Share

AuDHD Flourishing
111 Shame Wrecks Identity
•
Chronic shame makes us feel all kinds of terrible things that often are the triggers that send people to therapy.
It's caused in part by relational rupture without repair, especially as an infant and child.
While there's no quick fix, recognizing the signs and beginning to gently work with it does help over time.
This is episode 10 of a series of 10 that started with 102 AuDHD Therapy That Works with Joe Sosta
I'm working on some more materials to pull all these episodes together in a useful way and will add that here when they're done!
Crisis Resources:
- USA-based anonymous crisis chat
- International crisis lines
- Various types of crisis resources in about 10 countries
- My Medium article, "Please Stay, We Need You"
Mentioned in episode:
- Book Understanding and Treating Chronic Shame: Healing Right Brain Relational Trauma (I recommend this 2nd edition, affiliate link)
- Whack-a-Mole Workshop slides/notes and recordings (latter is free & requires free login; a downloadable PDF is also available there on Patreon)
- Transcript Doc
- Mattia's Newsletter
- Like Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)
More episodes
View all episodes

147 Habits are Hard (but also very cool)
23:09|There's some evidence that ADHD brains in particular may have trouble forming habits as they're traditionally thought of. But that doesn't mean they have no value for us!This episode is about how to lean into the part of habit formation that may work for us (spoiler alert, you may need WEIRD rewards)Builds on last week's episode, Self-Awareness vs. Solutionsp.s. hopefully the birdsong in the background isn't too annoying... I recorded with the windows open and didn't realize it would pick up! p.p.s. by the time you listen to this, we'll be at 1,000,000 downloads 🥳AuDHD Flourishing resources:Transcript Doc (often a few weeks behind, but we do catch up!)Mattia's NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)
146 Self-Awareness vs. Solutions
19:56|You may have been told that you're "so self-aware," yet struggle to actually implement solutions. In the moment, you might be lacking the support, the executive function, the initiation energy, etc.Introspection and self-awareness are great, but they're not the end of the process.AuDHD Flourishing resources:Transcript Doc (often a few weeks behind, but we do catch up!)Mattia's NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)
145 Mediocrity is a Needed Step
10:14|In the context of learning a musical instrument, it's obvious that there's a period of not being good at it. Whether you call it mediocrity or a skill gap, there's often a gap between where you are and where you want to be. There are many cases in which we can only improve by doing, trying, and yes, failing. It's uncomfortable and that's normal. You don't have to like it, but it is a step in learning or improving.I HATE IT. And I also know it's going to happen.AuDHD Flourishing resources:Transcript Doc (often a few weeks behind, but we do catch up!)Mattia's NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)
144 Don't Do All the Things
20:35|Trying to do all of the things, all of the time is a recipe for being stuck.Instead, do some of the things, some of the time.The episode also talks about a couple of imagination techniques that may help with some types of PDA or other demand avoidance.AuDHD Flourishing resources:Transcript Doc (often a few weeks behind, but we do catch up!)Mattia's NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)
143 Creative Blocks & Insecurities
37:00|Last week we talked about creative entrepreneurship.This episode is about my recent & current creative blocks and insecurities that cover some of the difficulties of being a professional creative.And because people may ask: here's my pre-transition voice, and more-or-less current voiceRelated episodes: 100 Creative Time Limitations24 Redefining Creative Success with Chris HaleAuDHD Flourishing resources:Transcript Doc (often a few weeks behind, but we do catch up!)Mattia's NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)
142 Neurodivergent Creative Entrepreneur with Jon Hart
01:09:55|Jon Hart is building an online space for neurodivergent musicians. And our conversation focused on the entrepreneurship side of things, because occasionally our disability disables us!Being a creative entrepreneur has its own challenges. One of which is having too many ideas... Connect with Jon: neurodivergentmusicians.com & the research questionnairejonhartmusic.comAuDHD Flourishing resources:Transcript Doc (often a few weeks behind, but we do catch up!)Mattia's NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)
141 Predictive Processing - another autism explanation
23:01|Predictive Processing (or coding) differences are a relatively new proposed idea about an underlying mechanism of autism. Preliminary studies do show differences, but not necessarily "deficits," which I think is promising.While it may not explain everything, it's a compelling theory that resonates in my anecdotal experience.More reading/listening on predictive processing:The predictive coding theory of autism, explained (article w audio option)Predictive processing as a mechanistic account of Autism (video talk sent to me & I haven't listened yet)Understanding Autism through Predictive Processing (blog post)How the "Predictive Processing Framework" is Impacting Your Relationship (audio talk by Sarah Bergenfield)2025 paper on predictive processing, available for free as of nowAuDHD Flourishing resources:Transcript Doc (often a few weeks behind, but we do catch up!)Mattia's NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)
140 What's Your Energy Level?
39:35|I just had a shocking experience regarding my own energy levels while on vacation. Truly, I never would have predicted it even if you laid out all of the details going in.This episode is about figuring out what drains and rejuvenates your energy, so you can start to choose where that (technically limited) bucket of energy goes.AuDHD Flourishing resources:Transcript Doc (often a few weeks behind, but we do catch up!)Mattia's NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)
You Are Not a Burden - Repost
28:10|The story of a meltdown. For me these days, that includes some intrusive thoughts around being a burden.You are not a burden. And even if we are sometimes, that's okay. I want to be a part of communities that can carry each other sometimes.repost of ep 23Like Your Brain community spaceTranscript DocEmail Newsletter