Autistic Techie – Details, episodes & analysis

Receiving therapy and coaching is good for the mind & soul! But what if the practitioner really knew what it was like to be you? Jordan Schatz is the ADHD Guru, a licensed therapist and coach helping neurodivergent people like us unpack their lives and take it all back. Jordan and I had the chance to talk about un-sticking our lives and getting out of those ruts we carve out of need. You have them too, right? Not just me? Whether you have a dozen special interests, a few hundred, or none at all, tune into this episode with Jordan as we talk about our unique ways of thinking - I even get some coaching in myself!

Connect with Jordan Schatz, the ADHD Guru:

https://www.tiktok.com/@theadhdguru

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-schatz

Follow us on social media:

https://www.tiktok.com/@autistic_techie

https://www.instagram.com/autistic_techie

Software engineer and accessibility advocate Meenakshi Das joins Shea to talk about integrating accessibility into tech, regardless of your job title. As a Software Engineer 2 at Microsoft and vice chair of Teach Access, Meenakshi shares how she brings a disability lens to everything she works on, even when accessibility isn’t part of the formal job description. They discuss her journey with a speech disability, the gaps between tech and academia, and what real inclusion looks like beyond checklists. This episode highlights the power of lived experience and the impact of showing up, even quietly, for a more accessible future.

Follow Meenakshi Das and Teach Access

https://www.linkedin.com/in/meena11/

https://www.teachaccess.org/

Follow us on social media:

https://www.tiktok.com/@autistic_techie

https://www.instagram.com/autistic_techie

Getting distracted can be one of the worst things to happen to neurodivergent folks trying to get work done. Fortunately, there's an app for that: Focus Bear! Designed and developed by AuDHD founder Jeremy Nagel, Focus Bear blocks distractions from biting you at the worst possible times so that you can get back to doing real work. With an incredible team of neurodivergent people behind him, Jeremy and I got to talk about his own AuDHD journey, ultramarathons, and his startup founder perspective.

Focus Bear social media:

https://www.focusbear.io/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nageljeremy/

https://www.instagram.com/focus_bear/

https://www.tiktok.com/@focusbear

https://www.facebook.com/focusbearapp

Follow us on social media:

https://www.tiktok.com/@autistic_techie

https://www.instagram.com/autistic_techie

If you need a moment to take in a conversation before replying, you're far from alone. Figuring out the right kinds of styles for you to communicate in take time and effort. Let's talk about how to empower YOU to be more thoughtful about your own terms for meetings & communication. Whether you need a meeting agenda, captions, or just to ask people to slow down, I encourage you to reflect on what you NEED to have a productive and successful meeting!

Transcript on https://autistic-techie.com/let-me-process-that-communication-on-your-own-terms

Follow us on social media:

https://www.tiktok.com/@autistic_techie

https://www.instagram.com/autistic_techie

Hyperfocus - Sounds exciting and a bit scary, right? You might be familiar with the feeling of spending hours on a particular task, or accomplishing lots of little tasks. But what expense does hyperfocus incur on neurodivergent people? How can you protect yourself and recognize when you're on the tip of burning out from a hyperfocus streak? And how can people around you actually HELP you hyperfocus instead of getting in your way? Tune in to learn all about hyperfocus and how you can be thoughtful about your focus state.

Transcript available on https://autistic-techie.com

Follow us on social media:

https://www.tiktok.com/@autistic_techie

https://www.instagram.com/autistic_techie

What even is ADHD hacking? Is it possible to stick joysticks in your brain like Plankton did in that Spongebob episode and actually do everything that has to happen? Jennifer Chou has done that and more, cultivating more than 80 thousand social media followers across Instagram and TikTok. Sure we can all indulge in some doom scrolling, and to be honest, who doesn't these days? Jennifer has figured out the best strategies, plans, and methods to really get us out of bed and hit the books. Tune into this episode of Autistic Techie where we dive into her ADHD college journey, journaling our thoughts, and setting proper goals.

Transcript available on https://autistic-techie.com/from-chaos-to-clarity-jennifer-chous-adhd-journey-to-80k-followers-and-owning-her-brain

Jennifer Chou's social media:

https://www.tiktok.com/@vegantechnomad

https://www.instagram.com/vegantechnomad/

https://stan.store/vegantechnomad

Follow us on social media:

https://www.tiktok.com/@autistic_techie

https://www.instagram.com/autistic_techie

"Spelling it out" for people doesn't have to be hard. On the contrary, you can get into as much detail about your brain and working style as you want. The trick is to do so in a way that actually empowers your boss and team to help you, and not feel inundated with information. Enter the Working with Me document: An excellent method for communicating how to work with you. What helps you do your job? What gets in the way? Do you have any sensory needs? It's all about YOU. I go through my Working with Me document in today's episode, and you can follow along by checking out the link below!

Working With Me document: https://autistic-techie.com/working-with-me

Transcript available on https://autistic-techie.com/deep-dive-into-working-with-me-documents-and-how-they-can-peel-back-your-brain

Follow us on social media:

https://www.tiktok.com/@autistic_techie

https://www.instagram.com/autistic_techie

What's your internal "script" that you follow when dealing with troublesome situations? If you have to consciously remember to keep a straight face when confronted with something stressful, you are far from alone. Nicola Knobel spent most of her life masking, frustrated with having to defend her actions and expend significant amounts of energy just to be like everyone else. "But you're so extroverted!" people would say...Because everyone expected her to be that way. Having been diagnosed with autism and ADHD (also known as AuDHD) well into adulthood and parenthood, Nicola opens up on our latest episode about her diagnosis journey, honest masking, and letting her guard down around her coworkers.

Transcript available on https://autistic-techie.com/late-diagnosed-audhd-leadership-and-what-masking-means-to-me-with-nicola-knobel

Nicola Knobel social media:

https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/safetea-podcast-with-nicola-and-deborah/id1725407097

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolaknobel/

https://nicolaknobel.com/

Special crossover episode! I had the honor of joining forces Sean Gill from Neurodiversity in the Workplace for their podcast. Together, we dove deep into the unique challenges and opportunities faced by neurodivergent people in and out of the workplace. Landing a job isn't just about surviving and getting by - We talked about how to thrive, supporting both neurodivergent peers and their employers, including neurotypical peers who work with ND folks just as much as their managers do. And to us neurodivergent folks, some tips and tricks on what it means to feel like you belong, and not just exist.

Transcript available on: https://autistic-techie.com/crossover-episode-with-neurodiversity-in-the-workplace-dont-just-survive-thrive-on-the-job

NITW Social Media:

https://nitw.org/

https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/nitw-podcast/id1804361287

https://www.linkedin.com/company/neurodiversity-in-the-workplace/

https://www.facebook.com/NeurodiversityInTheWorkplace

Follow us on social media:

https://www.tiktok.com/@autistic_techie

https://www.instagram.com/autistic_techie

Do you want to build a mask? It's summer in the USA, so no snowmen here. But you're always going to be wearing a mask to get through tough situations. Interviews? Networking events? Parties? Snowman building parties with corporate matchmaking afterwards? Our newest episode talks about the process of building a mask thoughtfully, not just bruteforcing a social setting and hoping that you'll be OK afterwards. If you've ever gotten stuck on figuring out how you should be masking, this is the episode for you.

Transcript available on https://autistic-techie.com/building-a-formula-for-your-neurodivergent-mask

Follow us on social media:

https://www.tiktok.com/@autistic_techie

https://www.instagram.com/autistic_techie