The Neurodivergent Experience

In this Hot Topic episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott are joined by hypnotherapist and breathwork practitioner Ashley Bentley to unpack the release of “Autistic Barbie” by Mattel — and why representation isn’t always as simple as it sounds.

Rather than rejecting the doll outright, the conversation explores the risks of giving autism a visual “look.” Jordan explains why his concern isn’t about the happiness some children feel, but about how quickly a single doll can turn a diverse neurotype into a checklist of stereotypes — headphones, fidgets, AAC devices — and what that means for autistic children who don’t identify with those traits.

The episode also tackles corporate tokenism, performative inclusion, and why an accessory pack or a customisable approach could have offered representation without defining autism by appearance. The conversation expands to include social media reactions, satire, and how both praise and backlash can perpetuate harmful narratives.

They discuss:
The release of “Autistic Barbie” and mixed reactions
Why visualising a neurotype is inherently problematic
Barbie as imagination vs Barbie as diagnosis
Representation vs tokenism and corporate motives
The idea of an accessory pack over a single “autistic” doll

A thoughtful, funny, and challenging conversation about representation, identity, and why good intentions don’t always lead to good outcomes.

Our Sponsors:
🧠 RTN Diagnostics - Right to Choose – Autism & ADHD Assessments (UK)
🧘‍♀️ Ashley Bentley – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy
→ https://bit.ly/ashleynde

🔗 Stay Connected
Instagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepod
Facebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook page
YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperience
TikTok: @neurodivergentexperience

❤️ Support the Show
If this episode resonated with you:
✅ Follow or Subscribe to The Neurodivergent Experience
⭐ Leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott are joined by hypnotherapist and breathwork practitioner Ashley Bentley to explore slow burn meltdowns — the kind that build quietly over time rather than exploding all at once.

They discuss how ongoing pressure, unmet needs, and emotional overload can simmer beneath the surface for weeks, months, or even years before reaching breaking point. From returning to work after a break, to parenting, health stress, and unspoken expectations, they unpack how slow-burning meltdowns often go unnoticed until it’s too late.

Jordan shares how these meltdowns show up in children, especially in safe relationships, and why behaviour is often misread as attitude or defiance. Ashley reflects on how stress, comparison, and “pushing through” can disconnect people from early warning signs, while Simon talks about recognising the pattern only in hindsight.
Rather than quick fixes, the conversation focuses on awareness, naming what’s happening, nervous system regulation, and compassion — for ourselves and for our kids.

They discuss:

What slow burn meltdowns are and how they differ from explosive ones
Emotional and physical warning signs
Alexithymia, rumination, and overload
Parenting and why meltdowns happen in safe spaces
Childhood pressure, burnout, and long-term survival mode
Expectations, comparison, and delayed breakdowns
Regulation, support, and recognising the signs earlier

A validating conversation about noticing meltdowns before they erupt — and learning how to support neurodivergent nervous systems with less shame and more care.

Our Sponsors:
🧠 RTN Diagnostics - Right to Choose – Autism & ADHD Assessments (UK)
🧘‍♀️ Ashley Bentley – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy
→ https://bit.ly/ashleynde

🔗 Stay Connected
Instagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepod
Facebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook page
YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperience
TikTok: @neurodivergentexperience

❤️ Support the Show
If this episode resonated with you:
✅ Follow or Subscribe to The Neurodivergent Experience
⭐ Leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
🔔 Turn on notifications for new weekly episodes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We don’t change our lives through effort alone. We change them by shifting the stories we live inside.

In this episode of Mindful Mondays, we explore the second pillar in the anatomy of a breakthrough: story - the inner narratives that quietly shape our identity, behaviour, and sense of what’s possible.

You’ll discover:

Why the brain naturally operates in stories and metaphors

How stories form through safety, repetition, and meaning

Why change can feel impossible when the story hasn’t moved yet

How beliefs can shape not just emotions, but the body itself

Why repeating patterns aren’t failures - they’re invitations to awareness

Ashley shares a personal story that brings this work into the body, along with gentle, nervous-system-safe language tools - ways of shifting story without forcing positivity or bypassing truth.

The episode closes with a guided, imaginal story - The Weaver of Stories - adapted from an upcoming Bedtime Alchemy track on Insight Timer. A symbolic journey designed to speak directly to the unconscious mind, where stories truly live.

This episode is for anyone navigating change, feeling stuck in familiar patterns, or sensing that something is ready to shift - even if you don’t yet know what that is.

You don’t need a new strategy yet. Sometimes, the story just needs room to breathe.

❤️ Support the Show
If this episode resonated with you:
✅ Follow or Subscribe to The Neurodivergent Experience
⭐ Leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
🔔 Turn on notifications for new weekly episodes

Our Sponsors:
🧠 RTN Diagnostics - Right to Choose – Autism & ADHD Assessments (UK)
🧘‍♀️ Ashley Bentley – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy
→ https://bit.ly/ashleynde

🔗 Stay Connected
Instagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepod
Facebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook page
YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperience
TikTok: @neurodivergentexperience

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Hot Topic episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott respond to the killing of a mother by an ICE agent in the United States — and the wider political climate that made it possible.

Speaking from a neurodivergent perspective shaped by heightened justice sensitivity and pattern matching, Jordan and Simon unpack how state violence, misinformation, and authoritarian language are being normalised, and why this is especially terrifying for autistic, ADHD, disabled, trans, and other marginalised people.

The conversation widens to examine the psychological toll of witnessing global injustice with no power to intervene — a familiar experience for many neurodivergent people. They reflect on how masking, meltdowns, and misunderstood behaviour could place neurodivergent individuals at serious risk in heavily militarised policing systems, and why the threat isn’t hypothetical.

Drawing on history, pop culture, pattern matching and lived experience, Jordan and Simon connect current events to patterns of dehumanisation, eugenics-adjacent rhetoric, and the dangerous framing of people as “undesirable” or expendable. The episode ends with a reminder to stay informed without burning out, protect your mental health, and prioritise safety — especially for listeners in the US.

They discuss:
The killing of a mother by an ICE agent and the official response
How video evidence is dismissed to uphold political narratives
Neurodivergent justice sensitivity and emotional overload
Why meltdowns and misunderstood behaviour can be dangerous under militarised policing
The fear facing disabled, trans, and marginalised communities in the US
State violence, propaganda, and authoritarian language
Historical parallels and warning signs
Staying informed without burning out

A heavy but necessary conversation about power, truth, and why neurodivergent people often feel the weight of injustice more intensely than others.

Our Sponsors:
🧠 RTN Diagnostics - Right to Choose – Autism & ADHD Assessments (UK)
🧘‍♀️ Ashley Bentley – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy
→ https://bit.ly/ashleynde

🔗 Stay Connected
Instagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepod
Facebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook page
YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperience
TikTok: @neurodivergentexperience

❤️ Support the Show
If this episode resonated with you:
✅ Follow or Subscribe to The Neurodivergent Experience
⭐ Leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
🔔 Turn on notifications for new weekly episodes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott are joined by Jordan’s wife, Sylvia, to reflect on 25 years of marriage as a neurodivergent couple.

This is an honest account of what a long-term partnership looks like when autism, ADHD, burnout, emotional regulation, and differing communication styles are part of everyday life. They speak openly about misunderstandings, meltdowns, shutdowns, conflict, repair, and the work it takes to keep choosing each other over decades.
Sylvia shares her perspective on supporting a neurodivergent partner through diagnosis, anger, burnout, and personal growth — while also holding boundaries and protecting her own wellbeing. Together, they explore how their relationship has changed over time, what nearly broke it, and what ultimately helped it survive and grow stronger.

This episode focuses on realistic relationship success: not perfection, but commitment, adaptation, humour, accountability, and learning how to come together after meltdowns and shutdowns. It’s a rare, grounded look at what a long-lasting neurodivergent marriage actually requires — and why longevity is possible without masking, fixing, or sacrificing your needs.

They discuss:
What 25 years of marriage has really looked like as a neurodivergent couple
Navigating autism, ADHD, burnout, and late diagnosis within a relationship
Conflict, emotional regulation, and repairing after difficult moments
How communication styles have changed over time
Supporting each other without losing yourselves
Why commitment matters more than perfection
What has kept the relationship going — and growing — after two and a half decades

A deeply honest, warm, and validating conversation about love, partnership, and what it takes to build a neurodivergent marriage that lasts.

Our Sponsors:
🧠 RTN Diagnostics - Right to Choose – Autism & ADHD Assessments (UK)
🧘‍♀️ Ashley Bentley – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy
→ https://bit.ly/ashleynde

🔗 Stay Connected
Instagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepod
Facebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook page
YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperience
TikTok: @neurodivergentexperience

❤️ Support the Show
If this episode resonated with you:
✅ Follow or Subscribe to The Neurodivergent Experience
⭐ Leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
🔔 Turn on notifications for new weekly episodes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.