The Neurodivergent Experience

In this episode of The Neurodivergent Experience , Jordan James and Simon Scott explore the often-overlooked concept of boreout, and how it can feel almost identical to burnout, especially for neurodivergent people. They unpack how under-stimulation, not just stress or overwhelm, can lead to symptoms like anxiety, low mood, apathy, fatigue, and loss of motivation. From feeling “sick with boredom”...

In this rerun of our January series, Ashley Bentley introduces a compassionate, neuroscience-informed framework for breakthrough inspired by Tony Robbins’ work and refined through years of therapeutic practice. You’ll discover why lasting change doesn’t begin with strategy, willpower, or self-criticism — but with your inner state, your nervous system, and the stories you’re living inside. This epi...

In this episode of The Neurodivergent Experience , Jordan James and Simon Scott explore neurodivergent rumination, the exhausting cycle of overthinking conversations, replaying mistakes, fearing rejection, and getting trapped in negative thought loops. They unpack how rumination can be intensified by trauma, rejection sensitivity, and the neurodivergent tendency to experience life at a much higher...

In this important and compassionate episode of The Neurodivergent Experience , Jordan is joined by Ashley Dupuy for a powerful discussion on perimenopause, especially how it can uniquely impact neurodivergent women. Simon is taking time to rest and recharge, reinforcing the show’s message that rest is survival. Together, Jordan and Ashley explore why this stage of life is still so misunderstood an...

In this week’s Mindful Mondays, we continue the From Mask to Map series by exploring a question that sits at the heart of so many neurodivergent lives: What is the difference between masking, performing, modelling behaviour, and learning soft skills? From the outside, these things can look almost identical. But inwardly, those same behaviours can come from very different places - and that distinct...

In this powerful and deeply personal episode of The Neurodivergent Experience , Jordan and Simon are joined by musician and advocate Paul Stanworth , who shares his lived experience of growing up and navigating life with Tourette’s Syndrome and OCD. Together, they unpack how Tourette’s often overlaps with other neurodivergent conditions like OCD, ADHD, and autism — and why understanding these conn...

This week marks the beginning of a new chapter in Mindful Mondays - and in Ashley’s wider body of work. Inspired by her upcoming book, From Mask to Map, this episode begins a new series exploring what happens when we spend years organising ourselves around fitting in, coping, pleasing, performing, and overriding our own inner knowing - and what it looks like to begin finding our way home to someth...

In this Hot Topic episode of The Neurodivergent Experience , Jordan James and Simon Scott react to new research linking children’s social media use with anxiety and depression in their teenage years. They unpack the study’s findings — particularly the link between increased screen time, reduced sleep, and poorer mental health — but question whether the issue is really that simple. For both hosts,...

In this episode of The Neurodivergent Experience , Jordan James and Simon Scott are joined by a special guest — Jordan’s daughter, Sophie — for a Reddit Stories episode exploring real neurodivergent experiences. They react to three powerful stories from the neurodivergent community, covering topics including low empathy in successful neurodivergent individuals, substance use as a form of masking a...

In this Hot Topic episode of The Neurodivergent Experience , Jordan James and Simon Scott react to new research into a potential ADHD treatment involving trigeminal nerve stimulation (TNS) — a device designed to stimulate brain activity during sleep. Drawing on their own lived experience with ADHD, they reflect on how treatments like medication can support emotional regulation, focus, and daily fu...

In this episode of The Neurodivergent Experience , Jordan James and Simon Scott explore hyperfixations and how they can impact relationships, through a relatable Reddit story about a man whose obsession with pro wrestling begins to take over his marriage. They unpack how hyperfixations can feel all-consuming, especially when you’re “in it,” and how difficult it can be to recognise the impact on th...

In this episode of Mindful Mondays, we continue our exploration of the senses by turning toward two of the most emotional and memory-soaked senses we have: smell and taste. For many neurodivergent nervous systems, these senses are anything but minor. A single smell can transport you straight back into childhood. A single bite of food can soothe your nervous system - or overwhelm it in seconds. Sme...

In this Hot Topic episode of The Neurodivergent Experience , Jordan James and Simon Scott react to recent comments made by the President of the United States targeting California Governor Gavin Newsom’s dyslexia. As two dyslexic hosts, they share their personal perspective on the remarks — unpacking why equating learning differences with intelligence or leadership ability is not only inaccurate, b...

In this episode of The Neurodivergent Experience , Jordan James and Simon Scott explore stimming — what it is, why it happens, and how it shows up in everyday neurodivergent life. They break down the different forms of stimming, from visual and auditory to tactile and movement-based, sharing personal examples that many people may not even realise count as stims. From fidgeting and pacing to echola...

In this episode of Mindful Mondays, we continue our exploration of the senses by turning toward something deeply personal and often overlooked: touch and movement. For many neurodivergent and highly sensitive people, the body can feel confusing, overwhelming, or even unsafe at times. And yet, movement and touch are not optional extras - they are fundamental ways the nervous system orients, regulat...

In this Hot Topic episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott react to Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2026 and question what it really achieves. They explore the confusion around language, breaking down the difference between neurodiversity and neurodivergence and explaining why those terms are so often used interchangeably, even though they mean very different things....

In this episode of The Neurodivergent Experience , Jordan James and Simon Scott explore the reality of accommodations as neurodivergent adults, from legal rights in the workplace to the everyday challenge of asking for support in social situations. Simon shares his experience travelling abroad with a group, navigating pain, overwhelm, and the difficulty of explaining invisible disabilities to othe...

In this episode of Mindful Mondays, Ashley explores something we live within every day, yet rarely stop to consider: light. Light shapes far more than our ability to see. It influences our sleep, mood, hormones, nervous system regulation, and overall wellbeing. For neurodivergent people especially, light can sometimes feel overwhelming or dysregulating - but when we understand how it works, it can...

In this Hot Topic episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott respond to the controversial article “ Uta Frith: why I no longer think autism is a spectrum .” Reading and reacting to sections of the interview, they unpack the claims that rising autism diagnoses are a problem and that the label of autism should be restricted to those diagnosed in early childhood with more...

In this Hot Topic episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott react to the sudden cancellation of Smiling Friends — a hugely popular animated show created by Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel. At the height of its success, the creators announced they were ending the show after season three due to burnout. Jordan and Simon unpack what that decision means, not just for fans, b...

In this episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott explore why neurodivergent people can be more vulnerable to negative influence. Growing up feeling different often leads to masking, people-pleasing, and a fragile sense of identity. When belonging has felt conditional, it can become easier to agree, adapt, and absorb the views of others just to avoid rejection. Jordan...

Six months ago, Mindful Mondays began as a simple weekly pause - a space to soften into presence and honour the neurodivergent nervous system. Twenty-six episodes later, something far more coherent has emerged. In this special half-year reflection, Ashley traces the living map that has been quietly forming beneath the surface - from radical acceptance and time reframing, to forest wisdom and the a...

In this Hot Topic episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott react to major BAFTA wins for I Swear — including Robert Aramayo taking home Best Actor and the EE Rising Star Award. After previously calling it a “travesty” that Aramayo wasn’t Oscar-nominated, Jordan reflects on why this win feels so significant — not just for the actor, but for neurodivergent representatio...

In this episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James returns from New Zealand and joins Simon Scott for an honest and surprisingly positive conversation about travelling as a neurodivergent person. From long-haul flights and jet lag to airport anxiety and invisible disability accommodations, they reflect on how different this trip felt compared to previous travel experiences. Jordan shar...

Sound is one of the fastest, most powerful systems in the human brain. It can soothe, destabilise, regulate, overwhelm - and, when used intentionally, it can become a profound tool for nervous system support. In this episode of Mindful Mondays, Ashley explores the neuroscience and lived experience of sound for neurodivergent minds. From music and rhythm as ancient emotional language, to binaural b...