My Neurodivergent Life

In this engaging conversation, Sol Smith shares his journey of self-discovery as an autistic individual and the process of writing his book, 'The Autistic's Guide to Self-Discovery.' He discusses the misconceptions surrounding autism, the importance of community support, and the challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals in professional settings. Sol emphasizes the significance of unmasking on...

Rick and Gabby explore the themes of self-soothing, self-regulation, and the impact of workplace culture on mental health. They discuss the importance of pets in providing comfort, the challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals in social and work environments, and the need for corporate cultures to adapt to support employee well-being. The conversation highlights personal anecdotes and insight...

In this conversation, Rick MacIvor and Gabby Nistico explore the nuances of fidgeting behavior, its origins, and its implications in various settings such as education, the workplace, and parenting. They discuss the rise of fidget toys, the societal perceptions surrounding fidgeting, and how it can be both a coping mechanism and a tool for focus. The conversation also touches on gender differences...

In this conversation, Gabby Nistico and Rick MacIvor explore the complexities of sleep, discussing personal experiences, the impact of mental health and neurodivergence on sleep patterns, and the importance of sleep hygiene. They delve into the challenges of achieving quality sleep, the role of medication, and the connection between autoimmune disorders and insomnia. The discussion also touches on...

In this conversation, Rick MacIvor and Gabby Nistico explore the complexities of change, discussing how people often resist it and the mental hurdles that come with transitions. We share personal experiences of navigating significant life changes, such as shifting careers and overcoming feelings of being stuck. The discussion emphasizes the importance of finding momentum, embracing individuality,...

In this conversation, Rick MacIvor shares his journey into graduate school, discussing the emotional roller coaster of the application process, the unexpected challenges of interviews, and the anxiety that arose from competing with other prospective students. He reflects on past experiences that triggered feelings of inadequacy and shame, particularly in academic settings. The discussion delves in...

Welcome back electric meatballs, it’s time to get all up into My Neurodivergent Life.  Today Gabby and I are joined by Victoria Lininger.   Today’s conversation was a lot of fun. Victoria was just a hoot to talk with and choc full of information.  One of Victorias previous businesses was as a music therapist.  Lot’s of interesting info there.  We talk about audio processing disorder, using music t...

Welcome back electric meatballs, it’s time to get all up into My Neurodivergent Life.  Today Gabby and tackle the conversation around neurodivergence health and body image.  And to do this we are very excited to be bringing in our first ever guest on the show, Mike Pridgen. Many years ago Mike was diagnosed with what was then called Asperger’s, now known as ASD.  We’ll hear him tell the story of h...

Hi and welcome to the first episode of season two of the My Neurodivergent Life podcast.  I’m Rick Macivor and I’m joined by Gabby Nistico.  Gabby and I both had very busy summers, Myself, I ventured on an eighteen day vacation to Scotland.  Wonderful trip, and I learned some really important things about myself and my ADHD while traveling.  So today we go through a few of those insights and even...

Hey there my electric meatball friends, you have arrived at the end of season one of the My Neurodivergent Life Podcast.  I’m a child that grew up on American sitcoms, and their seasons are usually 24 episodes, I can’t help but follow that rule.  Gabby and I reflect briefly on what we’ve learned this season, and I reveal something I never ever thought I would do again in a million years.  Really. ...

Hey there my electric meatball friends, you have arrived at the My Neurodivergent Life Podcast.  I’m Rick Macivor and today Gabby and I talk about clutter. I learn all about something called goat trails, and the poop rule.  We dive into the why of stuff, is it just for sentimental reasons or is there more to it.  Oh and Gabby shares her tried and true method for de-cluttering. This one is a ride,...

Ok meatballs, today’s story is positive and inspiring, mostly. Imagine a world where it’s ok to advocate for yourself at work. It’s ok to the people around you and to your customers to talk about what’s really going on, what you’re needs are, and to have the support of management, HR, leadership.  It’d be nice.  Well, today Gabby and I talk about an experience where that absolutely was the case.  ...

This week on the My neurodivergent life podcast Gabby and I dive into bottom up vs top down.  No not if you are a bottom or a top, no. We talk about how neurodivergent folks tend to have sensory first experiences rather than situational first experiences.  Don’t worry it’ll make sense in the first 3 minutes.  Also how our sensory first view of the world can drive so many of our choices, and how we...

“Why do I always feel like I’m in trouble?”  Is it a learned behavior or is it part of how our neurodivergent brains are wired?  It’s a chicken and egg scenario.  We dig into how neurodivergent negative patterns are formed and reinforced and how that affects us throughout our lives.

Today’s episode is all about pattern recognition.  Current events, music, geometry, relationships, all of these things have patterns in some form or another. Sometimes it’s a superpower, and other times, well, it can cause us a whole bunch of stress.  The trick is, when can you trust it and when might it be driven by fear?  An awareness is the first step. 

Today we explore negativity bias.  Also known as catastrophising, the downward spiral, worst case scenario.  Why do we do it?  Where does it come from?  What are the coping skills we tend to use to stop doing it. Some are healthier than others.  Maybe if we can understand it a bit better, we can recognize it faster and pull up before we hit the ground.

Today, gabby Nistico and I pull apart how us neurodivergent folks relate to time.  What is time anyway?  How do we deal with the phenomenon of time blindness?  What’s behind that little quirk?  I know that when I hyper fixate I can easily lose hours in my day.  And sometimes, often times actually, I’m completely unaware it’s happening.  I do have a few strategies to deal with my time blindness tha...

Oh my dear meatballs have we got a doozy today.  Gabby and I unpack RFK Jr.’s diabolical attack on the neurodivergent community.  Specifically Autism.  He has held a series of press conferences full of disinformation, outlandish claims and poor methodology all centered around finding the cause of the disease of autism.  And all by September of 2025. So what about this crusade is so damaging?  What...

Today’s episode is all about college degrees. We talk about the current college experience, and what new graduates are experiencing when they leave and start looking for work.  Also, how college today is so expensive that it leaves little time to explore different subjects, varied interests, and some things that you might not even know you wanted to know.  What happens if you don’t get an undergra...

This week gabby and I dig into Rumination.  You know, when you can’t stop thinking about that embarrassing moment from years ago, or even something that happened to you that was never in your control in the first place that you can’t seem to stop thinking about.  Sometimes even that song that gets stuck in your head, oh and by the way, I have a secret trick to getting rid of ear worms that works p...

Have you heard of the practice of bed rotting?  It’s a term that has started to pop up.  And as much as rotting may conjure up negative connotations, it’s actually a form of self care.  With our digitally connected world, where we can be productive anywhere, why can’t that place have a pillow?  Today we explore the reasons, the positives and the possible challenges that is bed rotting. 

Today on the My Neurodivergent life podcast, Gabby Nistico and I are diving into negative feedback, constructive criticism, and how us Neurodivergent folks handle receiving it, and how we can better give this feedback.  How can we avoid being just plain argumentative, or defensive.  Is it possible to create a mindset in the workplace that diffuses anxiety and still work on problems?  What does the...

HOHOHO electric meatballs, welcome back to the My Neurodivergent life podcast.  I’m Rick MacIvor and I’m once again joined by the effervescent Gabby Nistico.  This time of year, being neurodivergent can be extra stressful.  Gabby knows this all too well.  How do you deal with all the traffic, the break in the routine, other people being extra chatty, the energy of the holiday spirit alone can use...

Gabby and I are almost finished with the wish list, these are the final two items.  The adhd joke that you hear over and over is “squirrel!”  Ha, ha yes sometimes that can happen.  But really, it’s really about not being able to do the thing.  Even if I really want to do the thing, I can’t seem to get it done. Getting over that is a challenge and there is one trick that I use that seems to help. ...

Today Gabby Nistico and I continue talking about the items on my wish list.  First up is Don’t hover, both physically and psychologically. Then, my personal favorite Brain pudding.  I’ll just let that sit there and I’ll explain it later. And lastly, Multitasking is bull poop. for several reasons that we dive deep into.