Different, Not Broken

Boomers love secrets! I said it. Maybe you flinched reading that—maybe you’re nodding along, feeling it deep in your bones, the way “don’t tell anyone” was as common in your house as “finish your peas.” This episode is for every person who grew up in a family where “put on a smile” was mandatory, pain was packed neatly away, and no news—good or bad—ever left the front door until it was passé. I’m...

Breakups Aren’t Just for Lovers: Why Losing Neurodivergent Friends Hurts So Damn Much We don’t talk enough about the heartbreak of losing neurodivergent friends. For many of us, those friendships feel deeper than family. And when they end, the grief can be worse than any romantic breakup. This Different Not Broken episode dives into the messy, under-discussed reality of neurodivergent friendships...

Nine years. That’s how long it’s been since my dad died. Nine years of breathing around a space that never refills. Nine years of being a parent without my favorite example of maternal energy. Nine years of mothering, leading, starting a business, and still, on some days, needing to remind myself that “different” is just that—different, not broken. Welcome to an episode that will mess with your pa...

I've never been able to tell left from right. There! I said it. I’ll probably say it again at least fourteen times before breakfast tomorrow. My brain has never clocked the absolute 'well, obviously' of which direction is which. But... plot twist... that’s not a problem. It’s just different. And that difference taught me a hell of a lot more about myself, my family, and resilience than any workboo...

One pill a day. That’s all it takes, apparently, to give the world its color back. You’d think adding a little routine to your morning... a pill, a glass of water... wouldn’t be the hill your mental health dies on, but here we are. In this week’s episode of Different, Not Broken , I'm letting you in on the strange, subtle shape that anxiety and depression can take. And why you don’t need a five-al...

Here's why we all need to marry a Pinterest mom! This is your cue to send a bouquet of apology flowers to every postal worker you’ve ever rolled your eyes at. In this week’s episode, I, Lauren Howard (aka L2, thanks for asking), spiral into the surprisingly convoluted topics of marriage, US mailing discounts and business-unit-only windows that might or might not be open. Turns out, love isn’t alwa...

Who told you you weren’t good enough? No really, who actually said it? Because I checked, and 9 times out of 10, it’s just you playing that broken record in your head. I show up to urgent care in pajamas, basically grunting in pain, and still get asked for telehealth advice. That’s right. People think I know what I’m doing. Meanwhile, I am absolutely carrying a full set of imposter syndrome luggag...

What is “normal,” and why does everyone want it so damn bad? No, really. When did we start treating “normal” like the holy grail instead of the steaming pile of… well, I’ll let you fill in the blank. On this episode of Different, Not Broken , I—Lauren Howard, your host, also known as L2—am pulling normal out of its gilded cage, shaking it around, and tossing it straight into the trash where it bel...

The Black Neurodivergent Experience People say things like "just be yourself" with the expectation that you’ll just snap your fingers and turn the volume down on generations of pressure to fit in. But what does that even mean when your existence as 'yourself' stops conversations cold? When walking into every room means holding your breath, trying to shrink for comfort, or shapeshifting for someone...

Nobody Knows What They’re Doing Have you ever found yourself glancing around a room (or a Zoom meeting, or a group chat, or the chaos of your living room) and wondered, “Who put me in charge—don’t they know I still feel sixteen most days?” Yeah, me too. In this episode of “Different, Not Broken,” I, Lauren Howard—L2 for the cool kids —am letting you in on the messiest, most liberating secret of ad...

Well done, you've decided to escape MAGA. Here's the learning moment. Your trauma is not an excuse to create more trauma It finally happened. Someone said it out loud. Someone from the inside. Not in a viral Twitter thread or anonymous Reddit post, but right here, in full view and full voice. Most of us have our ideas — the way we imagine 'the MAGA community'. We picture the caricature: all bluste...

Have you ever caught yourself rehearsing your 'acceptable' self before walking into a room full of strangers? You know — slapping on that thin, artificial smile, smoothing out every quirk for the comfort of everyone else, and realizing you’re running a (very professional) version of a one-person Broadway show called, “Make Me Palatable”? Hi, I’m Lauren Howard (People call me "L2"), and this week o...

Yep, I'm back, caffeinated and undeterred, ready to take on the swirling mess of “autism registries,” junk science, and that perennial fixture of Twitter meltdowns: RFK Jr. himself. This week’s episode - “Autism Registry - RFK can suck a lawnmower.” It's not for the faint of heart—or for anyone who thinks the federal government has a “big red medical record button” (newsflash: it doesn’t). Are you...

I’m obsessed with my own podcast stats. There! I said it. If the first step is admitting you have a problem, then…well, consider this episode my very public confession. But here’s the real kicker: I never saw this coming. I didn’t realize hitting 'refresh' on the analytics page of my podcast hosting dashboard would become my new form of adrenaline. Or that watching the listener count go up (or, te...

Why is behavioral health so impossibly hard to access, navigate, and survive—especially if you’re wired a bit differently? Maybe you’ve asked yourself that before. We have too. Heck, we’ve made a whole business (and apparently, a whole podcast) out of asking exactly that: Why does it have to be so hard ? Welcome to “Different, Not Broken”—the podcast where bureaucratic tangles, soul-draining waitl...

Why you have to ask the 'stupid' questions. Seriously. And, Freud's boring. Not opinion. Actual science. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “But, L2, I’d rather set my hair on fire than look clueless in front of a room full of people (or, for that matter, one person I secretly—or not-so-secretly—want to impress).”   Hi! I’m Lauren Howard (but you can call me L2—everyone does), and this is Diff...

I'm saying it out loud - a paycheck is not a permission slip for abuse. I added some bullhorn for effect. Hey, It’s "Different, Not Broken", and I’m Lauren Howard — "L2" if you’re friendly or just prefer to keep things efficient. And I’m here to shatter one of the workplace’s worst-kept secrets: the idea that a direct deposit into your bank account means you have to swallow abuse, keep quiet, and...

Welcome to "Different, not broken." I’m Lauren Howard—most people call me L2—and I’m here to shake up everything you think you know about 'professionalism'. In this episode, I’m explaining why professionalism, as it’s sold to us, is pretty much bullshit. We’re told we have to fit this narrow, stuffy standard to survive in the workplace, but let’s be real: that standard was designed to exclude anyo...

The world often feels rigged. And this episode is a wake-up call to recognize the barriers that exist for those who don’t fit the traditional mold. In this episode, which is a kind of tribute to my dear departed Dad, I recount some powerful lessons from the man who was a brilliant psychiatrist and my biggest champion. He taught me that if something feels off about the environment you’re in, it pro...

I have two cousins. Two. And I didn’t even meet them until we were all adults. So, yeah—when people talk about the support they get from big, extended families, it’s not exactly the world I know. The importance of chosen family You want to talk about family? Mine has never really fit the greeting-card mold. Forget the idea that blood is always thicker than water. Turns out, the people who pick up...

I’m all about showing up as my true self, and yeah, that means I drop the F-bomb like it’s confetti at a party. Some folks might be turned off by that, but honestly? I couldn’t give a f...! We need to all be about embracing who we are, flaws and all, and that includes my colorful vocabulary. So in this episode, I want to talk with you about how being authentic can actually draw the right people to...

This episode is a rallying cry for empathy and understanding, especially for those who are non-verbal or struggle to communicate. Stop calling the police on Brown and Black people Did you catch the story of Victor Perez? If you didn't, I urge you to do so. In this bonus episode of "Different, not broken" I want to explore the layers of miscommunication that led to his death and how society's perce...

Hi, I'm Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Everybody does. I'm the CEO who says fuck on the internet a lot. We'll get more into that later... Our podcast "Different, Not Broken" isn't fucking about. We'll explore the often-overlooked dichotomy between being different and feeling broken. It's my jam to recognize individuality, particularly among those who have been systematically marginalized for t...

You are different, not broken! And this podcast is for you. The podcast delves into the profound notion that societal norms often dictate how individuals should perceive themselves and their identities. The speakers assert that the premise of conformity is fundamentally flawed; they challenge the idea that one's inherent characteristics warrant correction or modification. Through candid reflection...