The Neurodivergent Experience

In this episode of Mindful Mondays, we continue our exploration of the senses by turning toward two of the most emotional and memory-soaked senses we have: smell and taste.For many neurodivergent nervous systems, these senses are anything but minor. A single smell can transport you straight back into childhood. A single bite of food can soothe your nervous system - or overwhelm it in seconds. Smell and taste are deeply wired into emotion, memory, reward, safety, and threat.In this episode, Ashley explores:* Why smell is so powerfully linked to memory and emotion* How taste and scent can become tools for comfort and regulation* Why strong smells, food textures, and certain flavours can feel overwhelming or even traumatic* Safe foods, sensory aversions, migraines, and food obsession through a nervous system lens* Synesthesia, sensory wisdom, and the metaphorical meaning of taste and smell* How to build gentle flexibility without forcing or retraumatising yourselfThe episode closes with a guided imaginal practice to help you explore smell, taste, memory, and sensory safety at your own pace.This is an invitation to understand your sensory profile more deeply - not with judgment, but with curiosity, compassion, and respect for the way your nervous system is wired.If this work resonates and you’d like to explore it more deeply, Ashley is currently taking expressions of interest for her final round of one-to-one journeys beginning in May, as well as a small group cohort beginning in September.📩 integrativeiom@gmail.com🌐 More details coming soon at integrativeiom.co.ukAnd remember…We’re all just walking each other home.❤️ Support the ShowIf this episode resonated with you:✅ Follow or Subscribe to The Neurodivergent Experience⭐ Leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify🔔 Turn on notifications for new weekly episodesOur Sponsors:🧘‍♀️ Ashley Dupuy – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy→ https://bit.ly/ashleynde🔗 Stay ConnectedInstagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepodFacebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook pageYouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperienceTikTok: @neurodivergentexperience

In this Hot Topic episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott react to recent comments made by the President of the United States targeting California Governor Gavin Newsom’s dyslexia.As two dyslexic hosts, they share their personal perspective on the remarks — unpacking why equating learning differences with intelligence or leadership ability is not only inaccurate, but deeply harmful.The conversation explores the wider impact of this kind of rhetoric, particularly on young neurodivergent people who may already struggle with confidence, identity, and feeling “less than.” They reflect on how public figures shape perception — and why statements like this don’t just target individuals, but entire communities.A raw and unapologetic discussion about ableism, misinformation, and why neurodivergence should never be used as a political weapon.❤️ Support the ShowIf this episode resonated with you:✅ Follow or Subscribe to The Neurodivergent Experience⭐ Leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify🔔 Turn on notifications for new weekly episodesOur Sponsors:🧘‍♀️ Ashley Dupuy – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy→ https://bit.ly/ashleynde🔗 Stay ConnectedInstagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepodFacebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook pageYouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperienceTikTok: @neurodivergentexperience

In this episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott explore stimming — what it is, why it happens, and how it shows up in everyday neurodivergent life.They break down the different forms of stimming, from visual and auditory to tactile and movement-based, sharing personal examples that many people may not even realise count as stims. From fidgeting and pacing to echolalia and repetitive behaviours, they unpack how stimming helps regulate emotions, manage overwhelm, and process the world.A raw, honest conversation about stimming, self-awareness, and learning to navigate neurodivergent behaviours without shame.❤️ Support the ShowIf this episode resonated with you:✅ Follow or Subscribe to The Neurodivergent Experience⭐ Leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify🔔 Turn on notifications for new weekly episodesOur Sponsors:🧘‍♀️ Ashley Dupuy – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy→ https://bit.ly/ashleynde🔗 Stay ConnectedInstagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepodFacebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook pageYouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperienceTikTok: @neurodivergentexperience

In this episode of Mindful Mondays, we continue our exploration of the senses by turning toward something deeply personal and often overlooked: touch and movement.For many neurodivergent and highly sensitive people, the body can feel confusing, overwhelming, or even unsafe at times. And yet, movement and touch are not optional extras - they are fundamental ways the nervous system orients, regulates, and makes sense of the world.In this episode, Ashley explores:* How touch can regulate the nervous system - from weighted blankets to co-regulation* Why movement is one of the most powerful (and underrated) forms of medicine* The reality of sensory sensitivities - from textures and hugs to proprioception and coordination* The overlap between neurodivergence and chronic conditions like hypermobility and Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome* Why “clumsiness,” rushing, and discomfort in the body are not personal failings - but nervous system information* How small, gentle movements can help shift both physical and emotional stucknessThis episode also includes a guided practice to help you reconnect with your body through tiny, accessible movements and gentle awareness, meeting yourself with curiosity rather than pressure.Movement doesn’t have to be intense to be meaningful.Touch doesn’t have to be complicated to be regulating.Sometimes, the smallest shift is enough to remind your system:You are here. You exist. You belong to this moment.If you’d like to explore this work more deeply, Ashley is currently accepting expressions of interest for a final round of one-to-one journeys (May–July), as well as upcoming group coaching programmes.📩 integrativeiom@gmail.comMore details will be available soon at:🌐 www.integrativeiom.co.ukIf you enjoyed this episode, please follow, share, and leave a review — it helps this work reach more people who need it.And remember…We’re all just walking each other home.❤️ Support the ShowIf this episode resonated with you:✅ Follow or Subscribe to The Neurodivergent Experience⭐ Leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify🔔 Turn on notifications for new weekly episodesOur Sponsors:🧘‍♀️ Ashley Dupuy – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy→ https://bit.ly/ashleynde🔗 Stay ConnectedInstagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepodFacebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook pageYouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperienceTikTok: @neurodivergentexperience

In this Hot Topic episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott react to Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2026 and question what it really achieves.They explore the confusion around language, breaking down the difference between neurodiversity and neurodivergence and explaining why those terms are so often used interchangeably, even though they mean very different things. For Jordan, it highlights a wider issue: when the messaging itself is unclear, how meaningful can the awareness actually be?From corporate PR exercises to performative inclusion, they reflect on whether neurodivergent people are truly being supported or acknowledged for a few days before being forgotten again.A thoughtful and slightly tongue-in-cheek discussion about language, performative inclusion, and why true understanding shouldn’t be limited to one week a year.❤️ Support the ShowIf this episode resonated with you:✅ Follow or Subscribe to The Neurodivergent Experience⭐ Leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify🔔 Turn on notifications for new weekly episodesOur Sponsors:🧘‍♀️ Ashley Dupuy – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy→ https://bit.ly/ashleynde🔗 Stay ConnectedInstagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepodFacebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook pageYouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperienceTikTok: @neurodivergentexperience

In this episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott explore the reality of accommodations as neurodivergent adults, from legal rights in the workplace to the everyday challenge of asking for support in social situations.Simon shares his experience travelling abroad with a group, navigating pain, overwhelm, and the difficulty of explaining invisible disabilities to others. From subtle judgment to moments of genuine support, the trip highlights how hard it can be to advocate for your needs, especially around people who don’t fully understand.Jordan reflects on his own experiences in work and travel, including crowded trains, workplace training, and the contrast between being accommodated as a known advocate versus others who go unseen. Together, they unpack the emotional weight of masking, guilt, and the pressure to “keep up” in environments not designed for neurodivergent people.A grounded, honest conversation about what it really means to advocate for yourself, and why accommodations are not special treatment, but essential support.❤️ Support the ShowIf this episode resonated with you:✅ Follow or Subscribe to The Neurodivergent Experience⭐ Leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify🔔 Turn on notifications for new weekly episodesOur Sponsors:🧘‍♀️ Ashley Dupuy – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy→ https://bit.ly/ashleynde🔗 Stay ConnectedInstagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepodFacebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook pageYouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperienceTikTok: @neurodivergentexperience

In this episode of Mindful Mondays, Ashley explores something we live within every day, yet rarely stop to consider: light.Light shapes far more than our ability to see. It influences our sleep, mood, hormones, nervous system regulation, and overall wellbeing. For neurodivergent people especially, light can sometimes feel overwhelming or dysregulating - but when we understand how it works, it can also become a powerful ally for health and balance.In this episode we explore:* How light affects the nervous system and circadian rhythms* Why neurodivergent brains often experience light differently* The difference between nourishing light and overstimulating light* Simple ways to work with light to support sleep, mood and sensory balance* A guided meditation to reconnect with the light within youLight isn’t just something that happens to us - it’s something we can learn to notice, shape, and work with in ways that support our bodies and our lives.If you’d like to learn more about Ashley’s work or enquire about her upcoming programmes, you can get in touch at:integrativeiom@gmail.comMore details about Ashley’s work will also be appearing soon on her website. www.integrativeiom.co.ukIf you enjoyed this episode, please consider following the podcast and sharing it with someone who might benefit from a moment of calm.And remember…We’re all just walking each other home.❤️ Support the ShowIf this episode resonated with you:✅ Follow or Subscribe to The Neurodivergent Experience⭐ Leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify🔔 Turn on notifications for new weekly episodesOur Sponsors:🧘‍♀️ Ashley Dupuy – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy→ https://bit.ly/ashleynde🔗 Stay ConnectedInstagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepodFacebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook pageYouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperienceTikTok: @neurodivergentexperience

In this Hot Topic episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott respond to the controversial article “Uta Frith: why I no longer think autism is a spectrum.”Reading and reacting to sections of the interview, they unpack the claims that rising autism diagnoses are a problem and that the label of autism should be restricted to those diagnosed in early childhood with more significant support needs.They discuss how diagnostic frameworks like the DSM are still heavily based on studies of white boys, leaving many autistic women and late-identified people overlooked. The conversation explores the tension between scientific authority and lived experience — and why many autistic people feel that research about them is often conducted without their voices being heard.They also reflect on how media narratives and policy discussions can influence public perception, particularly when rising diagnoses are framed as a “problem” rather than evidence that more people are finally being recognised and supported.In this episode, they discuss:The article “Why I No Longer Think Autism Is a Spectrum”Scientific bias in autism researchThe history of autism research and diagnostic frameworksLate diagnosis and autistic womenMasking and overlooked presentations of autismMedia narratives about rising diagnosesAutistic lived experience vs academic authorityWhy autistic voices must be included in researchA passionate discussion about autism research, representation, and the ongoing tension between scientific narratives and neurodivergent lived experience.Our Sponsors:🧘‍♀️ Ashley Dupuy – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy→ https://bit.ly/ashleynde🔗 Stay ConnectedInstagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepodFacebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook pageYouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperienceTikTok: @neurodivergentexperience❤️ Support the ShowIf this episode resonated with you:✅ Follow or Subscribe to The Neurodivergent Experience⭐ Leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify🔔 Turn on notifications for new weekly episodes

Simon is away on holiday, so please enjoy this re-run while he gets some much-needed sunshine! In this episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott are joined by in-house therapist Ashley Bentley to explore the key differences between autistic men and women. We discuss how traits like repetitive behaviours and emotional expression show up differently, and the diagnostic biases and misogynistic societal expectations that affect late or missed diagnoses in women.🎤 In this episode, you'll learn about:How autistic masking differs between men and womenHow special interests manifest in men and womenWhy autistic girls and women are often overlooked or misdiagnosedThe role of social conditioning in shaping autistic expression in men and womenThe societal pressures faced by Autistic women in relation to masking behavioursWhether you're autistic, suspect you might be, or want to support a loved one better, this episode is packed with insights on gendered experiences of autism you won't want to miss.Our Sponsors:🧘‍♀️ Ashley Dupuy – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy→ https://bit.ly/ashleynde🔗 Stay ConnectedInstagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepodFacebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook pageYouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperienceTikTok: @neurodivergentexperience❤️ Support the ShowIf this episode resonated with you:✅ Follow or Subscribe to The Neurodivergent Experience⭐ Leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify🔔 Turn on notifications for new weekly episodes