I recognised him instantly.

I’d never met him before.

Hi, I’m Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do.

In this episode of Different, Not Broken, I tell the story of going to a startup funding event in Miami and unexpectedly sitting down next to someone I knew far too much about… despite never having spoken to him in my life.

It turns out reality TV, social conditioning, and a neurodivergent brain make for a very specific kind of social experience.

This episode is about what it’s like to hold a straight face while your brain is doing cartwheels, why masking often looks like politeness, and how much effort goes into pretending you don’t know what you know.

You’ll hear:

Why recognition doesn’t always come from real relationships

What masking actually looks like in everyday social situations

Why being “polite” is often a survival skill

How neurodivergent brains process people and patterns differently

Why explaining yourself gets exhausting fast

Once you’ve been inspired to brag, here’s where you can do it!

https://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/voicemail

Useful stuff

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you’re different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 – I recognized him instantly

01:12 – Reality TV, hate watching, and accidental expertise

04:06 – Going to an event alone (never again)

06:48 – Sitting down next to someone I shouldn’t know

09:02 – Knowing too much and saying nothing

12:31 – Masking as politeness

15:18 – Why pretending not to know is exhausting

18:44 – Listener brag: feeling hopeful about 2026

20:02 – A very important question for sleep scientists

23:10 – Small Talk Listener Question: communicating needs without feeling difficult

Mentioned in this episode:

Brag on yourself

Wanna brag on yourself for something you've done which you're proud of? https://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/voicemail

Join Quirky

Wanna sponsor this podcast

http://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/sponsors

Sponsor Different Not Broken

Build Your Better course

Build your better course - https://stan.store/elletwo/p/build-your-better

I have a habit of saying the obvious things most workplaces avoid.

Hi, I’m Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do.

In this episode of Different, Not Broken, I break down why basic human standards at work get treated like radical ideas, why return to office policies are deeply ableist, and why so much “innovative leadership” is really just common sense wrapped in better language.

This episode is about simplifying what’s been overcomplicated for years.

You’ll hear:

1. Why psychological safety isn’t a perk
2. How bad management hides behind complexity
3. The real reason companies are pushing return to office
4. Why clarity often gets mistaken for controversy
5. What actually changes when you treat people like humans

Once you’ve been inspired to brag, here’s where you can do it!

https://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/voicemail

Useful stuff

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you’re different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 – Why saying the obvious sounds “radical”

02:08 – The bare minimum we’ve stopped expecting at work

03:47 – Psychological safety isn’t a perk

04:38 – Why return to office is deeply ableist

06:36 – The real reason companies want people back in offices

07:46 – Bad management disguised as productivity

09:05 – Treat people like humans and they quit less

10:36 – Listener brag: feeling on top of life

11:15 – Why I hate “love languages”

11:49 – The science and art of a crispy Coke

13:49 – Big bubbles, bad Coke, and betrayal

15:31 – Freestyle machines are not acceptable

17:59 – Small Talk Listener Question: grieving a late neurodivergent diagnosis

Mentioned in this episode:

Join Quirky

Brag on yourself

Wanna brag on yourself for something you've done which you're proud of? https://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/voicemail

Wanna sponsor this podcast

http://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/sponsors

Sponsor Different Not Broken

You’re not broken.

But a lot of us were taught to believe we were.

Hi, I’m Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do. And in this episode of Different, Not Broken, I’m talking with Libby Alders, a pastoral chaplain who works at the intersection of faith, trauma, and identity, about what happens when religion stops being a source of comfort and starts quietly doing damage.

We get into how harmful theology gets lodged in your nervous system, why so many neurodivergent and LGBTQIA people grow up feeling fundamentally wrong, and how community can heal or harm depending on who’s allowed to show up fully.

This isn’t a debate about belief. It’s a conversation about safety. About moral injury. About certainty being weaponised. And about finding ways to make meaning without being told who you’re allowed to be.

There’s swearing. There’s honesty. There’s a surprising amount of warmth for a conversation that doesn’t pull its punches.

Once you’ve been inspired to brag, here’s where you can do it!

https://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/voicemail

Useful stuff

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you’re different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

Timestamped summary

00:00 “You’re Not Broken. You Were Taught Harmful Theology”

04:18 Certainty, faith, and why curiosity matters

09:32 Religion, trauma, and moral injury

14:41 Neurodivergence, queerness, and conditional belonging

20:06 Losing faith without losing yourself

26:55 Finding safer community and meaning

Mentioned in this episode:

Build Your Better course

Build your better course - https://stan.store/elletwo/p/build-your-better

Wanna sponsor this podcast

http://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/sponsors

Sponsor Different Not Broken

Can somebody please explain this timeline to me?

Because I have a confession.

Last week — not even sure which day, definitely one of the days ending in “y” — something happened.

And I have no idea how.

Flying makes me anxious. Not the mild kind. The walls-closing-in, I-need-control kind.

Hi, I'm Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do. And in this episode of "Different, Not Broken" I talk about what it was like flying with someone who supported me without making a thing of it. No fuss. No questions. No spotlight. Just quiet, steady presence.

We get into why that kind of support works so well, especially for anxious and neurodivergent people, and why “are you okay?” is often the least helpful thing you can say.

Once you've been inspired to brag, here's where you can do it! - https://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/voicemail

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you're different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

00:00 "Therapist as Emotional Support"

05:49 "Calm Support During Turbulence"

07:26 "Weird Ears and Airplanes"

12:32 Toilet Paper Holder Frustrations

16:49 "Outgrowing Expectations and Tolerance"

18:46 Sibling Conflict and Resolution

Mentioned in this episode:

Build Your Better course

Build your better course - https://stan.store/elletwo/p/build-your-better

Wanna sponsor this podcast

http://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/sponsors

Sponsor Different Not Broken

Brag on yourself

Wanna brag on yourself for something you've done which you're proud of? https://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/voicemail

Nobody tells you this part about being a parent.

That every boundary you set comes with a quiet, gnawing guilt.

Needing space. Wanting quiet. Asking not to be touched for five minutes.

And immediately wondering if you’ll regret it forever.

Hi, I'm Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do.

And in this episode of Different, Not Broken, I talk about the constant tug-of-war between your needs as a human and your guilt as a parent.

Because even when your kids are healthy, safe, loved, and thriving, it can still feel like you’re failing someone all the time.

Usually yourself. Sometimes them.

Often both.

I get into overstimulation, sensory overload, and why tiny, almost invisible things can feel completely unbearable when your fuse is already short.

And I talk about that thought parents torture themselves with over and over again.

What if this is the last time?

This is a conversation for parents who love their kids deeply and still sometimes need room to breathe.

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you’re different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

00:00 The chaos nobody prepares you for

01:00 When your fuse feels dangerously short

03:03 Overstimulation and sensory overload

06:20 The tiny thing that breaks you

10:45 “What if this is the last time?”

14:50 The moment I knew I’d done something right

27:30 Recording while being a parent

Mentioned in this episode:

Wanna sponsor this podcast

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Sponsor Different Not Broken

Shhhhh! Come in and have a listen to your gift. Don't tell anyone....

Nobody really explains this part of relationships either.

That a lot of the friction isn’t about love, or communication, or effort.

It’s about order.

And chaos.

And which one of you is quietly losing your mind because the other one will not, under any circumstances, make a plan.

Hi, I’m Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do.

And in this episode of Different, Not Broken, I introduce you to the single most accurate relationship framework I’ve ever found.

It comes from the greatest relationship philosopher of our time.

Jim Henson.

I’m talking Order Muppets and Chaos Muppets.

Who they are.

Why they keep finding each other.

And why once you see it, you genuinely can’t unsee it.

We get into partners, kids, siblings, colleagues, and the moment when an Order Muppet finally snaps and goes full feral Kermit.

We talk about why chaos isn’t a flaw.

Why order isn’t control.

And why most conflict is really just two nervous systems speaking completely different languages.

There’s also a listener question about masking.

What it costs.

Why it’s exhausting.

And how to start noticing who you actually are underneath all the coping.

It’s funny.

It’s unreasonably accurate.

And it will absolutely ruin the way you look at the people in your life, in the best possible way.

If you’ve ever thought “why am I the only one holding this together?”

Or “why does this person make everything harder?”

Congratulations. You’re probably a Muppet.

Let’s figure out which kind.

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you’re different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

00:00 Are You an Order Muppet or a Chaos Muppet?

02:18 Jim Henson’s accidental relationship genius

05:04 Why opposites don’t just attract, they survive

08:41 Families, kids, and chaos tolerance

11:22 When Order Muppets finally lose their shit

13:09 Listener question: masking and exhaustion

14:05 How to start unmasking without blowing up your life

Mentioned in this episode:

Build Your Better course

Build your better course - https://stan.store/elletwo/p/build-your-better

Brag on yourself

Wanna brag on yourself for something you've done which you're proud of? https://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/voicemail

Wanna sponsor this podcast

http://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/sponsors

Sponsor Different Not Broken

Nobody tells you this part about being an adult.

That most of your energy gets burned on decisions. Small ones. Constant ones. What to eat. What to say. How to say it nicely. Who not to upset. When to apologise. Again.

Hi, I'm Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do. And in this episode of "Different, Not Broken" I talk about the real gift overwhelmed people actually want.

Not stuff.

Not experiences.

Not another thing you’re supposed to be grateful for.

Just nothing.

Relax, there's logic in here if you listen.

I also get into something we’ve been quietly taught for years: that staying modest, keeping your head down, and not bragging will somehow pay off. To be honest, it usually hasn’t. And pretending otherwise hasn’t helped anyone.

This is a conversation about decision fatigue, invisible labour, and why being good at things isn’t something you should apologise for. It’s funny, sharp, honest, and probably a bit too relatable if you’re the person everyone relies on.

If you’re tired, capable, and done pretending you’re not — this one’s for you.

Once you've been inspired to brag, here's where you can do it! - https://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/voicemail

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you're different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

00:00 "What I Really Want"*

05:46 "Craving Decision-Free Solitude"

06:18 "Adulting is Meal Planning"

10:11 "Garbage Day Struggles"

15:44 Boundaries on Personal Questions

16:25 "Pets as Family"

Mentioned in this episode:

Wanna sponsor this podcast

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Sponsor Different Not Broken

Wanna learn to write like me?

Here's how you can!

Writing Course

Build Your Better course

Build your better course - https://stan.store/elletwo/p/build-your-better

I need to go on the record.

The Wet Bandits are NOT the villains in Home Alone.

This episode is a full rewatch reckoning. The kind that hits you sideways once you’re an adult and can’t unsee what’s actually happening on screen.

And we’re meant to call it festive.

This is not a cosy nostalgia episode.

It’s time to get a little uncomfortable and understand what's really going on with this movie and why I think it's more of a horror movie than a Christmas film.

Merry Christmas, you filthy animals.