Dr. Leah Merle International Ltd

31/10/2025

“The Missing Piece in Self-Care and Neurodivergence”

Most helping professionals know the importance of self-care, but very few of us were ever taught how to do it in a way that honors our culture, our nervous system, and our neurodivergence.

Too often, “self-care” becomes a checklist:

🕯️ Take a bath
📖 Read a book
🚶 Go for a walk

But what happens when those things don’t work,,because your exhaustion isn’t about effort, it’s about identity, belonging, and sensory safety?

As a trauma-informed clinician and educator, I’ve seen the same pattern for years:

• Brilliant neurodivergent women (and therapists) masking through burnout
• Compassionate practitioners giving endlessly until their own well-being becomes the ethical dilemma
• Cultures and systems that praise productivity but ignore collective and embodied healing

That’s why I’m creating two new spaces under Dr Leah Merle International: Dr. Leah’s Inner Circle:

🌿 1. Culturally Competent Self-Care (CPD)
A creative, trauma-informed training where self-care becomes an ethical and multicultural practice.
Rooted in the ADDRESSING model and somatic tools, this 3–6 hour CPD helps you move from “coping” to “reconnection.”

🌸 2. Culturally Appropriate Neurodivergent Support for Women
A 5-phase journey: From Masking to Magic, for women ready to unmask, rebuild, and thrive as their authentic selves.

Because real self-care isn’t surface-level,
it’s cultural, creative, and collective.

If this speaks to you (or someone you supervise or mentor), I’m opening a free 45-minute masterclass + 5-day micro-challenge in the coming weeks.
Let me know in the comments if you’d like the link when it goes live. 💬👇

28/10/2025

Welcome back to Tea with the Experts and Dr. Leah Merle — the What Is Series continues!

I’m Dr. Leah Merle — counselor educator, trauma-informed coach, and lifelong advocate for compassion, curiosity, and courage in how we live, work, and connect.

This season, we’re going even deeper — exploring how science, story, and soul come together in the human experience.

Join me as we unpack questions that shape how we heal and grow:
✨ What is Healing in a Neurodivergent World?
✨ What is the Link Between Temperament and Sleep?
✨ What is Burnout Recovery?
✨ What is Ethical AI in Mental Health?
✨ What is Collective Healing?
✨ What is Trauma-Informed Leadership?
✨ What is Culturally Responsive Care?

Each episode uncovers the human side of helping — where empathy meets evidence.

So, pour yourself something warm, settle in, and join me for Season 2 of Tea with the Experts and Dr. Leah Merle, where we keep asking the questions that matter most.

🎧 Available soon on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/

28/10/2025

Surviving vs. Thriving at Work:

I saw a quote that stopped me scrolling: "The world wasn’t designed for neurodivergent minds, but that doesn’t mean we don’t belong in it."

As a neurodivergent woman and former C-Suite executive, I’ve spent years learning how to lead in systems that weren’t built for the way my brain works.

For a long time, I masked, pushing through sensory overwhelm, executive dysfunction, and burnout because “high performance” was the expectation. But what I’ve learned is this: masking might keep you safe, but it also keeps you small.

When I finally started leading as myself, with transparency about how I work best, everything shifted. My creativity returned. My energy stabilized. My work connections became more open and authentic, too.

Neurodivergence isn’t a weakness to hide. It’s a different operating system, one that brings innovation, empathy, and a deep capacity for pattern recognition and insight.

The future of leadership isn’t about conformity. It’s about curiosity, compassion, and creating space for difference. Here’s to workplaces where authenticity isn’t a risk, it’s the standard. 🫶

24/10/2025

A Personal Update: Coaching & Consulting Now Available Internationally 🌍

It’s been quite a journey and I’m thrilled to share that I’ve transitioned from providing counseling services in Washington State to offering international coaching and consulting through Dr. Leah Merle International.

✨ Transformational Coaching & Consulting for individuals, teams, and organizations seeking trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming, and values-aligned growth.

Here’s what that means:

💫 Coaching – For professionals and high-functioning neurodivergent individuals seeking clarity, purpose, and balance. Future-focused and action-oriented.

🏛️ Consulting – For educators, leaders, and organizations integrating trauma-informed or inclusive practices, strengthening programs, or cultivating conscious leadership.

To celebrate this next chapter (and honor past collaborations), I’m offering a special client rate - reach out directly for details: [email protected]

All sessions are online via Zoom and fully tailored to your goals, whether it’s mapping your next season, creating balance, or exploring your next professional evolution.

And if we haven’t connected in a while, I’d love to hear how you’re doing.

With warmth and gratitude,

Dr. Leah Merle
Founder | Dr. Leah Merle International

🎙️ Podcast: Tea with the Experts & Dr. Leah Merle:

https://www.youtube.com/

hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag

Welcome to "Tea with the Experts & Dr. Leah Merle" – your go-to channel for mental health insights, empowerment, and inspiration! Hosted by Dr. Leah Merle, a passionate Counselor Educator and Therapist, we delve into topics like anxiety, trauma, resilience, and mindfulness with top experts. Starti...

21/10/2025

🎙️ Season 2 is coming! ☕️
Tea with the Experts and Dr. Leah Merle is brewing new conversations and I’m looking for guests to join me!

If you’re an expert, advocate, or have lived experience in topics like mental health, trauma-informed care, motherhood, leadership, or healing, I’d love to feature your story.

💛 Upcoming themes:
Sexual Health | Trauma | Emotional Resilience | Neurodivergence | Boundaries | Social Justice | Healing | Mindfulness | Legacy

Let’s connect over real talk, shared humanity, and cups of truth.
DM me or email: [email protected] if a topic speaks to you!

❤️

01/10/2025

Hi Folks 🌿

I’m reaching out with a small favor: I’m updating my website and would love to include a few testimonials. If you feel comfortable, would you be open to sharing a short sentence or two about your experience working with me (coaching sessions, supervision, teaching, workshops, or our collaboration as peers in consultation)?

It would really help others know what to expect and mean so much to me. You can just send me a private message or email me at: [email protected]

Thank you so much for considering it 💜

Warmly,
Leah

29/09/2025

Neurodivergence in Higher Education: Reimagining Support for Adult Learners

In recent years, we’ve begun to talk more openly about neurodivergence in schools, but the conversation is still catching up in higher education, particularly for adult learners returning to college systems.

Adult students often juggle work, family, and community roles alongside their studies. For neurodivergent adults, this balancing act can be intensified by sensory needs, executive functioning differences, or past educational trauma. Yet, their lived experience, resilience, and creativity are enormous assets to our classrooms and our professions.

As educators and institutions, we have an opportunity and an ethical responsibility, to move beyond compliance-based accommodations toward genuinely trauma-informed, inclusive learning environments.

That means:

🔹 Building flexibility into course design and deadlines
🔹 Valuing multiple forms of participation and expression
🔹 Providing clear, consistent communication and structure
🔹 Normalizing conversations around neurodivergence without stigma

I’ve seen first-hand how these shifts transform not only student outcomes, but also classroom culture. When we support neurodivergent adult learners with empathy and evidence-based strategies, we create conditions where all students thrive.

I’d love to hear from colleagues and leaders in higher ed:

✨ What’s working in your context to support neurodivergent adult learners?
✨ What barriers still exist that we need to dismantle?

Let’s share and learn together, our students deserve nothing less.

hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag

24/09/2025

Higher education. Leadership. Counselling.
Three worlds with one truth: BURNOUT IS REAL.

But, resilience doesn’t come from pushing harder, it comes from replenishing the cup.

✨ Leaders who model boundaries give permission for others to do the same.

✨ Educators who prioritise self-care show students what sustainable success looks like.

Empty cups can’t lead, teach, or inspire. Let’s normalise filling ours first 🫶

22/09/2025

I saw this meme yesterday and it resonated deeply ❤️

Workplace pressure is real, deadlines, responsibilities, expectations. But what matters most is how we respond.

As a prior C Suite Executive, I’ve seen how unchecked pressure can lead to burnout.

That’s why I think that two things are non-negotiable:

✨ Feedback as care: Tough conversations build trust and stronger teams.

✨ Ethics under pressure: Choosing what’s right for YOU, without concern of disagreement or judgement, takes courage, shapes culture and protects well-being.

Kindness + integrity aren’t “soft skills.” They’re leadership essentials that prevent burnout and create resilient teams.

👉 Let’s keep normalising open dialogue, mutual respect, and ethical leadership.

🫶 A reminder that kindness and integrity leave lasting impressions.

22/09/2025

✨ Thought for Today ✨

“When little people are overwhelmed by big emotions, it’s our job to share our calm. Not join their chaos.” – L. R. Knost

This resonates so for me deeply, not just in parenting, but in leadership, teaching, counseling, and even day-to-day relationships.

When others are in turmoil, our response can either escalate the chaos or anchor the calm.

👉 Sometimes the most powerful thing we can offer is not advice, correction, or control, but presence, steadiness, and compassion.

💡 How do you remind yourself to lead with calm in moments of tension?

08/09/2025

“Season 2 is brewing” 🫖☕️

21/07/2025

🧠✨ Attachment Styles & the Neurodivergent Mind ✨🧠
High-achieving. Deep-feeling. Always thinking.
But when it comes to relationships, personal or professional, do you:
➡️ Crave connection but fear abandonment?
➡️ Push others away but long for closeness?
➡️ Feel safe only when you’re in control?
➡️ Or do you finally feel secure and grounded?

This Attachment Styles Wheel offers powerful insight into how we relate to others and ourselves.

For many neurodivergent high performers, masking, hyper-independence, perfectionism, and emotional intensity stem from early relational wounds, not just wiring. 😔

💡 The GOOD news?
Understanding your attachment style is the first step to breaking patterns, regulating your nervous system, and building more authentic relationships, without burning out.

💬 Which style feels most familiar to you right now?
💛 My coaching helps neurodivergent women move from masking to magic, rewiring attachment responses for more secure, aligned, and fulfilling lives.

📲 DM me “ATTACHMENT” if you’re ready to dive deeper.