The Neurodivergent Connection / The Curious Storyteller

Why Connection Can Feel So Hard for Autistic Adults—and What Might Help

What if the problem isn’t a lack of interest in connection, but years of being misunderstood?

In this episode, I sit down with Trista to talk about autism, loneliness, safety, and why finding the right kind of connection can feel so complicated for autistic adults. We explore the gap between being around people and actually feeling known, and we get i...

How Catherine Hughes Turned a Family Crisis Into Advocacy, Belonging, and Hope

What happens when a parent asks for help and the system gets it painfully wrong? In this episode, I sit down with Catherine Hughes for a conversation that starts with heartbreak and grows into something every caregiver, educator, and neurodivergent person needs to hear.

Catherine shares the moment that changed her life as a young mother, and why that exper...

When Advocacy Starts at Home: What Beth Silver Taught Me About Support, Labels, and Being Brave

What happens when a parent stops waiting for answers and starts building a way forward for their child?

In this episode, I sit down with Beth Silver for a deeply honest conversation about raising neurodivergent children, facing fear in real time, and learning how to ask for help without shame. Beth shares how motherhood pushed her from mar...

When Co-Parenting Keeps You on Edge: Finding Peace After Divorce with Sol

I sat down with Sol for a deeply honest conversation about divorce, co-parenting, healing, and what it takes to stop living in constant reaction mode.

In this episode, I explore what life can feel like after a relationship ends, especially when you still have to stay connected as parents. Sal shares how overwhelm, conflict, and self-doubt shaped his early days ...

What a Late ADHD Diagnosis Can Change About Identity, Belonging, and Self-Forgiveness

What happens when you spend decades feeling different, and then finally get the words for why? In this conversation, I sit down with Mark Steiner to talk about what shifted for him after receiving an ADHD diagnosis later in life.

We talk about the quiet friction so many people carry for years, especially when they’ve learned to cope, create, l...

What Changes When I Stop Asking “What’s Wrong With Me?”

If you’ve ever felt too much, too different, or deeply misunderstood, this conversation will stay with you.

In this episode, I sit down with Patricia Stellamares to talk about masking, survival, late-diagnosed AuDHD, and what happens when we stop trying to be easier for other people to understand. We explore the quiet cost of living in self-protection for...

When Co-Parenting Keeps You on Edge: Finding Peace After Divorce with Sol

I sat down with Sal for a deeply honest conversation about divorce, co-parenting, healing, and what it takes to stop living in constant reaction mode.

In this episode, I explore what life can feel like after a relationship ends, especially when you still have to stay connected as parents. Sal shares how overwhelm, conflict, and self-doubt shaped his early days ...

What Helps Neurodivergent Kids Thrive When School Doesn’t Fit?

What happens when a child isn’t failing because they can’t learn, but because the system isn’t built for how they learn? In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Jeremy Tiegerman to talk about what truly helps neurodivergent students grow.

We get into the teachers who change everything, why confidence can matter just as much as accommodations, and...

When You’ve Always Felt Different: Marie on Being Seen Beyond Labels

If you’ve ever felt too sensitive, too different, or too hard to explain, this conversation will likely stay with you.

In this episode, I sit down with Marie to talk about what it’s like to move through life without neat labels, while still knowing you don’t fit the mold. We talk about feeling “other” from a young age, the deep re...

When AuDHD, Unmasking, and Perimenopause Collide

What happens when your brain finally makes sense, just as your old coping tools stop working?

In this episode, I sit down with Heather Zimmerman for an honest conversation about late discovery, AuDHD, masking, and the very real shift that can happen during perimenopause. We talk about what it’s like to look back at your life through a new lens, why so many women are missed or mis...

How Rhythm Can Calm the Nervous System and Support Neurodivergent Brains

What if something as simple as rhythm could help with stress, focus, and regulation in ways many people never expect?

In this episode, I sit down with Dori to talk about how drumming became more than music. What started as a childhood love of tapping on everything grew into a science-based wellness tool she now uses with neurodivergent kids, teens, and adults. A...

What It Really Takes to Keep Going When Life Doesn’t Follow the Plan

What happens when grief, parenting, leadership, and faith all collide in one life story? In this conversation, I sit down with Debbie Simmons to talk about the moments that shaped her most—and the choices that kept her moving when it would’ve been easier to stop.

Debbie’s story doesn’t fit into a neat box. She’s a former engineer,...

What Happens to Home, Identity, and Grief When You Build a Life Abroad?

What if starting over in a new country doesn’t just change your address, but brings you face to face with who you really are?

In this episode, I sit down with Melissa Parks to talk about living abroad, coming home, and the quiet emotional weight that can come with both. We explore what happens when the life you once wanted turns out to be harder than expect...

What Burnout, Trust, and Real Support Look Like for Neurodivergent Kids and Their Families

If you’ve ever wondered what real support actually looks like for a neurodivergent child and their family, this conversation will stay with you.

In this episode, I sit down with Antoinette Elliott to talk about the things many people miss: parent burnout, the quiet signs behind a child’s behavior, and why feeling understood can chan...

When Life Stops You Cold: Andrea’s 101 Days in the Hospital and What Came After

One ordinary season turned into a fight for life, and in this conversation, I sit with Andrea as she shares what changed when her body could no longer keep going.

I wanted to tell this story with care because it speaks to something many of us carry quietly: the pressure to keep pushing, even when something feels deeply wrong. Andrea opens up about t...

Are We Seeing Autism Clearly, or Through a Lens That Misses the Whole Person?

What if the way I’ve been taught to understand autism is also the thing that keeps me from seeing the full picture?

In this conversation, I sit down with Leila Farshchian to talk about a question that doesn’t get asked often enough: when autism is filtered through clinical language, school systems, and service models, what gets lost? We tal...

When a Diagnosis Changes Everything: Parenting Autism, Finding Support, and Using Your Voice

What happens when you know something is different, but you still don’t have answers?

In this episode, I sit down with Missy Brown for an honest conversation about parenting a child with autism and ADHD, the fear and confusion that can come before a diagnosis, and what it really feels like when support is thin and judgment is loud.

As we ...

When Life Looks Fine but Feels Empty: How I Talked With Laura Marie About Leaving Autopilot

What if your life looks successful on paper, but deep down it feels numb, routine, and strangely far from you?

In this episode, I sit down with Laura Marie to talk about the quiet kind of disconnection so many people carry for years. We get into what it feels like to keep checking all the right boxes while wondering why joy never seems to stay...

Late ADHD Diagnosis, Grief, and Rebuilding Life in Small Steps

What happens when the person helping others finally realizes the story is also their own?

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Jennifer Dahl to talk about late ADHD diagnosis, masking, grief, trauma, and what it means to rebuild a life when your brain needs a different kind of support. This conversation is honest, practical, and deeply human.

We talk about the shock and re...