Latest / Despite Impossible / Season 5 Episode 1: Dr. Nicole (Nikki) Hamp

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Season 5 Episode 1: Dr. Nicole (Nikki) Hamp · Despite Impossible

• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: Today's guest is Dr.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: Nicole Nikki Hamp.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: People who know Nikki best would describe her as an advocate, a dancer, and someone fiercely committed to supporting Michigan families' well-being.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Nikki is also the Chief Health and Program Officer for the Autism Alliance of Michigan, a board-certified developmental behavioral pediatrician, and an adjunct clinical assistant professor within the Division of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics at Michigan Medicine.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: This is Nikki's story.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: People who know you best will describe you as oh gosh.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: Having an opinion has never been a problem for me.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: What's something you always wish you could do just a little longer?
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: So in life, something that I wish I could have done longer is a dance.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_01: I used to dance when I was in high school and then in college and perform and I enjoyed that a lot.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: But somewhere along the lines, I gave it up just because work and school demands got too hard.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I wish I had stuck with that a little bit longer because I loved it.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_01: But in the moment, something that I wish I could do a little bit longer is sleep.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_01: I always I could always use a little extra sleep.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Describe a moment when you really felt the most like the leader you always dreamt you would be.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_01: So I suppose, you know, this past year, I so I joined Autism Alliance as the chief health officer about a year ago.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: So early September 2025.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_01: And about two weeks later, we um received notice that we were cut from the state budget.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, Autism Alliance has been around since about 2012.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: Since 2015, we have received um considerable support from the state to run our My Navigator program.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um few years back, they increased that support from about a million dollars to two million dollars because of the demand for our services.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_01: So we serve thousands of families across the state and help them navigate systems, help them find resources, help them find support, answer their questions.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it's it's support through the lifespan.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_01: So we deal with you know pediatric issues, adult issues, um, you know, issues for caregivers, issues for providers.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um and anyway, we we um, you know, uh had a team of about 20 navigators, um, and we lost the funding for that program completely in September of 2025.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: And as a new staff member, especially a new staff member and leadership in the organization, it was a hard way to start, but in in many ways it was also a blessing because um it was a blessing, at least, you know, I I hope it was, um, to to be able to come into the organization and um and with kind of a fresh perspective um and new eyes, be able to s to turn what was really a horrible loss um into kind of a strategic opportunity.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um and so, you know, because for for most of the people in the organization, they were thinking about the the loss of their colleagues and their friends from the day-to-day work.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_01: And as much as I, you know, was cognizant that that was going on the back in the background, um, with you know, with that kind of fresh perspective and without so much of the um the personal, I was able to really help step up and and support the organization in kind of a pivot moment um and help us restrategize and rethink the work that we do and how we how we work together as a team.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: When was the last time you danced so hard that your feet were sore?
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: Friday.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: I was at the um the Boss Blue um five-year um impact dinner, I think that's what they call it, or or five-year anniversary or something.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it was very fun.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_01: And we danced a lot.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: What's an important insight you come back to repeatedly across situations in both your work and personal life that guides your approach to change?
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um I suppose something that uh that's really guided me through my life is the the idea that that nothing's permanent.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um that you know um that even in hard times, something that feels really challenging, um or perhaps you know is is really sad, even in grief, um that that nothing lasts forever.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um and so so I think you know, in my professional life, um that ends up um being helpful because I'm not um I'm not locked in to the way things are.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um I'm open to change.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_01: I I actually really embrace and enjoy change.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um I like to keep things fresh and moving forward.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um so um yeah, I found that I guess I found that mantra helpful um both personally and professionally.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: If you've had a bad day, which one song or artist on your playlist lightens you up immediately?
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I have three, um, one for uh each of my people.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, for my son, um it's Paul Newman Daytona Rolex uh by Brett Dennon.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: It's a great song.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um for my daughter, it's fight song by Rachel Patton.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: And um for my husband, it's Rocket Man.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: Oh I love that.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: What's something you wish you knew about growth over time and the early days of your journey?
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: That it is not linear.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_01: Growth happens kind of in fits and starts, and you can't really control when it happens or how it happens.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um but um it can happen overnight or it can be a long haul, but um yeah, that it's not linear.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: What's one thing people wrongly assume about you?
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_01: I think people wrongly assume um that I am someone who um likes conflict.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_01: I think um I think I or or I shouldn't say the likes conflict, um, because I don't I don't seek out conflict, but I'm not conflict um averse.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_01: So um, but I do find it uncomfortable.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so people I think um oftentimes assume that if someone is um willing to have hard conversations, that they are um that they like conflict or that they embrace conflict.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: And I think um for me, I've just always been somebody who um is is more comfortable being authentic and addressing hard things in the moment than letting things simmer or not saying the hard things.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I would say, you know, I'm the friend that that uh always um tells tells my my good friends what they what I think they need to hear, not always what they want to hear.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um you could ask my mom, I just do the same thing uh to her.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um and and certainly my in-laws would say the same thing.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um but but um but yeah, I think I think people always know where they stand with me.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um and that um that's just that's the only way I know how to be.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: What do you enjoy doing that you don't get to do often?
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_01: Something I enjoy doing, but don't um travel.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_01: Travel.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: I enjoy I enjoy travel a lot, and I used to do it quite a bit um with my husband.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but then we had kids and uh three months, well, we had my son, and three months later the pandemic hit, and so then we had a newborn, and travel was already maybe not something that we were going to do so much.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then added, you know, you know, with a new a new little baby, we definitely weren't going to do.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so as new parents, we never really got in the habit of it.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so just recently we started to take some longer trips with my children who are now my my son's seven today.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: Today is his seventh birthday.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: Happy birthday! Thank you.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: And um, my daughter is four, and we're just starting to do some some family travel, and it's it's um, it's feeling good.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm excited to get back to it.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: Who haven't you seen perform live in concert that you've been planning to see and haven't yet?
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_01: Um I would love to see Elton John in concert.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_01: I know he's not touring officially, but I do think he does some concerts still, so I'd love to see him.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um I also I'm a I'm a 90s kid and I never saw Britney Spears live, and I'd love to see her.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_01: I love this.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: What's one thing that inspires hope in you?
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: My children.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: I think you know, there's a lot of heaviness in the world, there's a lot of uncertainty in the world.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you think about things like, I mean, you know, about 10 years ago, people started to refer to the existential threat of climate change.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and and over the last decade that's become increasingly obvious um that that is that is something that is truly changing the world and the way we live, um, and is is threatening civilization.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um I think more recently there's the existential threat of AI.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: And I think, you know, just in the last week, we've heard a lot of of talk on whether or not, you know, AI will wipe out humanity in the next decade.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um and then I look at my kids and I think there's just no way.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_01: There's just no way because uh because there are other families and other people like me all over the world who are looking at their children and thinking the same thing.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_01: So I think um I think if you if you have a child in your life who you love, you're gonna do whatever you can to make sure that there's a tomorrow.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: If you could share advice with students graduating from university, what might it be?
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_01: So the the standard advice I give all young people is just say yes.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: So I, you know, um now the the president of Autism Alliance of Michigan, and um you know, one of the things that I love doing the most is is policy work and advocacy.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, never in a million years is that something that crossed my mind when I was in school.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um not when I was in high school, not when I was in college, not when I was in med school.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um but because I made it a habit to say yes to opportunities that sounded exciting and intriguing, I said yes to a nonprofit legal attorney who needed help with um with a presentation on lead poisoning and the neurodevelopmental effects of low-level lead poisoning.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_01: And that led to three years of intense um statewide advocacy work when I was in pediatric residency at the University of Chicago.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_01: And it led me to pursue a master's in public affairs after I finished my fellowship in developmental behavioral pediatrics, and it led me to say yes to the job at Autism Alliance of Michigan when they were looking for a chief chief health officer to help them lead insurance reform for patients for the care of patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um and so I just I think that you know you see, you see um how heavily influenced people are in their in their kind of decisions for you know what they decide to spend their lives doing, where they decide to spend their lives living.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um when you ask people like, where did you grow up?
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_01: What do your parents do?
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: Right?
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_01: So often the answer is, you know, if if you're talking to a physician, most of the time one of their parents are a physician.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_01: If you're talking to a lawyer, it's not uncommon that one of their parents were a lawyer.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um and and I think um the world is so is so big, and there's so many different opportunities and um career paths.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I I think it's important to say yes when you're young.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_01: If it sounds interesting, try it.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_01: You don't have to stick with it.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but for me, that that saying yes led to um a lifelong career and passion that I could have never seen coming.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: What's something that still makes you nervous, even though you've done it many times?
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_01: This public speaking speaking in public is something that I yeah, it's just never come particularly easy to me.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_00: So I would say this.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: Tell us about your impossible.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I I actually don't believe in impossible.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_01: I I believe everything is possible.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, and I think I think um, I don't know, today's world really is is proving that.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um I um I will say though, you know, in theory, there are things that are, you know, obviously less less likely or highly improbable.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um and when I think about um what you know Simon Sinek says about finding your organization's just cause, um, you know, part of that is imagining a future that is likely impossible, um, but that um that calls people to your mission, right?
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_01: To your vision.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so for autism alliance of Michigan, you know, our vision is a world where individuals with autism and their families have everything they need to be able to live the life they want to live.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so I don't think that's impossible because if I did, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I think we have a lot of work to do to realize that future.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_00: What do you look forward to most in the next 12 months?
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um goodness.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I guess so personally, going back to travel, um, we are going to take my my son and daughter to England, um, which I'm really excited about.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna take them to London in the fall um so that my son can see um Tottenham Hotspurs play live.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, he's a big hot spur fan.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um and so we're gonna do an away game and a home game.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, and I'm very excited about that trip.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_00: Thrilling.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_01: Mostly to see him see them.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but then professionally, I'm um, I just recently took over this role as president of Autism Alliance, and and I'm really excited to see what this first year brings.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_01: It's a it's a new role.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_01: It's a new role for me, it's a new role for the organization.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, our CEO Colleen Allen was has been around since the very beginning.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_01: She's our founder.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, she's incredible.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um, she's our first navigator, and um for the lifetime of Autism Alliance, she's been CEO and president.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_01: And so she just recently split her title.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and and we're gonna we're gonna grow in this next phase together, and I'm excited to see what happens in the next 12 months.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: What do you secretly worry might stay unfinished if your impossible is not addressed?
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think um Autism Alliance of Michigan is really the leading organization in the state when it comes to um speaking out on behalf of the autism population, um, the autistic population and their families.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we're also the leading voice in the state when it comes to special education policy.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um and we we really do a lot of work on behalf of all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I think I think without us continuing to to push that work and to can and continuing to lift up um the autistic population, um I I I think unfortunately, I I don't know that that that work would get done.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um I would like to think someone would step up and and um fill that void, but um to date I I do believe that we are the leading organization in the state.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_00: Who's someone else we should invite to be on the podcast?
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_01: Oh gosh.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um well um I think Colleen's incredible.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_01: So I I would say um my mentor and boss, Colleen Allen, would be excellent.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_01: Also, um one of our directors um stands out as someone who um is really uh a change agent in this state.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um when I said Autism Alliance of Michigan is leading special education policy reform, we could not do it without our director of statewide education, Heather Ekner.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I think she would be great.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: Cool.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_00: What's your next impossible, my friend?
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um well, um, you know, so Autism Alliance got our start um with insurance reform.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_01: So prior to 2012, families in Michigan um who were seeking a diagnosis of autism or treatment for autism were paying out of pocket.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so um our founding um board members um and CEO worked to get legislation passed in Michigan that mandated all insurance providers um cover both diagnosis and autism treatment um through the age of 18.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um that was obviously an incredible policy win for our organization and for autistic individuals and their families.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but it also created a brand new industry in the state.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_01: Around the same time, other states were pursuing similar legislation.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_01: And so, really, a new industry developed for an entire country.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and now, you know, over a decade later, we're starting to see some flaws.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so I think our at Austin Lines, we feel responsible for making sure that when families are pursuing any Kind of treatment in this state or any kind of diagnosis in this state that they feel confident and comfortable with the quality of that diagnosis and treatment.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's really what we want to start working on is ensuring that anywhere in Michigan you can get access to high quality diagnosis and treatment, no matter who you are, no matter where you're in where you get your insurance from.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: The idea of impermanence that Nikki talked about is so interesting.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: And it's something I think about a lot as someone who is a born warrior in a moment.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_00: It's really easy to feel the intensity of something and not keep that perspective in mind.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: I do think age helps you with the way that she was talking about impermanence.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, there are things that stay with you.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_00: So I agree that that nothing lasts forever.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I would say it's not something I'm great at.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I've often been asked about speaking publicly and my perspective about whether or not I still get nervous.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I have practiced a lot, you know, during my time at Felene.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_00: It was a commitment that every year we would do annual speaker training.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_00: Anytime I'm going to present, I do a lot of practicing.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_00: We were just it in the cellar and I wrote my speech.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: I practiced my speech personally, I practiced it with others.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_00: And still, as I was about to go out, I was full of sweat on my palms and of course a bit nervous.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I often say to my daughter, who I talk about this a lot with, you know, I don't think it's quite right if you don't still get nervous when you're speaking publicly or doing anything of substance, because I'm not sure that you are in the right frame of mind or showing the care for something that you are committed to if you don't have a little bit of nerves.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_00: And it certainly doesn't eat me alive the way that it once did.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_00: I, this nugget that I have on actually, is my lucky necklace.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_00: I, when I was first speaking at Filene, my dad had given this to me, and I wore it every time, every single time I presented, and then I got it on a plane and forgot it, and there was nothing I could do.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_00: I couldn't go home and get it.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_00: And it was actually a good thing because I made it through that presentation successfully, and then I was willing to wear other jewelry.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_00: So a tinge of superstition in the mix as well.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_00: The partnership that Orsa Credit Union is building with Autism Alliance of Michigan is so meaningful.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_00: We build partnerships and collaboration really grounded in shared values and belonging.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: And we feel that so deeply with our friends at Autism Alliance.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_00: We also are really enthusiastic about how our Grow and Give program has the capability, we believe, of really amplifying the commitment of nonprofits and ensuring that fundraising happens on a more regular basis.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_00: It to me really makes actionable the daily transaction that somebody is doing every time they tap their card, they can be giving to an organization they care deeply about.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_00: And we're confident that lots of people care deeply about Autism Alliance.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_00: So we love this, and we think it has the possibility of extending even further with other nonprofits across the state of Michigan.