Hidden in Plain Sight

Why is it so hard to take your own advice? Coach and author Apryl Schlueter joins Extrovergent to explore burnout, self-care, work-life balance, and the productivity guilt that can make slowing down feel like failure.

The Helper Needs Help, Too is an honest, funny conversation about staying accountable to your own wellbeing while helping others personally and professionally.

Apryl shares the career she struggled to leave, the warning signs she couldn’t keep overlooking, and why knowing the tools didn’t stop her from overextending herself again. We discuss asking for help, setting realistic goals, and recognizing when your routines no longer fit your life.

If you’ve ever told someone to rest while ignoring your own exhaustion—or called yourself lazy when you needed time to recover—this episode offers a chance to check in with yourself.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• Burnout warning signs: when ambition starts affecting your health and relationships.
• The discovery at a dermatologist appointment that made Apryl reconsider how she was living.
• Why asking for help can be difficult, even when helping others is your profession.
• What a five-year journal revealed about repeated patterns of exhaustion.
• Why a coach has her own coach—and how outside accountability helps.
• The text message that challenged Apryl’s description of an “unmotivated” week.
• A practical self-reflection process: awareness, reflection, and action.

Along the way, we laugh about to-do lists, chasing the satisfaction of a check mark, and how easy it is to forget the advice we give everyone else.

“Nobody is going to create that space for you. You’re gonna have to create it for yourself.” — Apryl Schlueter

Watch the full conversation, share it with someone who needs room to breathe, and subscribe for more honest conversations about mental health, personal growth, and the parts of life people don’t always see.

GUEST: Apryl Schlueter is a coach, author, and co-leader of the Accountability Success Circle.
Website: https://thecheerfulmind.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecheerfulmind
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thecheerfulmindthecheerfulmind

Apryl's Book: https://link.amazon/B09Nx7uJA

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#Burnout #SelfCare #WorkLifeBalance #ADHD #HiddenInPlainSight

The Pain Nobody Sees: When Common Doesn’t Mean Normal | Dr. Eric Meyer, DC

What if you’ve been living around pain for so long that you’ve stopped noticing what it has taken from you?

You change how you sit. Plan how you stand. Stop doing things you enjoy. Eventually, “I’m just getting older” becomes the explanation for everything.

In this episode of Hidden in Plain Sight, Extrovergent® sits down with Dr. Eric Meyer, D.C., beginning with the question skeptical listeners may already be asking: Why should anyone listen to a chiropractor?

Dr. Meyer shares his perspective on chiropractic care, patient trust, and the discomfort people routinely dismiss. Extrovergent opens up about scoliosis, back and hip pain, and realizing how much of life had quietly become organized around physical limitations.

Together, they explore the difference between feeling better temporarily and reclaiming everyday function—and how invisible pain can affect relationships, confidence, enthusiasm, and connection.

In this conversation:
• Chiropractic skepticism, choosing a provider, and asking difficult questions.
• Headaches, stiffness, recurring pain, and what we accept as “normal.”
• Sleep, stress, long shifts, and making self-care manageable with ADHD or burnout.
• Habit stacking and avoiding turning health into another full-time job.
• Dr. Meyer’s approach to X-rays, referrals, and knowing when another provider is needed.
• Rebuilding trust after feeling dismissed.

“I work for you, not the other way around.” — Dr. Eric Meyer

If you’ve ever looked fine while quietly giving things up because of discomfort, this conversation invites you to notice your experience and ask better questions about your care.

LISTENER OFFER
During the episode, Dr. Meyer offers listeners who mention Hidden in Plain Sight a complimentary initial examination and X-rays, plus a follow-up review of findings and a treatment plan, which he values at $450. Contact the practice to confirm eligibility, availability, and what is clinically appropriate for you. (OFFER EXPIRES 6/1/2027) *Offer may change. Care is the practice’s responsibility; results vary.

CONNECT WITH DR. MEYER
Kamper Chiropractic, a Palmercare Clinic
Woodbridge, Virginia
(703) 878-0700
https://woodbridge.palmercarechiropractic.com/

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What happens when nothing is technically “wrong”… but your brain has absolutely nothing left to give?

In this solo episode of Hidden in Plain Sight, I get real about hitting a wall after a month of rapid change, disrupted routines, endless training, piling emails, and the kind of mental exhaustion that doesn’t always look like burnout from the outside.

A work transition I genuinely wanted still came with a cost.

Familiar routines disappeared.

New systems, processes, logins, expectations, and hours of basic training took over.

And when your brain is already trying to adjust, even “good” change can drain the battery.

Eventually, everyday things started feeling harder.

Motivation disappeared.

Tasks piled up.

Even things I normally wanted to do felt like too much.

At one point, I started wondering if I needed medication, a nootropic, more caffeine, or something else to pull myself out of the funk.

What actually helped?

Support. Rest. Community. And body doubling.

Sometimes self-care isn’t adding another tool, supplement, routine, or productivity hack.

Sometimes self-care is admitting:

I’m tired. My brain is tired. I need to recharge.

In this episode, I talk about:

• Why even positive change can completely disrupt your routine
• The hidden mental exhaustion of constantly adapting
• What burnout can look like when you’re still functioning
• Why boring or unstimulating tasks can feel disproportionately draining
• Watching emails, responsibilities, and everyday life pile up
• Wondering whether you need to push harder—or actually stop
• How body doubling helped create momentum again
• Why community and support can matter more than another productivity hack
• Creating systems that work with your brain instead of fighting it
• Giving yourself permission to leave something until tomorrow
• Why rest doesn’t have to be earned through complete exhaustion

Your phone hits 2% and you don’t yell at it to try harder.

You plug it in.

Maybe we deserve the same grace.

You don’t have to catch up on your entire life today.

You don’t have to do everything.

And you don’t have to completely drain your battery before you’re allowed to recharge.

Sometimes the thing hidden in plain sight is just how much energy it takes to keep going.

Be kind to yourself.

Give yourself grace.

And remember to love yourself—just the way you are.

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What happens when productivity becomes proof that you’re worthy?

In this episode of Hidden in Plain Sight, Extrovergent® sits down with creator, strategist, author, and podcaster CL Palmer for an honest conversation about late-diagnosed ADHD, functional depression, creative burnout, identity, and the pressure to turn every gift into an accomplishment.

CL shares how receiving an ADHD diagnosis helped him understand the distance between his ability and his output—and the grief that came from wondering what might have been different if he had known sooner. Together, CL and Extrovergent explore what it means to release inherited beliefs, separate personal worth from productivity, protect your attention, and rediscover who you are beneath your roles.

They also discuss creating for joy, being fully present with family, embracing the interests that make you different, and why multi-passionate people may not need to fit inside an existing niche.

Sometimes, you have to allow yourself to become the niche.

In this episode

• The relief and grief that can follow a late ADHD diagnosis
• What functional depression may look like from the outside
• Separating your identity from your work, output, and responsibilities
• Recognizing beliefs you inherited but no longer believe
• Why love, rest, respect, and joy do not have to be earned
• Protecting your attention in an always-online world
• Creating more while consuming less
• Finding the connecting thread between seemingly unrelated skills
• Choosing authenticity even when other people do not understand it
• Giving yourself grace while your path continues to unfold

A truth to carry with you

Everything you have experienced and learned has helped shape the person you are today. The skills that appear scattered may eventually connect in a way that only you are qualified to bring together.

You are not too scattered. You are not too different. You are not too late.

Your worth was never dependent on how much you produced.

Guest: CL Palmer
Website: https://podtacts.com/home
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceezypodgang/

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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.

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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

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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/

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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

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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

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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

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