosed, and why this mission matters so deeply to him. We talk about the importance of educating not only families, but educators, communities, and society as a whole. Because awareness alone isn’t enough, understanding changes lives. We also dive into the ride itself: the planning, the challenges, the risks, the stops across provinces, speaking at schools, meeting communities, and the obstacles that come with crossing an entire country on a three-wheeler with a purpose bigger than yourself.

This conversation is raw, honest, and deeply human. It’s about mental health. It’s about resilience. It’s about compassion. It’s about trying to leave the world a little better than you found it. And at the heart of it all is one simple idea: If more people are understood earlier, fewer people will spend their lives wondering what’s wrong with them.

This is Jake’s story, his mission, and a ride across Canada driven by hope, awareness, and the belief that real change starts with real conversations.