The Neurodivergent Creative Podcast

LISTEN, we are not here just to pay bills, lose weight, and die! 😤 This episode is a reminder that having hope isn't about "toxic positivity" or pretending everything is okay. It's about having the audacity to envision a better future and being a part of the solution. Because, as Caitlin puts it, doing the alternative is just doing "the fascists dirty work for them". And we're not doing that here! If you’ve ever felt disconnected from your future—like the world is falling apart and you’re just trying to hold it together—this one’s for you. Caitlin opens up about her own two-year stretch of spiritual and creative burnout. Coz that wasn’t rest. Sure as heck wasn’t a break. It was a breakdown! But with the help of a trusted therapist, her moon journal, and a return to introspective practices like tarot, she’s reclaiming her vision for the future—and inviting you to do the same. 💬 "We are not here to just pay bills, lose weight, and die. We are here to have a human experience. It's not our fault that capitalism is like, no, you don't get to have human experiences, but it is our responsibility to give a middle finger to capitalism and to say, you know what? I'm going to pick my little spot on the horizon and I'm going to move toward it." - Caitlin You'll totally learn: * How to fight the capitalist impulse to just survive and, instead, have a full human experience. * Caitlin's personal journey of a two-year creative and spiritual disconnection, and how she's finding her way back. * The power of introspective tools like journaling and tarot for reconnecting with your future self. * How to distinguish between healthy hope and toxic positivity, especially in a world with so much anxiety (hello, climate anxiety!). * Why finding little joys, even if they're fleeting, is a revolutionary act * The importance of believing a better future is possible to actually be part of the solution 🎟️ Join The Creatives Rebellion on 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!

Ever feel like you're playing a character just to get through the workday? Or maybe you're navigating job interviews, wondering why eye contact feels like a cosmic challenge? Yep, we get it. We've been there too, and so has our incredible guest this week! Caitlin is here with Diedra Steward, a fantastic Workplace Self-Advocacy Coach and the brains behind Stigma on the Clock. Diedra's all about helping neurodivergent or chronically ill folks ditch the workplace overwhelm, understand their rights, and actually get the accommodations they need. Inspired by a question from one of our listeners, we're diving deep into what it's really like for neurodivergent pros trying to thrive in a neurotypical world. We get honest about the masking tax and how job interviews can feel like social obstacle courses. We unpack how to spot red and green flags in job postings, when and how to disclose a disability, and why you should absolutely ask for accommodations in the interview process (yes, you can—and Deidre tells you how). "So we're kind of trying to operate on like the thesis of we shouldn't have to mask to be successful. And then obviously that's a beautiful, wonderful utopian society where everybody's differences are valued... But we live in capitalism world, which sometimes does require us to hide parts of ourselves." - Caitlin You'll totally learn: * Understanding and navigating workplace rights and asking for accommodations. * The real tension between wanting to unmask and the messy reality of capitalism * Awesome strategies for finding your perfect work environment * Deidre’s brilliant spreadsheet for documenting accommodations (and why you’ll want it) * How to spot the glaring red flags in company culture (like when they say "we're like a family here"—omg, run!). * The glorious green flags that mean a company really cares, like actually offering mental health days in their benefits. 🎟️ Join The Creatives Rebellion on 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!

Did you ever have someone in your life who had the nerve to tell you that you weren’t “using it enough," and proceeded to take it away? Maybe it was a hobby or, I don't know, a passion project... yep, we've been there too! From childhood trauma (RIP Lorelei the guitar ) to adult reclamation of play and joy, to having a camera sold by a partner who couldn’t handle your natural talent, this is an episode about pacing, permission, and refusing the sad beige narrative that says your hobbies have to be useful, profitable, or productive to be worth it. 💬 "We are not obligated to like wear flour sack dresses and be like the most simple, plain minimalist people that we could possibly be, so that we never waste time or money. That's boring! That's sad! THAT'S BEIGE! I don't wanna be sad and beige. I want to be colorful and bright and glittery." - Caitlin You will learn: * How creative joy can be stolen through control, guilt, and comparison * Recognizing the difference between “flaky” and “flexible" * Letting yourself suck at stuff before you get good * How neurodivergent people build creativity on nonlinear timelines 🎟️ Join The Creatives Rebellion on 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 🎧 Leave a comment, send a DM @caitlinlizfisher, or scream into the void (and tag us!)We love hearing what hit home for you!

In this episode, Caitlin takes a flamethrower to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the capitalist grind that keeps us from self-actualizing. They unpack the ways hustle culture, capitalism, and patriarchal conditioning have taught us to earn joy, rest, and creativity—when in reality, it's our birthright! From talking about your creative drives as fundamental needs to revealing the original Blackfoot nation model that Maslow "borrowed" from (and then warped), Caitlin helps us reimagine what it means to be a fully expressed human.  💬" Joy is your birthright. Creativity is your birthright. This is really important stuff. You deserve to be a completely self-actualized human being from the minute you are born. Our childhoods should be spent figuring out who we are, not how to please our parents." - Caitlin What We Explore in This Episode: * Why Maslow’s hierarchy is a colonized, capitalist trap (and what he stole from the Blackfoot Nation) * The real structure of human needs (hint: it starts with self-actualization, not survival) * Why creativity is not optional—it’s essential * How our systems keep us exhausted so we can’t rebel, rest, or become ourselves * A new way to visualize your needs as a fluid, responsive spectrum (not a rigid pyramid) * What it means to build community through knowing yourself first  Neurodivergent Creative Reflection Prompts: * What actually makes you feel like yourself? * What are your true needs, beyond survival? * In what ways have you felt you needed to "earn" joy, rest, or creativity? * Where in your life are you trying to “self-actualize” through perfectionism or productivity? * If you already believed you were worthy from the start, what would you do differently today? 🎟️ Join The Creatives Rebellion on 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!

Welcome back, Neurodivergent Creative! In this episode, Caitlin gets super real about the struggle many of us face: trying to nurture our creative spirit when life throws us into "survival mode." From rampant inflation to stagnant wages, it's easy for your creative outlets to take a backseat. But maintaining a connection to your creativity is vital, even when life itself gets really tough to manage. 💬 “Creativity is a kind of self-care. Creativity is a need.” – Caitlin If you're overwhelmed by the demands of daily life, this episode is for you. If you've felt your creative spark dim amidst tough times, this episode is for you. If you think you don't have the time or money for art, you might need to hear this even more. What We Explore in This Episode: * The raw reality of living in survival mode and why creativity often gets sidelined. * Why this episode is NOT about shaming you or adding more "shoulds" to your life. * Understanding "titration" as a gentle way to ease back into your creative practice. * Practical, affordable ways to reconnect with your art, even with limited time, energy, or money. * Why creativity is a fundamental human need, as essential as safety and community. PLUS: A special announcement about the return of The Creatives Rebellion, now on a "pay what you can" model! Get the scoop on weekly mini-sodes, workshops to unlearn hustle culture, fireside chats, and more. 🎟️ Join The Creatives Rebellion on Patreon for bonus content, unfiltered rambles, exclusive merch, and the best little weird creative family on the internet: ⁠⁠⁠ 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📩 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 🎧 Leave a comment, send a DM @caitlinlizfisher, or scream into the void (and tag us!)We love hearing what hit home for you!