510 | Asexuality, Grief, and Community - with Emily Karp

6 snips

Nov 21, 2023

Emily Karp, a 33-year-old entrepreneur and asexuality activist, discusses her ADHD journey, becoming a funeral celebrant, and helping others grieve. She also delves into the complexity of asexuality and aromanticism, highlighting non-romantic partnerships and support networks. The podcast explores the unique intersectionality of ADHD and the ACE community, emphasizing the power of community and connection.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Embracing ADHD and Seeking Diagnosis

02:06 • 15min

Acceptance and Grief in Relation to ADHD and Sexual Orientation

17:17 • 6min

Asexuality and Aromanticism

23:14 • 14min

Exploring the Intersectionality of ADHD and the ACE Community

37:12 • 5min

Importance of Community and Power of Connection

41:52 • 10min

Future Goals and Closing Remarks

51:28 • 3min

This week, Eric is joined by Emily Karp! Emily is a 33-year-old entrepreneur, asexuality activist, and fan-work creator! She embraced her ADHD around age 30 and quit her tedious job to become self-employed as a funeral celebrant and memorial slideshow editor who crafts personalized funerals and celebration-of-life events for non-religious individuals. Emily went through the ADHD reWired coaching program in spring of 2021 and became a peer mentor in 2022. Emily is also one of the authors of the book Ace and Aro Journeys: A Guide to Embracing your Asexual or Aromantic Identity, and is a lead organizer of the Washington DC Metro Area Ace and Aro meetup group! Learn more about Emily at griefpictured.com! Questions/Topics: [00:01:39] Introducing Emily [00:02:41] Diving into the start of Emily’s ADHD journey [00:03:37] The stakes of getting an ADHD diagnosis [00:04:47] Life as an administrative professional before treatments [00:08:47] Burnout, becoming an entrepreneur, sleep struggles, and coaching [00:10:30] The “why” behind becoming a non-religious Funeral Celebrant [00:13:24] Helping others grieve and heal, family estrangements, memorial gatherings, and closure [00:17:17] Grief to acceptance with ADHD [00:24:07] The basics of asexuality and aromantics [00:26:04] Nuances of ace relationships, significant others, attraction, and more [00:28:25] Physical desire, libido, and other statistics in the asexual community [00:30:44] A discussion on dysfunction, orientation, sexual trauma, and gatekeeping [00:33:20] ADHD and neurodivergence in the Ace community [00:42:07] The positive impact of community and relationships [00:45:01] Emily’s facilitated sessions in the ADHD reWired community spaces [00:46:54] Sharing more wins [00:48:43] Emily’s work, website, and closing thoughts Resources & Honorable Mentions: Podcast: Aceterpretations Website: TAAAP - The Ace and Aro Advocacy Project @ taaap.org Book: Ace and Aro Journeys: A Guide to Embracing Your Asexual or Aromantic Identity Want to go to CHADD this year? Go to chadd.org to learn more! 🌟 Have you heard about our Adult Study Hall Community? Go to adultstudyhall.com to join our ADHD-friendly body-doubling community! 🌟 Interested in group coaching and want to take your ADHD management to the next level? Go to coachingrewired.com to get all the up-to-date information on the upcoming season of ADHD reWired's award-winning Coaching & Accountability groups!