The Neurodivergent Experience

This is a re-run episode from 2024.

Society's perspective on autism has shifted, but there is still work to be done to combat misinformation and stigma.

In this episode, Jordan James and Simon Scott interview Steve Silberman, the author of NeuroTribes. They discuss the impact of Silberman's book on the neurodivergent community and the importance of embracing neurodiversity. They delve into the history of autism and the misconceptions surrounding Hans Asperger, the legacy of autism, the shift in society's perspective on autism and the importance of finding support within the neurodivergent community. Silberman shares his perspective on the medical model of autism and we explore the impact of the book 'NeuroTribes' in creating advocates for neurodiversity, the concept of the autism spectrum, the need for more frequent and dedicated opportunities for autistic children to engage in their special interests, as these interests can lead to meaningful and successful lives.

Steve Silberman: Award-winning science writer, author of NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity (Avery 2015).
Website: https://www.stevesilberman.com/
Book: NeuroTribes

Our Sponsors:
🧘‍♀️ Ashley Dupuy – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy & https://insighttimer.com/AshleyDupuy

🤝 Sophie James - Neurodivergent Mentoring: sophiejamesndmentoring.com

🎧 The Neurodivergent Experience is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.
🌈 Celebrate autistic voices with early access, ad-free listening, and our full archive at AutisticCulturePlus.com
🌐 Visit www.autisticculturepodcast.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sometimes another person’s courage, creativity or refusal to remain inside one identity awakens something that was already waiting within us.

After attending an evening in conversation with Suzy Eddie Izzard, Ashley reflects on inspiration, sideways thinking and the confidence we sometimes borrow before we can fully experience it as our own. She returns to a moment in the late 1990s when Suzy’s comedy gave her permission to discover her own silliness - and asks what the people who inspire us may be helping us recognise within ourselves.

Moving from Suzy’s many creative “citadels” to Michael Jordan’s willingness to become a beginner again, this episode explores novelty and neuroplasticity, beginner’s mind and Steven Pressfield’s concept of Resistance.

It also brings some essential Neurodivergent Nuance: not every feeling of resistance means we are afraid of our potential. Sometimes it is burnout, pain, sensory overload, executive dysfunction or a sign that we need more support. How can we tell the difference between a protective warning and an old prediction about what might happen if we allow ourselves to be seen trying?

Through Aware, Allow, Align and From Mask to Map, Ashley explores how we can honour the part that hesitates while allowing another truth to exist beside it: we can feel frightened, unfinished or uncertain - and still take one honest step towards what matters.

The episode closes with a neuroscience-informed guided practice, The Future Self Who Has Already Begun, inspired by Dr Tara Swart’s perspective-shifting future-self exercise.

You do not need confidence for the whole road. You need only enough to begin.

Explore Ashley’s meditations, Yoga Nidras, nervous-system practices, courses and Bedtime Alchemy sleep stories on Insight Timer:

https://insighttimer.com/AshleyDupuy

Find out more about Ashley’s work:

https://www.integrativeiom.co.uk

Our Sponsors:
🧘‍♀️ Ashley Dupuy – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy & https://insighttimer.com/AshleyDupuy

🤝 Sophie James - Neurodivergent Mentoring: sophiejamesndmentoring.com

🎧 The Neurodivergent Experience is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.
🌈 Celebrate autistic voices with early access, ad-free listening, and our full archive at AutisticCulturePlus.com
🌐 Visit www.autisticculturepodcast.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Mindful Mondays, we continue our exploration of the senses by turning toward something deeply personal and often overlooked: touch and movement.

For many neurodivergent and highly sensitive people, the body can feel confusing, overwhelming, or even unsafe at times. And yet, movement and touch are not optional extras - they are fundamental ways the nervous system orients, regulates, and makes sense of the world.

In this episode, Ashley explores:

* How touch can regulate the nervous system - from weighted blankets to co-regulation
* Why movement is one of the most powerful (and underrated) forms of medicine
* The reality of sensory sensitivities - from textures and hugs to proprioception and coordination
* The overlap between neurodivergence and chronic conditions like hypermobility and Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome
* Why “clumsiness,” rushing, and discomfort in the body are not personal failings - but nervous system information
* How small, gentle movements can help shift both physical and emotional stuckness

This episode also includes a guided practice to help you reconnect with your body through tiny, accessible movements and gentle awareness, meeting yourself with curiosity rather than pressure.

Movement doesn’t have to be intense to be meaningful.
Touch doesn’t have to be complicated to be regulating.

Sometimes, the smallest shift is enough to remind your system:

You are here. You exist. You belong to this moment.

If you’d like to explore this work more deeply, Ashley is currently accepting expressions of interest for a final round of one-to-one journeys (May–July), as well as upcoming group coaching programmes.

📩 integrativeiom@gmail.com

More details will be available soon at:
🌐 www.integrativeiom.co.uk

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, share, and leave a review — it helps this work reach more people who need it.

And remember…
We’re all just walking each other home.

Our Sponsors:
🧘‍♀️ Ashley Dupuy – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy & https://insighttimer.com/AshleyDupuy

🤝 Sophie James - Neurodivergent Mentoring: sophiejamesndmentoring.com

🎧 The Neurodivergent Experience is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.
🌈 Celebrate autistic voices with early access, ad-free listening, and our full archive at AutisticCulturePlus.com
🌐 Visit www.autisticculturepodcast.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Reddit Stories episode, Jordan and Simon dive into three stories about autism, relationships, diagnosis and what happens when understanding neurodivergence collides with the expectations of the people around us.

First, an autistic man asks how he can explain to his girlfriend that his autism isn't something he can simply change. As the story unfolds through its updates, Jordan and Simon discuss masking, communication, compromise in relationships and the difference between asking a partner to work on their behaviour and expecting them to fundamentally change who they are.

Next, a 29-year-old woman says she's divorcing her husband because he has autism and wants to know how she can do it respectfully. Jordan and Simon unpack what's really behind that statement, the realities of neurodivergent relationships, compatibility, communication and why sometimes a relationship ending isn't necessarily about autism itself.

Finally, an 18-year-old discovers that her parents withheld an autism diagnosis from her for 15 years after rejecting the original assessment she received as a child. Jordan and Simon discuss parents seeking second opinions, growing up without answers, the impact of discovering a diagnosis years later and why knowing you're autistic can provide important context for a lifetime of feeling different.

The stories discussed in this episode are public Reddit posts. Titles may be shortened for readability, and all opinions expressed are those of the original posters.

How Do I Explain to My Girlfriend That My Autism Isn't Something I Can Change?
I'm Divorcing My Husband Because He Has Autism. How Can I Do It Respectfully?
My Parents Withheld a Diagnosis From Me for 15 Years

Our Sponsors:
🧘‍♀️ Ashley Dupuy – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy & https://insighttimer.com/AshleyDupuy

🤝 Sophie James - Neurodivergent Mentoring: sophiejamesndmentoring.com

🎧 The Neurodivergent Experience is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.
🌈 Celebrate autistic voices with early access, ad-free listening, and our full archive at AutisticCulturePlus.com
🌐 Visit www.autisticculturepodcast.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Mindful Mondays, Ashley explores something we live within every day, yet rarely stop to consider: light.

Light shapes far more than our ability to see. It influences our sleep, mood, hormones, nervous system regulation, and overall wellbeing. For neurodivergent people especially, light can sometimes feel overwhelming or dysregulating - but when we understand how it works, it can also become a powerful ally for health and balance.

In this episode we explore:

* How light affects the nervous system and circadian rhythms
* Why neurodivergent brains often experience light differently
* The difference between nourishing light and overstimulating light
* Simple ways to work with light to support sleep, mood and sensory balance
* A guided meditation to reconnect with the light within you

Light isn’t just something that happens to us - it’s something we can learn to notice, shape, and work with in ways that support our bodies and our lives.

If you’d like to learn more about Ashley’s work or enquire about her upcoming programmes, you can get in touch at:

integrativeiom@gmail.com

More details about Ashley’s work will also be appearing soon on her website. www.integrativeiom.co.uk

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider following the podcast and sharing it with someone who might benefit from a moment of calm.

And remember…
We’re all just walking each other home.

Our Sponsors:
🧘‍♀️ Ashley Dupuy – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy & https://insighttimer.com/AshleyDupuy

🤝 Sophie James - Neurodivergent Mentoring: sophiejamesndmentoring.com

🎧 The Neurodivergent Experience is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.
🌈 Celebrate autistic voices with early access, ad-free listening, and our full archive at AutisticCulturePlus.com
🌐 Visit www.autisticculturepodcast.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.