In today’s episode, Danielle Sullivan joins the podcast! Danielle is the founder of Neurodiverging Coaching, which offers sliding scale neurodiversity-affirming coaching options for the community.  Danielle is also a certified Positive Psychology coach, a certified Parent Coach, and a certified trauma-informed specialist!  They had intended to remain in academia to work on gendered disability and religion, but then pivoted after she was diagnosed as autistic around age 30 after her eldest child was also diagnosed.  In looking for resources for herself, she found very little, and began producing the Neurodiverging Podcast to try and develop and offer resources for others like her.

In this episode, you’ll hear about communication nuances and unpacking the challenges and adaptability for people with both ADHD and autism across different social contexts, managing the home, exploring home dynamics and practices for managing a neurodiverse household, and the importance of non-judgemental regulation.

Then, you’ll hear discussions about advocacy, ableism, confronting ableism, burnout and understanding burnout with sensory overload, burnout strategies and prevention, and explorations with technology and ADHD. 

• Learn more about Danielle and find their podcast at Neurodiverging.com (click here!)

Questions/Topics: 

• [00:01:36] Episode Summary
• [00:03:21] Introducing Danielle
• [00:06:29] Sensory differences, being the “difficult child”, stereotypical presentations, and exploring autism as an adult
• [00:09:53] A discussion on politeness norms and how environment can affect presentation 
• [00:13:28] Coping with variables and novel situations 
• [00:15:08] Managing a neurodivergent household, sensory mismatches, overwhelm, and regulation strategies 
• [00:19:34] “What if I just do one more thing?” 
• [00:23:53] Raising awareness around autism in adults: What is Neurodiverging all about? 
• [00:27:53] Industries attempting to accommodate
• [00:29:13] A discussion on internalized ableism 
• [00:33:04] Overly formal speech, chronic ear infections, and asynchronous development 
• [00:37:37] A discussion on burnout: neurotypical vs. neurodivergent burnout 
• [00:41:33] Recognizing burnout, autistic behaviors, and the effects of a dysregulated nervous system
• [00:45:19] “If you can name it, you can tame it.” 
• [00:46:30] Danielle’s go-to strategies for managing burnout and burnout prevention 
• [00:47:03] Learning about your own sensory systems and triggers 
• [00:48:49] An ADHD moment…  
• [00:49:42] Addressing physical stress, emotions in the body, and closing the stress-cycle 
• [00:53:29] Words of wisdom and closing thoughts 

Resources & Honorable Mentions:

• Book: Burnout - The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski, PhD and Amelia Nagoski, DMA (official website) 

🌟 Go to adhdrewired.com/Patreon where you can get an uninterrupted listening experience of this show and bonus content when you become a Patron at $5 a month or more! You can even join Eric every 4th Tuesday of the month for a Patron-only monthly coaching call at $25 a month! 

🌟 Looking for real-time accountability? Want weekly check-ins to keep your momentum going on your most dreaded tasks or projects? 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!

In today’s episode, Eric is joined by Dr. Ali Arena!  Dr. Ali is passionate about social cognition, language processing, executive functioning, and creating meaningful friendships and relationships.  She is both a speech and language pathologist and a board-certified behavior analyst, has a doctorate degree in educational leadership, is becoming a licensed educational psychologist, and uses a neurodiversity- and trauma-informed lens when working with all clients.  

Dr. Ali’s doctorate focus was unique, to say the least, as it addresses the dating intricacies of autistics, which led her to develop her private practice for anyone who wants help socially navigating in their workplace or relationships.  Lastly, Dr. Ali feels social support is a biological necessity and wants to help all neurodivergent individuals to reach wholistic communication. 

• Find out more and get connected with Dr. Ali at Connection-Squared.com (click here!)

Questions/Topics: 

• [00:01:36] Introducing Dr. Ali 
• [00:03:26] Eric asks Dr. Ali how she got into focusing on relationships and the dating intricacies of neurodivergent people 
• [00:05:04] Emptying the dishwasher and other themes in neurodivergent relationships
• [00:06:40] A discussion on parentification
• [00:07:53] Ways to bring up difficult conversations with a partner 
• [00:11:31] Cleaning up 99 percent, not assuming negative meanings, and shame responses
• [00:18:27] Listening, eye-contact, and different ways of processing while listening
• [00:22:35] “How do you cope with going out to eat in a noisy restaurant?” and other sensory challenges when communicating
• [00:24:41] Setting yourself up for talking with your partner 
• [00:26:02] Communicating via text
• [00:32:47] A discussion on neurodivergent relationships and sex 
• [00:36:57] Neurodiversity and the LGBTQ+ community 
• [00:39:00] Explaining neurodiversity as part of one’s identity in a relationship
• [00:42:54] The impact of being in a relationship with someone who understands your neurodiversity
• [00:45:31] Finding support for neurodivergent relationships and how to get in touch with Dr. Ali 
• [00:46:20] One more question for Dr. Ali & closing thoughts 

🌟 Want to hear the bonus questions and answer at the end of this episode? Go to adhdrewired.com/Patreon where you can get an uninterrupted listening experience of this show and bonus content when you become a Patron at $5 a month or more! You can even join Eric every 4th Tuesday of the month for a Patron-only monthly coaching call at $25 a month! 

🌟 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!

In today’s show, Brooke Schnittman joins Eric on the podcast!  Brooke is a professional coach who understands, first-hand, the challenges of living with ADHD.  As an adult with a late ADHD diagnosis, she knows what it feels like to feel frustrated, overwhelmed, and ashamed.  But, instead of giving up, Brooke decided to use her personal experiences to help others with ADHD.  She left a school system in 2018 to create a specially-tailored program for individuals for ADHD, called 3C Activation, which focuses on the importance of boundaries and small actions to activate potential and achieve continued success through maintaining momentum! 

• Listen to Brooke’s Podcast: SuccessFULL with ADHD (click here!)
• Check out Brooke’s website and find her book: CoachingWithBrooke.com (click here!)
• Find Brooke on Instagram: @coachingwithbrooke (click here!)

Questions/Topics: 

• [00:01:25] Introducing Brooke, a little ADHD tangent, and a relatable discussion about paperwork
• [00:04:12] What is 3C Activation? 
• [00:06:10] The importance of intentionality behind small changes and habits vs. making many changes all at the same time
• [00:08:09] 3 steps for tasks and setting up the readiness for behavioral change 
• [00:10:07] A moment of reading chicken scratch and controlling the chaos of your own ADHD brain 
• [00:17:07] Consistency, resiliency, self-compassion, and persistence 
• [00:19:41] The importance of sharing and acknowledging your wins  
• [00:21:40] Overcoming negativity bias 
• [00:22:26] A framework of boundaries, questions to check in with yourself, and saying “no” 
• [00:25:21] The nervous system and its effect on decision-making 
• [00:28:43] Discussing the resistance to delegation
• [00:32:43] “People actually want to help.” 
• [00:35:09] Delegating creative tasks 
• [00:36:46] ChatGPT, anyone? 
• [00:41:14] Brooke talks about her book 
• [00:45:01] Closing thoughts & announcements 

Resources & Honorable Mentions:

• Website: Dan Sullivan (click here)

🌟 Want to hear the bonus questions and answer at the end of this episode? Go to adhdrewired.com/Patreon where you can get an uninterrupted listening experience of this show and bonus content when you become a Patron at $5 a month or more! You can even join Eric every 4th Tuesday of the month for a Patron-only monthly coaching call at $25 a month! 

🌟 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!

Join the ADHD reWired Team every second Tuesday of the month for our monthly Live Q&A!  If you want to join us live on Zoom, go to adhdrewired.com/events to register!  You’ll also find bonus Q&As and can listen to this episode ad-free on Patreon when you become a Patron at $5.00 a month or more by going to adhdrewired.com/Patreon! (click here!) 

Questions/Topics:

• [00:02:39] A listener asks the panelists for advice on how to help others take steps to get an ADHD diagnosis
• [00:05:02] Discussing online assessments 
• [00:07:51] Red flags when seeking help for ADHD 
• [00:10:07] “How do you all overcome the difficulty of transitions? I know what needs to be done, but why does transitioning from one thing to another feel like such a chore?” 
• [00:12:17] Habit stacking and buffer space 
• [00:17:14] A listener chimes in with suggestions for overcoming the difficulty of transitions 
• [00:20:57] Resources, tips and tricks for a listener who was diagnosed with ADHD at 61
• [00:24:52] A discussion about medication and side-effects
• [00:26:54] More resources and how coaching can help 
• [00:29:54] The multi-pronged approach to ADHD management 
• [00:35:53] “I am pretty burnt out at work, and I was given/voluntold to take 2 weeks of rest; I was wondering what can I do in these next two weeks to improve my burnout and ensure I continue to improve when I return so I don’t get burnt out again?” 
• [00:38:14] A helpful resource on burnout and processes of introspection 
• [00:44:51] Discussing health definitions and healthcare 
• [00:47:24] Tips and strategies to engage with self-care and being “ready” for self-care
• [00:49:58] “ADHD is a performance disorder.  We know what to do - that’s not the issue.  The issue is doing it.” 
• [00:52:03] Self-awareness, dealing with compounded shame, and trauma
• [00:57:45] “Do you have any suggestions on how to communicate with someone who doesn’t understand that the reason why I do something that doesn’t make sense to them, and defending my stance, how can I still show accountability and not be so defensive?  
• [01:00:43] Closing thoughts & announcements 

Resources & Honorable Mentions

• ADHD reWired episode 342: Transitions and Balancing Work & Relationships with Adison Smith (click here)
• Book: Atomic Habits by James Clear (on Goodreads) (official website)
• Book: Still Distracted After All These Years by Kathleen G. Nadeau 
• Book: Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski, PhD and Amelia Nagoski, DMA (official website)
• The ADHD Effect on Marriage by Melissa Orlov (on Goodreads)
• Website: The Gottman Institute at gottman.com (click here!)
• The 6 Ways of Closing the Stress Cycle Loop (from Burnout by Emily & Amelia Nagoski): Physical Activity, Creativity, Laughing. Crying, Physical Affection, and Deep Breathing 
• “Burnout is… the nervous system and body taking the rest it needs by force.” - Brian Entler 
• “ADHD reWired Coaching is about iteration, reflection, feedback, and keep doing that over and over again.” - Eric Tivers
• “An ADHD diagnosis doesn’t change the past, but it does change our understanding of the past.” 
• “Shame corrodes the very part of us that believes we are capable of change.” - Brene Brown

🌟 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!

In today’s show, Shell Mendelson joins Eric on the podcast!  Since January 2021, Shell’s Your Next Career Move MasterclassSM  has empowered ADHD adults to create confident career options and was trained by Richard Bolles, the author of “What Color is Your Parachute?”  

With a Masters in Career Counseling, Shell offers more than 35 years of client experience while bringing her counseling, coaching, teaching, training, and nurturing gifts to help others clarify and focus on a well-defined direction and abundant livelihood.  Following her own diagnosis of ADHD later in life, Shell profoundly understands how ADHD can impact one’s work and to reliably choose the best career direction: one that takes our “interest-based ADHD brain wiring” into consideration.

• Get in touch and find out more about Shell’s Next Career Move MasterclassSM on her website at CareerCoachingWithShell.com (click here!)

Questions/Topics: 

• [00:01:23] Introducing Shell
• [00:02:35] Training with Richard Bolles and how it changed Shell’s life 
• [00:07:13] What are some examples of some of the questions Shell might ask when someone is trying to figure out a career direction? 
• [00:09:32] Looking beyond money and Safekeeping Self 
• [00:10:32] Addressing potential deficits in self-awareness and answering self-assessment questions  
• [00:25:44] So what is the “best” career for someone with ADHD? 
• [00:26:55] If you were to ask 100 people if they knew exactly what they wanted to do for work, what is the percentage of people who could actually answer this question?  
• [00:30:11] The role of stepping-stone jobs and the difference between someone who doesn’t know what they want and someone who does know what they want 
• [00:31:44] Addressing the person who holds a marketable skill set in a lucrative profession but hates the work
• [00:32:19] Stories that Shell hears from people who reach out to her 
• [00:34:40] Looking at other career options: “How do we figure this stuff out?” 
• [00:36:36] Once you discover your “what,” the “how” appears, and a discussion next steps and different types of research 
• [00:47:40] What is Shell’s 8-Week Masterclass and who is her class for? 
• [00:52:21] How to get in touch with Shell, closing thoughts, and words of wisdom 

Resources & Honorable Mentions:

• Book: What Color is Your Parachute by Richard Bolles (Official Website)

🌟 Want to hear the bonus questions and answer at the end of this episode? Go to adhdrewired.com/Patreon where you can get an uninterrupted listening experience of this show and bonus content when you become a Patron at $5 a month or more! You can even join Eric every 4th Tuesday of the month for a Patron-only monthly coaching call at $25 a month! 

🌟 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!