Navigating the healthcare system and advocating for needs can be a frustrating and invalidating experience, especially for neurodivergent individuals who exhibit interwoven behaviors associated with OCD, autism, or Tourettes.

In this flashback episode, Patrick Casale and Dr. Megan Anna Neff, two AuDHD mental health professionals, and Dr. Stacy Greeter, an AuDHD and OCD child/adolescent and adult psychiatrist, discuss the multi-faceted challenges of accessing appropriate healthcare, the nuances of differentiating between behaviors related to OCD, Austim, and Tourettes, and the significance of authenticity in professional environments.

Top 3 reasons to listen to the entire episode:

1. Gain valuable insights into how to navigate the healthcare system more effectively by preparing questions, bringing an ally, and scheduling frequent consultations, emphasizing the importance of patient self-advocacy in medical appointments.
2. Understand the distinctions among stimming, tics, and OCD compulsions, and learn to differentiate value-driven actions from fear-based compulsions, helping to provide clarity and reduce pathologizing behaviors that bring joy.
3. Discover the importance of authenticity and individuality in both medical and therapeutic fields, hearing firsthand experiences from professionals who embrace their neurodivergent identities to foster better client outcomes and work cultures.

As you reflect on this episode, consider the importance of advocating for your needs within the healthcare system. Remember, your voice and experience are crucial in navigating these complex environments.

More about Stacy:

Dr. Stacy Greeter is an AuDHD and OCD child/adolescent and adult psychiatrist in Sarasota, FL. Her autistic special interests include fantasy creatures and everything psychiatry. She uses metaphors from fantasy universes such as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and The Little Mermaid to make complex psychiatric concepts more relatable and advocate for autistic patients and other autistic doctors.

• Website: stacygreetermd.com
• YouTube: youtube.com/@stacygreetermd
• Psychiatry Boot Camp: stacygreetermd.com/psychiatry-boot-camp
• Free Resource on Healthcare Advocacy

***This episode is a re-release episode of Divergent Conversations selected for our 2025 break. Please enjoy, and we'll be back with new content, resources, and guests in a couple of months.

• ANNOUNCEMENT: We’re extending our break a few additional episodes. If you want more information on what is happening with Dr. Neff and Neurodivergent Insights, you can read about it using the following link, as well as learn how to connect with and support their work: notion.so/neurodivergentinsights/Thank-You-For-Supporting-Our-Work-1aaa17a4bb8b80c790abfa4a08231b7a

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Dealing with chronic health issues can often feel like a neverending battle, especially when it seems like there’s no clear path to improvement.

In this flashback episode, Patrick Casale and Dr. Megan Anna Neff, two AuDHD mental health professionals, discuss their personal battles with chronic health conditions. They provide an insightful analysis using the biopsychosocial model, share their experiences, and introduce this new series on chronic health issues for neurodivergent individuals.

Top 3 reasons to listen to the entire episode:

1. Gain practical insights into managing chronic health struggles through the biopsychosocial model, which considers the interconnected biological, psychological, and social factors affecting well-being.
2. Discover the power of setting concrete, manageable goals to tackle issues such as sleep, depression, and chronic pain, and learn strategies to cultivate self-efficacy and align your actions with your values.
3. Learn how diet, exercise, and behavioral health perspectives play crucial roles in managing complex medical conditions, and hear about the hosts' personal plans to focus on movement and diet for improved health.

As you embark on your own journey to better health, remember that you don’t have to do it alone. Identify one tangible goal you can work on today, and consider the broader biopsychosocial factors influencing your well-being. Reflect on how you can take actionable steps, no matter how small, towards living a more value-aligned life.

***This episode is a re-release episode of Divergent Conversations selected for our 2025 break. Please enjoy, and we'll be back with new content, resources, and guests in a couple of months.

• ANNOUNCEMENT: We’re extending our break a few additional episodes. If you want more information on what is happening with Dr. Neff and Neurodivergent Insights, you can read about it using the following link, as well as learn how to connect with and support their work: notion.so/neurodivergentinsights/Thank-You-For-Supporting-Our-Work-1aaa17a4bb8b80c790abfa4a08231b7a

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✨ iACTcenter:

The iACTcenter is an elite global ICF-accredited coach education and training program designed to train people to become confident, skilled, professional ADHD life coaches. They prepare aspiring coaches to make a living while making a...

Neuroimmune systems often intertwine with chronic health and neurodivergence, leaving neurodivergent individuals grappling with things like energy management, chronic fatigue, or other long-term health conditions.

In this flashback episode, Patrick Casale and Dr. Megan Anna Neff, two AuDHD mental health professionals, talk with Dr. Mel Houser, an Autistic family physician, about the intricate dynamics of chronic health, energy management, and the often-overlooked connection between neuroimmune systems and neurodivergence.

Top 3 reasons to listen to the entire episode:

1. Gain a deeper understanding of post-exertional malaise (PEM) and how recognizing one's limits can help in avoiding the debilitating crash that often follows overexertion.
2. Using real-life experiences, understand the systemic challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals within a traditional healthcare model, highlighting the importance of self-advocacy and community support.
3. Discover practical strategies and tools from Dr. Houser on identifying environmental triggers and making manageable adjustments to improve health, particularly for autistic and ADHD adults.

As you navigate your own healthcare journey, remember to honor your limits, seek out community, and advocate for the care you deserve.

DISCLAIMER: This episode is not intended as medical advice.

More about Dr. Mel Houser:

Dr. Mel Houser (she/they) is an Autistic family physician with a clinical focus on providing primary care for neurodivergent patients across the lifespan. She is the Founder and Executive Director of All Brains Belong VT, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in Montpelier, Vermont that uses universal design principles to provide neurodiversity-affirming medical care, social connection opportunities for all ages, and neurodiversity-related educational training. At age 37, Dr. Houser was diagnosed as autistic, ADHD, dyspraxic, dyslexic, and dyscalculic. She is also the parent of an autistic 6-year-old, who is her guru of so many keys to the universe.

• Website: allbrainsbelong.org
• Get Connected: allbrainsbelong.org/get-connected
• Clinician Resources: allbrainsbelong.org/clinician-resources
• Instagram: @allbrainsbelongvt
• Bateman Horne Center Website: batemanhornecenter.org

Check out All Brains Belong’s project: Everything is Connected to Everything: Improving the Healthcare of Autistic & ADHD Adults provides health education resources to support people with this constellation of intertwined conditions, as well as strategies for discussing the project with medical providers. There is also a Clinician Guide with a combination of evidence-based practice and the lived experiences of more than 100 Autistic and ADHD community members.

Here's the link to the project: allbrainsbelong.org/all-the-things

***This episode is a re-release episode of Divergent Conversations selected for our 2025 break. Please enjoy, and we'll be back with new content, resources, and guests in a couple of months.

• ANNOUNCEMENT: We’re extending our break a few additional...

Neurodivergent individuals can sometimes feel overwhelmed by emotions or struggle to understand their own stress responses, and entrepreneurship can add another level of intensity to this experience.

In this flashback episode, Patrick Casale and Dr. Megan Anna Neff, two AuDHD mental health professionals, talk with Yunetta Smith, a licensed clinician, coach, trauma expert, and EMDR trainer, about the impact of naming emotions on mental health, especially for neurodivergent individuals, entrepreneurs, and people of color, emphasizing the importance of allowing folks to have autonomy over their own experiences and healing.

Top 3 reasons to listen to the entire episode:

1. Discover how naming your emotions can reduce stress and turn tough experiences into opportunities for healing and growth.
2. Gain insights into the reality behind perceived success and the internal struggles many neurodivergent entrepreneurs face—validation that you are not alone if you feel overwhelmed, isolated, or disconnected despite your outward achievements.
3. Learn about Yunetta's groundbreaking work with EMDR therapy, offering marginalized communities access to mental health resources tailored to their unique needs and experiences.

As you listen, consider how emotional awareness can enhance both your personal well-being and your entrepreneurial success, keeping in mind that there is more than one right way to access your emotions and honor your nervous system and uniqueness.

More about Yunetta:

Yunetta Smith is a Thriving Therapreneur (Therapist + Entrepreneur) CEO and founder of Spring Forth Counseling and Ground Breakers Coaching and Consulting. Yunetta is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in the States of TN, KY, and ID, as well as a Nationally Certified Counselor, Clinical Trauma Professional, and EMDR Therapist/Approved Consultant.

Yunetta specializes in helping black and brown folks navigate childhood trauma that manifests in adulthood—working exclusively with public figures, professionals, pastors, and practitioners.

She works diligently to spread awareness through various media platforms including the weekly “Talk it out Tuesday” segment on the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, co-hosting the Deeper than the Diet Podcast, and self-publishing her self-care workbook “Take the Struggle Out of Self-care: Six Weeks to Create Your Self-care Strategy.”

Yunetta is a groundbreaker, a stigma breaker, and a cycle breaker who cultivates spaces for healing, wholeness, compassion, and change. She strives to create an atmosphere where anyone can take of their masks, stand in their truth, and learn to love what they see!

• Websites: yunettaspring.com & groundbreakerstherapy.com
• Social Media: @yunettaspringsmith & @groundbreakerstherapy
• EMDR Mailing List: text EMDR to 33777

***This episode is the 9th of 10 episodes that Divergent Conversations is re-releasing for 2025. Please enjoy, and we'll be back with new content, resources, and guests in a couple of months.

• ANNOUNCEMENT: We’re extending our break a few additional episodes. If you want more information on what is happening with Dr. Neff and Neurodivergent Insights, you can read about it using the following link, as well as learn how to connect with and support their work:

For adults who are questioning if they are Autistic, ADHD, etc., there is often an exploratory and somewhat confusing phase where they feel in between two different identities.

In this flashback episode, Patrick Casale and Dr. Megan Anna Neff, two AuDHD mental health professionals, talk with Jak Levine-Pritzker, ADHD coach and founder of Authentically ADHD LLC, about the nuances of navigating identity when exploring the possibility of an autism diagnosis, as well as the effect of facing internalized ableism and external input throughout the assessment process.

Top 3 reasons to listen to the entire episode:

1. Learn about Jak's personal experiences with the questioning of fitting into or out of diagnostic criteria, especially when examining overlapping traits between ADHD and autism.
2. Gain insights into the complexities and nuances of the assessment process for neurodivergent conditions, exploring both the quantitative and qualitative aspects that go beyond standardized tests.
3. Discover the evolving understanding of neurotypes, including the impact of self-identification on assessments and the relevance of organizing principles like monotropism and flow state.

As you reflect on your own journey or support others in their quest for clarity, remember to ask questions, be mindful that neurodivergent experiences and diagnoses are full of grey areas and overlapping traits, and if you choose to seek a diagnosis, try to approach it with an open mind.

More about Jak:

Jak Levine-Pritzker(she/her) is an ADHD coach, mental health advocate, and founder of Authentically ADHD LLC. With an online community of over 90k people and a robust coaching practice, she has empowered thousands of ADHDers to heal their internalized ableism and shame and design a life that *actually* works for their brains using a strengths-based approach.

Jak is passionate about normalizing and depathologizing what it means to be human, especially a neurodivergent (and queer) human. She shares openly about her own lived experience navigating ADHD, OCD, depression, PMDD, and grief. She truly believes that people with ADHD are not disordered or broken and can live wonderfully successful, fulfilling lives when given the proper support, resources, and environment to thrive.

In what feels like another multiverse, she received a law degree from CUNY Queens with clinical training in mediation. She is from upstate NY and currently lives in the Santa Cruz Mountains with her cat, Zen.

Check out Jak’s online membership (authenticallyadhd.com/membership)! It is an online community for 18+ ADHD adults. There are coaching calls, socials, body doubles, weekly/monthly resets, and more. It is a lovely community and sliding scale starts at $19/month but no one is turned away for lack of funds.

• Website: authenticallyadhd.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/authenticallyadhd

***This episode is the 8th of 10 episodes that Divergent Conversations is re-releasing for 2025. Please enjoy, and we'll be back with new content, resources, and guests in a couple of months.

• ANNOUNCEMENT: We’re extending our break a few additional episodes. If you want more information on what is happening with Dr. Neff and Neurodivergent Insights, you can read about it using the following link, as well as learn how to connect with and support their work:

A traditional workplace can be really challenging for neurodivergent individuals, and if a workplace culture is made to be one-size-fits-all, the chances are high that it won’t fit for many neurodivergent people.

In this flashback episode, Patrick Casale and Dr. Megan Anna Neff, two AuDHD mental health professionals, talk with Lyric Rivera, founder of NeuroDivergent Consulting, author, and later-in-life diagnosed AuDHD person, about how to create neurodivergent-affirming spaces, including in the workplace and in online communities.

Top 3 reasons to listen to the entire episode:

1. Understand the essential need to reframe our workplace cultures to not just accommodate but truly embrace the strengths that neurodivergent individuals bring to the table.
2. Discover the nuanced challenges adults face with a later-in-life neurodivergent discovery, including unraveling the web of self-deprecating beliefs to shift to self-compassion and understanding.
3. Learn how to implement neurodivergent-friendly practices in the workplace and communities that will lead to more open communication, allow people to play to their strengths, and give individuals the resources and environment they need to show up as their best.

There is still a lot of work to be done to create workplaces and other spaces that truly embrace neurodiversity and accommodate for the uniqueness of each individual, but by implementing Lyric’s suggestions in this episode, we can start leaning into people’s strengths and allow for more growth, better solutions, and spaces that feel safe and welcoming.

More about Lyric Rivera:

Lyric Rivera, founder of NeuroDivergent Consulting and author of the best-selling business ethics book Workplace Neurodiversity Rising, named “Trend for 2023” and praised in Forbes as “an excellent ‘how to manual’ based on lived Experience and professional competence.”

Lyric also runs the blog NeuroDivergent Rebel and is known as the pioneer of the #AskingAutistics hashtag, where simple questions prompt open-ended responses that Autistic people can quickly chime in with and invites participants to engage each other in conversations related to the topic. This hashtag connects people who would not otherwise have a reason to engage with each other and fosters a collective understanding of the Autistic Experience.

• Buy Lyric’s Book: books2read.com/neurodiversity-rising
• Website: neurodivergentrebel.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/NeurodivergentRebel
• Substack: neurodivergentrebel.substack.com
• Threads: threads.net/@neurodivergentrebel
• YouTube: youtube.com/@NeurodivergentRebel
• TikTok: tiktok.com/@.neurodivergentrebel

Resources:

• Check out Dr. Neff’s new book, Self-Care for Autistic People, here to learn more about the book: neurodivergentinsights.com/self-care-for-autistic-people

***This episode is the 7th of 10 episodes that Divergent Conversations is re-releasing for 2025. Please...

Sensory meltdowns and shutdowns can be deeply misunderstood and unsettling experiences, whether you've faced them personally or seen a loved one struggle.

For many Autistic individuals, dealing with overwhelming sensory stimuli is a recurring battle. The space between feeling in control and experiencing a complete sensory meltdown or shutdown can be alarmingly narrow, with profound impacts on personal well-being and relationships.

In this flashback episode, Patrick Casale and Dr. Megan Anna Neff, two AuDHD mental health professionals, share their insights and experiences with Autistic sensory meltdowns and shutdowns, including strategies and signs discussed through a clinical and personal lens.

Top 3 reasons to listen to the entire episode:

1. Gain an understanding of what sensory meltdowns and shutdowns actually feel like, which Dr. Neff and Patrick describe through their vulnerable firsthand accounts, helping to break down the barriers of misunderstanding and stigma.
2. Learn about practical coping mechanisms that can be employed during sensory meltdowns, such as intense physical activity, hot showers, and other grounding techniques, to help regain a sense of balance and control.
3. Discover how to manage and anticipate shutdown triggers, through discussions on sensory self-care, proactive avoidance of overwhelming environments, and the utilization of sensory soothing tools, contributing to a more harmonious interaction with the world.

As you reflect on these discussions, try to recognize the bravery and resilience that comes with managing neurodivergent challenges. Be kind to yourself or your neurodivergent loved ones; embrace the coping strategies that work, and continue to learn and adapt.

Resources:

• Check out Dr. Neff’s new book, Self-Care for Autistic People. Learn more about the book: neurodivergentinsights.com/self-care-for-autistic-people

***This episode is the 6th of 10 episodes that Divergent Conversations is re-releasing for 2025. Please enjoy, and we'll be back with new content, resources, and guests in a couple of months.

• ANNOUNCEMENT: We’re extending our break a few additional episodes. If you want more information on what is happening with Dr. Neff and Neurodivergent Insights, you can read about it using the following link, as well as learn how to connect with and support their work: notion.so/neurodivergentinsights/Thank-You-For-Supporting-Our-Work-1aaa17a4bb8b80c790abfa4a08231b7a

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Navigating a world packed with all sorts of seemingly mismatched sensations, either overstimulating or understimulating, and having passionate interests that can appear as all-consuming to others, can be challenging and greatly impact the way we build relationships and even just get through the day.

In this flashback episode, Patrick Casale and Dr. Megan Anna Neff, two AuDHD mental health professionals, talk about the nuances and misconceptions surrounding special interests and sensory experiences for Autistic people.

Top 3 reasons to listen to the entire episode:

1. Learn about the role of special interests in fostering connections for Autistic individuals, and how personal sensory nuances impact relationships with oneself and the world around them.
2. Gain insights into how to create more inclusive autism assessments that acknowledge the diverse experiences of Autistic individuals, including behaviors, sensory experiences, or interests that might be more stereotypically associated with allistic individuals.
3. Understand the different sensory systems and explore the broad spectrum of sensory experiences that influence everything from social interactions and relationships to meeting basic necessities of food, clothes, and shelter.

Think about how we all experience the world differently and why it's important to make space for those differences so that we can honor who we are and have more compassion for one another.

Resources:

For this conversation, we are using Is This Autism By Donna Hendreson, Sarah Wayland, and Jamell White. You can find it here. But wait...

• The publisher is giving our listeners a special coupon during this series! Use Code: NDI24 to get 30% off and free shipping Valid through 6-Jul 2024 (must purchase using this link)

Also, we’ll be reading this book together for our book club in June in the Neurodivergent Learning Nook. You can learn more about our community here.

DISCLAIMER: We're using the DSM-5 criteria as a framework for this conversation, and this is not our endorsement of the DSM. There have been a lot of very thoughtful critiques of the DSM in the last several years, and more specifically, how autism is presented in the DSM is very deficit-based. So, we are not in alignment with that view, but we did use that as a framework to walk through our experience of autism and to unpack the many ways that those criteria could show up in a person. The reason we chose to do this is that we believe in the power of transparency and demystifying the process of diagnosis, which has historically been very obscure and hard to understand. And so this is our effort for those who perhaps are interested in pursuing a diagnosis or who have gone through the process and want to understand it better. This is our attempt to help demystify that experience. It is not our endorsement of the DSM. Thank you for understanding that.

***This episode is the 5th of 10 episodes that Divergent Conversations is re-releasing for 2025. Please enjoy, and we'll be back with new content, resources, and guests in a couple of months.

• ANNOUNCEMENT: We’re extending our break a few additional episodes. If you...