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What happens when burnout doesn't end after you leave the environment that caused it? This week on The NeuroSpicy MomPod, we're exploring the five stages of burnout, the physiological effects of chronic stress, and why recovery can take years. Drawing from my own experience, we discuss neurodivergence, motherhood, financial insecurity, and the systemic conditions that make healing so difficult. Because burnout isn't always about our inability to cope. Sometimes it's about how much we've been expected to endure. 💛 Small Business Shout-Out: My Etsy shop! Check out my handmade and custom creations for the holiday season. https://theneurospicymama.etsy.com Find more on Substack: @theneurospicymompod Research referenced: WHO (ICD-11); Maslach & Leiter (2016); Veninga & Spradley (1981); Raymaker et al. (2020); West et al. (2016).

Your child knew how to do it yesterday. So why can't they do it today? This week, I'm joined by Stephanie Kerwin, founder of Village of Littles, to explore how nervous system overload affects neurodivergent children's access to skills, communication, and emotional regulation. We're talking PDA, school expectations, sensory overwhelm, and why supporting your child's nervous system doesn't mean abandoning boundaries. Because sometimes what looks like defiance is actually a nervous system asking for support. 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and join my Patreon for the full video conversation! Find Stephanie at villageoflittles.com and @VillageofLittles.

Maybe my social media isn't as random as it looks! ✨ This week on The NeuroSpicy MomPod, we're exploring the surprising connections between neurodivergence, narcissistic abuse, workplace challenges, poverty, and nervous system safety. Most importantly, we're talking about moving beyond shame and self-blame to find understanding, support, and community. Because healing was never meant to happen in isolation. 💜 ✨ Small Business Shout-Out: Mimi's Refined Boutique Clothing alterations, repairs, bespoke garments, and custom creations. Facebook 📚 Research referenced: Dr. Louise Taylor (2025) Nancy Doyle (2020) Anderson et al. (2025) 💜 Want more? Subscribe on Patreon for video episodes and personal updates, or support the podcast on Spotify for $3/month!

Welcome to Season 5 of The NeuroSpicy MomPod! In this deeply personal premiere, Austen Marie reflects on a seemingly simple question from a cleaning client: "How has neurodivergence affected your life?" The answer turns out to be far more complicated than she imagined. From growing up with undiagnosed neurodivergence and childhood trauma to navigating an abusive marriage, workplace mistreatment, autistic burnout, financial instability, and motherhood, Austen Marie explores how neurodivergence has shaped nearly every aspect of her life. This episode examines the intersection of neurodivergence, C-PTSD, domestic abuse, chronic stress, and poverty, including why leaving an abusive environment doesn't necessarily mean having the resources or safety needed to heal. Austen Marie also explores the difference between intelligence and capacity, the hidden financial costs of neurodivergent accommodations, and the shame that comes from struggling in a society that equates productivity with personal worth. Finally, she shares her vision for Healing Hearts Homesteads, a future community dedicated to providing safety, stability, and opportunities for healing to women and children escaping abuse. In this episode: Neurodivergence and relationships, complex PTSD, coercive control, workplace burnout, nervous system regulation, financial trauma, disability accommodations, and rebuilding a life centered around safety. If you've ever wondered why doing everything "right" still hasn't been enough, this conversation is for you. ✨ Join our community on Instagram: @the_neurospicymama 💜 Support the podcast and access exclusive content on Patreon. ✍️ Follow Austen's writing journey on Substack: @theneurospicymompod Thank you for helping us normalize neurodivergence, one conversation at a time.

What if, instead of judging ourselves for the things we struggle with, we got curious about why they’re hard? This week on The NeuroSpicy MomPod, I’m joined by Josh, co-founder of re-RIGHT, for a conversation about what it actually feels like to move through the world with a neurodivergent brain...especially when you spent most of your life without knowing you had one. Josh is late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD, with lived experience of Tourette’s and dyslexia, and we get into the messy reality of looking back at your entire life through a completely different lens after diagnosis. We talk about the grief and relief of late diagnosis, the mental health impact of masking, autistic burnout, executive dysfunction, nervous system regulation, and what happens when you’ve spent so many years becoming the person who gets the least amount of pushback that you’re not entirely sure who you are underneath it anymore. We also dive into PDA (Persistent Drive for Autonomy) and what demand avoidance actually feels like from inside the nervous system, including why something you genuinely want to do can suddenly feel impossible the second your brain registers it as a demand. And one of my favorite takeaways from our entire conversation: ✨ Give yourself permission to be the detective instead of the judge. Instead of “Why am I so lazy?”What is making this task difficult for me? Instead of “Why is my child being defiant?”What is their behavior communicating? Instead of immediately assigning judgment, what happens when we get curious? Josh also shares why he created re-RIGHT, a neurodivergent-informed platform designed to bridge the gap between learning about neurodivergence and actually knowing how to use that information in your everyday life. 🧠 Connect with Josh + follow re-RIGHT: Instagram: @joshfromreright Website: re-right.org Follow Josh to learn more about autism, ADHD, PDA, masking, neurodivergent mental health, and the development of re-RIGHT. Whether you’re late-diagnosed, self-identifying, questioning your neurodivergence, parenting a neurodivergent child, or simply trying to understand your brain with a little more compassion, this conversation is your reminder that your struggles are information, not evidence of your worth. Stay curious, my NeuroSpicy baddies. 💕✨

Postpartum mental health is finally getting the national attention it deserves, but what does postpartum look like when you're already living with a NeuroSpicy nervous system? This week, we're looking at the research connecting ADHD and autism with increased rates of perinatal depression, anxiety and stress, and exploring why sleep deprivation, sensory overload, executive dysfunction, hormonal changes and the sudden loss of familiar routines can make postpartum uniquely challenging for neurodivergent mothers. We’ll also talk about what neurodivergent-informed postpartum support could actually look like and the small ways we can better care for the moms in our communities. If motherhood ever made you wonder, “Why does everyone else seem able to handle this except me?”...this conversation is for you. ✨

What happens when we forget that the rights we inherited had to be fought for? This week, we’re following the imaginary string through Aktion T4, American eugenics, Buck v. Bell, forced sterilization, the disability rights movement, Section 504, the ADA, and the rhetoric and policies raising alarm for neurodivergent and disabled Americans in 2026. This is a heavier episode, but an important one because knowing our history gives us the context to recognize patterns, protect our rights, and understand why informed participation matters now more than ever. 💖 Support The NeuroSpicy MomPod If this episode taught you something, made you think, or gave you a conversation you want to keep going, please share it with someone who needs to hear it. Grassroots podcasts like this grow because of you. ✨ Subscribe to The NeuroSpicy MomPod on Patreon for bonus content, video episodes, behind-the-scenes conversations, and to directly support the work that goes into keeping this podcast going. 📱 Follow me on Instagram: @the_neurospicymama 🎥 Subscribe to The NeuroSpicy MomPod on YouTube so you don’t miss new episodes and videos. Sources & Further Reading • NPR — Kennedy says an autism registry is coming. HHS says it won't be a registry.https://www.npr.org/2025/05/08/nx-s1-5391310/kennedy-autism-registry-database-hhs-nih-medicare-medicaid • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum — Euthanasia Program and Aktion T4https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/euthanasia-program 💫 Join the NeuroSpicy Squad on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/TheNeuroSpicyMomPod

In this episode I'm joined by Lee Alberts, a late-diagnosed AuDHDer, disability justice advocate, and future mental health counselor, for one of my favorite conversations we've had on the podcast. We dive into what late diagnosis can uncover, why so many neurodivergent girls were missed growing up, the overlap between autism, ADHD, trauma, and chronic illness, and how learning to understand your brain can completely transform the way you understand yourself. ✨ Find Lee on Instagram: @NEUROSPOONIE If you have a question for Lee and don't have Instagram, you can always message me on Patreon and I'll gladly pass it along. 📚 Books mentioned in today's episode: • Unmasking Autism by Devon Price • NeuroTribes by Steve Silberman • Self-Care for Autistic People by Dr. Megan Anna Neff If you enjoyed today's conversation, I'd be so grateful if you'd follow the show, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who might need to hear it. If you'd like to support the podcast and join our amazing community, you can subscribe on Patreon for bonus episodes, video interviews, and behind-the-scenes life updates. I'm so glad you're here. 💛

What if changing a child's life doesn't begin with perfect parenting but with one safe relationship? In this episode of The NeuroSpicy MomPod, we're exploring the groundbreaking Kauai Longitudinal Study, one of the most influential resilience studies ever conducted, and the neuroscience behind why one caring adult can change the trajectory of a child's life. Together we'll unpack how childhood relationships shape the developing brain, why social rejection activates the same neural networks involved in physical pain, how repeated messages become a child's inner voice, and why resilience isn't something we're born with, it's something that's built through connection. Whether you're a parent, teacher, coach, caregiver, or simply someone who wants to better understand the human brain, this episode is a reminder that being a safe adult may be one of the most important things you'll ever do. Research discussed in this episode: • Emmy E. Werner's Kauai Longitudinal Study on resilience and protective relationships. • Sam Goldstein's discussion of resilience and the importance of supportive adults in childhood development. 💛 If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your support helps this grassroots community continue growing.

Why can two people hear the exact same words and walk away with completely different understandings of the conversation? In this episode of The NeuroSpicy MomPod, we're putting on our teacher hats and diving into the neuroscience of communication. Together, we'll explore the difference between top-down and bottom-up thinking, how our brains construct meaning, and why neurodivergent and neurotypical people can interpret the exact same situation in completely different ways. We'll unpack the psychology behind predictive processing, schemas, assumptions, and clarifying questions, while connecting the science to real-life experiences in relationships, parenting, friendships, and the workplace. If you've ever been told you're "too literal," struggled with vague instructions, or wondered why communication feels so much harder than it seems to for everyone else, this episode is for you. If this conversation resonates with you, I'd be so grateful if you'd follow the podcast, leave a rating or review, and share this episode with someone who could benefit from it. And if you'd like to support this little grassroots community, you can subscribe for free or join us on Patreon for the full video episodes, exclusive life updates, and bonus content. I'm so glad you're here. 💛

Why can you feel lonely even when you're surrounded by people? In this episode of The NeuroSpicy MomPod, we explore the hidden connection between neurodivergence, chronic isolation, autistic burnout, ADHD, and nervous system regulation. You'll learn why loneliness isn't the same as being alone, why connection can feel so exhausting, and how to build relationships that feel safe instead of draining. If you've ever wondered why your nervous system chooses solitude even when your heart longs for community…this episode is for you. 💛 For the video episode and to support this neurospicy, single mama, subscribe on Patreon today!

Why do some people seem to feel the weight of the world more deeply than others? In this episode of The NeuroSpicy MomPod, we're exploring existential depression, a form of depression that often affects highly reflective, gifted, and neurodivergent individuals. We discuss the difference between clinical depression and existential depression, the neuroscience behind pattern recognition and justice sensitivity, why awareness can sometimes feel overwhelming, and how to care for yourself when you can't stop noticing the suffering and contradictions around you. If you've ever felt exhausted by the state of the world, struggled with questions about meaning and purpose, or wondered whether you're depressed or simply paying attention, this episode is for you. Topics include:✨ Existential depression✨ Neurodivergence and giftedness✨ Justice sensitivity✨ Pattern recognition and neuroscience✨ Dabrowski's Theory of Positive Disintegration✨ Meaning, purpose, and nervous system regulation Journal prompt included at the end of the episode.

What if some of the beliefs you hold most strongly about yourself aren't actually facts... they're stories? In this episode of The NeuroSpicy MomPod, we're exploring how language shapes identity, why the messages we hear as children become the stories we tell ourselves as adults, and what neuroscience can teach us about rewriting those narratives. From my years in the classroom to my own healing journey, we'll dive into growth mindset, confirmation bias, neuroplasticity, self-talk, and the powerful role words play in shaping our nervous systems. Because the stories we repeat matter. And sometimes healing begins by questioning whether the story you've been carrying is actually true. 💖 Follow, rate, review, and share this episode wherever you're listening. It genuinely helps more people find this little corner of the internet. 🎙️ Want to support the podcast and help keep these conversations going? Join us on Patreon! There is a free membership option, and paid subscribers receive bonus content, behind-the-scenes updates, and help sustain this neurodivergent single mom's dream of building something bigger than herself. Tata, friends.

In this episode of The NeuroSpicy MomPod, we’re digging into DARVO, “Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender” and why manipulative dynamics can be especially confusing for neurodivergent people who grew up masking, over-explaining themselves, and learning to distrust their own instincts. Through personal stories, neuroscience, and psychology, we explore how chronic invalidation impacts the nervous system, why so many ND people internalize blame, and how rebuilding self-trust becomes part of healing. Available now on Spotify, Apple, iHeart, YouTube, and Patreon. Subscribe on Patreon for video episodes and unscripted life updates!

In today’s episode, we’re talking about what it actually looks like to create a nervous system-friendly home as a neurodivergent person, parent, teacher, or caregiver… especially when you’re doing it without unlimited money, energy, or support. We dive into practical, low-cost accommodations that can reduce sensory overload and help support executive functioning, including lighting, visual clutter, laundry systems, transitions, proprioceptive supports, sound absorption, organization strategies, sensory-safe spaces, and why shame has never been an effective motivator for neurodivergent brains. This episode is a reminder that accommodations are not failures, they are support systems. And sometimes the smallest changes inside our homes can create the biggest shifts inside our nervous systems. If this episode resonated with you, please make sure to follow, rate, review, and share The NeuroSpicy MomPod wherever you’re listening. Grassroots podcasts grow through word of mouth, and every share genuinely helps this community reach more neurodivergent people who may need it. And if you’d like to help support this podcast and keep this little community growing, you can subscribe to the Patreon for just $1 a month at The NeuroSpicy MomPod Patreon. Patreon subscribers help make it possible for me to continue creating free episodes, resources, conversations, and community for neurodivergent families while supporting a neurodivergent single mama chasing a very big dream. 💖