Chris welcomes Dr. Kristen Williamson—a “neuro-spicy” licensed professional counselor, behavior health consultant, and unapologetic champion for neurodivergent minds. Dr. Williamson shares her expertise alongside her personal journey of navigating life as a late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD professional.

Chris and Kristen dive into how autism presents in women, the challenges of masking, and the unique experiences of motherhood as a neurodivergent parent. Kristen is relatable, insightful, and inspiring, offering practical strategies and heartfelt wisdom for anyone looking to better understand themselves or the neurodivergent people in their lives. Whether you’re a parent, professional, or neurodivergent individual yourself, this conversation is full of validation, humor, and empowering takeaways.

Links:
Autism Learning Lab: https://www.autismlearninglab.com/
Email: chris@autismlearninglab.com

Empowermind Solutions: https://www.empowermindsolutionsllc.com/

Quotes:
[2:22 - 2:27] Dr. Williamson “I fully believe we have the spice of life.”

[13:26-13:43] Dr. Williamson “We have had a lifetime of medical personnel, family personnel, teachers, like everyone's saying, ‘You're either too much, you're not enough, you're fine.' And then it's like we have this death by micro cuts.’”

[19:03-19:22] Dr. Williamson “I often times tell people my brain feels like a giant room filled with filing cabinets. Each of the things is just information that I have gathered and collected. Very little is organically brought up. It's all scripted in my brain.”

[21:41-21:46] Dr. Williamson “ ‘Trust your gut.’ I don’t trust anything in my gut — it doesn’t even tell me when I’m hungry.”

[32:13-32:36] Dr. Williamson “The hunter -gatherer mentality. The hunters were the ADHD brains. They would go out and spend all this time looking, and they don't need to eat. They don't sleep as much. They can just do this. And the gatherers are the autism brains. Look at this wheat. Let me collect. Let me organize this into beautiful little piles. And both are needed to have a fully functioning drive.”

Chris sits down with Dr. Sam Shay—a neurodiverse clinician, functional medicine expert, and stand-up comic—who brings over 25 years of experience to the table. Dr. Sam shares his groundbreaking Neuroharmony Model, designed to help
neurodiverse adults and families create balance in an often overwhelming world.
Together, they discuss the relationship between physiology and psychology, the importance of frameworks in personalized health plans, and practical strategies for burned-out parents, autistic adults, and anyone seeking better sleep, nutrition, and resilience. Dr. Sam offers both hope and a roadmap to real change.

Links:
Autism Learning Lab: https://www.autismlearninglab.com/
Email: chris@autismlearninglab.com

Dr. Sam Shay: https://drsamshay.com/

Quotes:
[4:12 - 4:20] Dr. Shay “If the parents are burnt out or unwell, then they can’t be of support to their child.”
[6:38 - 6:49] Dr. Shay “Functional medicine is the best of Western medicine lab diagnostics with the best of natural medicines, lifestyle, diet, nutrition, and interventions.”

[15:00 -15:10] Dr. Shay “I’m proud to call myself Asperger’s or an Aspie, because it was Asperger’s syndrome that brought the Nazis down. And I can prove it with three names: Oppenheimer, Einstein, and Turing.”

[21:39 - 21:47] Dr. Shay “The goal here is not perfection but to make a client feel that they are on track.”

[28:39 - 28:47]Dr. Shay “There’s no such thing as a panacea, but consistent, super high-quality sleep is a close second.”

Chris welcomes Rob Meltzer—founder of Northlight Family Services and New Terrain Consulting, certified Gestalt therapist, and educational planner—for a deep dive into the intersection of autism, wellness, and metabolic health. Rob shares how his own health journey led him to explore functional medicine and epigenetics, and how those insights are transforming the way we approach support for autistic individuals. Together, Chris and Rob explore the concept of “treating the terrain”—looking beyond symptoms to the underlying biological, emotional, and environmental factors that shape mental health and neurodivergence. From the benefits of ketogenic diets to the transformative power of outdoor programs, this conversation offers a hopeful, holistic vision of care that honors each person’s unique context.

Links:
Autism Learning Lab: https://www.autismlearninglab.com/
Email: chris@autismlearninglab.com

Northlight Family Services:
https://www.northlightfamily.com/

Quotes:
[2:52 - 3:40] Rob Meltzer “In mainstream medicine, we must look at the symptoms... Once you see what’s wrong, you use evidence-based approaches to treat the symptoms. Using that method, if we were treating a tree with a brown leaf, we would see that the leaf is brown and maybe the most efficient evidence-based way to turn the leaf green again is to inject some green dye into the leaf… when we all know, you gotta water the plant, you gotta tend to the soil.”

[16:37-17:00] Rob Meltzer “I don't see anybody saying, I know what the cause of autism is, you know, there's been an intense search for the gene or the genes and they're not finding it. No. (So that to me, it's, you know, this is the important, really important point.) It's not like you have a gene for autism.It's the way that the genes are expressing.”

[7:21-7:36] Rob Meltzer “If we've got people—psychies—who are not functioning the way we want to, we can treat that, treat that medically or whatever, but we can also treat the terrain. That’s what I’ve started thinking about.”

[24:54 - 25:00] Rob Meltzer “ Necessity is the number one catalyst for change.”