The Neurodivergent Creative Podcast

Welcome to Pride Month... or as we like to call it here, Queer Wrath Month! This episode is for every bisexual person who has felt left out, questioned, or erased in the very spaces that are supposed to celebrate them. Caitlin is joined by Bailey Merlin—researcher, advocate, author, and co-host of the Bisexual Killjoy podcast—for a conversation about what it really means to be bi+ in a world that still struggles to make space for us. Bailey brings her lived experience and professional insight to the mic, sharing what she’s learned from years of community building and organizing, including her work with the Bi+ Book Gang. Together, she and Caitlin explore the complicated realities of bisexual identity, from partner-gender policing and “straight-passing” myths to the constant pressure to explain yourself in both queer and straight spaces. They also touch on something deeper: how infighting and gatekeeping weaken our collective power, and how we can return to something more grounded. If you’re bi, pan, queer in all directions, or someone who wants to do better by the bi+ community, this episode is a heartfelt invitation. Because we all deserve to be here. No gatekeeping. No paper-checking. Just more room at the table. 💬 " Queer people should just be letting queer people into queer spaces. You cannot ask somebody like for their papers. That’s cop behavior!" - Caitlin Liz Fisher 💬 "If you say bisexuality is transphobic, you're being biphobic, because it's not." - Caitlin Liz Fisher 💬 " In my research, in the interviews that I do, I'd say like 60% of people will tell me that their identity doesn't matter. Like, 'oh, it's not a big deal.' But it is! It doesn't have to be all you are, but saying that it's not a big deal makes me really sad, because it means you're like distancing yourself from a part of yourself, which is not good for your overall mental wellness." - Bailey Merlin What We Talk About: - The ugly rise of biphobia during Pride Month and why it hits harder online - The ongoing pressure to "do queer correctly" and the exhaustion of having to justify your place in the community - Why bisexuality is still misunderstood, misrepresented, and debated even within the LGBTQIA+ community - The harm of the bi vs pan discourse, and policing queer identities - How fascism and scarcity culture feed queer infighting (and what we should be doing instead!) 📚 NEW! THE SACRED FIRST DRAFT SOCIETYA witchy, soul-nourishing membership for writers who are done treating their creativity like a productivity app.Weekly coaching, co-writing, guided rituals, affirmations, and woo—on purpose. $69/month, because we’re reclaiming pleasure in pricing Perfect for neurodivergent writers who feel like their story ghosted them 🎟️ Join here:⁠ ⁠https://www.askfishfisher.com/sacred-first-draft-society⁠⁠ [https://www.askfishfisher.com/sacred-first-draft-society⁠]Support the Podcast: Membership Drive on Patreon!If you want to keep hearing spicy, emotionally intelligent, deeply comforting takes like this one... 🎟️ Join Caitlin’s Patreon for bonus content, unfiltered rambles, exclusive merch, and the best little weird creative family on the internet: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/caitlinlizfisher⁠⁠ [⁠https://www.patreon.com/caitlinlizfisher⁠] Join our Neurodivergent Creative Pod!🌞 Want to support heartfelt conversations about mental health, creativity, and neurodivergence?Join the Neurodivergent Creative Pod community: ⁠⁠https://www.askfishfisher.com/pod⁠⁠ [⁠https://www.askfishfisher.com/pod⁠]📩 Subscribe to Cait’s newsletter and grab your copy of the Audacity Bill of Rights—a weekly dose of "you’re not broken, you’re brilliant": ⁠⁠https://www.askfishfisher.com/audacity⁠⁠ [⁠https://www.askfishfisher.com/audacity⁠] 🎧 Leave a comment, send a DM @caitlinlizfisher, or scream into the void (and tag us!)We love hearing what hit home for you!

IT’S PRIDE MONTH, and you know what that means, neurodivergent queer creatives! Time for some radical queer history. You know, the ones the school books intentionally left out.In this episode of The Neurodivergent Creative Podcast, we’re going back—like waaay back—to the early 1900s, when Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld was pioneering queer rights, trans healthcare, sex education, and radical inclusivity in Berlin... until the friggin Nazis came and burned it all down! We’re not behind on queer and trans rights by a few decades. Nope! We’re 60+ years behind where we could’ve been because fascism doesn’t just erase lives, it erases progress too. 💬"Bodies should not be legislated. Relationships should not be legislated. If we speak about unalienable rights for every human in the fucking constitution, why do we act like this?" – Caitlin Liz Fisher This discussion isn’t just a queer history lesson—it’s a call to remember what we’ve lost, what we're still fighting for, and what it means to keep going in the face of erasure. Caitlin connects the dots from Hirschfeld to modern queer resistance, from book burnings to DEI bans... It's unfiltered real talk. It's resistance. It's ours. In this episode, Caitlin talks about: * The revolutionary legacy of Magnus Hirschfeld * How queer rights, women’s rights, and trans rights are all interconnected * The Institute for Sexual Science (and its tragic destruction by the Nazis) * What fascism looked like then—and what it looks like now * Why we must stop acting like LGBTQ+ oppression is a “new” problem * The hard truth about liberal complicity and performative politics * Rage, resistance, and reclaiming Pride with purpose 📚 NEW! THE SACRED FIRST DRAFT SOCIETYA witchy, soul-nourishing membership for writers who are done treating their creativity like a productivity app.Weekly coaching, co-writing, guided rituals, affirmations, and woo—on purpose.$69/month, because we’re reclaiming pleasure in pricingPerfect for neurodivergent writers who feel like their story ghosted them🎟️ Join here:⁠ https://www.askfishfisher.com/sacred-first-draft-society⁠ [https://www.askfishfisher.com/sacred-first-draft-society⁠]Support the Podcast: Membership Drive on Patreon!If you want to keep hearing spicy, emotionally intelligent, deeply comforting takes like this one...🎟️ Join Caitlin’s Patreon for bonus content, unfiltered rambles, exclusive merch, and the best little weird creative family on the internet: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/caitlinlizfisher⁠ [⁠https://www.patreon.com/caitlinlizfisher⁠]Join our Neurodivergent Creative Pod!🌞 Want to support heartfelt conversations about mental health, creativity, and neurodivergence?Join the Neurodivergent Creative Pod community: ⁠https://www.askfishfisher.com/pod⁠ [⁠https://www.askfishfisher.com/pod⁠]📩 Subscribe to Cait’s newsletter and grab your copy of the Audacity Bill of Rights—a weekly dose of "you’re not broken, you’re brilliant": ⁠https://www.askfishfisher.com/audacity⁠ [⁠https://www.askfishfisher.com/audacity⁠]🎧 Leave a comment, send a DM @caitlinlizfisher, or scream into the void (and tag us!)We love hearing what hit home for you!

What if there’s no “right” way to write a book? No perfect planner, no ideal routine, no craft book that finally cracks the code? In this episode, Caitlin is joined by Rachel May and Emily Golden of Golden May Editing to talk about writing with ADHD, embracing creative discomfort, and why the mess is the magic. From late diagnoses to revising six drafts only to return to the first, this conversation is a vulnerable, hilarious, and deeply validating permission slip for anyone who’s tired of doing it “by the book.” 💬 “You can’t shame your way into self-trust. And you can’t spreadsheet your way into a sacred first draft.” — Caitlin Liz Fisher If you've ever felt like a “bad writer” for needing breaks, changing your mind, or hating your once-brilliant plot twist—this episode is your reminder: writing isn’t about following the rules. It’s about trusting yourself. What You’ll Learn: * Why late-diagnosed ADHD reshaped Rachel’s approach to writing, coaching, and self-compassion * How writing craft books often fail neurodivergent writers and why the problem isn’t you * The myth of the perfect process and what to do when your system stops working * Why intuition matters more than a rigid routine in writing the book only you can write * The importance of letting yourself feel every messy, frustrating, beautiful emotion that comes with creativity LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE: Rachel May  https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/ [https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/] Emily Golden https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/ [https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/] Golden May Editing https://goldenmayediting.com [https://goldenmayediting.com] Tenacious Writing Community:  https://www.tenaciouswriting.com [https://www.tenaciouswriting.com] https://www.instagram.com/tenaciouswriting/ [https://www.instagram.com/tenaciouswriting/ ] 📚 NEW! THE SACRED FIRST DRAFT SOCIETY A witchy, soul-nourishing membership for writers who are done treating their creativity like a productivity app. Weekly coaching, co-writing, guided rituals, affirmations, and woo—on purpose. $69/month, because we’re reclaiming pleasure in pricing Perfect for neurodivergent writers who feel like their story ghosted them 🎟️ Join here:⁠ https://www.askfishfisher.com/sacred-first-draft-society⁠ [ https://www.askfishfisher.com/sacred-first-draft-society] Support the Podcast: Membership Drive on Patreon! If you want to keep hearing spicy, emotionally intelligent, deeply comforting takes like this one... 🎟️ Join Caitlin’s Patreon for bonus content, unfiltered rambles, exclusive merch, and the best little weird creative family on the internet: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/caitlinlizfisher⁠ [https://www.patreon.com/caitlinlizfisher] Join our Neurodivergent Creative Pod! 🌞 Want to support heartfelt conversations about mental health, creativity, and neurodivergence? Join the Neurodivergent Creative Pod community: ⁠https://www.askfishfisher.com/pod⁠ [https://www.askfishfisher.com/pod] 📩 Subscribe to Cait’s newsletter and grab your copy of the Audacity Bill of Rights—a weekly dose of "you’re not broken, you’re brilliant": ⁠https://www.askfishfisher.com/audacity⁠ [https://www.askfishfisher.com/audacity] 🎧 Leave a comment, send a DM @caitlinlizfisher, or scream into the void (and tag us!) We love hearing what hit home for you!

Your brain wants to keep you safe. Your creativity wants to set you free. And somewhere between those two is you—spiraling, second-guessing, and crying into your draft wondering if you accidentally deleted your own soul. In this episode of The Neurodivergent Creative Podcast, Caitlin talks about what it's like when you lose your creative connection, and how to gently find your way back. Whether you’re writing a novel, launching a project, or trying something new for the first (or umpteenth) time, this is your invitation to soften into being a beginner again. 💬 “Creativity is the way that we leave a legacy of human experience. Your brain isn’t designed for that—but your spirit is. Your heart is. Your soul is.” – Caitlin Liz Fisher In this episode, Caitlin gets real about: - Why your brain rebels against learning new things (it’s biology, not failure) - The existential spiral of losing connection with your own story - People-pleasing in your creative work (even when you don’t realize it’s happening) - The spiritual side of storytelling and reconnecting with your heart - Creativity as legacy, not performance 📚 NEW! THE SACRED FIRST DRAFT SOCIETY A witchy, soul-nourishing membership for writers who are done treating their creativity like a productivity app. Weekly coaching, co-writing, guided rituals, affirmations, and woo—on purpose. $69/month, because we’re reclaiming pleasure in pricing Perfect for neurodivergent writers who feel like their story ghosted them 🎟️ Join here: https://www.askfishfisher.com/sacred-first-draft-society [ https://www.askfishfisher.com/sacred-first-draft-society] Support the Podcast: Membership Drive on Patreon! If you want to keep hearing spicy, emotionally intelligent, deeply comforting takes like this one... 🎟️ Join Caitlin’s Patreon for bonus content, unfiltered rambles, exclusive merch, and the best little weird creative family on the internet: https://www.patreon.com/caitlinlizfisher [https://www.patreon.com/caitlinlizfisher] Join our Neurodivergent Creative Pod! 🌞 Want to support heartfelt conversations about mental health, creativity, and neurodivergence? Join the Neurodivergent Creative Pod community: https://www.askfishfisher.com/pod [https://www.askfishfisher.com/pod] 📩 Subscribe to Cait’s newsletter and grab your copy of the Audacity Bill of Rights—a weekly dose of "you’re not broken, you’re brilliant": https://www.askfishfisher.com/audacity [https://www.askfishfisher.com/audacity] 🎧 Leave a comment, send a DM @caitlinlizfisher, or scream into the void (and tag us!) We love hearing what hit home for you!

Mother’s Day can be sweet, suuuure—but for some of us, it’s complicated, loaded, or straight-up painful. In this raw and deeply personal episode, Caitlin opens up about navigating Mother’s Day when you’re estranged from your mom or carry a tangled history of grief, hurt, or resentment. From childhood emotional neglect to hilariously petty revenge gifts, Caitlin shares stories that cut through the Hallmark noise and help us imagine a Mother’s Day that centers YOU—your healing, your boundaries, your joy. This isn’t a how-to guide. It’s messy. It’s funny. It’s tender. It’s a reclamation of a day that doesn’t get to own you anymore, because you don’t have to perform Mother’s Day, you can reimagine it however you need to. What You Will Learn: * The quiet trauma of growing up with angry chores and slammed cabinet doors * Why “mother knows best” can be harmful and false * How to reclaim Mother’s Day by honoring chosen family, mom-friends, or yourself * The absolute delight of doing something your mom would lowkey hate * Rituals and symbolic ways to let go, heal, and move forward * What real self-nurturing can look like on your own terms Links and Resources from this episode: 9 Books to Help You Heal from Childhood Wounds and Estrangement https://www.caitlinlizfisher.com/blog/9-books-to-help-you-heal [https://www.caitlinlizfisher.com/blog/9-books-to-help-you-heal] UPCOMING EVENT: NOVEL PARKOUR!!!! 📅 May 16–18 | 💻 It’s free | 🎟 It’s for you Caitlin’s free, 3-day writing workshop for neurodivergent creatives is happening May 16–18, 2025. It’s designed to help you wrangle your story idea into an outline that’s flexible, doable, and tailored to brains that don’t do things the “normal” way. 👉 Sign up here: https://www.askfishfisher.com/novel-parkour-live-2025 [https://www.askfishfisher.com/novel-parkour-live-2025] Support the Podcast: Membership Drive on Patreon! So the pod is back to four episodes a month!! If you want to support the neurodivergent creative chaos and listen to more unhinged, informed, deeply compassionate rants like this one?  Join Caitlin’s Patreon for bonus mess, early content, and merch! We’re so close to hitting the next Patreon milestone. 💋 https://www.patreon.com/caitlinlizfisher [https://www.patreon.com/caitlinlizfisher] Join our little neurodivergent creative club! 🌞 Want to support these heartfelt conversations about mental health, creativity, and neurodivergence? Hop over to Patreon to keep the podcast going and join us in our free creative community, The Neurodivergent Creative Pod: https://www.askfishfisher.com/pod [https://www.askfishfisher.com/pod] Get a copy of the Audacity Bill of Rights when you subscribe to Cait’s newsletter! You’ll get weekly reminders of the power of living audaciously, straight to your inbox. PS - Caitlin wants to hear from you! Drop Caitlin a DM on Instagram @caitlinlizfisher or leave a comment on the episode (especially if you're tuning in on YouTube).