This week on the Mind Bod Adventure Pod, we sit down with Dr. Joel Schwartz, a psychologist and one of the early architects of the Neurodiversity-Affirming Therapy movement.
Joel is known for speaking truth to systems that pathologize difference — and for offering a way of working with our minds that’s healing, joyful, and radically humane.
In this episode, we explore:
Why the “pathology model” of ADHD and autism misses the point
The emotional toll of masking and code-switching to survive
What actually helps when someone is overstimulated (spoiler: not deep breathing)
Reclaiming movement, joy, and the right to stim without shame
An unexpected practice that ends in synchronized swaying and yodel-singing!
Joel brings brilliance, humor, and zero tolerance for the rigid norms that ask neurodivergent folks to contort themselves into “acceptable” versions of humanity.
Along the way, Tasha reflects on late-diagnosed spectrum-y traits, Jeff gets real about rejection sensitivity, and we all momentarily dissolve into giggles about somatic intelligence and… mosh pits.
✨This episode is both a call to arms and a warm hug — a guide to seeing difference not as deficit, but as creative, embodied, meaningful expression.
Connect with Joel’s Practice: Total Spectrum Counseling
Now it’s your turn! Let us know what this episode and practice shook loose for you:
That’s all for this week. Thanks for tuning in.
Love always,
🧘🏽♀️ Tasha & Jeff 🧘🏼♂️
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