The Neurodivergent Experience

• Mindful Mondays With Ashley Bentley: The Circle of Control | Finding Steadiness in a Season of Too Much

  In this week’s Mindful Mondays, Ashley Bentley explores the Circle of Control - a simple yet deeply regulating framework that helps neurodivergent nervous systems find steadiness in moments of anger, overwhelm, and emotional overload.Building on themes from recent episodes on December fatigue and nervous system regulation, Ashley shares how learning to release what is outside our control can radically change how we experience stress, reactivity, and burnout. Drawing on a powerful conversation from Episode 75 of The Neurodivergent Experience Podcast, she reflects on how the Circle of Control became one of the most effective tools her co-host Jordan has ever used for regulating anger - especially in high-stress moments like driving.This episode gently unpacks the paradox of control: how gripping too tightly to ourselves can create anxiety, while letting go of what was never ours restores clarity, agency, and calm. Through story, metaphor, and nervous-system wisdom, listeners are invited to rethink control not as domination, but as a compassionate way of choosing where attention and energy truly belong.The episode closes with a soothing Yoga Nidra–inspired practice, guiding listeners into deep rest and embodied focus - a way of experiencing the Circle of Control not just as an idea, but as a felt sense of inner steadiness.A grounding companion for anyone feeling stretched thin, reactive, or overwhelmed - and a reminder that peace often begins by carrying less.❤️ Support the ShowIf 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 episodesOur Sponsors:🧠 RTN Diagnostics - Right to Choose – Autism & ADHD Assessments (UK)🧘‍♀️ Ashley Bentley – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy→ https://bit.ly/ashleynde🔗 Stay ConnectedInstagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepodFacebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook pageYouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperienceTikTok: @neurodivergentexperience Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Hot Topic: Why Neurodivergent Kids Go Missing — It’s Not the ADHD

  In this Hot Topic episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott respond to an Independent article exploring whether undiagnosed ADHD increases the likelihood of young people going missing — and why headlines like this often oversimplify a much deeper issue. Jordan shares raw, personal stories of repeatedly running away as a child and how abuse, zero support, and misinterpretation shaped his behaviour — not ADHD itself. Simon unpacks why articles tend to blame neurodivergence rather than the environmental failures, lack of safeguarding, and lack of understanding that actually create crisis responses.Together, they discuss:Why “ADHD made me run away” is an oversimplificationHow unsupported neurodivergent kids end up in crisisSensationalist headlines vs. lived realityThe role of schools, police, and mental health servicesHow mislabelling kids as “naughty” shapes lifelong self-worthWhy early identification and whole-profile neurodivergent understanding mattersThe urgent need for empathy-driven support systemsThis is a validating and eye-opening conversation for anyone who grew up misunderstood — and for anyone working with vulnerable neurodivergent young people today.Our Sponsors:🧠 RTN Diagnostics - Right to Choose – Autism & ADHD Assessments (UK)🧘‍♀️ Ashley Bentley – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy→ https://bit.ly/ashleynde🔗 Stay ConnectedInstagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepodFacebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook pageYouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperienceTikTok: @neurodivergentexperience❤️ Support the ShowIf 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.

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• A Very Neurodivergent Christmas: Gift Anxiety, Family Gatherings, Expectations & Burnout

  In this festive episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott are joined by hypnotherapist and breathwork practitioner Ashley Bentley for a warm, funny, and deeply relatable conversation about navigating Christmas as autistic and ADHD adults.From sensory overwhelm to social expectations, gift-giving anxiety to family dynamics, they explore why the holiday season can feel like both the best and worst time of year — and how reframing, self-compassion, and realistic expectations can make it easier to handle.Ashley shares practical tools for preventing burnout, managing sensory input, setting boundaries, saying no without guilt, and rediscovering small moments of joy.Whether you love Christmas, dread it, or experience both at once, this episode offers grounding guidance, humour, and permission to do the season your way.They discuss:Why Christmas triggers overwhelm, burnout, and emotional whiplashSensory overload in crowds, shops, lights, and noiseReframing expectations and rewriting old holiday storiesGift-giving anxiety and navigating social pressureBoundaries, saying no, and preserving your peaceFamily dynamics, old roles, and masking at gatheringsChildhood memories, lost traditions, and reclaiming joyApproaching the season with self-kindness and realistic goalsA validating, light-hearted, and insightful look at surviving — and maybe even enjoying — a very neurodivergent Christmas.Our Sponsors:🧠 RTN Diagnostics - Right to Choose – Autism & ADHD Assessments (UK)🧘‍♀️ Ashley Bentley – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy→ https://bit.ly/ashleynde🔗 Stay ConnectedInstagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepodFacebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook pageYouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperienceTikTok: @neurodivergentexperience❤️ Support the ShowIf 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.

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• Mindful Mondays With Ashley Bentley: The Quiet Weight of December | Navigating Loneliness & Holiday Overwhelm

  In this week’s Mindful Mondays, Ashley Bentley explores the quiet emotional weight that December so often brings - especially for neurodivergent nervous systems. Through gentle storytelling, neuroscience, and ND-affirming insight, she unpacks why this season can feel overwhelming: the sensory demands, disrupted routines, family dynamics, social expectations, and the tender ache of loneliness that December can amplify.Ashley reframes exhaustion as the body’s boundary, loneliness as an emotional truth, and overwhelm as a physiological response rather than a personal failing. The episode includes a Bite-Sized Buddhism reflection on dukkha, a Microdosing Meaning moment for gentle re-framing, and a winter landscape meditation to help listeners find warmth, softness, and inner steadiness in a demanding season.A compassionate companion for anyone feeling stretched thin, out of sync, or quietly overwhelmed this December.❤️ Support the ShowIf 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 episodesOur Sponsors:🧠 RTN Diagnostics - Right to Choose – Autism & ADHD Assessments (UK)🧘‍♀️ Ashley Bentley – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy→ https://bit.ly/ashleynde🔗 Stay ConnectedInstagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepodFacebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook pageYouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperienceTikTok: @neurodivergentexperience Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Hot Topic: Neurodivergent Animals? The Problem Isn’t the Pets — It’s the Framing

  In this Hot Topic episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott react to a recent article claiming dogs can be “autistic” — and unpack why this framing misunderstands both animals and neurodivergence. They discuss how natural behaviours in animals get mislabelled as “autistic traits,” why deficit-based language harms autistic people, and how ableist assumptions shape research across species.Together, they explore:How research bias leads to fear-based language like “risk” and “behavioural problems”Why neurodivergence is a natural evolutionary advantage, not a deficitThe danger of reinforcing stereotypes (e.g., “cats are autistic,” “hyper dogs are ADHD”)Why splitting neurodivergence into strict labels misses the bigger pictureHow science goes wrong when it assumes autism is a negative traitThe importance of autistic-led insight in neurodivergent researchThis is a funny, fiery, and thought-provoking take on what happens when good intentions collide with bad science — and why autistic voices must guide any conversation about neurodivergence, no matter the species.Our Sponsors:🧠 RTN Diagnostics - Right to Choose – Autism & ADHD Assessments (UK)🧘‍♀️ Ashley Bentley – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy→ https://bit.ly/ashleynde🔗 Stay ConnectedInstagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepodFacebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook pageYouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperienceTikTok: @neurodivergentexperience❤️ Support the ShowIf 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.

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