Crazy Together

Marcus & Esme O’Kayvius

If you’re sick and tired of listening to the negative talk track playing in your head, then why not listen to us instead? We are Marcus and Esme O’Kayvius (not our real names), a married, neurodivergent couple with a lot of experience managing our own mental health issues while raising a daughter and navigating the dystopic hellscape that is corporate America. Join us each week as we discuss trending mental health issues and explore how they impact our health and wellness. We’ll also examine the myths and misconceptions associated with mental health and what we can do about them. Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com

  1. 2h ago

    126. HYPERFOCUS BONUS: Bad Audio, Compassionate Drill Sergeants, and Brave Admissions

    Marcus and Esme continue to persevere in the face of unanticipated audio issues that may or may not be supernatural in nature. Anyone who knows of a good AV tech /Exorcist is encouraged to reach out to the show with their contact information. Marcus and Esme share some highlights of a recent trip to the Poconos, where they learned about the history of the Civilian Conservation Corps, a government work relief program created by FDR during the Great Depression. The CCC, which was organizationally modeled after the US Army, created work opportunities for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25. Given the current state of the US economy and the young men floundering within it, Marcus proposes reinstating the CCC, and imagines the type of strong, direct, and surprisingly progressive drill sergeants needed to lead the young men of today. Esme then shares the perils of engaging in hyperfocus activities while unmedicated and unhydrated.  Esme closes the episode with a brave admission about how she has been feeling lately and what she intends to do about it. Marcus is, as always, proud of her. Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com Support us on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/C0C216B887  Contact us: https://www.crazytogetherpod.com/contact Our theme music Midnight—Declan DP [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch:    • Midnight — Declan DP | Free Backgroun...   Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/midnight-declan-dp

  2. 1d ago

    125. What If We Are Not a Glitch in the System?

    What if neurodivergence isn’t some sort of genetic glitch? What if our facility with hyperfocus, pattern recognition, and rapid threat detection are actually vital survival advantages that have enabled the evolution of all people? What if, against all odds, we are the linchpin of human survival?  In this week’s episode, Marcus and Esme discuss a fairly new hypothesis about the evolution of neurodivergent conditions. The evolutionary case for neurodivergence theorizes that conditions like ADHD, autism, and dyslexia are not genetic "mistakes". Instead, they represent natural variations in human cognition that played a vital role in enabling ancestral human groups to adapt and thrive. Marcus and Esme also explore how this evolutionary reframing supports one of their favorite theories. Specifically, that the high rates of depression and anxiety among neurodivergent people are not the result of “disordered brains,” but the inevitable outcome of living in a modern world that was not built with us in mind.  Victory laps and suggestions for creating a better world for neurodivergent people abound in this very special episode. Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com Contact us: https://www.crazytogetherpod.com/contact Sources for this episode include: Griffin, Benjamin, Riya Gosrani, and Jessica Eccles. “Beyond Comorbidity: Evolutionary Insights Into the Concomitance of Neurodivergence, Major Depressive Disorder, and Anxiety Disorders.” Evolutionary Applications, vol. 19, no. 3, 19 Mar. 2026, e70221. Wiley Online Library. https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.70221.  Fliesler, Nancy. “Autism and Evolution.” Harvard Medical School, 22 Sept. 2016, https://hms.harvard.edu/news/autism-evolution.  Muhlert, Matthias. The Evolutionary Advantage of Neurodiversity: A Polygenic Threshold Model for Cognitive Specialization in Human Groups. SSRN, 1 Aug. 2025, https://ssrn.com/abstract=5404371.  The Neurodiversity Directory. Neurodiversity Statistics & Neurodivergent Research Data. The Neurodiversity Directory, 2026, https://neurodiversity.directory/neurodiversity-statistics.  Our theme music Midnight—Declan DP [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch:    • Midnight — Declan DP | Free Backgroun...   Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/midnight-declan-dp

  3. Jul 15

    124. The Bottom-Up & Top-Down Thinking EXTRAVAGANZA

    Why do neurodivergent and neurotypical people often think and behave differently from one another, and why do they struggle to see things from each other’s perspective? While there are a variety of reasons that might explain these differences, Marcus and Esme explore one that they think is particularly impactful: thinking styles. In this special, vacation week edition, Marcus and Esme revisit the topics of bottom-up and top-down thinking. In doing so, they ask the audience to help them figure out:  1) Do Marcus and Esme hate jigsaw puzzles, or are they just mildly annoyed by the imperfect use of jigsaw puzzle assembly as a metaphor for bottom-up thinking? 2) What  is tiger derangement syndrome, and how does it reflect society’s attitudes towards and assumptions about bottom-up thinking? 3) How does Boeing’s recent difficulties keeping some of their planes from plummeting to earth represent a worst-case scenario for the outcomes of enforced top-down thinking? Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com   Contact us: https://www.crazytogetherpod.com/contact   Sources for this episode include: McCann, Sam. “Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up Thinking: Why Autistic Brains Process the World Differently.” Green Coast Counseling, 2026, https://www.greencoastcounseling.com/green-coast-counseling-therapy-blog/top-down-vs-bottom-up-thinking-why-autistic-brains-process-the-world-differently.  Lee, Crystal I. “Bottom-Up Thinking and Autism: A Different Way of Processing the World.” LA Concierge Psychologist, 2020, https://laconciergepsychologist.com/blog/bottom-up-thinking-and-autism.  Main, Paul. “Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up Processing: How Learners Think.” Structural Learning, 2026, https://www.structural-learning.com/post/top-down-processing-and-bottom-up-processing.  Blackmore, Laura. “Top-Down Vs Bottom-Up Approach In Management: Key Differences.” Cascade, 17 Mar. 2025, https://www.cascade.app/blog/top-down-vs-bottom-up.  Josephs, Leslie, and Thomas Franck. “Boeing Survey Showed Employees Felt Pressure from Managers on Safety Approvals.” CNBC, 20 Oct. 2019, updated 21 Oct. 2019, https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/20/boeing-survey-shows-safety-workers-felt-pressure-from-managers-report.html.  Singh, Laura, et al. “The Effect of Optimistic Expectancies on Attention Bias: Neural and Behavioral Correlates.” Scientific Reports, vol. 10, article no. 6495, 2020, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-61440-1.  Sharot, Tali. “The Optimism Bias.” Current Biology, vol. 21, no. 23, 6 Dec. 2011, pp. R941–R945. ScienceDirect, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982211011912.  Suster, Mark. “The Benefits of Top-Down Thinking & Why It Is Critical to Entrepreneurs.” Both Sides of the Table, 14 July 2010, https://bothsidesofthetable.com/the-benefits-of-top-down-thinking-why-it-is-critical-to-entrepreneurs-bec7789659a7.  Our theme music Midnight—Declan DP [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch:    • Midnight — Declan DP | Free Backgroun...   Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/midnight-declan-dp

  4. Jul 8

    122. The Power of Novelty

    Esme-heads: prepare to be disappointed. Or, prepare to be delightfully surprised! Such is the power of novel experiences. Marcus is flying solo this week. And while he realizes the throngs of Esme fans out there might be loath to listen to him meander his way through an episode without the patient guidance of his better half, he has endeavored to keep it (relatively) short and sweet. In this week’s episode, Marcus discusses the concept of novelty and its impact on the reward pathways in our brains. He also describes the positive impact novel experiences have on our attention and well-being, differentiates novelty from novelty-seeking behavior, and provides some helpful tips for adding some novelty to your daily routine. Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com Contact us: https://www.crazytogetherpod.com/contact Sources for this episode include: Reichardt, Richárd, Bertalan Polner, and Péter Simor. “The Graded Novelty Encoding Task: Novelty Gradually Improves Recognition of Visual Stimuli under Incidental Learning Conditions.” Behavior Research Methods, vol. 55, no. 4, 2022, pp. 1587–1600. PMC10250520, doi:10.3758/s13428-022-01891-8. Accessed via PubMed Central, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10250520/.  Hall, Karyn. “The Magic of Novelty: Why It Matters and How to Embrace It.” Psychology Today, 6 Jan. 2025, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/pieces-of-mind/202501/the-magic-of-novelty-why-it-matters-and-how-to-embrace-it.  O’Connor, Alexander J., Charlan J. Nemeth, and Satoshi Akutsu. “Consequences of Beliefs about the Malleability of Creativity.” Creativity Research Journal, vol. 25, no. 2, 2013, pp. 155–162. Published online 17 May 2013. Taylor & Francis Online, https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2013.783739.  Our theme music Midnight—Declan DP [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch:    • Midnight — Declan DP | Free Backgroun...   Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/midnight-declan-dp

  5. Jul 1

    120. When Neurotech met Neurowellness (I’ll have what she’s having)

    What do you get when you cross peer-reviewed, academically rigorous neuroscience with the super-squishy feels-based world of wellness? A lot of FCC compliant (but not FDA approved) devices, a little bit of hope, and, sadly, far too many broken promises.  Marcus and Esme discuss the burgeoning trends of neurotech and neurowellness in this week’s episode and share some “yellow flags” you should consider before spending a lot of money on a miracle device or treatment. They also share their golden rule for assessing the validity of any mental health-related service or product: consult a professional before making any treatment decisions. They also watch a video of an influencer testing out a vagus nerve simulator and experiencing some . . . um . . . unexpected benefits. Surprises abound! Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com Contact us: https://www.crazytogetherpod.com/contact Sources for this episode include: Müller, Oliver, and Stefan Rotter. “Neurotechnology: Current Developments and Ethical Issues.” Frontiers in systems neuroscience vol. 11 93. 13 Dec. 2017, doi:10.3389/fnsys.2017.00093 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5733340/  Loo, Sandra K et al. “Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Cognitive and Electroencephalographic Predictors of Treatment Response.” Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry vol. 60,7 (2021): 856-864.e1. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2020.09.021 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9714960/#S14  Global Wellness Summit. Neurowellness—One of the Biggest Wellness Trends of 2026. Global Wellness Summit, 2026, https://www.globalwellnesssummit.com/trendium/neurowellness-one-of-the-biggest-wellness-trends-of-2026.  “NeuroSigma Launches Next-Generation Monarch Device for Pediatric ADHD After Successful Pilot Program.” Yahoo Finance, 18 Nov. 2025, PAID PRESS RELEASE https://finance.yahoo.com/news/neurosigma-launches-next-generation-monarch-160000572.html.  Radytė, Emilė. “The Future of Neurotechnology in Mental Health: What’s Coming for Women’s Wellness.” Samphire Neuroscience, 13 Oct. 2025, https://www.samphireneuro.com/blog/the-future-of-neurotechnology-in-mental-health.  Israel, Ira. “Neuroplasticity and the Legacy of a Scientific Mistake.” Psychology Today, 24 June 2026, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/authenticity-101/202606/neuroplasticity-and-the-legacy-of-a-scientific-mistake.  Our theme music Midnight—Declan DP [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch:    • Midnight — Declan DP | Free Backgroun...   Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/midnight-declan-dp

5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

If you’re sick and tired of listening to the negative talk track playing in your head, then why not listen to us instead? We are Marcus and Esme O’Kayvius (not our real names), a married, neurodivergent couple with a lot of experience managing our own mental health issues while raising a daughter and navigating the dystopic hellscape that is corporate America. Join us each week as we discuss trending mental health issues and explore how they impact our health and wellness. We’ll also examine the myths and misconceptions associated with mental health and what we can do about them. Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com

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