In this first NACHOS episode of December — and the final episode of the semester — we explore what it means to winter as humans. From the first snowfall across Michigan to ancient cultural rituals, from the biology of cold adaptation to the inner seasons we each carry, this episode weaves together story, science, history, and neuro-affirming reflection.Join Dr. Dutch Hazlett as we journey through:• the meaning of winter in our bodies and our cultures• how ancient humans adapted to cold through community• the inner “human seasons” of rest, reflection, and becoming• what wintering means for neurodivergent minds and nervous systems• why slowing down, seeking warmth, and honoring your internal season matters• and a gentle call to support April’s Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month programming through our GoFundMeThis episode brings everything home with a powerful affirmation:You are allowed to winter. You are allowed to rest. You are allowed to honor your season.If NACHOS has been a grounding part of your semester, consider following, sharing, and supporting our mission as we prepare for a full month of neuro-affirming programming this April.Follow the mission. Support the work. Help us build more spaces where neurodivergent people can thrive.#NACHOS #Neuroaffirming #Neurodiversity #Wintering #AutismAcceptance #PBJFramework #DisabilityJustice #Humanities101 #MichiganNonprofit #DecemberReflections #MentalHealth #SeasonalWellness #CommunityCare

In this powerful mid-November episode of NACHOS (Neuro-Affirming Conversation Hour for Outreach and Support), we explore what it means to pause with intention as the light fades, the cold deepens, and the world tries to hurry us into fear and scarcity. This week, Dutch guides us into the ancient rhythms of harvest festivals, the truth behind a medieval Black Plague poem that shaped centuries of misunderstanding, and the restorative wisdom found in Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.”

Together, we reflect on why our bodies crave slowness as the days grow shorter, and how modern culture pressures us to speed up just as nature invites us to soften. Through story, science, poetry, and seasonal grounding, we reclaim the pause as a form of neuro-affirming resistance — a way to honor our energy, our pace, and our inner seasons.

This episode is for anyone feeling the pull toward rest but trapped in the noise of urgency. It’s for the tender-hearted, the weary, the reflective, and all who are learning to live at the speed of their own nervous system.

Question of the Week:
What is one small moment of abundance, warmth, or clarity you can name right now — something that contradicts the noise of scarcity around you?
Share your reflection in the comments.

If you find this episode supportive, grounding, or comforting in your own season of wintering, please like, share, and subscribe. It helps other Nachonauts find their way here.

Topics We Explore:
• Mid-November energy, darkness, and the body’s natural shift
• Harvest festival origins from cultures across the world
• The misinterpreted Ibn al-Wardi plague poem and how fear spreads through story
• A full reading of Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”
• The power of pausing as an act of self-respect and survival
• Neuro-affirming reflections for wintering well

Thank you for being part of this community of warmth, truth, and gentleness. May this episode accompany you kindly into the colder season ahead.

In this week’s episode of NACHOS: The Neuro-Affirming Conversation Hour for Outreach and Support, we explore the power of seeing with new eyes. Inspired by Marcel Proust’s timeless insight—“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes”—we reflect on what it means to rediscover the familiar, to find belonging in the present moment, and to see our lives, our work, and one another with compassion and curiosity.

Dutch shares updates from a busy week of advocacy and teaching across Michigan, including the launch of a Neuro-Affirming Teaching Work Group, a keynote at Kettering University, debriefs from the Michigan Disability Empowerment Conference, and new statewide initiatives with the AFL-CIO and the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council. These stories remind us that discovery isn’t something distant—it’s the work we are already doing, right here at home.

Through reflection, conversation, and gentle affirmations, this episode invites you to slow down, to notice what’s been here all along, and to practice self-grace and belonging through a new lens.

Weekly participation prompt:

What is one area of your life—big or small—where you’re ready to see with new eyes? Share your reflection in the YouTube or Spotify comments.

Subscribe, follow, and share to join the growing community of Nachonauts learning to see with compassion, create with purpose, and build a Neuro-Affirming Michigan by 2035.

#Neurodiversity

#Neuroaffirming

#SelfReflection

#Belonging

#MarcelProust

#Discovery

#Mindfulness

#PersonalGrowth

#MichiganDisabilityEmpowermentConference

#DisabilityAdvocacy

#UniversalDesign

#NeuroinclusiveEducation

#KetteringUniversity

#AFL-CIO

#MiDDC

#SelfCare

#MentalHealthAwareness

#CommunityConnection

#NeurodivergentVoices

#NACHOSPodcast