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A neurodivergent person is someone whose brain processes or learns information in a way that’s not considered “typical.” Neurodivergence is an umbrella term that includes people with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and dyscalculia, among other conditions that are present from infancy. In a world not always set up for people with different minds, neurodivergence is considered a disability (in what’s known as the social model of disability). These individuals can deal with discrimination in employment, health care, and education. Changes in diagnostic criteria and increasing awareness of how these conditions show up in girls, women, and people assigned female at birth mean more people than ever are discovering their neurodivergent brain tendencies later in life. This is especially true for people with level-one autism who have “low support needs,” which is harder for teachers, parents, and practitioners to detect in early life. In honor of Neurodiversity Celebration Month, we’re sharing the stories of five neurodivergent people who said “yes” to thriving in their fields and lives — from content creators and therapists to writers and performing artists.

(via Five Neurodivergent People Who Said “Yes” to Thriving)

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“We want to do some cool stuff when we go to Dubai.” Fortunately for season 37 contestant Jeff, the United Arab Emirates’ glitzy, futuristic city is just the place. In episode six, The Amazing Race’s eight remaining teams speed into Dubai, where they’re greeted by its ultra-modern skyline and the jaw-dropping sight of the Burj Khalifa—the world’s tallest building.

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Brett Tucker is attempting to solve a mystery, one that has him waving from the other side of a screen with no audio. “Won’t be getting a job at [tech company] Cisco anytime soon,” he cracks with a smile, shortly after connecting and realizing he’d accidentally muted the computer.

(via How Brett Tucker Threw Himself Into ‘The Residence’)

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The Residence is filled with a deep bench of characters. This shouldn’t be a surprise — the comedic mystery takes place at the White House, and from the housekeeping staff to the unwitting politicians (both Australian and American) to Kylie Minogue herself, everyone has a moment. But as Mel Rodriguez, who plays White House engineer Bruce Geller, notes, despite the cast of colorful personalities and the incredible lineup of actors recruited to play them, he never felt lost in the shuffle.

(via Meet the Cute On-Screen Couple at the Center of 'The Residence')

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Al Franken has earned a reputation for telling the truth — bluntly when necessary. There was his time on Saturday Night Live when he played Stuart Smalley, an affable character with a pocket full of self-affirmations, including his trademark declaration “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.” (“It’s amazing because I still remember the first show,” Franken recalls of SNL’s recent 50th-anniversary celebration. “It’s amazing, but it makes you feel really old on the other hand — like, geez, time flies.”) He’s written several books, including the incredibly titled Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, which netted him a 2004 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for the audiobook version. And there’s his current work on The Al Franken Podcast, which features candid conversations with public figures across both comedy and politics.

(via Al Franken Is Back in ‘The Residence’ — and He’s (Kind Of) Hopeful)

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The average user spends more than two hours per day on social media. It’s a number that can add up to years of your life spent in front of a screen. But it isn’t just our addiction to scrolling that’s doing us in. From office jobs to smartphones, we’re tuning out the world and spending large chunks of our lives behind screens. It’s sensory overload, served to us in 2D.

(via Say “Yes” to Awakening to Your Surroundings | Shondaland)

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As Bronson Pinchot recalls, it was the pause that got him. The actor — a stage veteran — was asked by his director one night during an extended run of a play to add a moment of silence before a pivotal monologue. Feeling in his gut that it was the wrong impulse but wanting to be a team player, he agreed. He knew the moment flopped before he got off the stage. Mortified, he left the theater and stopped by an ATM. That’s when the mistake caught up with him.

(via Bronson Pinchot and the Art of Being in ‘The Residence’)

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I’ll be honest: I had no intention of ever watching Grey’s Anatomy. I was starting out in film school when the show premiered — and I was convinced I had a life ahead of me as an auteur, even though learning about French New Wave and various filmmaking techniques never really added up to me having anything to say in the medium. Grey’s Anatomy on the other hand? That was “just” some network show — a burgeoning “serious” director and filmmaker would never indulge in it.

(via ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Taught Me More Than Film School Ever Could)

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Kylie Minogue had just taken the laser-filled stage at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on March 12, wearing a silvery mermaid-like dress. It was the Australian pop star’s first show in the Japanese capital in more than 14 years, and the second Asian stop on her Tension world tour. As she noted, it was about time she returned to work, and not to enjoy a vacation. She asked for the house lights to be turned on and declared that the crowd of devotees — nicknamed Lovers — were “kawaii” (a Japanese word that highlights and celebrates cuteness).

(via Why We’ll Always Love The Residence Star Kylie Minogue)

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In a recent two-part episode arc on Grey’s Anatomy, we watched as Catherine Fox’s protégé, the penis-transplant expert Evynn (Lena Waithe), lied about her wife Tasha’s Alzheimer’s condition in order to secure a liver for her. By crossing ethical lines — lying to the transplant board at Grey Sloan and to Catherine — Evynn caused what appears to be irreparable damage. But as Waithe notes, “It makes us ask these philosophical questions: Who is more deserving? Because my wife has Alzheimer’s, what does that mean? That her quality of life won’t be up to par? What if I don’t mind if she’s here with me in the physical, though in a different way?” In the end, though, Nick saves the day by dividing the liver in half when another patient in the hospital also needs a transplant.

(via What’s the (Real) Deal With Organ Donations? | Shondaland)

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few years ago, Paul William Davies went to the Sherlock Holmes Museum in London, England. While he admits to having an affinity for the mystery genre as a whole, Davies lights up when discussing his favorite gumshoe, a character who has influenced the choice of destinations for several of his vacations. “I visited Reichenbach Falls while I was in Switzerland years ago just so I could see where they had their epic duel,” he reveals, referencing Sherlock’s last adventure.

(via ‘The Residence’ Showrunner Paul William Davies Loves a Mystery)

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Did season 37, episode 3 leave you dreaming of a trip to Japan’s most beautiful city? From samurai soccer to origami art, experience the best of Kyoto with our race-inspired guide

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When you think of Hong Kong, you probably imagine sky-high buildings packed so densely the city transforms into a cyber-punk scene at night. You're not wrong. There are more skyscrapers here than anywhere else in the world, and 7.5 million residents to fill them. But at over 430 square miles, there’s so much more to see than city life in China’s largest special administrative region. 

Comprising Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories (260 outlying islands), variety is hard baked into the Hong Kong experience. In 24 hours, you can relish a sweaty island hike, award-winning food, and what many consider to be some of the greatest cocktails in the world.

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“Japan, here we come!” The Amazing Race contestant Jonathan beams with excitement as he discovers the contest’s 12 remaining teams will head to Osaka for the second leg of the race. Season 37 marks the second time The Amazing Race has visited Japan’s former imperial capital, and the episode is filled with hands-on cultural highlights. From an Intersection obstacle where teams swap partners and survive a Roadblock—this time a traditional taiko drumming challenge—to a Detour that saw teams choose between taking on sumo wrestlers or pounding out mochi (sweet rice cakes), it’s a colorful race to the finish line at the beautiful Katsuō-ji temple. Contestants were eager to explore pretty city scenes, too: “I just want to see Osaka; I know it’s going to be gorgeous,” says Mark. So when’s best to plan your own trip? Most people will think of April to see the sakura bloom, when light-pink cherry blossoms cover Expo’ 70 Commemorative Park and Okawa River (tours are available).

But early December is just as memorable, when the fiery autumn leaves are at their peak in Osaka Castle Park and Daisen Park Japanese Garden. Meanwhile, summer in Osaka means hot weather—but also the chance to check out one of the city’s dazzling festivals, including Tenjin Matsuri, held in late July, famous for its fireworks.

(read more)

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According to a study by American Express, nearly 13 million businesses in the United States are owned by women — generating almost $1.8 trillion annually. And those numbers are only set to shift upward as more women than men continue to apply for business licenses. Saying “yes” to entrepreneurship can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to overwhelm us to the point of inaction. Sometimes, we simply need to say “yes” to curiosity — maybe there’s a product or service we need in our lives that doesn’t exist. We can create a business that addresses this need, one that gives us solutions to problems we’ve been struggling with, perhaps even creating a community we want to join in the process. In that context, saying “yes” to the challenges that come with entrepreneurship becomes the obvious next step. Here, we highlight five women who are true innovators. Meet Monica Molenaar, Jeannie Jacobs, Brooks Bell, Renee Guilbault, and Adria Marshall.

(via Five Women Entrepreneurs Who Said “Yes” | Shondaland)

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Off-site work retreats can be difficult to pull off because they live in a gray zone. More than a remote-work situation, but not quite a vacation with your coworkers, retreats are opportunities to strengthen employee relationships, ultimately resulting in a stronger workplace dynamic. Which means planning is crucial. When retreats go wrong, they make for great television: Severance turned its innies’ camping trip into a near-murder, The Office’s beach games fell apart spectacularly (while in the background, Pam Halpert turned the event’s failure into an opportunity for personal growth and literally walked on coals), and of course, there’s the most recent episode of Grey’s Anatomy, in which Bailey, in a bid to rebuild trust among her interns, attempts to have a fun, informative, relaxing off-site retreat, but to no avail. Jules is still mad at Simone and is, frankly, pissed at everyone since Mika’s sad departure. Although shockingly, Lucas and Blue played nice together. Ultimately, though, the person Bailey hired to guide them through the off-site event leaves, letting them know that they’d be better suited with a trauma specialist (go figure). Everything actually turns out okay in the end, with a beautiful, tender moment when they all make chili together, and it feels like hope is on the horizon after all.

(via How to Have an Actually Productive Off-Site Retreat)

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Grey’s Anatomy is a medical show at heart. And certainly, we feel a thrill when the doctors at Grey Sloan make a miraculous save or pull off an impressive surgery. But let’s be real — we are partially here for the interpersonal drama (don’t lie!). You’d have plenty of conflict with any group locked into an 80-hour workweek. But when the stakes are life or death, tempers can run especially high.

(via 10 of the Biggest Feuds in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ History)