iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Sunday 1st November I'm presenting an online workshop on "Pain Management" from 8am-10am PST/ 11am-1pm EST/ 4pm-6pm UK time. A recording will also be available for 2 weeks. Tickets available from events.humanitix.com/pain-managem...

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

We're getting regular photos from home while we're away. This is Tommy being cheeky as usual.

Photo of a cat sitting by an open door, staring at the camera and sticking his tongue out. It's a very cheeky expression

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

On Sunday 1st November I'll be teaching an online workshop on "Pain Management". I'll be giving some background on what pain is and why it's possible to change it, along with practical tips to try afterwards. There will be a handout you can download to read at the time or keep for later.

A square image that says "1 Nov 2026. Pain Management with @KinkyLifeCoach ... PAIN .... with John Pendal"

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Some thoughts on autism assessments, and whether or not I think you need one to be able to say that you're autistic. #autismassessments #actuallyautistic

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I've always felt shame about my poor spatial awareness, until I found out that autistic folk are more likely to struggle with proprioception: your body's ability to sense its own position, movement, and location in space without having to look. #proprioception #spatialawareness #actuallyautistic

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Just got home from another Kink Convention in Denmark. It was an amazing experience connecting with friends and learning new points of view. One of my new experiences was being loaned dinosaur headgear at lunch on Sunday. I genuinely had no idea how deliriously happy it would make me.

Photo of John smiling at the camera, wearing a foam and fabric dinosaur head. It also has a set of teeth under his chin held with a velcro strap, so his face is looking out of the dinosaur's mouth.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

If you're autistic and you love Lego and dinosaurs I can recommend Billund Airport in Denmark.

A large blue T-Rex sculpture made of blue Lego, holding a large yellow Lego suitcase with a baby T-Rex poking out of the case.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Tommy is up for playing through the bannisters today.

A photo through bannisters to a hallway landing, where a cute cat sits tall looking wired and alert.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Last week I posted a reel sharing some of my thoughts why autistic people might drink alcohol in social situations. Someone commented that what I was describing was the disease of alcoholism. I've thought about that a lot & took a test at www.drinkaware.co.uk/tools/drinki...

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

We saw 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫-𝐌𝐚𝐧: 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐃𝐚𝐲 last night and LOVED it. There were lots of posters up in the cinema saying "please don't give away any spoilers" and I agree. We enjoyed it more not knowing - so please don't say any plot points in the comments.

A still from the movie: Spiderman kneels on a top of an armoured trunk driving down a street. He's wearing a bright blue and red lycra suit, with metal web launchers on each wrist.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Some thoughts on why autistic people might drink alcohol. #actuallyautistic

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Trying to answer the question: "What is Autism?" #actuallyautistic

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

This year I've heard politicians from both left and ring wing parties say that autism assessments are out of control and putting pressure on our health services. This is my response. #actuallyautistic

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

𝐈𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠? In my first year of coaching I was struck by how many autistic people are into Heavy Metal music. Here are some of the reasons they gave.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

The face of adorable cuteness or contemplating evil? You decide.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

We saw "Supergirl" at the cinema last night. It wasn't as bad as the reviews made out. It was passable. I don't regret watching it. Let's start with the good points: Milly Alcock and David Corenswet are perfectly cast as Supergirl and Superman.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

If you're wondering why all my clothes have cat hair on them ....

A cat looks up out of a cupboard. The cat is squeezed in, sitting on top of a pile of clean clothes.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

𝐍𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐯𝐬 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐦. I've seen some people ask us to stop using the word neurodivergence, as it's such a broad category it's almost meaningless. This is my response.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Panda and I saw "Disclosure Day" last night. Although I've tried to avoid spoilers I'm aware that half the reviews I've seen have loved it, and the other half didn't. I'm in the latter category.

A still from the movie. Emily Blunt is standing in a child's bedroom with a light on her. She is looking up into the light. We can't see what she is looking at.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐬 My partner and I have struggled with timekeeping. I normally see times as fixed and he often sees them as moveable. Here's our solution. #pillarsandclouds #ActuallyAutistic

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Panda and I have just seen "Tuner" at the cinema, starring Leo Woodhall and Dustin Hoffman as a pair of piano tuners in New York. Leo Woodhall's character has hyperacusis, so any loud noise is physically painful and he lives wearing earplugs and headphones.

An image from the movie. Dustin Hoffman and Leo Woodhall are standing side by side in an open doorway, ready to walk in and tune a piano. Leo's character is wearing large noise cancelling headphones.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Having a Social Safe Word When I met my partner he struggled with the fact I would overstay at parties out of loyalty to him, then disappear without saying goodbye because I'd exhausted my social battery. Here's our solution. #actuallyautistic

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

We've found the entrance to an underground bumblebee nest in our lawn today. Lots of comings and goings. #beelife

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

We've had a hive for solitary bees in our back garden for a few years - without any interest. A month ago we moved it to the front of our house and today I noticed two of the bamboo poles have been blocked with fresh green leaf material. It's made me very happy. #leafcutterbees #solitarybees

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Hope you're all surviving the heatwave in the UK. For those that don't understand, anything over 25 degrees C in the UK is more unpleasant than 100 degree F weather abroad. I don't know if it's the humidity, the way houses are built or the lack of air conditioning, but the UK is not built for this.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Last night we endured watching the new Jack Ryan movie on Amazon: 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐑𝐲𝐚𝐧: 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐫. It became a hate-watch in the end. We finished it, but both gave it 4/10. Despite saying that John Krasinski co-wrote the story and the screenplay, it honestly had the feel of being written by AI.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

A week's holiday in Spain in statistics: 12 gluten free baguettes eaten 11 hours sleep on second night here 4 Supermarket chains visited looking for gluten free goodies 3 workouts at the gym 2 Reacher books read 1 gluten free tiramisu

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Panda and I are back in Nerja, Spain for a week - so we get to go to our favourite gym: South Fitness Nerja. It's clean, with a good selection of weights and a very inclusive crowd: men, women, old, young, sports athletes and new beginners all getting on. #fitat50 #gymonholiday

Photo of John standing outside the open door of South Fitness gym in bright sunshine. He's smiling at the camera. You can see a glimpse of the gym through their open doorway.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

We took our cat Lizzie to the vets this morning for sedation and tests. She passed them all and is back home now ... but definitely plotting to kill us x

A grumpy looking cat stares directly in the camera with evil on its mind.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

We saw Paddington the Paddington The Musical last night. It was one of the best things we have ever seen at the theatre. Magical and joyous. It follows the plot of the 2014 Paddington movie very closely with all your favourite moments recreated, with added songs.

A photo of the outside of the Savoy Theatre. Anm old London building is adorned with a brightly lit blue and red sign for Paddington the Musical, with a smiling bear's face under a bright red hat.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

We saw "Project Hail Mary" at the cinema last night. Brilliant, brilliant film. If you liked Gravity, Arrival or The Martian you'll love this. It's hard to review without giving away spoilers. It's definitely better the less you know going in.

A scene from the movie. Ryan Gosling is strapped into the pilots seat of a spaceship, surrounded by panels with yellow lights. He's looking worried.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

I've just uploaded a new blog post, with tips and suggestions for people who struggle with certains sounds and smells: www.johnpendal.com/blog.html

Photo of John smiling at the camera. He is wearing Bose Noise Cancelling headphones and holding up a small orange box containing Loop Engage earbuds.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

We saw "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die" last night ... the new time travel film directed by Gore Verbinski starring Sam Rockwell. The set up: a crazy look man walks into a diner claiming to be from the future wanting to save the world. Beyond that, it's best you avoid all spoilers.

A still from the movie. Sam Rockwell is at the front, three other cast members behind him. They are looking shocked and terrified. Sam is wearing a weird plastic coat covered in electronics. The whole image has a green hue.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

I was given a dinosaur egg to hatch as a Christmas present. I haven't had one before. You put it in a bowl of water for 14 days until it hatches. I don't think anything has given me this much joy (except for my wedding day, my husband pointed out.) #autisticjoy #dinosauregg

A small, rubber, yellow dinosaur stands next to a broken orange dinosaur egg. They are both submerged in a bowl of clear water.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

Arrived safely in Chicago. First stop was a beard trim from Mitchell at Father & Son barbershop (fatherandsonbarbershop.com). Next stop hitting up a gluten free bakery or two before the temperature drops to minus 20 C/ minus 4 F!!! #beardtrim #beardlife #cantbelieveitsthiscold

Two beared men: barber Mitchell and John, smile at the camera with arms around each other in the middle of a barbershop.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

There's a new post now available on my blog. This has a list of support for neurodivergent families, at www.johnpendal.com/blog.html

Things to say when are kids are anxious or scared: I'm here and I've got your back ... what questions do you have? What are you wondering about? ... we'll take it one step at a time and focus on what we have control over ... even though we don't have all the answers, when we know more I'll let you know too ... let's see how we can take good, kind care of your feelings.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

Found a frame for my favourite Christmas card. The card says: "Dear Santa, Please define 'good'. Thanks." Yep. That's about right.

A card is in a black and gold art deco frame. The card has white writing on a dark green plain background. The writing says: "Dear Santa, Please define 'good'. Thanks."

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

Panda and I saw "Song Sung Blue" at the cinema last night. It's a jukebox musical using the songs of Neil Diamond, loosely based on the plot of a real life married couple Neil Diamond tribute act.

A still from the movie: "Song Sung Blue". Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman singing together at a piano.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Happy New Year's Day! Wishing you all a peaceful and calmer 2026 x x

John wrapped up warm on a cold beach on New Year's Day. He's wearing a furry hat and red jacket

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

Happy solstice, Christmas, New Year .... whatever you celebrate (or don't) - wishing you all the best for this year and next. Hugs, John

John outside in the dark, sitting on a box. Behind him is a pair of large rainbow colour angel wings lit up casting a glow on his face.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

For a lot of us 2025 has been a challenging year. It's becoming harder to focus on the positives when it can feel like the world is on fire. I think it's important to remember that we can be happy and there is good stuff out there. So, here are some of my highlights this year:

Photo of John looking delighted whilst holding a dinosaur pop up book open in his arms.

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

Last night Panda and I saw Pillion at the cinema, a gay biker “Dom-com” starring Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling. Short answer: we liked it and would both see it again, but it did lead to some discussions afterwards. (I'll post my thoughts in a thread below)

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

I've been trying to grow my beard out, but it's a challenge when I need to keep it neat for work and when I do go to a barber they tend to chop too much off. Had a good experience today, thanks to West End Barbers in Worthing. Now I just have to not fiddle with it myself!

Picture of John's face, with his blonde beared neatly trimmed

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

My friend @jadefarrington.bsky.social has created an amazing free resource "a community guide to a neurodivergent Christmas" - available for download from jadefarrington.substack.com/p/download-t... x x

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

Hope you're able to relax this weekend. This is Lizzie, she has run our lives for 12.5 years ...

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

Last night we saw the film "I Swear", a dramatised account of the life of John Davidson. John has Tourette Syndrome, lives with physical & verbals tics, & been the subject of several documentaries during his life. The film currently has 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, now I know why. It is incredible

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

I've made it to Bergen, Norway. It's as beautiful as I remember, and very windy. One class down ... two to go. #kinkferansen #bdsmeducation #kinkworkshops

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

I received a lovely quote from a client this morning: "John is consistently kind, genuine, professional and, most importantly for me, fundamentally attuned to neurodivergent experiences." - Sarah F (You can see the full quote and other reviews at www.johnpendal.com/reviews.html)

Photo of John in a coffee shop. Over the image are the words: John is consistently kind, genuine, professional and most importantly for me fundamentally attuned to neurodivergent experiences. I am so grateful to him for helping me reclaim my life and happiness." - Sarah F

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John Pendal @johnpendal.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

Hi everyone - I'm new here. Just finding out what's what before I start posting. If you have any tips for a newbie I'm all ears! :-) Thanks, John

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