Today’s conversation is with a creative who has overcome obstacles to find her place in the world where she isn’t afraid to be seen and heard. She helps others connect and engage, no matter how they have been “othered” by society, and she has learned how to effectively use her superpowers. Join us to learn more about making the world a brighter place for us all.

Jen Sujin Yoon is a creative consultant, storyteller, people-connector, and future-builder. We met on TikTok and immediately vibed with each other’s content. Jen is starting a new adventure as she launches The Dork Web Production Company. She lives in the Bushwick community of Brooklyn and loves this “cool hood” filled with passionate artists.

Show Highlights:

• Why Jen is intensely passionate about connecting people and using The Dork Web as “a light corner of the web where people meet and are inspired to make the world a brighter place.”
• How Jen’s personal brand of intensity involved her awareness of how “it all comes together” in her characteristics of being highly sensitive, neurodivergent, and 2E
• How Jen’s intensity was always shut down as she grew up as a Korean-American having to live according to metrics and expectations; she turned to art, comics, fiction, and pop culture as forms of escapism
• In Jen’s school experience, she was bookish and in the gifted program, but she never felt like she fit in or was good enough at school or at home
• Why toning down and tuning out was just how Jen learned to live, and she’s only recently learned to own her space and put her voice and face out there to be heard and seen
• How Jen learned to make herself small to try to fit in and be a people-pleaser--these were her survival skills
• How Jen felt “othered” in many ways but wants people to feel like they belong
• How Jen’s intensity becomes out of control in her moments of “Hulk-smash” crazy anger
• How Jen compares her ADHD to superpowers that make her loud and proud
• Why Jen views her past traumas as what has developed her into who she is today
• Why Jen wants to normalize ALL emotions
• How Jen uses her fire for good as she uses her interdisciplinary experience and embracing leadership to help promote others and their work that aligns with her values
• How Jen harnesses the power of her intensity as she watches her younger sister (whom she mothered) grow up and have awareness of the world’s realities
• Why Jen explains her childhood narcissistic trauma as “death by a thousand paper-cuts”
• Jen’s advice: “Even if you're a problem-solver and leader, you still have to take care of yourself and not be a martyr. No one is coming to save you---you have to save yourself.”

Resources:

Find The Dork Web on TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram. Website coming soon at The Dork Web

We had our first neurodivergent book club on Saturday, and one of the things we talked about was the complexity of labels. On the one hand, they serve as a tool to get information, support and connect with others, but it can also serve to separate us into "us and them" if we're not careful. 

In this episode:

• Why I avoided using the terms gifted and twice exceptional for so long, and why it's helped to finally use them. 
• Just because we can get by without a label, doesn't mean it wouldn't be helpful. 
• Being in both parent and neurodivergent adult spaces, parents are hesitant to label kids with disabilities, but not giftedness, while adults wish they'd gotten disability diagnoses sooner and often dislike the gifted label. 

Links:

Embracing Intensity Community

Free Workbook on Harnessing the Power of Your Intensity

Today’s show is all about taking a holistic approach to achieve balance and take back control of your life. Join us to learn more.

Zarya Rubin is a physician and functional medicine health coach. She is a formerly stressed-out mom who now helps women in mid-life get to the root of their health issues and manage their stress to take back control of their lives.

Show Highlights:

• What is stress?
• The relationship between stress, control, and our response to stressors
• The body’s primal response: fight, flight, or freeze
• Zarya explains her self-care graphic and gives factoids about stress
• How unmitigated stress often leads to burnout
• Personality traits that make you prone to burnout: being a workaholic, superhero, perfectionist, or lone ranger
• Common stressors in daily life are work, family, life events, health, finances, change/loss, and pandemic stress, which all of us have experienced in the last several months
• How stress CAN be a positive thing that motivates us to accomplish daily tasks
• How women can reduce stress levels by sharing with others and finding community
• Three types of stress: acute, episodic, and chronic
• The gut/brain connection and how stress affects it
• How to prevent stress, manage stress, and build resilience:
  • Use stress-busting techniques.
  • Take care of the basics.
  • Use a checklist, speak up, and practice self-care.
  • Practice breathing techniques, meditation, and mindfulness.
• What self-care is
• Types of rest: physical, mental, social, sensory, emotional, spiritual, and creative
• Zarya gives examples of breathing exercises and meditation that you can try at home
• Tips for good health habits for those with executive functioning impairments

Resources:

Find out more about Zarya and her work, and find her FREE Guide to Becoming Stress-Proof:

Wild Lilac Wellness