Alphabet Soup! Exploring Complex Neurodiversity

Steph Robertson
  • 5.0 (4)
  • HEALTH & FITNESS

I am Steph! Thank you for being here! I am an occupational therapist, reiki master, specialised kinesiologist, and above all, a human being learning to express my authentic self! I specialise in neurodivergent affirming practice and trauma informed care. I am an AuDHDer (Autistic and ADHD) I also have CPTSD and a dissociative disorder. This podcast was named Alphabet Soup after I looked at my diagnosis rap sheet! I then realised none of this defined me, and I felt called to share with you my personal and professional experience and expertise to help you unmask and discover your true authentic self to live in alignment with who you truly are :)

  1. Nurturing Self- When the Helper Needs Help

    23 MAR

    Nurturing Self- When the Helper Needs Help

    In this reflective episode, Steph shares from a place of lowered capacity, describing what it can feel like when internal systems are "shaken up" during deeper therapeutic work. Through the lens of plurality and lived experience, this episode explores the disorientation, increased dissociation, and need for retreat that can arise, and how these moments invite us to slow down and turn inward. Steph also reflects on the identity of being a "helper," and how early experiences of conditional love and trauma can shape a belief that our worth is tied to being of service. This leads into an important question: what happens when the helper needs help? This episode is an invitation to: Rethink the connection between worth and giving Practise receiving care and support Honour your capacity and need for rest Steph shares how learning to pause, set boundaries, and care for themselves has deepened their ability to show up with presence and authenticity for others. A gentle reminder that caring for yourself doesn't take away from what you offer, it strengthens it. Check out the Embracing You course: https://www.sgroccupationaltherapy.com/embracing-you-course The code PODCAST will also get you 15% off the course! Connect with Steph: www.sgroccupationaltherapy.com Email: hello@sgroccupationaltherapy.com  Come and join us on the socials: Instagram: www.instagram.com/sgroccupationaltherapy/  Facebook: www.facebook.com/SGROccupationalTherapy Facebook group- The Neurodiversity Empowerment Movement  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1258437025035170/

    16 min
  2. Alphabet Soup! Exploring Complex Neurodiversity

    9 MAR

    Alphabet Soup! Exploring Complex Neurodiversity

    In this episode, Steph shares the heart behind her new resource on autistic burnout, created after noticing how many people are quietly approaching exhaustion. She explores what autistic burnout really is: a state of profound, long-term nervous system depletion caused by chronic environmental mismatch, masking, sensory overload, and the cumulative labour of navigating neuronormative systems. Through an occupational therapy lens, burnout is reframed not as failure, but as a signal that something in the current way of living is unsustainable. Steph discusses common signs of burnout, the burnout cycle, and why recovery can feel overwhelming, especially when even "rest" feels unsafe. She introduces gentle, practical strategies for prevention and recovery, including radical demand reduction, recalibrating baseline capacity, and her "Urgency to Safety Bridge", a visual framework for moving from high-alert survival states toward safety, even by just 1–10%. If you've been feeling depleted, this episode offers validation, reframes around productivity and worth, and small, compassionate steps toward sustainable living. The full workbook resource, along with a podcast listener discount, is linked below. Get the Resource: https://www.sgroccupationaltherapy.com/Autistic-Burnout-Resource Use code PODCAST to get 15% off Check out the Embracing You course: https://www.sgroccupationaltherapy.com/embracing-you-course The code PODCAST will also get you 15% off the course too! Connect with Steph: www.sgroccupationaltherapy.com Email: hello@sgroccupationaltherapy.com  Come and join us on the socials: Instagram: www.instagram.com/sgroccupationaltherapy/  Facebook: www.facebook.com/SGROccupationalTherapy Facebook group- The Neurodiversity Empowerment Movement  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1258437025035170/

    18 min
  3. Back to Basics- Exploring Dissociation

    1 MAR

    Back to Basics- Exploring Dissociation

    In this episode of Alphabet Soup, Steph brings together a series of short "Back to Basics" recordings exploring the foundations of dissociation, Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), and Other Specified Dissociative Disorder (OSDD). We cover: • What DID is and how it develops as an adaptive response to early trauma • The DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for DID • How OSDD differs from DID • Common signs of dissociation, including depersonalisation, derealisation, memory differences, and identity shifts • The difference between everyday dissociation and clinically significant dissociative disorders Steph also reflects on the intersection of plurality with autism and ADHD, and why dissociative experiences deserve space within broader neurodivergent conversations. This episode offers a grounded starting point for anyone wanting to understand dissociation beyond media portrayals — whether for personal insight or professional learning. As always, this content is educational and not a substitute for individual clinical advice. Connect with Steph: www.sgroccupationaltherapy.com Email: hello@sgroccupationaltherapy.com  Come and join us on the socials: Instagram: www.instagram.com/sgroccupationaltherapy/  Facebook: www.facebook.com/SGROccupationalTherapy Facebook group- The Neurodiversity Empowerment Movement  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1258437025035170/

    21 min
  4. Rest as Necessity: An Invitation

    15 FEB

    Rest as Necessity: An Invitation

    In this episode, Steph shares an open letter written from a place of deep rest — and reflects on why rest is not a luxury, reward, or indulgence, but a biological necessity and a birthright. Speaking gently about urgency culture, productivity, capitalism, colonised time, and nervous system safety, this episode explores rest as an act of sovereignty, self-trust, and quiet resistance. Steph reflects on why rest can feel unsafe, how fear-based productivity keeps us disconnected from our bodies, and why listening inward can be both challenging and healing. Rather than offering prescriptive advice, this episode invites reflection: on fluctuating capacity, micro-moments of slowing down, community care, and how we might reclaim our rhythms in a world that constantly pulls our attention outward. This is not a call to do rest "right," but an invitation to soften, notice, and honour the body, one small moment at a time.   Connect with Steph: www.sgroccupationaltherapy.com Email: hello@sgroccupationaltherapy.com  Come and join us on the socials: Instagram: www.instagram.com/sgroccupationaltherapy/  Facebook: www.facebook.com/SGROccupationalTherapy Facebook group- The Neurodiversity Empowerment Movement  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1258437025035170/

    22 min
  5. Honouring Fluctuating Capacity and Challenging Consistency

    1 FEB

    Honouring Fluctuating Capacity and Challenging Consistency

    In this episode of Alphabet Soup, Steph explores the idea that consistency isn't natural and that fluctuating capacity is a normal, healthy part of being human. Drawing on lived experience, occupational therapy practice, and a decolonial lens, Steph reflects on how capitalism, colonialism, and neuronormative expectations have shaped our beliefs about productivity, reliability, and worth. When systems demand constant output, people whose bodies move in cycles are often framed as the problem. Through personal reflections on burnout, illness, and recovery, this episode reframes sustainability as something that grows from attunement rather than control. It invites listeners to slow down, notice what their body is communicating, and consider what changes when we design life, work, and support around natural rhythms instead of rigid expectations. A gentle invitation to honour cycles, listen inward, and build a life that supports wellness, not just outcomes.   Connect with Steph: www.sgroccupationaltherapy.com Email: hello@sgroccupationaltherapy.com  Come and join us on the socials: Instagram: www.instagram.com/sgroccupationaltherapy/  Facebook: www.facebook.com/SGROccupationalTherapy Facebook group- The Neurodiversity Empowerment Movement  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1258437025035170/

    20 min
  6. A Tool for Energy Accounting and Activity Tracking

    26 JAN

    A Tool for Energy Accounting and Activity Tracking

    In this episode, Steph dives deeper into pacing and energy conservation, sharing the lived experience and reflections that led to the creation of a free Energy Accounting and Activity Tracker.She explores how different people recover from exertion in different ways, including delayed crashes that can show up days or even weeks later, and why this makes planning, rest, and sustainability so complex for many neurodivergent people. Steph walks listeners through the thinking behind the tracker, including why mood, energy, and motivation are tracked separately, and how noticing patterns over time can support better self-understanding and burnout prevention. Drawing on both personal insight and the wisdom of the community she works alongside, this episode invites listeners to experiment with observing their own capacity with curiosity rather than judgement. A practical, compassionate conversation about learning your rhythms, honouring recovery needs, and creating space for rest, not just immediately after exertion, but in the days that follow. Get the Energy Accounting and Activity Tracker here:  https://www.sgroccupationaltherapy.com/Energy_accounting_tracker_resource Connect with Steph: www.sgroccupationaltherapy.com Email: hello@sgroccupationaltherapy.com  Come and join us on the socials: Instagram: www.instagram.com/sgroccupationaltherapy/  Facebook: www.facebook.com/SGROccupationalTherapy Facebook group- The Neurodiversity Empowerment Movement  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1258437025035170/

    10 min
  7. Welcome Back to Season 2 of Alphabet Soup

    18 JAN

    Welcome Back to Season 2 of Alphabet Soup

    After a year away from the microphone, Alphabet Soup returns with a softer, slower, and more intentional rhythm. In this opening episode, Steph reflects on the growth, healing, and unlearning of the past year; from pacing and energy conservation, to breaking boom–bust cycles and honouring capacity. This season will gently explore lived experiences of plurality and dissociation, unpack internalised ableism and perfectionism, and lean into conversations about intersectionality, privilege, and what it means to practice (and live) in more affirming, accountable ways. Steph also reflects on vulnerability, dismantling unhealthy ideas of professionalism, and learning through shared stories rather than hierarchy. inspired by yarning, collective wisdom, and deep listening. There's no rigid plan, no pressure for perfection; just grounded, honest conversations shared when capacity allows. Thank you for being here, whether it's your first listen or you're returning for season two.   Connect with Steph: www.sgroccupationaltherapy.com Email: hello@sgroccupationaltherapy.com  Come and join us on the socials: Instagram: www.instagram.com/sgroccupationaltherapy/  Facebook: www.facebook.com/SGROccupationalTherapy Facebook group- The Neurodiversity Empowerment Movement  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1258437025035170/

    13 min
  8. Masking and Unmasking Reflection and Checklist

    30/01/2025

    Masking and Unmasking Reflection and Checklist

    Check out this new resource- Masking and Unmasking Reflection and Checklist! It's completely Free! Let me know what you think! Get your copy HERE   Connect with me, Steph: www.sgroccupationaltherapy.com Email: hello@sgroccupationaltherapy.com  Come and join us on the socials: Instagram: www.instagram.com/sgroccupationaltherapy/  Facebook: www.facebook.com/SGROccupationalTherapy Facebook group- The Neurodiversity Empowerment Movement  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1258437025035170/

    5 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

I am Steph! Thank you for being here! I am an occupational therapist, reiki master, specialised kinesiologist, and above all, a human being learning to express my authentic self! I specialise in neurodivergent affirming practice and trauma informed care. I am an AuDHDer (Autistic and ADHD) I also have CPTSD and a dissociative disorder. This podcast was named Alphabet Soup after I looked at my diagnosis rap sheet! I then realised none of this defined me, and I felt called to share with you my personal and professional experience and expertise to help you unmask and discover your true authentic self to live in alignment with who you truly are :)

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