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Neurodiversity Podcast

Neurodiversity Podcast

Written by: Emily Kircher-Morris
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The Neurodiversity Podcast talks with leaders in the fields of psychology, education, and beyond, about positively impacting neurodivergent people. Our goal is to reframe differences that were once considered disabilities or disorders, promote awareness of this unique population, and improve the lives of neurodivergent and high-ability people.2026 Neurodiversity Alliance Hygiene & Healthy Living Neurodiversity Parenting & Families Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships
Episodes
  • Understanding Yourself: A Process to Finding the Person Inside

    Understanding Yourself: A Process to Finding the Person Inside
    Sep 9 2026
    Today's episode is a heartfelt conversation about the importance of helping neurodivergent children understand themselves and their brain profile, and how this understanding can foster confidence and self-advocacy. Emily talks with Dr. Liz Angoff about the need for transparent communication with children about their diagnoses, and the use of relatable metaphors to explain complex concepts. They discuss collaborative approaches in assessments, the challenges of co-occurring diagnoses, and the role of parents in supporting their children. How can families find practitioners who align with neurodiversity-affirming practices, and how can that lead to understanding and acceptance for both children and their families? Get comfortable, we're revisiting a conversation that covers a lot of ground. TAKEAWAYS Helping kids understand their brain profiles is crucial. Self-understanding fosters confidence and self-advocacy. Using relatable metaphors can aid in explaining neurodiversity. Labels can serve as anchors for understanding experiences. Children often internalize negative labels if not addressed. Collaborative assessments enhance understanding for both kids and parents. Empowering parents shifts the narrative from deficits to differences. Finding the right practitioner is essential for supportive assessments. Normalizing neurodiversity can change family dynamics for life. Mental health clinicians: Telling a child about a new diagnosis can feel like navigating a minefield, but it doesn't have to. We're hosting a training with Dr. Liz Angoff, called Explaining a Diagnosis to Kids in a Neurodiversity-Affirming Way, on Friday, September 11th from 2:00 to 3:30 Eastern. The course is worth 1.5 continuing education hours, and is approved through both the APA and NBCC. You'll learn how to replace pathologizing jargon with empowering, neurodiversity-affirming language that builds self-advocacy and resilience. Register for this course today. We're getting closer to our annual, free Creating Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools Crash Course. Our panel of experts will talk all about how to approach the new school year and set our neurodivergent students up for success. The event is Tuesday, September 22 at 7:30 PM Eastern, and again, it is free to register and attend. Here's a link to register and join us! Dr. Liz Angoff is a Licensed Educational Psychologist and a Diplomate in School Neuropsychology, specializing in assessment and consultation for children and their families in the Bay Area, California. Her work centers on helping neurodivergent children better understand and embrace how their brains work, fostering confidence, self-advocacy, and empowerment. She is the author of the Brain Building Books and Our Brains, a series designed to support children in navigating their learning and identity through affirming, accessible language. Through her practice and writing, Dr. Liz is committed to demystifying the evaluation process and creating tools that help families and educators work together to support thriving learners. BACKGROUND READING Liz Angoff's website, Explaining Brains, Liz's newest book - Our Brains, tools for parents, Instagram The Neurodiversity Podcast is on Facebook, Instagram, BlueSky, and you're invited to join our Facebook Group. For more information go to www.NeurodiversityPodcast.com If you'd like members of your organization, school district, or company to know more about the subjects discussed on our podcast, Emily Kircher-Morris provides keynote addresses, workshops, and training sessions worldwide, in-person or virtually. You can choose from a list of established presentations, or work with Emily to develop a custom talk to fit your unique situation. To learn more, visit our website.
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    41 mins
  • The Wall of Awful: Why Starting Feels Impossible

    The Wall of Awful: Why Starting Feels Impossible
    Sep 2 2026
    When people with ADHD struggle to start, return to, or finish a task, their inaction is frequently mislabeled as laziness, poor motivation, or chronic procrastination. In reality, the obstacle is rarely about logistics or effort. It stems from the emotional pre-work required just to get to the starting line. Brendan Mahan, an ADHD coach, speaker, host of the ADHD Essentials podcast, and author of Overcoming the Wall of Awful, joins Emily to talk about the emotional barriers that turn ordinary demands into overwhelming roadblocks. TAKEAWAYS Task paralysis is driven primarily by emotional labor and accumulated negative memories rather than simple executive dysfunction or laziness. The emotional work required to face an anxiety-provoking task is invisible from the outside, which often cause those around you to mistake genuine freeze states for willful procrastination. Smashing through emotional barriers using eleventh-hour panic and anger damages internal self-esteem and strains personal relationships. Putting a door in an emotional barrier involves shifting short-term states using external scaffolding such as body doubling, high-interest music, or novel environments. Climbing an emotional barrier requires a balance of active cognitive processing and passive mind-wandering to allow the brain's default mode network to metabolize stress. Healthy accountability separates functional impairments from moral worth by treating ADHD symptoms with the same matter-of-fact compassion as an asthma flare-up or chronic physical condition. Mental health clinicians: Telling a child about a new diagnosis can feel like navigating a minefield, but it doesn't have to. We're hosting a training with Dr. Liz Angoff, called Explaining a Diagnosis to Kids in a Neurodiversity-Affirming Way, on Friday, September 11th from 2:00 to 3:30 Eastern. The course is worth 1.5 continuing education hours, and is approved through both the APA and NBCC. You'll learn how to replace pathologizing jargon with empowering, neurodiversity-affirming language that builds self-advocacy and resilience. Register for this course today. We're getting closer to our annual, free Creating Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools Crash Course. Our a panel of experts will talk all about how to approach the new school year and set our neurodivergent students up for success. The event is Tuesday, September 22 at 7:30 PM Eastern, and again, it is free to register and attend. Here's a link to register and join us! Brendan Mahan, M.Ed., M.S. is an ADHD coach, speaker, and educator dedicated to helping neurodivergent individuals better understand and manage the challenges of ADHD. He is the author of Overcoming the Wall of Awful™ and the host of the popular ADHD Essentials Podcast, where he shares practical strategies and insights for navigating life with ADHD. As a neurodivergent professional, Brendan brings both lived experience and professional expertise to his work with individuals, families, schools, and organizations. He serves on the board of the Men's ADHD Support Group, is the Director of Professional Resources for Calmer Con Boston, and previously served on the planning committee for the International Conference on ADHD. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, LinkedIn, Understood, How to ADHD, Verywell Mind, and ADDitude Magazine. BACKGROUND READING Overcoming the Wall of Awful, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, BlueSky, Twitter/X The Neurodiversity Podcast is on Facebook, Instagram, BlueSky, and you're invited to join our Facebook Group. For more information go to www.NeurodiversityPodcast.com If you'd like members of your organization, school district, or company to know more about the subjects discussed on our podcast, Emily Kircher-Morris provides keynote addresses, workshops, and training sessions worldwide, in-person or virtually. You can choose from a list of established presentations, or work with Emily to develop a custom talk to fit your unique situation. To learn more, visit our website. Thank you for supporting neurodivergent people.
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    40 mins
  • The Asynchrony Paradox: Why Capable Kids Struggle with the Basics

    The Asynchrony Paradox: Why Capable Kids Struggle with the Basics
    Aug 27 2026
    When raising or teaching gifted, twice-exceptional, and differently wired children, adults often face the emotional whiplash of asynchronous development. A child might engage in deep, high-level discussions one moment, only to struggle with basic emotional regulation, task initiation, or practical organization the next. Colleen Kessler, an educator, gifted specialist, author of The Homeschool Advantage, and host of the Raising Lifelong Learners podcast, joins Emily to discuss why supporting neurodivergent kids requires shifting away from one-size-fits-all expectations and becoming an active student of the individual child. TAKEAWAYS Asynchronous development is a natural hallmark of neurodivergence where intellectual, emotional, and physical capacities develop at markedly different rates. Becoming a student of the child allows adults to separate neurological wiring differences from behavioral choices, leading to more effective scaffolding. Authentic strengths-based learning uses a student's high-interest areas to build the confidence and resilience to tackle difficult academic tasks. Testing critical thinking or scientific understanding can be separated from writing output by utilizing speech-to-text tools and alternative dictation methods. Highly capable learners often mask executive functioning deficits until cumulative demands outpace their early compensatory strategies. Being an effective advocate requires ongoing, collaborative communication between home and school rather than relying solely on formal annual meetings. Mental health clinicians: Telling a child about a new diagnosis can feel like navigating a minefield, but it doesn't have to. We're hosting a training with Dr. Liz Angoff, called Explaining a Diagnosis to Kids in a Neurodiversity-Affirming Way, on Friday, September 11th from 2:00 to 3:30 Eastern. The course is worth 1.5 continuing education hours, and is approved through both the APA and NBCC. You'll learn how to replace pathologizing jargon with empowering, neurodiversity-affirming language that builds self-advocacy and resilience. Register for this course today. Colleen Kessler is an author, educator, educational consultant, and international speaker specializing in gifted, twice-exceptional, and other neurodivergent learners. With degrees in elementary education and gifted studies, she helps parents, educators, and clinicians better understand and support the social, emotional, and executive functioning needs of neurodivergent children through a strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming approach. Colleen is the founder of Raising Lifelong Learners and the host of the Raising Lifelong Learners podcast. Through her books, executive function resources, educational consulting, coaching programs, and The Learner's Lab membership community, she equips families with practical strategies to foster confidence, resilience, meaningful relationships, and a lifelong love of learning. Combining professional expertise with lived experience, Colleen empowers families to recognize and celebrate each child's unique strengths. BACKGROUND READING Colleen's website, Raising Lifelong Learners podcast, Learner's Lab, books, classes, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok The Neurodiversity Podcast is on Facebook, Instagram, BlueSky, and you're invited to join our Facebook Group. For more information go to www.NeurodiversityPodcast.com If you'd like members of your organization, school district, or company to know more about the subjects discussed on our podcast, Emily Kircher-Morris provides keynote addresses, workshops, and training sessions worldwide, in-person or virtually. You can choose from a list of established presentations, or work with Emily to develop a custom talk to fit your unique situation. To learn more, visit our website.
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    42 mins
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