"Life stuff" through a neurodivergent, clinically-informed lens
Grateful For Arriving...A Day Late!
Hello Again, Dear Readers,
Welcome to the second (first official) Dr. Z's Two Cents newsletter!
I am feeling grateful for every one of you who read the blog, shared a thought, or quietly lurked and kept coming back. (I see you...when your privacy settings allow. #IYKYK)
My intention today is simple: to tell you what's changing, what isn't, and to invite you to help shape what comes next.
Starting with this issue, Dr. Z's Two Cents steps into its next chapter as a newsletter under Anchor & Thrive Coaching, LLC, my coaching practice.
Same Dr. Z, same life stuff, same planned pause.
Here's what this change means for you (and what it doesn't):
Coaching is coaching, NOT therapy. The two are separate, and anything under Anchor & Thrive in these emails is coaching.
If you're currently or formerly my client, nothing about our work together changes. There's also zero expectation on my end that you join anything coaching-related.
If this new chapter isn't your beverage of choice, the unsubscribe link at the bottom is yours to use. No hard feelings, I promise!
As always, take what resonates and leave the rest.
Consider this your prompt: what is one thing you'd love to see more of in your inbox that makes you feel less behind?
Thank you, as always, for sharing these mindful moments with me.
Life Stuff
Moving day stories usually involve boxes. This one involves a blog, a spiritually-grounded rebrand & expansion, and a brain that insists on a side quest every time I try to be still long enough to explain it. *enter wink and finger guns*
So, here's the honest reason I'm moving from blog to newsletter: accountability. I wanted a rhythm I could actually keep, with a real send day, every other Thursday morning (Dr. Rachel laughs and laughs here on Friday afternoon, finishing up this edition to send out...yesterday?) and real people on the other side of it.
Consistency is something I've struggled with for as long as I've had a neurospicy brain (40+ years), and I've learned that I do better when someone is gently expecting me. Yes, I am aware that I am benefitting from you all following along here as my body double for this fun endeavor. Thank you in advance for your service! #AccountabilityBuddy
And because I'm being honest about it, I suspect there may be a little ripple effect. When I admit out loud that I need structure to show up the way I want to, maybe it gives you permission to admit the same? Perhaps also the gentle reminder to stop assuming everyone else just has it together.
Spoiler: no one I've met (yet) has *everything* in their life together.
The blog was my virtual soft landing space, a planned pause in a non-stop world. The newsletter is that same space, delivered to your inbox so you don't have to go looking for it. You'll still get "life stuff" with the same descriptive tangents, hashtags as punchlines, and parenthetical asides.
What stays the same is the honesty. Being human can be incredibly difficult, and you are not lazy, bad, or wrong for existing.
I'm ALWAYS curious: what's one thing you'd do more consistently if someone was gently (perhaps excitedly) expecting you?
The Clinician's Corner
Since this is a brand new space, I'd love for the Clinician's Corner to be shaped by you. Think of it as "Ask a Clinician": a plain-language place to unpack a mental health concept, tool, or social services tip. It stays general and educational, never personal advice or a replacement for professional mental health services, and I'll keep your question anonymous. No question is too small or too "obvious" (I promise someone else is wondering it too). Hit reply and send me your first question for a future issue!
Sit With This
Come back to the present moment. Let your shoulders drop an inch from wherever they've been hanging out, and take one slow breath, longer on the exhale. Notice that you arrived here, in a new place, and nothing fell apart.
What would you like this space to hold for you?
If you feel naturally inclined to share what resonated or how you plan to integrate a takeaway, I'd love to hear it. No pressure, ever.
Anchor & Thrive
Anchor & Thrive Coaching, LLC was intentionally created by Dr. Z as a late-identified neurodivergent human first, and a licensed mental health clinician second.
On the coaching side, my content focuses on helping late-identified ADHD and autistic adults learn to trust the parts of themselves that got mislabeled as failure, without having to explain their brain to one more person who doesn't get it.
This endeavor is a spiritually-grounded expansion into coaching in order to serve and support a larger community of wonderfully curious & whimsical humans through digital/online content that works better with their brain and its concept of time.
I have an updated FREE Self Care Guide A-Z available for download, with suggestions for every letter of the alphabet in a fillable PDF you can customize so it becomes a reference tool you'll actually use!
For informational purposes only. No downloads or purchases necessary.
Get Your FREE Self Care Guide Here
Until next time!
In gratitude & solidarity,
Dr. Z