NACHOS: Neuro-Affirming Conversation Hour for Outreach and Support

NACHOS S3E4 – There and Back Again: What Hobbits Can Teach Us About Joy, Resilience, and Belonging Welcome back, Nachonauts. In this special episode of NACHOS: the Neuro-Affirming Conversation Hour for Outreach and Support, we celebrate Hobbit Day, the shared birthday of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, and reflect on what Tolkien’s hobbits can teach us about courage, joy, and belonging in a world that of...

In NACHOS S3E3 – Tolkien, Disability, and the Time We’re Given, Dr. Dutch explores the timeless wisdom of J.R.R. Tolkien alongside the urgent realities of disability and neurodivergence in higher education. Beginning with Frodo and Gandalf’s reminder that “all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us,” this episode connects Tolkien’s vision of resilience to Jay Timothy Dolmag...

In this week’s episode of NACHOS: The Neuro-Affirming Conversation Hour for Outreach and Support, we celebrate National Ampersand Day and explore what the “&” really means for our lives. From its history as a “broken infinity” symbol to Amanda Palmer’s reminder—“I’m not gonna live my life on one side of an ampersand”—we reflect on why living in the “both/and” is more powerful than being trapped in...

Season 3 Kickoff: Labor Day, Hidden Labor, and Belonging We’re back with a special Labor Day episode of NACHOS: the Neuro-Affirming Conversation Hour for Outreach and Support! In this week’s episode, Dr. Dutch dives into the history of Labor Day, the 1894 Pullman Strike, and what these struggles for workers’ rights can teach us about the invisible labor of neurodivergent life today. Along the way,...

Episode Title: Rest, Resist, Reimagine: The Summer Sendoff In this final NACHOS episode of the summer semester, we explore what it means to care for ourselves while standing up for our communities. From cognitive fatigue and microaccommodations to disability rights, inclusive design, and the dangers of policy rooted in fear instead of fact—we’re connecting the dots between self-care and systemic c...

What do black holes, medieval medicine, and misunderstood manuscripts have in common? In this episode of NACHOS (Neuro-Affirming Conversation Hour for Outreach and Support), we explore how science, history, and identity are being rewritten in real time. From cosmic voids to neurodivergent communication, join us as we challenge outdated models and reclaim forgotten truths with warmth, curiosity, an...

NACHOS—Neuro-Affirming Conversation Hour for Outreach and Support—returns with an exploration of neurodivergent presence, planning, and self-care. Host Dr. Adam Hazlett weaves together insights from Albert Camus and Thích Nhất Hạnh, a Nature Genetics study identifying four distinct autism profiles (July 9 2025), and new research on Monday cortisol spikes, weight-inclusive health, and personality-a...

What do whale pods, frozen wolf pups, disability policy, and your morning cup of coffee have in common? More than you might think. In this week’s episode of NACHOS (Neuro-Affirming Conversation Hour for Outreach and Support), we trace a powerful and tender thread of care—from prehistoric life to modern disability justice, from psilocybin-assisted therapy to the quiet brilliance of your own brain m...

This Week on NACHOS: “Bonhoeffer, Neuro-los-osity, and the Courage to Loosen” In this powerful episode of NACHOS (Neuro-Affirming Conversation Hour for Outreach and Support), we stand at the intersection of two legacies—Pride Month and Disability Pride Month—and ask what it truly means to speak, act, and become. We reflect on the enduring words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer—“Not to speak is to speak. Not...

This week on The Neuro-Affirming Conversation Hour for Outreach and Support (NACHOS), we explore what sustains us through the chaos and calm of neurodivergent life. From the anniversary of the world’s first roller coaster to groundbreaking research on brain health, memory, movement, and speech, this episode takes you on a journey through the unseen patterns that help us feel safe, connected, and w...

Welcome to NACHOS: The Neuro-Affirming Conversation Hour for Outreach and Support. In this episode, recorded during Pride Month, Dr. Adam Hazlett explores the radical roots of Pride—not just as a celebration, but as an act of resistance. Through the lens of neurodivergence, disability, and community care, we ask: What does it mean to take a side? And how do we stay close to our people in a world t...

Bias hides in plain sight—from the data sets that train our AI to the tiny sighs that shut neurodivergent voices down. In this NACHOS episode, Dr. Adam Hazlett traces that thread through a whirlwind of stories: AI experiments that amplify prejudice, orangutans whose recursive alarm calls upend what we call “language,” the neuroscience of why tickling works only when someone else does it, a nostalg...

What if your brain wasn’t broken (like my audio setup was this week)—but beautifully built for a different kind of brilliance? In this Memorial Day episode of NACHOS: The Neuro-Affirming Conversation Hour for Outreach and Support, we explore what it means to be human in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and neurotypical norms. From the hidden grooves of the brain to the simula...

In this special Malcolm X Day episode of NACHOS: Neuro-Affirming Conversation Hour for Outreach and Support, we explore the intersection of rhythm, resonance, accountability, and growth through a neurodivergent lens. This episode invites listeners to sit with discomfort, engage in radical self-reflection, and deepen their understanding of how science, music, memory, and justice intertwine in our e...

What if aging isn’t a decline… but a deepening? In this special birthday reflection, we invite you into a heartfelt and science-infused conversation about what makes a good life. Not productivity. Not perfection. Not resisting change. But softness. Connection. Self-care. And the quiet, radical choice to belong — to yourself, exactly as you are, through every season of life. Join us as we explore:...

This week’s NACHOS episode, "Lions, Landlords, and the Lie of Performance," is all about that quiet shift. We explore how ancient inequalities, societal expectations, and modern productivity culture still pressure us to perform for our worth — and why stepping out of that arena is radical, necessary, and healing. If you’ve ever felt like you’re on a stage you didn’t audition for — masking, pushing...