Despite Impossible S5E1: Dr. Nicole (Nikki) Hamp

Episode Transcript

Tansley Stearns

Today's guest is Dr. Nicole Nikki Hamp. People who know Nikki best would describe her as an advocate, a dancer, and someone fiercely committed to supporting Michigan families well being. 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. This is Nikki's story. People who know you best will describe you as…

Dr. Nikki Hamp

Oh gosh, I would say opinionated. Having an opinion has never been a problem for me.

Tansley Stearns

What's something you always wish you could do just a little longer?

Dr. Nikki Hamp

So in life, something that I wish I could have done longer is a dance. I used to dance when I was in high school and then in college and perform and I enjoyed that a lot. But somewhere along the lines I gave it up just because work and school demands got too hard. And I wish I had stuck with that a little bit longer because I loved it. But in the moment, something that I wish I could do a little bit longer is sleep. I could always use a little extra sleep.

Tansley Stearns

Yes. Describe a moment when you really felt the most like the leader you always dreamt you would be.

Dr. Nikki Hamp

So I suppose you know, this past year, so I joined Autism Alliance as the Chief Health Officer about a year ago, so early September 2025, and about two weeks later we received notice that we were cut from the state budget. So, you know, Autism Alliance has been around since about 2012. Since 2015, we have received considerable support from the state to run our My Navigator program. A few years back they increased that support from about $1 million dollars to $2 million because of the demand for our services. 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, and it's support through the lifespan. So we deal with pediatric issues, adult issues, issues for caregivers, issues for providers. And anyway, we had a team of about 20 navigators and we lost the funding for that program completely in September of 2025. 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 many ways it was also a blessing because it was a blessing, at least I hope it was, to be able to come into the organization and, and with kind of a fresh perspective and new eyes, be able to, to turn what was really a horrible loss into kind of a strategic opportunity. And so, you know, because for most of the people in the organization, they were thinking about the loss of their colleagues and their friends from the day to day work. And as much as I was cognizant that that was going on the back in the background with, you know, with that kind of fresh perspective and without so much of the personal, I was able to really help step up and support the organization in kind of a pivotal moment and help us re-strategize and rethink the work that we do and how we, how we work together as a team.

Tansley Stearns

When was the last time you danced so hard that your feet were sore?

Dr. Nikki Hamp

Friday. I love it. Yeah, I was at the Boss Blue five Year Impact dinner, I think that's what they call it or 5 year anniversary or something. And it was very fun and we danced a lot.

Tansley Stearns

What's an important insight you come back to repeatedly across situations in both your work and personal life that guides approach to change?

Dr. Nikki Hamp

I suppose something that's really guided me through my life is the idea that nothing's permanent. That, you know, that even in hard times, something that feels really challenging or perhaps, you know, is really sad, even in grief, that nothing lasts forever. And so I think, you know, in my professional life that ends up being helpful because I'm not locked in to the way things are. I'm open to change. I actually really embrace and enjoy change. I like to keep things fresh and moving forward. So yeah, I found that, I guess I found that mantra helpful both personally and professionally.

Tansley Stearns

If you've had a bad day, which one song or artist on your playlist lightens you up immediately?

Dr. Nikki Hamp

Well, I have three, one for each of my people.

So yeah, for my son it's Paul Newman Daytona Rolex by Brett Dennin. It's a great song. For my daughter, it's Fight Song by Rachel Patton. Yeah. And for my husband it's Rocket Man. Oh, John, I love that.

Tansley Stearns

What's something you wish you knew about growth over time and the early days of your journey?

Dr. Nikki Hamp

That it is not linear. Growth happens kind of in fits and starts and you can't really control when it happens or how it happens. But it can happen overnight or it can be a long haul. But yeah, that it's not linear.

Tansley Stearns

What's one thing people wrongly assume about you?

Dr. Nikki Hamp

I think people wrongly assume that I am someone who likes conflict. I think, I shouldn't say likes conflict because I don't, I don't seek out conflict, but I'm not conflict averse, so. But I do find it uncomfortable. So people, I think oftentimes assume that if someone is willing to have hard conversations that they are, that they like conflict or that they embrace conflict. And I think for me, I've just always been somebody who is more comfortable being authentic and addressing hard things in the moment than letting things simmer or not saying the hard things. So I would say I'm the friend that always tells my good friends what they, what I think they need to hear, not always what they want to hear. You could ask my mom, I used to do the same thing to her. And, certainly my in-laws would say the same thing. But yeah, I think people always know where they stand with me and that's just the only way I know how to be. Yeah.

Tansley Stearns

What do you enjoy doing that you don't get to do often?

Dr. Nikki Hamp

Something I enjoy doing, but don't. Travel. I enjoy, travel a lot and I used to do it quite a bit with my husband, but then we had kids and, 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 and then added, you know, with a new little baby, we definitely weren't going to do. And so as new parents, we never really got in the habit of it. And so just recently we started to take some longer trips with my children, who are now… My son's seven today. Today is his seventh birthday.

Tansley Stearns

Happy birthday!

Dr. Nikki Hamp

Thank you. Thank you. And my daughter is 4 and we're just starting to do some, some family travel and it's feeling good. I'm excited to get back to it.

Tansley Stearns

Who haven't you seen perform live in concert that you've been planning to see and haven't yet?

Dr. Nikki Hamp

I would love to see Elton John in concert. I know he's not touring officially, but I do think he does some concerts still, so I'd love to see him. I also, I'm a, I'm a 90s kid and I never saw Britney Spears live and I'd love to see her. I love this.

Tansley Stearns

What's one thing that inspires hope in you?

Dr. Nikki Hamp

My children. Yeah, I think, you know, there's a lot of heaviness in the world. There's a lot of uncertainty in the world. You think about things like, I mean, you know, about 10 years ago, people started to refer to the existential threat of climate change. And, and over the last decade, that's become increasingly obvious that, that is, that is something that is truly changing the world and the way we live and is threatening civilization. I think more recently, there's the existential threat of AI. 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. And then I look at my kids and I think, there's just no way. There's just no way because. 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. So I think, I think if you, if you have a child in your life who you love, you're going to do whatever you can to make sure that there's a tomorrow.

Tansley Stearns

If you could share advice with students graduating from university, what might it be?

Dr. Nikki Hamp

So the standard advice I give all young people is just say yes. So I, you know, and now the president of Autism alliance of Michigan, and one of the things that I love doing the most is policy work and advocacy. And never in a million years is that something that crossed my mind when I was in school, not when I was in high school, not when I was in college, not when I was in med school, 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. With a presentation on lead poisoning and the neurodevelopmental effects of low level lead poisoning. And that led to three years of intense statewide advocacy work when I was in pediatric residency at the University of Chicago. 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 health officer to help them lead insurance reform for patients, for the care of patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities. And so I just, I think that, you know, you see, you see 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. When you ask people like, where did you grow up? What do your parents do, right? So often the answer is, you know, if you're talking to a physician, most of the time one of their parents are a physician, you're talking to a lawyer. It's not uncommon that one of their parents were a lawyer. And I think the world is so big and there's so many different opportunities and career paths. So I think it's important to Say yes when you're young. If it sounds interesting, try it. You don't have to stick with it. But for me, that saying yes led to a lifelong career and passion that I could have never seen coming.

Tansley Stearns

What's something that still makes you nervous even though you've done it many times?

Dr. Nikki Hamp

This. Public speaking. Speaking in public is something that I. Yeah, it's just never come particularly easy to me. So I would say this.

Tansley Stearns

Tell us about your impossible.

Dr. Nikki Hamp

Well, II actually don't believe in impossible. I believe everything's possible, you know, and I think, I don't know, today's world really is proving that. I will say, though, you know, in theory, there are things that are, you know, obviously less likely or highly improbable. And when I think about what, you know, Simon Sinek says about finding your organization's just cause, you know, part of that is imagining a future that is likely impossible, but that calls people to your mission, to your vision. 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. And so I don't think that's impossible, because if I did, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing. But I think we have a lot of work to do to realize that future.

Tansley Stearns

What do you look forward to most in the next 12 months?

Dr. Nikki Hamp

Goodness, I guess, personally, going back to travel. We are going to take my son and daughter to England, which I'm really excited about. We're gonna take them to London in the fall so that my son can see Tottenham Hotspurs play live. He's a big Hotspur fan. And so we're gonna do an away game and a home game. Oh, and I'm very excited about that trip. Thrilling mostly to see him see them. Yeah. But then professionally, I just recently took over this role as President of Autism Alliance, and I'm really excited to see what this first year brings. It's a new role. It's a new role for me. It's a new role for the organization. Our CEO, Colleen Allen, has been around since the very beginning. She's our founder. She's incredible. She's our first navigator and the lifetime of Autism Alliance. She's been CEO and President, and so she just recently split her title. And we're gonna grow in this next phase together, and I'm excited to see what happens in the next 12 months.

Tansley Stearns

What do you secretly worry might stay unfinished if your impossible is not addressed?

Dr. Nikki Hamp

Yeah, I think Autism alliance of Michigan is really the leading organization in the state when it comes to speaking out on behalf of the autism population, the autistic population, and their families. We're also the leading voice in the state when it comes to special education policy. And we really do a lot of work on behalf of all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. And I think without us continuing to push that work and continuing to lift up the autistic population, I think, unfortunately, I don't know that work would get done. I would like to think someone would step up and fill that void, but today I. I do believe that we are the leading organization in the state.

Tansley Stearns

Who's someone else we should invite to be on the podcast?

Dr. Nikki Hamp

Oh, gosh. Well, I think Colleen's incredible, so I. I would say my mentor and boss, Colleen Allen, would be excellent. Also, one of our directors stands out as someone who is really a change agent in this state. 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 Echner. I think she would be great. Cool.

Tansley Stearns

What's your next impossible, my friend?

Dr. Nikki Hamp

Well, you know, so Autism Alliance got our start with insurance reform. So prior to 2012, families in Michigan who were seeking a diagnosis of autism or treatment for autism were paying out of pocket. And so our founding board members and CEO worked to get legislation passed in Michigan that mandated all insurance providers cover both diagnosis and autism treatment through the age of 18. That was obviously an incredible policy win for our organization and for autistic individuals and their families. But it also created a brand new industry in the state. Around the same time, other states were pursuing similar legislation. And so really, a new industry developed for an entire country. And now, you know, over a decade later, we're starting to see some flaws. And so I think at Autism Alliance, 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. And so that's really what we want to start working on. 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. Where you get your insurance from.

Tansley Stearns

The idea of impermanence that Nikki talked about is so interesting, and it's something I think about a lot as someone who is a born worrier. In a moment, it's really easy to feel the intensity of something and not keep that perspective in mind. I do think age helps you with the way that she was talking about impermanence. And, you know, there are things that stay with you. So I agree that. That nothing lasts forever. And I would say it's not something I'm great at.

You know, I've often been asked about speaking publicly and my perspective about whether or not I still get nervous. And, you know, I have practiced a lot. You know, during my time at Filene, it was a commitment that every year we would do annual speaker training. Anytime I'm going to present, I do a lot of practicing. We were just sitting at In The cellar, and I wrote my speech. I practiced my speech personally. I practiced it with others. And still, as I was about to go out, I was full of sweat on my palms and, of course, a bit nervous. 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. And it certainly doesn't eat me alive the way that it once did. This necklace that I have on actually is my lucky necklace. 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 on a plane and forgot it, and there was nothing I could do. I couldn't go home and get it. And it was actually a good thing because I made it through that presentation successfully, and then I was willing to wear other jewelry. So a touch of superstition in the mix as well.

The partnership that orsa credit union is building with Autism Alliance of Michigan is so meaningful. We build partnerships and collaboration really grounded in shared values and belonging, and we feel that so deeply with our friends at Autism Alliance. 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. 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. And we're confident that lots of people care deeply about Autism Alliance. So we love this, and we think it has the possibility of extending even further with other nonprofits across the state of Michigan.