Neurotypicals Don't Juggle Chainsaws

We're back with the first part of our recent live episodes recorded at Gosforth Civic Theatre, and this one is all about giving yourself permission to stop doing things that make life harder than it needs to be. From supermarkets and recycling systems to forms, handshakes, Christmas dinner and social expectations, Kate, Nic and the audience share their own personal "just don't" m...

How many things do you do every day without realising they might actually be stims?     In this episode, Kate returns from running a neurodivergent writing retreat in Scotland after accidentally blowing everyone’s minds with a session on language stims. What starts as a chat about repeating words quickly turns into a much bigger conversation about humming, echolalia, accents, family phrases and al...

A quick note before this one: this episode was originally recorded as the April podcast for Autism Acceptance Month, but due to an upload error, it’s now landing in May. So if you hear Nic and Kate referring to “this month”, that’s why.     They also kick things off with a reminder that their live show is happening this Thursday, 21st May at Gosforth Civic Theatre, where you can see them in the fl...

🎤 Live show news! Kate and Nic are bringing Neurotypicals Don’t Juggle Chainsaws to the stage for a live podcast recording at Gosforth Civic Theatre on Thursday 21 May 2026. ⁠You can book your tickets here!⁠ After spotting a Department for Education video claiming to show an “inclusive classroom”, Kate and Nic unpack what inclusive education actually looks like versus what systems say it looks li...

Moving house has sent Kate into a deep, all-consuming hyperfocus on getting rid of stuff . Not the moving part – the chucking part. In this episode, Kate and Nic talk about why letting go of objects can be surprisingly hard for neurodivergent people, from sentimentality and anthropomorphising things, to executive function, recycling rules, inherited scarcity thinking and the sheer logistics of “do...

It’s 2026, Kate is in a teddy bear onesie, and we are asking a big question: am I actually ill, or is this burnout in disguise?   In this episode, Nic and Kate talk about that fuzzy overlap between being physically unwell and being completely out of spoons. Kate shares how a virus forced her to confront her own ideas about rest, why staying in bed with comfort TV can still feel like a battle, and...

It’s Christmas Day and Nic and Kate are taking a festive detour: re-imagining A Christmas Carol through a neurodivergent lens.  Inspired by a brilliant story written by Nic’s child when they were 10, this episode explores the ghosts of Autistic Past, Present, and Future: from Victorian institutions and ABA therapy to today’s endless diagnosis debates and the worrying rise of “neurodiversity-lite.”...

Only 3 in 10 autistic people are said to be in work, but that statistic hides a much bigger story.  In this episode, Nic and Kate talk about how “voluntary experience” can sometimes slide into unpaid labour, why big corporations need to stop treating autistic workers like charity projects, and how employment systems often reward masking over merit.  Expect honesty, humour, and a few choice words f...

Do autistic people just notice more… or is there something genuinely spooky going on?  In this Halloween-timed episode, Nic and Kate pick apart the myths and reality around “psychic” autistic people; from Trump’s Tylenol claims and paracetamol panic to pattern-spotting, vibes, Hitler’s chair, and the infamous Telepathy Tapes .   They share their own uncanny experiences, how hyper-awareness can loo...

Sometimes the hardest thing about being neurodivergent isn’t the challenges themselves, it’s the people who think they’re being helpful but really… aren’t.  In this episode, Nic and Kate talk about the red flags to look out for, from outdated language like “with autism” to tokenistic “neurodiversity light” initiatives, and the all-too-familiar superpower clichés. They share their own experiences o...

In this episode of Neurotypicals Don’t Juggle Chainsaws , Nic and Kate talk frankly about the feeling that life is held together with wobbly scaffolding and what happens when it all falls down.  It’s also about recognising when the systems that are meant to help often just add to the load and how hard it is to keep advocating when you're already running on empty.  Important note: we’re moving...

We're back with another slice of beautifully chaotic honesty from Neurotypicals Don’t Juggle Chainsaws .  This week, Nic and Kate get stuck into the world of beauty practitioners, from eyebrow appointments to small talk, and why some environments just aren’t set up with neurodivergent brains in mind.  It’s very funny, very real, and might just make you feel a bit more seen. 

Some shows are more than just telly. They’re our background noise, our wind-down routine, or our way of shutting the world out when it’s all a bit much. In this episode, Nic and Kate chat about comfort shows, why they matter, what counts as one, and how they serve a bigger purpose than people often realise. Think you’ve got a ‘weird’ comfort show? You’re in good company.

Are you an HSP?  Highly Sensitive People (HSPs) get a mixed reception in online neurodivergent spaces.   Some say it’s just unspoken autism. Others say it’s a valid identity in its own right.  In this episode, Kate and Nic dig into what being an HSP actually means, whether it's its own neurodivergence, why some HSPs feel in-between and why the "quiet person with a book" isn't alw...

What is potential anyway?  Is it four A grades and an S-Level in English?  Is it memorising 15 poems, even if you’re a poet who wouldn’t answer a single exam question on your own work?  Is it going to Oxford? (Or deliberately not going to Oxford?)  This week’s episode of Neurotypicals Don’t Juggle Chainsaws is about education, potential, class, memory tests, teenage poetry, and why we don’t all pe...

Hands up if you’ve ever apologised for your tone in a three-line email.  Or assumed a stranger’s silence meant they hate you.  Or spiralled for hours over a “no.”  Yep, us too.  In this episode of Neurotypicals Don’t Juggle Chainsaws , Kate and Nic dig into rejection sensitivity: the life experiences that wire us for it, why it shows up so strongly in neurodivergent folks and what helps.  If you’v...

Is it resilience, or is it just surviving a broken system?  In this episode of Neurotypicals Don’t Juggle Chainsaws , Kate and Nic are joined by special guest Anna Knight, a former speech therapist turned coach for world-changers (and dungaree-lovers).  They explore why 'resilience' gets weaponised (especially in schools), what true resilience actually looks like and the liberating power o...

Can what you wear change how you feel?  In this episode of Neurotypicals Don’t Juggle Chainsaws , Kate and Nic get into the joy of dopamine dressing, from rainbow trousers and sunflower dungarees to sequins, shiny shoes, and novelty ties.  There’s talk of goths, grief, rainbows, resistance, and a fair bit about pockets.  Whether you’re fully sequinned or just testing out a colourful earring, you’r...

This one’s for the animal lovers and the animal needers. Kate and Nic explore how animals can calm, support, and connect us, especially if you're neurodivergent. From alpaca walks to ex-therapy pets, dog reading, and fox neighbours (yes, really), it’s a warm, funny episode about the very real emotional support that animals can bring. Includes: cats with opinions, therapy owls, and a red panda with...

It's time for episode 42. This one’s about AI...again. But can you blame us? From helping with legal letters and holiday hot tub instructions, to identifying flowers mid-walk and giving specific, heartfelt compliments on funeral outfits, AI’s proving oddly perfect for neurodivergent brains.  We talk friendship, therapy, ethics, awkward Roman queens, and what happens when AI gets philosophical...

In this episode, Kate and Nic talk about death - how we process it (or don’t), how society expects us to react, and why it can feel particularly complex for neurodivergent people. They cover everything from scripts that don’t land, to overwhelming grief etiquette, to why “I’m sorry for your loss” sometimes just doesn’t cut it. It’s honest, thoughtful, awkward in places, and quietly funny in others...

In Episode 40 of Neurotypicals: Don’t Juggle Chainsaws, we explore the idea that things like truth, justice, and mercy aren’t just abstract ideals, they’re deeply felt emotions for many neurodivergent people. Kate and Nic reflect on the strong sense of right and wrong that so often shapes autistic identity, activism, and everyday life. From personal ethics to social expectations, this episode gets...

In this week’s Neurotypicals Don’t Juggle Chainsaws, Nic and Kate take on the nonsense so you don’t have to. From the latest nonsense to paracetamol panic and vaccine conspiracies, they call out the wildest (and most persistent) myths about the cause of autism. Expect proper facts, sharp wit, and the kind of laughter you need when the world keeps asking the wrong questions. 🧬 Spoiler alert: it’s...

This week on Neurotypicals Don’t Juggle Chainsaws, Kate and Nic take on the tricky topic of friendship. What does it mean to be a good friend as a neurodivergent adult? Why is it so hard to make new ones? And is it OK to just want low-maintenance WhatsApp friendships and heated car seats? Expect honest chat, gentle humour, and some very relatable reflections on energy, expectations, and why being...

In the second part of our special episode with Fergus Murray and Sonny Hallett, we focus on the practical aspects of living as a neurodivergent individual, including the challenges and strategies related to neurodivergent privilege, identity construction, and community support.  Fergus and Sonny share their insights on creating supportive environments through counselling, advocacy, and mutual aid,...