Left Unattended

Many people carry invisible load at work: masking, shame, fear of being misunderstood, pressure to prove competence, and the exhaustion of trying to seem acceptable. Kristin’s story asks what becomes possible when we stop defining people only by their hardest chapters and start asking where their brain, skill, and lived experience still belong.

On this episode Left Unattended, Ron Sosa hosts James Lang, a med tech COO turned AI growth architect and managing partner of Overlang Venture Partners, about normalizing neurodivergence in the workplace. James shares his unconventional path from college dropout and freelance writer to helping scale a med tech company past $20M in revenue with a global team of 60+, and how being diagnosed with ADHD and autism in his 30s reframed his “brain OS,” masking, and leadership. They discuss coping strategies like offloading thoughts onto paper, why remote work reduced social strain, and how James’ “camp counselor” approach helped him read team dynamics. James also reflects on physical health limitations, palliative counseling, legacy, chosen family, building teams around limitations, and how resilience and empathy can shift under pressure, before inviting listeners to connect via LinkedIn and learn.overlaying.com.

Traci Austin on ADHD, the And/Both Method, and Designing Teams Around Strengths
 
Host Ron Sosa welcomes Traci Austin, founder of Elevated Talent Consulting and creator of the And Both Method, to discuss normalizing neurodivergent experiences at work and focusing on how people operate rather than diagnoses. Traci shares how being held back in kindergarten and later placed in gifted programs drove her to collect credentials to prove she belonged, and how an ADHD diagnosis helped her understand her focus patterns, deadlines, and the differences between laziness, procrastination, and executive dysfunction without letting a label define her identity. They explore curiosity as a tool for collaboration, building teams around complementary strengths, creating environments that support focus, and shifting workplace conversations from blame and shame to clarity, accountability, and outcomes. Tracy describes tools like Predictive Index, challenges around culture fit, and “left unattended” as the need for structures to manage thoughts and reduce rumination.
 
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
00:56 Credentials and Identity
01:36 Kindergarten Story
03:30 ADHD Insight Not Identity
05:46 Curiosity and And Both
07:29 Hyperfocus and Team Design
09:24 Environment and Asking Needs
12:53 Labels and Self Discovery
15:32 Better Workplace Questions
18:05 Capacity Burnout and Careers
24:21 Culture Fit Reframed
29:23 Left Unattended Meaning
31:46 Wrap Up and Where to Find
32:14 Final Takeaways and Outro
 

In this episode of Left Unattended, host Ron Sosa talks with Diana Feinstein, founder of Max Packed Health, about normalizing neurodivergence at work and what changes when high achievers stop treating capacity as an afterthought. Diana shares how her son’s neurodivergence evaluation helped her recognize her own patterns, and they explore nonlinear thinking, being mislabeled as underperforming, and the burnout that comes from masking and over-functioning. They discuss behavior change through prompts and positive reinforcement, “clean vs. dirty energy,” and how perimenopause can collapse previously reliable scaffolding, highlighting broader costs of inadequate menopause care. Diana explains “vibe coding,” using emotionally resonant experiences to support healthier habits, and demonstrates a brief breathing exercise as an example of productive rest. She also shares resources, including Max Packed Health’s 12-minute Capacity Audit.
 
https://www.maxpacthealth.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-feinstein-76a36b8/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553425215670
https://www.instagram.com/maxpacthealth/
 

Have you ever felt like you were just born as the problem? In this powerful episode of Left Unattended, host Ron Sosa sits down with Gazit Khaya Nikosi (also known as Z) to discuss the journey of unlearning the message that being neurodivergent means being too much. Together, they explore how to move away from a life of masking and burnout toward a future built on self-compassion and radical accommodation. 🌈 Z shares their personal history with fundamentalist religious trauma and the pressure to appear as one of the shiny happy people while struggling with intense sensory sensitivities. From the physical pain of sock seams to being put on professional probation for crying in the workplace, this conversation highlights the real-world costs of living in a society not built for neurodivergent nervous systems. 🧠 You will also learn about practical tools for sensory regulation, including the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) and specialized prism glasses. Z explains how transitioning to self-employment allowed them to build a work structure that honors their needs, proving that when we stop apologizing for our requirements, our true brilliance can finally emerge. ✨ Chapters 0:00 Intro and meeting Z 3:15 Realizing you were never the problem 6:45 Religious trauma and the pressure to be shiny 10:30 Childhood sensory struggles and the sock story 14:15 Justice sensitivity and emotional intensity 18:00 Being penalized for crying in the workplace 22:30 Hyper-empathy as a neurodivergent strength 26:15 Reclaiming your life after late diagnosis 30:00 Prism glasses and neurological vision therapy 34:30 Creating a sensory-friendly environment 38:15 Transitioning to self-employment and the SSP 42:00 Closing thoughts and resources If this conversation helped you realize you are carrying an invisible load, we invite you to take the next step toward support. Subscribe to the podcast for more stories that normalize neurodivergence and leave a review to help others find us. You can find more resources and coaching opportunities at the links mentioned in the episode. 🔗 #adhd #autism #neurodiversity #sensoryprocessing #mentalhealth Website: https://www.syn-apt.me https://therootedcoop.com/

Host Ron Sosa welcomes Jay Setchell, founder of Never Quit Trying, to discuss resilience, learning, and adaptation shaped by Jay’s lived experience with traumatic brain injury, PTSD, ADHD, paralysis, repeated surgeries, and near-death events including COVID. Jay explains “Never Quit Trying” as a lifelong mindset rooted in farm life and reinforced by a high school algebra teacher who valued effort over grades after Jay was the only student to retake a failed final. They explore Jay’s fast-moving, always-problem-solving mind, how “stubbornness” fuels achievement and survival, and why time and life feel increasingly precious. Jay emphasizes communication as core to leadership—reading the room, adapting, and understanding others’ processes—and defines “left unattended” as being overlooked and unsupported. He shares his book, "The Strength Within You: It’s Always Too Soon to Quit," and its impact on readers.