Reposting popular episodes June 2025. Back atcha in July with some spicy takes! Original show notes: Pasha Marlowe speaks brilliantly about how to navigate trauma, triggers, and sensory needs in relationships as an AuDHD person. Making it concrete, we both talk about a recent meltdown with our respective partners, and how we navigated those during and after. This is a deeply un-shaming episode—we still struggle with relational trauma despite all the "work" we've done. It's okay to have a lot of ...
Jun 28, 2025•47 min
In June I'm re-posting the most popular episodes from the show while I take a step back to look at the big picture. Update: the re-thinking has happened and retooling is in process :D Original show notes: Meltdowns and shutdowns appear to be a natural release valve for an overwhelmed autistic brain. They feel out of control and can be quite distressing. While there are ways to push them off, I experience a "point of no return" after which I need some big release or I'm going to feel terrible for...
Jun 21, 2025•19 min
In June I'm re-posting the most popular episodes from the show while I take a step back to look at the big picture (because my monotropic brain has trouble doing that while also pumping out new content). Original show notes: What do AuDHDers need (beyond the obvious needs all humans have)? And why do those needs matter? This episode covers some important ones: Being able to engage with our interests (in a particular way) Executive Function support, without trying to make the hardest things easy ...
Jun 14, 2025•55 min
In June I'm reposting the most popular episodes from the show while I take a step back to look at the big picture (because my monotropic brain has trouble doing that while also pumping out new content). Mentioned in outro: Experimenting Your Way to an Extraordinary Life Original show notes: AuDHD = autism + ADHD... and also I experience it as its own neurotype, and not simply two "disorders." Here are the sets of questions I asked in the episode, if you'd like to take time with them on your own:...
Jun 07, 2025•20 min
Time the body needs to transition, meet needs, rest and recover is NOT wasted time! I don't know that it's even possible to "waste time" outside of ableist capitalist structures. If you still have ableist thoughts, that's okay. We all do! It's worth resting anyway. Resources mentioned: Neuraluxe's post about parentification Car fundraiser for DV survivor (my sibling) When your abuser threatens suicide article Note about that paid Substack link: "If you are in an abusive relationship or other cri...
May 31, 2025•23 min
If you have multiple interests, realistically you probably don't have enough time to develop all of them to the degree that you'd like. And even with more targeted pursuits, many of us are busy because of real life and capitalism. What this means is that we have to make tough choices. I talk about some of the ways I've worked through this, where I'm at with it currently, and some questions to ask yourself to guide your own process. Also, it's the 100th episode! I'm committed to not running ads o...
May 24, 2025•21 min
To change something, I've been playing with telling myself I'll do "a little more or less." It is less exciting than a huge plan... but also easier on my nervous system! Love Your Brain course info & live round update Resources: Transcript Doc Email Newsletter : Nothing Wrong With Us Like Your Brain community space (Patreon) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
May 17, 2025•15 min
This year I've been trying to meet my intensity needs in more "healthy" ways, while also recognizing that sometimes that doesn't feel possible. And that's okay! Love Your Brain course info & live round update Resources: Transcript Doc Email Newsletter : Nothing Wrong With Us Like Your Brain community space (Patreon) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
May 10, 2025•19 min
Vanessa Gorelkin is an Occupational Therapist who often works with ND folks. She shares about compassionate approaches to daily life tasks. The main tool she shared is creating a crisis kit to use when experiencing distress in public, at work, or anywhere that you can't be fully unmasked. List of suggested items below. Crisis kit items suggested in episode: alcohol swabs (to smell for state change) instant ice packs extreme sour candies lemon juice packet hot sauce packet (mustard is Mattia's) d...
May 03, 2025•58 min
Reflecting on the interview with Anna, who shared about accommodations for her students and herself. Learning how to build our own systems/structures is often more useful than being handed a system. Because no matter how much dopamine we get initially from a new tool or system, it inevitably becomes stale. Instead of throwing the whole thing out the window every time, I've learned how to pull forward elements that are still working. This continuous process of experimenting and tweaking (with res...
Apr 25, 2025•36 min
Anna is an educator who has developed an incredible approach with accommodations at the core (for the student AND herself!). It makes sense pedagogically, and it's working! With a core of psychological safety, students are able to explore writing and language with their own goals in mind. We've also known each other since I was 15... so we talk a bit about the mysterious backstory of living in a Christian sorority ;) Resources Anna mentioned: Her English 101 Online Textbook Workshopping: Liz Ler...
Apr 19, 2025•52 min
Coping mechanisms can be a pathologizing term. What's the difference between coping mechanisms and intensity or interests? This episode also touches back to the interview on sobriety with Amy in ep. 92. As well as this note on a positive AA experience from a listener . Resources: Transcript Doc Email Newsletter : Nothing Wrong With Us Like Your Brain community space (Patreon) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Apr 12, 2025•27 min
Thanks Eric Tivers for interviewing me & allowing me to share the full episode here as well. His show notes : In this episode of ADHD reWired, Eric Tivers is joined by Mattia Maurée, an award-winning composer, poet, and host of the AuDHD Flourishing Podcast . Mattia shares their insights into the unique challenges faced by neurodivergent (ND) individuals, particularly those with ADHD and autism, as they navigate trauma, self-expression, and what they describe as “attention tunnels.” Mattia o...
Apr 05, 2025•42 min
Thank you to guest Amy Knott Parrish for sharing about her unusual journey with sobriety. When she realized what her future was going to look like, she... stopped drinking. Because it wasn't about the drinking, it was about the problem that the drinking was self-medicating. After nine years of continuous sobriety, her therapist insisted that she try AA, but it wasn't the right fit. As with many institutions, it wasn't built for her! The giftedness/intensity piece adds another layer—we talk about...
Mar 29, 2025•59 min
(Part 2 of 2. Part 1 here ) Being AuDHD + gifted is being an outlier of outliers. I'd guess most of us feel like aliens. And even when we start to understand the shape of our experiences, it can feel overwhelming to even begin to order our understanding in a satisfying way. (Autoethnography, anyone?) Our depth and intensity needs can be quite challenging to meet, especially if we have lower physiological capacity due to trauma/CPTSD, and other intersectional identities that are often marginalize...
Mar 22, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Being AuDHD + gifted is being an outlier of outliers. I'd guess most of us feel like aliens. And even when we start to understand the shape of our experiences, it can feel overwhelming to even begin to order our understanding in a satisfying way. (Autoethnography, anyone?) Our depth and intensity needs can be quite challenging to meet, especially if we have lower physiological capacity due to trauma/CPTSD, and other intersectional identities that are often marginalized/mistreated. This became pa...
Mar 15, 2025•55 min
Emily Kircher-Morris is the host of the long-running and popular podcast, The Neurodiversity Podcast. (And she interviewed me last year .) She's a compassionate, incisive, and important voice in 2e and neurodivergent-affirming education. Also a delight to talk to! Building on what we talked about, she shared some additional resource links below. Connect with Emily & mentioned in episode: Emily Kircher-Morris, LPC The Neurodiversity Podcast Connect with Emily on Facebook or LinkedIn Neurodive...
Mar 08, 2025•53 min
Dr Chris Wells speaks & teaches about positive disintegration, Dabrowski's theory that (among other things) provides an alternate explanation for some mental illness. While the theory is not entirely about giftedness, it helps many gifted people make sense of their experiences. Dr Wells also talks about their journey, which included being on disability for many years. It's a reminder that while labels can change, they can also hold an enormous amount of power! Learn more about Chris & po...
Mar 01, 2025•59 min
Sheldon Gay shares about giftedness, in particular the intersections of being late-identified as a Black man. He hosts the I Must Be BUG'N podcast (Black, Underrepresented/Unidentified, Gifted and otherwise Neurodivergent). I absolutely love his term of having a sparkly mind! We weave through many topics, including education and melanated & marginalized kids not having their needs met. This is the first of 5-6 upcoming episodes on gifted neurodivergent experiences. p.s. that "or, but anyway"...
Feb 22, 2025•1 hr 9 min
24:23 to skip specific American politics In this episode: Mutual aid Local connections Surveillance & privacy considerations for devices Resistance is working General strike & Mar 15 shutdown (#Shutdown315) Emotional survival: monotropic reset, alpha brain waves Being careful whom you listen to (accompanying Emily Science Journalism ep 82) Links mentioned: Surveillance guide for devices How to change Meta settings to limit tracking (note there is no way to make Messenger app safe) Ad-blo...
Feb 15, 2025•50 min
Mini episode on my experience with intrusive thoughts and how/when they stopped being distressing. Monotropic brains tend toward thought loops and thus can make intrusive thoughts pretty easily. In my case, I think my brain was in part trying to generate interest when my needs were not being met. Dopamine is also a learning chemical that tells the brain to pay attention right now. This is just my experience... Please seek professional help if you're having distressing intrusive thoughts! Crisis ...
Feb 09, 2025•14 min
Last week I was interviewed on WHYY, Philly's PBS/NPR radio station, about the rising diagnosis rates of Autism & ADHD. Here are a few additional thoughts and my favorite moments, and you can find the full interview below Mentioned in episode: YouTube PBS interview (& Patreon post about it ) WHYY.org page with the audio only version Public Patreon post w YouTube link if you'd prefer to comment there (link coming soon) Readwise / Reader tool (affiliate link gives you 60 days free) Resourc...
Feb 08, 2025•12 min
Dr Matt Zakreski is 2e (ADHD & gifted) and also a clinical psychologist supporting neurodivergent folks. His recent book, The Neurodivergent Playbook, aims to meet that social gap in which we often feel we missed the "instruction manual" for how to approach people. Connect with Dr Matt: The Neurodiversity Collective for therapy & assessments Dr Matt's website for speaking engagements Facebook Instagram @drmattzakreski Resources: Like Your Brain community space Transcript Doc Email Newsle...
Feb 01, 2025•52 min
As I describe at the beginning, this goes along with episode 83 about AI & tech tools. The latter 15m of this episode was an AI "podcast conversation" based on AuDHD Flourishing principles and my overall work and approach. I was impressed by how it was pulled together, as well as pronouncing my name & getting pronouns right! Note: if you have misophonia, you may find the AI vocal artifacts irritating... heads up! If you're curious: The web pages used by Notebook LM: AuDHD Flourishing hom...
Jan 25, 2025•18 min
It's okay to have strong feelings about AI! Yes, we touch on ethics in this episode. It's also okay to use accommodations and tools that work for you, especially in the short term to feel better first. This episode covers a number of AI and tech tools suggested by other AuDHDers. When there's a blog post to go through all of them (plus any others added in the meantime) I'll add that link below as well. AI & Tech mentioned in episode: Notebook LM Autektik AI LLMs ChatGPT and Claude Poised Sho...
Jan 25, 2025•38 min
Emily is a science writer, AuDHDer, and ND-affirming coach. They share online about neurodivergence topics and accuracy in science journalism as The Neurodivergent Well. In this episode, we talk about best practices as a consumer of science info online, especially via social media. If you don't have time or capacity to read journal articles, what CAN you do? Emily shares multiple approaches to being a better online citizen when we take in and share information. There's also a lovely bit about th...
Jan 18, 2025•1 hr 4 min
This week I pushed my body way too far, even though I was having trouble parsing that in the moment. The story is also a great analogy for how other ND internal needs feel (including PDA). Even with all the info, self-kindness, and support, I still struggle to find that exact line of capacity. It's okay that it's hard to figure out! This is the perfect and slightly ironic follow-up from last week's episode about giving up on NT/ableist expectations ;) Mentioned in episode: wish list Experimentin...
Jan 11, 2025•30 min
Is this the year to give up on neurotypical and ableist nonsense that is causing you harm?? I hope so, for all of us. There are so many layers to unraveling internalized ableism. Here's your permission to do that a little more :) p.s. of course you know I never mean to give up on life ;) If you're in crisis, there are crisis links below <3 Links mentioned in episode: Psychology Today article on Relational Trauma: Beyond Adverse Caregiver Experiences NeuroLaunch article on Relational Therapy: ...
Jan 04, 2025•14 min
It's okay if your sleep and energy vary wildly during the seasons! Or at least... it's okay with me ;) Obviously there can be real world effects to having a chronotype outside of the 9-5. But if your body is going to make you rest anyway... may as well enjoy it and get the most out of it, in my opinion! Resources: Transcript Doc Email Newsletter Like Your Brain community space Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Dec 28, 2024•16 min
This is the follow-up episode to deepen ideas in the interview with Danielle Aubin last week on Autistic Therapy. Especially focused on this idea of relational trauma, and relational healing that addresses it. In my experience, relational healing ends up being woven throughout all other healing. Or, sometimes it's the "boss battle" to put what I've integrated into practice. Because emotional regulation during conflict with someone you care about is a whole new level! While I didn't use the words...
Dec 21, 2024•35 min
