What if you stopped forcing your ADHD brain to work like everyone else's?

This episode is about unmasking in the most practical sense -- because what if we could build our businesses and our lives around how we actually function instead of how we think we're supposed to do it. We talk about QST (Queer Standard Time), 23-minute appointment slots (though actually, since recording this episode, I'm exploring just having all of my appointments start at 5 mins after the half/hour), and my client who chose to do a $5.27 daily payment plan. Getting specific and creative about accommodation changes everything. This has honestly been such a game changer for me and so many people I know.

Also in this episode (because we are who we are 😆) Rachael and I drift into Christmas Eve traditions and that one time I made out with a dude to the Phantom of the Opera. Lol, this is a chatty one and it's one of my favorite sorts of episodes to share.

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The very delightful Audy Avery (they/them) is back for another conversation, and this entire episode centers around the question "Who are you today?" which is how Audy and I end up beginning our catch ups most of the time. Because when you're this constantly growth-y and curious and open handed about your becoming, things inevitably shift in significant ways each time we connect.

Today, we're exploring who Audy is -- the shifts they've experienced recently, including how they've gone from nesting temporarily with their partner Brett, to how they're now consciously and intentionally living alone. It's a wild thing having so much autonomy over your life. When everything can be your option, how do you choose what's next?

We also talk about relationship smorgasbords (have you heard of this before? it's AWESOME), and the therapist who had to gently let us know, back in the day, that we had broken up without realizing it (thanks Amanda!).

We'll be back for a Part 2 at some point around who the heck I am these days, but you'll have to be patient for that. For now, enjoy this nuanced conversation between me and one of my very favorite fellow yappers.

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Audy Avery -- writer || educator || facilitator || mystic || widow || mama || lover || queer

TBH, it's hard to find Audy Avery online these days, because they are already practicing their crone-in-the-woods vibes real hard, but if you want to indulge in more of their thoughts and brilliant writing, you can head over to their Substack: @audyavery

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What happens when your body forces you to stop before you're ready to?

Max Sheffield (they/he) collapsed a block and a half from their kid's school. That was the moment that redefined how Max was able to move through this world -- in business, parenting, and in terms of how they approached rest.

In this episode, we talk about building a business and a life around how your brain and body actually work instead of how capitalism says they should. We get into chronic illness and entrepreneurship and why your weirdness is your marketing advantage (lol we do that well around here!)

If you've been white-knuckling your way through your to-do list and wondering why it's not working, this one's worth your time.

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You can go find Max (and hire them if you want a marketer who will help you make your clients feel seen and not sold to!) over on IG @maxwildestories

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Most relationship advice assumes your brain works a certain way. This episode is for when it doesn't.

Kinzie's partner Donnie (he/they) joins to talk about what 16+ years of sharing space as a neurodivergent household has taught them: how to divide labor based on strengths, why explicit communication beats subtle signals every time, and the emoji codes they use to navigate the stuff that's hard or inconvenient to say out loud.

This episode reminds us that we don't need to stretch ourselves to do things the "right" way. What if we could build systems that actually work for the humans in them, instead?

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We're re-releasing this episode from 2025 because it keeps coming up as a listener favorite -- so make sure to tune in if you missed it last time. And no need to spread the word about our roommate search -- we found someone who is a great fit for the studio since this episode aired!

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What does it actually mean to explore your gender identity when you weren't raised with the language to do it? In this episode, I'm joined by co-host Rachael (she/her) and guest Audy Avery (they/all) to talk about non-binary identity, gender fluidity, and what it looks like to stop performing who you're supposed to be and start figuring out who you actually are. We get into pronouns, coming out later in life, raising gender-expansive kids, and why "I'm still figuring it out" is a completely valid place to be.

This episode originally aired in 2024 under our very first podcast name, Taking Up Space. It's one of our most popular for a reason, and we wanted it in the F*ck Confidence feed where it belongs.

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Most of us are stuck in a cycle we don't even realize we're in. There's a little whisper -- that "what if things could be different" feeling. Then we explore it. We get excited. We maybe even figure out the next step. And then... we talk ourselves out of it. And we settle back into "this is fine."

And then the whisper comes back. And we do it again.

In this episode, we talk about why doubt isn't a stop sign, why being "really busy" can actually be one of the sneakiest ways to stay stuck, and what it looks like to build real proof (PROOF!) that you're capable of change. The thing is, it's not always gonna be cute. Sometimes we have to do it messy, do it scared, or do it imperfectly. The important thing is that we do it at all.

I first talked about this concept in our F*ck Confidence workshop. The day after the workshop, I started getting texts: I'm stuck in the whisper stage and I already know I'm probably going to do the same thing I always do.

This episode is for those people. Which is probably most of us.

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You keep ghosting people because you don't know what else to do. What if we stopped that??

In this episode, we're getting into the stuff nobody teaches you about honest communication in dating -- including how to decline a second date without making someone feel like they failed an audition, and why "let's just be friends" is sometimes... not actually what either person wants.

We also got into what it's like to date as a trans woman: the fetishization, the safety calculations, the exhausting math of when to disclose.

And I introduced one of my favorite communication principles: Prepared For No. PFN, babyyyyy (introduced is maybe a strong word, I'm sure you've heard me say it a lot before). If you're not already using this in your relationships, your asks, your whole life: this episode might change that!

BONUS: we're dabbling in the concept of a brand new call-in segment for your dating, polyam, and relationship questions. If you're into it: DM us on Instagram at @empowermentstudio__ (or our BRAND NEW podcast IG @fckconfidence) with a voice note. We're going to answer your Qs on air (and Rachael and I will almost certainly disagree, so you'll get two perspectives!) and let that guide us into some new fun conversations around connecting and relationship.

Thanks for tuning in, y'all!

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If empowerment feels harder than it should, the problem might not be you; it might be isolation.

We've got an incredibly special guest for this episode -- someone who deeply shaped the way I move through the world. I would like to heartily welcome theatre artist and community builder, Angela Marcum (she/her) -- who also happens to be my mom!

In this episode, we talk about where my belief in beauty and community actually comes from, and how those values got built long before the Empowerment Studio ever existed.

This is a conversation about being seen. About building spaces where people feel like they belong. About why doing it alone isn’t actually the goal.

The way you build community changes everything -- and we were never meant to do this alone!

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree on this one, folks. This is a fun episode to tune into if you want to see where it all began.

To contact our guest (in case you want to collaborate with her!) -- https://angelamarcum.com/

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This episode is a bit of a peek behind the curtain -- we’re right in the middle of running a series of North Star workshops in the Empowerment Experience as we are publishing this episode. It's been so fun!

Inside the program, we’ve always set a North Star -- a vision for what you want your life to feel like and where you want to point your compass for the six months of the program. What I started noticing is how much is actually inside that process. “What do I want?” can open up a lottttt.

So we're creating even more space for it.

The North Star Workshop is now a 3-part experience to help you:

• get clear on where you are right now
• be radically honest about what you actually want
• turn that into a clear direction you can move toward

It also brings in something I’m calling practice menus -- ways to take action whether you have five minutes and no energy, or a full afternoon with more capacity. We're aiming to make it feel really achievable to actually begin to make the changes you are craving in your life.

This started as a nerdy, late-night idea and is now becoming a deeper layer of the program. I’m really curious to see what it opens up for people. So far it's been really powerful. Lots more to come, I can't wait to update you once we've completed the whole workshop series!

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This episode is being published in a moment where our government is actively contributing to violence and harm on a global scale.

And while we recorded this a couple months ago… that’s also not new.

This isn’t a one-time moment. It’s a pattern. It’s ongoing.

Which means the question becomes: how do we stay present, resourced, and able to actually show up inside of it?

So in this episode, Rachael and I pulled tarot for you.

Which led us into a conversation about what it looks like to step out of constant urgency mode without disconnecting, how to let time and space do some of the work instead of muscling your way through everything, and why small moments of celebration and care aren’t a distraction but actually fuel (then it becomes up to us for how we decide to use that fuel - but if we're resourced, we can do a lot with that!).

We also share a simple practice (we each name six things we’re celebrating) that ended up being way more grounding than expected -- let us know if you give it a try at home. (And DM me the things you're celebrating, if you want to!! I'd LOVE to see -- goodness knows we could all use a little moment to steep in the good these days.)

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