Benjamin Law grew up by the beach in 1990s Queensland. He was queer, Chinese-Australian, and didn’t seeing himself reflected in the world around him. So he picked up a pen and changed that. 

From memoirist to screenwriter, commentator to Survivor contestant, Benjamin has built a career by leaning into identity, humour, and personal truth. But a recent diagnosis he didn’t see coming cast a new light on everything: his childhood, his work habits, and even his so-called flaws. 

“Most people don’t need a calendar blocked out from 6:30am to 10pm just to function. I do. That’s how I’ve navigated this brain in a neurotypical world.” 

 Benjamin Law shares how this diagnosis has helped him embrace the chaos of his creative brain and soften self-judgement. He also reflects on navigating public backlash, writing his family into the cultural mainstream, and how he finally came to love the beach he once avoided. “I realised it wasn’t the water that I hated, it wasn’t the ocean I hated. It was probably my relationship to my childhood home [town]”. 

Benjamin Law’s books include The Family Law and Gaysia. He also co-wrote and co-created Wellmania for Netflix.

@mrbenjaminlaw

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On Curveball, guests reveal how they’ve overcome a challenging moment they couldn’t see coming. It’s a production of Deadset Studios. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on Instagram. Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com 

This episode was produced by Sarah Dabro with editing by Gia Moylan. Executive producer is Kellie Riordan.   

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Benjamin Law grew up by the beach in 1990s Queensland. He was queer, Chinese-Australian, and didn&rsquo;t seeing himself reflected in the world around him. So he picked up a pen and changed that.&nbsp;
From memoirist to screenwriter, commentator to Survivor contestant, Benjamin has built a career by leaning into identity, humour, and personal truth. But a recent diagnosis he didn&rsquo;t see coming cast a new light on everything: his childhood, his work habits, and even his so-called flaws.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Most people don&rsquo;t need a calendar blocked out from 6:30am to 10pm just to function. I do. That&rsquo;s how I&rsquo;ve navigated this brain in a neurotypical world.&rdquo;&nbsp;
&nbsp;Benjamin Law shares how this diagnosis has helped him embrace the chaos of his creative brain and soften self-judgement. He also reflects on navigating public backlash, writing his family into the cultural mainstream, and how he finally came to love the beach he once avoided. &ldquo;I realised it wasn&rsquo;t the water that I hated, it wasn&rsquo;t the ocean I hated. It was probably my relationship to my childhood home [town]&rdquo;.&nbsp;
<a href="https://benjamin-law.com/">Benjamin Law</a>&rsquo;s books include The Family Law and Gaysia. He also co-wrote and co-created Wellmania for Netflix.
@mrbenjaminlaw
+++&nbsp;
On Curveball, guests reveal how they&rsquo;ve overcome a challenging moment they couldn&rsquo;t see coming. It&rsquo;s a production of Deadset Studios.&nbsp;
Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on Instagram. Sign up to Curveball&rsquo;s LinkedIn newsletter or suggest a guest by visiting <a href="http://www.curveballshow.com/">www.curveballshow.com</a>&nbsp;
This episode was produced by Sarah Dabro with editing by Gia Moylan. Executive producer is Kellie Riordan.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made.&nbsp;

The human experience is all about adapting. Whether it’s a CEO trying to ride out an international travel crisis, a surfer struggling against a monster wave while his floatation vest fails, or a media star whose whole life changes in an instant, rarely do you get to glimpse what’s really going on during a someone's darkest hour.

In these revealing, personal conversations with a range of successful people, Curveball host Kellie Riordan gets the lowdown on how people grow in extraordinary times. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios.com on Twitter and @deadsetsetstudios on Instagram. Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by going to www.curveballshow.com

Curveball is also now a LinkedIn newsletter! It's a weekly top-up of the best advice our guests have to help set you on the right path. Subscribing is totally free.

Curveball

Benjamin Law has built a career telling the stories others are afraid to. But it was an unexpected diagnosis that helped him finally understand his own story. 

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