Dr. Matthew Zakreski Episode 4 – Neurodivergent People and Divorce/Separation
Release Date: 01/28/2025
Andrea Leeb Episode 1 – Your Past Inspires You Without Defining You
Overcomers Overcoming
Andrea Leeb’s life story will inspire others who have faced trauma early on. She shares her journey in her upcoming book Such a Pretty Picture, scheduled for release in October 2025. It serves as a masterclass in personal resilience and radical reinvention. At just four years old, Andrea experienced sexual abuse by her father. When her mother walked in and saw this, she had a dissociative breakdown and went temporarily blind. That pivotal moment, when her childhood was forever changed, was buried under decades of silence, shame, and a longing for love that never came. Andrea spent many years...
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Ray Martin Episode 1 – My Redefined Life Purpose
Overcomers Overcoming
Ray Martin left the corporate world in 2005 to take what he planned as a six-month sabbatical backpacking through Asia. A series of unexpected, unforeseen events transformed that trip into something very different from what he had imagined. Shattered by divorce and the loss of his father, Ray relinquished his role as a successful business leader to embark on a journey of reinvention, taking a six-month sabbatical. However, life had a different plan. His nomadic adventure unexpectedly turned into a fourteen-year trip living out of his backpack. That period became a time of personal reinvention....
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Nicole Richards Episode 1 – A New Chapter of Life
Overcomers Overcoming
Nicole Richards made a life transition from being a makeup artist to becoming a life performance coach. What/who do you need to make a life transition? Nicole would respond, at least in part, to build your team. Get support when embarking on new journeys. What do you need to feel supported? Nicole works with a therapist, ADD coach, and business coach and is looking for a personal trainer. Having this team stops her from using friends as therapists. She gets unbiased advice, and her goal with a trainer is to challenge her body differently. So, how can you reinvent yourself with...
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Dr. Kristen Williamson Episode 2 – “Neurospicy” People and Employment
Overcomers Overcoming
Dr. Kristen Williamson is a licensed professional counselor, neurodivergent advocate, and proud ringleader of a “neurospicy” family. Her life is a mix of late-night epiphanies, juggling mental health myths, and a daily dose of laughter as she navigates autism, ADHD, and parenting kids who keep her on her toes (and sometimes hiding snacks). Here’s the deal: growing up, she always felt like she was dancing to her beat, but nobody gave me the playlist. It wasn’t until adulthood that she realized she was neurodivergent, and suddenly, her quirks and challenges made sense. That “ah-ha”...
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Douglas and Jennifer Dawn Robbins Episode 3 – Our Nine-Hour First Date
Overcomers Overcoming
Douglas and Jennifer Dawn Robbins discuss their respective life encounters and how they have grown together. Their first date was a nine-hour telephone call. They each experienced different life traumas that grew into a common bond of commitment. Jennifer Dawn was recovering from a challenging divorce and, at the time, had little interest in dating another man. The adage of “sticks and stones might break my bones, but words can never hurt” has proven false. Many lives are adversely affected because of words said to or about us, and those words can sometimes be a significant setback....
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Paul Doughty - From Abandonment to Awakening: My Story of Resilience
Overcomers Overcoming
Paul Doughty’s journey exemplifies resilience and transformation. Paul's true story of growing up in an abusive home and then being left unsupervised through his teenage years is now being developed into a TV series. His life's journey has been marked by formidable challenges that have profoundly shaped his character and outlook. From a young age, Paul wrestled with circumstances that steered him down a path of despair. However, with unwavering determination and an intrinsic belief in the power of resilience, he has turned his tale of adversity into one of triumph. The metamorphosis Paul...
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Clay Belgie – Working with Those on the Autism Spectrum
Overcomers Overcoming
Clay Belgie is President of the Lower Shore Autism Community, a 501 (c) (3) organization. The Lower Shore Autism Community Solicits everyone’s support in creating a new map and plan for people with Autism, one that helps Lower Shore families fund professional help and the social support they need for their whole lives. Their mission and values include dedicating themselves to and advocating for individuals on the autism spectrum and their families, connecting them with resources and information, and building a community of mutual support. The organization envisions a world where individuals...
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Rebeccah Silence – Healing High-functioning Unhappiness
Overcomers Overcoming
Rebeccah Silence works with leaders to heal high-functioning unhappiness to make the most impact on humanity. Emotional wellness supports leadership, impact, business, and better communication and messaging. Rebeccah knows that the happier you are at home and the more emotionally well you are, the more the world gets the best of you and the difference you were born to make. Rebeccah shares actionable steps to heal family trauma. At the heart of her approach, which you can see at , is a simple truth: healing is freedom. It's the key to breaking free from the past, empowering ourselves, and...
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Michelle Choairy – My Complex Kid
Overcomers Overcoming
Michelle Choairy is the mother to her “complex kid.” Since his birth, she navigated her way around developmental delays such as autism, ADHD, and special education services, along with other life happenings. Michelle devoted nearly 10 years to searching for a way to help her son through his developmental issues. He is now diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called TBR1, which only 170 kids worldwide are known to have. TBR1, or T-box brain transcription factor 1, is a crucial protein in brain development, particularly in the cortex and olfactory bulb. It acts as a transcription...
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Casey Kang Head – My Cancer Survival Story
Overcomers Overcoming
Casey Head was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at 31 years old on Friday, February 14th, while sitting in the ER. She had no energy, nodes were on her neck, blood was coming out of her nose just from blowing her nose, and she experienced bruising everywhere. She was admitted to the hospital, where she stayed for the next 28 days. She felt her life as she had known it was over. Her treatment protocol lasted almost 2 years, with an aggressive regimen of chemotherapy, which had her going back to the hospital for infusions 3 or 4 times weekly. Cancer became her world. Four months into...
info_outlineMatthew “Dr. Matt” Zakreski, PsyD, is a high-energy, creative clinical psychologist and professional speaker who utilizes an eclectic approach to meet the specific needs of his neurodivergent clients. He is proud to serve the Gifted community as a consultant, a professor, an author, and a researcher. He has spoken over 400 times worldwide about supporting neurodivergent people. Dr. Zakreski graduated from Widener University’s Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology (IGCP) in 2016. He co-founded The Neurodiversity Collective, which provides therapy, IQ testing, coaching, and consulting. You bring your brain with you wherever you go, whether you're a student in school, a professional adult, or someone trying to determine your way in the world. But rarely do we get enough information to understand and process what our brains do for us and how they manifest in the world. Dr. Matt is one of the world's foremost experts in neurodivergence for people with different brains (think ADHD, Giftedness, Dyslexia, Autism, etc.) and how to meet their needs socially, professionally, and emotionally. He combines neuropsychology, clinical practice, and meaningful exercises to make educational, inspirational, and entertaining content. The Neurodiversity Collective (NDC) has been a long-time dream of this "grown-up gifted kid." Under Dr. Matt's leadership, NDC stands out as a group of informed, compassionate, and skilled specialists prepared to serve unique needs. There is a neurodiversity employment network headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. You can reach them at https://neurodiversityemploymentnetwork.org/. Auticon is an IT consulting business and social enterprise that exclusively employs adults on the autism spectrum in permanent roles as IT consultants. They are at https://auticon.com/. Aspiritech focuses on neurodiverse teamwork. Aspiritech’s donors allow that nonprofit to provide the essential support and programs that make us a leading provider of meaningful employment for autistic adults. If you can, please support our mission today. You can learn more about Dr. Matt at https://www.theneurodiversitycollective.com/ and https://ghfdialogue.org/author/drmatt/.