The Black Sheep Playground

In this episode, I'm giving you a behind-the-scenes look into my process for debugging sticky and gnarly procrastination issues by running you through a case study: my personal struggle in regularly releasing podcast episodes. Yup, we are getting meta, folks. You definitely should listen to this episode if you have something that you want to do, but you don't do it, especially if you don't know why the struggle persists or what to do about it.

In this episode, I'm talking with one of my clients, Chi-ka Harada - a disability and body-positivity advocate, coach, fashion designer and entrepreneur. She shares her journey to self-acceptance as a human with disabilities, learning to work with her unique nervous system, and the transformative effects of fashion as a confidence-building tool. She's an incredible example of what's possible if you learn to love yourself, in all the facets of who you are. Coaching case study: You get a detailed, concrete case study of how to take coaching and apply it like woah. We go into detail about how Chi-ka took some coaching around tests to entirely to reshape her relationship to studying. This is gold. Trauma vs ADHD: We also explore how ADHD and trauma manifest in similar ways, and what tools you can use to work with your nervous system, regardless of the labels you use. Creating inclusivity: Chi-ka shares how her personal experiences of feeling left out due to disabilities motivated her to create a sense of community and acceptance in her work, and why her nipple pasty business is one her biggest tools for self-love. ______________ About my guest: Chi-ka Harada is a person's with disabilties that has figured out a way to feel hellllla confident in her body As a multi dimensional fashion designer, life coach & disability advocate she enjoys using multiple different mediums to help her people shift! You can find her on Instagram @lilcheekybb for all your body love needs and her super cute and adorable nipple pasties @lilcheekybits _______________ Get all the details on the Black Sheep Playground, my coaching program for neurospicy innovators. It changed Chi-ka's life and it will definitely change yours!

In this episode of the Black Sheep Playground podcast, I'm chatting with Mattia Maurée composer, poet, AuDHD coach and hypnotist. Mattia discusses their personal journey of living with both autism and ADHD. We delve into the overlap between these neurotypes, the impact of demand avoidance, and the difficulties faced in conforming to productivity culture and late-stage capitalism. What we cover... Intersection of Autism and ADHD: Mattia shares their experience living with both autism and ADHD, and the tension of needing both structure AND freedom. Demand Avoidance: You know that feeling of resistance when something is asked of you? That's demand avoidance, and it's a huge part of living as an AuDHDer. We get into how it feels, and ways to work with your brain even when it's resisting you. Communal Support: Neurodivergent folks need communal support, perhaps more than neurotypical folks. We get into how late-stage capitalism has isolated us, and why being neurodivergent in a highly individualist society is extra, super difficult. Redefining Systems: How do we exist in as autistic and ADHD individuals in a world that often lacks understanding and support? It's tough, and society needs to change. ------ Mattia Maurée is a composer, poet, AuDHD coach and hypnotist. They help neurodivergent creatives & entrepreneurs who want to build a life around their true genius, but still struggle with the day-to-day.  You can find them here: http://mattiamauree.com/ ----- Mattia references my super awesome newsletter, which you should definitely sign up for if you haven't yet! https://megankierstead.ck.page/4bce4c2b72

Even the most resistant brain can do things for 10 seconds at a time. Discover how breaking down tasks and challenges into manageable 10-second increments (inspired by the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) can help you overcome resistance, make progress, and achieve your goals. I dive into the science for why this approach works, and you'll get practical advice on how to use this idea for yourself. Learn how breaking tasks into 10-second increments can boost your motivation and help you accomplish things you absolutely hate. Discover how simple actions like washing one dish between activities or writing a single sentence of an email can build momentum. I discuss how micro-wins are actually better for dopamine than big goals. The Kimmy Principle can be applied to any area of your life where resistance arises, so it's the best. By consistently practicing the Kimmy principle, you develop a stronger sense of self-trust. Each 10-second task completed reinforces your belief in your capabilities, empowering you to take on bigger challenges and embrace a growth mindset.

This week's episode is brought to you by my friend, fabulous coaching colleague, and neurospicy human, Danielle Savory. Danielle is a brilliant sex coach (and neuroscientist!) who helps women how to lead with pleasure and have better sex, though all genders will get a lot out of the episode. I asked Danielle to join me because I don't hear a lot of dopamine-driven educators talk about how having a different nervous system configuration affects our relationship with pleasure and sex. Because it does. Hello, distractable mind! We get into things like... How to make your environment pleasure-friendly (especially when you are highly sensitive) Creating a physical anchor to give your busy brain something to return to Why scheduling sex and time for pleasure can actually be a good thing that you might actually love (I hear your resistance! We talk about it, I promise). The role pleasure can play as a barometer for how your life is going (and sexy metrics! all the sexy metrics!) How death can improve your sex life (yes, really). If you want to learn more about Danielle's work (because of course you do), you can pop over to her website or Instagram, AND she has a fabulous podcast, It's My Pleasure.

In this episode, you'll learn the science of why you feel awful after hitting a big goal, no matter how positive your thoughts or mindset. Spoiler: it's all comes because of our favorite neurotransmitter, dopamine.

Did you know that you don't have to plan out your week or day ahead of time? And that you can intuitively decide what you want to do in the moment, and still be a badass who hits their goals AND rests like a cat on a warm laptop?  In this episode, I outline the three skills you need to truly live in the moment and fill your life with big, unstructured blocks of time that enable creative exploration. This approach is particularly powerful for ADHD nervous systems that rebel under too many constrictions. 

6 weeks of Behavior Change Bootcamp for Black Sheep Brains kicks off the week of March 13. Click here to join us!  ----------- We all know sleep is important and is essentially the secret to life, the universe, and everything, so why do some of us regularly stay up binging a new TV show or mindlessly watching cute cat videos? We know that we're going to feel like crap tomorrow, but yet, we remain firmly planted on the couch and sleep-deprived.  I see this as one most common causes of sleep issues in ADHD folks, and this episode goes into depth about exactly why so many of us struggle to go to bed early enough to get a decent night of sleep.  You'll learn... Why revenge bedtime procrastination happens (and why this tends to be a particular common issue for dopamine-driven humans);  Why many recommended tools tend to fail for humans with executive dysfunction;  How to start going to bed by asking the one question to ask that will uncover exactly why you aren't. 

transcript  In this episode, I’ll teach you how to use my very favorite pile sorting technique to make overwhelming mountains of “uggggghhh” into manageable tidbits you can wrap your brain around. It’s a universal approach that organizes anything. But it’s especially useful for those of you who struggle to keep your physical space from descending into chaos. Disclaimer: This post is intended to be a general guide, not a replacement for professional medical advice. I am not a medical professional. If you have any medical concerns, please consult a doctor immediately. Join the Black Sheep Playground to learn how to work and build a business while embracing every facet of your unique, brilliant brain.

(transcript) So let's talk about productivity, consistency, discipline, all of these words that are bandied about. I'm not a productivity expert, but I do know terrible productivity. What's yours? I feel like so much of what we're doing these days with productivity is about trying to find the silver bullet, a shortcut to being more productive, and it's just not there. Because no productivity hack, tip, trick app is going to fix a dopamine problem. Here’s what you’ll get out of this episode : natural motivation willpower … and SO much more Disclaimer: This post is intended to be a general guide, not a replacement for professional medical advice. I am not a medical professional. If you have any medical concerns, please consult a doctor immediately. Join the Black Sheep Playground to learn how to work and build a business while embracing every facet of your unique, brilliant brain.