Awesomely Off-Topic: Books, Brands, Business and Everything Else We’re Not Supposed to Say Out Loud

🎙️ S2 E17: Lost in Translation: The Neurodivergent Traits You’ve Got All Wrong

We were going to say the neurodivergent behaviours you've got all wrong, but it was a bit too long for the title space on our graphic! :D This started out as an exploration of the things neurotypical people often misunderstand about ADHD and autism... it grew from a conversation we were having on the sofa. For instance: interrupting can ruin a conversation in seconds, but what if the person doing it is trying to connect rather than compete? We get properly honest about one of the biggest flashpoints between neurotypical and neurodivergent communication: the mid-sentence jump-in, the sudden personal anecdote, the “I promise I’m listening” blurting that lands like rudeness. We unpack what’s going on under the bonnet: empathy expressed through shared stories, the urge to be relatable, and the working memory panic that makes a thought feel like it’ll disappear if it’s not said now. That leads us into the messy reality of meetings and networking, where you can either speak up and get judged, or stay silent and lose the insight you actually bring. We also share practical tools that help in the moment, from quick notes and voice notes to setting expectations with the people around you. Then we widen the lens to other neurodivergent traits that get misunderstood all the time: oversharing, info dumping, going quiet, delayed replies, rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD), blunt honesty, eye contact extremes, and processing delays. We keep it real, we keep it funny, and we aim for something useful: language you can use to explain yourself, and empathy you can offer others without lowering standards. Subscribe for more neurodiversity-friendly conversations, share this with someone who’s ever been misread, and if it resonates, leave us a review and tell us which moment hit hardest. Something you’d love us to know? Send us a message - we’d love to hear from you. [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2523288/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2523288/support] ✨ Unfiltered. Unedited. Awesomely Off-Topic. New episodes every Tuesday. Follow us on Instagram for more rants, rambles and random brilliance: 👋  @AwesomelyOffTopic [https://www.instagram.com/awesomelyofftopic/], plus our co-hosts @thetazthornton [https://instagram.com/thetazthornton] + @ashaclearwater [https://instagram.com/ashaclearwater]

🎙️ S2 E16: The Cosmic Joke - What If Disruption Is The Teaching?

Everything can be going perfectly fine, and then suddenly the land is double booked, the schedule collapses, half your plan becomes impossible, and someone is shouting at your people in the heat. We’ve just lived that reality at one of our retreats, and what still amazes us is this: it ended up being one of the most magical, grounding, transformational weekends we’ve ever held. So we’re unpacking the real work of staying calm when things go wrong, and what “going with the flow” actually looks like when clients, logistics, and emotions are all in motion. We share the practical tools we lean on when stress starts to rise, including our go-to question “What’s needed?” and the surprisingly effective “change body, change state” approach for emotional regulation and nervous system reset. We also talk about dropping expectations, how arguing your point can make everything worse, and why humour can be a pressure valve when used with care. Along the way we swap stories about flat tyres, wrong turns, late-night football pacing, and the kind of cosmic timing that makes you laugh even when you’re exhausted. The deeper takeaway is about leadership and psychological safety: people don’t always need fixing, they need space. We explore how asking “What do you need right now?” helps you show up as a friend, coach, manager, or simply a steady presence, whether you’re running an event, leading a team, or navigating everyday life. If you want better resilience, calmer decision-making, and a more grounded way to handle chaos in business and relationships, press play, then subscribe, share, and leave us a review so more people can find the show. Something you’d love us to know? Send us a message - we’d love to hear from you. [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2523288/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2523288/support] ✨ Unfiltered. Unedited. Awesomely Off-Topic. New episodes every Tuesday. Follow us on Instagram for more rants, rambles and random brilliance: 👋  @AwesomelyOffTopic [https://www.instagram.com/awesomelyofftopic/], plus our co-hosts @thetazthornton [https://instagram.com/thetazthornton] + @ashaclearwater [https://instagram.com/ashaclearwater]

🎙️ S2 E15: Stop Asking Everyone – How To Actually Make A Decision

Ever noticed how the second you feel uncertain, you suddenly want everyone’s opinion? We’ve both done it, and it can turn one simple choice into a messy tangle of voices, pros and cons, and “helpful” advice that drags you away from what you actually wanted. We talk about the decision making trap: why the urge to ask a 17th person is often a sign you’ve lost touch with your own clarity, not a sign you need more information. We pull examples from real life and work, from book feedback and beta readers to branding, logos, websites, and the endless tinkering that shows up as “fixing” your LinkedIn bio every few weeks. We also look at the uncomfortable bits: asking people who love you but cannot help you, mistaking loud confidence for expertise, and quietly trying to hand someone else the responsibility so you can blame them if it goes wrong. Then we go deeper into what sits underneath chronic indecision: fear, insecurity, and the way a “wrong” outcome can get fused to identity. For neurodivergent listeners, we explore why self trust can be harder to build, how ADHD decision fatigue makes even tiny choices feel impossible, and how RSD can trigger catastrophising spirals. We finish with practical tools you can try straight away, including journalling before you ask anyone, the 10-10-10 rule, noticing fear versus intuition in the body, and setting a decision deadline. If this lands, hit follow, subscribe, and share it with someone who is stuck in overthinking. Then leave us a review and tell us: what decision are you avoiding right now, and why? Something you’d love us to know? Send us a message - we’d love to hear from you. [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2523288/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2523288/support] ✨ Unfiltered. Unedited. Awesomely Off-Topic. New episodes every Tuesday. Follow us on Instagram for more rants, rambles and random brilliance: 👋  @AwesomelyOffTopic [https://www.instagram.com/awesomelyofftopic/], plus our co-hosts @thetazthornton [https://instagram.com/thetazthornton] + @ashaclearwater [https://instagram.com/ashaclearwater]

🎙️ S2 E14: Atomicon: Lessons On Visibility, Value And Showing Up

Someone can sit in the same room as you, hear the same talks, and still walk away with a completely different turning point. On the drive home from Atomicon in Newcastle, we debrief the moments that actually changed things for us, not just the speaker notes, but the conversations before and after, the little realisations that land when the adrenaline drops. We dig into the pressure to niche down and why we prefer to “niche through”: building one clear thread that runs through confidence work, storytelling, book publishing, podcasting, personal brand coaching, and speaker training. If you’re neurodivergent, multi-passionate, or you have ADHD tendencies, that connected ecosystem can be your strength, not your flaw. We also talk about what “clarity” really means in marketing for small businesses, and how being a generalist can be an advantage when you know how to simplify a message and make it land. Then we go into the messy bit: what happens when you realise someone has taken what you taught them and sold it on, and why that hits so hard when trust is already a tender subject. We unpack rejection sensitive dysphoria, boundaries, and how to turn that emotional punch into a smarter response. We also look at pricing strategy and visibility: if someone else is charging five times more for something similar, is it because they’re better, or because they’re louder and easier to find? We finish with a reminder we both needed: go ahead, underestimate me. If you’re ready to show up more, charge with confidence, and stop being the best kept secret, press play. Subscribe, share this with a business friend, and leave a review so more people can find Awesomely Off Topic. PS: Want to join us for #Atomicon27 in Manchester? We've bagged you the best official ticket prices. Click our SPECIAL LINK HERE [https://atomic.site/?campaign=AOT&aap=666] to get yours. Something you’d love us to know? Send us a message - we’d love to hear from you. [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2523288/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2523288/support] ✨ Unfiltered. Unedited. Awesomely Off-Topic. New episodes every Tuesday. Follow us on Instagram for more rants, rambles and random brilliance: 👋  @AwesomelyOffTopic [https://www.instagram.com/awesomelyofftopic/], plus our co-hosts @thetazthornton [https://instagram.com/thetazthornton] + @ashaclearwater [https://instagram.com/ashaclearwater]

🎙️ S2 E13: We Let AI Interview Us – It Got Weird

An AI handed us a list of “Ask Me Anything” questions and we made the bold choice to answer them cold. That’s how you end up trying to explain bingo to an alien anthropologist, debating why angling feels like a bizarre human ritual, and wondering which completely normal thing should have gone extinct by now. It’s fast, messy, and very us.  We bounce from the ridiculous to the oddly revealing: pointless expertise (card making, macramé and all the hobbies people will defend to the death), conspiracy theories invented purely for entertainment, fictional characters who would be unbearable in real life, and the historical eras that live in our heads rent free. Along the way we hit the big British cultural references, the comfort-watch obsessions, and the strange niche knowledge you collect without meaning to.  Then the chat gets more grounded. We talk neurodivergence, including ADHD and autism, and why open-plan workspaces can feel like sensory torture. We also go seriously into animal welfare, vegan convenience food that still sneaks in eggs and milk, and why breeding brachycephalic dogs and cats to struggle for breath is heartbreaking. If you like a funny podcast that can pivot into real principles without losing pace, this one will land.  If you enjoy it, follow and subscribe, share it with a friend who loves a chaotic Q&A, and leave us a review.  PS: It's time gor a human AMA episode! What question would you ask us next? Something you’d love us to know? Send us a message - we’d love to hear from you. [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2523288/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2523288/support] ✨ Unfiltered. Unedited. Awesomely Off-Topic. New episodes every Tuesday. Follow us on Instagram for more rants, rambles and random brilliance: 👋  @AwesomelyOffTopic [https://www.instagram.com/awesomelyofftopic/], plus our co-hosts @thetazthornton [https://instagram.com/thetazthornton] + @ashaclearwater [https://instagram.com/ashaclearwater]