The Different-Functional Podcast

How often do you hear that “exercise is important”, and that you should “get more active” or “work on your relationship with movement”? If you had a penny for each time you've heard those kinds of phrases from social media influencers, magazine covers, doctors, family, or friends you could probably for a year's worth of gym membership fees up front. I mean, thanks for the super vague advice but what does that really mean? Even if you want to get more physically active, how do you get started? What's classified as exercise? Do you need to go to the gym? Why is increasing activity even so important to begin with? Is the adage “no pain, no gain” true when it comes to improving your fitness?Join us as we discuss some answers to these, and many other, questions; and explore a few different types of exercise, along with their various benefits and warning labels. If you've ever been overwhelmed, confused, or possibly even triggered by the mere idea of exercise, we're here to help make it all a little less daunting. If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional Thanks so much for listening and remember, different does not mean defective.

Spring is here for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, and as the weather starts to warm up it becomes uncomfortably obvious just how extra dependent we were on our digital devices to get us through the cold, winter months. Honestly, regardless of the time of year, most of us are probably on our devices too much; it's hard not to be when nearly everything we use is now digital, from our forms of entertainment to our work to the many tools we use to keep our daily lives running smoothly. We don't want to villainize all technology, but we do still need to admit that there are some real downsides to being constantly barraged by screens at every turn. So how do we pull back a little from our digital dependency? Join us as we discuss some realistic tips and tricks that will enable you to find more balance and engage more actively with the people and world around you.If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional

There's a lot of talk right now about autism. Unfortunately, we're seeing a resurgence of people pathologizing the autistic experience and reinforcing social stigmas and negative stereotypes. Yes, autism comes with its challenges but to demonize it is complete and utter nonsense; it's simple fear mongering from people who have clearly never truly known or loved an autistic person. Join us for this episode as we explore some social and experiential theories around autism. As we always say, different does not mean defective. One of us is autistic and the other has known and loved more autistic people than she can count. Neurodivergence can be challenging and often isolating, but neurodivergent people are also brilliantly loveable, unconventional thinkers who have so much to offer. We see you and we stand with all of you who are feeling even more stigmatized and unappreciated right now. If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional

We're back again with another installment of Futile or Functional, where we explore the usefulness of the internet's suggestions for our mental health. This time we're diving into some ADHD life hacks. Since Autumn isn't ADHD, we've welcomed Jake back for another episode to give his feedback on these suggestions. So join us as Ivy and Jake try to determine whether these hacks are futile or functional, and hear Autumn's amusing observations as an outsider looking in on some common ADHD conundrums.If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

We've all heard some iteration of the serenity prayer, but what does that actually look like? What does it mean to accept the things you can't change and work toward changing the things you can? How do you even decide what to change and what to accept? Join us as we discuss how living by the serenity prayer can positively impact your life.If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

The times are tumultuous and uncertain and, let's be honest, it's not exactly bringing out the best in most people. So, let's take a stroll down memory lane, get a blast from the past, and live for a brief, blissful moment in the delusion that we're back in the 90s. The 90s may not have been perfect either (we certainly had more than our fair share of family trauma from our childhood) but when it comes to music or music videos, we'd argue it was quite possibly the best decade of all time. Yes, there was a lot of fun, fluffy pop music like any other decade, but the 90s also produced a lot of deeply meaningful and often cathartic songs. For those of us who grew up in the 90s, the music of that era made us feel seen and understood; it got us through hard times; and it built the people we've become. Maybe it's time to revisit these songs and let them bolster our strength again for the challenges ahead.If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

Music is such a powerful tool for emotional processing and personal expression; and with how crazy the world seems to have been in recent years, music seems like a more valuable resource than ever. Whether you use it to help you calm down, vent your frustrations, have a good cry, or find hope on the darkest days music is a fundamental part of our self-care regimen. Join us as we examine some of the songs that are keeping us going and explore how we use music as a coping skill. How are you utilizing music to help you survive these trying times? We'd love to hear from you so reach out to us at differentfunctional@gmail.com or you can find us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to visit the mind of someone with ADHD? Well, now you can! But we don't recommend actually doing it because taking a tour of the ADHD brain may involve getting a head injury. We would know because as sisters, we apparently feel the need to do everything together, so we went and got matching brain injuries only a few months apart. While the research on the topic is still in largely in its infancy, there is a notable correlation between the symptoms of ADHD and those of traumatic brain injuries. For one of us, the brain injury significantly amplified pre-existing ADHD symptoms but for the other sister, who was only familiar with an autistic landscape, post-concussive syndrome left her a stranger in a mighty strange land. Join us as we discuss our experiences with post-concussive syndrome and everything it taught us about ADHD symptomology. If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like for us to cover we'd love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don't forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

How do you feel about Valentine's Day? Personally, we don't love it, but we also don't hate it. What we do hate is that the current state of the world is kinda lousy and the long, slow trudge through winter is starting to feel like a real Debbie Downer. So with that in mind, we thought the Love holiday might be a perfect excuse to do something fun and fluffy. Join us as we play a little word association game, taking Valentine's themed vocabulary words and cramming as much unhinged rambling about each one as we can in our allotted amount of time. Hold onto your little heart-shaped butts because we get a little wild, a tiny bit spicy, kinda creepy, and sometimes even sickeningly sentimental.If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like for us to cover we'd love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don't forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

Are you a fashionista? Us too! Not really. We lied. We're not even good at faking it, but we're trying. Is fashion supposed to be so hard? What are the rules? How do you know you've committed a fashion faux pas? Is that person staring at you because they like your style or because they think you look vaguely unhinged? How are you supposed to tolerate wearing things that touch you in weird ways, are super scratchy, or make a lot of noise and not lose your mind? Is fashion just part of yet another social script that neurodivergent people have to struggle to understand or is it a safe haven for self-expression? These are the kinds of questions we'd like some answers to. We don't have the answers but we're going to talk about it anyway, so join as we try to figure out what neurodivergent fashion looks and feels like (sensory issues, anyone?).If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast,and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like for us to cover we'd love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don't forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

We're starting to settle into 2025 but that doesn't necessarily mean that we've left the hardships of 2024 behind us (or the previous years for that matter). If you're anything like us you may find that you're still a little shell-shocked and unsure of how to move forward. We're still processing the lessons from the past and the horizon ahead is a little hazy, but we're here in this moment and there's power in simply putting one foot in front of the other. Sometimes the best thing you can do is simply to focus on your feet. Join us as we discuss how we can move forward one moment, one breath, one step at a time.If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like for us to cover we'd love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don't forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

Here we are, yet again, at the start of another year. If you're anything like us, 2024 must have put you through the wringer too. We're ready to put last year behind us, but we're also giving 2025 that wary, suspicious side-eye until it proves it can play nicer and be more reasonable than its predecessor. So instead of revisiting the usual new year celebratory rituals and plans, we're sitting down for a humorously serious conversation about how challenging it is sometimes to just…adult. Join us as we discuss how the heck anyone is supposed to take care of their body, clean their house, find a good mechanic, and file paperwork even at the best of times. Even without life's curveballs, adulting is already kinda confusing and often really f***ing annoying, and the truth is none of us really know what we're doing. Even when we think we know we usually end up finding out that we were wrong somehow. In reality, most of us are really just out here…winging it.If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like for us to cover we'd love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don't forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

'Tis the season for gift-giving, but for many neurodivergent individuals, the holidays can bring more stress than joy. From choosing the right gift to managing limited resources like time, money, and energy, selecting the perfect present can feel like navigating a minefield. The pressure to find something meaningful and the fear of getting it wrong can make holiday shopping overwhelming.In this episode, we explore the often-overlooked challenges of gift-giving and share practical gift-giving tips that reduce stress and help you stay authentic to your spirit of giving. Whether you're buying for a loved one, a coworker, or someone you barely know, this episode is packed with gift ideas and strategies for managing the complexities of gift-giving with neurodivergence in mind.And don't forget to check out our FREE bonus content available on Patreon, where we discuss specific types of gifts and who they work best for!If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like for us to cover we'd love to hear from you at Don't forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

Thanksgiving is sneaking up on us again here in the USA, and there's just so much to be thankful for this time of year! Or is there? That's the question. Well, maybe not exactly. Are there things to be thankful for? Sure. If you look hard enough you can always find something, but you know what's often even easier to find? Things you're not thankful for. When life gets really challenging, we're not generally overflowing with appreciation for how awful things feel. That's why gratitude journaling is so often recommended in pop psychology. That's pretty vague though. I mean if you're struggling to be in a positive mind set, just sitting down with a blank sheet of paper and the expectation to be grateful you probably won't get very far. But what about journal prompts, questions intended to make you look closer or broaden your perspective? Join us as we explore and discuss some journal prompts intended to inspire gratitude. Do they work? Let's find out.Also we're starting a new series! Consider this episode a pilot. We didn't announce it in the episode because we're silly gooses who didn't decide on it until after this episode was finished and we were preparing it for release. The series will be called Futile or Functional, and we'll be reviewing pop psychology concepts, giving our thoughts as to their effectiveness as neurodivergents who have been deeply entrenched in the world of psychology for most of our lives.If you took a fancy to the same gratitude prompts that we did you can find them here: https://christieinge.com/gratitude-journal-prompts/ We are not in any way affiliated with this creator, we just liked her list of questions.If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like for us to cover we'd love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don't forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

This time of year is the perfect opportunity for crafting, creativity, and community! Even if you don't think you're “that kind of person” you might be surprised by how much fun it can be and what you can learn about yourself and others. With that in mind, we've decided to do something we've never done before on the podcast: a craft-along! And for those of you who are here for our usual mental health themed programming, you won't be left out. This is also an opportunity to explore some therapeutic techniques: art as therapy, writing prompts, and stream of consciousness. If you want to craft along with us here is a list of everything you'll need: glass container, fall leaves, strong, balloon, modge podge, curly ribbon, construction/scrapbook paper, glue stick, markers.Patreon members get some extra special content too. For thefirst time ever we're sharing a raw, unedited video version of this episode. Watch us get covered in modge podge and see how awkward and long winded we actually are before we edit and clean up the episodes. Even if you aren't a Patreon member you can purchase this specific post through their website (but just between us, with the minimum price requirements they set to sell an individual post, it might be worth it to join our Patreon for a month if you're curious andcheck out all out other content too).If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like for us to cover we'd love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don't forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

It's spooky season! How are you going to spend your Halloween? Over here, we'll be having a nice big group hug with the boogeyman and all his friends. Why? Because that's one of the best parts of spooky season. Join us as we take a look closer at the symbols and icons of the season in order to learn from them and face our greatest fears. You can even do it dressed up as a princess or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and it doesn't get any better than that. If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like for us to cover we'd love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don't forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.Happy Halloween Everyone!

What do you do when it all falls apart? Well, you rise from the ashes like a phoenix, of course. Yes, but how? What does that look like and how do you do it? Join us for this two-part episode on what it actually means to rise from the ashes and rebuild your life. In this episode, we're exploring what it means to rebuild your life and your sense of self after everything has fallen apart. If you missed our last episode, and rebuilding seems like too daunting of a task right now, then we recommend listening to part one, where we discuss survival mode: what it is, how to know you're in it, and how to start stepping out of it so that you can thrive rather than just surviving.If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like for us to cover we'd love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don't forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

What do you do when it all falls apart? Well, you rise from the ashes like a phoenix, of course. Yes, but how? What does that look like and how do you do it? Join us for this two-part episode on what it actually means to rise from the ashes and rebuild your life. In this first episode, we'll be discussing survival mode: what it is, how to know you're in it, and how to start stepping out of it so that you can thrive rather than just surviving. Tune back in next time as we explore what it means to rebuild your life and your sense of self after everything has fallen apart.If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like for us to cover we'd love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don't forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember, different does not mean defective.

We would say that things have been rough lately but let's be honest, for many of us it's not just been “lately”. If you're a regular listener of our podcast then chances are good that you've been trying to manage your mental health or neurodivergence or that you've been trying to heal from a significant trauma; and those overarching themes are always there no matter what happens in the world or in our personal lives on a day-to-day basis. That's what's most exhausting. For a lot of us, this difficult time isn't temporary. This is just life. So, the question we pose is, does it ever get any easier? Does developing management strategies and learning self-mastery, communication, and relationship skills actually help in the long run? Join us as we share some of the management strategies and skill sets we've developed, and assess whether it's been worth all the work we've put in over our nearly 50 years of combined experience on this mental health and trauma recovery journey.If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like for us to cover we'd love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don't forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

Heeeey! So the bad news is that we don't have a new episode because Ivy is moving. The good news is that we still have an episode for you, a compilation of some clips from our Patreon vault. The other good news is that we're finally going to be able to record again in a few days once Ivy finishes unpacking her studio setup so we'll have a brand spanking new episode for you next time. Thanks for your patience and thanks for listening!If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like for us to cover we'd love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don't forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

We've got something a little special for you guys this time, since Ivy is still living that couch surfing life for now and won't have a recording space for another couple of weeks. Autumn's boyfriend Jake has filled in as a guest host for this episode about neurodivergence in committed relationships. Do you ever feel like you're hard to love? Well, if you're any flavor of neurospicy you probably know exactly what it's like to feel as though you're either too much or not enough, or maybe even both simultaneously. While some aspects of neurodivergence can feel like superpowers, it's also true that living as a neurodivergent person in a neurotypical world requires active management and can leave us feeling more than a little disconnected from other people. Join Autumn and Jake as they discuss the lessons they've learned over their decade-long relationship about how to cope with the fear of being hard to love and how to navigate the challenges and benefits of being neurodivergent in love.If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like for us to cover we'd love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don't forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

Most of us have wondered at one time or another what impact we have on the lives of other people and what legacy we'll be leaving behind. All too often we fall into the trap of feeling insignificant, like nothing we say or do matters; and the worst of our intrusive thoughts might even have us believing that our impact is negative, that we do more harm than good, that we're not enough, and that other people would be better off without us. But the truth is we all touch more lives than we realize, and our influence is as varied and multi-faceted as we are. You may be a hero to some, a villain to others, a lover, a friend, family, a teacher, a sage, a kindly stranger, a random person that captured someone's attention for a brief but memorable moment. Chances are you will never know how many lives you've touched, how far your influence spreads, or how meaningful your words and actions might be. But you do matter. To someone. To lots of someones. Join us as we explore the butterfly effect of human interaction and share stories about some of the people who have touched our lives in both big and small ways. If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like for us to cover we'd love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don't forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

It seems like over the last several years a lot of us have been experimenting with elimination diets as a way to treat everything from hormone imbalances to autoimmune to diseases, and mental health issues to medical mysteries. While the old adage: “You are what you eat” has been around for a very long time it's only in recent decades that science has actually been discovering just how extensively our dietary lifestyle impacts our overall health and well-being. This is all well and good, but what does it actually look like to eliminate something from your diet, especially if the removal of that food is likely to be a permanent change? Join us in this two part series as we discuss how we navigated our own elimination diets and how the lifestyle changes have impacted our lives in both the better and the worse. If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like for us to cover we'd love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don't forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

It seems like over the last several years a lot of us have been experimenting with elimination diets as a way to treat everything from hormone imbalances to autoimmune to diseases, and mental health issues to medical mysteries. While the old adage: “You are what you eat” has been around for a very long time it's only in recent decades that science has actually been discovering just how extensively our dietary lifestyle impacts our overall health and well-being. This is all well and good, but what does it actually look like to eliminate something from your diet, especially if the removal of that food is likely to be a permanent change? Join us in this two part series as we discuss how we navigated our own elimination diets and how the lifestyle changes have impacted our lives in both the better and the worse. If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like for us to cover we'd love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don't forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

Maybe life is always in flux but it sure feels as though this year has brought with it even more changes than usual. If you feel like your life has been completely upended and you've found yourself, willingly or unwillingly, on a transformative journey as a result, you're not alone. We know what it's like when the hits keep coming, the universe keeps throwing you one curveball after another, and you're struggling to even find time to catch your breath. Join us as we explore the ways in which we can take comfort, inspiration, and guidance from pop culture as we close one chapter in our lives and navigate the uncharted territory ahead. If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like for us to cover we'd love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don't forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

To a certain degree we all go through life wearing a mask, or a series of masks that we change out based on the social situation we find ourselves in, but when you're neurodivergent this masking process is taken to another level. Most of us learn at a very young age that our social survivability is dependent upon our ability to read the social scripts we're handed and slip into character; we may even become very successful at playing a variety of characters along the way. The problem arises though when we've been in character for so long that we've forgotten who and what our authentic self really is. Where does the mask end and where do we begin? And even once we figure that out, how do we give ourselves the freedom to take our mask off when every instinct we now have is screaming at us to keep it on? Join us as we explore 12 questions that can help guide you to find your own answers to those questions. If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like for us to cover we'd love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don't forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

When we think of our mental health, we tend to immediately start making a list of everything that is wrong; and we fall into that habit so easily because, for many of us, something has been wrong for a long time and we've been actively trying to sort it out and work on ourselves. Being on a healing and self-discovery journey is one of the most powerful things we'll ever do for ourselves and for our loved ones, but sometimes we can get so focused, for so long on correcting what is wrong that we forget to take notice when things start to go right. The work is important but it's also equally important to acknowledge our efforts and give ourselves credit for our hard-earned victories, no matter how big or small they are. We hope you'll join us as we flip the script on our pathologies and discuss some of the “symptoms” that are proof-positive of healing and growth. If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like for us to cover we'd love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don't forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

The march of time never stops, the demands on our personal time never seem to wane, and there's always more than enough stress to go around. The truth is, most of us tend to burn the candle at both ends, and that habit has a way of catching up to us in the form of burnout. Yes, sometimes we put ourselves in that position unnecessarily but there are also plenty of times when burning out is unavoidable because there's simply too much to do and not enough time or energy to get it all done. Either way, we're not here to judge, but we are here to help. Join us for a discussion about how to cope with burnout, lessen the impact of it on your life, and replenish your reserves. If you're enjoying the podcast we'd love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like for us to cover we'd love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don't forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

S-E-X is almost always a taboo topic of discussion, perhaps especially among neurotypicals and “civilized society”. For those of us who are neurodivergent and already regularly struggle with the subtleties of social scripts, the topic of intimacy can feel more taboo and, at times, even confusing. The lived experience of neurodivergents is often different in surprising, wonderful, and weird little ways; and though we often can't discuss S-E-X openly we can likely assume that the same rule applies in this arena of life as well. But how do we know for sure if we can't talk about it? Well, we don't know how to answer that question, but your Different Functional ladies here are pretty direct and blunt, and since we don't know any other way to be we figured, why not go about this in a trial-by-fire sort of way. Join us as we discuss the intricacies, oddities, and awkwardness of being neurodivergent in the bedroom, and help us answer the age-old question: “Is it just me, or…..?” Thanks for listening. We very much appreciate you and the support you offer us. If you're enjoying the show it would be wonderful if you could please like, subscribe, rate, review, and spread the word about our humble little podcast. If you're feeling especially generous and would like to support us on Patreon you can find us as www.patreon.com/differentfunctional

Like many other things in life, neurodivergence is a bit of a double-edged sword. Some of our neurodivergent traits are so impressive that they almost seem like superpowers, while others impair our ability to function so much that they can feel like a curse. What's even more interesting is how our own perception of these traits may differ from the perceptions others have of us, especially the perceptions of other neurodivergent people. Join us as we explore the duality of our neurodivergence, discussing our perceptions of both our best traits and our biggest challenges through the lens of autism and ADHD. Thank you for listening, your support means the world to us! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast. And if you'd like to support us on Patreon you can find us at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional

Increasingly more of us are being diagnosed with some form of neurodivergence and/or are accidentally stumbling upon an unexpected sense of kinship among neurodivergent communities on social media. As our knowledge expands, both clinically and culturally, our vocabulary around neurodivergence is also evolving at a rapid rate. Clinicians have been in the process of changing diagnostic terminology for a while already and now, members of the neurodivergent community have been coming together, often via social media, to create terms and phrases that more accurately describe the full, lived experience of being a neurodivergent person in a neurotypical world. Many of us are discovering that while our struggles can indeed be described as symptoms that impair our daily function, especially in the context of societal expectations, there are also so many fascinating, beautiful, and almost superhuman qualities on the other side of the neurodivergent coin. Join us as we discuss the definitions and origins of some of these terms and explore what they may actually look like as part of the lived experience for neurodivergent people. Thank you for listening, your support means the world to us! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast. And if you'd like to support us on Patreon you can find us at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional

How's everyone feeling out there? Not gonna lie, 2024 has started off as a very stressful year for us. We have our tried-and-true coping mechanisms and skills but let's face it, sometimes you just need a little something extra to get you through the storm; so we did a little internet search to see if there were any suggestions that maybe we hadn't thought of before. The conclusion we came to was: No, not really. Pretty much every website we came across gave the exact same basic advice we've all heard again and again and again, with barely even any variance in how it was packaged. And we thought, alright, if they're all saying the same things then surely there must be some merit to these suggestions, but do they work as well for as for neurodivergents as they seemingly do for neurotypicals? Join us as we put these suggestions to the test and discuss our views on their efficacy and shortcomings as two neurodivergent women in search of some heavy duty stress busters. Thank you for listening, your support means the world to us! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast. And if you'd like to support us on Patreon you can find us at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional

We've been doing the podcast now for a little over two years and if you've been listening for awhile you'd probably think you know us pretty well by now. I mean we do share a lot about our personal lives and past experiences, and we always try to be as authentic as possible, but if you're neurodivergent you're likely also very familiar with a little thing called “masking”. To coexist somewhat peaceably in a neurotypical world, many neurodivergents learn early on that they have to slip on a persona and play by certain rules, and over time those masks become almost second nature and it can even become difficult to remember where the mask ends and you begin. So for this episode we're doing something a little bit different. We want to show you our strange, little neurodivergent selves, as unmasked and unfiltered as possible; so instead of presenting you a typically structured episode where we'd instinctively mask, we've compiled a ton of clips with our more candid moments during the last two years that never made it into the episodes. From bloopers to conversations about the weirdness of life, this is a glimpse behind the masks we wear everyday. Strap in and prepare yourselves for a rowdy and raucous good time that's chaotic, unhinged, and hilarious. We've got the combined humor of teenage boys, little old ladies, and fed up millennials so expect some crude humor, cussing, and complaints about weird things bodies do. We hope you'll join us for the party and that you'll still like us on the other side of it, after you've seen some of our rougher edges. Thank you for listening, your support means the world to us! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast. And if you'd like to support us on Patreon you can find us at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional

Happy Valentine's Day! Do ya'll celebrate this holiday? To be honest, we don't really celebrate it much ourselves. There's too much pressure to make things extra special and it's uncomfortable to eat at an overcrowded restaurant. Also, does anyone else think it's strange to romanticize an internal organ, especially since a “heart” looks nothing like the one in your body and it's not even the organ responsible for creating all those lovey-dovey feelings anyway? Honestly, that last question might point to one more reason why we don't celebrate Valentine's Day in the typical fashion: Neurodivergence. Everything neurodivergents do, we do a wee bit differently (awkwardly too in most cases), and dating is no exception. Join us for some story time and an exploration into some of the ways that neurodivergence can make dating an interesting and challenging endeavor. We'd also love to hear from you! Email us your stories of dating as a neurodivergent person at differentfunctional@gmail.com or drop us a comment on one of our posts for this episode on Tik Tok, Facebook, or Instagram where you can find us as Different Functional. If you'd like to support us on Patreon you can find us at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and leave us a rating and review. Thanks so much for listening! We're so glad you're here!

We'd like to believe that all trauma and abuse survivors are purely sympathetic characters who would never inflict the kind of pain they've been through on another person, but the reality is usually much messier than that. When we hear the phrase “hurt people, hurt people” we often think of it as a way to understand and maybe even develop compassion for bullies, but you don't have to be a stereotypical bully for this phrase to apply to you. Many of us who have been victims of trauma and abuse end up perpetuating that cycle forward as a result of maladaptive coping mechanisms, a lack of self-awareness, environmental normalization of destructive behaviors, warped attempts at self-protection, or even self-loathing and sabotage. And most of us don't want to hurt others; in fact, we often hate ourselves when we do cause harm because we know exactly how damaging the long-term impact of that pain can be. But how do we stop weaponizing our wounds and stop paying our own trauma and abuse forward? Join us as we share some of our own experiences on this topic, and discuss how you can make peace with the past, make amends with those you've hurt, and change your perspectives and behavior to ensure a better future for yourself and your relationships. To see our resources for this and all our other episodes visit https://www.differentfunctional.com/podcast-resources If you'd like to support us on Patreon you can find us at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and leave us a rating and review.

If you're a neurodivergent person, chances are you're used to feeling out of step with the rest of the world. Those of us in the community have learned the importance of masking and adaptation because we've often been accused of being weird, lazy, unmotivated, easily distracted, overly sensitive, immature, inappropriate, unempathetic, disrespectful, rude, selfish, uncommunicative, bad listeners, etc… The list goes on and on. But what if we're not actually the problem? It's possible that we've been gaslit our whole lives into believing things about ourselves that are egregiously untrue or misrepresented and then pressured into fixing things about ourselves that were never broken to begin with. Maybe we're just different. And maybe there's nothing wrong with that. To see our resources for this and all our other episodes visit https://www.differentfunctional.com/podcast-resources If you'd like to support us on Patreon you can find us at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and leave us a rating and review.

Happy New Year! 2023 was a wild year, and by that we mean it was a feral beast. We may have all walked away from it a little scratched up, bruised, and shell shocked but we made it! Cheers to our survival and to the hope that 2024 will usher in some much-needed relief and happiness; after these last few chaotic and pensive years, we've all certainly earned it. Because of everything we've been through recently, those New Years resolutions feel even more meaningful than usual. It's time for some real, lasting and positive changes, but what does that look like and how do we get there without just losing heart or motivation by the end of January? Join us as we discuss how to identify and attain the goals that will bring the most sustainable improvements into your life. Thank you for listening, your support means the world to us. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast. And if you'd like to support us on Patreon you can find us at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional

How's everyone doing out there? If the answer is “Not so great” we feel you. The holiday season is a bit of a trudge for us too, and few things are more grating on the nerves than the inescapably repetitive songs and movies that play for weeks on end every single year. How many times can you listen to Jingle Bells without losing your mind? How many Santa themed movies can you watch before you start having nightmares about how exactly he sees you when you're sleeping? And if you're struggling with your mental health or your relationships this year then how much forced “holly jolly” can you take? Now, don't get us wrong. We do wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year, but we also understand if that feels like a tall order, so we've put together a list of mostly offbeat Christmas movie and song recommendations to help you survive the rest of this holiday season. Thanks for listening and for your support this year. We'll see you in 2024, and here's hoping it's a better year for all of us. To see our resources for this and all our other episodes visit https://www.differentfunctional.com/podcast-resources If you'd like to support us on Patreon you can find us at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and leave us a rating and review.

Love it or hate it, the holiday season can be the most challenging and stressful time of year. Sure, there are lots of pretty sparkly things and good food and magical festivities and great sales BUT there's also so much traffic, so many crowded stores, tons of familial and social obligations, and a surplus of financial woes. Santa always comes bearing a loaded mixed bag of both good and bad things that can make us feel all sorts of ways about all kinds of things. In the midst of all this, it's easy to get overwhelmed, switch into auto-pilot mode and forget what this season is all about. That's right, the reason for the season. No, we're not going to say Jesus because we believe that the holiday season is not one-size-fits-all, and that everyone should have a chance to enjoy it on their terms and for their own reasons. And if you're struggling to find your peace, love, and joy this year then join us as we explore a plethora of possible reasons that might help you find your holiday spirit. If you enjoy the podcast don't forget to subscribe and please leave us a rating and review. And if you'd like to support us on Patreon you can find us at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional Thanks for listening!

Over the river and through the woods, to our traumatic holiday memories we go. Buckle up folks, it's gonna be a bumpy ride! We may not be able to pick our families, but we can choose whether we laugh or cry at the madness and chaos they bring to us. We've personally cried plenty of tears over the years, and while there may still be one or two of those tears in this episode, we're mostly sick of crying and think maybe it's time to bring some dark humor to holiday spirits (double entendre, anyone?). Allow us to regale you with some insane tales that may feel very familiar and relatable to those of you who grew up in dangerously dysfunctional homes. ***MASSIVE TRIGGER WARNING*** If you don't have a strong stomach and a twisted sense of gallows humor you might want to sit this one out because this episode does include the following topics: suicide, racism, assault, domestic abuse, child abuse and neglect, substance abuse, and mental health crises. That being said, if you're still along for the ride there are some laughs and also some touching moments to be had, and it only took us about 25 years to find them. If you are struggling this holiday season and need some assistance, please, don't hesitate to reach out. There are resources available that can help pull you out of both internal and external crises. Visit our website www.differenfunctional.com/mental-health-resources for an extensive list of helplines that you can call, text, or chat with today. You are worthy. You are loved. You can get through this. And you are NOT alone.

It's here guys. We're in the thick of it, and we don't mean mashed potatoes and gravy. We mean the holiday season. Dun, Dun, Dun! If you grew up with a dysfunctional family, you probably had at least a few traumatic holidays with them and that can make you a little skittish when the turkey and jingle bells start coming out. Family is hard. Holidays are stressful. But if you're dealing with your own family at least you know what to expect. However, what if you're not dealing with them? What if you're meeting your partner's family for the first time instead? And what if they're…. “normal”? That sounds like it would be a relief, but it can be equally if not even more intimidating. When you're only used to dysfunction, trauma, and abuse it can be difficult to know how you should interact with a family that is close-knit and loving, where no one screams or throws chairs or burns the food just to be spiteful. We get it, we've been there ourselves. So if you're stressed and struggling to figure out how to navigate this holiday season with the future in-laws we've put together a list of questions for you to consider and talk over with your partner so you can feel a little more prepared for whatever uncertainty comes your way. If you enjoy the podcast don't forget to subscribe and please leave us a rating and review. And if you'd like to support us on Patreon you can find us at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional Thanks for listening!

If you enjoyed our most recent episode, we have a surprise for you. We actually held back one extra story to release for Halloween. We hope you all have a terribly wonderful Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Spooky season is upon us and we need your help to settle a dispute! While we both love fall, Ivy has a fondness for the creepy, crawly, scary aspects of the season but Autumn most definitely does not. Now we're not debating whether horror is good or bad entertainment, or even necessarily whether it's good or evil. No, we're at an impasse about whether or not it has any merit at all within society, culture, or the individual human psyche. So please, gather around the campfire with us while we dip our toes into the spooky realm to explore some classic urban legends and discuss whether these stories are worthy of passing along to scare yet another generation. We're even joined by a special guest storyteller who will delight and terrify us with his rendition of these classic creepy tales. How do you feel about urban legends or the genre of horror? Write in and give us your thoughts at differentfunctional@gmail.com or use the contact form on our website www.differentfunctional.com. Don't forget to check out our resources page for this episode on our website, as well. And if you'd like some extra spook, join us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional Thanks for listening!

Autumn is here! And we don't mean the co-host of the podcast either. Are you slipping into your flannel shirts, beanies, and boots yet? Enjoyed any pumpkin spice lattes or apple fritters? Have you been busy decorating, watching horror movies, and picking out a costume for spooky season? We don't know about you, but this year has been putting us through the wringer, and with so much stress and uncertainty it's been hard to find the little joys in life. So, in this episode we're taking a big, deep breath of that crisp fall air, grabbing some warm apple cider, and sitting down to chat about the relief and child-like joy that this season can bring. Sure, there may be a lot of disparaging memes and mocking comments about the “basic white girl fall starter pack” but you know what we say? Screw ‘em. It feels like these days the moments of joy are few and far between and we're not going to be ashamed of some moments of happiness and contentment. If you enjoy the podcast don't forget to subscribe and please leave us a rating and review. And if you'd like to support us on Patreon you can find us at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional Thanks for listening!

Okay ya'll, we're doing something a little bit different this time. Chances are you've heard of inner child work, and if you're listening to this podcast you've probably also done some inner child work yourself or are curious about trying it. When we hear the words “inner child work” we often imagine cathartic moments, full of difficult and complex feelings, but that's not all it is. Connecting with your inner child is also about establishing internal trust and allowing that younger version of yourself to have freedom of expression and to play. Many of us who were traumatized, abused, or neglected as children never really had the opportunity to freely enjoy our childhood. And heck, even if you didn't experience childhood trauma, having to be an adult all the time is so boring and frustrating! So today, we hope you'll join us for a bit of a game. Let's all allow our inner child to express themselves through a series of timed challenges that are as fun as they are fascinating. There will be lots of unmitigated joy, some internal battles of will, and some unexpected heartfelt moments; which is honestly exactly what a lot of us need right now.

It seems like everyone has an opinion about everything, whether those opinions are educated and well-informed or not. If you're a trauma survivor you've probably heard them all, everything from victim-blaming to toxic positivity and everything in between. Some of the people who are spouting these opinions are willfully ignorant and abusive while others are well-intentioned but ill-equipped to help. One thing is for sure though, there are some things we all wish we'd never have to hear again. Join us as we discuss some of these hot button phrases and maybe send this episode along to anyone who you wish would just zip-it for once. If you enjoy the podcast don't forget to subscribe and please leave us a rating and review. And if you'd like to support us on Patreon you can find us at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional Thanks for listening!

There's a whole lot of crazy going on in the world right now. Maybe there always is but these last few years it has felt worse than usual. The pandemic, social unrest, political corruption, economic downturn, ongoing war, an uptick in natural disasters, and so on and so on. Nearly all of us are feeling the effects of this combined chaos in one way or another, and while it's not quite the apocalypse there are some days when it sure does feel like it. So, what are we to do? How do we get through the madness of these trying times while still maintaining our sanity? Well, when truth becomes stranger than fiction it might actually be beneficial to explore what real-world survival skills fictional pop culture protagonists can teach us to help us survive the pre-apocalypse. If you'd like to support us on Patreon you can find us at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and leave us a rating and review. Thanks for listening!

In our last episode, we may have picked on neurotypicals just a little bit so this time we thought we'd level the playing field and talk about The Great Equalizer. No, not death. Awkwardness. While we, as neurodivergent people, often think of ourselves as being the most painfully, embarrassingly awkward people on the planet the truth is neurotypicals aren't immune to awkwardness either. We all have moments that make us blush, put our foot in our mouth, embarrass the heck out of us, and make us want to run away. So join us as we take a gander at a random list from the internet of supposedly universal awkward moments, and listen along as we react to these scenarios and embarrass ourselves for your entertainment. If you'd like to support us on Patreon you can find us at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and leave us a rating and review. Thanks for listening!

Those of us in the neurodivergent community have had our fair share of struggles with social situations. By the standards of the neurotypical world, our social skills come up lacking and we're often seen as awkward, eccentric, odd, clueless, weird, off-putting, crass, rude, etc… If you're neurodivergent, you know what we mean. You probably have a whole list of not-so-nice words that people have used to describe you and backhanded compliments you've been given, and we're sure you're all too familiar with “that face” people give you when you've broken a social rule that you either didn't understand or didn't care about. Even if you've learned to mask really well chances are still good you've committed some social faux pas in your time. But let's be honest here, a lot of neurotypical social scripts are arbitrary, poorly written, and they just don't make much sense. So join as we flip the script on neurotypicals for a change and call them out for all the ways in which they're actually the weirdos here. If you'd like to support us on Patreon you can find us at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and leave us a rating and review. Thanks for listening!

Our experience of emotion is something we generally take for granted. Afterall, feelings just tend to happen. Our hearts beat, our lungs breath, our legs move us forward, and we feel stuff. Unless we're actively struggling with one those things, we don't often give them much thought or effort. But maybe we should. Emotions and our relationships with them can actually be really complex, and by exploring them more fully we gain a much richer understanding of ourselves and our experience of the world. If you'd like to support us on Patreon you can find us at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and leave us a rating and review. Thanks for listening!

We're in the sweltering stretch of summer and you know what that means... It's #hotgirlsummer time. Or is it? Join us as we discuss the concept of the “hot girl summer”: what it's supposed to be; whether the social media image fits its definition; the pros and cons of pursuing that ideal; and some equally valid alternatives if that particular hashtag doesn't fit your vibe or aesthetic. There's plenty enough room for all of us, whether you're a hot girl, a goblin girl, or something else entirely. As they say: You do you, Boo. If you'd like to support us on Patreon you can find us at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and leave us a rating and review. Thanks for listening!