This week on IDGAF — Identity, Growth & Fulfillment — I’m breaking down the moments that leave neurodivergent women feeling dismissed, minimized, or mined for ideas instead of recognized as whole humans.

From the silence after saying “I’m neurodivergent,” to being pushed into the “lived experience” box. In contrast, others hold the authority, to rooms that copy our words without ever seeing us, this is what RSD and extraction look like in real time.

Here’s the Truth Cheddar™: RSD isn’t a flaw. It’s your body’s way of signaling when a space is unsafe or extractive. The problem isn’t your sensitivity; it’s that the environment was never designed to honor your presence.

If this resonates, registration is open:

✨ The Woman I Choose to Be™ Workshop (Nov 12) → walk away with one Role Reset™ you can use the next day.

✨ The Identity Lab™ (Nov 22–23) → design a role map + Capacity Lines™ plan so you stop paying with your energy.

ND-friendly. Intimate. Capped at 8. DM RESET by Friday to claim your spot

Email me: idgafpodcastinfo@gmail.com

Friendship Re-Architected: What Belonging Really Costs Women in 2025

Episode Description

⚠️ Content Note: This episode briefly mentions suicidal behavior. Please listen with care. If you are struggling, dial or text 988in the U.S. for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or check local hotlines in your area.

In this episode of IDGAF: Identity, Growth & Fulfillment, Itzel is back and diving into the real talk about friendship and belonging in 2025.

From collapsing weak-tie connections to the riseof paid affinity groups, she breaks down how the community has been re-architected and why Neurodivergent (ND) women of color (WOC) often pay the highest price.

Expect raw stories (yep, the messy kind), sharpfeminist I/O psychology insights, and a neurodivergent lens on what it reallytakes to build relationships without losing yourself.

What you’ll hear:

• Why friendships feel more transactional andexhausting than ever.
• Predictions for the future of connection(spoiler: micro-pods and sliding-scale models).
• Strategies to protect your energy and brilliancein a pay-to-play culture.
• An invite to the free ND Women’s Circle —because belonging shouldn’t come with a price tag.

If you’ve been craving honest conversation about connection, identity, and survival in this messy era, this one’s for you.

Download the Free Tool 5 Ways to Protect Your Brilliance in 2025 Friendships

Learn More about Itzel and her work at: The Unfolding Room

Sign Up for ND Women's Circle

A raw truth drop for every woman rebuilding from survival mode.

Hey all, I'm back!

What does it look like to launch a business after a layoff—while parenting, caregiving, neurodivergent, and navigating real-life scarcity?

This episode is not a success story. It’s a still here story. I talk about:

• Starting The Unfolding Room™ with no cushion

• Rebuilding through exhaustion, ND burnout, and money stress

• Clients ghosting, ideas being stolen, and surviving the algorithm

• What I’ve learned about consistency, energy, and leadership as a neurodivergent woman of color

This is for the underdog. The woman with a vision but no roadmap. The one who keeps showing up even when nobody sees her.

🧠 Book a Mini Identity Mapping Session
🎟️ Register for The Woman I Choose to Be™ workshop – Aug 12th From 7PM - 8:20 PM EST
💻 More offerings + content: The Unfolding Room™

Ever trusted a work friend—only to realize you were the emotional support human in their storyline?

In this listener-submitted Bestie Horror Story™, I unpack what happens when workplace friendships go from safe to shady. From blurred boundaries to betrayal, I’m breaking down how emotional labor gets exploited and why some people use “connection” as a cover for control.

I’ll be unpacking it all through the lens of Identity Intelligence™, I/O Psychology, and lived experience—because not every "friend" has your best interest at heart, especially in systems built to reward performance over people.

👂🏽 Press play if you’ve ever felt used, drained, or guilt-tripped by someone who called you their bestie at work—and walked away when you needed them most.

🛑 Warning: This episode contains truth bombs, clapbacks, and identity-centered healing for anyone tired of being the strong one in fake friendships.

🎧 Share your own Bestie Horror Story™ here: https://forms.gle/Ybusg77aJCL1xP7bA

#IDGAFPodcast #BestieHorrorStories #WorkplaceBoundaries #NeurodivergentHealing #EmotionalLabor #ItzelYagual #TheUnfoldingRoom

Two layoffs. Caregiving nonstop. Mental spirals I didn’t want to name.
I kept moving until my body said, “Stop.”

This isn’t a pep talk. It’s me being real about what happens when you hit a wall—and don’t even realize it because you’ve been running in survival mode.

I talk about watching my father break in front of a courtroom.
About masking through pain.
About the crash that comes when your worth has been tied to output for too long.

If you’ve ever kept it all together for everyone else—and then finally cracked when no one was watching—you’ll feel this one.

🎙 Listen in. No filters. No fakery. Just truth that needed air.

Ever feel like the friend people only call when their world is falling apart but never when they just want to laugh or check in?

Yeah. Same.

In this first episode of the Bestie Hunt™ series, I’m naming the grief of being the emotional first responder. I’m telling the stories from the girl who thought I was her Uber, to the ones who ghosted the second they got a man.

I want something real. Reciprocal. Rooted in joy and consistency. And I know I’m not alone.

If you’ve been the strong friend who never got the softness you gave? Pull up.

💬 Want to apply to be my bestie? Apply to be my Bestie here (yes, it's a real thing) : https://forms.gle/GnLaupzRLqgEZ2xY6

💬 Want to be a guest and share your own Bestie Horror Story or journey on solid friendships?

Fill out the form here: https://forms.gle/R3z2cy6R2tY9r5oq8

Let’s build a friendship that doesn’t feel like labor. That feels like breath.

🎧 Subscribe. Share. And send this to the friend who actually checks in just because.

A 5-minute truth drop on sexualization, power, and identity sabotage at work

This isn’t just about a job interview—it’s about how women, especially women of color, are too often reduced before they’re even heard.

In just 5 minutes, I break down a real moment where I walked in prepared to lead—and got met with “You’re spicy” instead of “You’re qualified.”
It’s sexualization wrapped in politeness.

It’s dismissal disguised as admiration.
And it’s one of the most common forms of identity sabotage we’re still not talking about enough.

In this episode:
• I name the moment.
• I unpack the damage.
• I give you the tools to reclaim your power and walk away on your terms.

🎧 Listen. Reflect. Share it with someone who needed to hear it yesterday.

🧠 Need to unpack where you’ve been filtered or erased at work?
Book your Mini Identity Mapping Session → https://calendly.com/theunfoldingroom

#IDGAFPodcast #TheUnfoldingRoom #IdentitySabotage #LatinaLeadership #NeurodivergentBosses

In 2024, I was holding it all: a full-time job, caregiving, parenting a neurodivergent teen, and pushing through a doctoral program — while quietly melting down in between Zooms.

On paper, I was brilliant. In reality, I was drowning.

This episode is about what happens when “high-functioning” becomes disconnection — and how an autism + ADHD diagnosis helped me understand the truth beneath my performance.

You’ll also hear one of the reflection tools I guide clients through in my consulting work — The Capacity Check-In — and why brilliance without bandwidth isn’t success. It’s survival.

✨ For the women juggling 10 invisible roles.
✨ For the ones who make it look easy while quietly unraveling.

This one’s for you.

🔗 Want merch, sessions, or resources? Visit:

The Unfolding Room™ Merchtheunfoldingroom - Link in Bio & Creator Tools | Beacons📍 Listen + follow on Spotify for more IDGAF: Identity, Growth, and Fulfillment.