Adulting with Autism

In this episode of Adulting with Autism, host April is joined by Jennifer Zach, executive coach, author, and somatic leadership expert, to explore how somatic awareness and nervous system regulation can support autistic and neurodivergent adults in work, relationships, and daily life.
Jennifer is the author of Somatic Awareness: Leading with Body Intelligence and creator of the 3N Model™ — Notice, Name, Navigate, a practical framework that helps people recognize stress signals in the body, regulate overwhelm, and make aligned decisions instead of operating from survival mode.
Together, April and Jennifer discuss:
What somatic awareness really means (and why the body knows before the brain)

How autistic burnout shows up in the nervous system

The difference between discomfort and actual danger

Why masking and people-pleasing exhaust the body

How body intelligence supports authentic communication and self-leadership

Practical micro-practices to regulate stress in real time

Why resilience is more than "pushing through"

How somatic tools can improve work environments, leadership, and emotional safety

This episode is especially valuable for autistic adults, late-diagnosed individuals, professionals navigating sensory overload, and anyone feeling disconnected from their body due to chronic stress or overwhelm.
Guest: Jennifer Zach Website: somaticallyaware.com Book: Somatic Awareness: Leading with Body Intelligence
If you're looking for grounded, practical strategies to calm your nervous system, reduce burnout, and live with more clarity — this episode is for you.

If reading the news leaves you overwhelmed, angry, or completely checked out—you're not broken. The system is.
In this episode of Adulting with Autism, I'm joined by Kira Shishkin, founder and CEO of informed.now, a platform built for people who want to stay informed without being manipulated, overstimulated, or emotionally drained.
Kira shares how her own struggles with attention, overload, and disability shaped a radically different approach to news—one that prioritizes facts, primary sources, and respect for the reader's time and nervous system.
We talk about:
Why modern news is designed to hijack attention

"Structural sensationalism" and how advertising drives outrage

Why many autistic and neurodivergent people avoid the news entirely

How to consume information without doom scrolling or shutdown

What media minimalism and "news mindfulness" actually look like

Why informed.now delivers fact-based news via simple text messages

This episode is especially for autistic adults, ADHDers, and anyone whose mental health takes a hit from constant media overload—but still wants to understand what's happening in the world.
🔗 Learn more or sign up at informed.now

Living with anxiety spikes, focus fog, or constant sensory overload as an autistic, AuDHD, or ADHD adult—and wondering if music could actually help your brain calm down? This episode of Adulting With Autism explores music therapy for autistic adults with Dr. Barb Minton, a psychologist and neuroscientist who started as a pipe organ major and went on to create the Calm the Storm album with guitarist Peppino D'Agostino.​
Dr. Barb explains how music can entrain brain waves—how tempo, rhythm, and sound textures can gently guide the nervous system toward calmer or more focused states. She shares how specific choices (like slower tempos around 60–80 beats per minute for calm, or slightly faster tempos around 110–120 for focus) may support sleep, pain management, migraines, and attention, and why the body "hears" vibration through mechanoreceptors as well as through your ears.​
You will hear stories of how music has been used to support neurodivergent adults, including those with autism and ADHD, and how to experiment safely: choosing tracks that feel regulating rather than overwhelming, adjusting volume, and noticing your own responses instead of following rigid rules. Dr. Barb also talks about why music is still underused in mainstream care despite promising research and real-world results.​
This episode is especially helpful if you:
p]:pt-0 [&>p]:mb-2 [&>p]:my-0"> Feel overstimulated or shut down and want non-medication tools to try

p]:pt-0 [&>p]:mb-2 [&>p]:my-0"> Are curious whether specific music choices could help with anxiety, focus, or sleep

p]:pt-0 [&>p]:mb-2 [&>p]:my-0"> Want a more science-informed understanding of why certain music "works" for your brain

If this conversation supports you, follow/subscribe to Adulting With Autism on Podbean, Apple, or Spotify and leave a 5-star review so more neurodivergent adults can find it.
Merch for your calm and focus journey:
Get 20% off journals, tees, and "Brainwave Harmony"–style merch with code PODCAST26 at the Adulting With Autism Fourthwall shop ( Linktree). Your support helps keep this podcast free for the community.
Resources mentioned:
p]:pt-0 [&>p]:mb-2 [&>p]:my-0"> Calm the Storm and more music at musicandhealing.net

p]:pt-0 [&>p]:mb-2 [&>p]:my-0"> Dr. Barb's work and workshops at drbminton.com

Caught in "not enough" or "too much" loops as an autistic or AuDHD adult—stuck in old patterns, feeling like your needs are a burden, or burning out trying to keep everyone else okay? This episode of Adulting With Autism dives into self-love for autistic adults with Christina Ketchen, a certified life and relationship coach trained in HeartMath®, Gottman, and the Hoffman Process, who brings both neuroscience and hard-won personal wisdom to healing.​
Christina talks about trauma loops—those familiar patterns and relationship dynamics that feel terrible but somehow also "normal"—and how they can quietly drain self-worth over time. She shares compassionate tools like heart-focused breathing to support the nervous system, "kind no's" that protect your energy ("This doesn't work for me—thank you"), and gentle self-talk that shifts you from "I am broken" to "I am human and learning."​
You will hear how patterns often started as protection, how faith/meaning can reframe pain without dismissing it, and why embracing your "messy" humanity is part of building real self-love, not a sign of failure. Christina also offers guidance for neurodivergent adults who feel guilty setting boundaries or fear that saying no will make people leave.​
This episode is especially helpful if you:
Keep ending up in the same painful situations or relationships
Struggle to hold boundaries without intense shame, fear, or backlash inside your own mind
Are learning what self-love looks like for you as an autistic or AuDHD adult, beyond clichés and quick fixes
If this conversation supports you, follow/subscribe to Adulting With Autism on YouTube Apple, or Spotify and leave a 5-star review so more neurodivergent adults can find it.
Merch for your self-love journey:
Get 20% off journals, tees, and "Self-Love Alchemist"–style merch with code PODCAST26 at the Adulting With Autism Fourthwall shop ( Linktree). Your support helps keep this podcast free for the community.
Resources mentioned:
Coaching and masterclasses with Christina at christinaketchen.com
Her podcast The Self Love Shift

Feeling stuck in survival mode as an autistic or AuDHD adult—checking all the boxes on paper but still burned out, unfulfilled, or unsure what you actually want? This episode of Adulting With Autism explores self-love and life direction with Chandra Lynn, a certified transformation coach, former Apple/Mercedes marketing leader, and author of Root to Rise: How to Love Life When It's Messy, When It's Hard.​
Chandra breaks down her Root to Rise framework, which looks at key areas of life—like career, relationships, health, and creativity—and helps you line them up with core emotional needs such as security, variety, growth, connection, and contribution. She shares simple journaling prompts like "What do I want? Why? What am I willing to try?" to help you get out of autopilot and start making choices that actually fit you, not just what others expect.​
You will hear how her own path from high-pressure corporate roles into more aligned, heart-centered work unfolded in zigzags, not straight lines—and why that is normal, especially for neurodivergent adults. Chandra offers practical tools for exploring purpose through experiments and "try-ons," building authentic relationships, and practicing self-love in the middle of messy, imperfect life rather than waiting to "fix everything" first.​
This episode is especially helpful if you:
Feel like you are surviving but not really living

Are questioning your career, relationships, or direction as a late-diagnosed autistic or AuDHD adult

Want a grounded framework to check in with your needs and make kinder, more aligned choices

If this conversation supports you, follow/subscribe to Adulting With Autism on YouTube, Apple, or Spotify and leave a 5-star review so more neurodivergent adults can find it.
Merch for your Root to Rise journey:
Get 20% off journals, tees, and "Root Your Rise"–style merch with code PODCAST26 at the Adulting With Autism Fourthwall shop (Linktree). Your support helps keep this podcast free for the community.
Resources mentioned:
Root to Rise: How to Love Life When It's Messy, When It's Hard

Chandra's quiz, courses, and coaching at glowliving.com