Keeping Company

Episode 14 continues with our recap of our FREE eight week

Each week I invite adult autistics and ADHDers (as well as AuDHDers) to discuss topics they consider relevant and

This week’s roundtable was on: “Emotional Intensity and

Most of the discussion focused on the distinction between

I expressed a mini-rant, (maybe not so mini), about misdiagnoses and how this impacts the frustrating journey of many adult ADHDers and Autistics trying to figure out why they feel so different from others, forget things and get

🎯Here are some of the highlights in today’s episode:

·       Symptoms of Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria

o    Intense Emotional Pain: This is the experience of extreme emotional pain in response to perceived or actual rejection or criticism. It may be accompanied by intense physical sensations also that can linger for hours!

o    Reaction to Rejection: While rejection is a rather universal experience, having a disproportionately strong reaction to rejection or criticism that can leave one feeling devastated or humiliated is a defining quality of RSD.

o    Avoidance of Social Situations. ​ Avoiding social situations or relationships to prevent potential rejection or criticism can be a common way of dealing with RSD.

o    Mood Swings: The real, anticipated or perceived rejection or criticism can be followed by rapid and sudden mood swings often exhibiting prolonged rage or anger.  If internalized, it can be experienced as shame.

​🎯Stay tuned for more insights on living with autism and ADHD.

🎯 Next month I roll out a coaching special for January 2025 through March 2025 in which you can ease into

📌 Please⁠ join us⁠ in our next

 📌 ⁠CLICK HERE⁠ to sign-up and register.

🔗 Link to my podcast episodes.

I do this work as a labor of love (and to eat). Please

Today’s podcast is a recap of our eight week roundtable series  in December and January of ADHD/Autism

This week’s roundtable was on: “Navigating Relationships

Most of the discussion focused on what happened when we unmask and the surprising revelations that were not always in synch with our expectations particularly around other ADHDers and Autistics.  We discussed the pressure of societal, gender and other expectations as well as mirror neurons and how they affect our relationships with others. 

Do you remember high school biology lessons on 🐒

🎯Here are some of the highlights in today’s episode:

·       

o    Things such as being able to plan, be on time, and manage schedules effectively. ​

o    Demonstrating self-sufficiency in daily tasks and responsibilities. ​

o    Adhering to social norms and expectations in behavior and communication. ​

🎯Stay tuned for more

📌 Please⁠ join us⁠ in our next

I do this work as a labor of love (and to eat). Please

Over the next six to eight weeks in December and January

This week began with: “ADHD/Autism & Managing the

Here's a recap: Most of the challenges associated with

Add the lack of present time awareness, (temporal

Today, we dove into the importance of setting intentions and

Here are some of the highlights:

~It's crucial to set your intentions ahead of time.

~Accept things as they are and find that sweet spot where you expect people might not understand, but don't

~When engaging with others, especially family, it's important to recognize that people often lack information about autism and ADHD. Think of it as navigating different

~We can sometimes experience a "freeze response," in interactions where we might wish we could address things in the moment, but we lack the capacity to do so. There's always later. Or never.

~Having conversations with family can be challenging. Consider how many of them truly "get it." Are you

Stay tuned for more insights brought to you direct from

Please⁠ join us⁠ in our next ADHD/Autism roundtable which will be addressing "⁠Navigating Relationships

  ⁠CLICK HERE⁠ to sign-up and register.

After a hiatus that was much longer than I anticipated, I am hopefully back in the swing of things with an episode about the general malaise that many involved in diversity efforts, social justice or anti-oppression work appear to be experiencing.  It was hard not to get caught up in the momentum of what seemed like a pivotal moment for permanent change after thousands took to the streets to protest the death of George Floyd.  Time will only tell what the sustained

The protests seemed diverse with people of different ethnicities throughout the world taking a stand in support of US protestors.  Still,

So, I propose that we slow down to explore how we can continue to keep our focus on anti-oppression in a way that sustains action without being, well, oppressive. 

·  Figuring out the right course of action isn’t always so simple if you’re exhausted, not terribly inspired to help “others” with a problem that’s “over there” and distant from immediate and personal concerns.

· Oppression is often internalized and ubiquitous so it’s hard to recognize when we’re not perpetuating oppressive forces.

· Slowing down can help build presence and help us shift from autopilot.

· How to do anti-oppression work with humility without feeling like a wimp.

Interactive Workshops

My workshops are designed to be interactive with time in between sessions for participants to integrate their learning.  You may participate anonymously

http://bit.ly/3JPp0Y2

If you would like to hear more, be sure to subscribe to this podcast, if you haven’t already, so you    don’t miss upcoming episodes and also join our

You can learn more about restorative justice and decolonization by following me on social media on Instagram, on Facebook in an online supportive community for anti-oppression advocacy or on my website providing education, marketing and racial trauma training for individuals who wish to explore racial bias, reflect and seek guidance or support in these areas.

Welcome to Part #1 of my coffee chat with my wonderful guests Ella and Jade who join me in table-talk regarding our thoughts about mixed-race experience. We really had no firm idea about what we might discuss. It was an exhilarating experience to give voice to our collective thoughts as they evolve.  In this episode, we share our experiences growing up with a multicultural background that includes some shifting of identity as the numbers of multiracial individuals has increased. We also touch on the impact of protests following George Floyd’s death on self-identity, privilege and colorism. What makes the discussion particularly interesting is our span of generations and also background.

Jade Ecobichon-Gray is the founder of Mindset Matters UK, a social wellness consultancy that works with organisations to embed wellness programs based on social justice principles. With a career spanning addiction recovery, mental health, reducing reoffending and organisational change, Jade is a straight-talking social wellness advocate. As a mixed-race woman Jade is passionate about anti-racism work and is currently working with the Government of Jersey and Jersey heritage regarding the decolonisation of education, history and the arts. She lives in the Channel Islands where she was one of only a few mixed-raced children on the Islands.

Ella is twenty years old and in her second year at Oxford University, where she studies English and German. She also works for a magazine called Onyx which was created by Black Oxford students and which features only Black creatives, when she isn’t modelling, studying or painting! I encountered Ella on her very popular Instagram account @ella.lebeau where she was passionately advocating for more Black students to apply to Oxford University.

Interested in experiential learning and discussion on raising mixed-race children? Check out my new workshop Raising Mixed-Race Children that guides you through support for your children’s identity and a deeper understanding of issues they may face in today’s changing racial climate: https://bit.ly/3rzLj7z

Welcome to Episode 9 of Keeping Company where I continue discussion with my guest is Christhmus Presence. To recap, Christopher is an advocate for restorative justice and practices in the Bay area. He is the founder of Therapists of Color for Social Justice, a collective of Bay Area therapists of color who are committed to supporting social justice & BIPOC Community healing via mental health. He also runs a number of Black-Indigenous-People-Of-Color (BIPOC) Telehealth Groups for adults and also 7th and 8thgraders. He also facilitates Asian Pacific American therapy groups.

In this episode, we continue to discuss decolonizing therapy and exploring ways to be human. We delved into intuitive ways that were part of ancestral history that are very liberating to BIPOC individuals and help them heal.

Chris notes we are born with high sensitivities and then this dampens over time so that we are not overwhelmed. In many ways so much of our existence is disavowed and in so many contexts. We can’t begin to talk about healing without discussing what is considered normal and how mainstream ideas of normal disavow the experiences of so many.

I open the episode asking Chris how he might describe people who connect in ways that are beyond the use of words and follow their emotions.

You can learn more about restorative justice and decolonization by following me on social media on Instagram, on Facebook in an online supportive community for anti-oppression advocacy or on my website providing education, marketing and racial trauma training for individuals who wish to explore racial bias, reflect and seek guidance or support in these areas.  

This week, I really had my work cut out for me with spelling. Do you find sometimes that there are just some words you perpetually have to keep looking up? One of mine is Presence. Yes, it’s one “s’ followed by a “c.” I mention this because this week’s guest is Christhmus Presence. And I can’t spell that either. There’s an “h” after the “t.” I’m embarrassed to say that it took me a while to realize that my guests name rhymed with seasonal gifts.  Christmas Presents?

He’s definitely absorbed a ton of wisdom in his years, but you’ll probably not find anyone as humble. Though we recorded this last season, his gentle spirit still casts a warm and fuzzy glow. Christopher is an advocate for restorative justice and practices in the Bay area. He started Therapists of Color for Social Justice.

You can find him on his website as Christhmus Presence at  www.christhmuspresence.com.

In this episode, we discuss ways in which to decolonize behavioral health and open up ways of healing that go way beyond talk therapy and are particularly restorative for people of color. Chris notes that there is no text book on how to decolonize the white institution of therapy.

When we allow our own DNA to resonate in a way that is not titrated though English, the language of the oppressor of many BIPOC individuals, it allows us to put other things into the frame of our healing beyond traditional therapy. We discuss how there’s something beyond English that’s held in our bodies which non-traditional healing can help us access.

You can find me on social media on Instagram, on Facebook in an online supportive community for anti-oppression advocacy or on my website providing education, marketing and racial trauma training for service providers interested in self-reflection regarding implicit bias or understanding BIPOC perspective.

I’m all for evolving in our identities, but I wasn’t done processing Hilaria Baldwin’s strange response to being called out for some rather bizarre inconsistencies that come across as….manipulation?? I wish she had entertained dialogue about it instead of defensiveness.

I’ve also been curious about why the violent individuals who attacked the Capitol Building and sought to harm our leaders brought excrement into the picture. Other than just being plain disgusting, was there some intended message of symbolism? Apparently, it was quite the effort and seemed strategic.

Are you tired? Everyone seems fatigued. This was the reason for my recent retreat. It felt like the only decent thing to offer community. I have been wondering why in the middle of a pandemic, we are still hearing so many external messages that appear to promote burnout. I know the hustle is on to find income and perhaps replace it, but we also need to heal. So many people are stressed and anxious. The chaos seems relentless, notwithstanding a new administration.

In this episode, I offer insight into my new meditation that I hope you’ll check out.

History of excrement

Retreat

https://www.facebook.com/groups/comingbacktocenter/

Instagram

Yes, it’s been a while since I've produced an episode.  Hope and I had this discussion in October!  Well, you know that time in 2020 did not run under the same laws of nature.  In an upcoming episode I will share why I dropped off the globe for a month in 2020. I’m back with gusto to do my part helping us all get out of survival mode.

In Part II of my interview with Hope Eden, I continue our discussion of interdependency and Hope expounds on what she calls “sacred geometry in action.” We discuss how the internet is expanding connection on a biological level.

When I last spoke with Hope, she shared her work helping therapists get organized with trainings and helpful assets. She is trying to make the admin work therapists have to endure easier to automate into everyday practice. Which therapist wouldn’t want that? In addition to her three Facebook groups for therapists, she has a new app that provides some of the features of Facebook, but in a more therapist friendly environment. Hope also has the credentials and skills to help therapists get organized in the macro political sense which is right up my alley.  After all, the personal is political and the political has a much larger impact on our understanding of mental health than is openly acknowledged.

In today’s episode, Hope shares her "foundational work" in which she engages with every single client.

You can discover more of what she has to offer in her new app Organized Therapist App that is alternative to Facebook. You can also find her here: Facebook: The Organized Therapist.

I’m very excited about today’s guest Hope Eden. First off, what a lovely name! It just inspires, well…hope. Hope is as inspirational in person as is her name. Her energy is so calming and within that calm is determined compassion.

Therapist extraordinaire and innovator, Hope has a significant following on Facebook where she is the administrator of a number of groups centered on organization in the fullest sense of that word. She helps therapists organize from within and without which is really the framework from which she operates. Hers is one of the few Facebook groups in which members openly discuss political topics with emotion, sincerity, and respect. This is too rare a creature particularly in groups dominated by therapists many of whom still maintain that therapy and politics should remain separate. (More on that in an upcoming podcast).

With a background in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication from the University of Delaware, (Joe Biden’s alma mater), Hope is “absolutely in love” with “following novelty” and has a knack for the aesthetic in temperament as well as design. In her words, her orientation is to start from the outside in with regards to healing and she has a unique process for doing this.  She's an organizer in the activist/community sense and in the clean desk and daily planner/template sense.  Listen in and you'll know what I mean.

In this first part of my chat with Hope, we discuss leadership and serendipity. So apropos given the current climate and serious concerns regarding the rise of authoritarianism in the United States. How much of our life is random and how much is predestined?

Hope’s accomplishments are an example of how we can each take our personal convictions and manifest them in ways that can promote tangible change. She’s creating change in so many therapists’ lives right now. I do hope you’ll check out her activities especially if you are in the mental health field.

You can discover more of what she has to offer in her new app Organized Therapist App that is alternative to Facebook. You can also find her here: