Summary: In this heartfelt solo episode of Neurodivergent Spot, host Sam Marion reflects on the journey of creating the podcast and the community that has grown around it. Sam opens up about what inspired the show, what he’s learned from guests and listeners, and why this moment feels like the right time to pause. He shares honest reflections on overwhelm, creativity, gratitude, and what’s next — including writing, speaking, and new projects that align with his energy and values. Quotes: “I had to go Marie Kondo on my work life and start looking at what’s sparking joy — and what’s become more of a stress.” “I didn’t start Neurodivergent Spot with goals other than to share meaningful stories, and that goal, I do believe I met.” “I’m not done creating. I’m just finding new ways to do it that keep me aligned and whole.” You can also connect with me on Instagram on my show page @NeurodivergentSpot (https://www.instagram.com/neurodivergentspot/)or my professional page @sammarioncounseling (https://www.instagram.com/sammarioncounseling/). Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Summary In this episode, Sonya Janisse shares her powerful late-in-life realization that she is neurodivergent and had been living in survival mode for most of her life. She opens up about growing up without emotional safety, masking for decades, and ultimately finding healing through nervous system work, movement, mindset, and community. Sonya now helps others break free from burnout and build aligned lives rooted in self-trust. Quotes “A regulated nervous system is not a luxury — it’s a human right.” “I wasn’t broken. I was surviving the only way I knew how.” “Alignment doesn’t come from forcing yourself to fit — it comes from honoring who you’ve always been.” Contact Information Website: https://sonyajanisse.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonyajanisse/ Follow the show to make sure you don't miss any episodes! You can also connect with me on Instagram on my show page @NeurodivergentSpot (https://www.instagram.com/neurodivergentspot/)or my professional page @sammarioncounseling (https://www.instagram.com/sammarioncounseling/). Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Summary: In this episode of Neurodivergent Spot, Sam talks with Dr. Emily Levy, founder and director of EBL Coaching—a specialized tutoring program using multisensory, research-based techniques to support neurodivergent learners. Emily shares her journey from finance to education, the evolution of her workbook series, and her insights on collaboration between families, tutors, and schools to best support students’ growth and confidence. Quotes: “Families should never work alone. Collaboration is what’s best for the child.” “I didn’t find what I liked out there, so I created what I needed.” “We all have strengths and weaknesses, but learning to feel good about yourself can be the foundation for success.” Contact Information: Website: eblcoaching.com (http://eblcoaching.com) Instagram: @ebl_coaching (https://www.instagram.com/ebl_coaching/) Follow the show to make sure you don't miss any episodes! You can also connect with me on Instagram on my show page @NeurodivergentSpot (https://www.instagram.com/neurodivergentspot/)or my professional page @sammarioncounseling (https://www.instagram.com/sammarioncounseling/). Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Summary: In this episode of Neurodivergent Spot, host Sam Marion sits down with Sara Hartley—healthcare executive, ADHD & neurodiversity coach, and children’s book author—to explore her late-diagnosis journey, her experience raising two neurodivergent sons, and her creative work supporting families. Sara introduces her concept of eco-parenting, where children’s behaviors mirror back opportunities for parents’ own growth, and shares her trademarked Align Parenting Method, a five-step tool to help parents regulate, repair, and reconnect in challenging moments. She also talks about her upcoming Purposefully Me children’s book series designed to help neurodivergent kids feel seen, empowered, and understood. Quotes: “Eco-parenting is the idea that our children’s behaviors reflect back what we most need to heal within ourselves.” “You can’t have empathy and be angry at the same time.” “Repair is such an important piece—naming what happened, apologizing, and reconnecting with your child.” Contact Information: Website: saralewishartley.com (https://saralewishartley.com/) Instagram: @saralewishartley (https://instagram.com/saralewishartley) Follow the show to make sure you don't miss any episodes! You can also connect with me on Instagram on my show page @NeurodivergentSpot (https://www.instagram.com/neurodivergentspot/)or my professional page @sammarioncounseling (https://www.instagram.com/sammarioncounseling/). Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Summary: In this episode of Neurodivergent Spot, host Sam Marion talks with therapist, adventurer, and writer Lincoln Stoller about resilience, risk, and radical independence. Lincoln shares stories from his life as a mountaineer, plane crash survivor, scientist, and psychotherapist, weaving them into reflections on what it means to live with purpose and commitment. He challenges conventional approaches to therapy, emphasizing altered states, dreams, and emotional truth over purely intellectual reasoning. This conversation dives into survival, commitment, and the importance of pushing beyond the familiar in order to create meaning and light in the world. Quotes: “Survival is the first important thing. You don’t have to get to the top—you have to regroup and stay committed.” “It’s the emotions that drive what your priorities are. If you don’t have the right problems, you won’t get to the important answers.” “Everybody should be unsatisfied with what they’re given and consider their lives an obligation to move things forward.” Contact Information: Website: mindstrengthbalance.com (http://mindstrengthbalance.com) Follow the show to make sure you don't miss any episodes! You can also connect with me on Instagram on my show page @NeurodivergentSpot (https://www.instagram.com/neurodivergentspot/)or my professional page @sammarioncounseling (https://www.instagram.com/sammarioncounseling/). Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Summary: In this episode of Neurodivergent Spot, host Sam Marion speaks with writer, speaker, and advocate Sunita Theiss about her journey as an autistic, ADHD, and PDA mom raising two neurodivergent children. Sunita shares how discovering her own and her children’s diagnoses reshaped her family’s rhythms, shifting from control to collaboration and redefining what success, grace, and achievement mean. She opens up about balancing cultural expectations, faith-based community dynamics, and the realities of neurodivergent parenting with honesty and vulnerability. Quotes: “Our life was like a snow globe and we just kind of shook it up. As things settled back into place, everything just looked a little bit different.” “The biggest shift was moving from control to collaboration—valuing trust and belonging in our home above what normal needs to look like from the outside.” “Grace has more to do with spaciousness in our life—making room for ourselves and others to exist as we are without constant pressure to perform or conform.” Contact Information: Website: https://sunitatheiss.com/ Instagram: @sunitatheiss (https://www.instagram.com/sunitatheiss) Substack: https://sunitatheiss.substack.com/ You can also connect with me on Instagram on my show page @NeurodivergentSpot (https://www.instagram.com/neurodivergentspot/)or my professional page @sammarioncounseling (https://www.instagram.com/sammarioncounseling/). Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Summary: In this episode of Neurodivergent Spot, host Sam Marion speaks with Lyndal Bedford—a clinical social worker and community development advocate—about the powerful intersection of faith, spiritual trauma, and neurodivergent inclusion. Lyndal discusses how people who remain within faith communities can heal from spiritual harm, the importance of building compassionate, accepting spaces, and how bridging faith-based and secular supports can foster belonging and holistic well-being. Follow the show to make sure you don't miss any episodes! Quotes: “A lot of times people will say: if you’re experiencing mental health struggles, you must have a lack of faith. But that is definitely not the case.” “When I work with faith communities, I encourage them to ask: who are you as an individual, and not just how should you fit into the group’s expectations?” “First, addressing that people are people—‘love your neighbor’ means anyone—and then asking: how can I support them without positioning myself as the expert?” Contact Information: Website: communitybridgeoutreach.com (http://communitybridgeoutreach.com) — Learn about Lyndall’s private practice, Community Bridge Counseling and Outreach Services. Instagram: @CommunityBridgeCounseling (https://www.instagram.com/communitybridgecounseling/) — Lyndall shares resources on faith trauma, community inclusion, and mental health support. You can also connect with me on Instagram on my show page @NeurodivergentSpot (https://www.instagram.com/neurodivergentspot/)or my professional page @sammarioncounseling (https://www.instagram.com/sammarioncounseling/). Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Summary: In this heartfelt episode, Jacob Nordby—author, father, and founder of The Institute for Creative Living—joins Sam Marion to explore the deep connection between creativity, neurodivergence, and healing. Jacob shares personal stories about unmasking, parenting neurodivergent children, and rediscovering his own inner artist during a time of personal crisis. Together, they reflect on how embracing creativity can serve as a powerful tool for emotional regulation, identity integration, and reconnecting with life force. Quotes: “Our creative inner self—that’s our life force. That’s who we really are.” “So many of us have to learn to mask so we can appear to be normal. And then we aren't listening to our bodies, we're not paying attention to our intuition.” “Creativity is meant to be like the sap in a tree—when it stops flowing, the branch dies. That’s how vital it is.” Contact Information: Website: https://jacobnordby.com Free Creative Self Journal: https://creativeselfjournal.com Instagram: @jacobnordby (https://instagram.com/jacobnordby) Books: Blessed Are the Weird (https://amzn.to/44EGOhD), The Creative Cure (https://amzn.to/40J78WD) (available wherever books are sold) Keywords: Jacob Nordby Neurodivergent creativity ADHD healing Autism and art Creative self journal Masking and unmasking Expressive therapy Neurodivergent parent Emotional regulation tools Healing through writing Empaths and neurodivergence Sensitivity and strength Creative recovery Therapeutic journaling Inner artist Follow the show to make sure you don't miss any episodes! You can also connect with me on Instagram on my show page @NeurodivergentSpot (https://www.instagram.com/neurodivergentspot/)or my professional page @sammarioncounseling (https://www.instagram.com/sammarioncounseling/). Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Summary: In this special solo episode, Sam reflects on turning 40 and the lifelong journey of discovering and embracing multiple neurodivergent identities. From being labeled gifted as a child to navigating adult identification of ADHD, a reading disability, and autism, Sam shares candid stories of missteps, masking, and finding clarity. This episode is a raw, honest look at identity, growth, and the pursuit of authenticity in both personal and professional life. Quotes: “I grew up thinking I was a broken horse—and I want people to have a different experience.” “I felt inspired toward authenticity, but without any internal permission to pursue it.” “Sometimes you just need to find a herd of zebras to realize you were never broken.” Keywords: Neurodivergence Self-discovery Autism ADHD Masking Gifted kid Authenticity Executive function 40th birthday Trauma work Identity reflection Burnout Follow the show to make sure you don't miss any episodes! You can also connect with me on Instagram on my show page @NeurodivergentSpot (https://www.instagram.com/neurodivergentspot/)or my professional page @sammarioncounseling (https://www.instagram.com/sammarioncounseling/). Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Summary: Asher Walden joins Neurodivergent Spot to explore how neurodivergent people often experience and interpret spirituality differently. He shares his journey of late-in-life autism discovery and how it led to the creation of the Empyrean Deck—a tool for finding meaning outside traditional religious frameworks. This thoughtful conversation invites listeners to consider new ways of approaching the sacred through personal experience. Quotes: “All humans are spiritual. The question is how we find language for that experience.” “Neurodivergent people are more sensitive to cognitive dissonance—we can’t just tune out inconvenient truths." “The Empyrean Deck is not a theology to adopt. It’s a structure to help you discover the theology of your own life.” Contact Information: EmpyreanProject.com (http://EmpyreanProject.com) Keywords: Neurodivergent spirituality Autism and religion ND meaning-making Neurodiversity and faith Non-dogmatic spirituality Autistic experience Spiritual framework Sensory spirituality Comparative religion Neurodivergence and belief Late diagnosis journey Trauma-informed spiritual practice Follow the show to make sure you don't miss any episodes! You can also connect with me on Instagram on my show page @NeurodivergentSpot (https://www.instagram.com/neurodivergentspot/)or my professional page @sammarioncounseling (https://www.instagram.com/sammarioncounseling/). Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.