ADHD, Autism, Parenting and Entrepreneurship with Author & Artist Rachel Watts

Join host Peter Shankman as he kicks off the ninth season of the Faster Than Normal podcast with Rachel Watts, the owner of Doodles and Sketches. Rachel shares her journey of managing mental health, entrepreneurship, and raising a neurodiverse child. Discover how she built a powerful online community and the challenges she faced along the way. Our guest today, Rachel Watts, founder of *Doodles and Sketches*, is a neurodiverse entrepreneur who creates fandom-inspired merchandise. Living with autism, ADHD, and chronic illness, she candidly shares her journey of balancing mental health, parenting a neurodiverse child, and running a business. Following a mental health hospitalization, Rachel shifted her focus from business promotion to authentic self-expression on social media. Her openness has cultivated a deeply engaged online community, echoing the influence of early parenting bloggers. Her story underscores both the struggles and triumphs of neurodiverse entrepreneurship and the transformative power of vulnerability and connection online. We are grateful you are here- Enjoy! 01:45 - Introducing and welcome Rachel Watts! 03:30 - Threads versus 'the old days' 04:00 - On mental recovery, socials, community building and authenticity. 05:20 - How to find a topic and learn from trusting your community 06:00 - A little about talking representation and politics 06:38 - Dealing with criticism and opinions with positivity as a neurodiverse person 07:31- Rachel was not diagnosed with Autism until she was 28. 07:40 - About dealing with pushback in verbal confrontations 08:50 - A note about representation, curiosity, caring patience and compassion 10:30 - ON ADHD and Social media 'self-controls' and choices in 2025 11:15 - Why did you get diagnosed; what made you pursue testing? Ref: Dialectable Behavioral Therapy DBT 13:50 - On finding a provider and the ideal mental healthcare team members Ref: EMDR 15:50 - On how women and men present differently with behaviours and symptoms of being neurodivergent 17:60 - On finding the best team, advocating for your children.. and why you must learn to trust your gut. 18:15 - On how good mental health is a Practice! 19:00 - How can we find your awesome work!? 19:42 - This is Peter's Sweatshirt Era ( SB's too btw -Ed ) 20:40 - Protect Queer Kids - cheers! 21:00 - Thank you for being here!! Give us a shout anytime! Email : peter@shankman.com Podcast : Faster Than Normal Do you know anyone who is doing wonderful things with or their neurodivergent brain? We would love to have them on to learn how they are using their to their advantage. Shoot me an email and we will get them booked! My link tree is here if you're looking for something specific.

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ADHD, Autism, Parenting and Entrepreneurship with Author & Artist Rachel Watts is an episode from The Faster Than Normal Podcast: ADD | ADHD | Health by Peter Shankman.

This episode is 22:34 long.

This episode was published on Sep 10, 2025.

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