Content note: this episode discusses rejection, shame, and self-harm. If you are struggling, you are not alone. In the US, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

That sinking feeling when one small piece of feedback lands like a punch? There is a name for it: Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, or RSD. In Episode 41, Greg, Rich, Liam, and Sarah talk plainly about what RSD is, why it can feel physical, and what actually helps, with no quick fixes.

We get into why one criticism can drown out ten compliments, why the rejection does not even have to be real to hurt, how this connects to ADHD without being limited to it, and the small tools that genuinely help in the moment.

In this episode:

• What RSD is, and what it is not

• Why your brain treats one harsh comment as a survival threat

• "Too sensitive" versus something more than that

• Grounding, breathing, and a cold-water bottle on the neck

• The one-pause challenge to try this week

Chapters:

(00:00) What RSD really is

(03:22) How common is it?

(05:49) Why one criticism outweighs ten compliments

(10:34) When rejection hurts

(12:43) Real or just too sensitive?

(21:09) Do you need ADHD to feel it?

(23:35) What helps when the sting hits

(27:32) Free-form sharing

(31:40) What is on your heart this week

(40:09) Recap, challenge, and close

Featured this episode: Greg (host), with Rich, Liam, and Sarah.

Free weekly peer support groups:

Brain Injury (Mon 1PM ET)

Chronic Pain (Tue 12PM ET)

Mental Health (Wed 7:30PM ET)

Sign up or RSVP: kindnessrx.org/groups

Help keep the groups free: buymeacoffee.com/kindnessrx

Website: kindnessrx.org

Newsletter: kindnessrx.beehiiv.com

Episode 40: The Cost of Kindness

Content note:

One segment includes a personal story of childhood family violence. If you’re struggling, you’re not alone:

In the US call or text 988, or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.

We almost always hear “the cost of kindness” as a warning. This episode flips it: the real cost isn’t being kind — it’s holding kindness back.

Greg and the panel make the case with research and a lot of honest, everyday stories.

In this episode:

• Why kindness lowers stress — and lifts productivity by about 12%

• What unkindness really costs a workplace (the numbers are rough)

• How to be kind without getting walked on — boundaries and advocacy

• Kindness vs. people-pleasing — the honest difference

• Why you have to save some kindness for yourself, too

Chapters:

00:00 Why “kindness costs” is backwards

02:16 The research: cortisol, blood pressure, productivity

04:24 Is kindness a weakness at work?

05:15 Everyday kindness, the small stuff

06:10 What kindness does in the brain

07:43 Turning kindness inward

08:32 The cost of kindness at work

11:54 Getting taken advantage of + people-pleasing

24:26 Staying kind when you’re running on empty

39:40 Recap, challenge & support groups

This episode featured Greg with co-hosts Rich, Derek, Liam, and Sarah.

💜 Free weekly peer support groups: Brain Injury

(Mon 1PM ET), Chronic Pain

(Tue 12PM ET), Mental Health

(Wed 7:30PM ET). Sign up / RSVP:

https://luma.com/calendar/cal-oyT0VPlVTKCPxBw

Keep the groups free: https://buymeacoffee.com/kindnessrx

Web: https://kindnessrx.org

Newsletter: https://kindnessrx.beehiiv.com/

You wrote the plan down. You even put it on your phone. By 10 a.m. you’d started four things and finished none — and that same old voice was asking what’s wrong with you. If that’s familiar, this one’s for you.

In Episode 39, Greg and Rich have an honest, personal conversation about adult ADHD:

what it actually is, why it’s so easily missed, and what real support looks like.

ADHD isn’t the kid who can’t sit still, and it doesn’t disappear at eighteen.

It’s a difference in how the brain manages attention, impulse, and follow-through — and for many adults it’s been there all along, just unrecognized.

Both hosts share their own late-diagnosis stories and land where the show always does with hope.

What we cover:

• Why adult ADHD looks like internal restlessness and exhaustion, not hyperactivity
• Why more than half of adults with ADHD aren’t diagnosed until adulthood — and why women are so often missed
• Why “lazy” is almost always the wrong word (Rich’s duck-on-the-water metaphor)
• Treatment that actually helps — medication, therapy, lifestyle, structure, community
• The reframe: your brain isn’t working against you on purpose

Chapters:

• (00:00) Introduction & what adult ADHD really is
• (03:00) By the numbers: who’s been missed
• (04:18) Ferrari engine, bicycle brakes
• (05:24) Why “lazy” gets it wrong: the duck on the water
• (07:04) Childhood vs. adult ADHD & late diagnosis
• (11:10) Symptoms: hyperfocus and 500 browser tabs
• (14:11) Getting diagnosed as an adult
• (15:54) Is ADHD real? Treatment options
• (18:41) Rich & Greg’s stories + what’s on your heart
• (24:04) Summary, challenge & closing

This episode featured Greg Shaw and Rich.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Books:

• Driven to Distraction — Edward Hallowell & John Ratey
• ADHD 2.0 — Edward Hallowell & John Ratey
• Taking Charge of Adult ADHD — Russell Barkley

Organizations:

• CHADD (Children and Adults with ADHD)
• ADDitude Magazine

Talks:

• “Failing at Normal” — Jessica McCabe (How to ADHD)
• “Recognizing ADHD in Adults” — Dr. Heather Brannon

💜 Free weekly peer support groups:

Brain Injury (Mon 1 PM ET)

Chronic Pain (Tue 12 PM ET)

Mental Health (Wed 7:30 PM ET).

Details: https://kindnessrx.org

Keep the groups free: https://buymeacoffee.com/kindnessrx | Website: https://kindnessrx.org |

Newsletter: https://kindnessrx.beehiiv.com/

It’s late, you’re scrolling, and there’s a low hum under everything — the headlines, the economy, the things you can’t fix. You’re not upset about one thing; you’re just heavy, tired, and small. Episode 38 is about that feeling, and about finding where your power actually lives.

Greg, Rich, Derek, and Sarah define agency (the felt belief that what you do shapes what happens next), name the difference between agency and controlling everything, and talk honestly about reclaiming the small, controllable corners of a life — because the brain that can learn helplessness can also learn controllability.

In this episode:

• Why “nothing I do matters” is so common right now — and what it actually is

• The science: an internal sense of control, less depression and anxiety

• Why “control” isn’t a dirty word — a noun and a verb

• Where agency really lives: body, attention, time, relationships, the next small action

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

02:00 Defining agency & locus of control

03:30 The numbers & the science

07:00 Roundtable: staying grounded

12:23 Is “control” a dirty word?

17:58 Common questions

41:20 Free-form sharing

44:42 What’s on your heart

47:32 Closing & weekly challenge

50:04 Support groups & resources

This episode featured Greg with Rich, Derek, and Sarah.

💜 Free weekly peer support groups: Brain Injury (Mon 1PM ET), Chronic Pain (Tue 12PM ET), Mental Health (Wed 7:30PM ET).

Details: https://kindnessrx.org

Help keep the groups free: https://buymeacoffee.com/kindnessrx

Connect: kindnessrx.org · YouTube @KindnessRX · Newsletter: https://kindnessrx.beehiiv.com/

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 (US Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).

Welcome back to the Support and Kindness Podcast, I'm your host, Greg Shaw, and I just wanted to let you know that we're not going to actually air a podcast this week. We've got some people who are sick this week, some people who are on vacation, and some people are just playing hooky.

Rich and I did record an episode for you, but unfortunately, yours truly had the audio settings wrong, and the audio just did not turn out, and I didn't want to bring it to you with all distortion and everything else like that.

You deserve better than that. So, take a break this week. Put your feet up and rest. But I did want to let you know about some really exciting things which are coming your way. The next podcast that we're doing is episode 38, and it's what you can actually control. We're going to talk about things that are within your control and things that are not within your control, what you can control, what you can't.

So that's something to look forward to. We're looking forward to that. And then after that, the next week is going to be adult ADHD, what you need to know. And followed by that, we're going to talk about kindness at work or kindness with a theme of work, and how much is kindness actually worth, and we'll spell out the cost of being kind at work and not being kind at work.

How much does it cost businesses in turnover, retention, and all of that good stuff. So we've got some really cool stuff coming your way. So, take it easy this week and be kind to somebody, and we'll see you soon on the Support and Kindness podcast. Have a great week.

Content note: This episode discusses mental health crisis, panic attacks, and suicidal thinking. If you're struggling, call or text 988 (US Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). International listeners: please use your local crisis line.When you cut your finger, you reach for the first aid kit. But what do you reach for when your heart is breaking, when anxiety floods you at 3 a.m., or when grief makes it impossible to get out of bed? Most of us were never taught.In Episode 37, Greg, Rich, Derek, Liam, and Sarah unpack what actually goes in an emotional first aid kit — and why you have to build it before the crisis, not during it.

Liam reframes the whole thing as an emotional utility belt.

Sarah shares how counting pulled her out of panic attacks.

Rich realizes he's been using tools he never named.

Derek leans on music as a full emotional journey.

And Greg gets honest about the fact that he doesn't have a kit yet either.What you'll take away:The difference between an emotional first aid kit and therapyReal, specific tools — grounding, frozen water bottles, stuffed animals, music, counting, naps, beading

• Why your kit needs to be quick to reach for, not just well-stocked
• How to adapt your kit for pain, brain injury, or any chronic condition
• The one thing Greg challenges you to build this weekChapters00:00 Introduction03:11 Surprising tools that helped07:31 Kit vs. therapy09:13 Where to start12:23 What actually goes in the kit18:42 Can the kit replace professional care?23:02 Using the kit when you can't think straight25:59 Adapting for pain and brain injury29:34 Freeform sharing34:27 What's on your heart43:29 Listener challenge & closingThis episode featured: Greg, Rich, Derek, Liam, Sarah

💜 Free weekly peer support groups:

• Brain Injury (Mon 1PM ET)

• Chronic Pain (Tue 12PM ET)

• Mental Health (Wed 7:30PM ET).

Details: https://kindnessrx.org

Help keep the support groups free: https://buymeacoffee.com/kindnessrx

Monthly newsletter: https://substack.com/@supportandkindness

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@kindnessRX

Some people look fine on the outside.

• They show up.
• They answer the messages.
• They get the work done.
• They check on everyone else.
• They smile, laugh, and keep life moving.

But inside, they may feel exhausted, numb, disconnected, or quietly overwhelmed.

In this episode of The Support and Kindness Podcast, Greg, Rich, Derek, Liam, and Sarah talk honestly about what many people call high-functioning depression, functional depression, or smiling depression.

This is not a formal diagnosis, but it is a real experience many people recognize: struggling internally while still appearing capable, responsible, or “fine” on the outside.

Together, we talk about:

• Why “functioning” does not always mean someone is okay

• Why people often say “I’m fine” when they are not

• How depression can show up as numbness, irritability, isolation, over-performing, or humor

• What the mask can cost in relationships

• How chronic pain, brain injury, grief, trauma, caregiving, and long-term stress can add emotional weight

• Why music, therapy, honest connection, and peer support can matter

• The small challenge of telling one safe person one true thing

This episode is a gentle reminder that you do not have to fall apart publicly to deserve support. The mask does not have to come off all at once. Sometimes it begins with one honest sentence.

This week’s challenge:

Pick one safe person and tell them one true thing about how you are really doing.

Examples:

• “Honestly, I’m running on empty.”“
• This week has been heavier than it looks.”
• “I’m holding it together, but barely.”
• “I could use someone checking in on me.”

Support Groups at KindnessRX.org

KindnessRX.org offers free, peer-led online support groups:

Brain Injury Support Group — Mondays at 1:00 PM Eastern

Pain Support Group — Tuesdays at 12:00 PM Eastern

Mental Health Group — Wednesdays at 7:30 PM Eastern

• These groups are peer-led and supportive.

They are not a replacement for therapy, medical care, or crisis services.

If you are having thoughts of suicide, self-harm, or feel you may not be safe, call or text 988 in the United States or contact emergency services right away.

Learn more at KindnessRX.org.