Neurodivergent Strategies for Late-Diagnosed Adults: The Divergent Paths Podcast

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! Rest isn’t a reward, it’s a requirement. In this solo episode of Neurodivergent Solutions , Dr. Regina McMenomy explores why rest is essential for neurodivergent bodies and brains, and why our cultural beliefs about laziness, productivity, and burnout often fail those of us with ADHD, autism, and other neurodivergences. Regin...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! Struggling to manage your time, stay on schedule, or even feel the passing of time? You’re not alone. In this episode of Divergent Paths , host Dr. Regina McMenomy and co-host Russ Catanach unpack the neuroscience behind time blindness , a common experience for people with ADHD and autism. We explore: What time blindness real...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! Why do so many neurodivergent adults resist going to bed even when they're exhausted? In this episode of Divergent Paths , Dr. Regina McMenomy and co-host Russ Catanach explore the psychology and neuroscience behind revenge bedtime procrastination , a common but misunderstood behavior where people delay sleep to reclaim auton...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! Is it emotional immaturity or the long-term impact of masking, trauma, and survival mode? In this heartfelt episode of Divergent Paths , Dr. Regina McMenomy explores how neurodivergent individuals often experience delayed or disrupted emotional development, not because they’re broken, but because they’ve been adapting to envi...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! What exactly is a special interest and why are they so essential to neurodivergent people? In this episode of Divergent Paths , Dr. Regina McMenomy breaks down how special interests go far beyond hobbies. From emotional regulation to identity formation, we explore the deep role these passions play for ADHD and autistic folks....

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! Do you ever feel emotionally overloaded without knowing why? Or find yourself mirroring someone else's mood without realizing it? You’re not alone—and you’re not broken. In this episode of Divergent Paths , Dr. Regina McMenomy and cohost Russ Catanach unpack two powerful but often misunderstood neurodivergent experiences: emo...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! In this episode of Divergent Paths , Dr. Regina McMenemy and co-host Russ Catanach explore the all-too-relatable phenomena of DOOM piles and task saturation—when your physical and mental clutter team up to ambush your productivity and sanity. From unopened mail to emotional overload, this conversation blends humor, insight, a...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! Burnout isn’t just about being tired—it’s what happens when your nervous system is screaming for a better way to live. In this episode of Divergent Paths , host Dr. Regina McMenomy is joined by Russ Catanach for a deeply honest conversation about neurodivergent burnout. They unpack how masking, misaligned environments, and hy...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! Welcome back to Divergent Paths , the podcast that explores neurodivergent life beyond the stereotypes. In this episode, host Dr. Regina McMenomy, Ph. D. dives deep into one of the most misunderstood aspects of neurodivergence— Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), sometimes reframed as a Persistent Drive for Autonomy . If you...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! What if your struggle to focus, stay motivated, or meet deadlines wasn't a character flaw but a mismatch between your nervous system and your environment? In this episode of Divergent Paths , we explore the concept of interest-based nervous systems—a defining feature of many neurodivergent experiences, especially ADHD. We bre...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! Clutter: some of us thrive in it, some drown in it, and for many neurodivergent folks, it’s a constant battle. In this episode, Russ joins me as the curious co-host to explore the complicated relationship between clutter, executive function, and neurodivergence. We talk about why traditional organizing methods don’t always wo...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! In this episode of Divergent Paths , I sit down with Juliana Allen, a somatic healing coach, civil service executive director, and mother, to explore the deep and often complex journey of discovering neurodivergence later in life. Juliana shares her personal experience of being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, unraveling year...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! Perfectionism, for many neurodivergent folks, can look like a source of motivation but is most often a roadblock that keeps us stuck in cycles of procrastination, burnout, and self-doubt. In this episode, Russ joins me as the curious co-host to dig into the ways perfectionism uniquely impacts neurodivergent minds. We talk abo...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! In this episode of Divergent Paths , Dr. Regina McMenomy and her longtime friend, Russ Catanach, explore the complex world of masking for individuals with ADHD and autism. Masking involves suppressing authentic behaviors to conform to societal norms, often at great personal cost. Regina shares her insights as a late-diagnosed...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! Sam Rockwell is a mistress of many trades. She shares her story with Divergent Path about struggling with anxiety and depression and how her ADHD diagnosis changed her life. Listen to our discussion about the revelations of how medication can help significantly curb anxiety for people with ADHD and the life changes we both ex...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! One of the most challenging aspects of getting a late diagnosis (at least for me and this week's guest) is recognizing the impact it's had all through your life and then finding a community that accepts, welcomes and understands you. Kendra Koch is the founder of Divergently, an online community designed specifically for late...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! RSD... Yeah you know me... Well at the end of this episode, you will know a lot more about me! In this episode of Everything you Wanted to Know about Russ and I talk about RSD, Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria. Understanding RSD has been key to me understanding how deeply my late diagnosis impacted my sense of self. I've heard c...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! For this episode of Divergent Paths , we explore the intersection of identity, neurodivergence, and photography with our guest, Rachel Konsella, a professional elopement and wedding photographer. Rachel shares how she thrives in the dynamic, often chaotic wedding environment, and we dive into the powerful role photography pla...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! This week, Kaytalin Platt joins Regina on the show. Kaytalin shares stories of growing up in rural Alabama and how life changing it was to move to the big city. This is the first time Kaytalin talks about her spicy brain and I deeply appreciate her sharing her story with us! Checkout Kaytalin's books on her website https://ka...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! Regina and Russ discuss executive functioning. They define what it is, what challenges its disfunction causes, and some tips and tricks to get your spicy brain to make more of those sweet, sweet decisions. Have you struggled with executive disfunction? Have you ever experienced decision paralysis? Hit us up on @DivergentPaths...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! Horses, and zebras, and King Henry the 8th's wives.... oh my! Join Regina as she chats with Rachel Ferdaszewski, a professional organizer in the Portland, Oregon area. They discuss the process of learning about masking, what it's like to unmask later in life, and talk about their lives as spicy brained moms of spicy brained k...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! "Everything you Wanted to Know about: hyperfocus." Russ joins Regina on the show again to go into greater depth on a topic of particular interest to spicy brained people: hyperfocus. We discuss in greater detail how hyperfocus is different from being goal oriented, how it feels to be in a hyperfocused state, and what it's lik...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! In this episode, Regina chats with Jackie Hanselmann Sergi. Jackie shares her story about growing up in a blended military family, her history challenging social norms, and how her path diverged from her expected career to a "not real" coaching business. You can read more about Jackie at the Radical Spark Coaching website and...

Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! In this inaugural episode of Divergent Paths , host Dr. Regina McMenomy, Ph. D. shares her personal journey of discovering her neurodivergent identity later in life. Reflecting on her ADHD diagnosis, Regina discusses how it has reshaped her understanding of past challenges and family dynamics. Joined by her longtime friend Ru...