Embracing Our Neurodivergent Journey: Week One of She Blossoms Beta Program

Behind the Scenes of Program Creation

Picture this: a desk alive with creative chaos - Trello board illuminated, Descript (my video editing companion) humming away, Canva tabs multiplying, and Safari tabs multiplying like crazy. Add to that, some well-loved books and client notes patiently waiting their turn. Don’t forget my coffee and snacks! That's where I'm writing to you from today!

The beta program has launched with 5 incredible therapists, and while my schedule is full, my heart is even fuller. Between the excitement and the screen time, my body is sending gentle reminders about the importance of movement. It's beautiful how these moments become living experiments for all the energy management strategies I advocate - from micro-breaks to somatic releases and mindful stretches. Are you practicing all of these?

Our First Connection

We had a live call on Wednesday to meet each other for the first time. It was so heart-warming to see everyone and allowing ourselves space to just 'be' (no masks required!) and share our common challenges and reflecting on our Good Therapist Spells (I'm still using my beta version but it's on my to-do list to eventually fine-tune it and share it with everyone). I'm in love with the collective reflection that we came up with.

Meeting Our Protective Parts

As I was recording the embodiment practice for the group, did you know what protective parts really showed up for me? Underlying all those judgments and inner critics, it was this fierce protective manager who has helped me to get through so many different challenges in the past. You know what drives her relentless vigilance? The pressure to perform under the influence of "internalised ableism."

Understanding Internalized Ableism

Internalized ableism is the unconscious absorption and acceptance of negative societal attitudes, beliefs, and stereotypes about neurodivergence and disability that we then turn inward against ourselves. For many of us trained under the Medical Model of Disability/ ABA and highly masked ADHDers, these are the battles that we may be all too familiar with in our heads.

In our daily lives, it often manifests as:
• The exhausting “try harder” loop when we’re already at maximum capacity
• Feeling shame about needing accommodations or support
• Dismissing our achievements as "not enough" because they don't fit neurotypical standards
• Over-apologising for our natural rhythms and ways of being

• Pushing ourselves to maintain "neurotypical" productivity at the cost of our wellbeing
• Viewing our ADHD traits as character flaws rather than natural variations in human neurology
• Fighting against our executive functioning instead of flowing with it

In the therapy practice specifically, internalized ableism may show up as:
• Feeling we must hide our ADHD from clients or colleagues
• Believing we're "less professional" because we process or organise differently
• Overcompensating through perfectionism and over-preparation
• Questioning our competence despite our unique insights and deep attunement

Moving Towards True Self-Compassion

It feels profoundly empowering to be able to call out these parts and how they might have learned over time in our life experiences and stories to shape our ego's identity. I am excited to bring in further depth from Buddhism, IFS, and neuroscience perspectives to truly transform our relationships with ourselves as therapists, parents, and partners so that this grounded sense of unconditional self-compassion can be cultivated.

A Gentle Reminder

So yes, to my fellow neurodivergent therapists, as we process and let go of these ableist mindsets and conditioning, heavy emotional energy, and masks, we will find ourselves lighter and deeply appreciate our neurodivergent brilliance while holding the challenges with equal measures of compassion and love.

Whether you’re in the program or reading this from your email newsletter inbox, you’re part of this blossoming community. Together, we’re creating a new narrative about what it means to be neurodivergent therapists (oh and maybe you are like me, with different skin colour other than white) – one that celebrates our whole selves while steadily led by Self-Energy.

As I keep powering through my recordings for self-compassion from my end, I invite you to notice: what parts of your professional self are waiting to be seen and celebrated, rather than masked?

[Wink wink]

With warmth and joy,

Poh