PodcastsEducationThe Different-Functional Podcast

The Different-Functional Podcast

Ivy Turner & Autumn Braack
The Different-Functional Podcast
Latest episode

112 episodes

  • The Different-Functional Podcast

    Reflexive Reactions: Fear on a Fork: Trying New Foods When Your Brain Says "No!"

    11/03/2026 | 1h 21 mins.
    This time around we’re exploring ARFID. If you’re unfamiliar with this acronym, it stands for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder and while it’s not the most common experience, even among neurodivergent people, there are still plenty who do experience it. Like many things, ARFID exists on a spectrum of severity and the specific foods that a person may struggle with are highly variable from one individual to another. Those suffering from ARFID are often misunderstood and labeled as rude, spoiled, or difficult “picky eaters”, but the real truth isn’t nearly so simple.
    Join us as we explore this fascinating and complex battle between brain, body, and food. We’ll explore the general concept of ARFID and then bring the topic a little closer to home as Autumn discusses her own relationship with food and attempts to try a few new things.
    If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional Thanks so much for listening and remember, different does not mean defective.
  • The Different-Functional Podcast

    Games for People Like Us: This or That: Coping Skills Edition

    25/02/2026 | 1h 17 mins.
    Who doesn’t love a good coping skill? If you’re anything like us, you probably have a whole collection of them to choose from at any given time and are always looking for new ones. So, this time around we thought we’d play a little game where we look at different coping skills from a randomized list, without any context at all, and pit them against each other to judge which one we think would be the most versatile in a pinch. Join us for this battle of the coping skills and see if you have feelings about them that are as strong as the ones we had.
    If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional Thanks so much for listening and remember, different does not mean defective
  • The Different-Functional Podcast

    Try This, Maybe: Flirting with Disclaimers: 15 Neurodivergent Pickup Lines Just in Time for Valentine’s Day

    11/02/2026 | 1h 19 mins.
    There are plenty of fish in the sea, so they say. That may be true, but the actual sea is full of poisoned fish and, from what we hear, the fish in the digital dating pool aren’t much better off. So, how about going back to the basics and meeting people in the real world? Join us as we scour the internet for some neurodivergent-friendly pickup lines to help you break the ice, find your people, and weed out the undesirables this Valentine’s Day.
    If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional Thanks so much for listening and remember, different does not mean defective
  • The Different-Functional Podcast

    Coping Case Files: Welcome to the Plateau: Navigating the Flat Lands of the Healing Journey

    28/01/2026 | 1h 7 mins.
    If you’re on a healing journey, you know the struggle of the steep and perilous upward climb. If you’ve been on it for a while, you likely also know the sense of accomplishment and pride you feel when you reach the summit of a challenge and can see how far you’ve come. We all know these peaks and valleys are integral and repeating parts of the journey, but if you’ve been on your journey for a very long time, we bet you’ve encountered something no one warned you about or prepared you for: the plateaus.
    If you stay on the path for long enough, there will be moments of deafening stillness, when you can see everything you’ve accomplished but there’s seemingly nothing on the horizon and you don’t know what to do next. This is the no man’s land of the healing journey. You can’t go back and you’re not done, but you also don’t know where you are or where you’re headed, you just know you didn’t expect to be here.
    So, what do you do? Join us for a discussion of what the view is like from the plateau and how to choose a path forward into the uncharted territory of your healing journey.
    If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional Thanks so much for listening and remember, different does not mean defective
  • The Different-Functional Podcast

    Pet (& Feral) Theories: Making Friends with My Symptoms: From Self-Criticism to Self-Curiosity

    14/01/2026 | 1h 14 mins.
    It’s a couple of weeks into the new year, which means many of us are probably starting to feel just the faintest resurgence of those old struggles and habits we had confidently declared that we would conquer this time. At first, we’re filled with enthusiasm and hope and determination, but old habits die hard and the internal mechanisms which drive those habits are even harder to force into submission. So, what if we didn’t? What if, instead of leaning into brute force, we leaned into understanding? What if we made friends with our shadows and demons so we could learn to work with them instead of fighting against them? If you find yourself on the struggle bus right now, we hope you’ll join us for a discussion about personal growth through integration rather than through eradication.
    If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional Thanks so much for listening and remember, different does not mean defective.

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About The Different-Functional Podcast

What do you get when you take a childhood of trauma and add a heavy dose of neurospicy? You get the Different Functional Podcast. PTSD, Autism, ADHD, etc... all can interfere with our ability to function. But being different also comes with some perks. If you’re ready to believe that different does not mean defective, this podcast is for you.
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