Raymond Lavine joins Adulting With Autism to talk about a topic most people avoid until it becomes a crisis: caregiving and long-term care planning—and why "I'm too young to think about that" is exactly how chaos happens later.

Raymond grew up in Hollywood, California, and spent most of his career in financial services (commercial banking, mortgage banking, insurance). For the past 15+ years, his work has focused on long-term care benefits—what they are, what they aren't, and how to think about them as part of real-life adulthood (not just "nursing homes").

In this conversation, Raymond reframes long-term care as something much broader than many people assume. Caregiving, he explains, is any time one person helps another with daily life—whether that's after an accident, during illness, with cognitive changes, or temporary mobility issues. And crucially: you don't have to be elderly to need caregiving.

Raymond also shares personal stories that make the stakes real: experiencing an unexpected heart attack and the difference preparation can make, plus what it looked like to plan ahead for his wife's knee replacement and hiring a caregiver for the first time. He's candid about his own strengths and limitations—why he's "not caregiving material," why he's "not patient material," and how self-awareness can actually improve outcomes when a family is under pressure.

For neurodivergent adults (and anyone with executive-function challenges), this episode is especially practical: Raymond walks through what information you should have ready (medications, providers, insurance details), why systems beat memory in emergencies, and how a little organization can reduce overwhelm when health situations move fast.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• What "caregiving" really means (and why it's bigger than nursing homes)
• Why young adults should care: care needs can happen at any age
• The difference between planned vs. unexpected health events (knee surgery vs. heart attack)
• What happens when there's no plan: chaos, stress, time pressure, and avoidable mistakes
• Practical readiness: keeping your med list, providers, and insurance info accessible
• Executive-function friendly systems (digital notes, printed summaries, repeatable routines)
• Why long-term care plans exist: paying for help at home or in a care setting
• Reality check on employer benefits (and what questions to ask at work)
• How to communicate with care teams and caregivers with respect (they aren't "the help")
• Staying independent longer by using support strategically

Guest: Raymond Lavine

Raymond Lavine is a long-term care benefits advisor with a background in financial services. He helps individuals and organizations understand caregiving risk, cost planning, and long-term care options—so families aren't forced to figure everything out in the middle of an emergency.

Where to find Raymond

Raymond shares resources and contact info on his website: www.lavineltcins.com

Nicholas Kelly, MS, RD, LD joins Adulting With Autism for a powerful, practical conversation about chronic illness, resilience, executive function, and redefining success one day at a time.

Diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at just three months old, Nicholas brings a rare dual perspective to this episode: he's both a registered dietitian and a lifelong patient. He shares what it's really like to build a meaningful life while managing a condition that demands constant planning, medication, and energy budgeting—and how those skills overlap with what many neurodivergent adults are already doing to navigate daily life.

Nicholas has lived through high-stakes medical moments—multiple emergency surgeries, severe hospitalizations, and years of time spent admitted—yet he's also built a life that's intentionally expansive: clinician, speaker, poet, dancer, artist, educator, and advocate. In this episode, he breaks down how he turns "big concepts" like resilience, psychological safety, and confidence into steps you can actually use, especially when your bandwidth is limited.

We also talk about the difference between motivation and systems, why "well-meaning advice" often misses the point when you're dealing with complex health realities, and how to define success without toxic productivity—especially during flare-ups, burnout, or major life disruptions.

Through his work with Define Your Success LLC, Nicholas creates workshops for adults and young people (including neurodivergent audiences) focused on practical tools, self-expression, and advocacy. He's delivered 85+ speeches, completed a TEDx talk, appeared on local and national TV, and has spoken directly to the FDA as a patient advocate—always with the same goal: help people live bigger than their circumstances, without pretending the hard parts don't exist.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Living at the intersection of chronic illness + adulthood + identity
• What a "dual lens" looks like as a dietitian who's also a lifelong patient
• Nutrition as support (not perfection): practical approaches for low-energy days
• Executive-function strategies for managing meds, appointments, and daily planning
• Redefining success: measuring progress day by day when life is unpredictable
• Psychological safety + real support vs. "helpful" advice that doesn't fit reality
• Advocacy skills: how to speak up in healthcare settings and be taken seriously
• Creativity as regulation and resilience (poetry, dance, art) when life is heavy
• "Multiple passions" and the patience it takes to actually build skill over time
• Holding grief and hope together after loss within chronic illness communities

Guest: Nicholas Kelly, MS, RD, LD

Nicholas Kelly is a Registered Dietitian, public speaker, and cystic fibrosis advocate. Diagnosed in infancy, he combines clinical training with lived experience to teach practical tools for resilience, self-advocacy, and daily-life systems. He also creates workshops through Define Your Success LLC.

Where to find Nicholas

• Workshops and speaking through Define Your Success LLC
• Nicholas is also known for his advocacy work and public speaking (TEDx, media features, FDA patient advocacy)

Why do so many people with ADHD (and other neurodivergent traits) struggle to follow through—even when they have great ideas?

In this episode of Adulting with Autism, I sit down with executive coach and author Adam Tilove, creator of Neurodiscipline and the book Split Second: Stop Stalling and Start Doing. Adam shares powerful, real-world strategies to close the gap between ideas and execution—without relying on motivation alone.

We dive into the hidden mechanics behind procrastination, including emotional "off-ramps," perfectionism, and the shame cycle that keeps so many neurodivergent adults stuck. Adam explains how ADHD brains process dopamine differently, why "starting ugly" is the key to momentum, and how small wins can completely transform your productivity and self-esteem.

If you've ever felt like you're living in a "graveyard of unfinished projects," this episode will give you practical tools to finally move forward.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why motivation isn't the problem—it's your system

• The concept of "recoil" and emotional off-ramps

• How perfectionism blocks execution (and how to beat it)

• What "starting ugly" actually means and why it works

• The power of small wins and momentum

• Why sleep is critical for ADHD focus and discipline

• How to shift from "What's wrong with me?" to "What's wrong with my system?"

Whether you're navigating ADHD, autism, or executive functioning challenges, this conversation will help you take action—imperfectly, but consistently.

Listen now and take your first step toward follow-through.

Dr. Amanda Wilson, DDS, MDS joins Adulting With Autism as a newly diagnosed AuDHD orthodontist, educator, and founder of StraightSmile Solutions®—and she's here to make orthodontics, leadership, and neurodivergence actually interesting.

Amanda isn't a "traditional" orthodontist. After 10 years in private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area, she built a consulting and education company that supports general and pediatric dentists with orthodontic systems, vendors, and procedures—anchored in her core values: airway-focused orthodontics (AirwayDontics™), non-extraction, non-surgical, and early orthodontic treatment (My Phase 1 Smile™).

In this episode, Amanda shares how her neurodivergent traits—especially spatial and pattern recognition—help her quickly analyze malocclusion and create clear frameworks for clinicians. That same focus helped her build a massive 3,000-video educational repository, designed to make high-quality orthodontic training more accessible, more consistent, and more practical for primary-care dentistry.

We also talk about the real life behind the résumé: the decision to design work around values and family, what it's like navigating high-performance environments, and why flexibility matters when you're raising elite competitive swimmers. Now based in Honolulu, Amanda explains how the coaching model supports her "ohana" and allows her to travel and show up for her kids while still building something meaningful.

You'll also hear Amanda speak openly about being a disciple of Jesus while consulting across faiths and backgrounds—plus what it's like to step into entrepreneurship with a late diagnosis and realize your "quirks" might actually be strengths when you build the right systems around them.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• What it's like being newly diagnosed AuDHD in a high-skill medical profession
• How neurodivergent strengths (pattern/spatial recognition) can show up in orthodontics
• Why Amanda founded StraightSmile Solutions® after seeing a gap in quality ortho education
• Her approach to airway-focused, early orthodontic treatment (and why she's passionate about it)
• Building an education platform: how she created a 3,000-video repository
• Consulting for general + pediatric dentists: systems, vendors, workflows, and outcomes
• Values-based entrepreneurship: flexibility, family life, and building a business that fits
• Supporting elite youth athletics and creating a life that keeps the family together
• Faith, leadership, and working with people across different beliefs and values
• How to make professional growth more accessible without losing clinical integrity

Guest: Dr. Amanda Wilson, DDS, MDS

Dr. Amanda Wilson is an orthodontist, consultant, and founder of StraightSmile Solutions®. She supports dentists with orthodontic education and implementation and is known for an airway-focused, early-treatment approach and a high-output educational library.

Where to follow / work with Amanda

• StraightSmile Solutions® (orthodontic consulting + education)
• She offers a free, non-clinical consultation for dentists interested in learning/adding ortho

Actor, writer, and independent filmmaker Steven Martini joins Adulting With Autism for an honest conversation about identity, creativity, neurodivergence, and staying grounded in an industry that doesn't always respect limits.

Many listeners first recognize Steven as Cadet Alex Stone from the 90s cult-classic comedy Major Payne—and in this episode, he shares what it's like to have that role take on a second life decades later through streaming, generational rewatching, and social media. Steven talks about how the film didn't explode at the box office when it first released, but built a long-lasting legacy as fans introduced it to their kids (and even grandkids).

The conversation then shifts into Steven's work behind the scenes: how early experiences in TV and the unpredictable realities of Hollywood pushed him toward writing and making his own projects, including his indie film Smiling Fish & Goat on Fire, and eventually his more recent film Bittersweet—a story inspired by his adult discovery of neurodivergence/autism in his family, and the ways that understanding changed communication, relationships, and self-compassion.

Steven also shares what it's like realizing you experience life differently than "neurotypical" expectations, and how that can show up in everyday patterns, focus, overwhelm, and the "turtle shell" moments where retreat feels safer. He speaks candidly about the creative advantages of being able to lock in on a story like a puzzle—and the personal work of protecting energy and mental health amid deadlines, pressure, and (in his words) the need for a strong "BS detector" in entertainment.

Throughout the episode, humor comes up as a real tool—not just for entertainment, but as a way to release energy, cope, and make difficult stories feel human. Steven reflects on working alongside Damon Wayans on Major Payne, and how that experience shaped his relationship with comedy and storytelling.

They wrap with practical reflections on getting unstuck when you're living in a "script" that no longer fits (job, expectations, boundaries), what Steven wants his younger self to remember, and how he defines adulting with neurodivergence today: more patience, more space, and less anxiety about forcing a fit.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Steven Martini's experience being recognized decades later for Major Payne
• How cult classics grow over time through streaming + generations of fans
• The behind-the-scenes reality of acting/TV and why Steven shifted into writing/indie filmmaking
• Creating films with family/friends and why that matters to him creatively
• Bittersweet and how discovering neurodivergence as an adult influenced the story
• Identity shifts: accepting patterns without wanting to be "boxed in"
• Protecting energy and mental health in a high-pressure creative industry
• Humor as coping, connection, and "energy release"
• Feeling stuck in the wrong "script": anger, boundaries, honesty, and small steps forward
• What Steven is excited to write next (including ideas around Alex Stone's future)
• Steven's definition of adulting with neurodivergence: patience + making room for yourself

Guest: Steven Martini

Steven Martini is an actor, writer, and independent filmmaker. He played Cadet Alex Stone in Major Payne and later developed projects through his work in screenwriting and independent film.

Where to follow / watch Steven's work

• Bittersweet: available on platforms Steven mentions including Prime Video, Apple, and Tubi (availability can change by region/time)
• Follow Steven on social platforms (he mentions rebuilding on TikTok and also being on Instagram/X)

Adulting With Autism — Episode 300 (Milestone Special!)

We made it to Episode 300 of Adulting With Autism.

That's 300 episodes of conversations for the people who feel like they missed the manual—especially autistic and ADHD young adults trying to build a life that actually works with their brain. Thank you for listening, sharing, and growing with this show. This milestone episode is a celebration, and it's also deeply practical.

For Episode 300, April is joined by Matthew "Matt" Campbell, a licensed psychologist with over two decades of experience in private practice. Matt works with adults and provides therapy and testing with both kids and adults. In this episode, he breaks down why "self-care" has become exhausting for so many people—and how to bring it back to what it was always supposed to be: basic human needs and a solid foundation.

Matt talks about how self-care has been commercialized (so it starts to sound like spa days and expensive treats) and reframes it into what he considers the real essentials: sleep, movement, getting outside, social connection, and being intentional about what we consume mentally and physically. He explains why these basics matter even more for autistic and ADHD folks who are often spending extra energy adapting, masking, and navigating overstimulating environments.

They also get into motivation—why it fades even when you really want change—and why relying on it is a setup: motivation is an emotion, and emotions come and go. What creates lasting change isn't hype; it's structure, routine, consistency, and realistic short-term goals that build momentum.

If sleep is a struggle (especially common for autistic and ADHD listeners), Matt shares a clear, practical framework: sleep is largely about conditioning—consistent bed and wake times, a short wind-down routine, a cool/dark room, getting morning sunlight, and training your brain to associate the bed with sleep (not scrolling, not chores, not frustration). He also explains why naps can backfire for people who already struggle with nighttime sleep.

You'll also hear an honest discussion about screen time, online relationships, gaming, doomscrolling, and why constant news exposure can distort your sense of danger and raise anxiety. Matt emphasizes it's not about shame or "never screens"—it's about noticing tipping points and protecting your mental health with intentional limits.

To wrap it all together, Matt defines "adulting with autism" through a self-care lens: building a life that's livable means identifying what you value, and creating supportive foundations so you have the capacity to pursue it.

In this Episode 300, you'll learn:

• Why Episode 300 is a milestone (and why this community matters)
• Who Matt Campbell is and what he does as a licensed psychologist
• Why self-care feels exhausting: "self-care = selfish" belief + commercialization
• The Primal Five approach to foundational self-care:
  • sleep
  • movement
  • getting outside / sunlight
  • social connection
  • mindful consumption (mental + physical)
• Why motivation fades (and why it's not the key)
• What does work: structure, routine, consistency, short-term goals, momentum
• Sleep strategies for autistic/ADHD brains:
  • consistent bed time and wake time
  • a 30-minute wind-down routine
  • cool/dark room
  • morning sunlight
  • keep the bed for sleep (and what to do if you can't fall asleep)
• Naps: when they hurt more than help (for chronic poor sleepers)
• Social connection: quality over quantity, and what "your tribe" means
• Online connection: helpful, not the same as in-person; when screen time becomes a problem
• Doomscrolling/news: why it spikes anxiety and warps perceived risk
• How to improve routines without turning life into a rigid checklist
• How to spot "supportive" habits vs secretly draining expectations (movement vs extreme exercise)
• How to pick the one foundation to focus on for a month (start where you're struggling most)

About Matthew Campbell

Matthew "Matt" Campbell is a licensed psychologist with 20+ years in private practice. He works with adults (therapy) and provides testing and therapy with both kids and adults. He co-authored a workbook focused on foundational self-care habits.

Resources Mentioned

• Workbook: Our Primal Five (by Matthew Campbell and Josh Senko)
• Website/newsletter: ourprimal5.com
• Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
• Coming soon: an Our Primal Five app (daily scoring + friend/group support)

If you've been "functioning" but you feel flat, numb, exhausted, or disconnected, this episode of Adulting With Autism is a grounded conversation about what that can mean—especially through the lens of trauma, survival mode, and nervous system regulation.

April sits down with Jess Vanrose, host of the Life After Trauma podcast. Jess is coaching-certified and trauma-informed certified, but she's clear about how she sees her role: not as someone who "fixes" you, but as a guide who believes you already have your own answers—sometimes you just need support to find them.

Jess shares what it was like to live in survival mode for most of her life, and how healing changed her experience of life from "black and white" to "full color." She explains how trauma can shape identity over time—and why healing isn't about erasing what happened, but about integration: taking the power back and choosing what your story means about you (strength, resilience, survival).

You'll also hear practical ways to recognize survival mode when you don't realize you're in it—like losing interest in things you normally love, chronic depletion, numbness, dissociation ("floating above your body"), and that persistent "flat" feeling. Jess normalizes that survival mode can come in phases and that healing is not linear.

For listeners who want concrete tools, Jess breaks down what "nervous system regulation" actually means in real life: coming back to baseline so you can respond instead of react. She shares simple strategies you can use anywhere—especially breathwork (inhale 4, hold 2, exhale 6), movement, walking, yoga, sunshine/fresh air, journaling for patterns, and EFT tapping as an optional support.

They also talk about why language matters in trauma healing—choosing words that are empowering and help you shift out of self-blame. And if you're afraid to "look inside" because you're scared of what you'll find, Jess offers reassurance: self-trust is built by starting the work—and if it ever feels like too much, reach out for help (there is no "threshold" you have to meet to deserve support).

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Who Jess is and why she calls herself a guide (not a "fixer")
• What "Life After Trauma" means and what inspired her to start the podcast
• Trauma + identity: healing as integration (not erasing the past)
• How to tell if you're in survival mode (even if you look "fine")
• Disconnection signs: numbness, fog, "flat" life, loss of joy, dissociation
• Why healing isn't linear (and why that doesn't mean you're failing)
• What nervous system regulation actually is: back to baseline
• "Respond vs react" + "live in the pause"
• Tools that don't require fancy equipment:
  • breathwork (4–2–6)
  • walking/movement
  • yoga
  • EFT tapping (beginner-friendly)
  • journaling to track triggers/patterns
• Anger as information: boundaries, disrespect, and choosing next steps from calm
• Language shifts: self-talk that supports healing rather than shutting you down
• How to tell "this is my personality" vs "I'm dysregulated" (pattern tracking + internal dissonance)
• A trauma-informed definition of adulting with autism: coming home to your body

About Jess Vanrose

Jess Vanrose is the host of the Life After Trauma podcast and offers trauma-informed, coaching-based one-on-one guided sessions. Her work centers on escaping survival mode, building inner safety, becoming present, and supporting nervous system regulation.

Where to find Jess / Life After Trauma

• Website (hub for everything + sessions): jessicavanrose.com
• Podcast: Life After Trauma

If you've done the books, the podcasts, the "talk therapy," and you still feel stuck—this episode of Adulting With Autism digs into why that can happen and what to try next.

April sits down with Maggie McCane, LCSW, a trauma psychotherapist and owner of Rehoboth Therapy and Wellness in Tucson, Arizona. Maggie shares why she built a practice outside the limitations of insurance-driven care, and why her clinic emphasizes trauma treatment, EMDR, and intensive therapy sessions (often 2–4 hours) for people who want deeper healing work than the standard 50-minute model allows.

A major focus is making trauma language more accessible—especially the difference between Big T trauma (events most people recognize, like assault, accidents, war) and little t trauma: experiences that can change how you view yourself or the world, especially when they happen before the brain is fully developed (Maggie references the commonly cited "around age 25" benchmark). She explains how someone can say "I had a good childhood" and still carry core beliefs like "I'm not good enough," "I'm not lovable," or "I'm not worthy" because the brain can misinterpret experiences during development.

They also explore trauma through a neurodivergent lens: years of masking, bullying, and chronic criticism can show up as trauma responses (social anxiety, depression, isolation) even when there wasn't one single "big" event.

Maggie breaks down EMDR in plain language (bilateral stimulation like pulsators or a light bar), why body-based approaches matter, and how learning your adult nervous system can help you recognize and respond to triggers with more control and compassion. They cover the trauma responses fight, flight, freeze, and fawn—including how "flight" can look like dissociation, and "fawn" can look like people-pleasing.

Finally, Maggie gives practical guidance for finding a trauma therapist: what to ask in a free consultation, what credentials to look for (e.g., EMDR training/certification), and the biggest green flag of all—a collaborative therapist who treats you as the expert of your own life.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why Maggie founded Rehoboth Therapy and Wellness and what makes it different
• Big T vs little t trauma (and why little t matters)
• How childhood wiring can create adult core beliefs: "not good enough / not lovable / not worthy"
• Autism/ADHD masking + bullying through a trauma lens
• What EMDR is (bilateral stimulation) and why it can help with earlier "miswiring"
• Why self-help + talk therapy can hit a ceiling (prefrontal cortex vs deeper trauma wiring)
• Nervous system basics for young adults: "I'm safe now, I have choices now"
• Addiction through a trauma lens (moving past "bad choice" framing)
• Gender socialization and emotions: why many men weren't taught emotional language
• Trauma + neurodivergence: adapting tools to how a person's brain works (more/less stimulation, sensory fit)
• Fight/flight/freeze/fawn explained—plus how to come out of freeze faster
• Green flags vs red flags in therapists + how to advocate for collaboration

About Maggie McCane, LCSW

Maggie McCane is a trauma psychotherapist and the owner of Rehoboth Therapy and Wellness in Tucson, Arizona. Her practice focuses heavily on trauma treatment, including EMDR and intensive therapy formats, and is intentional about creating a space where men feel safe and supported in therapy as well.

Where to find Maggie / Rehoboth Therapy and Wellness

• Social media: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook — Rehoboth Therapy and Wellness
• Website: Rehoboth Therapy and Wellness (site includes blogs/resources)
• Guided journal: The Therapeutic Journey (a resourced guided journal with prompts + recommended resources)

If you're an ADHD (or neurodivergent) creative with a zillion ideas and not enough follow-through, this episode of Adulting With Autism puts language and tools to what's really happening—without shaming you for it.

April welcomes Sarah DeGrave, a certified ADHD coach who works one-on-one with clients on everything from daily task follow-through to big "what am I doing with my life?" questions. Sarah is also a professional actor and singer (musical theater + theater), and she shares why ADHD is so common in creative communities—and how the same brain that generates brilliant ideas can also struggle with consistency, structure, and finishing self-led projects.

They talk about the strengths creatives often overlook (like risk tolerance and rapid idea generation), why so many artists try to force themselves into systems that don't fit (hello, shame + "why can't I just do it?"), and what actually helps when you're stuck in an overthinking spiral: identifying perfectionism, lowering the cognitive load, and learning the difference between what's truly a problem vs what your brain thinks is a problem.

A standout theme: structure doesn't have to kill creativity. For many ADHD creatives, the most sustainable "structure" starts with environment and nervous system support, not a perfect planner.

Sarah also reframes "adulting" in a way that's especially helpful for artists building a creative life on their own terms: focus on non-negotiables, define what "thriving" looks like for you, and let the "TV fantasy" standards go.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• What an ADHD coach actually does (and what coaching can help with)
• ADHD in creatives: why it's common in theater + art communities
• Strengths ADHD creatives overlook: risk tolerance + idea generation
• Common struggle points: consistency, self-led projects, finishing, networking/relationships
• How Sarah combined theater + singing + coaching into one meaningful career path
• "Is this my style or my shame talking?" (and how to tell)
• Building structure without crushing creativity: reduce cognitive load first
• Why planning often fails as a starting point (and what to do instead)
• Overthinking, perfectionism, and rejection sensitivity: what's underneath avoidance
• First steps for "too many ideas": radical honesty + realistic support
• Adulting redefined for neurodivergent creatives: feed yourself, pay bills, meet non-negotiables—ramen counts

About Sarah DeGrave

Sarah DeGrave is a certified ADHD coach and professional actor/singer who supports creatives (including women, queer, and neurodivergent artists) in clarifying goals, reducing shame-driven patterns, and building sustainable systems that fit real brains—not imaginary "perfect adult" ones.

Where to find Sarah

• Website: saradegravecoaching.com
• Instagram: @saradegravecoaching (DMs open; she's there even if posting isn't her brain's favorite)

What if "adulting" isn't a checklist—house, job title, perfect routine—but simply learning how you work and building a life that supports it?

In this episode of Adulting With Autism, April talks with Nicole Farrell, a nonprofit funding & development consultant who runs Rubber City Development Consulting. Nicole shares how receiving a dual diagnosis of ADHD + autism at 25 helped her finally understand why school, schedules, and "normal" work systems felt impossible—and why entrepreneurship became the most regulating option for her nervous system.

Nicole's work spans nonprofits at every size, from brand-new orgs to a national nonprofit with a $35M/year budget, and she's deeply involved in community volunteering (Boys & Girls Club, PBS, 4‑H, multiple boards). She's also honest about what's messy behind the scenes: masking in business settings, executive function "systems" that are basically notebooks + whiteboards + a calendar, and an inbox that's… extremely ADHD.

This conversation tackles the stuff people don't say out loud: the cost of forcing yourself into rigid systems, the grief and relief of late diagnosis (especially for women), why "independence" can still feel miserable, and how money management is different when you've grown up poor—and when your income changes.

It's also a practical episode: Nicole shares concrete habits that help her create stability and protect income, plus encouragement for listeners who feel "behind" (living with family, needing more support, still figuring it out). One of the biggest takeaways: there is no timeline—and "adulthood" as portrayed by TV is basically fiction.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Who Nicole is: nonprofit funding/development consultant + community volunteer (and new horse-stable owner)
• Diagnosed with autism + ADHD at 25: why gifted girls often get missed until it all falls apart later
• Why entrepreneurship helped: choosing how and when to work (and working from the beach when needed)
• How to stop forcing yourself into systems that aren't built for neurodivergent people
• Independence in your 20s: "I did the apartment + job…and I was still miserable"
• Feeling behind: why there's no set timeline, especially in today's economy
• Workplace advocacy: requesting accommodations (and a reminder about ADA rights in the U.S.)
• Executive function systems Nicole actually uses: notebooks, whiteboards, and a calendar she trusts with her life
• Masking in business: why it's exhausting, why it still happens, and how to reduce burnout with intentional recovery time
• Money shifts: going from poverty to high income, and donating locally as an ethical anchor
• Side hustles and experiments: permission to try things without treating them as permanent (plus a cautionary tale about a cat café)
• "Adulthood is a falsehood": keeping your whimsy and accepting you'll never have all the answers

About Nicole Farrell

Nicole Farrell runs Rubber City Development Consulting, supporting nonprofits with funding and development strategy. She also mentors aspiring business owners (especially women and marginalized folks) and advocates for building work around neurodivergent strengths instead of forcing neurodivergent people into rigid systems.

Where to find Nicole

• Instagram / TikTok: @nicolewritesstuff
• Website: RubberCityDevelopmentConsulting.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: Rubber City
• (Coming relaunch) Personal site: NicoleEFerrell.com