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.”

Chris welcomes Brandon Moffitt—executive director of Black Mountain Academy and Intrepid Young Adults—to talk about the importance of connection for autistic youth. They discuss the repeated struggles many autistic individuals face when trying to form relationships—and how these setbacks can take a toll on self- esteem. Brandon offers guidance to parents on how to support their children in navigating social experiences, emphasizing the power of affirmation, encouragement, and helping kids find their “tribe.” He also addresses the impact of growing up in a digital world with fewer face-to-face interactions, and why creating real- life opportunities for connection is more important than ever.

Links:
Black Mountain Academy:
https://theblackmountainacademy.com/
Intrepid: https://intrepidyoungadults.com/

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

Quotes:
[13:55-14:09] Brandon: “But we don't want to miss the fact that failure has a tremendous impact on self-esteem and social resilience and self-advocacy and all of these things are so critical to becoming a successful young adult.”

[15:15-15:35] Brandon: “Starting with affirmation and support, seeing the best in your child and seeing the best in who they are becoming, their most wonderful qualities. Always speaking to the best of who they are, the best of who they can be, the best of who they want to be, is really a critical part of this.”

[19:48-20:14] Brandon: “And I think for all young people, not just people in the spectrum, who are very accustomed, this generation is very accustomed to being online. And again, in and of itself, it's not a bad thing. But it means there's less time, less practice, less face-to-face interaction. And so we just really want to find out meaningful ways, thoughtful ways, enjoyable ways to have that practice, to have those connections, to foster those.”

[33:27-33:54] Brandon: “And I want to be that voice of, you matter, what you care about matters. And there’s people out there who will love what you love and will celebrate who you are and keep looking and keep searching for that because it's out there and I love that I get to be a part of finding that sense of a tribe and building social community.”

In this episode, Chris welcomes Paula Leslie—an experienced counselor, parent coach, and therapeutic placement specialist with over 30 years in the mental health field and a parent of a child with autism. Paula shares her personal and
professional journey, reflecting on the early signs of autism, the challenges of navigating diagnoses, and how to advocate effectively for meaningful support. Together, they explore what it means to lean into a child’s strengths while addressing their struggles, the importance of setting clear, collaborative goals with professionals, and why embracing the hard moments is essential for growth. With compassion and wisdom, Paula offers insight—and hope—into the evolving landscape of autism support and treatment.

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

Quotes:
[8:38-9:05] Chris: “You're saying, all right, there is strength here and there's weakness here, but how can we really lean into these strengths while bolstering these weaknesses? Because just because just because he's not reading at third grade doesn't mean he shouldn't be learning. He absolutely should be. But how
can we give him this information, this content, in a way that he is accessible to him? You're identifying a number of strengths here, too, which I think so often we get stuck on kids weaknesses when we're talking about an autistic person growing up.”

[12:25-13:04] Paula: “If you help a chick out of an egg, it doesn't develop right. There's something about pecking itself out that needs to happen and the idea that iron hardens in fire. And that if you don't go through challenging things, then you never become what you're supposed to become. And so I think it's really hard as
a parent to watch your child struggle and not wanna come in and remove the struggle, remove the pain. And it's not possible. There are going to be struggles and this is true for all children, but when you have a child in a spectrum, it's different. And the natural instinct to step in and protect is so strong.

[13:07-13:28] Paula: “A lot of the work that I do with parents is, first, let's understand your child and what all these numbers and what all this testing means, how to translate that into what the expectations can be in your home and outside of your home and how to build structure that really helps your child thrive.”

Chris welcomes Tracy Markle, founder and co-director of the Digital Media Treatment and Education Center (DTECH) and Collegiate Coaching Services. Tracy
brings over 30 years of mental health experience and specializes in helping individuals and families navigate digital media overuse and addiction. Together, Chris and Tracy dive into the unique challenges the autism community faces with gaming addiction and digital media overuse. Tracy explains why autistic individuals are more vulnerable to online victimization, struggle with setting boundaries in digital relationships, and face increased mental health risks like depression. She shares powerful insights on the neurological and emotional impact of excessive screen time, especially in young people. Tracy also outlines practical, actionable steps parents can take to help their children—and themselves —build healthier digital habits. This is a must-listen for anyone concerned about the role technology plays in our lives and the lives of those we love.

Links:
Digital Media Treatment and Education Center: https://digitalmediatreatment.com/
Autism Learning Lab: https://www.autismlearninglab.com/
Email: chris@autismlearninglab.com

Quotes:
[3:01-3:32] Tracy Markle: “Gaming is a problematic behavior for many people. And it's identified as an official medical diagnosis now, gaming disorder in the general field of psychology and medical professionals. So I want to note that it does give it
credibility and that is an issue that the majority of my clients that I see in practice who come in for treatment identify as being autistic and also struggle to a great deal with gaming.”

[8:00-19:20] Tracy Markle: “They'e a vulnerable population in general to being victimized online. So they're not able to have the same critical thinking abilities and to analyze that through a social context as somebody who's neurotypical. And of course, you have to look at developmental age and what have you and that matters to be able to distinguish between whether or not this is somebody I should be sending pictures to. Is this okay and what are the long-term consequences of this? So I want to identify they are a very vulnerable population and find themselves in many different between a rock and a hard place situations. The other piece that I often see them struggling with is engaging in what they believe to be intimate relationships and all or nothing kind of experience where they fall head over heels for this person. Online connection feels good enough to them, yet they're missing all the opportunities of real life interactions to learn more about what a full intimate relationship it's like. So we have to do a lot of education and talk with them about how to balance that and how to work within that realm because we know they're more comfortable there, but that doesn't mean that's better for them.”

[12:17-12:40] Tracy Markle: “But if the majority of their entertainment and connection is online, we see an increase in mental health problems. Depression in particular is one of our big risk factors for prolonged media multitasking. And again, a decrease in executive functioning abilities overall and critical thinking skills.”

[31:39-32:00] Tracy Markle: “It's a very difficult issue. I have been in the field of mental health for over 30 years. And to me, out of all the compulsive, addictive behaviors I've worked with through my career, this is one of the most problematic to overcome. Again, because it's so pervasive in our society. So there are so many great resources now that are emerging.”

Chris is joined by Dr. Tony Issenmann—licensed therapist, leadership consultant, and founder of Systemic Solutions Coaching—for a thought-provoking discussion on autism in the workplace. They explore how hiring autistic employees benefits organizations, not just through accommodations, but through deeper, second-order changes that improve culture, retention, and overall team performance. This episode highlights how inclusive leadership and a culture of curiosity lead to healthier, more effective workplaces—for everyone.

Links:
Systemic Solutions Coaching:
https://systemicsolutionscoaching.com/
Autism Learning Lab: https://www.autismlearninglab.com/
Email: chris@autismlearninglab.com

Quotes:
[10:17-10:47] Dr. Issenmann: “Ultimately, the employer, even though on a day-to-day basis, they might wish to have fewer "headaches"; that they'e being presented with, what they really want when they have time to step back and think is they want a productive team that is achieving or outperforming their goals. And if they're just putting out fires from day to day, they're not going to be able to focus on the strategic planning long-term objectives that really can only be achieved with that second order change.”

[18:47-19:20] Chris Blankenship: “We're not just talking about putting up a poster that says loyal opposition and, you know, point to it every once in a while, we're saying be genuinely curious and encourage your employees to be genuinely curious. And that is a strength that autistic individuals can bring as long as you're open to it and you've created that culture where it is encouraged. And it might actually bleed over to other employees as well, maybe ones who would be a little bit more guarded in order to protect their position. So again, we're talking about accommodations or we're talking about some changes, but really what we're talking about is making a healthier work environment for everyone.”

[26:53-27:37] Dr. Issenmann: “It's so much more than just the accommodations for the autistic individual as we're talking about these changes help everybody. When those changes are made in the way that you talked about, like really getting getting to know somebody, really making the changes because there is an investment in the culture. The research shows that autistic individuals are loyal. Retention rates go up, not just for the autistic employee, but for those around them. And the amount of money that is spent on recruiting and hiring and onboarding, it goes down substantially. And that is a byproduct. That is a byproduct of somebody who is leading a company that wants second order change. Somebody who says, ‘I want better retention, so what do I have to do?’”

Chris is joined by Dr. Katie Gaebler, founder of AutismNERD (Neurodiverse Education Resources of Denver), to the show for an important conversation about preparing and supporting autistic teens and young adults as they transition to
life after high school. Dr. Gaebler explains that when considering the true “price” of attending college, it is essential to look beyond just financial costs. She highlights three critical components: financial, experiential, and emotional. Chris and Dr. Gaebler also explore the various accommodations colleges offer to support neurodiverse students — and why understanding these resources ahead of time can make a big difference. Throughout their discussion, Dr. Gaebler emphasizes how essential early preparation is, and how parents play a pivotal role in helping their neurodiverse students successfully navigate the college journey.

Links:
AutismNERD: https://www.autismnerd.com/

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

Quotes:
[2:22-3:06] Dr. Gaebler: The difference between “college capable” versus “college ready.” I see that “college capable” is the ability to meet admission standards, right? So when a student applies to the college of their choice, can they academically kind of fit what standards are required for that particular college or institution? Whereas the difference of “college ready” would be the ability to meet graduation standards, right? So it's a comparison of what are admission standards versus what would be graduation standards. And there's so much that goes into the whole process of college and there's so many dynamics for it, you know, including the social, emotional, just navigating large systems, executive function needs, you know, just even traveling, are you traveling across the country for where you're attending, all the components that go into that.

[11:00-11:40] Dr. Gaebler: And so that's where just having the consciousness of and self-awareness, but also I think it's really important for families and the student to be on the same page as much as possible, as far as what's realistically in the best interest for that individual, as well as what support accommodations that student is gonna be able to provide for themselves, but might be within the context of their environment, right? And having those facilitated conversations before attending, I think is one of the best things that a family can do for themselves, frankly, because we just want everybody to be on the same page.

[41:29-42:00] Dr. Gaebler: It's called the Talking College Card Deck. And it's discussion prompts for students with learning differences. And it's a deck of cards. They're basically all these different categories like 15 categories of things that you're gonna experience in college and then you within each of the categories. There's typically three to five cards and each card has, maybe three or four questions on it and everything in there you're gonna face post-high school life somewhere somehow.