You’ve spent your whole life feeling like something’s wrong with you. Here’s a radical thought: what if you’re not broken - just different? Welcome to Different, Not Broken, the no-filter, emotionally intelligent, occasionally sweary podcast that challenges the idea that we all have to fit inside neat little boxes to be acceptable. Hosted by L2 (aka Lauren Howard), founder of LBee Health, this show dives into the real, raw and ridiculous sides of being neurodivergent, introverted, chronicall ...
…
continue reading
1
Toxic Work Places: No Job Deserves Your Mental Health
28:32
28:32
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
28:32Your emotional energy is not in your job description. There! I said it. Did you feel a little jolt of recognition, a sense of relief—or maybe a stab of rage? Hi, I'm Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do. And in this episode of "Different, Not Broken" I'm asking if you’ve ever slogged through unbearable meetings, survived a boss w…
…
continue reading
1
Thanksgiving is made up. You don't owe ANYONE a turkey!
8:21
8:21
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
8:21To be honest, I’ve hit my limit with holiday guilt and the weird pressure to act like everything’s cosy and magical just because the calendar says so. Holidays are made up. They only exist if you get paid time off or you genuinely enjoy them… and most people don’t. In this episode, I’m pulling the curtains back on the whole thing. The family expect…
…
continue reading
1
Different, Not Broken - Vegas Didn’t Kill Me… But It Tried
27:06
27:06
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
27:06I survived a healthcare conference in Las Vegas… and honestly, I’m still a little surprised. Hi, I'm Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do. And in this episode of "Different, Not Broken" I'm sharing my story of peopling in sin city. Between the cigarette-tinged air, the giant hotel that somehow has no sunlight, the time-zone confu…
…
continue reading
1
How I became L2 and started hating meetings
18:19
18:19
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
18:19I hate meetings. I hate them so much. Which is very awkward for someone who runs multiple businesses and technically needs them to function as an adult. In this episode I am unpacking why meetings make me irrationally angry even when they are useful, profitable, and with people I actually like. Why does my brain treat work like an interruption to m…
…
continue reading
1
Car shopping in Florida is a scam — I have receipts!
30:11
30:11
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
30:11Buying a car in Florida shouldn’t feel like psychological warfare, but apparently it does. I’m just trying to replace my family car without losing my mind — or my sense of humour — in the process. Between fake add-ons, hidden dealer fees, and salespeople who can’t stop lying, car shopping in Florida has become a full-time trust exercise. In this ep…
…
continue reading
1
My Dad, Vietnam and the Bruce Lee Autopsy Conspiracy
16:02
16:02
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
16:02It’s one thing to be a degree removed from a celebrity—it’s another to almost, possibly, maybe know how Bruce Lee died (except for the super weird turn of events that resemble a case for Mulder and Scully!) But that’s exactly where we find ourselves in this episode: one step away from unraveling a mystery that’s tiptoed through dinner parties, rumb…
…
continue reading
1
My Dad, the Autoerotic ‘Expert’ (and Other Things I Can’t Unhear)
18:34
18:34
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
18:34So, picture this: I’m having lunch with my dad, we’re mid-bite, chatting about David Carradine, and out of nowhere he says, “You don’t usually die that way.” My dad’s a psychiatrist, by the way — which somehow makes that line both better and worse. That comment sent me down a totally unexpected rabbit hole into his past life as a medical researcher…
…
continue reading
1
Autism hacks, sensory stories and The Autistic Adult's Toolbox
35:23
35:23
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
35:23Ever find yourself carrying earplugs in every bag and pocket, just in case the world gets a little too… loud? Or maybe you’ve written letters to your doctor, explaining that “no, you don’t look autistic” is not the hot take they think it is? This is the episode for you. I had the absolute privilege of sitting down with Natalie Diggins, technologist…
…
continue reading
Something's shifted in my podcast journey while recording "Different, not Broken" for half a year now. I didn't see it coming. Question is, did YOU?
…
continue reading
1
When All Else Fails: A True Story About Fighting the System and Saving My Dad
32:50
32:50
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
32:50When my dad — a doctor — started losing the ability to walk, I thought we’d find answers quickly. Instead, we ran straight into a wall of hospital red tape, conflicting protocols, and doctors too afraid to take a risk. This is a true story about how I fought the healthcare system to save my father’s life. It’s about standing up to bureaucracy, find…
…
continue reading
1
Tylenol, Autism, and RFK's Dangerous Search for Someone to Blame
32:02
32:02
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
32:02When a bad headline blames Tylenol for autism, L2’s had enough. This is her blistering, hilarious takedown of pseudo-science, mom-shaming, and the politicians who thrive on both. It starts with keyboards, ends with capitalism, and somehow makes perfect sense in between. Click play, have a listen, and then check out her Stan Store. https://stan.stor…
…
continue reading
1
There's one thing I'll never be rational about!
11:13
11:13
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
11:13My Brain Short-Circuits for This I have a confession. For someone who claims to be a relatively smart, responsible human and someone who can calculate numbers, analyze situations, run a business, and (at least sometimes) do 'The Adult Things', I have one irredeemable weakness. We’re talking a 'lose the thread of reality, babble in vowel sounds, and…
…
continue reading
1
Why Affirming Occupational Therapy Matters for Autistic and ADHD Adults
32:08
32:08
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
32:08What if everything you think you know about occupational therapy (OT) is… not quite right? Here’s a confession: until recently, I thought OT was just glorified PT for your arms. Someone stands you up, hands you a toothbrush, checks a box, and off you go back to life, hopefully less miserable. Turns out, that’s not even close. In this episode of Dif…
…
continue reading
1
Infertility, loss, and the questions you should never ask
24:10
24:10
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
24:10Infertility isn’t just a medical diagnosis — it’s a daily ache that reshapes how you see yourself, your relationships, and even good news from people you love. In this raw, unfiltered episode, I'm opening the hell up about four years of unexplained infertility, pregnancy loss, the jealousy nobody admits out loud, and why asking “When are you having…
…
continue reading
1
We've Been Programmed By the Boomers to be Secretive
22:03
22:03
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
22:03Boomers love secrets! I said it. Maybe you flinched reading that—maybe you’re nodding along, feeling it deep in your bones, the way “don’t tell anyone” was as common in your house as “finish your peas.” This episode is for every person who grew up in a family where “put on a smile” was mandatory, pain was packed neatly away, and no news—good or bad…
…
continue reading
1
Neurodivergent friends - the relationship trauma nobody talks about
28:30
28:30
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
28:30Breakups Aren’t Just for Lovers: Why Losing Neurodivergent Friends Hurts So Damn Much We don’t talk enough about the heartbreak of losing neurodivergent friends. For many of us, those friendships feel deeper than family. And when they end, the grief can be worse than any romantic breakup. This Different Not Broken episode dives into the messy, unde…
…
continue reading
1
Nine Years Without My Dad: The Story Behind LBee Day and Finding Strength in Grief
24:24
24:24
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
24:24Nine years. That’s how long it’s been since my dad died. Nine years of breathing around a space that never refills. Nine years of being a parent without my favorite example of maternal energy. Nine years of mothering, leading, starting a business, and still, on some days, needing to remind myself that “different” is just that—different, not broken.…
…
continue reading
1
Hanging Upside Down Helped Me See Straight
20:13
20:13
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
20:13I've never been able to tell left from right. There! I said it. I’ll probably say it again at least fourteen times before breakfast tomorrow. My brain has never clocked the absolute 'well, obviously' of which direction is which. But... plot twist... that’s not a problem. It’s just different. And that difference taught me a hell of a lot more about …
…
continue reading
1
Why you deserve help NOW, BEFORE the Gray sets in. Also, fu*k J.K. Rowling!
17:49
17:49
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
17:49One pill a day. That’s all it takes, apparently, to give the world its color back. You’d think adding a little routine to your morning... a pill, a glass of water... wouldn’t be the hill your mental health dies on, but here we are. In this week’s episode of Different, Not Broken, I'm letting you in on the strange, subtle shape that anxiety and depr…
…
continue reading
1
Surviving Challenges with a Pinterest Mom By Your Side
25:08
25:08
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
25:08Here's why we all need to marry a Pinterest mom! This is your cue to send a bouquet of apology flowers to every postal worker you’ve ever rolled your eyes at. In this week’s episode, I, Lauren Howard (aka L2, thanks for asking), spiral into the surprisingly convoluted topics of marriage, US mailing discounts and business-unit-only windows that migh…
…
continue reading
1
Who told you THAT and gave you imposter syndrome?
14:25
14:25
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
14:25Who told you you weren’t good enough? No really, who actually said it? Because I checked, and 9 times out of 10, it’s just you playing that broken record in your head. I show up to urgent care in pajamas, basically grunting in pain, and still get asked for telehealth advice. That’s right. People think I know what I’m doing. Meanwhile, I am absolute…
…
continue reading
1
Dismantling 'Normal': Why Different is Not Broken
23:45
23:45
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
23:45What is “normal,” and why does everyone want it so damn bad? No, really. When did we start treating “normal” like the holy grail instead of the steaming pile of… well, I’ll let you fill in the blank. On this episode of Different, Not Broken, I—Lauren Howard, your host, also known as L2—am pulling normal out of its gilded cage, shaking it around, an…
…
continue reading
The Black Neurodivergent Experience People say things like "just be yourself" with the expectation that you’ll just snap your fingers and turn the volume down on generations of pressure to fit in. But what does that even mean when your existence as 'yourself' stops conversations cold? When walking into every room means holding your breath, trying t…
…
continue reading
Nobody Knows What They’re Doing Have you ever found yourself glancing around a room (or a Zoom meeting, or a group chat, or the chaos of your living room) and wondered, “Who put me in charge—don’t they know I still feel sixteen most days?” Yeah, me too. In this episode of “Different, Not Broken,” I, Lauren Howard—L2 for the cool kids —am letting yo…
…
continue reading
1
Escaping MAGA - Your trauma is not an excuse to create more trauma
39:25
39:25
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
39:25Well done, you've decided to escape MAGA. Here's the learning moment. Your trauma is not an excuse to create more trauma It finally happened. Someone said it out loud. Someone from the inside. Not in a viral Twitter thread or anonymous Reddit post, but right here, in full view and full voice. Most of us have our ideas — the way we imagine 'the MAGA…
…
continue reading