Latest / ADHD with Confidence | Overcome Anxiety & Self-Doubt, Christian ADHD Coach, ADHD in Women / 181 // A Transformation Story through Late ADHD Diagnosis, with Meghan Pearl

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181 // A Transformation Story through Late ADHD Diagnosis, with Meghan Pearl · ADHD with Confidence | Overcome Anxiety & Self-Doubt, Christian ADHD Coach, ADHD in Women

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All right, let's get started into today's episode.
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Hey friends, welcome to the ADHD with Confidence podcast. I'm your host,
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Kelsey Spronk, and today we're talking with Megan Pearl.
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She has late diagnosed ADHD. And out of that, she has started a program called
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You Were Misread. So she's going to talk to us about that today.
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She's also a licensed clinical social worker. So Megan, welcome to the show.
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Thank you so much, Kelsey. For sure. So I'm excited to hear all about your journey,
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of being diagnosed later with ADHD, you said a few years ago,
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and then starting this new brand, you were misread.
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So what did your journey look like with ADHD, with maybe asking questions about
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why you experienced the world differently to getting that diagnosis and where you are now?
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Wonderful question. Yeah, it's funny. I love this quote that sticks in my head
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often that says, never let your empathy override your self-respect.
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It's a saying that I replay in my life, because before I was diagnosed,
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I was this very sensitive human.
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Obviously, a therapist, very empathetic, working with others,
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always felt a sole purpose to be of service to others. So I found so much satisfaction
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of that through being a therapist.
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But when I was late diagnosed with inattentive ADHD kind of mixed here and there
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too three years ago it rocked my world I,
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really think what happened when I got that diagnosis was,
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it gave me a totally new paradigm of how to think about myself,
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and so you were misread was is kind of my special project that I'm doing to
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put words to that paradigm shift of my identity, of myself,
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and hopefully give words to people who have experienced similar things of that
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identity that can come from being undiagnosed throughout your life,
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which for me, being that naturally sensitive person, which is very common for
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people with ADHD to have that heightened sensitivity.
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But not knowing, having no one around me know, I was mislabeled all the time.
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I really had a lot of negative labels put on me as being flaky,
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too emotional, selfish because of my forgetfulness. this. So,
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I mean, I was a child of the 90s as well.
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So during that time, that was when ADHD was mainly diagnosed in like young boys
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who were hyperactive and, you know, had more of a boisterous,
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you know, communication style.
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So there's many of us women from the 90s that were daydreamers that had that
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inattentive type ADHD that were overlooked.
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So yeah, I'm just here today. I'm so happy to be here and to talk about a little bit more of that,
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really radical shift that happened for me when I was diagnosed.
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And both the kind of grief that has come with that and like the freedom.
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And I think you put it so well. There's that that part of grieving what could
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have been had we known in the past, had we had the right supports and the understanding.
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And I do think that is an important part of the journey and the healing process
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is having that bit of grief.
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I think for a lot of us too, though, with that diagnosis, there's that sense
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of relief, having an answer of a way to understand ourselves at a deeper level
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and knowing, okay, I know what it is now.
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Now I can move forward with that knowledge and move into that next kind of phase of identity.
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And when you're talking about too, in childhood, inattentive and things like that.
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You just gave me like a light bulb moment. I think maybe the reason why I wasn't
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diagnosed in childhood, because I have combined types, so I have the hyperactive
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impulsive tendencies too, is I was homeschooled until grade nine.
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And I think, yeah, yeah. Right. So I'm like, she just, yeah, I felt like what?
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And so, and like at the time it wasn't, super popular back then but I think
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like when I think back I was always jumping around kicking a soccer ball like
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running up and down the stair like I was so active but I think by the time I started school.
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I had masked enough that people didn't really notice it anymore so anyways you
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just that was like a little aside over there so I was curious as far as the
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new brand that you're starting and you wanted to start a community with it, you were misread.
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What are you hoping to provide to late diagnosed women with ADHD through that?
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What is your hope for them in that program, in that brand?
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Well, for clarity, it is for women and men, all genders. And,
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For me, the radical shift that happened when I was diagnosed is that I went.
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When I looked at my personal mindset and how I viewed myself,
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and I'm going to get therapist-y on you here, going into subconscious programming, right?
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Like the subconscious ideas of self that we're not always aware of when we're
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functioning day to day, but really shape our self-worth, our self-confidence,
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and who we present ourselves as.
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My subconscious thoughts, when it came to myself, leaned into the negative.
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I had a lot of depression growing up, a lot of anxiety, which is very common with undiagnosed ADHD.
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Like when we're wondering, why are we always at fault? Why are we always not
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doing anything right? Why don't I fit correctly?
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It's easy to take on a negative label.
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And I see this a lot even in my work. I was really inspired by my clients in a lot of ways,
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where I saw my late diagnosed ADHD clients often be so quick,
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to assume that in social situations, work situations, significant relationships
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with peers and, you know, family, that they were the quick to assume fault,
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if there was ever a conflict.
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Very like, oh, yep, it's me here. Like, let me look at what I've done.
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There's been this history for people with late diagnosis to just get so comfortable
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in being the one to blame.
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And when you've done that for years and years, and then add other people around
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you not knowing you have ADHD and putting these labels on you that really are harmful.
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Like, even if, like, for me, it was like I was called messy, like, all the time.
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And even in my adult life, I'd be like, oh, I'm just a mess.
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Like, we will say the things to ourselves that have been repeated to us.
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And so as a therapist, I could not deny what a huge impact that had on my own
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life and on anyone's life. That...
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Where our mind is programmed to think of ourselves, if it is negative,
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it will have a negative impact on every area of your life.
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So this brand for you or Miss Red is really at its core there to uplift people
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who may not have words to that experience.
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To really, of course, it's hard. Like I'm a nerdy therapist.
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So it's like I look at the subconscious mind. I've done a ton of healing work in my life.
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But for the everyday human, we just accept these things as true,
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but then we feel we can be really impacted by it or we don't understand why
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we always feel kind of overpowered by others or misunderstood.
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So my goal with this brand is to really put words to that human who,
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has late diagnosed ADHD or maybe who has even just experienced a lot of shame
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in their life and internalize that shame as a reflection of self.
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And to give words to that where someone can more rapidly challenge their thought
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process and say, wait, no, this is who I am.
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I may be different, but in that difference lies my beauty. Or in that difference,
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if I take a positive, self-compassionate view of myself, who can I be?
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Who do I want to be? So there's a lot of identity aspect of this,
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of really leaning into what like therapists say all the time, self-compassion.
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But I'm hoping to give it words to anyone out there in a way that's just kind
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of instantly relatable.
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And I think that's what expedites people's healing. So that's my hope in it,
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because I really, I don't, I love people with ADHD.
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I love their creative minds. And I've noticed that when they are empowered and
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really taken seriously for where they struggled,
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man, that, that shift of when the empowerment comes on and when they really
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believe that no, actually, oh my gosh, they're good. They're different, but they're good.
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The talent and the beauty that comes out of that human is incredible to me.
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Like it's there's really like this magic to their minds so that's the hope in
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power yeah yeah it's such a testament to to how,
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impactful believing in somebody is and giving them hope and what you talked
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about as well right having that,
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awareness of what's going on and i think often it's that awareness and,
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speaking with somebody the other day and she was saying assumptions what assumptions
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are we making about how people respond to us and what is beneath that and a
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lot of it rejection sensitive dysphoria or rejection sensitivity right can,
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amplify these things and that's not something to make us feel,
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guilty or shame about that it's something that has been built over many years
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I imagine for most of us and then something that needs to be,
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deconstructed through that process and I think that's beautiful to have somebody
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who's gone through that, who can guide them, who has some of that knowledge,
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and also some of that personal experience as well.
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What would you say are some of the costs of being misread or misunderstood throughout life?
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Personally, I think the costs are very grave. I think if you've had a lot of repetitive,
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negative identification, internalized, which that sounds a little wordy there,
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but if If you've been told things that are negative about yourself repetitively,
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One defense mechanism to survive that as a child or just as a human is to claim
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it as your own voice, to say it to yourself.
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So when you're telling yourself like, oh, I'm just messy.
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I'm just, there's something wrong with me.
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I'm stupid. Ooh, that was a harsh one for me. Like, I'm just not that smart.
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It will impact every aspect of your life. It will impact, it will put a ceiling,
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on the potential for the good things in life to come into your world.
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So you could easily find yourself in a relationship that's toxic.
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You can easily be at a job where you're used to functioning in old patterns.
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So work, work, work, work, work, try, try, try, and never really get that pay grade.
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That you want or overworked to a point of exhaustion because you're used to
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not really getting that self-approval.
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You're used to not necessarily seeing yourself in that sense of worth that can come easily in some way.
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I don't want to be careful with my words here, but if you were given that message
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growing up that you're worthy, you're deserving, you're going to have more ease
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of that in your adult life.
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If you're not given that message growing up, or even if you're not given any
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message there's really no like target of where you should aim for yourself as
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an adult and you may accept what you know.
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And so yeah my my goal is to challenge that because it it can be very harmful,
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for humans and just really limit the growth,
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absolutely i like the way that you put that too of the fact that when people
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misread us misunderstand us
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the comments that they make, the things that they do as a result of that,
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that the danger really comes when we internalize that.
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And like you said, though, as a defense mechanism, I've seen that in one of
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my kids, you know, where sometimes I've heard him make these horrible comments about himself.
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And it's heartbreaking, you know, it's heartbreaking to hear that.
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But obviously there can be a lot more going on. But I think something else that
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you said, too, is that so say for a child, they grow up into an adult.
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If we've been praising what they are naturally good at, praising,
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oh, look, you sit so still and you get your work done and you follow the rules
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or whatever it is that we're supposed to, you know, praise in our society.
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I think what's sad is that we grow up believing that we have nothing to affirm.
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And I think that is really one of those things that needs to be uncovered and recognized that,
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if our society was from long ago or a different society even today,
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where we valued creative problem solving and connecting the bigger picture and the ideas,
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guess who's getting more praise and affirmation now is those of us who are neurodivergent,
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who are going to think in a non-linear fashion.
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And I think that's something that I really want people to hear as well,
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is that just because you weren't affirmed doesn't mean that you didn't have things to affirm.
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It's just that people maybe didn't have the vocabulary or the awareness,
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or maybe it was your environment that was trying to put you into a box that
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you were never meant to fit in.
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You know, I'm getting a snap. I'm snapping over here. I'm snapping over here.
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Absolutely. Well, it's interesting.
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I completely agree with what you're saying. And as a therapist,
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when I'm working with clients, and I've had to do this in my own life pretty
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radically as well, but affirmations don't work if you don't believe them.
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I think many of us know that as adults, right?
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And so one of the most challenging aspects of getting buy-in from people when
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it comes to saying, all right, your brain is repeating this,
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this negative label, this negative self-identification, right?
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And the defense is, if I say it to myself first, it's not going to hurt as bad
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if somebody else says it.
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It really, it's like a placeholder to not go into deeper pain, right?
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And so, but to change that, think about it.
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You cannot change overnight. We all know this. You've said something to yourself
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repetitively for years.
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And so when you change, one of the most important aspects when it comes to like
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subconscious reprogramming is having a statement or having words that feel believable.
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And something that I've noticed along your point that had worked for me and
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that I find I draw in people to my work with this kind of concept is that I choose to be an artist.
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Like for me, identifying as a creative gave me that permission to say,
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all right, I'm imperfect.
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I've done a lot of good things in my life and a lot of things wrong.
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And this one piece, though, works for me. I'm a neurodivergent person.
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I think differently. I live life differently. I see life differently.
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And there's something about that Aureus label, and I have always identified
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as a creative, But that's been kind of part of my own reparenting,
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reprogramming in my adult life that sticks for me because it brings in some magic.
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It brings in the passion. And it also has kind of some neutrality where when
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you think about artists, you know, they think in layers. They have to go outside
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the box a bit, but they're also purpose driven.
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They're trying to bring something unique and interesting into the world.
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And so I'm kind of just sharing that statement in this, where that's aligned with my brand.
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I'm very open about it when I speak to that, but I've also noticed it works with a lot of people.
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And sometimes you have to kind of look at, wait, where am I creative?
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But I find there's a lot of late diagnosed ADHD-ers that do recover their creativity,
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in their process or reclaim it.
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And that's something, yeah, we talk about here too, is that,
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When you were going through this process of breaking down an old identity to
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build a new one, that piece of unmasking also requires the second part of now
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figuring out what was under the mask.
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What do I want to be under the mask to rebuild, right?
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I really like what you said, though, about I choose to be an artist.
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I find there's a lot of empowerment in that in many different ways or even on
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the other side saying I choose not to.
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I choose not to do this or I choose not to be this and understanding that we
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have that choice and our identity doesn't need to be constructed from what other
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people do or don't say or do or don't think about us.
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And i think too something a lot of us women with adhd.
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We we put ourselves down we have that imposter syndrome perfectionism people
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pleasing comparison and i think like something for me for example i've often
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asked in my life who am i to,
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do the thing who am i to lead who am i to be here on this podcast talking to
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these incredible people that i have met which i am so blessed to get to meet
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all these super cool people.
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Like I always tell people, I love this. This is the best job for me.
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I love it. But I think when you rephrase that and say, I choose to be,
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I choose to be a teacher. I choose to be a leader.
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I choose to be, you know, an example for people, whatever that is,
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I find that there's empowerment in saying that this is something I'm choosing and working towards.
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It's not saying that I think better in some way to be able to do that,
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it's me saying this is a choice that I've made that aligns with my gifts,
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my skills, my values, all of that. There was one other thing that you had said about.
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When we're trying to protect ourselves, I think this can be such a tragedy,
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and hopefully I don't cry, but when you're talking about the defensiveness of,
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we've internalized all these things people have said about us,
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and we want to be the first to say them.
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I think another part of that, and I don't know if this will resonate with anyone,
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but we often push people away before they can push us away.
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And something that was so devastating was to watch this him my dad now he he
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passed away earlier this year but throughout his life to see,
22:33
he wanted community he wanted connection but he was definitely undiagnosed adhd
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like very very adhd and he.
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Never he never got the help he needed and it was so sad to watch him push people
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away that tried to love him and so what i'm trying to given that message there is that,
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it's so incredibly important for us to have this opportunity and take this time
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and work through some of these things because the cost of it like you said is
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so great to our own identity our own well-being
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and also to our connectedness in the world right loneliness is,
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a sickness like it's not good for our health and so I think just being aware
23:17
of the fact that sometimes,
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when we're trying to defend and protect ourselves,
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we don't just say it first about ourselves, but we also push people away and
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we don't metabolize love, which don't get me wrong, that could be like a whole nother episode.
23:35
But yeah, just to have that awareness of that.
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As far as, you know, when people are working through this and they're working
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through the awareness and shifting from self-blame to confidence, self-understanding.
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What have you seen as being possible in that transformation for either you or
23:53
for people that you've worked with?
23:57
Well, first of all, thank you for sharing about your dad. Cue the tears, right?
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I just related to that. My dad has undiagnosed ADHD as well.
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So I really feel for men, especially, right?
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When it's not as, especially older generations, right?
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They can't do a lot of emotional processing. That's not even okay.
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No, cue to all the dads out there. Sending love.
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I think anything is possible. But if you are going to go through this change,
24:27
of, and it's healing, it's grief work, and it's healing, it takes a lot of ability to go inward,
24:34
feel, and really just like notice with yourself those repetitive thoughts that,
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I like to tell my clients really don't have any function in your life.
24:43
Once you realize it's a defense mechanism, and then you're like,
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okay, wait, what do I gain from saying this to myself? Keep it factual, right?
24:53
There's nothing outside of that protection, right?
24:57
And so if you're willing to bet even just 1% more on that part of you, that's like, maybe.
25:03
Maybe I am worthwhile. Maybe things can be different. You can do this work.
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But the hardest part, I believe, is the grief work.
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And what you said, like, I think there's a shutting down of loneliness that
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happens for many people that is very protective.
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And then sort of the next layer that I would say after that,
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when you're like, wait, I'm lovable. I'm going to go be in the world.
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I want to be an artist. I'm going to put my weird self out there and love it.
25:33
You then have to go through a bit of a fight, a fight process,
25:37
for lack of a better term in that moment. Like, there's some anger that will
25:42
come up in your grief processing.
25:44
And it's weird. If you're anything like me, I grew up very in appeasement or depression.
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So when I got my diagnosis and went on medication, I felt like for the first
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time I had full access to my brain.
25:56
And I also though felt like I had constructive frustration,
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where I could stand in my body in my mind and say no wait you that's not accurate
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wait no because at one I started to believe myself,
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which happens like once you get that diagnosis it's so radical where you're
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like okay everything makes sense wait a second.
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That's a better kinder label for me than that other one right?
26:23
But something that I really think is essential in this grief process as you're
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betting on it is one, trusting that all emotions are moving through you.
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Nothing is permanent, right? Grief work, we don't live in a society that really
26:40
supports grief work, but it is essential to move through some of it to come
26:45
to a place of genuine neutrality or compassion as you're ridding that old story.
26:50
So anything you like to do to process, whether it's writing,
26:53
whether it is crying into your bed, talking to even just one person,
26:57
be it a podcast, be it a friend, or writing to even someone that's not with
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us anymore, having that process come out of the story is essential.
27:06
And the scary part is, is that we're so used to pathologizing ourselves in some
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way, like, I'm the bad one, I did something wrong, it's me that's kind of not quite right.
27:16
But when you go through that grief process, that's when you're challenging,
27:20
one, old assumptions of people that have been with you for a long time,
27:24
so they know you in a certain way.
27:25
So you really have to claim who you are with that kind of positive outlook.
27:29
So having an image of who this person is that you.
27:35
Adjectives essentially of how you want to define yourself first it starts with
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you you want to talk to yourself it is or talk to a therapist but what is that
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what are these new words you're using,
27:45
and then learning though to get through that really awkward anger phase like
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I so many of my clients are like there's something wrong with me I'm like no like,
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there's not but it's a little bit of a creative destruction of self and you're
27:57
learning just like kids have to learn a bike like how to ride a bike it takes
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time when you're an adult and you're going through this like awkward mess of
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identity transformation and grief,
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that anger piece is scary and it's so quick to go back to old programming because
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we weren't allowed to be like for me i wasn't allowed to be angry as a kid it
28:17
was very quick shutdown so that,
28:21
reclamation as an adult is messy and essential because it gets that fire in
28:26
you we need that energy to grow to take ourselves to new heights to,
28:31
really let some of these old layers shed and leave our lives.
28:37
If I could just normalize it to say it's awkward. It's imperfect.
28:41
You're going to do things wrong and it's temporary. That anger just needs to,
28:45
like any of the confusion, frustration,
28:48
sadness, process through the body with an attempt at loving it.
28:54
And you will see the change, but the anger is the fire that gets you somewhere new.
29:00
Hopefully I described that with some sense, like some image of it, but it is awkward.
29:05
Yeah, no, and I think that's good for people to know, too.
29:08
I mean, usually when we hear the word grief, we don't really want to run towards it.
29:13
That's not typically something that we want to choose, but I think understanding
29:17
that it's normal and expected,
29:22
to grieve through this process, to experience a whole lot of emotions,
29:25
and especially, you know, the pendulum swing or the roller coaster of emotions that we often have.
29:31
And then if you add hormones in there. There's just so many,
29:33
so many different things going on.
29:35
But I think it's an important reminder to trust those emotions.
29:40
And like you said, move through them. I think a lot of what's said to those
29:43
of us with ADHD is, like you said, you're too sensitive.
29:47
You're overreacting. Stop worrying so much. Those are some things that I heard
29:52
throughout my life from my family.
29:55
And I think knowing now that,
29:59
you're not being too sensitive to work through your emotions you need to work
30:03
through and go through you can't circumvent you can't go around or like shove
30:07
them in a box they're still going to be there then right and so actually needing to,
30:12
work through those emotions and the fact that the way to the other side is right
30:16
through the middle another part that I was thinking was.
30:21
With the negative, repetitive thoughts that we might be saying to ourselves,
30:24
I think, like you said, sometimes that's a defense mechanism.
30:28
And I think another way that I'm realizing was something that I did.
30:31
I was the youngest of three girls and often the youngest, we kind of just make
30:36
fun of ourselves. We're like, well, if people are going to make fun of us,
30:39
we might as well do it first. Okay.
30:42
And so I think for me, I've realized that an area that I haven't quite,
30:47
you know, finished working with is when I say stuff about myself,
30:51
that is not true, but I say it to try to be funny.
30:55
Okay. So I'll put myself down. And so I think recognizing that's an even more,
31:00
nuanced layer of, oh, okay, words have power.
31:04
And when I'm saying that about myself, am I then internalizing that because
31:09
it's become this identity of I fit in when I'm funny.
31:13
I fit in when I make fun of myself or put myself down and people think it's
31:18
entertaining. You know what I mean? And so I think there's an incredible buffer, isn't it?
31:23
Yeah. Right. And that rejection sensitivity, too. It's such I have so much compassion
31:27
for what you're saying. You're not alone. Like, I've done it,
31:29
too. I can't tell you how many people do this.
31:32
Some of the funniest people can be the most sad sometimes. too.
31:35
But yeah, just checking that though, noticing that,
31:39
When you do say that out loud, right, what impression are we giving to somebody, too, in that moment?
31:45
Like, I think about where, like, when I've done that, it's sometimes it's given
31:50
an impression that I don't care.
31:52
When I'm actually, like, when I choose to care about something, I care so much.
31:57
Right? But it's so protective. I mean, I'm feeling for you. I'm just relating
32:00
as you're talking about it really beautifully, Saad. Like, it's a buffer.
32:05
It's a buffer for us to feel okay. hey, but sometimes even just, it's so quick.
32:10
It's so quick to do as an adult. Like we're not like overthinking this stuff,
32:14
you know, sometimes it takes this moment right here where we can just pause and be like, oh, okay.
32:19
Yeah. Like I should pick one thing I'm going to not say to myself,
32:22
but you gotta, then my little tip for you, if you're open to it is like,
32:26
next time you do that in real time, can you pause?
32:30
Even if you say it, no perfection here, then replace it with a thought you want
32:35
instead but then we have to breathe that's when we bring the nervous system
32:39
work in the body integration that,
32:42
i'm breathing into my gut and even if i don't believe it right now i am breathing
32:45
into my gut and i'm going to pretend to believe it until i do.
32:50
No i think there i think recognizing that the words we say do have power and
32:56
that even if we say them in a joking tone, looking a little bit deeper and asking,
33:02
is there a part of this that I do believe?
33:05
My example, I always go to the coffee shop to work.
33:08
And some of the people working there, they're so lovely. And the one girl,
33:11
for whatever reason, whenever I'm around her, I just, I say these mean things about myself.
33:16
And she called me on it the other day. She said, Kelsey, stop doing that.
33:19
Because I said, I'd had a couple people be really rude to me lately at Costco
33:23
and at the coffee shop. And so I said, well, I guess everybody just hates me. Okay.
33:28
So I said that out loud. And she said, you know, stop. Like,
33:30
don't say that. And it's weird because I wouldn't usually say something like
33:34
that. But I love what you said when you said, you know, to pause and replace it.
33:38
I thought okay in that moment to pause and go you know what the right people love me,
33:43
oh that's what I would say and I'm and I feel it I feel it to my core the right people love me,
33:48
those other people that were rude doesn't define me but I think just recognizing
33:53
taking a step back not shaming ourselves when we say those things but asking
33:58
where is this coming from and when I say this does it plant a seed,
34:02
of believing that or is there a part of me that already believes that so I love
34:07
I love that awareness piece.
34:09
Before we get going, can you let us know any last encouragement you have for people.
34:17
Who are struggling in the early stages of this, and then also where we can go
34:21
to find out more about you and about the work that you're doing? Yeah.
34:26
I have so much compassion for people that are going through this.
34:30
You hit me in my feels right then. I have to just say that in real time.
34:33
My heart, oh, expanding for you, right? Because you're my kind of people.
34:39
I'm thinking about when it comes to words and encouragement,
34:42
something that you said earlier about the loneliness, right?
34:47
It is incredibly challenging when you have been somewhat ostracized throughout
34:51
your life, or even if it's on a lower scale,
34:56
oh i'm different oh like yeah people don't like me we get that messaging indirectly
35:01
and directly throughout our life so i want to say one it makes sense and,
35:07
i am holding so much hope in my brand you were misread is literally,
35:13
this you know role project based on that exact essence of you're not alone,
35:19
actually like we are just a little bit like the introverts are out there for you,
35:24
your truth is inside of you whether you see it now or not i really believe that
35:29
sometimes we just that pause is when we go inward that pause is when we say
35:33
what if for a moment i don't pathologize what if for a moment.
35:37
I pretend that some of these things i say to myself just aren't true they're
35:42
off the table for a moment can you sit in that unknown and breathe and be with yourself and,
35:51
i think that's just where it starts the seed starts when we just are willing
35:54
to see it label it and hold some grace for ourselves in our minds and bodies,
36:00
and with you were misread right now you can follow me on basically all major
36:05
platforms social media platforms and i am hoping to start a community for this
36:10
exactly around what we're saying,
36:12
it's so easy to default to the negative label when you've been told it for many years.
36:18
I got the late diagnosed ADD to 35. I'm not going to be able to replace 35 years
36:25
of telling myself something and in a year, right?
36:29
This is a slow journey, but it has to start somewhere. And the moment you see
36:33
it clearly, you'll never go back.
36:35
In some ways, that's that tipping point. So that's what I would tell anybody
36:39
that's in this in-between right now or struggling to believe or wondering if,
36:44
oh, is this happening to me?
36:46
Give yourself that value, that bet on yourself to say, yeah,
36:51
you know what? What if it is?
36:53
And I'm going to try to look at it. That's what I love about this work is that
36:57
the moment truth hits in healing, you'll never go back to something that wasn't true.
37:03
So the forward reminiscence happening, whether you like it or not at that point.
37:09
Right. And your people are out there. So just when it comes to I'd love anyone
37:13
to follow right now on social media.
37:14
I'm hoping to have my final website up very soon where there's opportunities
37:19
to learn sort about these micro topics of people pleasing, self-blame.
37:24
I currently have some free journal, guided journals online connected to my social
37:30
media platforms of You Were Misread to unwind shame narratives,
37:36
which is a lot of what we've been talking about today.
37:38
And it does go back to childhood. So it goes back to like these things you've
37:42
been told versus what now you're noticing, what's real, what's more current,
37:46
what feels more aligned to you now that you can think for yourself as an adult.
37:50
And so I have some free resources online and that really focuses on some of
37:55
that shame dialogue that impacts
37:57
our negative self-image. So I'd love for people to check those out.
38:01
And therapy is still happening. MeganBurgisTherapy.com. I do provide therapy
38:06
for people in Texas if anyone's needing support ongoing.
38:10
Outside of that, it's just been wonderful to speak to you today about this brand
38:15
and feel not alone, right?
38:19
Exactly. I always love the interviews, you know? I'm like, oh,
38:21
it's like I get to talk to a new friend.
38:24
I know. Why is it so easy? I'm like, give me all the neurodivergent people in my life.
38:29
I can spot them all out. I'm walking around today. I went to the bank and both
38:33
of the bank tellers, they were amazing. And we had a conversation and then joked
38:37
about how we can have weekly therapy when I come into, you know, I come into the bank.
38:42
But okay, I will stay on track, sort of. And I will point all of,
38:46
you know, your social media handles, your website for therapy as well below
38:51
in the show notes for those who are interested in checking that out.
38:54
Thank you so much for taking the time to be with us here today.
38:57
I know that a lot of this will resonate with those who are listening.
39:00
So I really appreciate it.
39:02
Thank you so much for this opportunity. It's been a total delight. You.