cosmic cheer squad

About cosmic cheer squad

A rogue band of stardust-wired misfits, saying the quiet things out loud. We're here for joy with depth, irreverence with heart, and conversations that spark real change. Hosted by Bee Mayhew and Chris Wells. cosmiccheersquad.substack.com (https://cosmiccheersquad.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Bee Mayhew and Chris Wells

Category

health & fitness · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

21 Apr 2025

Latest episode

2 Apr 2026

Latest episodes

11 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   2 Apr 2026

   voices at the margins

   Episode 11 is a conversation among seven neurodivergent podcasters that became the centerpiece of a peer-reviewed paper. The paper is called “Voices at the Margins: Podcasting as Neuroqueer Collaborative Autoethnography and Epistemic Healing,” and it just came out in Neurodiversity journal. Caitlin Hughes led the project and brought all of us together: Chris, Emma, Bee, Sheldon, Marni, and Teena Mogler, Caitlin’s co-host on Divergent Dialogues. If you’ve been listening to this show, you already know most of these people. Now you get to hear all of us together Caitlin gave us five open-ended questions about what podcasting makes possible, where we’ve felt shut out of traditional knowledge spaces, and how sharing our stories ripples outward. We talked about belonging, about what it means to claim your lived experience as real knowledge, and about the way that being different from each other is actually what holds us together. Emma called us “scattergraph unicorns,” and honestly, that might be the best description of this group anyone’s come up with. There’s a lot of laughter in this episode. There are also moments that hit hard. Bee shared a story about sending a podcast episode to someone who didn’t know he was neurodivergent yet—and that connection led to him getting real support. Sheldon talked about holding up a mirror so people can see themselves. Chris named what it feels like to bring your whole self into spaces that would rather you didn’t. The paper calls these things “resonances,” and that word fits. The paper argues that podcasting is a legitimate form of knowledge creation—not a supplement to academic research, but a method in its own right. Read the full paper (open access): https://doi.org/10.1177/27546330261437265 (https://doi.org/10.1177/27546330261437265) Published in: Neurodiversity, Volume 4, Special Issue: Towards a Critical Turn in Neurodiversity Studies: Bridging the Arts, Humanities and the Social Sciences *A PDF of the transcript is available here (https://dabrowskicenter.org/voices). The podcasters in this episode: * Caitlin Hughes (she/they) is a queer, nonbinary, multi-exceptional Australian social worker, researcher, educator, and advocate. Late-identified as Autistic, ADHD, Gifted, and PDA, Caitlin co-hosts the Divergent Dialogues (https://divergentdialogues.substack.com/) podcast and brings a lived experience-led perspective to their work. They are committed to fostering epistemic healing through relational ethics, narrative reclamation, and accessible, lived experience–driven knowledge creation. * Chris Wells (they/them) is a multi-exceptional, nonbinary, and neurodivergent writer, podcaster, and developmental theorist specializing in Dąbrowski’s theory of positive disintegration. They co-host the Positive Disintegration (https://www.positivedisintegration.org/), cosmic cheer squad (https://cosmiccheersquad.substack.com/), and PDA: Resistance and Resilience (http://pdapodcast.substack.com/) podcasts, and are the founding president of the Dąbrowski Center and co-creator of the Positive Disintegration Network. Chris brings lived experience and a deep commitment to reframing neurodivergence through a developmental and relational lens. * Emma Nicholson (she/her) is a neurodivergent Australian Senior Business Analyst, creative and advocate, identifying as gifted, Dyscalculic, with all five overexcitabilities (psychomotor, sensual, intellectual, imaginational, and emotional), as well as bisexual and Heathen. She co-hosts the Positive Disintegration Podcast (https://www.positivedisintegration.org/) and serves as Vice President of the Dąbrowski Center. She is driven by an unkillable passion to demystify positive disintegration and share hard-won truths to help others feel seen and supported. * Bee Mayhew (she/her) is a multiply neurodivergent (late-identified AuDHD, former gifted kid) writer, narrative collaborator, and communication coordinator for PDN Media. She co-hosts cosmic cheer squad (https://cosmiccheersquad.substack.com/) podcast and has a background as a hospitality specialist and business owner. Bee’s work centers on collective narrative-building and neurodivergent storytelling through activist, community-rooted practice. * Sheldon Gay (he/him) is a Black Gifted speaker and podcast host of I Must Be BUG’N (https://sheldongayisbugn.com/) (Black Underrepresented/Unidentified Gifted and otherwise Neurodivergent). Sheldon is guided by the belief that learning to deeply and wholly Love oneSelf, cape and kryptonite, is the path to finding, creating, and maintaining Love everywhere we go. * Marni Kammersell (she/her) is an American late-identified neurodivergent (Autistic, ADHD, PDA, gifted) parent of neurodivergent children. She is an educator, researcher, writer, and consultant, and co-hosts the PDA: Resistance and Resilience (http://PDApodcast.substack.com/) podcast. Marni is dedicated to honoring neurodivergent experience through relational, self-directed, and nervous-system-informed knowledge practices. * Teena Mogler (she/her) is an Australian AuDHD social worker, researcher, educator, and advocate, as well as co-host of the Divergent Dialogues (https://divergentdialogues.substack.com/) podcast. As a mother to neurodivergent children, Teena is passionate about amplifying neurodivergent voices and disrupting epistemic injustice through lived experience-led, neuroaffirming, and critically reflexive knowledge practices. Find the podcasters: * Divergent Dialogues: divergentdialogues.substack.com (https://divergentdialogues.substack.com/) * I Must Be BUG’N: sheldongayisbugn.com (https://sheldongayisbugn.com/) * Positive Disintegration: www.positivedisintegration.org (https://www.positivedisintegration.org/) * cosmic cheer squad: cosmiccheersquad.substack.com (https://cosmiccheersquad.substack.com/) * PDA: Resistance and Resilience: pdapodcast.substack.com (http://PDApodcast.substack.com/) 💌 Connect with us: * Instagram → @cosmiccheersquad (https://instagram.com/cosmiccheersquad) * Find bee on pragmagination (https://missnomer.substack.com/) * Find Chris on Positive Disintegration (https://www.positivedisintegration.org/) and PDA: Resistance and Resilience (https://pdapodcast.substack.com/) We’d love for you to subscribe, share, or leave a comment! Please leave us a review on your favorite platform and help us reach other potential squaddies ✨ Get full access to cosmic cheer squad at cosmiccheersquad.substack.com/subscribe (https://cosmiccheersquad.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

2. 

   30 Sept 2025

   mystical journeys

   David Sweeney explores mysticism's intersection with neurodivergence and trauma, discussing mystical development, service, and the distinction between mysticism and magic in an interview with the hosts.

3. 

   27 Aug 2025

   from open water

   Bee Mayhew and Chris Wells discuss recognizing and leaving toxic professional communities, sharing insights on courage and finding new belonging in this interview.

4. 

   3 Aug 2025

   compassionate mirrors

   Podcast host Chris interviews Sheldon Gay, host of I Must Be BUG’N podcast, about mirroring truths for others, healing in community, and embracing vulnerability as strength.

5. 

   23 Jul 2025

   shay/they energy

   Caitlin Hughes, an accredited mental health social worker, discusses friendship, neurodivergence, and reclaiming joy with the hosts, tracing the path of building trust and exploring the magic of unmasking through friendship in this interview.

6. 

   8 Jul 2025

   love, loss, and the power of showing up

   Hosts Chris and Bee reflect on the life and impact of Seph Johnson, discussing themes of love, loss, and the importance of showing up for one another in this episode.

7. 

   24 Jun 2025

   liberating the misfit

   Psychic reader Karin Eglinton discusses reclaiming spirituality from misuse and power dynamics, emphasizing intuition's role in relationships and knowing, in an interview on navigating spiritual and academic spaces.

8. 

   3 Jun 2025

   devotion, not busyness

   Hosts Chris and Bee explore devotion versus busyness in life, family, and creative work, discussing parenting, imperfection, and building community through podcasting, offering insights into living with intention.

9. 

   19 May 2025

   cosmic connections

   In episode 3, Chris and Bee welcome a very special guest—Emma Nicholson, co-host of the Positive Disintegration Podcast—for an in-person, around-the-table conversation in Madison, Wisconsin. Together, they reflect on: * How they became friends and collaborators through the theory of positive disintegration * The idea of cosmic pockets as a way to hold intense feelings until it’s safe to process them * Inner critics, intrusive thoughts, and how to rewrite old narratives * Parenting yourself while raising others * Emotional trampolines, anti-cults, and resisting illegitimate authority * Why the Gravitron might be the perfect metaphor for development Plus: Bee’s legendary toffee, Aussie accent jokes, trench coat metaphors, and the beginnings of a truly cozy counterculture. 💫 It’s part reunion, part origin story, and all heart. Come sit with us. Links from this episode Find Emma online: * Tragic Gift (https://tragicgift.com/) (blog) * Adults with Overexcitabilities (https://www.youtube.com/@adultswithoverexcitabiliti3367) (YouTube) * Adults with Overexcitabilities (https://www.facebook.com/groups/424880678836389) (Facebook group) * Positive Disintegration (https://www.instagram.com/positivedisintegration_podcast/) (Instagram) We referenced: * Cosmic Pocket (https://www.positivedisintegration.org/p/mindfulness-perspective-cosmic-pocket) * Sneaky Stimming (https://www.positivedisintegration.org/p/sneaky-stimming) Positive Disintegration: * Episode 33: A Personal Journey of Self-Discovery (https://www.positivedisintegration.org/p/a-personal-journey-of-self-discovery), with David Sweeney * Episode 37: Self-Directed Education (https://www.positivedisintegration.org/p/self-directed-education) with Marni Kammersell 💌 Connect with us: * Instagram → @cosmiccheersquad (https://instagram.com/cosmiccheersquad) * Substack → cosmiccheersquad.substack.com (https://cosmiccheersquad.substack.com/) * Find Chris on Positive Disintegration (https://www.positivedisintegration.org/) * Find bee on pragmagination (https://missnomer.substack.com/) We’d love for you to subscribe, share, or leave a comment letting us know your favorite carnival ride. Carnival rides and amusement parks will be a recurring theme, choose your ride identity so we can make sure we have diverse representation as we design this together! Click here if you’d like a list (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_amusement_rides) of carnival rides to choose from. 🎢 Get full access to cosmic cheer squad at cosmiccheersquad.substack.com/subscribe (https://cosmiccheersquad.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

10. 

    5 May 2025

    stories we outgrow

    In episode 2 of cosmic cheer squad, Chris and bee catch up on haircuts, head coverings, and how personal style reflects deeper transformation. What starts as a light-hearted exchange about hair quickly opens into deeper stories: gender, identity, music, trauma, and the ways we rewrite our narratives to reclaim agency. Along the way, they talk about: * Finding a new hairstylist (and the emotional labor of hair) * Misgendering, identity, and expression through style * Rap, rebellion, and rewriting your soundtrack * The weird things we thought adulthood would feel like * Changing how we relate to our past (and our parents) * Emotional quicksand, mashed potatoes, and why bee is a Gravitron * Learning to like ourselves and speak kindly inside our own heads This is a tender, funny, and unflinchingly real conversation about growing into who we are, and letting joy sneak in, even when life is messy. 💌 Connect with us: * Instagram → @cosmiccheersquad (https://instagram.com/cosmiccheersquad) * Substack → cosmiccheersquad.substack.com (https://cosmiccheersquad.substack.com/) * Find Chris on Positive Disintegration (https://www.positivedisintegration.org/) * Find bee on pragmagination (https://missnomer.substack.com/) We’d love for you to subscribe, share, or leave a comment letting us know your favorite carnival ride. Click here if you’d like a list (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_amusement_rides) of carnival rides to choose from. 🎢 Get full access to cosmic cheer squad at cosmiccheersquad.substack.com/subscribe (https://cosmiccheersquad.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

11. 

    21 Apr 2025

    This is cosmic cheer squad

    Welcome to the first-ever episode of cosmic cheer squad! We (Chris and Bee) kick things off by introducing ourselves and the magnetic, messy, beautiful energy that brought this podcast into being. In this episode, we share what led us to each other, how we’ve navigated neurodivergence, burnout, and identity over the years—and why we’re building this space for radical honesty, soft rebellion, and cosmic-level care. The hosts of cosmic cheer squad: Bee Mayhew (she/they)Anarchist housewife, lyrical wild card, and neurodivergent shapeshifter. Fiercely tender, cosmically grounded, and here to say the quiet parts out loud. Founder of pragmagination (https://missnomer.substack.com/). Chris Wells (they/them)Writer, mystic, and catalyst for transformation. Explorer of inner worlds and compassionate guide through what hurts and heals. Co-host of Positive Disintegration (https://www.positivedisintegration.org/). 🧭 In this episode: * Who we are (spoiler: it’s complicated) * How voice memos turned into a friendship turned into a podcast * What it means to be a “cheerleader” for the misfits, mystics, and maladjusted * Our love for intensity, irreverence, and rewriting the script * Creating community outside the bounds of professionalism or performance * Saying the quiet parts out loud—and laughing about it 🔥 Themes we circle around: * Positive disintegration (we promise not to get too deep—yet) * Anti-authoritarian tenderness * Being “too much” in all the right ways * Healing through relationship and storytelling * Why the world needs more badass softies 🎡 We also talk about: * Getting mistaken for cheerleaders (we’re not) * Growing up weird * The Gravitron, voicies, grocery store friendships * The surreal joy of finding your people—finally 💌 Connect with us: * Instagram → @cosmiccheersquad (https://instagram.com/cosmiccheersquad) * Substack → cosmiccheersquad.substack.com (https://cosmiccheersquad.substack.com/) * Find Chris on Positive Disintegration (https://www.positivedisintegration.org) * Find Bee on pragmagination (https://missnomer.substack.com/) We’d love for you to subscribe, share, or leave a comment letting us know your favorite carnival ride. What’s been keeping your soul afloat lately? We’d like to thank: Pam Ryan for our logo ✨ Sean Zenobia for our music 🎶 Emma Nicholson for editorial tutoring 🎧 Get full access to cosmic cheer squad at cosmiccheersquad.substack.com/subscribe (https://cosmiccheersquad.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

Who has been a guest on cosmic cheer squad

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• David Sweeney
• Sheldon Gay
• Caitlin Hughes
• Karin Eglinton

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.4 / 5

7 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 20 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

9

Social presence

90

YouTube

0

Engagement

31