Autism & Entrepreneurship, with Nicole Igarashi | Spectrumly Speaking ep. 148
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IN THIS EPISODE:
In this episode, hosts Haley Moss and Dr. Lori Butts speak with self-advocate, writer, and entrepreneur Nicole Igarashi, aka The Autistic Burnout. Nicole is a neurodivergent peer support specialist with a late diagnosis of autism. She uses lived experience and expertise to empower and support others on the spectrum. She is an advocate for neurodiversity and social justice, writing critically and creatively about issues that affect the autistic community.
Fore more about Nicole’s work :
facebook.com/theautisticburnout
instagram.com/theautisticburnout
medium.com/@theautisticburnout
Spectrumly Speaking is the podcast dedicated to women on the autism spectrum, produced by Different Brains®. Every other week, join our hosts Haley Moss (an autism self-advocate, attorney, artist, and author) and Dr. Lori Butts (a licensed clinical and forensic psychologist, and licensed attorney) as they discuss topics and news stories, share personal stories, and interview some of the most fascinating voices from the autism community.
For more about Haley, check out her website: haleymoss.net And look for her on Twitter: twitter.com/haleymossart For more about Dr. Butts, check out her website: cfiexperts.com
Have a question or story for us? E-mail us at SpectrumlySpeaking@gmail.com
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPTION: Note: the following transcription was automatically generated. Some imperfections may exist.
HALEY MOSS (HM):
Hello, and welcome to Spectrumly Speaking. I’m Haley Moss, an author, artist attorney, and I’m also autistic. The Spectrumly stage is a wonderful one, and one that I am grateful to share with my one and only co host, who you may know as…
DR LORI BUTTS (LB):
Hi I’m Dr. Lori Butts. I’m a psychologist and an attorney.
HM:
Great to have you as usual. Thank you for being and going along with all the silly introductions I give you every time we record.
LB:
I always love my silly introductions. They’re great.
HM:
I haven’t figured out though, if I’m supposed to read off or say your name when I introduce you or…
LB:
I know I just jump in.
HM:
Love it.
LB:
A drumroll.
HM:
I tried to do a drumroll on the keyboard but it just didn’t come out.
LB:
How are you?
HM:
I feel like there’s a lot going on. I feel like the seasons are passing me by and I don’t know what day it is half the time. But I am just chugging along. I haven’t said too much. But I am working on another book right now, which is stressing me out as I attempt to get it done. Wow. Oh, but it’s time will come I have put this off. While I haven’t really put it off just life got in the way that I had to extend my due date for it. Okay, once so I’m finally having some time to get that done, where I’m not presenting every single day on the road constantly. So now I actually have a little bit of time to do the thing that I want to do.
LB:
Oh, good. Nice. That’s exciting. And you’re enjoying it?
HM:
I am but I feel like there’s just pressure on me to get it done, at least from me. Like I am not letting anybody down. Right? Yeah, I am determined. Well, you’ll get it done. You’ll get it all out somehow. It’ll be kind of a mystery, but it will get done. That’s how things are in my world. I don’t know how they get done or when they’ll get done, but they always get done.
LB:
Exactly.
HM:
How are you?
LB:
Good. Definitely not writing any books.
HM:
I think that might be a good thing.
LB:
It is for me, that’s for sure. I really admire that.
HM:
Otherwise that would stress you out too. Oh, yeah. And you’re like, always super busy and doing cool stuff.
LB:
I’m super busy. I didn’t know about the cool stuff. But I think you do cool stuff. Well, thank you. You do a lot of cool stuff, too. And today we’re interviewing somebody. That’s really cool.
HM:
Yes, we are that today, my friends. We are welcoming Nicole Igarashi. And Nicole is known online as The Autistic Burnout, and is a neurodivergent peer support specialist with a late diagnosis of autism. She uses lived experience and expertise to empower and support others on the spectrum. She is an advocate for neurodiversity, and social justice, writing critically and creatively about issues that affect the Autistic community. Welcome to the show.
NICOLE IGARASHI (NI):
Oh my gosh, thank you for having me. And that intro is brilliant. I feel like I have a lot to live up to now.
HM:
Oh, you absolutely are just fantastic. And I’m just grateful for you, being you. So let’s kick off our discussion. Would you feel comfortable sharing with us and the audience how you became involved in the autism community?
NI:
So I am kind of a curmudgeon by nature. And when I came to my autism diagnosis through my son’s, um, and I know this might be a separate issue for a separate episode, but my son match very closely to a PDA profile. And so that’s a sort of IE typical profile of autism, very imaginated. And outgoing, but still very much autistic in nature and high anxiety and demand resistance. So I honed in on that for him right away. And it took me as it does many adults a few years to sort of catch up and realize “he’s exactly like me growing up… he’s exactly like me growing up… oh, he is exactly like me growing up, should I schedule one too?” You know, and then I was very, very snarky about my diagnosis. I didn’t think I would be diagnosed because I had been treated for CPTSD for so many years. And the community had telling me you can’t possibly be autistic and have CPTSD. They have overlapping symptoms, you will never get a diagnosis. And so I walked in there with a chip on my shoulder for my final appointment, not expecting to receive a medical diagnosis and sort of comfortable at that point, let the neurodivergent community and Self diagnosis. And to my surprise, I got a medical diagnosis. So at that point, it became interesting because all of a sudden, you know, I was being accepted when I thought I’d be denied. And while I was waiting for treatment, because, you know, the medical system, the wait can be long, it was several months between diagnosis and treatment, I was doing a lot of community work, and I had joined an order divergent collective that is still in operation, which I will plug for free right now. And say, it really helped me, you know, connect with my identity. And that is a woman named Kristy Forbes, she has a community that is it a si tasks, family, or Co Op, or something of that nature, if you just Google Kristy Forbes, she has a monthly membership. What happened for me it was I became sort of really addicted to this connection and community that I felt in group meetings. But then COVID ended, and my children went that to sort of a regular school schedule and a regular schedule, and I couldn’t attend meetings that were based in the UK, I just, you know, I was in a state of burnout, and I didn’t really have the energy to wake up at 3am and go to a meeting. And so I decided to make my own and that’s how this was born. Um, and I, a lot of it has to do with that journey, that Christie and the nor divergent community in the UK, and in Australia, really set me upon, um, to listen to my inner truth, and to shift the framework of how I see myself from a sort of this medical model of deficiency, to a model of me being maybe mismatched with my environment. And that’s why I’ve had difficulty. And it’s not really anyone’s fault, which as a justice seeker, and sort of someone who’s very sensitive to justice, which is part of my autistic profile part of the PDA subtype of my profile, that really rang more true to me than what I’ve encountered with therapists in the past. So as I waited for treatment, I began to be quite ready to refuse treatment. And my first appointment I went in again, was a chip on my shoulder. And I just met the most lovely counselor who not only was neurodivergent herself, but had experience with PDA and blew me away and was not judgmental, and so I am still in treatment with them. But I’ve come so far and been nurtured by really been lucky to have fallen upon really experienced supportive people. And what I hear back from my medium readers, which is where I sort of began advocating and writing is they’ve just had the opposite. And they haven’t ever experienced that peer connection that was feeding me and driving my healing really, and, and my ability to unmask and to find my thing to do everyday that doesn’t drain me and put me in constant burnout. So I wanted to give that to other people. And of course, you have a background in psychology, so you know, how important helping other people is to that healing process and how much dopamine that can give you. So I’m really enjoying taking my life away from owning restaurants and food trucks and things that were really taxing on me it’s just something that gives me energy at the end of the day, which I think you both know a little bit about this is why you do what you do.
LB:
Yeah, and your work has been in the entrepreneur entrepreneurship area. Tell us about how, how your journey led you to be an entrepreneur.
NI:
So this is actually He, I don’t even know where to start with this rant. You’re born an entrepreneur, right? I have, I have a now almost 10 year old. And last year, the state of Pennsylvania has this social emotional learning program that every single student in the state has to take. And last year, they had this section on entrepreneurship. And they had the worst advice possible. And it was not only the worst advice possible, but it was super ableist. Um, I think entrepreneurs are not only born, they’re not made, you can’t teach someone how to be on, but they’re normally divergent. And I think their parents are most likely entrepreneurs, because this might be something that runs through families, and it’s especially helpful if they are sort of outgoing and late also fall on that ADHD spectrum. And be talky and can make connections. But I think, you know, we’ve got to be brave enough to stand up and speak out as entrepreneurs and be very weird. Entrepreneurs are not normal. They sort of they tell people to be resilient, and to be good team leaders. And honestly, I know that on the surface, that sounds like a really, those sound like good treats. But I’ve been an entrepreneur my whole life. I come from fourth generation restaurant owners, and I know a bunch of entrepreneurs and small business owners, they’re not likable, they’re not all good team leaders, they break things, they are definitely a little crazy. Oh, they’re they’re definitely not resilient, they surround themselves with people that feed their energy, they don’t stay in situations that are difficult, and tough it out at all. They keep their energy slowing, they’re always you can feel the energy of a successful entrepreneur, and they’re definitely not wasting their time on the minutiae of what this program is setting people, you know, these kids up to think entrepreneurship is and they’re discouraging, or divergent children, because we’re so much microaggression.
And, you know, you have to pay attention and make eye contact with people and show that you’re listening. Honestly, like, think about the most successful entrepreneurs, they’re a little weird, they’re a little rude. But they have what you can’t teach, they have that relationship with their craft, whatever it is they do. That is like that security of knowing they’re doing that confidence of knowing they’re doing what they’re born to do. They can’t be questioned, because they know without a fact they give you a reason they know what they’re doing. And I don’t think that you can teach that I think that comes from having what is called hyper focus, but can really be reframed as an incredible propensity to let energy flow through you and to see through an idea in a way that most I hate to use this word, normal, the average person is not built to do because starting a business is a little like falling in love. And think about that chemically. It’s a little, it’s a little crazy. You got to be a little crazy, you really have to put everything on the line because you had that level of confidence. And it takes a lot to get to that level of confidence in this society, right? I don’t think it should. But right now, think about the way we raise children. We raised them from the very beginning to put the needs of society and others over their own children should be seen and not hurt. Follow the rules. Children who assert their boundaries are troublemakers you know, there’s all these rebuttals right away and it sort of lead children away from their truth and from honoring who they really are. So that by the time we get to adults, you have to honestly probably be a little neurodivergent and really prone to that. hyper focus or slow states that gives us so much dopamine that we ignore social no forms to just keep it flowing. Because we know we’re in the right place. And you know that when you’re doing something that brings you joy, you get that. And you need that. And if a normal typical regular person could access that through like meditation, that’s great. But I think, honestly, we’re born. And I’d like to, I’d like those kids that are out there who are like, absorbing this material and thinking, I don’t sit still no, they good eye contact, I’m not going to make a good entrepreneur, ignore that, and do your thing. Like as hard as you get. That’s how you make it.
HM:
I’m very glad that you said all that as another neurodivergent entrepreneur who has always kind of been doing my own thing. I have had the traditional jobs, I’ve been some kind of hustler of some sort of it. I’ve sold art, I used to read sell concert tickets, I’ve done consignment. And now I have my own business as well, I 100% agree with so much of what you’re saying. And it also kind of makes you think about what we’ve learned about who we are, how we know ourselves better than other people. I think that’s such a great point that you’re making. And I thank you for that. So I guess it’s a follow up to me, what what advice, what other advice would you have for perhaps a young neurodivergent entrepreneur?
NI:
All right, honestly, this is going to come completely from left field. But what can happen to us, anyone in society is a lot of trauma growing up can happen. And we do our best when we are in that flow state. And in order to access that flow state, and not be stressed out and see the big picture and all the opportunities and be in the right place at the right time. And get the ideas out at the right time. I honestly think either some sort of mindfulness practice, or internal family systems, some sort of parts therapy, so that you can figure out when you have an emotion, because so many of us are either like, completely unaware of our emotions, because we’ve been lying masking since childhood. And we have we live in this sort of like gray area of alexithymia, we’re like, we’re split, we have so many different parts. And we’re not sure a lot of people that come through, you know, trauma, recovery, complex trauma recovery, say it again, and again, I don’t know who I am. So it’s sort of non traditional advice. But you’re going to know what to do. Once you integrate like, all those little voices into, it’s never going to be one cohesive voice. But like, once all those voices are on your side, right. And so many of them are not on your side, because they come from an external world that even has language, that pathologize is your existence.
So I feel like, um, you know, that kind of trauma based parts therapy really helps you notice specially like high masking people like me, and females who tend to internalize instead of externalize, and then sort of bury that away. And if we could sort of unpack what we need to unpack, so that we’re comfortable, that flow will tell you what you need to do. Because I think part of the reason we don’t, we were so uncomfortable growing up is we are naturally attention grabbing. And if we can just take away everything that’s blocking our access to that pure creativity. And be totally as trained as we want to out there in the universe. And like, get to that point of shelf security, we will find the right opportunities. And that’s honestly like, just do the inner work. And it will come to you. And if you don’t like that, which many of us don’t, I would say on mindfulness practice, some sort of subtle energy practice. It could be anything, tai chi, whatever, like you’re called to. It could be fast, it could be slow. It depends on what you need. But yeah, Go in, go and stop. If you have a really heavy external locus of control, Google it or go to your therapist and say I’d like to balance that out. I’d like to cultivate a stronger internal locus of control, because you know what’s best for you which Do something we said earlier, right? And you’ve got to sort of eliminate all your blocks to that which can come up from childhood trauma.
HM:
Thank you for that. And to kinda we’ll switch gears a little bit. Can you tell us about the autistic burnout project and how that came to be?
NI:
Yes. So after COVID, I had to go back to life and to educating my children. And I missed those meetings a lot. So I call out my therapists office, but this is how it happened. I was on the waiting list for all the services, I had individual therapy, and I loved it, I was super happy, I thought the whole practice was going to be really open or neuro affirming. So when it was announced that there was an adult group, finally, I was so psyched, and I went to the first meeting. And it was a nightmare. First of all, there’s two attendees, and three interns, and a therapist. And that therapist was not nor divergent, and it was, um, I went there not prepared at all, your whole audience will understand what I mean, like I thought it was gonna be on with neuro kin. And, like, had that like, great connection. And what I got was like a weird, like a training thing where I had to explain why I masked the whole time and it, my heart was beating out of my chest, and it was a nightmare. And so you know, I’m sassy, and I’m like, I’m gonna make my own anybody else. And that’s it. And things got weird, like, I had to take two months off, but I’ve decided to sort of need that self acceptance thing, and just be like, I had to take two months off, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I was busy. Um, but now that’s in remission, and we’re back. And we do monthly meetings, and it’s free. And what I also find that I absolutely love is, I am not anxiety ridden even when I’m meeting strangers, because almost 100% of the people that show up are female PDA errs, who own their own business. And they’re usually excelling in a traditionally an LTL. And that is just my vibe, and I love it. And is that something you want to like sort of share energy with saying that you just dropped by meeting because it’s, I love that I get energy from that. And I love also giving people that wait, you get it moment, because I think before I found Christy Forbes, I thought it was an alien. Bringing my family understood me. I said itself, and people couldn’t make the connection between the supply fed, um, and then just to be accepted and understood by people who, like for me, they were across, I was like, How do I have more in common with you guys, and you grew up literally, I’m in Philadelphia, you’re in Australia, you are across the globe. And it’s like, You’re my sister, you finally get me. So I get to give that to people, which I sort of, I’m really jazzed to do that. And then to send them back to their lives all sassy and to put themselves and like, ready to challenge norms, yay!
LB:
For allies listening, could you tell us a bit about the importance of support from loved ones when navigating burnout?
NI:
I mean, honestly, I don’t have a lot of support from loved ones. And I can only imagine if, if I had true support, what a difference that would be. Here’s what I do know, even those who are surrounded by loved ones can sometimes feel all alone. And it can be hard to access that support. So what I can advise is the importance of prioritizing yourselves and figuring out who can give you what level of support so that might look like removing, doing some work around removing judgment, which I know that we, as English speaking Americans are surrounded by from birth, but she’s doing a lot of work to remove judgment from how you interact with people. And so, let’s say you’re really burned out and you’re hurt and you’re like, I want to ask my mom for help, but she’s gonna give me a bunch of crap about being behind in my work and I’m gonna have to deal with this. You know, judgment from her and Really, we tend to then isolate, right. That’s how we get into this hidey hole. So here is where we’re not using our resources. So let’s remove the feeling of neglect and abandonment we have when mom isn’t as supportive as we want, when we ask for help and sort of try to once be like a manager or hate, like, what can mom do? How, what are her resources? What does she best at? How do I ask her without her using triggering language back to me. And that might even look like making a chart and making a script for mom. So that we notice, like, Oh, she really likes when you compliment our hair. And that might frame asking for help better, but use your resources. And try not to personalize and attach to the feelings of judgment. Because I know no matter how good your family is, are not going to understand what it’s like to be in order to divergent. And you’re gonna get a lot of things that sort of trigger you. And I understand that you might get everybody feels like that all the time. You might have to use some tactics like agreeing with them. Yes, I know, I’m always like this, would you mind doing, taking the dry cleaning for me, I’m exhausted, you might need to work out a place where you’re not feeling shamed and judging yourself. And you can allow them to have that if they just help you and get out the door so you can rest. And so I think that might be it.
No matter what level of support you have outside yourself, that might be the most difficult thing to accomplish when we’re in a state of burnout. And we just don’t, we’re wrong, right? We don’t want to hear another thing. And we definitely don’t want to hear it from the people that are closest to us, and push buttons that we’ve had since childhood. And so a little plan in your brain on your phone on paper. What can I do right now who can I reach out to, and if you have those people in your life, who actually help you judgment free and love you and show you unconditional support, just buy them the best presents and keep them close, because that’s life. And those people for me, I’ve found in in certain friends. And I love those people, because they also have support needs. And luckily, I’ve always had a really nice pattern where if my mental health is really good, I can help them. And then until health is not good. And when my mental health is not good, they can be there for me. So find your support system, even if it’s somebody who doesn’t always have the best mental health because the universe ebbs and flows, and sometimes you can support each other and then everybody is a little more stable all around.
LB:
Where going to find out more about your work?
NI:
Okay, so I’ve just I am not promising the Facebook will stay, but I’ve just at the prodding of my teenager, got myself on social media. And that’s nice because medium is where I’m usually found and that’s medium.com/@theautisticburnout. That’s where most of my work is, it is payable, so you can check out instagram.com/theautisticburnout. Or if you prefer, you can check out facebook.com/theautisticburnout, or my website, www.nerdynicole.com. And those social platforms will take those long articles that are on medium behind the paywall and distill them into bite sized things that can be digested on social media and get those ideas out from behind the paywall. So you can watch that over the next couple of months. And we should be posting at least every other day.
LB:
So in our discussion segment, we wanted to talk about recognizing and dealing with your needs when you’re working for yourself. What are some common pitfalls and how you’ve navigated them in the past. I mean, we kind of touched on this at the beginning about entrepreneurship. And, and when I heard you, it’s funny, I, I own a business, but I’m definitely not an entrepreneur. And I say I’m not an entrepreneur because I’m just I’m not, I’m not a risk taker, and all of those kinds of descriptions that you have about and that we know about entrepreneurship, it’s a lot of risk taking, and I’m very risk adverse. So it’s, it’s hard to be an entrepreneur when you’re risk adverse.
NI:
No, absolutely. You have, like I said, you have to you have to have sort of like a limerence with your, your craft, or you have to be a little crazy, you have to really be the kind of person that does like a financial, economic and social skydive. Right? Yeah. Yeah. Little nuts. Um, but also, like, again, I think PDA airs on, you have to really be somebody who can’t do anything else. I literally can’t work for someone else. And so the way I get up and I get through every day, and this is gonna answer your question, as well is, you know, sometimes it’s, what’s the alternative? I think about the last job I had, I’m like, oh, no, I’m gonna get up on time to do the science, because might not work for another manager like and the like, feel that way every day. Right? Right. Get over the little. I’m really fond of saying write, honestly. You just have to show up every day. And most people can’t show up every day. Right? It’s really hard to show up every day. Something has to drive you. And I know a lot of small business owners and we can’t go back. If you get the bug, right. Some people, they you work in offices their whole life, and they think gonna own a restaurant and they retire into it. And they lose their entire life savings in two years. Yeah, because, yeah, it’s not. You have to be crazy. Maybe cuz I was in the restaurant business. And it’s like all why? I think if you’re like a day trader or something, like you’re different kind of crazy, but you’re probably you have to be that loves, right? Love is crazy. Like, it’s chemically like, and you have to be about to do that. And you have to, um, you have to follow your joy. And, again, I’m gonna come back to doing that, that sort of integration of parts. No one will trip you up as an entrepreneur is second guessing yourself, or letting that inner critic takeover. And, dang, I love to, like, my old staff would be cringing right now. Businesses don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan, right? That right? And the way you’re gonna be able to plan your business, around your industry, your own patterns, your absent flows, is really doing that. In our work, going inside, whether that looks like you know, your karate practice, I get so much introspection when I run.
I understand not everyone can sit and meditate, like, especially ADHDers You don’t have to, but like, when you do your thing, your thing could be painting. Like when you’re in your zone, and you’re not thinking that’s when you’re gonna get your best ideas. And I know that doesn’t sound right. But your brain has to take a break. Especially different brains. None. It’s a coin. Yeah, no afraid. Yeah. All right. You can’t access that flow seat, if you’re focusing on on productivity. And that’s like, again, this material like third grader got like, oh, you can’t focus on fruit. Like you can’t be neurotypical and try to like planned productivity, what you got to do is rest your in order to budget mind and give it what it needs nourish it. Give your inner child what it needs to like feel really confident and warm and safe. Treat safety. Now, that means you’re gonna take some financial risks, but plan safety, if you don’t signal safety to yourself. And giving honestly giving your trauma background and your childhood background safety is going to look and feel different. So like, figure out how you can stay in that flow state. And everyone I think has heard of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, right? wondering, like, why do you need to signal safety because you will not be creative and access that flow state until you signal safety. So there’s a lot of attention on efficiency experts and productivity, but nothing beats an ADHD ear, who’s had all the rest they need and a nice cup of coffee, man their zone working on the thing that they love well rested, grounded and centered without any worries and stress and doubt on their mind. There, they will do a week’s worth of the work.
A neurotypical worker will do and one day and then they’ll stay up all night. And then another week’s work. Week like and I see so much ado, read about this being a symptom. And it’s not like the universe ebbs and flows. Not everyone is on the same synchronicity. So what you have to do is figure out what are your needs? Not the ones your parents have been telling you, you should have not? What’s your voice, say? Like, what do you need, and then pick a business that satisfies that need, and figure out how to make a living around it. Don’t say I need safety, I have to make a living, it’s not going to work that late, figure out how you can get there and minimum made, like met. So long term planning this might take I’m gonna take all these courses online. And in the meantime, I’m gonna work at this grocery store, because it’s not that stressful. And that’ll pay my bills, you know, how can you just access safety so that you can do whatever you want. And that doesn’t. That goes for everyone, not entrepreneurs, like if you just want to come from a family of dentists and you didn’t come out vibrating a dentist, like you came out an artist who really just wants to get lost in drawing. And maybe you don’t want to make that a career, you’re free to do that. Like that’s okay.
That’s what I mean by integrating those parts, like, get rid of the guilt that you have been in, like, taught to feel when you’re following your special interests, and then really see what brings you joy, figure out a way to do that. So if that means that you’re a risk taker, you want to start a business around that, that’s great. But if you’re into you’re not a risk taker, and you want to do the easiest thing you can so that you can spend your weekends cosplay, you do that like it’s fine. Um, and you know, that possibly, or in 20 years might end up with a really cool boost. And they might find themselves in entrepreneur after like 20 years of confidence building and following their joy. And they might find a risk cake in themselves, they didn’t even know they had. So really, it starts with just being okay to be happy, which I know is like really taboo and punk rock to say in this society. Okay. And then the productivity comes from that, right doesn’t come from focusing on productivity first.
LB:
That’s a lot and that’s all very important. I do like I do like that most people would say that say the thing again, about in the restaurant business you don’t
NI:
Oh, yes. Oh, thank you. Oh, my I’m so cringe. Right? My my partners and everyone who’s ever written a business plan with me? And then like, why do you want to be so? Like hated hearing this, I love that you want to hear it again. But it’s absolutely 100% true. “Businesses do not plan to fail. They fail to plan” and if you plan out every little thing and do if you’re doing what you love, you’re going to be a dicted to learning everything about that. So you’re you, if you’re an entrepreneur, like I adventurous, you might also be autodidactic. Like you’re going to digest everything about laying one of those businesses and opening one of those businesses. And if you’re not that granular with your nerd isn’t like, you probably aren’t an entrepreneur being some planning stage is where it’s very important. You have to not only have the joy for the craft that you’re engaging in, but also a bit of enjoyment out of making systems work. Like I really, I honestly would rather open restaurants and run them. I love it. I know that most people would run screaming from I just like it’s, it’s a puzzle of any rate, how all the systems work, and how they all fit together and how everything works to smooth this. And especially with opening a restaurant because you have to plan a kitchen around health food standards, right? And then also, you have a budget, right? So you have the plan, how much per hour. I know the math nerds right now we’ll just get a tingle used to know how much per minute that it costs to operate your restaurant, and sort of be semi accurate so that you don’t it’s very restaurants have very thin margins. So it’s super fun. It’s entering minds that need to be busy. And you need that. You can’t just love your art, she just love your art, you should definitely be creative. But if you don’t have that sort of zing for accounting that goes with that entrepreneurs had that as well like that. Need to figure out the puzzle.
LB:
Right, I mean, talk about a good consulting practice, because you’re right, there’s a lot of people that don’t know how to open restaurants, we probably do a great job just running them.
NI:
Yeah, you have to be really consistent which I get bored. Right? I love the puzzles that I get for it. So find your joy right so — That’s why I stopped running. I like burnt out and then I’d be like understood. I’m like, is that a delivery? Check it out. Please? Yes.
LB:
Well, it’s been a pleasure, Nicole again, can you tell our listeners how to find you one more time please?
NI:
Okay, Home Base is www.nerdynicole.com. dead simple to remember. And then facebook at facebook.com/theautisticburnout also at instagram.com/theautisticburnout, and look bulk of my work is at medium.com/@theautisticburnout.
LB:
Be sure to check out Different Brains at DifferentBrains.org and check out their Twitter and Instagram @DiffBrains and look for them on Facebook. Haley can be found at HaleyMoss.com and I can be found at CFIexperts.com. Please be sure to subscribe and rate us on Apple podcasts or your podcast app of choice. And don’t hesitate to send questions to Spectrumly speaking@gmail.com. Let’s keep the conversation going.
