The Neurodiverging Podcast

In this part 1 of 2, Danielle and Anne delve into the complexities of food and meal planning for neurodivergent individuals and their families. We discuss sensory issues, executive function challenges, and provide practical strategies for meal prep, planning, and dealing with picky eaters. We're here to offer a thoughtful discussion on how to make mealtime less stressful and more manageable for everyone involved. Show notes, transcript and many links here: https://www.neurodiverging.com/making-food-easier-1/ Use our referral to Plan to Eat and get 20% off your first annual subscription payment: plantoeat.com/ref/neurodiverging Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can parents talk openly and effectively about sexual and reproductive health with their neurodivergent children? In this episode, Danielle welcomes Amy Lang, a sex education expert who specializes in supporting neurodivergent families. Together, they explore how parents can approach conversations about consent, puberty, safety, and relationships in ways that are supportive, positive, and practical. Show notes and transcript: neurodiverging.com/how-to-talk-about-sex-and-puberty-with-neurodivergent-kids Amy Lang’s website: Birds + Bees + Kids: https://birdsandbeesandkids.com/ Follow Amy on Instagram: @birdsbeeskids Free resource from Amy: Top Five Things Neurodivergent Kids Need to Know (and Top Five for Parents) Want to learn more from Amy? This is the only resource of its kind! The Birds & Bees Solutions Center for Parents of Neurodivergent Kids Get the tools to talk with your neurodivergent kid about sex, consent, and safety—without awkwardness or overwhelm. Support the Podcast: This podcast is made possible through the support of our patrons. By joining us on Patreon, you help provide low- and no-cost coaching for neurodivergent people worldwide, and you gain access to community groups, classes, and more. Learn more at www.patreon.com/neurodiverging Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dive into the inaugural episode of the Neurodiverging Community Q & A on the Neurodivergent Podcast with Danielle Sullivan and Dr. Anne Elrod Whitney! In this one, we address the challenges of morning routines for neurodivergent families during the back-to-school season. Discover practical tips, the importance of schedules, and how to adapt tasks to suit your family's needs. Plus, learn about possible IEP accommodations to ease the morning rush. Tune in for insightful advice and supportive conversation! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Finding the right career is a challenge for most neurodivergent people. Today, we're talking to Shell Mendelson, ADHD Career Coach, about how ADHDers can find the right career, when to take the big step to transition to something new, and how to avoid burnout. Thank you to our Patrons for funding this podcast. Find out more and pledge today at patreon.com/neurodiverging. Shownotes and transcript: https://www.neurodiverging.com/how-to-find-the-right-career/ Below are affiliate links: Read Shell's book, Unlock Your Career Path: A Course for Neurodivergent Adults and Teens: https://a93f86-3.myshopify.com/products/fillable-pdf?variant=49755927839036&ta_aff=KVIWCIVNIC Join Shell's membership: https://a93f86-3.myshopify.com/products/unlock-your-career-galaxy-membership?variant=51990936224060&ta_aff=KVIWCIVNIC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I reflect on the recent losses of a close friend, a beloved pet, and an estranged parent, and what each experience revealed about grief, boundaries, and belonging. Through these stories, we explore how values-aligned community offers support where traditional family sometimes cannot. This is a tender invitation to consider how we build connection, and why it’s worth it. Connect in Community is a 10-day virtual community experience for neurodivergent adults who want more friendship, less burnout, and a gentle way to practice connection. We run from July 23rd-August 1st. Learn more and register: www.neurodiverging.com/community Show notes and transcript: https://www.neurodiverging.com/creating-neurodivergent-affirming-community/ We’d love to hear from you! Share a question, comment, or situation you’d like support with, and we may feature it on our podcast: https://www.neurodiverging.com/leave-a-voice-note/ ________________________ Neurodiverging Coaching is an online, sliding scale coaching practice owned by autistic neurodiversity coach Danielle Sullivan. Learn more at www.neurodiverging.com, or join us on Patreon for even more goodies! http://patreon.com/neurodiverging Our organization’s larger mission is to help neurodivergent folks find the resources we need to live better lives as individuals, and to further disability awareness and social justice efforts to improve all of our lives as part of the larger world community. We support strength-based, evidence-based assessment and skill-building, social and disability justice paradigms, and a commitment to taking care of one another. Mailing Address: Danielle Sullivan 603 S Public Rd, #63 Lafayette, CO 80026-9998 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s talk about how to heal from the trauma of childhood sexual abuse after a late diagnosis of autism with writing educator and advocate Dr. Anne Elrod Whitney. Transcript: https://www.neurodiverging.com/anne-whitney-the-neurodiverging-podcast/ Get ad-free podcast downloads and lots more: http://patreon.com/neurodiverging Work with Anne: https://anneelrodwhitney.com/ Join the Neurodiverging Patreon for as little as $3 a month to get access to Anne’s exclusive 1 hour workshop, Writing from Intention to Action: https://www.patreon.com/posts/122487361 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Difficulty making friends as an adult is not an experience unique to neurodivergent people. However, when you add our unique worldview and our diverse ways of processing, along with our recovery needs, it can feel (and sometimes even be) almost impossible. Let’s break down some of the challenges and the experiments we can try to find a practice that might be more supportive for us. Show notes and transcript: https://www.neurodiverging.com/making-friends-as-an-autistic-adult/ Join the Patreon: www.patreon.com/neurodiverging Learn more about coaching: www.neurodiverging.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are diving into a crucial, yet often misunderstood, topic: the difference between trauma response and autistic meltdown. Both can look intense from the outside, but they come from very different places. Understanding these differences is key to providing the right kind of support to your autistic loved ones. Today, we're going to break it all down in a way that's neurodivergent-affirming and backed by the neuroscience. Transcript and show notes: http://www.neurodiverging.com/autistic-overwhelm-or-trauma Support us on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/neurodiverging Grab your free sensory overwhelm workbook: http://www.neurodiverging.com/freesensorybook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Show notes: https://www.neurodiverging.com/how-to-open-your-house/ Learn about why you should open house and close house each day to get more done more easily. It's the first part of our executive function clinic! ________________________ Neurodiverging Coaching is an online, sliding scale coaching practice owned by autistic neurodiversity coach Danielle Sullivan. Learn more at Neurodiverging.com, or join us on Patreon for even more goodies!    patreon.com/neurodiverging   Our organization’s larger mission is to help neurodivergent folks find the resources we need to live better lives as individuals, and to further disability awareness and social justice efforts to improve all of our lives as part of the larger world community. We support strength-based, evidence-based assessment and skill-building, social and disability justice paradigms, and a commitment to taking care of one another. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In diverse communities, people have unique access needs that sometimes conflict. For instance, one person’s vocal stimming might cause auditory overload for someone else. Similarly, captions can aid auditory processing for some but distract others. These situations highlight the challenge of balancing differing needs without placing blame. By viewing these conflicts as structural issues, we can collaboratively develop strategies that respect everyone’s requirements. Show notes: https://www.neurodiverging.com/your-stims-trigger-me-navigating-competing-access-needs/ Grab our free 2-page tip sheet for this episode for a quick reference and reflection questions to help you process: https://neurodiverging.thrivecart.com/conflicting-access-needs-tip-sheet/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danielle is excited to be a guest at the Neurodiversity and Harmony Summit this March! Learn more about emotional regulation what you can expect from the summit with this bonus audio from the Every Brain is Different podcast. Register to join us at everybrainisdifferent.com/danielle. Original Description: In this special episode of the Every Brain is Different podcast, Samantha welcomes back Danielle Sullivan. Danielle will be a panelist at the Neurodiversity and Harmony Summit, where she will present a 20-minute deep dive on co-regulation. During this episode, Danielle explains the concept of co-regulation, emphasizing its importance in balancing emotions between two individuals, whether they are parents and children, romantic partners, or friends. She highlights the challenges of co-regulating with neurodivergent children and provides practical advice for parents to help their children develop self-regulation skills while also maintaining their own emotional balance. For more insights, listeners are encouraged to sign up for the summit at everybrainisdifferent.com/danielle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's talk to Patty Laushman, neurodivergent coach, about the critical topic of 'failure to launch' in autistic youth. Show notes and more: https://www.neurodiverging.com/autistic-failure-to-launch/ Join the Patreon for bonus content: http://patreon.com/neurodiverging Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Show notes: https://www.neurodiverging.com/neurodivergent-in-the-natural-world-with-diana-renn/ Diana Renn's new middle grade book, The Owl Prowl Mystery, centers adolescence as an ADHDer, and how neurodivergence intersects with the natural world around us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today Danielle is laying out how to become an advocate and how to decide what kind of advocacy you want to practice. This is a vital piece of being a neurodivergent person in a neurotypical world, so let's dive in. Show notes: https://www.neurodiverging.com/how-to-become-an-advocate/ Register for our free 5-day Empowerment Kickstart, starting 8/12: https://www.neurodiverging.com/empowerment ________________________ Neurodiverging Coaching is an online, sliding scale coaching practice owned by autistic neurodiversity coach Danielle Sullivan. Learn more at Neurodiverging.com, or join us on Patreon for even more goodies! http://patreon.com/neurodiverging Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Enter to win a copy of “What Did I Do Wrong?”: An Accessible Guide to Preventing Traumatic Misunderstandings Between You and Your Autistic Loved One: https://www.neurodiverging.com/wrong Show notes: https://www.neurodiverging.com/understanding-autistic-communication-with-jaime-a-heidel/ As a late-diagnosed autistic/ADHD person, this question was the theme of Jaime A. Heidel's childhood, teens, and young adult life. She created a guide to help the future generation of autistic people avoid unnecessary trauma from chronic miscommunication, while helping neurotypical people get their emotional needs met, as well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sandi Lerman  is a certified transformational coach, mindfulness teacher, and somatic practitioner. She's also the parent of a young adult with significant complex developmental trauma. Today's she sharing some of what's she's learned through her decades of supporting her child's growth. Show notes: https://www.neurodiverging.com/parenting-complex-developmental-trauma-with-sandi-lerman/ Patrons, please note that all tiers have access to our full interview and Q&A with Sandi here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/parenting-trauma-105199490 Get ad-free podcast downloads by joining us on Patreon: http://patreon.com/neurodiverging ________________________ Neurodiverging Coaching is an online, sliding scale coaching practice owned by autistic neurodiversity coach Danielle Sullivan. Learn more at Neurodiverging.com, or join us on Patreon for even more goodies! http://patreon.com/neurodiverging Our organization’s larger mission is to help neurodivergent folks find the resources we need to live better lives as individuals, and to further disability awareness and social justice efforts to improve all of our lives as part of the larger world community. We support strength-based, evidence-based assessment and skill-building, social and disability justice paradigms, and a commitment to taking care of one another. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danielle discusses what ableism is, gives an example of ableism that they experienced recently, and discusses opportunities to reduce our own internalized ableism. Show notes: https://www.neurodiverging.com/one-way-to-be-less-ableist/________________________ Neurodiverging Coaching is an online, sliding scale coaching practice owned by autistic neurodiversity coach Danielle Sullivan. Learn more at Neurodiverging.com, or join us on Patreon for even more goodies! http://patreon.com/neurodiverging Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Show notes: https://www.neurodiverging.com/the-experience-of-hyperphantasia/ As an autistic mother with neurodivergent children, our guest Rebecca Vitsmun was inspired by her personal experiences to provide an accessible story that inspires creative imagination in readers of all ages and backgrounds. Her book, Eliza Dee’s Universes, highlights Eliza Dee’s colorful adventures as hyperphantasia leads her to explore memories that springboard creative fantasies. ________________________ Neurodiverging Coaching is an online, sliding scale coaching practice owned by autistic neurodiversity coach Danielle Sullivan. Learn more at Neurodiverging.com, or join us on Patreon for even more goodies! http://patreon.com/neurodiverging Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is neurospicy just a cute, quirky word to describe someone with neurodivergent traits? Or is yet it another example of ableism sneaking into our common parlance? That's what we're talking about today. Show notes: https://www.neurodiverging.com/im-not-neurospicy/ Join the Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/neurodiverging Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whether you're considering medication for yourself as a neurodivergent adult, or for a child, it can be a difficult and complex decision. Today, Danielle's talking about their personal history with medication as an autistic ADHDer, what considerations went into their decisions, and how they confronted medication stigma. Show notes: https://www.neurodiverging.com/the-medication-question/ Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/neurodiverging Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices