NeuroQuirks

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 33, Simon Barry explores the Power of the Special Interest. In this episode, you'll discover: How intense focus and passion act as a cognitive superpower for rapid learning and emotional regulation. Why dopamine and executive functioning make special interests deeply rewarding and ne...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 32, Simon Barry explores the Imposter Syndrome Epidemic. In this episode, you'll discover: Why neurodivergent individuals are particularly susceptible to feeling like frauds in professional environments. The neurological mechanisms behind masking and how it fuels the imposter cycle....

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 31, Simon Barry explores the Neurodivergent Friendship Paradox. In this episode, you'll discover: Why socialising can feel exhausting despite a deep craving for connection. How neurodivergent brains process social cues and dopamine differently. The 'Friendship Audit' strategy...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 30, Simon Barry explores The Future is Neurodivergent. In this episode, you'll discover: How neurodivergent cognition, particularly pattern recognition and lateral thinking, is a perfect match for the AI age. The science behind enhanced perceptual functioning and why spotting hidden...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 29, Simon Barry explores the power of parallel play. In this episode, you’ll discover: • Why traditional forms of socialising can drain neurodivergent energy • How “being alone, together” acts as a profound form of connection and co-regulation • Practical ways to schedule both interactio...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 28, Simon Barry explores the relentless inner critic that so many of us know all too well. In this episode, you'll discover: Why the inner critic is often the voice of internalised ableism, not the voice of truth. How giving your inner critic a silly name creates distance and strips...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 27, Simon Barry explores the art of the infodump. In this episode, you'll discover: Why sharing deep knowledge about special interests is actually a profound act of vulnerability and trust How to use the concept of "invitations" to turn a monologue into an engaging conversa...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 26, Simon Barry explores The Neurodivergent Sleep Paradox. In this episode, you'll discover: Why traditional sleep hygiene advice often fails neurodivergent brains The biological reasons behind our chaotic circadian rhythms and nighttime hyperfocus Practical, brain-aligned strategies...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 25, Simon Barry explores The Neurodivergent Revolution. In this episode, you'll discover: ​Why the traditional workplace is finally waking up to the unique strengths of neurodivergent minds. ​How gamification and neuroscience are reshaping the way we support neurodivergent children. ​Pra...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how different minds work. In episode 24, Simon Barry talks about the grief that often follows a late diagnosis. The losses that rarely get named, but sit with you anyway. In this episode: Why late diagnosis often brings grief before it brings relief What it actually costs to spend years masking who you are How to look at...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 23, Simon Barry explores the supernova of neurodivergent joy. In this episode, we are celebrating a positive neurodivergent experience, joy. We explore the science behind this and give some actionable tips to help you. For the companion article and the free downloadable resources, visit...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 22, Simon Barry explores neurodivergent time and why our experience of time is not broken, but fundamentally different from the linear systems the world is built around. In this episode, you’ll discover: • Why time blindness is only part of the story • How differences in temporal process...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 21, Simon Barry explores the neurodivergent creative process and why creativity for many neurodivergent minds is rarely linear, often chaotic, and frequently the source of powerful innovation. In this episode, you’ll discover: • Why the traditional “step-by-step” creative process often d...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 20, Simon Barry lays out a manifesto for the future — a future that is neurodivergent. He explores why moving from a pathology model to a diversity model isn't just a feel-good idea, but an economic, social, and evolutionary imperative, and what it will take to build a world that wor...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 19, Simon Barry explores neurodivergent parenting, the reality of raising kids when your own brain struggles with executive function, sensory overload, and regulation, and why that difference can also be your greatest strength. In this episode, you’ll discover: • Why parenting can feel l...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 18, Simon Barry explores sensory seeking, the often-overlooked side of sensory differences, and why some brains don’t need less stimulation, but more. In this episode, you’ll discover: • What sensory seeking really is, and how it differs from sensory avoidance • Why some nervous systems...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 17, Simon Barry flips the script, moving beyond the struggle narrative to explore the Neurodivergent Advantage, the strengths that different brains bring to creativity, innovation, and changing the world. In this episode, you’ll discover: • Why neurodiversity shouldn’t be framed as a def...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 16, Simon Barry dives into neurodivergent burnout, the kind that doesn’t disappear after a weekend off, but hits when all your coping strategies, masking, and systems finally stop working. In this episode, you’ll discover: • What neurodivergent burnout really is, and how it differs from...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 15, Simon Barry unpacks executive dysfunction using a painfully relatable metaphor: a brain that feels like a browser with 100 tabs open, all competing for attention at once. In this episode, you’ll discover: • What executive dysfunction actually is, and why it has nothing to do with laz...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 14, Simon Barry explores stimming as the language your body speaks, and why repetitive movements, sounds, and behaviours are a vital part of neurodivergent self-regulation and expression. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why stimming isn’t a bad habit to stop, but a necessary way to cop...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 13, Simon Barry explores what love looks like when brains speak different languages, and why neurodivergent relationships often break the rules of traditional connection. In this episode, you’ll discover: • Why many relationship struggles come down to mismatched communication styles, not...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 12, Simon Barry dives into Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) — when your ears work just fine, but your brain scrambles the signal, turning everyday listening into an exhausting decoding exercise. ​ In this episode, you’ll discover: What APD really is, and why it’s a processing issue in...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 11, Simon Barry takes a deep, honest look at Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) — the intense emotional pain triggered by perceived rejection or criticism. In this episode, you’ll discover: • What RSD really feels like, beyond the clinical definition • Why RSD is a neurological response...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about how quirky minds work. In episode 10, Simon Barry explores the true power of special interests—those deep passions often misunderstood as “obsessions.” Discover: • Why special interests aren’t distractions, but engines of joy, identity, and emotional regulation • How they fuel focus, mastery, and connection • A simple sy...

NeuroQuirks is a podcast for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone curious about the quirky side of the mind. Hosted by Simon Barry, the neurodivergent founder of Knowbotics AI, episode 9 explores the quiet power of parallel play—showing how “being together, separately” can be one of the most authentic forms of connection for neurodivergent people.​ In this episode, you’ll discover: What parallel pla...