AuDHD Flourishing

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...

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 com...

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 Fac...

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...

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...

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 bei...

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'...

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...

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 Acas...

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 regul...

Danielle Aubin is an autistic therapist who works with autistic clients. And also shares about Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) and how it's strangely compatible with capitalism because of its orientation toward achievement. Other big topic is community building, and how it can be healing even when it's uncomfortable (in the right way). Relational healing is necessary for relationa...

A few ideas for accommodating your brain & needs around gift-giving and the holidays. Fun fact: Many of us have gone through a big minimalism stage! Please take care of yourself this season, whether that looks like unmasking or grey rocking ;) p.s. I have a public wish list and absolutely love practical gifts! It's a fun way to support the podcast :) Resources: Transcript Doc Email Newsletter...

You deserve to survive this. Please stay. And if staying out of spite helps you, it has gotten me through some tough times. My Medium article, "Please Stay, We Need You" Crisis Resources: USA-based anonymous crisis chat International crisis lines Various types of crisis resources in about 10 countries Resources: Transcript Doc Email Newsletter Like Your Brain  community space Hosted on Acast....

Have you absorbed the cultural idea that you "should" be able to be "present" without sensory aids? Fuuuuuuck that shiiiiit! Also been playing with sensory seeking (& its opposite) during moments of transition, and it's helping a LOT! Been considering the earplugs I mention, Loops ? They're my fave currently. (Note: if you don't like anything in your ears, you won't like these, either.) They h...

Thinking seasonally about gratitude in the context of..... everything happening right now. It's easy for my brain to want to solve every problem in the world. But I don't want to do the opposite of becoming entirely insular and only focusing on myself. I've found gratitude to be a way I can be more deeply interconnected (and in my case, add more reasons to want to live). Mentioned in episode: Ep 2...

AuDHDers often end up partly or fully self-employed. It can be due to desire, or out of necessity. Either way, this episode covers some tips to think about before starting. It may also be helpful if you've started businesses before and fallen for some bad advice (which I have). Mentioned in Episode:  The interviews with Zann and Sam about their businesses The book Profit First ( ebook & audio...

Feeling worried about the future? Uncertainty can be especially difficult for Autistic nervous systems. Today I go into more detail about WHY & HOW safety in the body can be a foundational practice for healing and wellness. At the end, I share the audio of a practice that is also on YouTube here if you'd like to follow along with visuals. The questions answered in this episode: What is safety...

Sam Cooper is an AuDHD coach and generally awesome human. When we met in person, we bonded over having worn the wrong size shoes for years, which led to the title of this episode. Sam shares about building a small business, and the upsides and downsides of a coaching business in particular. Sensory needs and discovering support tools. They also have an incredibly compassionate approach to their ow...

Zann's artist business is one of the easiest things she's ever done. And it's not even her main passion! Her deeply relatable history includes ten years of feeling like failure soup. It didn't feel like progress or learning, just failure. But it ultimately led her to figure out what does NOT work. She shares amazing ideas and practical advice.... this will be a great one to listen to more than onc...

If you struggle to figure out what to focus on with bigger goals, you're not alone! Here's one approach I've come up with for my own annual goals in particular. And some thoughts on decision making, since that's part of it. Wish List for bday (or whenever) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I failed my first driving test! On a technicality! Ah, the frustrations of begging to exist in structures not built for us. Three quick stories about bureaucratic bullshit in a single week, and how it fits into my own big ball of yarn. It's okay that the stuff that's hard for us is probably never going to be fun or easy. We need support and RESOURCES that work for us! More on finding good resource...

The autistic / AuDHD self-discovery journey can feel like finding out that you've been hammering screws this whole time. You never learned how to use the right tools. You may not have been given the right tools at all! A few thoughts on the grief inherent in the process, and how to equip your personal toolbox now that you know what's up. Resources: Like Your Brain  community space Transcript...

Weeks and months are staples of scheduling systems. But they tend not to work well for me as units of time. My personal ideal is two days on, two days off, though that's impractical. Instead, I talk about the various workarounds I've found, including intentionally scheduling rest (and how if I don't have time for that, I need to decrease demands). If weeks don't work well for you, how can you find...

This episode is about both why it's so hard to get help as an AuDHDer, and some of the broad steps I see working for us. It can help to have a view of your "big ball of yarn" i.e. complex and interrelated problems or life areas. It can also help to start addressing your sensory needs, core needs, and just live your life while you take a break from big processing. Please take care and be gentle to...

What NOT to do in your AuDHD discovery process is just as important as knowing what to do! This episode interweaves nicely with last week's episode about what AuDHDers need. This is hardly an exhaustive list, but it covers many of the patterns I've seen and heard in the community. Links mentioned: InterGifted: What is Giftedness? Autistic Culture Podcast Free Office Hours call (p.s. being a free P...