Living Neurodivergent: The Beautiful, Baffling, Brainy Ride

Ever walked into a room and completely forgotten why you went in there?
Welcome. You may be entitled to compensation… or at least a sticker.

Hi, I’m Ann Kagarise (co-host at Real Talk with Tina and Ann)—and I proudly wear the neurodivergent badge. ADHD? Yup. Autism? Check. Dyslexia? Oh, absolutely. If my brain were a browser, it would have 47 tabs open, at least 3 playing music, some would be lost, and somehow... one is just a picture of a goat with sunglasses. 🐐🕶️

Living with neurodivergence means living in high definition. Emotions are big, ideas come in avalanches, and time is a myth (seriously, 5 minutes can either feel like 2 hours or 2 seconds—there is no in-between), but most importantly, execution is hit or miss. 

💡But Here’s the Truth:

Neurodivergent brains are not broken.
They’re brilliant.
Wild? Sometimes.
Messy? Often.
But oh, so magical.

Some Days Look Like This:

• Hyperfocus Superpower: Wrote an entire podcast script in 2 hours without blinking. Didn’t eat. Didn’t move. Basically a writing ninja.

• Executive Dysfunction: Couldn’t start the laundry for 3 days because “start the laundry” sounded like a threat.

• Sensory Rollercoaster: Can’t handle itchy socks but will wear the same hoodie for 6 straight days because it feels like a hug.

• Memory Quirks: Can recall a random fact from 1998 but forget my password 8 times in a row.

And Yet…

My brain sees patterns others miss.
It connects dots, creates meaning, and bursts with compassion.
It feels deeply. Loves hard. And works in ways that are anything but typical—and that’s the point.

🛠️ What Helps?

• Visual timers, post it notes, and my "external brain” (which is just a fancy term for always having a person with me to help interpret the world around me).

• Permission to pause. Sometimes the best thing I can do is NOT push through. Sometimes it’s a Nintendo Switch break. Or a Beverly Hills Housewives break. Or both. Don’t judge me.

• Supportive humans who get that when I go off on a passionate, 10-minute tangent about scanner frequencies or how to get secret codes on the Amazon Firestick, I just need you to ride the wave with me.

What I Want You to Know:

If you’re neurodivergent—or love someone who is—this is not a flaw. It’s a flavor. A spice blend the world desperately needs.

Yes, it can be hard.
But it’s also beautiful.
And if you're willing to lean in, you’ll find strengths you never knew were there—resilience, creativity, empathy, innovation, and grit.

Final Thoughts (before I forget them):

Neurodivergence isn’t something I overcome.
It’s something I own—with a wink, a laugh, and sometimes a color-coded to-do list I immediately lose.

So here’s to the neurodivergent minds:
The dreamers, the deep feelers, the doodlers, the disruptors.
We may not always follow the map—but oh, the places we go.