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September 1
Natasha M. Nurse lived 37 years not knowing she was neurodivergent. Then motherhood changed everything. The crying, the overwhelm, the dark thoughts that felt like more than typical new parent struggles—all of it led to a discovery that would reshape her understanding of herself completely.
Diagnosed with both autism and ADHD at 37, Natasha finally had answers for a lifetime of feeling like an alien among her peers. The child who preferred HBO to Sesame Street, who spent her Manhattan childhood with books instead of friends, who excelled academically while feeling desperately lonely, suddenly it all made sense.
Now, as Managing Director at MRM Education, Natasha has turned her neurodivergent perspective into her professional superpower. She's building the inclusive systems she wished existed when she was growing up—systems that don't just accommodate different learners, but celebrate them.
In this conversation, Natasha and Tracy explore how undiagnosed neurodivergence shaped her lonely childhood and high-achieving student years, why traditional education fails so many brilliant minds, and what it really takes to create inclusive learning environments. They talk about the intersection of ADHD and autism, how hyperfocus can be both a gift and a curse, and why understanding your brain is the ultimate workaround.
Natasha also opens up about parenting a neurodivergent child while healing her own childhood wounds, the power of finally being seen and accepted completely, and how she's helping families navigate systems that weren't built for brains like theirs.
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"If I can touch it, I can learn it."
- Barbara Baskin
"If I'm not with a partner that's driven... they're just gonna get left behind because I'm going and seeing and learning."
- Barbara Baskin
"You gotta walk through it. I was so scared on the first date... I thought, if I can just keep my feet moving forward... before I knew it, I was at the door of the pub."
- Barbara Baskin
"It's amazing when you find out that everybody's just like you... we're all the same. We've got different looks and different hobbies and different ways that we do life, but we're all the same."
- Barbara Baskin
"Signing up for a dating app takes so much courage. It's the hardest thing I think I've ever done."
- Barbara Baskin
"Someone that says the word retirement, I think I'd like to retire in two years. I'm like, you know, that ain't gonna be me... absolutely never, never."
- Barbara Baskin
- Natasha lived into her thirties without knowing she was neurodivergent until motherhood triggered the discovery—she had dark thoughts and overwhelming responses to her baby's crying that led to seeking help.
- Diagnosed at 37 with autism level one and combined ADHD after recognizing patterns of rigidity, hyperfocus behavior, and endless overthinking cycles that had defined her life.
- Growing up in Manhattan's Stuyvesant Town, she felt like an "alien" from age 6, struggling to connect with other kids whose interests didn't match her more adult-oriented passions, like HBO shows instead of Sesame Street.
- Raised by Jamaican parents with militant expectations where getting a 98 meant "why didn't you get 100?" and accomplishments were never celebrated because "why should I congratulate you on what you're supposed to do?"
- Despite academic success, she struggled with happiness and self-recognition of accomplishments, developing a pattern of constantly asking "what's next?" without ever feeling successful despite an extensive LinkedIn profile.
- Found her calling at Penn State where she met her husband and discovered a more diverse community, then pivoted from animal science (after watching pig slaughter) to business law which provided the structure her brain craved.
[00:50:00 - 01:20:00] Leading with Neurodivergence at MRM Education
- Now works as Managing Director at MRM Education, a virtual tutoring and executive functioning organization that meets children where they are and builds systems around how their brains actually work.
- Emphasizes the need for honest assessment of what's working and what isn't in education, advocating for understanding individual motivations and interests rather than one-size-fits-all approaches.
- Uses hyperfocus as a superpower—reading 240 books last year and working 8-10 hours straight on projects—while learning to set calendar boundaries and rely on her son as a "walking, talking disruptor" to break unhealthy patterns.
ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem.
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