NEURODIVERSITY: WHAT IF YOUR PERCEIVED FLAWS ARE ACTUALLY YOUR STRENGTHS? S4:E22

Get ready for THE TRUE NORTH COLLECTIVE℠ PODCAST: SEASON 4! With co-hosts Rachel Bellotti (she/her) and Jenell Riesner (she/her), this is a gathering of un-sugar-coated conversations celebrating the untold stories of everyday people fearlessly finding and living their true north. 

In our own search to discover and live from our TRUE NORTH, we continue to meet many interesting, courageous people from all walks of life, doing all sorts of amazing things to live life in their own unique way. Stories from all over the world. Stories with heart. Stories with grit. Stories with plot twists. Stories going untold - until now. This season, we continue to celebrate these untold stories of everyday people who are fearlessly living their true north and inspiring each of us to do the same.

In today’s episode, we are honored to speak with Christina Chrowe, Canadian-born, Texas-raised hockey player, Canadian Registered Psychotherapist, entrepreneur, + relentless health advocate. She founded Dig a Little Deeper Psychotherapy + Counseling, a modern, self-managed, group practice with nine other psychotherapists + counselors. Christina maintains her own private practice, provides clinical supervision to graduate counseling interns, is currently a practicing therapist, + partners with local organizations to provide accessible + free psychotherapy services to some of our most vulnerable community members. And as part of her creative outlet, she creates entertaining tik tok videos about life with ADHD. We talk collectives, boundaries in the workplace, conscious organizations, developing employees as a way to increase retention vs fear-based control, failing faster, feeling like you already have to be a proven product of the thing you are trying to sell, the non-linear path of being mentally healthy, owning what you need, ADHD, to take medication or not, latent diagnoses, neurodiversity, honing your joy, + learning to be proud of who you are. Christina is a calming force of truth. Her presence literally will slow you down so you can truly sit with the essence of you + experience the gifts of all the aspects of who you are. <3

 

*note: this episode includes explicit language appropriate for those ages 16+

 

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• #amplifymelanatedvoices @lizandolong
• #amplifymelanatedvoices @blackmenheal
• #amplifymelanatedvoices @decolonizingtherapy
• #amplifymelanatedvoices @blkwomenshealth
• Billy Bobs
• Mark Burnett
• Reinventing Organizations by Fredric Laloux
• SCRUM + AGILE frameworks
• Music from: https://www.jukedeck.com/

 

3 KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1. If something seems like too big of a hurdle or too much of a stretch, what if you could make it smaller? What if you could make it bite sized to the point where you could take a step vs feeling stuck? What would you be able to do today? What would be the 1 minute version? What would be the 1% version? What would be the 10 second version? Make it as small as you need to + then do that again + again + again as the pacing feels right to you. We all get overwhelmed sometimes, that is normal + ok. When you’re ready to move, try this + see if it makes everything a little bit more doable + maybe even more enjoyable!
2. What if the things you’ve been criticized for are actually your strengths? What if the things that seem like they make you so different from others are actually the biggest gift that this world could ask for? What if you took the time to cultivate a loving relationship with these aspects of yourself? Who would you get to be for yourself + the world, then? How would it feel to embrace these parts of yourself vs reject them?
3. Everyone is exactly in the place where they should be in figuring out their process. It can be easy to compare + assume that we are off based on what we’ve been told we should be doing, but this is a false truth. We each are here to learn non-linearly how to be ourselves + live as ourselves in whatever way that means to us. And to do it in a way that allows others to do the same for themselves. 

 

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [1:30] Deep sea fishing
• [3:40] Drinking champagne out of the Stanley Cup
• [7:59] AD: If you’ve been listening to this podcast for any amount of time, you know Jenell is pretty obsessed with Whoop, a wearable that tracks your heart rate variability + gives a ton of in-depth data around recovery, strain, sleep. To get your first month of whoop free + a free whoop strap, use this link to sign-up or DM Jenell via IG @jaynelreese!
• [8:54] Welcome, Christina!
• [11:30] Benefits of a collective 
• [16:00] Consciousness of organizations
• [20:00] Developing people from a place of trust vs fear
• [22:00] Innovation paradox + failing faster
• [28:15] Owning your story while also being a mental health professional
• [36:00] Advocating for self
• [38:57] AD: Come play with us! We have been expanding the podcast concept by finding new ways + places where YOU can be more of an active participant in the conversation of finding + living your own TRUE NORTH. The COLLECTIVE is a free monthly conversation with people from all over the world (third Thurs of every month). Our monthly workshops explore a different facet of authenticity + are held the first Thurs of every month. Check it out here!
• [39:57] Sharing my ADHD journey on Tik Tok
• [44:00] Are the things you are criticized for actually your strengths? 
• [45:30] To medicate or not? 
• [51:30] Neurodiversity
• [59:00] Life purpose
• [1:04:00] Honing your joy
• [1:09:00] Being exactly where you are, as you are
• [1:12:45] How do you live your TRUE NORTH in 1 word?
• [1:12:55] Connect with Christina via IG @digalittledeepertherapy or via website digalittledeeper.ca or via Tik Tok @stina905