In the final episode of our series with Rian DeVeer, we talk about ADHD, masking, and the exhausting experience of trying to perform “normal.”

We discuss the ways people learn to adapt socially — especially in creative industries, school, professional environments, and relationships — and how masking can sometimes become so automatic that you lose track of what actually feels authentic.

Together we explore:

• ADHD and overstimulation
• People pleasing and performative behavior
• Masking in professional spaces
• The pressure to fit in socially
• Learning to unmask safely
• Creativity and neurodivergence
• The emotional fatigue of constantly adapting
• The difference between confidence and performance
• What authenticity actually feels like

This conversation is reflective, honest, and something many people experience without realizing there’s a name for it.

Licensed? Yes. Masking? Less than we used to.

In this episode of License & Unsupervised, we talk about growing up in Michigan in the 90s — when Shelby Township still felt like the sticks, bonfires at Eisenhower were normal, and kids were basically feral.

We discuss:

• Car culture and growing up near the Motor City
• Graduation memories from the 90s
• Old-school pranks and the chaos of growing up before social media
• Customer service and why it still matters
• Car accidents, consequences, and how life teaches lessons
• The rise of car wrapping culture
• Crimes from the past finally coming to light

The conversation also gets deeper as we talk about:

• ADHD and growing up as people pleasers
• Masking in straight-laced environments
• Trying to fit into spaces that didn’t fully feel like us
• How our moms “mommed” us differently
• What it means to be performative vs authentic

And somewhere in the middle of all of it, Naomi tells a story very badly.

Licensed? Yes. Supervised? Definitely not in the 90s.

In this episode of License & Unsupervised, we welcome back our “supervisor,” Rian DeVeer, for a conversation about identity, high school experiences, and how we all became who we are today.

We talk about growing up in different decades — the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s — and how those environments shaped us.

Rian shares his experience as a trans man, including how he chose his name and what that journey has looked like over time. We also talk about something surprisingly universal — how often people get our names wrong, and how names can carry identity, meaning, and history.

We also discuss:

• High school experiences across generations
• Bullying and fitting in
• Fashion and self-expression as teenagers
• Private school vs public school experiences
• Teen pregnancy and life paths
• How different high school feels today compared to when we grew up
• Why identity evolves — and how we learn to own it

This episode is reflective, honest, and about understanding people beyond first impressions.

Licensed? Yes. Still becoming? Always.