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The Reddit post was titled: "Having a job and autistic ADHD burnout is killing me." And it read exactly like you'd expect — work is exhausting, home is falling apart, hobbies are gone, and a therapist suggested radically accepting the situation. Which OP heard as: just accept that this is your life forever.
That's not what radical acceptance means. And that misunderstanding is exactly where this episode starts.
In this Reacting to Reddit at Work episode of Why Does It Feel So Wrong to Be Human at Work?, hosts Pinaki Kathiari and Chris Lee are joined by producer Bree Bartos and Dr. Matt Zakreski, clinical psychologist and founder of the Neurodiversity Collective, for a conversation about burnout, the struggle switch, lizard brain versus wizard brain, and what it actually looks like for managers and organizations to show up for neurodivergent employees.
Bree's sink falls apart during the episode. Pinaki references Nonviolent Communication. Dr. Matt describes the erectile dysfunction stages of grief. It goes places.
In this episode, they discuss:
• What radical acceptance actually means — and why the therapy world's version got lost in translation
• The struggle switch: why it's not the emotion that gets you, it's the feeling about the feeling about the feeling
• Lizard brain vs. wizard brain, and what managers can do before a hard conversation to keep both parties in the right headspace
• Why the OP has been fired 20 times and what Pinaki thinks is actually going on
• What psychological safety has to do with body swaying, tattoos, and doing your job with full commitment
• Metacommunication: naming what you're doing so your employee's nervous system has a runway
• Pinaki's mental palate cleanser — the meeting opener that isn't 'how's your day?'
• What managers can actually do when they suspect someone on their team is neurodivergent
• Dr. Matt on the dance of relationships: when you need more, you get more — and how to stop keeping score
If you've ever felt like the job was designed for someone else's brain — you're probably right. And this episode is for you.
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Connect with Us
Pinaki Kathiari – LinkedIn | Local Wisdom
Chris Lee – LinkedIn | Gallagher Communication
Bree Bartos – LinkedIn | Local Wisdom
Special thanks to digital communication agency Local Wisdom (www.localwisdom.com) for really believing in our mission and making this podcast possible.
If this episode made you think differently, laugh, or even yell out loud, we want to hear about it! Connect with us on LinkedIn, and don’t forget to rate, review, and share – maybe with your work bestie… or even your boss if you're feeling bold.
We also bring these important conversations to conferences and private workshops, creating space for real, meaningful change. Take the first step at www.whydoesitfeelsowrong.com.
