Sarah Taylor: Neurodivergent People Are Wired for Awakening

Are certain individuals more inclined to awaken spiritually? Do some of us have a natural proclivity to experience spiritual states of oneness? Welcome to the first episode in our new podcast series, Being Open: Spirituality and the Neurodivergent Mind. In this illuminating conversation, Tami Simon speaks with intuitive energy healer and awakening trail guide Sarah Taylor about the empowering revelations and approaches she has discovered throughout the course of her life—including the late-in-life realization that she has both autism and ADHD.

Give a listen to this compelling and informative dialogue on: waking up to our interconnection; the shift from “head awakening” to “heart awakening”; Dzogchen and “the one taste”; the receptivity and porousness of neurodivergent people; the healing power of integration and embodiment; the critical importance of downtime and self-care; experiencing equanimity; unraveling the adaption strategies that no longer serve you; living with a high level of “raw sensitivity”; owning your truths—instead of masking your wants, needs, and authenticity; the misunderstood habit of “stimming” (or self-stimulation); the concept of samskaras (or energetic blockages in your subtle anatomy); reckoning with grief; the futility and harm of self-labeling; reframing limitations as gifts; managing your energy and seeking support when you need it; the connection between our increased understanding of the neurodivergent brain and the collective evolution of humanity; and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

[ENCORE EPISODE] Richard Schwartz, PhD: No Bad Parts

**SPECIAL ENCORE PRESENTATION**

Richard “Dick” Schwartz earned his PhD in marriage and family therapy from Purdue University. He coauthored the most widely used family therapy text in the United States, Family Therapy: Concepts and Methods, and is the creator of the Internal Family Systems Model, which he developed in response to clients’ descriptions of various “parts” within themselves. With Sounds True, Dick has written a new book titled No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon talks to Dick about the transformation that occurs when we welcome every part of who we are. He explains that even our most destructive parts have protective intentions, put in place to shield us from unprocessed pain, and details his method for accessing and mending these inner wounds. They also discuss the myth of the “mono mind,” and why the mind is naturally multiple; how “exiled” trauma can manifest as bodily pain; connecting with our core Self and letting it lead us in our healing; and how the language of “parts” can be useful in our relationship dynamics.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Listeners of Insights At The Edge get 10% off their first month at www.betterhelp.com/soundstrue.

Diana Hill, PhD: How to Discover Your Deepest Motivati...

Learn how to move beyond trivial, distracting goals and tap into your hidden (and most fulfilling) motivations and latent “genius gifts,” with clinical psychologist Diana Hill’s research-backed “Wise Effort Method.”

Have you ever felt on a gut level that you’ve been distracting yourself with “surface-level” goals—rather than being passionately pulled toward what truly fulfills you? In this episode of Insights At The Edge, Tami Simon joins Diana Hill, PhD, a leading psychologist and the author of Wise Effort. With them, you’ll learn and practice some of Diana’s most effective, research-backed exercises for discovering your heart’s deepest hidden motivations—and your overlooked “genius gifts” for empowering those desires.

Don’t miss this exceptionally practice-rich episode to explore:

The difference between surface goals and deep motivation.
“Deep Motivation” – Why willpower and discipline never win long-term, and how to let your true North Star values pull you passionately into your days.
3 questions for getting unstuck from unhealthy relationships, work situations, and addictive behaviors.
How to identify your “genius qualities” (yes, you have plenty of them!)
An incredibly effective one-minute exercise: “To reveal your deepest values, just follow your pain.”
“Choice Points” – Tuning in to the daily crucial moments where our values and actions accrue a life of either joy or regret.
How to gain “psychological flexibility,” the one science-backed strength crucial to positive emotional wellness, and more.

Intrigued? Tune in now!

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Listeners of Insights At The Edge get 10% off their first month at www.betterhelp.com/soundstrue.

Note: This interview originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

Chelsia Potts, EdD: Unmask Your Glory

— August 5, 2025

Receiving a diagnosis of ADHD or autism, especially for someone in their adult years, can lead to a serious existential crisis. On one hand, it’s a relief to have a new understanding of the way your brain works. On the other hand, coming to grips with one’s neurodiversity often leaves us asking: OK, so who am I as a person? This was the case for Dr. Chelsia Potts, the writer, educator, and founder of the online platform Divergenthood.

In this episode of Being Open, Tami Simon speaks with Chelsia about her empowering “unmasking” process for recognizing and offering the gifts of neurodiversity. Tami and Chelsia discuss the existential whirlwind that can come with a diagnosis of neurodiversity; the overall utility of diagnosis and labeling; being “gifted and talented”—and also on the spectrum; empathy, intuition, deep listening, and other “blessings” of neurodiversity; showing up fully versus self-suppression; letting go of shame and unmasking neurodiversity; resisting the system; self-reflection and taking your power back; why there are no shortcuts to the lifelong process of becoming who you really are; finding the tools to flourish after an official diagnosis; managing the boundless energy of ADHD; pattern recognition and the autistic mind; owning our personal limitations; the big question: How do I use this gift so that how we live together can be better?; the “unconventional intellectual” and the importance of bringing the heart into any learning process; finding equal value in thinking and feeling; ancestral spirituality; “autistic glory”; and more.