I didn’t plan to talk about George Carlin.

Or mascara.

Or why I apparently cannot send a calendar invite without causing structural damage.

But here we are.

Hi, I’m Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do.

In this episode of Different, Not Broken, I talk about why I can speak into a microphone for 100,000 strangers… and feel deeply uncomfortable when someone I actually know tells me they listened.

I unpack the idea of the “little extra hug” you can only get from strangers. Why performing publicly can feel easier than being known privately. Why validation from the internet feels different than validation from your neighbour.

We also take a very sharp turn into hyperfixation. Makeup hyperfixation, specifically. What it feels like when your brain latches onto something and turns it into a full-blown research project. How dopamine gets mined in drawers full of blush and setting spray. And why sometimes that joy is less frivolous than it looks.

Then we talk about the contradiction that lives underneath all of it.

Being wildly capable in a crisis.

Building businesses in your head in seconds.

And being absolutely useless at routine admin.

This episode is about uneven capability. The shame that can creep in when you’re brilliant in one arena and chaotic in another. And the possibility that maybe nothing is wrong with you. Maybe you’re just built for different things.

For Small Talk, I respond to a listener question about being great in emergencies but struggling with everyday adulting.

Once you’ve been inspired to brag, here’s where you can do it!

https://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/voicemail

Useful stuff

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you’re different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 – Doomscrolling and documentary spirals

01:29 – George Carlin and the “little extra hug”

04:20 – Why strangers feel easier than real life

07:23 – Makeup hyperfixation and dopamine mining

13:30 – The Sephora return that proved my point

17:29 – Listener question: crisis queen, admin disaster

19:00 – Why I pay people to manage my calendar

20:50 – Maybe you’re just built differently

Mentioned in this episode:

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We had a hell of a week last week. But let me tell you this one story....

I didn’t plan to talk about sandwiches this much.

Or water.

Or Sudoku.

But here we are.

Hi, I’m Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do.

In this episode of Different, Not Broken, I talk about the strange, often ridiculous ways our brains create shame out of absolutely nothing. Eating the “wrong” food. Convincing yourself you hate water even though you love it. Feeling mortified because you’re slow at a logic puzzle no one else can see.

I unpack why our brains invent rules that don’t exist, why invisible judgement feels so real, and why being seen trying can feel worse than actually failing.

This episode is about shame that doesn’t make sense, fear of looking ridiculous, and the quiet pressure to only be visible once you’re already good at something.

Later in the episode, for "Small Talk", I respond to a listener question about the fear of being seen trying, and why vulnerability feels so exposing even when no one is actually paying attention.

You’ll hear:

Why your brain makes up rules it then punishes you for

How harmless things turn into sources of shame

Why being slow doesn’t mean being broken

Why feeling ridiculous is often a sign you’re doing something new

How to stop letting imagined judgement run your life

Once you’ve been inspired to brag, here’s where you can do it!

https://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/voicemail

Useful stuff

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you’re different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 – Sudoku shame and the nonsense our brains create

01:12 – Sandwich logic and internalised rules

03:32 – Why I pretend I hate water

06:08 – Invisible judgement and made-up leaderboards

09:14 – Listener question: fear of being seen trying

12:32 – Getting comfortable feeling ridiculous

15:40 – Why most people are not paying attention

18:05 – What I actually want you to hear before you go

Mentioned in this episode:

Build Your Better course

Build your better course - https://stan.store/elletwo/p/build-your-better

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Join Quirky

Happy Superbowl... to everyone but the New England Patriots because f**K them guys.

I didn’t want to have this rant.

I’m tired of needing to have this rant.

Hi, I’m Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do.

In this episode of Different, Not Broken, I talk about ICE raids, fear, and what it feels like when people are genuinely afraid to exist in their own communities.

I tell a personal story about someone I rely on every day being too scared to drive six minutes across her own neighbourhood — despite being a citizen — because ICE was crawling the area. And I unpack why “just comply” is a lie that doesn’t protect people when power isn’t being exercised responsibly.

This episode is about fear that makes sense, exhaustion that isn’t a personal failure, and why mental health can’t be separated from the political reality we’re living inside.

Later in the episode, I’m joined by Myah Knight for a deeper conversation about queer faith, religious trauma, and the kind of community people need when institutions become unsafe.

You’ll hear:

Why fear is a rational response to what’s happening right now

Why “just comply” doesn’t actually keep people safe

How power shifts the goalposts until you’re always in the wrong

What allostatic load is and why you’re exhausted even when you’re not doing much

How queer faith and community can exist alongside religious trauma

Why needing support doesn’t mean you’re broken

Once you’ve been inspired to brag, here’s where you can do it!

https://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/voicemail

Useful stuff

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you’re different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 – Why I’m talking about ICE and fear

01:06 – Being too scared to drive six minutes

03:20 – Why “just comply” doesn’t protect you

06:37 – What federal overreach actually looks like

10:00 – Fear, abuse dynamics, and moving goalposts

15:45 – Why you’re exhausted even when you’re doing nothing

19:50 – Why I wanted Myah in this conversation

20:30 – Queer faith, religious trauma, and healing

37:25 – Small Talk listener question: dissociation or burnout?

40:15 – What I want you to hear before you go

Mentioned in this episode:

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Brag on yourself

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Build Your Better course

Build your better course - https://stan.store/elletwo/p/build-your-better

Join Quirky

I recognised him instantly.

I’d never met him before.

Hi, I’m Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do.

In this episode of Different, Not Broken, I tell the story of going to a startup funding event in Miami and unexpectedly sitting down next to someone I knew far too much about… despite never having spoken to him in my life.

It turns out reality TV, social conditioning, and a neurodivergent brain make for a very specific kind of social experience.

This episode is about what it’s like to hold a straight face while your brain is doing cartwheels, why masking often looks like politeness, and how much effort goes into pretending you don’t know what you know.

You’ll hear:

Why recognition doesn’t always come from real relationships

What masking actually looks like in everyday social situations

Why being “polite” is often a survival skill

How neurodivergent brains process people and patterns differently

Why explaining yourself gets exhausting fast

Once you’ve been inspired to brag, here’s where you can do it!

https://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/voicemail

Useful stuff

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you’re different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 – I recognized him instantly

01:12 – Reality TV, hate watching, and accidental expertise

04:06 – Going to an event alone (never again)

06:48 – Sitting down next to someone I shouldn’t know

09:02 – Knowing too much and saying nothing

12:31 – Masking as politeness

15:18 – Why pretending not to know is exhausting

18:44 – Listener brag: feeling hopeful about 2026

20:02 – A very important question for sleep scientists

23:10 – Small Talk Listener Question: communicating needs without feeling difficult

Mentioned in this episode:

Brag on yourself

Wanna brag on yourself for something you've done which you're proud of? https://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/voicemail

Join Quirky

Wanna sponsor this podcast

http://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/sponsors

Sponsor Different Not Broken

Build Your Better course

Build your better course - https://stan.store/elletwo/p/build-your-better

I have a habit of saying the obvious things most workplaces avoid.

Hi, I’m Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do.

In this episode of Different, Not Broken, I break down why basic human standards at work get treated like radical ideas, why return to office policies are deeply ableist, and why so much “innovative leadership” is really just common sense wrapped in better language.

This episode is about simplifying what’s been overcomplicated for years.

You’ll hear:

1. Why psychological safety isn’t a perk
2. How bad management hides behind complexity
3. The real reason companies are pushing return to office
4. Why clarity often gets mistaken for controversy
5. What actually changes when you treat people like humans

Once you’ve been inspired to brag, here’s where you can do it!

https://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/voicemail

Useful stuff

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you’re different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 – Why saying the obvious sounds “radical”

02:08 – The bare minimum we’ve stopped expecting at work

03:47 – Psychological safety isn’t a perk

04:38 – Why return to office is deeply ableist

06:36 – The real reason companies want people back in offices

07:46 – Bad management disguised as productivity

09:05 – Treat people like humans and they quit less

10:36 – Listener brag: feeling on top of life

11:15 – Why I hate “love languages”

11:49 – The science and art of a crispy Coke

13:49 – Big bubbles, bad Coke, and betrayal

15:31 – Freestyle machines are not acceptable

17:59 – Small Talk Listener Question: grieving a late neurodivergent diagnosis

Mentioned in this episode:

Join Quirky

Brag on yourself

Wanna brag on yourself for something you've done which you're proud of? https://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/voicemail

Wanna sponsor this podcast

http://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/sponsors

Sponsor Different Not Broken

You’re not broken.

But a lot of us were taught to believe we were.

Hi, I’m Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do. And in this episode of Different, Not Broken, I’m talking with Libby Alders, a pastoral chaplain who works at the intersection of faith, trauma, and identity, about what happens when religion stops being a source of comfort and starts quietly doing damage.

We get into how harmful theology gets lodged in your nervous system, why so many neurodivergent and LGBTQIA people grow up feeling fundamentally wrong, and how community can heal or harm depending on who’s allowed to show up fully.

This isn’t a debate about belief. It’s a conversation about safety. About moral injury. About certainty being weaponised. And about finding ways to make meaning without being told who you’re allowed to be.

There’s swearing. There’s honesty. There’s a surprising amount of warmth for a conversation that doesn’t pull its punches.

Once you’ve been inspired to brag, here’s where you can do it!

https://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/voicemail

Useful stuff

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you’re different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

Timestamped summary

00:00 “You’re Not Broken. You Were Taught Harmful Theology”

04:18 Certainty, faith, and why curiosity matters

09:32 Religion, trauma, and moral injury

14:41 Neurodivergence, queerness, and conditional belonging

20:06 Losing faith without losing yourself

26:55 Finding safer community and meaning

Mentioned in this episode:

Build Your Better course

Build your better course - https://stan.store/elletwo/p/build-your-better

Wanna sponsor this podcast

http://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/sponsors

Sponsor Different Not Broken