In this solo episode of Hidden in Plain Sight, Extrovergent challenges one of the most automatic answers we give every day: “I’m fine.”

Because sometimes “fine” doesn’t mean okay. Sometimes it means, I’m functioning well enough that you can’t see what’s happening underneath.

This episode explores the gap between looking fine, functioning fine, and actually being fine—and why we’re so quick to assume someone isn’t struggling just because they’re still showing up, smiling, working, parenting, socializing, or getting things done.

Extrovergent shares personal stories about masking, burnout, financial hardship, grief, overstimulation, resilience, and the moments when nobody around him could tell what was happening internally. He also talks about the strange experience of being the person who always figures things out—and how that can make it harder to recognize when you need support yourself.

The conversation also pushes back on the idea that mental health has only two settings: fine or crisis. There is a lot of space in between. You can be overwhelmed, lonely, anxious, overstimulated, burnt out, discouraged, or emotionally drained and still laugh five minutes later. A good moment does not erase a hard day.

In this episode:

• Why “How are you?” often feels more like a social script than a real question
• Why visible distress is not the only kind of distress
• How masking can teach people to assume you’re always okay
• The hidden cost of functioning when you’re struggling
• Why resilient people may have a harder time asking for help
• The importance of having a support system
• Simple ways to tell someone, “I really need you right now”
• Learning to recognize your own patterns before you reach a breaking point
• Why you don’t have to wait for a crisis before your struggle counts
  

One of the biggest reminders from this episode:

Being able to carry something doesn’t mean it isn’t heavy.

Sometimes what’s hidden in plain sight is simply a person who has gotten really, really good at looking okay.

Connect with Extrovergent:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@extrovergent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/extrovergent
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Extrovergent
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@extrovergent

Discord Community: https://discord.gg/BChWyemFnT

Join the mailing list for new episodes, reflections, and real conversations beyond the mic. https://PodcastByExtrovergent.com

If this podcast has helped you feel seen, tips are optional but deeply appreciated and help keep these conversations going. https://podcastbyextrovergent.com/products/tip

Sometimes the person hurting you does not look cruel.

They smile at you. They encourage you. They offer advice, support, resources, or help. They make you feel understood. Then, slowly, that support begins to feel like control.

In this episode of Hidden in Plain Sight, Extrovergent sits down with Joy Larkin of Live Narc Free LLC to talk about recovering from narcissistic and emotionally abusive relationships—especially the covert patterns that are much harder to recognize.

Joy shares her lived experience with abuse in family, romantic, professional, and mentoring relationships and how manipulation can hide behind kindness, concern, generosity, and support.

Together, we explore:

• How support can slowly turn into control
• Why covert emotional abuse can be difficult to recognize
• Gaslighting and losing trust in your own memory
• Why some people make you feel like you need their approval
• ...and much more

This conversation is not about diagnosing people from a distance. It is about recognizing harmful patterns, understanding their impact, and helping people feel less alone.

Because sometimes the hardest abuse to recognize is the kind everyone else thinks looks like love, support, or kindness.

And sometimes healing begins with one simple realization:

You do not need a perfect memory to know something repeatedly made you feel unsafe, confused, or disconnected from yourself.

If this episode feels personal, take your time with it. We end the conversation with a grounding exercise to help listeners return to the present after a difficult and potentially triggering discussion.

Learn more about Joy and her work at LiveNarcFree.com. Be sure to mention Hidden in Plain Sight Podcast by Extrovergent.

Give yourself grace. Be kind to yourself. And remember to love yourself, just the way you are.

Guest: Joy Larkin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livenarcfree.llc

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoyL444
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@LiveNarcFree

Connect with Extrovergent:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@extrovergent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/extrovergent
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Extrovergent
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@extrovergent

Discord Community: https://discord.gg/BChWyemFnT

Join the mailing list for new episodes, reflections, and real conversations beyond the mic. https://PodcastByExtrovergent.com

If this podcast has helped you feel seen, tips are optional but deeply appreciated and help keep these conversations going. https://podcastbyextrovergent.com/products/tip

What happens when being yourself gets punished so deeply that you learn to hide the most natural parts of who you are?

In this episode of Hidden in Plain Sight, Extrovergent® sits down with Gary Ware of BreakThrough Play for a powerful conversation about masking, childhood wounds, corporate survival, and learning to play again.

Gary opens up about how early experiences can teach us that joy, silliness, curiosity, and self-expression are not always safe. From there, we explore how masking can become protection, how people learn to become the “acceptable” version of themselves, and why success can still feel heavy when it requires hiding who you really are.

This conversation is about the playful parts of us that go quiet. The parts that learned to be careful. The parts that still want to breathe, connect, create, laugh, and be seen without fear.

Together, we talk about why play is not just for kids, how it connects to safety and trust, and what it can mean to slowly return to yourself after years of performing for survival.

This episode is for anyone who has ever wondered:

“Was I too much… or was I just not safe to be myself?”

The playful part of you may not be gone.
It may just be waiting to feel safe.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How masking can begin as protection
• What happens when play gets punished
• The difference between being childish and being childlike
• Why serious spaces can make people shrink
• How play connects to trust, connection, and emotional safety
• The cost of performing the acceptable version of yourself
• Learning to be seen without feeling punished
  

Mentioned in this episode:
Gary Ware’s book, Playful Rebellion: Maximize Workplace Success Through the Power of Play. Link: https://amzn.to/4zlgx6K

Guest: Gary Ware

Website: https://www.breakthroughplay.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garyware/

Connect with Extrovergent:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@extrovergent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/extrovergent
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Extrovergent
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@extrovergent

Discord Community: https://discord.gg/BChWyemFnT

Join the mailing list for new episodes, reflections, and real conversations beyond the mic. https://PodcastByExtrovergent.com

If this podcast has helped you feel seen, tips are optional but deeply appreciated and help keep these conversations going. https://podcastbyextrovergent.com/products/tip

How many people are surviving while everyone around them thinks they’re doing just fine?

In this episode of Hidden in Plain Sight, Extrovergent sits down with Dr. Sarah Glasco—neurodivergent educator, author, and co-host of the ADHD PeriPunks podcast—for an honest, funny, and deeply human conversation about masking, burnout, hormones, and the cost of appearing capable while quietly struggling underneath.

Sarah shares why she left a tenured academic career with no backup plan, what it meant to finally honor her actual capacity, and how years of perfectionism, sleep deprivation, and internal pressure pushed her toward a breaking point. Together, they explore when masking stops being protection and starts becoming a cage, why looking functional is not the same as feeling okay, and how neurodivergent people can lose themselves while trying to meet everyone else’s expectations.

The conversation also examines the intersection of ADHD, perimenopause, menopause, and changing hormones—along with why so many women and gender-expansive people are diagnosed later in life. Sarah discusses her new book, The Neurodivergent Hormonal Survival Toolkit, created to help neurocomplex people and their partners better understand their bodies, advocate for individualized care, and find affirming support.

They also talk about hyperfocus, self-care, inclusive education, medication, community, and the upcoming Neuropause Collective.

Most importantly, this episode is a reminder that you are not too much, not broken, and not alone. You do not have to earn rest or wait until everything falls apart before choosing yourself.

Guest: Dr. Sarah Glasco
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarcrasstic.self.care
Substack: https://substack.com/@sarcrassticselfcare

ADHD PeriPunks Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/14I7K9GycsH4YdN1d5pxwy?si=3de9a2ea03dc4475

Items Mentioned in Episode:
Book: The Neurodivergent Hormonal Survival Toolkit - https://link.amazon/B04O1zc6g

Connect with Extrovergent:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@extrovergent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/extrovergent
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Extrovergent
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@extrovergent

Discord Community: https://discord.gg/BChWyemFnT

Join the mailing list for new episodes, reflections, and real conversations beyond the mic. https://PodcastByExtrovergent.com

If this podcast has helped you feel seen, tips are optional but deeply appreciated and help keep these conversations going. https://podcastbyextrovergent.com/products/tip

Have you ever read too much into a delayed text, a short reply, criticism, or a change in someone’s tone—even while part of you knows there may be nothing wrong?

For people who experience rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD), the possibility of rejection can feel like rejection has already happened. You may brace for disappointment, replay conversations, search for signs that you did something wrong, people-please to stay accepted, or pull away before anyone gets the chance to hurt you.

In this episode of Hidden in Plain Sight, Extrovergent sits down with Brent Daviau for an honest conversation about the emotional intensity many neurodivergent people carry quietly.

Brent shares what it was like growing up as a deeply sensitive boy in a world that expected him to “toughen up,” how years of criticism and masking followed him into adulthood, and why emotional awareness does not make a man any less of a man. Together, they unpack the painful disconnect between what you logically know and what you emotionally feel.

We talk about:

• Why ordinary social moments can feel like emotional emergencies
• Fear of abandonment, people-pleasing, limerence, and emotional masking
• How old rejection can shape relationships, trust, and self-worth
• Learning your triggers, seeking support, and working with sensitivity instead of against it

If you have ever been called too sensitive, overreactive, needy, dramatic, or “too much,” this conversation is for you.

Your sensitivity is not proof that you are broken. It may also be connected to the empathy, loyalty, compassion, emotional intuition, and resilience that make you who you are. The goal is not to stop feeling—it is to understand what you feel, regulate the intensity, trust yourself, and find people who value the real you.

You are worthy. You are more than your fear of rejection, and you are not alone.

Listen/Watch Bracing for Disappointment: Understanding RSD featuring Brent Daviau now.

📚 Mentioned in this episode: How to ADHD by Jessica McCabe. Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/4yHlt5o

Join the Waitlist for NeuroDiversion 2027: https://www.NeuroDiversion.org

Connect with Extrovergent:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@extrovergent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/extrovergent
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Extrovergent
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@extrovergent

Discord Community: https://discord.gg/BChWyemFnT

Join the mailing list for new episodes, reflections, and real conversations beyond the mic. https://PodcastByExtrovergent.com

If this podcast has helped you feel seen, tips are optional but deeply appreciated and help keep these conversations going. https://podcastbyextrovergent.com/products/tip

How many women spent their entire lives believing they were too sensitive, too emotional, lazy, disorganized, or somehow failing—when they were actually neurodivergent?

For decades, countless women were overlooked, misunderstood, or given diagnoses that never fully explained what they were experiencing. They became high-achieving maskers—people-pleasing, overachieving, and pushing through exhaustion because they believed they had no other choice.

In this episode of Hidden in Plain Sight, Extrovergent sits down with Sarah Buckley, founder of The Chronic Confessions, for an honest conversation about late-diagnosed ADHD, chronic illness, mental health, masking, identity, and the grief that can come with finally receiving answers.

Sarah shares how she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 18 and built her identity around that diagnosis for more than two decades. At 41, a complete reevaluation revealed that she actually had combined-type ADHD. The discovery brought understanding—but it also brought anger, grief, and the difficult task of figuring out who she was beneath years of diagnoses, expectations, trauma, and survival.

Together, we discuss:

• Why ADHD and other forms of neurodivergence are so often missed in women.
• The exhaustion and identity loss caused by masking.
• Being labeled “too much,” “too emotional,” or “too sensitive”.
• The complicated emotions surrounding a late diagnosis.
• Living with chronic illness and invisible disabilities.
• Learning to advocate for yourself when you know something isn’t right.
• Finding community through The Chronic Confessions.
• Rebuilding your identity without letting a diagnosis define you

A diagnosis doesn’t change who you have always been. But it can replace confusion with understanding, shame with compassion, and self-criticism with self-acceptance.

If parts of Sarah’s story feel familiar, remember: you are not broken. You are not lazy. You are not failing at life—and you are not alone.

Content note: This episode includes discussions of mental health, medical misdiagnosis, bullying, domestic abuse, divorce, trauma, and chronic illness.

Connect with Sarah Buckley and The Chronic Confessions:
https://linktr.ee/TheeSarahBee

Connect with Extrovergent:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@extrovergent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/extrovergent
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Extrovergent
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@extrovergent

Discord Community: https://discord.gg/BChWyemFnT

Join the mailing list for new episodes, reflections, and real conversations beyond the mic. https://PodcastByExtrovergent.com

If this podcast has helped you feel seen, tips are optional but deeply appreciated and help keep these conversations going. https://podcastbyextrovergent.com/products/tip

Some people learn from books. Some people learn from mentors. And some people learn because life gave them no choice.

In this episode of Hidden in Plain Sight, Extrovergent sits down with The Intellectual Gangster for a raw, funny, honest, and thought-provoking conversation about street smarts, survival, resilience, fatherhood, growth, and what it means to turn hard lessons into wisdom.

This conversation explores the difference between book smarts and life smarts, how tough environments shape the way people move through the world, why struggle can reveal who you really are, and how success does not always look the way people expect it to look.

From jail to personal growth, from social media illusions to real-life responsibility, this episode is a reminder that intelligence is not always measured by degrees, titles, or the way someone dresses. Sometimes wisdom comes from what you survived, what you learned, and how you choose to show up after it.

If you have ever felt judged by your past, misunderstood by your appearance, or counted out because people could not see your full story, this episode is for you.

Takeaways

• Street smarts and book smarts are different forms of intelligence.
• Survival skills and techniques are adaptable and essential for personal growth. Perception can be deceiving
• Betrayal from close ones hurts the most
• Differences should be respected and understood
• Kindness and empathy are essential
• Faith and resilience are powerful

Chapters

• 00:00 The Intellectual Gangster
• 05:30 Mentors and Life Lessons
• 11:56 Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving
• 19:02 Perceptions of Success and Identity
• 25:07 Perception vs. Reality
• 34:14 Differences and Disagreements
• 40:28 Overcoming Struggles

Connect with Extrovergent:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@extrovergent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/extrovergent
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Extrovergent
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@extrovergent

Discord Community: https://discord.gg/BChWyemFnT

Join the mailing list for new episodes, reflections, and real conversations beyond the mic. https://PodcastByExtrovergent.com

If this podcast has helped you feel seen, tips are optional but deeply appreciated and help keep these conversations going. https://podcastbyextrovergent.com/products/tip

Music from #Uppbeat

https://uppbeat.io/t/hey-pluto/gangster

License code: 3BFUJERKQVYOZJJF

Most people think ADHD is just being distracted, forgetful, or unable to sit still. But the hidden truth is much deeper.

In this episode of Hidden in Plain Sight, Extrovergent sits down with Ryan Mayer, certified ADHD and life coach, to talk about the invisible side of ADHD — the exhaustion, shame, masking, emotional sensitivity, executive dysfunction, and effort that many people never see.

Ryan shares his journey from being labeled gifted as a child, to struggling in school, to navigating corporate jobs where he excelled with people but struggled with follow-through, admin work, and everyday details. After years of feeling misunderstood, burned out, and hopeless, Ryan discovered ADHD coaching and became the support he once needed himself.

Together, we break down why ADHD is not laziness, a lack of discipline, or a character flaw. Ryan explains how ADHD brains often operate through interest, novelty, challenge, urgency, and passion — and why forcing neurodivergent brains into neurotypical systems often creates shame instead of success.

We talk about everyday tasks like laundry, emails, meetings, hygiene, deadlines, and routines, and why they can feel overwhelming when your brain is working twice as hard beneath the surface. We also discuss tools like INCUP, VAST, body doubling, startup stacks, brain battery awareness, workplace accommodations, and how to ask for support without always having to disclose your diagnosis.

But this episode is not just about struggle. It is about hope, self-awareness, community, and learning how to build a life that works with your brain instead of against it.

Because ADHD does not mean you are broken. It does not mean you are lazy. It does not mean you are not trying hard enough.

Sometimes the most powerful shift begins when you stop asking, “What is wrong with me?” and start asking, “How does my brain actually work?”

This episode is for anyone with ADHD, anyone who loves someone with ADHD, or anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed, misunderstood, exhausted from masking, or tired of trying to fit into systems that were never built for them.

The more you understand yourself, the less you have to hide.

Guest: ADHD Coach Ryan Mayer, MBA, PCC
Website: https://ryanmayercoaching.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adhd_coach_ryanmayer/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@adhd_coach_ryan
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RyanMayerCoaching

Items Mentioned in Episode:
Mini Visual Timer: https://amzn.to/4eY28UC
ADHD 2.0 Book: https://amzn.to/4wpy4rS

Connect with Extrovergent:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@extrovergent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/extrovergent
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Extrovergent
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@extrovergent

Is neurodivergence really a superpower... or has social media oversimplified what many people actually experience?

In this episode of Hidden in Plain Sight, I sit down with AuthentiGirl, a neurodevelopmental consultant and assessor with more than 25 years of experience supporting individuals with ADHD and autism. As someone who is also AuDHD herself, she brings both professional expertise and lived experience to a conversation that challenges some of the most common narratives surrounding neurodivergence.

Together, we explore the strengths, struggles, misconceptions, and realities that often get overlooked when people reduce ADHD and autism to either a superpower or a disability. From pattern recognition and creativity to burnout, masking, emotional exhaustion, and the pressure to fit into a world not designed for neurodivergent minds, we discuss what it really means to live with a brain that experiences the world differently.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why the term “superpower” can feel empowering for some and invalidating for others
• The hidden cost of masking and people-pleasing
• ADHD, autism, and the reality of "spiky" strengths and challenges
• Why many neurodivergent people experience burnout
• Pattern recognition, creativity, justice sensitivity, and other often-overlooked strengths
• Practical supports like body doubling and co-regulation
• How social media has helped—and sometimes hurt—the conversation around neurodivergence
• Why understanding yourself is more important than fitting a stereotype

Whether you're neurodivergent yourself, supporting someone who is, or simply curious to learn more, this episode offers a balanced, honest, and compassionate perspective on what neurodivergence actually looks like beyond the labels.

Because the goal isn't to prove you're a superhuman.

It's to understand yourself, embrace your strengths, navigate your challenges, and remember that you're not alone.

Remember to love yourself, just the way you are. 🧡

DISCORD Community - Join People who get it: https://discord.gg/BChWyemFnT

Connect with Extrovergent®:
TikTok
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube

Extrovergent® Gear: Extrovergent® | ADHD Powered Gear

Amazon Essentials: Amazon | ADHD Essentials

Join the mailing list for new episodes, reflections, and real conversations beyond the mic. https://PodcastByExtrovergent.com

If this podcast has helped you feel seen, tips are optional but deeply appreciated and help keep these conversations going. https://podcastbyextrovergent.com/products/tip

What if the struggles you’ve spent your whole life hiding… were never meant to be carried alone?

Hidden in Plain Sight is a podcast about the internal experiences people often hide behind smiles, success, humor, productivity, or the pressure to “have it all together.”

Hosted by Extrovergent®, each episode explores honest conversations around neurodivergence, mental health, burnout, relationships, identity, emotional resilience, and what it really means to navigate life while feeling different underneath the surface.

Some conversations are deep. Some are funny. Some are uncomfortable. Some are healing. But all of them are real.

Because even in the middle of burnout, overthinking, emotional exhaustion, or feeling misunderstood… there is still growth, healing, connection, hope, and the reminder that you are not broken and you are not alone.

If you’ve ever felt misunderstood, emotionally exhausted, overly self-aware, or like you’ve been surviving while looking fine… you may finally feel seen here.

Connect with Extrovergent:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@extrovergent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/extrovergent
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Extrovergent
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@extrovergent

Discord Community: https://discord.gg/BChWyemFnT

Join the mailing list for new episodes, reflections, and real conversations beyond the mic. https://PodcastByExtrovergent.com

If this podcast has helped you feel seen, tips are optional but deeply appreciated and help keep these conversations going. https://podcastbyextrovergent.com/products/tip