Real Talk with Tina and Ann

Ann Kagarise
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

Tina and Ann met as journalists covering a capital murder trial, 15 years ago. Tina has been a tv and radio personality and has three children. Ann has a master's in counseling and has worked in the jail system, was a director of a battered woman's shelter/rape crisis center, worked as an assistant director at a school for children with autism, worked with abused kids and is currently raising her three children who have autism. She also is autistic and was told would not graduate high school, but as you can see, she has accomplished so much more. The duo share their stories of overcoming and interview people who are making it, despite what has happened. This is more than just two moms sharing their lives. This is two women who have overcome some of life's hardest obstacles. Join us every Wednesday as we go through life's journey together. There is purpose in the pain and hope in the journey. 

  1. 2d ago

    ADHD in Women with Dr. Jennifer Dall: Diagnosed at 53

    Send us Fan Mail You can be accomplished, capable, and still feel like you’re barely holding it together. That’s the reality for so many women with ADHD, especially when a lifetime of masking makes the struggles invisible to everyone else. We’re joined by Dr. Jennifer Dahl, founder of ADHD Holistically and a grief-informed neurodivergence specialist, to talk about what late-diagnosed ADHD really looks like and why the diagnostic process so often fails adult women. We dig into the quiet signs clinicians miss, like time blindness, hyperfocus, emotional overwhelm, rejection sensitivity, and the exhausting performance of “looking fine.” Jennifer also shares what to do when you’re told “no” after an assessment, how to trust your lived experience, and how to pursue support that helps even without a perfect piece of paper. Then we get practical: Pomodoro, body doubling, small wins, and simple systems that make follow-through possible when executive function is tapped out. We also explore the overlap of grief and ADHD, why “we don’t need to be fixed, we need to be understood,” and how families, educators, and workplaces can offer support that’s based on curiosity instead of judgment. If this conversation gives you language for your own life, share it with someone who needs it, subscribe for more Real Talk, and leave a review so more neurodivergent listeners can find us. Support the show

    ADHD in Women with Dr. Jennifer Dall: Diagnosed at 53

  2. Aug 19

    Building Kids Who Can Stand on Their Own: A Recipe for Raising Today’s Youth

    Send us Fan Mail We talk with life coach and TEDx speaker Randi Crawford about why teen anxiety is skyrocketing and how parents accidentally train kids to avoid discomfort. We share practical ways to build resilience, accountability, and trust so kids can handle real life without shame.  • why “rescuing” quietly weakens confidence and grit  • letting natural consequences do the teaching  • the pickleball parenting idea of placement over power  • listening like a coach instead of listening to fix  • setting boundaries with phones, especially at night  • sextortion, bullying, and why trust determines whether kids ask for help  • enabling vs empathy and how excuses become a habit  • praising effort over outcomes to normalize failure  • accountability parenting vs shame based parenting  • building a no-judgment kitchen conversation zone  • tools for anxiety including meditation, thought stopping, and “mental bank account” wins  If you love this episode, please subscribe to Real Talk with Tina and Anne. Follow Randi at Randi Crawford Coaching. Follow everything that Randi Crawford is doing.  Support the show

    Building Kids Who Can Stand on Their Own: A Recipe for Raising Today’s Youth

  3. Aug 12

    From Grief to Justice on Death Row: Sophia Laurenzi’s Journey

    Send us Fan Mail We sit with writer Sophia Lorenzi as she tells the story of losing her dad to suicide and the shock of how “normal” things can look right before a crisis turns fatal. We also trace how her grief shaped her work as a death row investigator and why her writing insists on nuance, dignity, and seeing the whole person.  • how suicide risk can stay invisible even with treatment  • why “suicide is preventable” can add shame and blame  • suicide as a public health crisis alongside rising rates  • barriers to access including cost, overload, and lack of early care  • the limits of crisis-only systems like short hospital stays  • the four-hour window idea and what it means for intervention  • what she learned investigating death row appeals  • trauma, abuse, poverty, and the stories behind convictions  • prisons as de facto mental health facilities  • grief, perfectionism, and learning self-grace over time  • family secrecy, survivor validation, and the weight of accountability  • letting go of control and choosing boundaries  • her memoir process and where to read her work  To our listeners, if this conversation moved you, please share it. Someone you love might need to hear this today. If you know somebody that is suicidal or you might be yourself, please call 988 or go to any local authority or anywhere that you can to get help. Support the show

    From Grief to Justice on Death Row: Sophia Laurenzi’s Journey

  4. Aug 5

    MentalHappy: Tamar Blue’s Mission to Make Mental Health Available to All

    Send us Fan Mail Anxiety can make you feel like you’re the only one struggling while you’re surrounded by people. That isolation gets worse when mental health support is expensive, hard to schedule, or simply not available where you live. We wanted a conversation that’s honest about those barriers and also practical about what to do next, so we sat down with Tamar Blue, founder and CEO of Mental Happy, a HIPAA-compliant digital platform for expert-led virtual support groups. Tamar shares how her own panic attacks, cultural stigma, and years of community work led her to build a safer alternative to “figure it out alone.” We talk about why support groups can be a powerful complement to therapy, especially for caregivers, parents, neurodivergent folks, and anyone who can’t easily get to in-person care. We also dig into what makes a support space actually feel safe: privacy protections, clear group descriptions, trigger warnings, transparency around pricing, and a low-noise approach that doesn’t mimic social media. We go beyond access and into skills. Tamar explains self-activated care, preventative mental health practices, and how journaling, gratitude, and positive self-talk can change the inner narrative that keeps anxiety running the show. You’ll also hear simple daily habits and boundary strategies that help you stop absorbing other people’s urgency and come back to center. If this resonates, share it with someone who needs a softer on-ramp to mental health support, and subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next. After you listen, leave a review and tell us: what’s one small practice that helps you feel steady? Support the show

    MentalHappy: Tamar Blue’s Mission to Make Mental Health Available to All

  5. Jul 30

    If we didn’t choose the trauma, how do we choose what happens next?

    Send us Fan Mail Life can fracture in a single moment, and the crack line often becomes the date we measure everything against: before and after. We’re reflecting on a powerful conversation with Tim Smith, author of Fault Line Still Standing, whose own fault line began with a kidnapping at six years old. His story opens the door to a bigger question many of us carry: if we didn’t choose the trauma, how do we choose what happens next? We talk about why the event isn’t the whole definition of a life, and why “surviving” and “healing” are not the same thing. Healing isn’t linear, it can still hurt years later, and it rarely comes with a neat ending. We also name the quieter battle that follows trauma: the toxic story it whispers about your worth. Instead of “you’re damaged,” we practice telling the fuller truth, that you made it, you adapted, you found tools, and you kept going. Along the way, we connect this to neurodivergence, autism, FASD, adoption, grief, and the way identity can be shaped by hardship without being owned by it. Then we pivot to what purpose looks like on the other side of the fault line: writing, storytelling, and building something new. Ann shares a personal update on the memoir Loving Differently, the Living Differently brand and resources, and a children’s book centered on Wren, a bird who flies differently and discovers that different can be beautiful. If this conversation resonates, subscribe, share it with someone who’s rebuilding, and leave a review so more people can find it. Support the show

    If we didn’t choose the trauma, how do we choose what happens next?

  6. Jul 29

    He Thought He Was Getting a Day Off from School: Kidnapped at Six: Tim Smith's Journey from Trauma to Healing

    Send us Fan Mail A single morning can redraw the map of a child's entire life. At six years old, Tim Smith woke up believing he was getting a day off from school. Instead, it became the day that changed everything. In this powerful conversation, Tim, author of Fault Line Still Standing, shares the moment he calls his "fault line" and what happens when the people who are supposed to protect you become the source of fear, silence, and survival. Tim takes us through being separated from his father at just six years old, the confusion of adults making life-altering decisions without explanation, and the lasting effects of childhood trauma. We explore how those experiences can resurface years later as memory gaps, selective mutism, hypervigilance, and a constant search for safety and control. We also talk about the lifelines that can make all the difference, including creativity as a refuge and one safe adult, his grandmother Ruthie, whose unconditional love became an anchor in an otherwise uncertain world. From there, we have an honest conversation about how shame and rejection shape identity, how unresolved trauma can lead us toward addiction or unhealthy relationships, and why healing is rarely a straight path. Tim shares what healing looks like for him today: finding peace in his body, creating a home that feels safe, and having the courage to say, "No more." He also reminds us that our past does not have to define our future. While we cannot choose what happened to us, we can choose what happens next. If you care about trauma recovery, resilience, breaking generational cycles, and finding your voice after a painful childhood, this is a conversation you won't want to miss. If this episode speaks to you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who may need a little hope today. Support the show

    He Thought He Was Getting a Day Off from School: Kidnapped at Six: Tim Smith's Journey from Trauma to Healing

  7. Jul 22

    Building Workplaces for Every Brain: And a Love Letter from a Neurotypical to Neurodivergent Leaders

    Send us Fan Mail We break down how leaders can co-regulate or co-disregulate a team, and why tiny shifts in structure can radically change safety and performance for neurodivergent professionals. We also read a love letter that names the cost of masking and the strengths workplaces miss when they demand one “normal” way of thinking. • co-regulation from managers through tone, posture, pacing and preparation • agendas, shared topic lists and predictable openings as cognitive scaffolding • reducing cognitive load to support executive function and better work output • being concrete and explicit about deliverables to prevent rework and confusion • making support feel fair by offering options to everyone, including breaks and video-off • building psychological safety so people can advocate without shame or forced disclosure • separating presentation from ability across schools, workplaces and other systems • rethinking performance reviews to value different strengths and processing styles • retaining neurodivergent talent through change planning, clarity and follow-up conversations • reading and reflecting on the love letter: “Different doesn’t mean deficient” You can find Jessica Lee at www.neurotalentworks.org and Melody Valenzuela at www.rapporteducation.org or at rapportconsulting.org. You can also reach Jessica on all social medias at  neurotalentworks. You can email them at neurotalentworks.org. You can reach Ann or Tina at Real Talk with Tina and Ann and email them at podcastrealtalktinaann@gmail.com.  Support the show

    Building Workplaces for Every Brain: And a Love Letter from a Neurotypical to Neurodivergent Leaders

  8. Jul 15

    Neurodiversity in the Workplace: Building Better Workplaces for ALL Minds

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Ann interviews Jessica Lee from Neuro Talent Works and Melody Valenzuela from Rapport Educational. Together, they challenge the idea that workplace success means fitting into old systems, then map out how to redesign hiring and team norms so neurodivergent people can do their best work. We get practical about interviews, executive functioning, cognitive load, and the small supports that reduce stress while improving performance for everyone.  • the origin story behind NeuroTalentWorks and the “who helps employers?” gap  • reframing neurodiversity as human variation rather than an in-or-out label  • three core shifts: education, less judgment, structural change  • common misconceptions in interviews such as eye contact and response time  • skills-based interviews that reveal real ability and build confidence  • what executive functioning looks like on the job, including stress and working memory  • cognitive load and how sensory and social demands quietly drain capacity  • simple practices that reduce uncertainty such as agendas and shared notes  • the “energy cost audit” for identifying high-drain moments and supports  • universal design and team norms that make accommodations feel fair  Support the show

    Neurodiversity in the Workplace: Building Better Workplaces for ALL Minds
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About

Tina and Ann met as journalists covering a capital murder trial, 15 years ago. Tina has been a tv and radio personality and has three children. Ann has a master's in counseling and has worked in the jail system, was a director of a battered woman's shelter/rape crisis center, worked as an assistant director at a school for children with autism, worked with abused kids and is currently raising her three children who have autism. She also is autistic and was told would not graduate high school, but as you can see, she has accomplished so much more. The duo share their stories of overcoming and interview people who are making it, despite what has happened. This is more than just two moms sharing their lives. This is two women who have overcome some of life's hardest obstacles. Join us every Wednesday as we go through life's journey together. There is purpose in the pain and hope in the journey. 

Information

  • Creator
    Ann Kagarise
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    200
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Real Talk with Tina and Ann
  • Show Website
    Real Talk with Tina and Ann

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