As an offshoot of my ongoing Heated Rivalry hyperfixation, I, Alyssa Zimmerman, LCSW, am joined by sexologist Dr. Samia Khan for a candid conversation about queer and neurodivergent sexuality. We talk about the stigma around different types of pleasure, why the prostate has a PR problem, and how shame tends to ruin perfectly good curiosity. We also get into consent, communication, aftercare, kink, ethical non monogamy, and why different generations are having very different conversations about sex. Along the way, Dr. Khan shares how sex became both her professional field and a full blown special interest, and we retire a few myths that have been confidently incorrect for decades.

In this episode of Clinically Awkward, I, Alyssa Zimmerman, your friendly neighborhood stressy messy AuDHD therapist, sit down with author Maria Ingrande Mora to talk about our shared and deeply unhinged hyperfixation on hockey. We unpack our hockey origin stories, including nostalgic and occasionally wacky adolescent fandom, how our relationship with the sport has evolved, and what neurodivergent joy, intensity, and identity look like both on and off the ice. We also get into sports and mental health, parasocial relationships with athletes (you are not alone), and Maria’s upcoming book A Wild Radiance.

In this episode of Clinically Awkward, I, Alyssa Zimmerman, AuDHD therapist, am joined by Dana Cea, a therapist from North Carolina, to explore the unique challenges neurodivergent individuals face around hair care and hygiene. Dana shares insights into their own neurodivergent identity, the impact of social expectations on appearance, and practical ways to make hair care routines more manageable. The conversation balances honesty and warmth as we talk through sensory sensitivities, societal pressures, and the often unspoken realities of personal hygiene, with an emphasis on self-accommodation and reducing shame. This episode offers compassionate, grounded strategies for neurodivergent folks navigating daily self-care.

00:00 Introduction to Clinically Awkward

00:33 Meet Dana Cea: Neurodivergent Therapist

04:42 Navigating Appearance Expectations

13:01 Curly Hair Chronicles

21:44 Hair Care Routines and Challenges

29:44 Professional Appearance Expecta tions

33:59 Hygiene Challenges and Neurodivergence

40:59 Simplifying Hygiene Routines

51:59 Self-Care Tips for Neurodivergent Individuals