The Neurodivergent Connection / The Curious Storyteller

What a Late ADHD Diagnosis Can Change About Identity, Belonging, and Self-Forgiveness What happens when you spend decades feeling different, and then finally get the words for why? In this conversation, I sit down with Mark Steiner to talk about what shifted for him after receiving an ADHD diagnosis later in life. We talk about the quiet friction so many people carry for years, especially when the...

What Changes When I Stop Asking “What’s Wrong With Me?” If you’ve ever felt too much, too different, or deeply misunderstood, this conversation will stay with you. In this episode, I sit down with Patricia Stellamares to talk about masking, survival, late-diagnosed AuDHD, and what happens when we stop trying to be easier for other people to understand. We explore the quiet cost of living in self-p...

When Co-Parenting Keeps You on Edge: Finding Peace After Divorce with Sol I sat down with Sal for a deeply honest conversation about divorce, co-parenting, healing, and what it takes to stop living in constant reaction mode. In this episode, I explore what life can feel like after a relationship ends, especially when you still have to stay connected as parents. Sal shares how overwhelm, conflict,...

What Helps Neurodivergent Kids Thrive When School Doesn’t Fit? What happens when a child isn’t failing because they can’t learn, but because the system isn’t built for how they learn? In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Jeremy Tiegerman to talk about what truly helps neurodivergent students grow. We get into the teachers who change everything, why confidence can matter just as much as accomm...

When You’ve Always Felt Different: Marie on Being Seen Beyond Labels If you’ve ever felt too sensitive, too different, or too hard to explain, this conversation will likely stay with you. In this episode, I sit down with Marie to talk about what it’s like to move through life without neat labels, while still knowing you don’t fit the mold. We talk about feeling “other” from a young age, the deep r...

When AuDHD, Unmasking, and Perimenopause Collide What happens when your brain finally makes sense, just as your old coping tools stop working? In this episode, I sit down with Heather Zimmerman for an honest conversation about late discovery, AuDHD, masking, and the very real shift that can happen during perimenopause. We talk about what it’s like to look back at your life through a new lens, why...

How Rhythm Can Calm the Nervous System and Support Neurodivergent Brains What if something as simple as rhythm could help with stress, focus, and regulation in ways many people never expect? In this episode, I sit down with Dori to talk about how drumming became more than music. What started as a childhood love of tapping on everything grew into a science-based wellness tool she now uses with neur...

What It Really Takes to Keep Going When Life Doesn’t Follow the Plan What happens when grief, parenting, leadership, and faith all collide in one life story? In this conversation, I sit down with Debbie Simmons to talk about the moments that shaped her most—and the choices that kept her moving when it would’ve been easier to stop. Debbie’s story doesn’t fit into a neat box. She’s a former engineer...

What Happens to Home, Identity, and Grief When You Build a Life Abroad? What if starting over in a new country doesn’t just change your address, but brings you face to face with who you really are? In this episode, I sit down with Melissa Parks to talk about living abroad, coming home, and the quiet emotional weight that can come with both. We explore what happens when the life you once wanted tur...

What Burnout, Trust, and Real Support Look Like for Neurodivergent Kids and Their Families If you’ve ever wondered what real support actually looks like for a neurodivergent child and their family, this conversation will stay with you. In this episode, I sit down with Antoinette Elliott to talk about the things many people miss: parent burnout, the quiet signs behind a child’s behavior, and why fe...

When Life Stops You Cold: Andrea’s 101 Days in the Hospital and What Came After One ordinary season turned into a fight for life, and in this conversation, I sit with Andrea as she shares what changed when her body could no longer keep going. I wanted to tell this story with care because it speaks to something many of us carry quietly: the pressure to keep pushing, even when something feels deeply...

Are We Seeing Autism Clearly, or Through a Lens That Misses the Whole Person? What if the way I’ve been taught to understand autism is also the thing that keeps me from seeing the full picture? In this conversation, I sit down with Leila Farshchian to talk about a question that doesn’t get asked often enough: when autism is filtered through clinical language, school systems, and service models, wh...

When a Diagnosis Changes Everything: Parenting Autism, Finding Support, and Using Your Voice What happens when you know something is different, but you still don’t have answers? In this episode, I sit down with Missy Brown for an honest conversation about parenting a child with autism and ADHD, the fear and confusion that can come before a diagnosis, and what it really feels like when support is t...

When Life Looks Fine but Feels Empty: How I Talked With Laura Marie About Leaving Autopilot What if your life looks successful on paper, but deep down it feels numb, routine, and strangely far from you ? In this episode, I sit down with Laura Marie to talk about the quiet kind of disconnection so many people carry for years. We get into what it feels like to keep checking all the right boxes while...

Late ADHD Diagnosis, Grief, and Rebuilding Life in Small Steps What happens when the person helping others finally realizes the story is also their own? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Jennifer Dahl to talk about late ADHD diagnosis, masking, grief, trauma, and what it means to rebuild a life when your brain needs a different kind of support. This conversation is honest, practical, and deeply...

Late ADHD Diagnosis, Grief, and Rebuilding Life in Small Steps What happens when the person helping others finally realizes the story is also their own? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Jennifer Dahl to talk about late ADHD diagnosis, masking, grief, trauma, and what it means to rebuild a life when your brain needs a different kind of support. This conversation is honest, practical, and deeply...

When Life Looks Fine on Paper but Feels Empty Inside What happens when you do everything “right” and still feel like something is missing? In this conversation, I sit down with Laura Marie to talk about the quiet ache of living on autopilot, chasing productivity, and waking up to the fact that success on paper doesn’t always feel like peace in real life. Laura shares what changed when she hit midl...

What Changes When a Whole Family Finally Has the Words for Autism and ADHD? What happens when years of chaos, guilt, and confusion finally start to make sense? In this episode, I sit down with Walter and Stephanie Parker for an honest conversation about raising three neurodivergent daughters while also making sense of their own diagnoses. We talk about what life looked like before they had languag...

What If Your Gut, Brain, and Nervous System Have Been Talking All Along? What if the symptoms you’ve been trying to “fix” are actually messages worth hearing? In this episode, I sit down with Heather Van Tassel to talk about the gut-brain connection, meditation, concussion recovery, and what it means to understand yourself when your mind and body don’t fit neat boxes. We get into the space between...

Why a Real-Time Train Board Feels So Calming to Watch What starts as a story about a train board turns into something much bigger: pattern, comfort, design, and the quiet pull of watching a system move in real time. In this episode, I sit down with Griffin Van Horn, creator of Traintrakr.io, to talk about how a late-night makerspace idea became a product people connect with in ways no one fully ex...

What a Late ADHD Diagnosis Can Explain, and What It Can Change If you’ve ever thought, “Why does my brain work like this?” this conversation will likely hit close to home. In this episode, I sit down with Jax Crider to talk about what it’s like to live for years without the language for ADHD, and what can happen when that missing piece finally clicks into place. We get into the quiet guilt that ca...

What Happens When Neurodivergence, Fatherhood, and Advocacy Collide What does it cost to stop masking—and what can happen when you finally let people see the real you? In this episode, I sit down with Dan Roth for an honest conversation about neurodivergence, rejection, work, parenting, and the quiet weight so many of us carry. We talk about what the pandemic changed, why that inner voice can be s...

What the Ocean Is Doing Right Now That Most of Us Never See When I sat down with Helen Czerski, I wanted to ask a simple question: what are we missing when we look at the ocean? What followed changed the way I think about waves, weather, and our place in the world. In this episode, I explore how the ocean shapes far more than coastlines. Helen helps me see why it affects climate, rain, and daily l...

What Happens After a Life-Changing Diagnosis? Annie Toro Lopez Shares What Helped Her Find Hope Again What do you do when your body stops feeling safe, and the people around you can’t fully see what you’re carrying? In this conversation, I sit down with Annie Toro Lopez to talk about diagnosis, grief, trauma, food, and the long road back to trusting your body. Annie shares what it was like to be d...

When Your Mind Works Differently: Trauma, Leadership, and Finding What Fits If you’ve ever felt like your brain doesn’t follow the same map as everyone else’s, this conversation will likely hit close to home. In this episode, I sit down with Blaz Merlot to talk about what it means to move through the world feeling different, and how that can shape the way we lead, work, and understand ourselves. W...