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

In this deeply personal episode of NACHOS (The Neuro-Affirming Conversation Hour for Outreach and Support), host Dutch reflects on the passing of their father and the legacy he left behind — a legacy built on what he called The Ripple Theory.

Recorded in the stillness of November, this episode explores how grief, gratitude, and growth intertwine, much like the changing of the seasons. Through stories from a family gathering in a barn, Dutch reflects on Tolkien’s timeless line — “Death is just another path, one that we all must take.” From there, they connect the rhythms of nature to the ongoing work of neuro-affirmation, inclusion, and community building.

As the episode concludes, Dutch shares a special photo montage from the Michigan Disability Empowerment Conference (MDEC) — a visual testament to what it means to keep the ripples moving: one act of care, one connection, one voice at a time.

In this episode:

• Reflections on grief, legacy, and transformation

• The Ripple Theory and the power of everyday kindness

• The connection between nature’s cycles and neuro-affirming growth

• Highlights from the 2025 Michigan Disability Empowerment Conference (MDEC)

Key Themes: neuro-affirming education, disability inclusion, grief and healing, legacy, empathy, human connection, community care, Michigan advocacy

Learn more:

Humanities 101 Foundation → https://humanities101.org

Follow NACHOS for weekly neuro-affirming conversations, reflections, and community stories.

Episode Title: Ripples in Still Water: An Autumn Reflection on Change and Curiosity

As the days grow shorter and the air turns crisp, Dutch invites the NACHOS community into an autumn reflection on change, curiosity, and the quiet ways our lives ripple outward. Recorded in the wake of the Michigan Disability Empowerment Conference (MDEC), this episode explores what it means to build new systems rooted in neuro-affirmation, inclusion, and belonging — and how that work continues in classrooms, libraries, and communities across Michigan.

Dutch reflects on the power of student innovation, the importance of curiosity in driving inclusion, and the lessons learned from his late father — a man whose “ripple theory” and love of the Grateful Dead’s Ripple remind us that no act of kindness ever truly ends.

This week’s episode asks us to slow down, to wonder, and to remember that every question we ask, every story we share, and every act of compassion we offer creates a ripple that carries farther than we’ll ever know.

Topics include:

• Autumn as a metaphor for change and renewal

• Reflections on the Michigan Disability Empowerment Conference

• Student innovation and neuro-affirming design

• The Humanities as a practice of curiosity and community

• The ripple theory and legacy of connection

Connect with Humanities 101:

🌐 humanities101.org

🎧 Follow NACHOS: The Neuro-Affirming Conversation Hour for Outreach and Support on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts

💬 Join the conversation on TikTok, YouTube, and Discord (@Humanities101)

🤝 Consider giving to the Humanities 101 Foundation to help build a more neuro-affirming Michigan

Because every brain belongs. Every story counts. And every question is a ripple.

This week on NACHOS: The Neuro-Affirming Conversation Hour for Outreach and Support, we’re pressing pause — on purpose. In “A Much Needed Rest,” Dutch invites listeners to slow down, take a breath, and rediscover the value of doing things with care instead of speed.

Instead of a typical episode, this week is a gentle reminder that self-care is part of the learning process. Dutch encourages students to focus on catching up — reviewing class videos, engaging in thoughtful participation, and preparing midterms with patience and purpose. He also shares opportunities to get involved with the upcoming Michigan Disability Empowerment Conference (MDEC) and invites listeners to connect during Thursday’s virtual office hour.

Whether you spend this week revisiting past NACHOS episodes, volunteering for a cause, or simply catching your breath, this episode is your permission slip to rest — and to remember that slowing down is sometimes the most productive thing you can do.

Coffee Spoons and Kingdoms: Finding Balance in the Everyday

What do coffee spoons, forgotten kings, brain bacteria, and daylight saving time have in common? In this week’s episode of NACHOS: the Neuro-Affirming Conversation Hour for Outreach & Support, we dive into the surprising ways everyday rituals and hidden systems shape our stress, our sleep, our history, and our sense of self.

From the grounding power of coffee rituals to new research on hydration and anxiety, from a rediscovery of King Æthelstan to cutting-edge studies on microbiomes and sleep cycles, and even the politics of daylight saving time, we explore how the forces around us impact not just our psychology but our biology. And most importantly: how we can reclaim balance, joy, and curiosity in the middle of it all.

For neurodivergent listeners, this episode hits close to home. We unpack how often blame is misplaced — how distress is too often framed as a personal failing when it’s actually rooted in systems, biology, or policy. Together, we uncover the truth: you are not broken, you are not voiceless, and your story matters.

Join us as we affirm the PBJ ethic — Predictability, Balance, and Joy — and remind ourselves that self-care isn’t about obedience, it’s about love.

Balance, joy, and curiosity show up in the smallest places — coffee spoons, sleep, even forgotten kings. Follow NACHOS and stay curious. If this resonates, follow NACHOS for more. Stay tuned, and stay curious

NACHOS S3E4 – There and Back Again: What Hobbits Can Teach Us About Joy, Resilience, and Belonging

Welcome back, Nachonauts. In this special episode of NACHOS: the Neuro-Affirming Conversation Hour for Outreach and Support, we celebrate Hobbit Day, the shared birthday of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, and reflect on what Tolkien’s hobbits can teach us about courage, joy, and belonging in a world that often underestimates us.

In this episode you will hear:

• How hobbits remind us that ordinary people and everyday joys like second breakfasts, friendships, and small steps can change the world

• Why Universal Design matters far beyond ramps and retrofits, and how it creates classrooms and communities where everyone belongs from the start

• A critical look at how disability is portrayed in film, and how we can resist stereotypes by centering authentic disabled voices

• What the Michigan Disability Empowerment Conference (MDEC) means for students, advocates, and community members, and how a midterm project can become a statewide act of impact

• Powerful affirmations reminding us that you are not a side character, not a metaphor, not an afterthought. You are at the center of the story

Why it matters:

This episode weaves together Tolkien’s Middle-earth, Jay Dolmage’s Academic Ableism, and the PBJ ethic of Predictability, Balance, and Joy to show how design and storytelling shape belonging. From the Shire to the classroom to the big screen, the stories we tell decide who counts. Nachonauts, we are rewriting the script.

Weekly Discussion Question:

When you look at how college life is portrayed in movies, how does it compare to your real experience? What is missing, and how would you rewrite the story to be more inclusive and authentic?

Join the community:

• Share your reflections in the comments

• Pass this episode along to a friend, classmate, or advocate

• Explore resources, events, and support at www.humanities101.org

• Subscribe to the channel and turn on notifications to stay connected

Your voice matters. Your perspective matters. You are not an afterthought. You belong at the center of the story.

#NACHOS #Neurodiversity #Neuroaffirming #DisabilityCommunity #Inclusion #UniversalDesign #PBJFramework #MDEC #HobbitDay #Tolkien