Healing Together: Trauma, Growth, and Neurodiversity with Lauren and Luke Smallcomb

In this powerful episode of Your Neurodiverse Relationship Podcast Season 5, host Jodi Carlton sits down with trauma healing experts and married neurodiverse couple Luke and Lauren Smallcomb, who live in Thailand and run a worldwide trauma-healing practice called Flourish Therapy.

Together, they open up about their own marriage, healing past trauma, working through attachment styles, and what it really takes to make a neurodiverser elationship not only work—but thrive. They also share their professional insights into neuroplasticity, rejection sensitivity dysphoria (RSD), attachment wounds, and how their personal growth journey empowered them to help other couples navigate similar challenges.

 

👉 This is Part 1 of a 2-part conversation, so be sure to subscribe and stay tuned for Part 2!

🔹 Timestamps: 00:00 – Welcome to Season 5: Can Neurodiverse Relationships Work?

00:57 – Meet Luke & Lauren Smallcomb: Trauma coaches living in Thailand 02:58 – Lauren’s journey from nursing to trauma & brain healing through neuroplasticity

04:08 – What is neuroplasticity & how does trauma impact the brain?

05:50 – Luke’s path to counseling & the impact of neuroscience on his practice

09:54 – Starting their own practice, Flourish Therapy

13:29 – How lived experience changes how you show up professionally 14:04 – Having a better understanding of neurodiversity. Moving away from a disease model

15:37 – Lauren and Luke open up about their own marriage

16:42 – Understanding capacity in a neurodiverse relationship

17:40 – Luke shares early misunderstandings from masking and social fatigue 18:18 – How rejection sensitivity dysphoria (RSD) affected their communication

22:05 – Attachment styles & the over-/under-functioning dynamic

27:12 – Stay tuned for Part 2 in the next episode!

More About Luke & Lauren

Luke is a Mental Health Practitioner, and Lauren is a Mind-Body Practitioner. The heart of their work is guiding folks who have experienced trauma out of dysregulation and chronic symptoms into joy, connection, and whole-body abundance. Their work is neuro-affirming and abuse-informed. Together, they cohost the Filled to Flourish podcast, where they explore the complex journey of healing and wholeness, especially for those whose lives haven’t been what they expected. Luke and Lauren live with their kids and dogs in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

https://flourishtherapy.co/

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👩‍💼 Hi, I'm #JodiCarlton !! I am a seasoned professional with 20+ years of experience as a therapist and relationship coach specializing in neurodiverse relationships.

I AM NEURODIVERGENT: I discovered as an adult that I am #ADHD, and I was married to an autistic man for 19 years. I also had other neurodiverse romantic relationships and have an autistic daughter and an ADHD son. Through the years, I have realized that my entire extended family is neurodivergent. My relationships with neurodiverse family and friends have been my personal training ground for understanding and helping partners and couples in their own relationships.

Below are some of the neurodivergent resources I offer:

💬 TRY THE NEW NEUROTRANSLATOR APP!

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A client once told me "I need JodiGPT." Well, this is as close as you're gonna get. This app provides a detailed explanation of each neurotype's expectations and perspectives on any situation you're in. Use it in your relationships to minimize conflict and understand each other better! Developed by Michael Daniel who is autistic and wanted help in his own neurodiverse marriage.

💻 QUIZZES: https://jodicarlton.com/take-a-quiz/ Take free quizzes about neurodivergence, autism