The Neurodivergent Connection / The Curious Storyteller

When Life Looks Fine but Feels Empty: How I Talked With Laura Marie About Leaving Autopilot What if your life looks successful on paper, but deep down it feels numb, routine, and strangely far from you ? In this episode, I sit down with Laura Marie to talk about the quiet kind of disconnection so many people carry for years. We get into what it feels like to keep checking all the right boxes while...

Late ADHD Diagnosis, Grief, and Rebuilding Life in Small Steps What happens when the person helping others finally realizes the story is also their own? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Jennifer Dahl to talk about late ADHD diagnosis, masking, grief, trauma, and what it means to rebuild a life when your brain needs a different kind of support. This conversation is honest, practical, and deeply...

Late ADHD Diagnosis, Grief, and Rebuilding Life in Small Steps What happens when the person helping others finally realizes the story is also their own? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Jennifer Dahl to talk about late ADHD diagnosis, masking, grief, trauma, and what it means to rebuild a life when your brain needs a different kind of support. This conversation is honest, practical, and deeply...

When Life Looks Fine on Paper but Feels Empty Inside What happens when you do everything “right” and still feel like something is missing? In this conversation, I sit down with Laura Marie to talk about the quiet ache of living on autopilot, chasing productivity, and waking up to the fact that success on paper doesn’t always feel like peace in real life. Laura shares what changed when she hit midl...

What Changes When a Whole Family Finally Has the Words for Autism and ADHD? What happens when years of chaos, guilt, and confusion finally start to make sense? In this episode, I sit down with Walter and Stephanie Parker for an honest conversation about raising three neurodivergent daughters while also making sense of their own diagnoses. We talk about what life looked like before they had languag...

What If Your Gut, Brain, and Nervous System Have Been Talking All Along? What if the symptoms you’ve been trying to “fix” are actually messages worth hearing? In this episode, I sit down with Heather Van Tassel to talk about the gut-brain connection, meditation, concussion recovery, and what it means to understand yourself when your mind and body don’t fit neat boxes. We get into the space between...

Why a Real-Time Train Board Feels So Calming to Watch What starts as a story about a train board turns into something much bigger: pattern, comfort, design, and the quiet pull of watching a system move in real time. In this episode, I sit down with Griffin Van Horn, creator of Traintrakr.io, to talk about how a late-night makerspace idea became a product people connect with in ways no one fully ex...

What a Late ADHD Diagnosis Can Explain, and What It Can Change If you’ve ever thought, “Why does my brain work like this?” this conversation will likely hit close to home. In this episode, I sit down with Jax Crider to talk about what it’s like to live for years without the language for ADHD, and what can happen when that missing piece finally clicks into place. We get into the quiet guilt that ca...

What Happens When Neurodivergence, Fatherhood, and Advocacy Collide What does it cost to stop masking—and what can happen when you finally let people see the real you? In this episode, I sit down with Dan Roth for an honest conversation about neurodivergence, rejection, work, parenting, and the quiet weight so many of us carry. We talk about what the pandemic changed, why that inner voice can be s...

What the Ocean Is Doing Right Now That Most of Us Never See When I sat down with Helen Czerski, I wanted to ask a simple question: what are we missing when we look at the ocean? What followed changed the way I think about waves, weather, and our place in the world. In this episode, I explore how the ocean shapes far more than coastlines. Helen helps me see why it affects climate, rain, and daily l...

What Happens After a Life-Changing Diagnosis? Annie Toro Lopez Shares What Helped Her Find Hope Again What do you do when your body stops feeling safe, and the people around you can’t fully see what you’re carrying? In this conversation, I sit down with Annie Toro Lopez to talk about diagnosis, grief, trauma, food, and the long road back to trusting your body. Annie shares what it was like to be d...

When Your Mind Works Differently: Trauma, Leadership, and Finding What Fits If you’ve ever felt like your brain doesn’t follow the same map as everyone else’s, this conversation will likely hit close to home. In this episode, I sit down with Blaz Merlot to talk about what it means to move through the world feeling different, and how that can shape the way we lead, work, and understand ourselves. W...

Finding Your Voice When the Path Doesn’t Make Sense Yet What happens when your voice belongs to more than one world? In this conversation, I sit down with Sonia Sohn to talk about art, identity, and the strange in-between space where so many creative lives are built. Sonya is known for her viral performances with Julian the piano player, including the flash mobs that have caught millions of eyes a...

What a Late Autism Diagnosis Can Reveal About ADHD, School, and Self-Understanding I sat down with Carly Faye to talk about what happens when a late autism diagnosis suddenly puts years of questions into focus. In this conversation, I explore Carly’s path from educator to functional nutrition practitioner and coach, and how her ADHD and recent autism diagnosis changed the way she sees her past, he...

SSI Pitfalls: What No One Tells You About Disability Benefits (with Former SSA Attorney Spencer) Fighting for SSI isn’t simple. I’m exposing the hidden hurdles—and how to avoid costly mistakes that put benefits at risk. I’ve battled Social Security myself, and I know how confusing and exhausting it can feel—especially with autism, ADHD, or other invisible disabilities. In this episode, I sit down...

Late Diagnosis, Grief, and Growth with AuDHD Coach Jenny Lucas Late diagnosis can feel like a relief and a gut punch. In this episode, I sit with Jenny Lucas to name both—then move forward. I talk with Jenny about what the world saw versus what was really happening inside, the moment she heard “autistic” and “ADHD,” and the very real grief that followed. You’ll hear how she began unmasking in smal...

When a Dad Chooses to Show Up: Autism, Ego, and the Moment That Changed Everything We often hear autism stories from moms—today, I sit with a dad who faced denial, checked his ego, and chose to show up for his child. In this conversation, I open a door many families don’t talk about: what it takes for a father to move from “I’m fine” to “I’m here.” You’ll hear how one moment—unexpected and ordinar...

ADHD at Work and at Home: Motivation, Masking, and Real Support with Dr. Saara Haapanen What happens when an Olympic-level athlete-turned-psychologist maps ADHD from the inside—and shows us what actually helps? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Saara Haapanen to explore ADHD beyond stereotypes. You’ll hear how almost making the Olympics, years of elite sport, and a late ADHD diagnosis shaped he...

Non-Speaking Is Not Non-Understanding: Autism-Affirming Inclusion with Amanda Toren Non-speaking doesn’t mean non-understanding. In this episode, I sit down with Amanda Toren to rethink communication and real inclusion. Amanda is an autism mom, speech and behavioral therapist, clinical autism specialist, and inclusion specialist who runs an inclusive martial arts academy. Together, we get honest a...

Seeing Ourselves in Fiction: Neurodivergent Characters That Actually Feel Real with Author Luna Westish Representation isn’t just about labels—it’s about feeling seen. Today, I sit down with debut author Luna Westish to explore how fiction can shift how we understand Autism, ADHD, anxiety, and ourselves. You’ll hear how Luna wrote a character readers either relate to deeply or find frustrating and...

Executive Function Isn’t Laziness: Rethinking “Motivation,” Shame, and Support with Coach Carrie Bonnet Executive function isn’t laziness—it’s a brain thing. In this episode, I sit with coach Carrie Bonnet to reframe the struggle. If you’ve ever wondered why smart kids (and adults) still miss deadlines, lose steam, or freeze at “start,” this conversation will feel like a breath out. I ask Carrie B...

Late-Diagnosed at 65: Creativity, Compassion, and Coming Home to Yourself with Caroline Carey I sit down with Caroline Carey, a creative, author, and grandmother who was diagnosed with AuDHD in her mid-60s—and everything started to make sense. In this conversation, I open up about my own assessment experience while Caroline shares how a “you’re not depressed, you’re overwhelmed” moment changed her...

Dana’s journey into the world of parenting a nonverbal autistic child began with a heavy sense of uncertainty, realizing in a little gym class that her daughter wasn’t meeting the same milestones as the other kids. At first, she tried to brush off her worries, chalking it up to first-time parent nerves and hoping her daughter was just a late bloomer. But those feelings of doubt grew stronger as sh...

Support the show via my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/AspergersStudio Vicki’s journey into special education advocacy started not from a classroom or office, but right at her own kitchen table as a mom trying to figure out how to help her son, Luke, who was born with an incredibly rare chromosome disorder. Facing a room full of educators and specialists at Luke’s first IEP meeting, she nodded al...

In this episode, you’ll get to hear Laura Zane share her journey as a neurodivergent woman, opening up about what it was like to discover her ADHD later in life and how that shaped her approach to therapy. As someone who’s walked this path herself, Laura really understands the unique challenges you might face with late diagnosis, sensory overload, and anxiety. She talks about how embracing her neu...