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 stuckness

This 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.com

More details will be available soon at:

🌐 www.integrativeiom.co.uk

If 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.

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Our Sponsors:

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• → https://bit.ly/ashleynde

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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 Show

If 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

Our Sponsors:

🧘‍♀️ Ashley Dupuy – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy

• → https://bit.ly/ashleynde

🔗 Stay Connected

• Instagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepod
• Facebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook page
• YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperience
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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Show

If 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

Our Sponsors:

🧘‍♀️ Ashley Dupuy – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy

• → https://bit.ly/ashleynde

🔗 Stay Connected

• Instagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepod
• Facebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook page
• YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperience
• TikTok: @neurodivergentexperience

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 you

Light 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.com

More details about Ashley’s work will also be appearing soon on her website. www.integrativeiom.co.uk

If 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 Show

If 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

Our Sponsors:

🧘‍♀️ Ashley Dupuy – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy

• → https://bit.ly/ashleynde

🔗 Stay Connected

• Instagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepod
• Facebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook page
• YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperience
• TikTok: @neurodivergentexperience

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 research
• The history of autism research and diagnostic frameworks
• Late diagnosis and autistic women
• Masking and overlooked presentations of autism
• Media narratives about rising diagnoses
• Autistic lived experience vs academic authority
• Why autistic voices must be included in research

A 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 Connected

• Instagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepod
• Facebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook page
• YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperience
• TikTok: @neurodivergentexperience

❤️ Support the Show

If 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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 women
• How special interests manifest in men and women
• Why autistic girls and women are often overlooked or misdiagnosed
• The role of social conditioning in shaping autistic expression in men and women
• The societal pressures faced by Autistic women in relation to masking behaviours

Whether 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 Connected

• Instagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepod
• Facebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook page
• YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperience
• TikTok: @neurodivergentexperience

❤️ Support the Show

If 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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Ashley is prioritising her health, so please enjoy this re-run of Episode 7 of Mindful Mondays.

In this episode of Mindful Mondays, we explore what it means to truly allow — to let life, emotions, and even other people simply be as they are.

Spiritual teacher, Ram Dass, once observed that when we look at trees, we accept them - crooked, bent, imperfect, yet utterly beautiful. But when we look at people and ourselves, we judge. In this episode, Ashley explores how we can return to that same compassionate seeing toward others and toward ourselves. Blending mindfulness, neuroscience, and psychology, we explore how allowing what is can reduce anxiety, soften resistance, and bring peace to the neurodivergent mind and body.

Ashley also shares a modern Buddhist parable and Jon Kabat-Zinn’s timeless reminder:

“Give yourself permission to allow this moment to be exactly as it is,

and allow yourself to be exactly as you are.”

The episode closes with a deeply hypnotic guided meditation - a forest journey into self-acceptance and inner stillness.

❤️ Support the Show

If 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

Our Sponsors:

🧘‍♀️ Ashley Dupuy – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy

• → https://bit.ly/ashleynde

🔗 Stay Connected

• Instagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepod
• Facebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook page
• YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperience
• TikTok: @neurodivergentexperience

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Hot Topic episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott react to the sudden cancellation of Smiling Friends — a hugely popular animated show created by Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel.

At the height of its success, the creators announced they were ending the show after season three due to burnout. Jordan and Simon unpack what that decision means, not just for fans, but for neurodivergent creatives who know what it feels like to hit a wall after achieving something huge.

They explore the tension between creative integrity and audience grief, the difficulty of abrupt endings, and why burnout can sometimes mean walking away — even from something you love.

With Malcolm in the Middle and Scrubs both returning, they reflect on how Malcolm's family remains one of the most authentic portrayals of a chaotic, neurodivergent-coded family on television — and what it means when our comfort shows return after years away.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Neurodivergent creator burnout
• Walking away at the height of success
• creative Integrity vs financial opportunity
• Audience grief when shows end
• The risk of investing in cancelled series
• Comfort shows and “cosy watch” rewatches
• Malcolm in the Middle as ND representation

A thoughtful, funny conversation about burnout, creative autonomy, comfort shows, and the emotional impact of losing — and regaining — the stories that feel like home.

Our Sponsors:

🧘‍♀️ Ashley Bentley – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy

• → https://bit.ly/ashleynde

🔗 Stay Connected

• Instagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepod
• Facebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook page
• YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperience
• TikTok: @neurodivergentexperience

❤️ Support the Show

If 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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.