AuDHD Flourishing

Pasha Marlowe speaks brilliantly about how to navigate trauma, triggers, and sensory needs in relationships as an AuDHD person.Making it concrete, we both talk about a recent meltdown with our respective partners, and how we navigated those during and after.This is a deeply un-shaming episode—we still struggle with relational trauma despite all the "work" we've done. It's okay to have a lot of needs in relationships. And we talk about how hard it can be to figure out what those are and communicate them effectively.If your neurodivergent relationship needs extra support, Pasha is one of the rare practitioners who's ND, trained in family therapy, and works with couples!Resources mentioned:Pasha's websiteNeuroqueering podcast and Mattia's guest episode@neuroqueercoach on TikTok@neuroqueercoach on InstagramNeuroqueer Heresies bookFull Transcript hereAuDHD Flourishing Newsletter signup Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nat Smith is a vulnerability coach, playwright, and connection witch. They're also my sibling, so you'll hear stories about our childhood.Nat has known they're ADHD for years, and only recently has been exploring the label autistic. One reason it's been a slow realization: they don't experience it as a disorder and don't need a lot of external support day-to-day.Because of that experience, we also touch on the "levels" of autism currently being given in diagnosis. Many Level 1 folks are never diagnosed. And while I would probably be labeled Level 1, I'm actually more Level 2... I've just managed to have family and partners meet my daily needs.Nat's perspective is incredibly helpful for anyone who wonders what autism looks like when it's NOT an obviously disabling condition. This is where the word "Neurotype" is so useful!Disclaimer: And I would hope it goes without saying... every autistic person is different and has their own experience! Many if not most autistic people (and especially those who receive an official diagnosis) do experience autism as a disability for many reasons.Nat's experience does not at all detract from that! AND I feel it's important for more autistic people to be "out," even if they have a less common presentation.   Resources:Nat mentioned Devon Price's book Laziness Does Not Exist and the article of the same name.Nat's Substack newsletter/articlesNat's FacebookAuDHD Flourishing newsletter Full Transcript here  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The idea of "potential" has been weaponized against neurodivergent and disabled kids.Today I dig into why I hate the concept of potential as it's currently used, what I propose we talk about instead, and many personal details of my own journey toward feeling like I'm enough.Feeling a deep sense of enough-ness has totally changed my life. And while we all reach that in different ways, neurodivergent community has absolutely been a part of my healing journey. Love Your Brain July-Nov 2023 cohort (official last day to apply is Thurs June 29th... but also I understand the ADHD brain and we have a few days of leeway as the first group call is the week of July 7th)Cross-posted from The Longer Road podcastFull Transcript hereAuDHD Flourishing Newsletter signup Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy Autistic Pride Day, June 18th!What are you proud of?It doesn't negate any of our challenges, but it was fun to focus on what I love about my brain for a whole episode.If you'd like to learn more about Love Your Brain, here 'tis!Full Transcript hereAuDHD Flourishing Newsletter signup Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AuDHD women are often misdiagnosed, but Kristen's list is ridiculous and includes the word "histrionic" (which I didn't know you could even get in this century)! Her goal was always to build an awesome life instead of just being a compliant patient.And thank goodness, because now she's out here teaching people how to give fewer fucks, raising a family, and making awesome content all over the internet.Links mentioned:Find Kristen at https://kristenking.com/"Fuck this shit I'm out" songSome links from Kristen around that 97% statisticLove Your Brain is enrolling for July (and is 20% full as of posting this episode)Full Transcript here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thanks so much to composer Hanu Dixit for permission to use his song "A Sitar Story" in the podcast intro/outro! If you like the song, here's the whole thing with no talking so you can listen to it. This song really tickled my brain, so I'm happy to share it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AuDHD = autism + ADHD... and also I experience it as its own neurotype, and not simply two "disorders."Here are the sets of questions I asked in the episode, if you'd like to take time with them on your own:Do you feel like advice almost never works for you? Not only NT advice, but even advice from autistic OR ADHD people? That your brain either instantly knows advice won't work for you, or tries it and feels really disappointed because you did have a lot of things in common with the person who gave it to you but somehow still it felt like your body or brain were just not clicking with it?Are the internal parts of you always fighting? Do you feel like the things your body and brain want are often in complete opposition and that it's literally impossible to get your needs met, because different parts of you want such different things to feel safe, regulated, and cared for?Have you managed to build some modicum of success in an area through anxiety and adrenaline? This could be school, work, a creative pursuit, relationships. Have you received external validation for doing this thing well, all the while being absolutely terrified that it's all going to fall apart and you have no idea how to handle how your life feels and it all feels extremely precarious and painful at the day-to-day level? Do you feel the need to hide how much you're struggling, and/or if you've disclosed your struggles have they not been taken seriously?Is your energy quite cyclical, where when you feel like your brain is working you'll push yourself really really hard, and then be totally exhausted and need time to recover? And without adequate recovery time, Is burnout, or burnout-like depression (they can be similar) a frequent experience for you? Or do you live in fear of it?Thanks to Hanu Dixit for permission to use the song A Sitar Story.Full Transcript hereAuDHD Flourishing Newsletter signup Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Being autistic and ADHD sometimes feels like having two brains that are fighting each other! This podcast is for any AuDHD person who struggles with the minutiae of life... and for those who want to move beyond that to talk about what our neurotype makes possible.We'll hear from other AuDHD people about what works for them. We'll hear about the latest science and research. And we'll hear many practical tips... because we're all different, and we need to hear all the options to figure out what may work best for us!If you'd like to stay updated, you can find Mattia on the AuDHD Flourishing newsletter (no longer on instagram at all) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.