My Neurodivergent Life

In this engaging conversation, Sol Smith shares his journey of self-discovery as an autistic individual and the process of writing his book, 'The Autistic's Guide to Self-Discovery.' He discusses the misconceptions surrounding autism, the importance of community support, and the challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals in professional settings. Sol emphasizes the significance of unmasking one's true self and finding purpose in work, while also addressing the need for understanding and acceptance within society. The discussion highlights the power of storytelling and the role of entrepreneurship in creating fulfilling lives for neurodivergent individuals. Sol Smith's social links: TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@bettersol   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theprofessorsol  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/solsmith   YouTube: https://youtube.com/@professor_sol   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-smith-mfa-eds-ms-cas-7955364     Get the book here:  https://a.co/d/dO0dUh6    Join the community here:  https://neurospicycommunity.com/   Check out the new podcast website: www.myneurodivergentpodcast.com    

Rick and Gabby explore the themes of self-soothing, self-regulation, and the impact of workplace culture on mental health. They discuss the importance of pets in providing comfort, the challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals in social and work environments, and the need for corporate cultures to adapt to support employee well-being. The conversation highlights personal anecdotes and insights into navigating daily life and work while managing mental health needs. self-soothing, pets, self-regulation, neurodivergent, workplace culture, mental health, corporate values, employee well-being, social anxiety, coping mechanisms

In this conversation, Rick MacIvor and Gabby Nistico explore the nuances of fidgeting behavior, its origins, and its implications in various settings such as education, the workplace, and parenting. They discuss the rise of fidget toys, the societal perceptions surrounding fidgeting, and how it can be both a coping mechanism and a tool for focus. The conversation also touches on gender differences in fidgeting behaviors and the connection between fidgeting and anxiety, ultimately leading to a discussion on meditation and the importance of movement in achieving focus.

In this conversation, Gabby Nistico and Rick MacIvor explore the complexities of sleep, discussing personal experiences, the impact of mental health and neurodivergence on sleep patterns, and the importance of sleep hygiene. They delve into the challenges of achieving quality sleep, the role of medication, and the connection between autoimmune disorders and insomnia. The discussion also touches on alternative sleep patterns, such as napping, and the necessity of finding individualized solutions for better sleep.   sleep, sleep hygiene, mental health, neurodivergence, autoimmune disorders, medication, sleep struggles, routines, sleep quality, napping

In this conversation, Rick MacIvor and Gabby Nistico explore the complexities of change, discussing how people often resist it and the mental hurdles that come with transitions. We share personal experiences of navigating significant life changes, such as shifting careers and overcoming feelings of being stuck. The discussion emphasizes the importance of finding momentum, embracing individuality, and innovating personal systems to enhance productivity and happiness. Ultimately, we encourage listeners to empower themselves through change and to break free from societal norms. Takeaways People generally dislike change, especially when it feels uncontrollable. Change can be overwhelming and lead to mental paralysis. Thoughts and fears about change often aren't based on facts. Personal transitions can create a sense of being stuck or frozen. Finding small ways to start can help overcome inertia. Putting oneself first is crucial during transitions. Innovating personal systems can lead to greater efficiency and happiness. It's important to challenge societal norms and expectations. Empowerment comes from embracing individuality and personal choices. ADHD can be harnessed as a strength in navigating change.     Chapters 00:00 Embracing Change: The Struggle and the Journey 04:37 Navigating Personal Transitions: From Voice Acting to Therapy 08:53 Finding Momentum: Overcoming the Freeze 15:15 Innovating Life: Breaking Free from Norms 20:13 Empowerment Through Change: Making It Work for You   Transcript:   Gabby Nistico (01:00.566) boy. People, I mean people hate change no matter what. Like nobody likes change. Very few people like change. They might think they like change, but I mean ultimately I think the change that they enjoy is change that they have very strong control over and they're like ooh, cause they're excited about it. But change with variables. Yes. Debilitating. Good. Rick MacIvor (01:02.2) Things are changing. Rick MacIvor (01:21.677) Right. Or the idea of change. I like the idea of change. That sounds fun. But when it comes down to it, it's rough. It can be very rough. And I know just on the micro level, my little things about don't like, don't move my stuff. That's change. Right. Or if we have something planned and then plans change that micro thing that really Gabby Nistico (01:30.306) God. Gabby Nistico (01:38.523) Mm. Mm-hmm. Rick MacIvor (01:49.753) you know, is the cheese grater of my brain. I hate it. So I get it. Now I'm looking at a big change. Gabby Nistico (02:00.024) Well, we've talked and it's funny you said, cause we have, we've talked so much about the macro, but this, this really is, or the micro, this is, this is the macro. This is the big boy and. Rick MacIvor (02:04.805) Hmm. Gabby Nistico (02:13.646) Poof. It's even hard to quantify, you know? Like, I mean, because it brings up so many things. I know for me, it's utter hijacking of the normal thought processes. And everything becomes this slurry of what-ifs and what-abouts and trying to predict. outcomes in a way that is so obnoxiously time consuming that no change actually takes place. Rick MacIvor (02:50.423) That is, that is a real thing. Yeah. Gabby Nistico (02:52.532) Mm-hmm. Just it's a lot of thinking about the change but not in a productive way. Yeah Yeah, for sure Mm-hmm Rick MacIvor (02:59.362) God, it's more like ruminating on that kind of thing. Where, what if this and gosh, and how about and what if I get there and my God. And then seize the engine seizes. Pistons freeze up. Gabby Nistico (03:15.288) Yeah, it's a lot of time spent dealing with theoretical cause and effect that might not even manifest. Which is... yeesh. Rick MacIvor (03:23.492) Oh yeah, for 100%. It could probably everything, everything that I'm spinning on in my brain, there is a extremely low probability. However, sometimes thoughts aren't facts. Most of the times thoughts aren't facts. Gabby Nistico (03:29.429) Mm-hmm. Gabby Nistico (03:35.566) And yet we do it anyway. Gabby Nistico (03:44.936) Most of the, yeah, I mean, they're really not. They're just ideas. They're just possibilities. But we get obsessed with them. And it halts any kind of natural, logical movement towards the change. And for a lot of people, it actually backpedals them out of the change, right? because those variables become so intense that they're like, you know what, nevermind. I don't think I want to go down that road. I don't think I want to do that now because, right, it's terrifying. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Rick MacIvor (04:20.067) Yeah, you talk yourself out of it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. So I was telling you right before we started, I've locked, I've been in freeze the last couple of days and today was the first day I got out of it. And I got, I was in freeze because now that I've been accepted into this program and I'm really shifting gears, life gears, right? Career gears, from being a voice actor. Well, I'm still going to do that, but Gabby Nistico (04:29.742) Okay. Rick MacIvor (04:49.067) running a video editing business and a voiceover business to being a student with the goal of being a therapist. That's, that's a big change. And so I've spent the last week ish telling my handful of clients, I am getting out of the business. Gabby Nistico (04:50.574) Mm-hmm. Gabby Nistico (05:01.624) Holy crap is that. Yeah. Gabby Nistico (05:09.294) Mmm. Rick MacIvor (05:17.707) And so I have one client. I have you. You're my last client. I will always edit for you. No matter what. But and the reasoning was I probably could have like tried to because it's night classes, right? I even put my schedule together already. It's Monday, Wednesday, Thursday classes and they go and for three to ten. Right. Gabby Nistico (05:20.75) Woo! Aww thanks. Gabby Nistico (05:31.662) Mm-hmm. Gabby Nistico (05:40.716) and it doesn't start for how many months? Rick MacIvor (05:46.549) I've not been ruminating at all. Gabby Nistico (05:46.572) All right. I mean, good job. mean, good progress, like that's okay. Continue. Rick MacIvor (05:50.563) Good point. Yeah, you don't start till January and now you've been sitting here putting all the bits in your calendar when you have to. Yep. Yep. I did. did that. Rabbit hole. So I've kind of shifted gears out of that. And so I let my clients go. so the last two days, I finished all the work for them. And now I'm kind of Gabby Nistico (06:00.792) home. Rick MacIvor (06:19.944) sat around staring out the window going, wait, what now? What am I, what are we? And today I said, okay, there are things that I wanna do for me. Like we do this podcast, I have episodes to edit and I wanna put video together to put out. I said, I'm gonna work on that. Because I got into that freeze mode of total lockup. Gabby Nistico (06:27.054) Mmm. Gabby Nistico (06:38.03) Okay. Gabby Nistico (06:41.324) Mm-hmm. Gabby Nistico (06:46.669) Yeah. Rick MacIvor (06:48.886) Even though I had some things to do, just it was weird and like the change kind of froze me. Gabby Nistico (06:54.222) Now, do you think that if, mean, again, hypothetically speaking, if there was someone who was able to say to you, okay, the next thing you need to do is this, would, do you think that that would have unstuck you from the freeze or? No. Wow. Rick MacIvor (07:13.024) No. I, cause I had a list. have a list. I have a list on a piece of paper and I have a digital list and I have a list on my whiteboard back there. have lists all over my damn house. So it's not that I didn't logically know that I need to do stuff. It's that I have to get started, but everything has is different and all the things I'm used to my routine again, it's the change. It just, I just went. Gabby Nistico (07:17.329) Mm. Mm. Gabby Nistico (07:24.386) The list has a list, Yeah, okay. Gabby Nistico (07:40.846) Hmm. Rick MacIvor (07:43.552) and just kind of deer in headlight kind of situation. So then I sat down this morning and I'm like, I'm just going to edit one video for me because I hadn't put that as, you know, it's one of those also those things like you don't put yourself at the top of the list for things to do for yourself because I have, I used to have all these other clients and they are much more important than I am. So I'm going to edit all their stuff first. And now that's different. And so you, Gabby Nistico (07:46.851) Wow. Gabby Nistico (07:53.443) Yeah. Gabby Nistico (08:11.618) And that's a huge part of it because that's exactly what you've done. You've put yourself at the top of the list and you've made these changes for you, but that means that you don't have anybody else to be accountable to right now. And whoa, yipes. Rick MacIvor (08:29.96) Right. And so I sat down this morning and I've started editing some videos from the podcast and wanting to put stuff out and I'm like, yeah, I like this. This is fun. And I had up to the two minutes before we started recording. I, I have been editing. I'm like, okay, this, I remember, yeah, I like this. I know why I did this now. Right. So it's just, it's a, like I was saying, it's a mindset shift because Gabby Nistico (08:47.896) Wow. Gabby Nistico (08:52.11) Hmm. Gabby Nistico (08:57.528) Yeah, for sure. Rick MacIvor (08:58.943) I'm putting myself and my stuff that I think is important for me in the front of the line. Because there's no more line. Yeah. Gabby Nistico (09:05.4) That's a lot. Gabby Nistico (09:09.582) That's such a, it's such an oddly, it should be a liberating feeling, but I find that it's not for many of us. It doesn't have that effect. It's not liberating the way we think it'll be. It actually creates so much more distress, just a distress of a different kind. Yeah. Rick MacIvor (09:16.021) Mm-hmm. Rick MacIvor (09:22.666) What do mean? Rick MacIvor (09:40.289) Yeah. Gabby Nistico (09:40.438) Wow. So in that process of unsticking yourself, okay, you said you just decided to sit down with one video, right? Rick MacIvor (09:49.025) Yeah, yeah, that's how I got there. That's how I got started. Because I know that's kind of worked for me in the past with something if I'm stuck, just 5%. Just I'm gonna edit for 15 minutes or I'll do this thing for one minute, right? Gabby Nistico (09:51.66) Yeah, yeah. Gabby Nistico (10:02.049) Right. Right, one task, one, yeah. Rick MacIvor (10:07.538) Yeah, it's that momentum that gets created and that with, cause without it you think, I have to sit down for two hours and do something. at the five minutes that doesn't seem so daunting. Gabby Nistico (10:09.996) Mm-hmm. Gabby Nistico (10:24.202) No, no, and often when we get a thing accomplished that way, then we go, God, don't know why I was making such a big deal about it for it. It only took a little bit of time. wasn't, that's me with laundry. Like I'm, you know, cause I'm just like, ugh, why, why? There's a great, there's a great, Tom Segura, the comedian, he has, he has this great bit and I, and I really remember. Rick MacIvor (10:40.768) Ha Gabby Nistico (10:53.602) This is so, I think pertinent to neurodivergent people because it really does speak to the thought process. He was talking about how people spend, right, mean, years of their lives, right, laundering, cleaning clothes, folding clothes, putting the clothes away, put like, right, this whole ritual, this process. And he even went so far as to say, you know, it's so funny when Rick MacIvor (11:06.207) you Gabby Nistico (11:23.022) people know you have company coming over and my God, you've gotta grab up all the, like hide the laundry. And he's like, right, cause God forbid people knew we wear clothes. Like, come on. And he said that the way his laundry process now works is that there's simply two piles. There's a pile of clothing that is clean and there's a pile of clothing that is dirty. Rick MacIvor (11:33.82) You Yep. Gabby Nistico (11:53.312) And he's like, I don't put away laundry at all ever two piles. That's it. He goes, I go to the clean pile. I pick out what I want. I wear it. And then it goes to the dirty pile. And he goes, and I just want all of you to know that while you are fretting and doing and laundering and folding, and he goes, I have gained years of my life back by not being a slave to this process. And I'm like, but there it is. That is so much how we often think. And we're ostracized for it much the same way. I'm sure people, know, there's there's judgment being passed for him by this method. it but you go, God, it makes sense. Like, who made these rules? Who told us that this is the way it had to be? And we were like, OK, well, we'll just get in line and fold the laundry and put the laundry in the dressers and have the furniture. Rick MacIvor (12:36.487) Mm-hmm. Gabby Nistico (12:50.09) specifically for the level. other thing he talked about, he's like, I don't know to dress her anymore. It's great. He's like, what do I need this big giant piece of furniture to hold clothing for if the clothes are in a pile? I'm like, this is brilliant. Yeah. Rick MacIvor (12:54.79) Yeah. Rick MacIvor (13:03.485) Yes, it's awesome. There is, okay, there's a creator I follow, who I'm hoping we can get on our podcast. And she does systems like that for ADHD people. And one of them is very similar, but she breaks it down into, these are my tops. This is the clean pile of tops. This is the dirty pile. And she has a little shelf basket. When the clean is empty, she pulls the dirty one out. She throws it in the Gabby Nistico (13:12.461) Mmm. Gabby Nistico (13:26.698) Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Rick MacIvor (13:32.912) wash and then she puts it back and so it's all there but it's still just piles that's not right there's no need to make it harder. Gabby Nistico (13:36.5) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. It's also, you know, it's similar to Zuckerberg who talks about like literally his entire wardrobe consists of one type of t-shirt, one type of, that's it. It's all uniform basically, because then every day he doesn't waste precious resource brain, right? Figuring out what am I gonna wear? Because it's all identical. Rick MacIvor (14:07.004) Right. Yeah. Gabby Nistico (14:09.12) It's exactly the same. I think about that in a weird way. And I think about my dad who wore a uniform most of his life. And I'm like, huh. But now we've created this modern version of it. And I'm like, OK, this actually makes a lot of sense. Yeah. Rick MacIvor (14:18.599) Mm-hmm. Rick MacIvor (14:28.974) It really does. It gets you over that hump because what are the other options? So if you're ADHD and laundry is a thing that's hard to get done, The choice is to, you have three things. You can just do it, figure out how to get it done. To not do it and just let it sit there or do it like in piles like this but then feel guilty about it. Gabby Nistico (14:55.854) Mm-hmm. Rick MacIvor (14:58.042) Right? That you can either have it in piles and not feel guilty or have it in piles and feel guilty. Which which am I going to choose? Gabby Nistico (15:05.355) And that's, and there's, you when you break it down like that, it's like, that's, I gotta take the easy one. That sounds nice. I like the piles without the guilt, please. That sounds great. Put that on my tray. And you know, it seems, but we don't, we fret and we stress and we, and so what it comes down to is for many of us, it's making a choice to say. I'm either going to conform or I'm going to innovate this. But innovation for me might look completely different than it does for somebody else. And well, yes. And that's it, full stop. Yeah. And there's so many things that that can apply to. And I think that that's a lot of the problem. There's so much time spent trying to comply to systems that Rick MacIvor (15:33.853) Hmm. Rick MacIvor (15:43.356) And OL. Mm-hmm. That's all. Gabby Nistico (16:01.326) I mean, I know for me, this was one of my problems in the corporate world. If you forced me to use a system that I was like... I would never get over it. Right? It wasn't just like one day I would just accept my fate and go, okay, this is what I have to do. No. No. Every day, every single time, I had to use it. It was a mental battle. Rick MacIvor (16:14.302) Hmm? Mm-mm. Rick MacIvor (16:30.799) Especially things that potentially don't make sense. I know, I worked in the corporate jungle, you know, the cubicle swamp, and there were things that I had to do with extra steps that were so unnecessary. And I asked, and then, but I... Gabby Nistico (16:32.206) Gabby Nistico (16:36.747) Yeah! Gabby Nistico (16:41.326) Mmm! Gabby Nistico (16:48.456) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Rick MacIvor (16:52.146) did my diligent, I asked for explanations. And the one that just drove me crazy was because, well, that's because that's the way we've always done it. Gabby Nistico (17:01.624) That's an answer. That's a cop out. Yeah. that's the thing. Things like that will never not irk us. So yeah, it's figuring out a way to... And mean, again, this is where we have to take control where and when we can. And certainly in our own lives, it's just going, you know, I mean, it can be anything. It can be the simplicity of like, listen, I know... Rick MacIvor (17:02.877) It's not it's Rick MacIvor (17:11.229) Mm-hmm. Gabby Nistico (17:31.214) that people would normally put their cutlery in that drawer. But I'm not doing that, right? I'm going to put spices in that drawer. And I know it's a strange place. And I know that most people would walk into the kitchen and be like, cutlery? Nope. Okay. Tarragon. And, you know, but it's your freaking kitchen. Yeah. And it's, I think. Rick MacIvor (17:46.85) but Yep, yeah. I've even heard we go so far as to have when you build your own house, build it with two dishwashers. You have a dirty dishwasher and you have a clean dishwasher and when they move, you run one and then you move it back. There's no need for putting anything away. Gabby Nistico (18:15.288) Can I go reorganize my entire kitchen right now? Holy shit. That's amazing. It's funny because I have a kitchen project that's in the works right now. And now I'm like, wait, another dishwasher. Rick MacIvor (18:16.632) You Rick MacIvor (18:27.516) Cut. Gabby Nistico (18:28.076) Right, right. Like why? It's so true. It's so true. It's also, and we think about it in some terms and we go, wait, we've already embraced some of these things. Like, okay, I have multiple ovens in my house. This is not actually by design. This was kind of accidental, you know? So I have smaller ovens. have a convection. Rick MacIvor (18:47.242) Rick MacIvor (18:51.356) Okay. Gabby Nistico (18:57.696) microwave that is also an oven. And then like most people now, I have an air fryer that's pretty sizable. And it dawned on me a number of years ago. I don't use the big oven anymore. The big oven is this mat. I use the stovetop, right? But the oven itself, I'm like, unless it's a Thanksgiving turkey, you know, which doesn't fit anywhere else, it Rick MacIvor (19:09.756) You Yeah, sure, yeah. Rick MacIvor (19:23.7) Sure. Gabby Nistico (19:26.708) I'm not using this. So I just started storing pots and pans in it. It's a big metal cabinet now. And right. And I mean, but that's something that people have sort of embraced. Like they've gotten used to, they've accepted. It's not that unusual. Right. But I do think it's taking those same ideas and applying them to your own life and just going, yeah, why not? Rick MacIvor (19:29.36) Wow. Yeah. Rick MacIvor (19:36.909) It's your fault. Rick MacIvor (19:56.303) Right. Look around. What else could you change to make things easier? For you. Right. Gabby Nistico (20:00.824) For you, for you, yeah, not for anybody else, like, them. It really does. And I think for a lot of people with, especially ADHD, that's empowering. People don't realize that. It's very empowering to let go of these preconceived ideas or these boxes we're supposed to check or things we're supposed to do and just go, no. Rick MacIvor (20:06.158) Right. Gabby Nistico (20:30.242) This is how I do it. Rick MacIvor (20:32.709) Yeah, and there's nothing wrong with that. Gabby Nistico (20:34.878) No, no, there really, really isn't. And it's, we're giving, we're giving people permission. Yay. Happy dance. Yeah. But sometimes I know for me, this has been true in the past. Sometimes that's what it takes. It takes somebody giving you permission and then you go, my God, I can do that. Yeah. So go, go, go forth and find that thing that works. Rick MacIvor (20:40.623) Yeah. Go do it! Rick MacIvor (20:53.082) Right. Gabby Nistico (21:04.595) so that you're implementing change in a way that makes you happy and hopefully, you know, it makes your life better and improves on it instead of trying to, I don't know, keep up with the normies. They're annoying anyway. Rick MacIvor (21:17.368) It's true. Rick MacIvor (21:26.05) Use your, yes, use your ADHD for, for powers of good for yourself. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Why not?

In this conversation, Rick MacIvor shares his journey into graduate school, discussing the emotional roller coaster of the application process, the unexpected challenges of interviews, and the anxiety that arose from competing with other prospective students. He reflects on past experiences that triggered feelings of inadequacy and shame, particularly in academic settings. The discussion delves into the impact of stress on ADHD symptoms, the importance of self-awareness, and strategies for challenging negative thoughts. The conversation highlights the complexities of mental health, particularly the nuances of shame and the internal voices that can hinder personal growth.   KEYWORDS grad school, academic anxiety, ADHD, stress, shame, mental health, self-awareness, personal growth, triggers, negative thoughts    

Welcome back electric meatballs, it’s time to get all up into My Neurodivergent Life.  Today Gabby and I are joined by Victoria Lininger.   Today’s conversation was a lot of fun. Victoria was just a hoot to talk with and choc full of information.  One of Victorias previous businesses was as a music therapist.  Lot’s of interesting info there.  We talk about audio processing disorder, using music to help kids learn, and how she runs her own business as someone who is neurodivergent herself.  Not to mention raising a gaggle of neurodivergent kids.    As always, This podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes, it is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional.

Welcome back electric meatballs, it’s time to get all up into My Neurodivergent Life.  Today Gabby and tackle the conversation around neurodivergence health and body image.  And to do this we are very excited to be bringing in our first ever guest on the show, Mike Pridgen. Many years ago Mike was diagnosed with what was then called Asperger’s, now known as ASD.  We’ll hear him tell the story of his past eating habits, body image and how he lost 101 pounds, kept it off, and came to change his life to the point of becoming a wellness coach.  He’s all over the social medias as “mike needs a plan”, and he ends every conversation with “be kind to yourself”.  Which is what drew me to personally work with Mike.  Plus Mike is just fun to talk with.  As always, This podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes, it is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional.

Hi and welcome to the first episode of season two of the My Neurodivergent Life podcast.  I’m Rick Macivor and I’m joined by Gabby Nistico.  Gabby and I both had very busy summers, Myself, I ventured on an eighteen day vacation to Scotland.  Wonderful trip, and I learned some really important things about myself and my ADHD while traveling.  So today we go through a few of those insights and even have a few best practices that might help you out if you’re looking to travel in the near future.  As always,this podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes, it is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional.    

Hey there my electric meatball friends, you have arrived at the end of season one of the My Neurodivergent Life Podcast.  I’m a child that grew up on American sitcoms, and their seasons are usually 24 episodes, I can’t help but follow that rule.  Gabby and I reflect briefly on what we’ve learned this season, and I reveal something I never ever thought I would do again in a million years.  Really.  I do have a quick ask, if you have enjoyed this podcast please take a sec to rate us.  It’ll really help us reach more people.  Now, as always, This podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes, it is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, therapist, or other qualified professional.   Please reach out via our contact page on our new website www.myneurodivergent.life we would love to hear your stories and feedback.   Keywords - neurodivergent, counseling, mental health, education, therapy, podcast, personal growth, adult education, acting, community     Summary   In this final episode of the first season of the My Neurodivergent Podcast, hosts Rick MacIvor and Gabby Nistico reflect on their journey, discussing the importance of understanding neurodivergence, the need for more neurodivergent counselors, and the challenges of adult education. They explore the intersection of acting and counseling, emphasizing the shared skills in understanding human behavior. The episode concludes with excitement for the future and the upcoming second season.     Takeaways   The podcast has been a great learning experience. Neurodivergence is not a trend; it's a long-standing reality. Every great mind in history has been neurodivergent. There is a significant shortage of counselors in the mental health field. Access to mental health professionals is a global issue. Only a few educational programs specialize in neurodivergence. The need for neurodivergent counselors is critical. Adult education systems can be outdated and cumbersome. The intersection of acting and counseling reveals shared skills. The hosts are excited for the future of the podcast.   Sound bites "It has been a great learning experience." "Why can't I just show up and learn?" "There's a lot of heavy gatekeeping."     Chapters 00:00 Reflections on Season One 02:50 The Journey to Counseling 05:52 The Need for Neurodivergent Counselors 08:51 Educational Gaps in Neurodivergent Therapy 11:47 The Challenges of Adult Education 14:44 The Intersection of Acting and Counseling 17:34 Looking Ahead to Season Two

Hey there my electric meatball friends, you have arrived at the My Neurodivergent Life Podcast.  I’m Rick Macivor and today Gabby and I talk about clutter. I learn all about something called goat trails, and the poop rule.  We dive into the why of stuff, is it just for sentimental reasons or is there more to it.  Oh and Gabby shares her tried and true method for de-cluttering. This one is a ride, so jump on! This podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes, it is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional.

Ok meatballs, today’s story is positive and inspiring, mostly. Imagine a world where it’s ok to advocate for yourself at work. It’s ok to the people around you and to your customers to talk about what’s really going on, what you’re needs are, and to have the support of management, HR, leadership.  It’d be nice.  Well, today Gabby and I talk about an experience where that absolutely was the case.   This podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes, it is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional.

This week on the My neurodivergent life podcast Gabby and I dive into bottom up vs top down.  No not if you are a bottom or a top, no. We talk about how neurodivergent folks tend to have sensory first experiences rather than situational first experiences.  Don’t worry it’ll make sense in the first 3 minutes.  Also how our sensory first view of the world can drive so many of our choices, and how we can also use that as a superpower.  So… As always I want to remind you This podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes, it is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional.

“Why do I always feel like I’m in trouble?”  Is it a learned behavior or is it part of how our neurodivergent brains are wired?  It’s a chicken and egg scenario.  We dig into how neurodivergent negative patterns are formed and reinforced and how that affects us throughout our lives.

Today’s episode is all about pattern recognition.  Current events, music, geometry, relationships, all of these things have patterns in some form or another. Sometimes it’s a superpower, and other times, well, it can cause us a whole bunch of stress.  The trick is, when can you trust it and when might it be driven by fear?  An awareness is the first step. 

Today we explore negativity bias.  Also known as catastrophising, the downward spiral, worst case scenario.  Why do we do it?  Where does it come from?  What are the coping skills we tend to use to stop doing it. Some are healthier than others.  Maybe if we can understand it a bit better, we can recognize it faster and pull up before we hit the ground.

Today, gabby Nistico and I pull apart how us neurodivergent folks relate to time.  What is time anyway?  How do we deal with the phenomenon of time blindness?  What’s behind that little quirk?  I know that when I hyper fixate I can easily lose hours in my day.  And sometimes, often times actually, I’m completely unaware it’s happening.  I do have a few strategies to deal with my time blindness that help me stay on track.  And actually my smart phone has nothing to do with it, in fact in a way my smartphone actually took away one of my best stratigies.  We get into all of that.

Oh my dear meatballs have we got a doozy today.  Gabby and I unpack RFK Jr.’s diabolical attack on the neurodivergent community.  Specifically Autism.  He has held a series of press conferences full of disinformation, outlandish claims and poor methodology all centered around finding the cause of the disease of autism.  And all by September of 2025. So what about this crusade is so damaging?  What could be the harm in researching Autism?  Isn’t that a good thing? Well, that’s the subject of our conversation today.  Spoiler alert, it’s not a good thing, at all. 

Today’s episode is all about college degrees. We talk about the current college experience, and what new graduates are experiencing when they leave and start looking for work.  Also, how college today is so expensive that it leaves little time to explore different subjects, varied interests, and some things that you might not even know you wanted to know.  What happens if you don’t get an undergraduate degree, or if you don’t get a graduate degree.  Do you hit a paper ceiling?  According to the website Tearthepaperceiling.org, there are more than 70 million american workers who are restricted not because of a lack of skills, but because they don’t have a piece of paper from an institution. 

This week gabby and I dig into Rumination.  You know, when you can’t stop thinking about that embarrassing moment from years ago, or even something that happened to you that was never in your control in the first place that you can’t seem to stop thinking about.  Sometimes even that song that gets stuck in your head, oh and by the way, I have a secret trick to getting rid of ear worms that works pretty well. 

Have you heard of the practice of bed rotting?  It’s a term that has started to pop up.  And as much as rotting may conjure up negative connotations, it’s actually a form of self care.  With our digitally connected world, where we can be productive anywhere, why can’t that place have a pillow?  Today we explore the reasons, the positives and the possible challenges that is bed rotting. 

Today on the My Neurodivergent life podcast, Gabby Nistico and I are diving into negative feedback, constructive criticism, and how us Neurodivergent folks handle receiving it, and how we can better give this feedback.  How can we avoid being just plain argumentative, or defensive.  Is it possible to create a mindset in the workplace that diffuses anxiety and still work on problems?  What does the neurodivergent meatball need in order to listen, hear and reflect in a manner that is helpful for the whole team?

HOHOHO electric meatballs, welcome back to the My Neurodivergent life podcast.  I’m Rick MacIvor and I’m once again joined by the effervescent Gabby Nistico.  This time of year, being neurodivergent can be extra stressful.  Gabby knows this all too well.  How do you deal with all the traffic, the break in the routine, other people being extra chatty, the energy of the holiday spirit alone can use up all your spoons for the day.  Feel the same?  Let’s talk about it.

Gabby and I are almost finished with the wish list, these are the final two items.  The adhd joke that you hear over and over is “squirrel!”  Ha, ha yes sometimes that can happen.  But really, it’s really about not being able to do the thing.  Even if I really want to do the thing, I can’t seem to get it done. Getting over that is a challenge and there is one trick that I use that seems to help.  And lastly, a pat on the back goes a long way.  Just an acknowledgment of effort, just a simple positive word of encouragement and I’m in. What ever it is, I’m on board.

Today Gabby Nistico and I continue talking about the items on my wish list.  First up is Don’t hover, both physically and psychologically. Then, my personal favorite Brain pudding.  I’ll just let that sit there and I’ll explain it later. And lastly, Multitasking is bull poop. for several reasons that we dive deep into. 

We continue our conversation about the neurodivergent wish list. These are things I wish people knew about being neurodivergent, it’s not personal, it’s just my Ferrari brain has bicycle brakes. Next on the list is the problem of too many notifications, and then we talk about deadlines. And bonus, we talk about the three words I have on my wall behind me.  It says “make people happy”.  And spoiler alert, it has nothing to do with people pleasing. 

I have a wish list.  It’s a wish list to all the neurotypical people in my life.  It’s the things that I wish NT people understood about my neurodivergent life.  These are the top 10 things, and today we cover the top two.  1 - Even though it may seem like I’m not listening, I am listening.  And 2 - Please, don’t move my stuff.  Gabby and I really uncover what’s at the root of these things and how to communicate that with the Neurotypical people in our lives.

Let’s talk about labels.  Labels labels labels.  It seems like lately we’re obsessed with labeling every little quirk, proclivity, personality trait. Why is that?  Are we slapping labels on everything now just because it’s trendy?  Are labels a way of excusing responsibilities for things?  Or is it something else?

Today Gabby and talk about someone who’s autism may have contributed to the conviction of an alleged crime and possibly his sentence.  Because of how people with autism are often perceived as unfeeling or detached, should that bias be taken into account in these situations?  How does this translate to our everyday lives?  Do we misinterpret or mistreat autistic people based on how we expect them to behave?

Why DIY?  What compels us neurodivergent folks to want to DIY all the things?  Is it a feature, is it a bug? That constant little itch when we see a need, or an idea, or a product and we think “I could do that.” Maybe I could do it better…  There’s huge value in that DIY mentality, even if we fail. Because we learned what didn’t work, and then we can learn to fail faster.  Maybe that’s why there are so many neurodivergent entrepreneurs.

Today we talk about the phenomenon of how Later often turns into never.  For me it goes beyond work projects or major tasks, it’s emails, texts, phone calls, simple little things that just seem to fall through the cracks.  And when I do realize what’s happened, the negative self talk flood gates open wide.  So this week we’re going to talk about some strategies that we use to help avoid later limbo, and if it does happen, how to recover without beating yourself up.

Richard Branson has a new venture.  He calls it the "Dyslexic University".  Gabby and I dig into what this is all about, and turns out to be a bit different than we expected. 

Every hero has an origin story.  Gabby Nistico and Rick MacIvor also have origin stories.  We realize a good place to start any story is at the beginning.  So, let's do that.

In this non-episode episode, Gabby Nistico and Rick MacIvor lay out the basic premise of where we are headed.