AuDHD brains face many challenges when it comes to projects. It's something I've put a great deal of time and learning into, both personally and professionally.

This episode covers many ideas and approaches that tend to work for us.

Key Takeaways:

• We usually learn to use what I call the Adrenaline-Anxiety Approach. While effective short-term, it can lead to burnout and other issues.
• A monotropic approach is more sustainable and individualized... and it can feel slow at first.
• Experimentation as a core tool
• Creating just enough structure and safety to get going, without getting bogged down (loose planning)
• Working with the brain states you have
• Managing interruptions, inputs, and daily life
• Finding the balance that works for you

The episode also walks through the Love Your Brain course, designed to help AuDHDers understand their mind-body system, work with brain states, and navigate project challenges. The course emphasizes self-compassion, experimentation, and building processes tailored to individual needs.

• Devon Price's Laziness Does Not Exist article, and a PDF if you're not on Medium
• The transcript may be especially useful for this episode! (It'll take a few seconds for the link to fully load to this episode)
• Love Your Brain course
• Learn more about Love Your Brain

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pawel, a former middle school teacher in an alternative school, lays out how most of our adult problems were ones we first encountered in middle school. From social groups to complex problem solving, they show up again and again in life.

He also talks about how being a high-masking AuDHDer showed up in life.

• The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
• Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well by Amy Edmondson

p.s. you may notice I never link to Amazon if I can help it... one way we can help the world is by avoiding Amazon purchases as much as possible!

1. Like Your Brain community space (Pawel's not sharing social media links but is over here with us)
2. Transcript Doc
3. Email Newsletter

Love Your Brain now has three elements you can choose from for more accessibility:

1. Love Your Brain course content
2. Group coaching and co-working calls
3. Direct support from Mattia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Achievements often feel tied into personal identity. AuDHD folks in particular struggle with achievement pressures, even with just regular neurodivergent demand avoidance.

A few core topics:

• The joy of supporting others' work and stepping back from being the primary creator
• Achievements often don't provide the emotions we expect, so it's meaningful to focus on making the process feel better instead
• Creativity requires boredom and rest
• And the very surprising thought I had that led to this episode...

Episodes mentioned:

• Andrew Simonet on creating supportive feedback convos as a creative
• When Dreams Feel Impossible (last week's episode)
• Autistic Stereotypes with Thomas Henley

1. Like Your Brain community space
2. Transcript Doc
3. Email Newsletter

Love Your Brain now has three elements you can choose from for more accessibility:

1. Love Your Brain course content
2. Group coaching and co-working calls
3. Direct support from Mattia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every creative and interesting person has experienced the feeling that at least some of their big dreams are impossible. And when the current big dream is just surviving, that can be especially challenging.

I share about the emotional side of the ten years when my composition career had an almost 100% rejection rate. And why I'm giving this unusual advice...

It can be healthy to temporarily let go of dreams that are stressing you out!

Crisis Text Line, text HOME to 741741 to reach a volunteer Crisis Counselor on a wide variety of topics

Originally episode 61 on The Longer Road podcast (with minor edits)

Resources:

1. Like Your Brain community space
2. Transcript Doc
3. Email Newsletter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thomas Henley educates, normalizes, and actively pushes back against autistic stereotypes and stigma. Check out his highly rated podcast, Thoughty Auti - The Autism Podcast (on which I talked about AuDHD).

Thomas has made multiple decisions in his life to combat stereotypes, including months of backpacking, and becoming a world-class martial artist, both of which he talks about today.

We also touch on what some of the lingering stereotypes are, and what helps!

More from Thomas:

• Thoughty Auti - The Autism Podcast
• @thomashenleyUK on Instagram & TikTok
• Website: thomashenley.co.uk

This is a slightly edited podcast that was recorded about a year ago for The Longer Road.

Resources:

1. Like Your Brain community space
2. Transcript Doc
3. Email Newsletter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You may have internalized the message as a child that there was something wrong or bad about you. Even if it was not explicit, you probably didn't receive some of the attention and delight that would have sent the strong message that your way of being in the world is valid.

Today's message is simple: You were not a bad child. You deserved love and support in a way that made sense to you.

Thank you to the therapist who walked me through this concept! Thank you to Linda Thai for providing such amazing emotional support through the courses and group coaching I've taken with her. I credit both of them with helping me learn how to reparent myself in a more deep way.

Resources:

1. Like Your Brain community space (where the picture is that I mentioned in the episode... it's visible to all members including free members)
2. Transcript Doc
3. Email Newsletter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rest is not something to be made up for later with productivity. Whether it was forced by the body or not.

We deserve to have energy to do what we love!

Love Your Brain now has three elements you can choose from for more accessibility:

1. Love Your Brain course content
2. Group coaching and co-working calls
3. Direct support from Mattia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eric Tivers has shared 10 years of helpful content on his podcast, ADHD reWired. He's also built multiple careers helping neurodivergent folks: from therapy, to teaching high support need kids, to the current ADHD group programs.

It's a never-ending journey of discovering what works for his current needs and capacity. And the relatively recent discovery of... oh... maybe there's something to this autism thing.

Find Eric and his work at adhdrewired.com

Resources:

1. Like Your Brain community space
2. Transcript Doc
3. Email Newsletter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.