Ep 46 -- Loud? Brash? And Badass? It's Dr. Naz!

Ready for an emotional sledgehammer of an episode? 'Cause we are! 🥳 This episode, we are privileged to be joined by none other than the Dr. Nazeer T. Zerka. More colloquially known by Dr. Naz, he founded the national nonprofit, Different Spectrums. Through his role as a specialized therapist, Dr. Naz intentionally designed Different Spectrums to be dedicated to supporting autistic, ADHD, and neurodivergent communities, especially within Black and Brown populations. Dr. Naz leads with authenticity, making it known that he is an autistic and neurodivergent clinician -- as such, he brings a level of understanding, cultural context, and lived empathy that traditional therapy often lacks. Perhaps most admirably, Dr. Naz's work is rooted not just in his doctorate and clinical training, but also in his upbringing in Flint and Saginaw, Michigan -- where he learned resilience, humor, and how to show up authentically for others. Together, we get very personal while opening up on topics within systemic struggles and how Dr. Naz has been personally impacted. He shares about his unique journey to becoming a caring and valued therapist. We delve into how protective he is (with the occasional consequence), how joyful and appreciative he is, and all of the intense, nuanced, "let's be ourselves" mentality with which he approaches the world, his practice, and our entire conversation. It was a genuine pleasure to speak with Dr. Naz -- especially with his frequent jabs at Dr. Matt! We had immense fun talking with Dr. Naz and we know you will too!🦄🥳🦄 -- Take care of yourselves. Or don't... jackasses. 💝 -- Dr. Naz can be found on any and all social media platforms via his LinkTree, as through the Different Spectrums website! Thank you for listening to the NooN Podcast! The NooN Podcast is brought to you by the Neurodiversity Collective, one of the foremost leaders in serving the mental health and social-emotional needs of the neurodivergent community. To learn more, please visit us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Neurodiversity Collective's website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you have any questions, comments, or you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, please email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[e-mail]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you'd like to learn more, please follow us on social media: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices