This week, we're diving into a conversation that's equal parts enlightening, hilarious, and deeply human.
We're talking about neurospicy brains β autism, ADHD, late diagnosis, sensory overload, and why leaning in with curiosity will change everything about how you see the world (and the people in it).
π Part 1 drops Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at 3 AM ETβ π Part 2 follows on Thursday, February 12, 2026, at 3 AM ET
Set your alarms, grab your headphones, and get ready to meet Dr. Kristen Williamson β licensed therapist, late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD human, mom to two neurospicy kiddos, and one of the most real, funny, compassionate advocates you'll ever hear.
β
π§ This Week's Episodes:
Dr. Kristen Williamson on Neurospicy Brains: Autism, ADHD & Feeling Seen (Part 1)β βDr. Kristen Williamson on Neurospicy Brains: Identity, Change & Thriving (Part 2)
What happens when a licensed therapist doesn't realize she's autistic until she's almost 40?
And what changes when a mom stops judging her son's "weird" shower habits and starts asking why?
This week, Dr. Kristen Williamson takes us on a journey through late diagnosis, masking, sensory overload, the evolution of coping skills across puberty and menopause, and why the phrase "different, not less" should be tattooed on all of our hearts.
She's funny. She's wise. She cried over sideways toilet paper. And she's here to remind us that curiosity will always beat judgment β whether you're parenting a neurospicy kid, loving a neurospicy partner, or just trying to understand your own neurospicy brain.
πΈ Grab Your Free $20 Wellness Credit from Maavee
We've partnered with Maavee, a wellness platform doing amazing things in mental health.
How to claim:β 1οΈβ£ Click β https://lnk.gomaavee.com/inourheadsβ 2οΈβ£ Use activation code β STG20 (required to unlock the credit) 3οΈβ£ Download the app and explore
π What's Up with G-Rex & Dirty Skittles
It's been a week, and not just because we're still thawing out from feeling like we live in the Arctic Circle.
Dirty Skittles and I got to record again this weekend, and honestly? It was exactly what we needed. Just-in-time conversations. Connection. Laughter. The good stuff.
She was prepping for Super Bowl Sunday (we're rooting for different teams β me for the Seahawks, her for the Patriots), and she was so excited to cook up all her Puerto Rican food. Meanwhile, I'm over here in very rural Upstate New York living in what's known as a food desert, drooling over whatever she's making. I told her not to send pictures.
The weather here has been brutal, and between being stuck inside and battling the winter blues, I needed something to make me laugh. So I took a selfie and had AI turn me into a garden gnome. Listen β I laughed so hard. It got me out of my funk and reminded me that joy can show up in the weirdest places β even when you're freezing your butt off in February.
β
And here's the thing that's blowing our minds: February 14th marks THREE YEARS of this podcast.
Three years of conversations. Three years of tears, laughter, f-bombs, and breakthroughs. Three years of incredible guests like Dr. Kristen and listeners like you who show up every single week.
We get as much out of these episodes as you do, and it's just an honor to keep doing this work. Our mental health is getting better every single day, and we're so damn grateful for this journey.
π Special Programming Notes
We need your help, fam.
We've been shortlisted for the Podcast Awards Best Mental Health Podcast, and the winners will be announced on February 28, 2026.
If this podcast has ever made you feel less alone, helped you understand someone you love, or gave you the language to ask for what you need β please take 2 minutes to vote for us.
You don't need to sign up for Patreon. Just hit submit and your vote is in.
Also: This is a two-part episode, so you're only getting one newsletter this week. Part 1 drops Tuesday, Part 2 drops Thursday, and we'll be back with a full newsletter next Monday.
And one more exciting update: We're moving to Substack starting the week of February 23rd!
The newsletter will remain 100% free, and the move is all about saving a little money and building more of a community around the podcast. We're pumped.
β
π₯ Special Shout-Out to a Previous Guest
π Michael Cortina, LCSW, LCAC
One of our Season 15 guests, Michael Cortina, is doing something incredible, and we want to make sure you know about it.
Michael is giving a live webinar sponsored by PESIβone of the largest and most well-known providers of mental health education. This is a big deal, and the content is π₯.
In the webinar, Michael will cover:
Practical, brain-based tools you can use immediatelyβreset phrases, body-based techniques, and neuroscience-informed strategies you can apply the very next day
A fresh, compassionate lens for working with trauma without re-traumatizingβespecially helpful if traditional approaches haven't worked for you
Live demonstrations and real examplesβyou'll see the techniques in action and get guided experiential practice
π When: February 16, 2026 βOptions: Sign up for the live online webinar or grab the recorded replay to watch later
π° Investment: Normally $169.99, but when you use Michael's exclusive link and coupon code CORTINA at checkout, you can get it for just $49.99.
Use this worksheet to explore what curiosity looks like in your life, how you can honor sensory needs (yours or others'), and what it means to embrace your own "flavor" of neurodivergency.
π€ Episodes Highlight
Some conversations feel like coming home to yourself. This is one of them.
Dr. Kristen Williamson was almost 40 when a coworker said, "I think you're autistic." She was a licensed therapist. A mom to a son already diagnosed with autism. Her immediate response? "That's not true. I've got a kid who's autistic. I know what that looks like."
But then he said the words that cracked her open: "Females present differently."
What followed was a multi-year journey of soul-searching, teeth-pulling resistance, and eventually β diagnosis. And with that diagnosis came clarity, community, and the language to finally explain why life had always felt like dancing to her own beat without anyone giving her the playlist.
Across these two episodes, Dr. Kristen takes us deep into what it means to discover yourself midlife. She shares stories that will make you laugh and cry β like the time her husband tilted toilet paper sideways in the garage and she sobbed for an hour and a half. Or when she realized her son wasn't being lazy about washing his hair β water hitting the top of his head was sensorily unbearable. One curious question and one Amazon visor later, everything changed.
She gets honest about how her friends reacted to her diagnosis ("Well, yeah, didn't you know that already?"), how accepting herself allowed her to stop masking, and why dressing up as the Lorax became proof that people loved the real her.
These episodes explore how autism and ADHD shift across a lifetime β childhood, puberty, adulthood, menopause β and why the coping skills that worked at 15 don't work at 40. Dr. Kristen talks about snapping at her son over AP classes, then coming back days later to repair and explain, "I wasn't snapping because you were wrong. I was snapping because I want you to thrive, and I got scared."
By the end, you'll walk away knowing that curiosity beats judgment every single time, that you don't need a formal diagnosis to deserve understanding, and that you absolutely do not have to dull your light to make other people shine brighter.
At the center of these conversations is something most of us spend a lifetime avoiding: the question of whether we've been performing our whole lives without even knowing it. What Dr. Kristen names so clearly is the weight of masking β not the conscious kind where you're trying to fit in at a party, but the kind you've been doing since childhood without realizing there was another way to exist. The kind where you study people's faces to figure out what reaction they want, memorize social scripts like lines in a play, and become so fluent in code-switching that you forget there was ever an original language. And then one day, someone says two words that crack everything open: "Females present differently."
These episodes explore what happens when judgment gets replaced with curiosity. When we stop asking "What's wrong with you?" and start asking "What do you need?" Dr. Kristen gets unflinchingly honest about how neurodivergence evolves across a lifetime β childhood strategies stop working in adolescence, puberty scrambles the system, adulthood brings new challenges, menopause rewrites the rules again. What makes this conversation so powerful is the permission it gives us to stop performing. To acknowledge that repair matters more than perfection. That you don't need a formal diagnosis or anyone's validation to know your brain works differently and to deserve understanding because of it. This is a conversation about reclaiming yourself and learning that different doesn't mean less.
π« A quote that stuck with us
"Leaning in with curiosity is easier than leaning in with judgment." β Dr. Kristen Williamson
ποΈ Real Talk from Us
"When Dr. Kristen talked about how females present differently, something clicked for me. I've watched so many women get dismissed, overlooked, or misdiagnosed because they didn't fit the stereotype. This conversation reminded me that representation in these spaces isn't just important β it's lifesaving." β G-Rex
"The moment that hit me hardest was when Dr. Kristen talked about eating crow as a therapist who specializes in autism, realizing she'd been judging her kid for something sensory. That level of honesty and humility? That's what real growth looks like. We're all learning. We're all getting it wrong sometimes. And that has to be okay." β Dirty Skittles
π Reflection Prompts to Sit With
Where in your life have you been masking without even realizing it, and what would it feel like to stop?
Who in your life deserves more curiosity from you instead of judgment?
What coping skills have you outgrown, and what new ones might you need as your life continues to change?
How can you practice repair β coming back after a hard moment to explain the why instead of letting it sit unresolved?
π± Gentle Reminder
You are allowed to be different. You are allowed to need things a certain way. You are allowed to discover yourself at 25, at 40, at 60, or at any age in between. Your brain is not broken. It's just wired for a different frequency, and the world is slowly learning to tune in. Keep showing up. Keep asking curious questions. And remember: you don't have to dull your light to make other people comfortable. Shine exactly as you are.
β
π Meet Our Guest:
Dr. Kristen Williamson
Dr. Kristen Williamson is a licensed professional counselor in Texas, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, and Georgia, specializing in working with the neurodivergent community β affectionately known as the "neurospicy" folks with autism, ADHD, and all the beautiful spice of life that comes with it.
As a late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD human herself, and mom to two neurospicy kids, Dr. Kristen brings lived experience, clinical expertise, and a whole lot of humor to her work. She's become a passionate advocate for neurodiversity, helping people understand that being different doesn't mean being less.
Her approach is grounded in compassion, curiosity, and refusing to pathologize the way neurodivergent brains work. She tackles big topics like why neurodivergent brains are the secret weapon every workplace needs, how to turn "chaotic energy" into a leadership superpower, and why mental health conversations don't have to be all doom and gloom.
When she's not counseling clients or speaking on neurodiversity and DEIB, you'll find her debating the merits of pineapple on pizza, struggling to perfect her meme game, or plotting her next adventure with her husband and kids. She keeps it real, relatable, and a little ridiculous β because who says growth can't be fun?
Dr. Kristen has created multiple workbooks available on Amazon to help people understand themselves better, and in 2026, she's releasing a book based on 400+ journals from women with neurodivergency, covering everything from puberty to menopause in an empowering, strength-based way.
Her mission? Help people embrace their differences and thrive. And after listening to these episodes, you'll absolutely believe her when she says you don't have to dull your light to make other people shine brighter.
Autism and ADHD present differently in females, and late diagnosis is common and valid.
Sensory issues aren't laziness β they're real, and they deserve accommodation.
Leaning in with curiosity is easier (and kinder) than leaning in with judgment.
Behaviors change across a lifetime β puberty, adulthood, menopause all require new coping skills.
Online communities can be lifesaving for people in rural areas or without access to in-person support.
Repair matters β coming back after snapping to explain why changes everything.
You don't need to mask to be worthy. You just need to be you.
πͺ Actionable Steps
Ask one curious question this week instead of making an assumption about someone's behavior.
Seek out neurodivergent communities online where you can connect with people who get it and share experiences.
Read a book by an autistic author or listen to an autism/ADHD podcast to expand your understanding.
Explore sensory accommodations for yourself or someone you love (shower visors, noise-canceling headphones, fidget tools).
Practice repair β if you snap at someone, come back later and explain why (not to justify, just to clarify).
Find your people β whether that's at a Comic-Con, an online forum, or a local support group.
π¬ Listener Engagement
What part of Dr. Kristen's story resonated with you?
Did the shower story hit home? Did the toilet paper crisis make you laugh and cry at the same time? Did "different, not less" land in your chest and stay there?
Reply to this email or tag us on Instagram @grex_and_dirtyskittles with your reflections.
We read every message β always.
β Subscribe, Rate & Review
If Dr. Kristen's story helped you feel less alone, taught you something new, or made you laugh out loud, please subscribe, rate, and review on Apple or Spotify.
Your words help others find the stories that might change their lives.
β€οΈ Closing Remarks
If you're reading this and you've ever felt like you're dancing to your own beat without anyone giving you the playlist β you're not alone.
If you've ever been told you're "too much" or "not enough" or just different in a way that made you feel small β we see you.
And if you've ever wondered whether your brain is broken, whether you'll ever figure it out, whether anyone will ever really get you β
Let Dr. Kristen's story be the reminder you need:
You are different.β βYou are not less.β βYou are enough, exactly as you are.
Wherever you are right now, whatever weight you're carrying, we're proud of you for being here. Proud of you for showing up. Proud of you for choosing another breath.
We're walking this messy, beautiful world right beside you.
With so much love, βG-Rex & Dirty Skittlesβ βChanging the way we talk about mental health, one real convo at a time.
β
β
β
G-Rex & Dirty Skittles
It's ok to be not ok, just make sure you're talking to someone
β