The Neurodivergent Connection / The Curious Storyteller

What Success Doesn’t Fix: My Conversation with J.D. Barker on Writing, Doubt, and Staying the Course I sat down with bestselling author J.D. Barker for a conversation that goes far beyond book deals and bestseller lists. In this episode, we talk about what it really takes to keep creating when self-doubt never fully leaves, and why success doesn’t always make the hard parts quieter. J.D. shares ho...

What Self-Acceptance Can Change for Neurodivergent People What happens when I stop fighting who I am and start working with myself instead? In this episode, I sit down with Amanda Scott to talk about the quiet harm of being misunderstood, the weight of masking, and the relief that can come when things finally start to make sense. Together, we explore what it feels like to grow up hearing harsh lab...

From Refugee Childhood to Neurodivergent Fatherhood with Norbert What happens when raising your children helps you finally understand your own past? In this episode, I sit down with Norbert for a deeply personal conversation about immigration, survival, autism, ADHD, and what it means to break painful family patterns. Norbert shares what it was like to grow up in Cold War Poland, come to the Unite...

When a Label Helps, Hurts, or Hides the Person Beneath It What happens when we trust a diagnosis more than we trust the person living it? In this conversation, I sit down with Andre Maurice Davis to explore that question from several angles, and it leads us somewhere deeper than labels alone. We talk about ADHD, autism, identity, trust, and the stories people tell themselves after a diagnosis. But...

What Dating Feels Like for Me as an Autistic, ADHD Adult In this episode, I hand the mic to Kailee Rae and open up about something I don’t usually talk about this personally: dating, rejection, loneliness, and what I hope a future partner understands about me. We talk about what it’s like to date as an autistic, ADHD adult, why being understood matters so much to me, and how past relationships sha...

What a Brain Injury Took, What Purpose Gave Back What happens when the life you built disappears, and you have to figure out who you are from the ground up? In this episode, I sit down with Herb for an honest conversation about traumatic brain injury, depression, identity loss, and the slow work of rebuilding a life that no longer fits the old rules. He shares what changed after a snowboarding acc...

When Life Breaks the Old Map: Belonging, Labels, and Finding Yourself Again I sat down with Sabrina D’Amato for a conversation that starts with loss and reinvention, then moves into something even deeper: what happens when the version of you that once made sense no longer fits. In this episode, I explore Sabrina’s path from professional ballet dancer to breathwork coach and hypnotherapist, and how...

How Simon Majumdar Found Home Through Food, Memory, and a Life Rebuilt What if one meal could take you back home, while also pushing you toward a completely new life? In this conversation, I sit down with Simon Majumdar to talk about the family table that shaped him, the cultures he grew up between, and the bold choice that changed everything after 40. We talk about food, yes, but we also get into...

What Happens to My Child When I’m Gone? A Hard but Necessary Conversation If you’ve ever quietly wondered what happens to your disabled child in the future, this conversation is for you. In this episode, I sit down with Michael Ringel to talk about one of the biggest fears many families carry: how to plan ahead without making a costly mistake that affects benefits, housing, care, or long-term stab...

Late Diagnosis, Perimenopause, and the Career Questions No One Prepared Us For What happens when your routines fall apart, your symptoms get louder, and a late diagnosis suddenly makes your whole life look different? In this episode, I talk with Gina Molinas about what it was like to be diagnosed during lockdown while also moving through perimenopause—and why that combination changed everything. W...

What OCPD Really Feels Like, and Why It’s So Often Misunderstood What if the thing you’ve called perfectionism your whole life was actually something deeper? In this episode, I sit down with Janice Russell for an honest conversation about living with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, or OCPD. We talk about what life felt like before she had a name for it, why OCPD is so often confused wit...

When Mental Health Recovery Needs More Than Rest What if burnout, brain fog, and mood swings aren’t just “in your head” but signs your body is asking for help? In this episode, I sit down with Mick Pozin to talk about a side of mental health recovery that many people rarely hear about. We get into burnout, mental health leave, ADHD, food sensitivities, blood sugar, and why rest alone may not be en...

What ADHD Costs Us Quietly, and Why Your Real Story Still Matters If you’ve ever wondered why small tasks can carry such a heavy price with ADHD, this conversation will likely hit close to home. In this episode, I sit down with Jill Ivey to talk about late-realized ADHD, masking, distraction, and the hidden costs that many neurodivergent people carry without anyone seeing them. We also get into so...

What Freedom Costs: My Conversation with Zulal Habibi on Iran, Loss, and Resistance What happens when freedom isn’t an idea, but something your family has paid for in blood? In this episode, I sit down with Zolal Habibi for a powerful conversation about Iran, grief, courage, and why real change must come from the people themselves. Zolal shares how activism shaped her life from childhood, how pers...

What Happens When Autism, C-PTSD, and Self-Worth Finally Start to Make Sense What if the hard parts of your past finally started to make sense—and you realized you still had a say in what comes next? In this episode, I sit down with Lawrence Harris for an honest conversation about autism, C-PTSD, emotional regulation, and what it takes to rebuild self-worth when life has taught you to question it....

When Doubt Doesn’t Break Faith, but Makes It More Honest What happens when the beliefs you inherited no longer fit, but your faith doesn’t disappear? In this episode, I sit down with Brent Johnson to talk about what comes after certainty starts to crack. We talk about growing up in a strict Christian world, how hard it can feel to question what you were taught, and why doubt isn’t always the enemy...

What If “Picture This” Doesn’t Work for You? What if the way I’ve been told to think, remember, or heal was built for a different kind of mind? In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Paulina Trevenna to talk about ADHD, aphantasia, memory, and why so many therapy and hypnosis methods quietly assume that everyone can visualize. If you’ve ever felt like certain tools just don’t land for you, this...

Why Knowing Isn’t Enough to Change, and What Actually Helps You Move Forward I sat down with Dr. Radhika Achari for a conversation that felt both practical and deeply personal: why some things come naturally, why other things feel painfully hard, and why knowing what to do still doesn’t mean we’ll do it. In this episode, I explore how growth mindset, environment, and self-story shape the way we ac...

When Autism Changes How I See Parenting, Identity, and Connection What if understanding an autistic child starts with seeing yourself more clearly? In this episode, I sit down with Irini Hara for a deeply personal conversation about raising an autistic son, living through years of uncertainty, and rethinking what “normal” even means. We talk about the early signs she noticed, the loneliness many p...

What Rejection Sensitivity Really Feels Like—and How I Start Moving Through It If you’ve ever read too much into a text, replayed a silence for hours, or felt one small moment hit far harder than it “should,” this conversation will likely feel very familiar. In this episode, I sit down with "BB" Brito to talk about rejection sensitive dysphoria in a way that feels real, human, and easy to understa...

From Corporate Burnout to Building Wealth on Her Own Terms with Tanya Rooney What happens when a “secure” job stops feeling safe and your life starts running on autopilot? In this episode, I sit down with Tanya Rooney to talk about what it really took to walk away from corporate real estate, face the fear of leaving a steady paycheck, and start building wealth one property at a time. We get into t...

When Neurodivergence, Gaslighting, and Emotional Abuse Overlap What happens when being wired differently gets used against you? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Wanda Kaye to talk about why emotional abuse can hit neurodivergent people in ways that are confusing, isolating, and painfully hard to name. We talk about gaslighting, trauma bonds, pattern recognition, and why leaving an abusive dyna...

When an Autism Diagnosis Makes the Past Finally Click What does it feel like when a diagnosis doesn’t answer everything, but it helps your life make more sense? In this episode, I sit down with Ebony Backes for a thoughtful conversation about autism, creativity, grief, comfort, and the quiet ways we come to understand ourselves over time. Ebony shares what it was like to feel confused by other kid...

What Caregivers Carry That Most People Never See with Crystal Griffth Behind every diagnosis, ER visit, and fight to be heard, there’s often a caregiver carrying far more than anyone notices. In this conversation, I sit down with Crystal Griffin to talk about what caregiving really looks like when medical needs, burnout, grief, and advocacy all collide. We talk about the quiet weight families carr...

Finding Identity, Community, and Purpose After a Late Autism Diagnosis What changes when you finally have words for a life that never quite made sense? In this episode, I sit down with Thomas Hassell to talk about that shift. Thomas shares what it was like to move through school and work without the support he needed, and how a later autism diagnosis helped him understand his past in a new way. We...