Adulting with Autism

In this episode of Adulting with Autism, April sits down with Leah Marone — psychotherapist, speaker, and author of Serial Fixer: Break Free from the Habit of Solving Other People's Problems — to unpack why autistic and neurodivergent adults are often vulnerable to people-pleasing, masking, over-accommodating, and chronic burnout.
Leah explains how "fixer mode" can start in childhood as a trauma response or learned pattern tied to love, praise, and survival — and how it becomes an exhausting loop of false ownership, hypervigilance, and anxiety.
In this conversation, we cover:
What it really means to be a "serial fixer" and how to recognize the pattern

Why high emotional intelligence can become premature problem-solving

How anxiety pulls us into the past (rumination) or future (worst-case planning)

The connection between masking, people-pleasing, and losing your authentic self

How to set boundaries without collapsing into guilt or conflict avoidance

Why recovery matters for autistic adults navigating overstimulation and social decoding

Micro-regulation tools for anxiety (cold on the chest, breath, movement, blood flow shifts)

How caregivers can support neurodivergent young adults without "over-solving"

Practical strategies for boundaries and burnout prevention in the workplace

This episode is especially helpful for autistic adults, ADHDers, late-diagnosed individuals, caregivers, and high-achievers who feel stuck in overfunctioning and want to find their own version of calm, balance, and "enoughness."
Guest: Leah Marone Website: leahmarone.com Book: Serial Fixer: Break Free from the Habit of Solving Other People's Problems

If you live in a rural area, you already know the struggle: the internet will have you stuck in the dark ages… and then everybody acts surprised when you can't stream, work, or upload a thing.
In this episode of Adulting with Autism, I'm talking with Mashood Ahmad, founder and CEO of Gigabit IQ — known as the UK's "Safe Broadband Provider." Mashood has spent 25+ years in telecom and broadband, and he's on a mission to make internet access not only fast, but also safer for families.
And y'all… we get into the part parents are exhausted by: online safety. Because once kids hit the internet, it can turn into the Wild West real quick — especially for autistic and neurodivergent kids who may be more vulnerable to manipulation, grooming, cyberbullying, and unsafe content. We talk about why "basic" parental controls aren't enough when you've got 20 devices in one house, and how network-level tools (aka controls that work across your home Wi-Fi) can reduce the chaos.
We also get REAL about:
Why "super fast fiber" isn't always super, fast, or fiber

Roblox, in-game chats, and how "kid games" can still be unsafe

FamilyGuard+ features like age-based filtering, screen time limits, app blocking, alerts, and VPN bypass blocking (because these kids are SMART smart)

How parents can set digital boundaries without turning into full-time detectives

Why safety needs to be the standard — like seatbelts — not an optional add-on

Connect with Mashood / Gigabit IQ: Website: gigabitiq.com Learn about FamilyGuard+: Gigabit IQ FamilyGuard+

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