PDA: Resistance and Resilience

In episode 14, Marni and Chris mark the first anniversary of PDA: Resistance and Resilience the PDA way—a little late, and on our own terms. No guest this time, just the two of us reflecting on how our relationship to PDA has shifted over the year. We discuss what it means to hold a label lightly, identifying with PDA without making it the whole basket, and the internalized ableism that surfaces w...

In episode 13, Blake Boles joins Marni and Chris to talk about self-directed living and the search for purpose outside conventional systems. Founder of Unschool Adventures, Blake has spent since 2008 taking teens who don’t go to school on international trips, and has written several books on self-directed learning—most recently Dirtbag Rich: High Freedom, Low Income, Deep Purpose . He reclaims “di...

Content note: This episode includes brief discussion of suicidal ideation, mental health crises, school avoidance and truancy proceedings, and harmful behavioral interventions. In episode 12, Marni and Chris are joined by Diane Gould and Melissa McKenzie of PDA North America to talk about the PDA Experience Report : the first large-scale study of PDA lived experience in North America. Nearly 2,200...

After an extended break from recording, Marni and Chris return in episode 11 to talk about the reason for the gap: caregiving. Chris shares about supporting their friend and mentor, Michael M. Piechowski . The conversation moves from Chris’s specific experience into a wider exploration of what caregiving asks of PDAers, why the “selfish PDAer” stereotype gets it so wrong, and how the demands of ca...

Episode 10 is a special episode of PDA: Resistance and Resilience—a collaborative roundtable conversation with seven neurodivergent podcasters, recorded as part of a research project exploring what podcasting makes possible as a way of creating and sharing knowledge. This episode is the companion recording to a peer-reviewed article published in the journal Neurodiversity as part of a special issu...

Content note: This episode includes discussion of suicide, self-mutilation, psychiatric institutionalization, and mental illness in historical and personal contexts. In episode 9, Chris and Marni dive into the theory of positive disintegration (TPD), developed by Polish psychiatrist Kazimierz Dąbrowski. Chris shares the theory’s origins—rooted in Dąbrowski’s own lived experience of intensity and s...

In episode 8, Marni and Chris talked with Dr. Amy Clark, whose doctoral research uncovered why mentoring is uniquely powerful for PDA learners. Amy explains what real mentoring looks like: attunement, autonomy, flexibility, and deep curiosity. We discuss why traditional educational models fail PDA kids, how burnout happens, why praise can backfire, and how families can bring mentoring principles i...

In episode 7, Marni and Chris talked with Mattia Maurée, an AuDHD coach and host of the AuDHD Flourishing podcast. We explore the intersection of PDA, existential awareness, and the journey toward honoring our body’s wisdom. Mattia shares their personal journey from receiving diagnoses of complex PTSD and bipolar disorder as a young person to later discovering autism, ADHD, and PDA—reframings that...

In episode 6, Chris and Marni talk with Becca Campbell, an ADHD PDAer raising an ADHD PDAer and the founder of Matching Sweaters Travel Company. We discuss the unique challenges and insights that come with travel as a PDA adult and parent. Travel often means facing layers of uncertainty, shifting routines, and unexpected demands — all of which can spark resistance and anxiety. Together, we explore...

In episode 5, Marni and Chris talked with Caitlin Hughes, a multi-exceptional (Autistic, ADHD, Gifted) Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and founder of Cathartic Collaborations, a neurodivergent-affirming private practice in Brisbane, Australia. We explore what it really means to live with a pervasive drive for autonomy as an adult. We talk about how privilege, safety, and life design shape t...

In episode 4 of PDA: Resistance and Resilience, Marni and Chris were joined by Katy Higgins Lee, MFT, a multiply neurodivergent therapist and parent from Santa Rose, California. Together, we dive into the complex terrain of functioning labels, exploring how terms like “high-functioning” and even PDA itself can be misused in ways that reduce human complexity and perpetuate ableist assumptions. The...

Welcome to Episode 3 of PDA: Resistance and Resilience, recorded in Skokie, Illinois, following the PDA North America Conference. In this episode, Marni and Chris reflect on their time at the event—what it was like to attend as participants rather than presenters, the range of experiences among PDA parents and adults, and the importance of building community across stages of life and development....

In episode 2, Marni and Chris dive into the question, What is PDA? —not just how it’s defined by others, but how it feels in our bodies and shows up across our lives. We explore how definitions grounded in childhood behaviors can fall short when you're trying to understand yourself as an adult—and why lived experience should be at the center of the conversation. Together, we unpack: * How PDA ofte...

In episode 1 of PDA: Resistance and Resilience , co-hosts Marni Kammersell and Chris Wells sit down for an unscripted, personal conversation about Pathological Demand Avoidance as a lived experience. Together, we explore what it means to question the dominant narratives around PDA, especially as adults who have spent a lifetime resisting internal and external demands. This episode highlights what...