Author • Podcaster • Inventor Exploring neurodiversity, creativity, and conscious technology. Host of I’m Not Broken | Author of Rise of Atlantis & The Autistic Survival Manual 🌐 facebook.com/jefferytowerybooks 💛 Different isn’t broken.https://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mihtth2doc2jWorking on my blood pressure taught me something nobody talks about: My safe foods were part of the problem. Not laziness—adaptation. Predictable = safe when life is loud. But “safe” doesn’t always mean healthy. Just trying to be a little better each day. https://youtube.com/shorts/2Y9ALJ72UKc?feature=share01 Apr 2026 23:28 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mihtth2doc2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mhnvzsyqd22lSafe foods kept me regulated… but they were quietly raising my blood pressure. Hot dogs, lunch meat, Gatorade — easy, predictable, low effort. Great for my brain. Not so great for my body. Not fixing myself. Just upgrading inputs. Same safety. Better fuel. https://youtube.com/shorts/pXt19xSj47A?feature=share22 Mar 2026 15:59 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhnvzsyqd22lhttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mgijskiiwc2nMany autistic people are extremely sensitive to body language, tone, and emotional atmosphere. When the world is tense, that signal can raise our load fast. It’s okay to step back from people who constantly raise your stress. Protecting your nervous system is wisdom. https://youtube.com/shorts/9Sz74B3fyX8?feature=share07 Mar 2026 19:11 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgijskiiwc2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mgbksifuts23Researchers formed the Independent Autism Coordinating Committee (I-ACC) as a counterweight to HHS’ reshaped federal panel. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/autism-researchers-form-independent-committee-counter-kennedy-appointed-group-2026-03-03/05 Mar 2026 00:41 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgbksifuts23https://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mg6zvxefrs23When the world gets loud, the nervous system looks for grounding. Deep pressure — like weighted blankets, tight hoodies, or leaning against a wall — activates proprioception and helps regulate the body. Different nervous systems regulate differently. https://youtube.com/shorts/jgPqOMH7Xa8?feature=share04 Mar 2026 00:33 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mg6zvxefrs23https://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mfx25grqss23The world feels loud right now. When everything escalates, regulate first. Step away from the screen. Breathe. Decompress. You can’t help anyone if your nervous system is on fire. Recovery isn’t weakness. It’s maintenance. I’m not brokenbecause different isn’t broken. https://youtube.com/shorts/9_cRAPDCAOQ?feature=share28 Feb 2026 20:16 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfx25grqss23https://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mfuxysgg5k23The flu knocked me flat for a few weeks. Rest isn’t weakness. It’s biology. We’re not machines. We’re apes with lungs and nervous systems that need recovery. Feeling much better. Easing back into writing and creating this week. https://youtube.com/shorts/4beURHIKxj8?feature=share28 Feb 2026 00:32 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfuxysgg5k23https://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mffdgwtvbk2oQuick health update: I’m okay. Still recovering and taking things one day at a time, but I’m definitely on the upswing. I just have to take care of me for a minute so I can come back strong. Thank you all for the patience and support. It means more than you know. 💙21 Feb 2026 19:14 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mffdgwtvbk2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mepbipqkqk2oI wasn’t abducted by aliens or detained by government agents. 👽 I just caught the flu. Soup, blankets, dramatic coughing — the usual. Feeling human again and posting soon. Different isn’t broken. https://youtube.com/shorts/QKUlfEQ_Be8?feature=share13 Feb 2026 00:41 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mepbipqkqk2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mec5iw3vns2mThere’s a lot going on in the world, I want to talk about what it’s doing to us. Feeling exhausted or numb doesn’t mean you stopped caring. It means the world stopped giving people time to recover. Rest isn’t indifference. Different isn’t broken. https://youtube.com/shorts/uyv-q3m8-zk?feature=share07 Feb 2026 19:25 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mec5iw3vns2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mea62h23nk2mReading Rainbow Friday 🌈 Tonight I’m reading the dedication from The Autistic Survival Manual for AI—for autistic and neurodivergent people who’ve had to translate themselves to survive, and for those designing tech that listens instead of controls. https://youtube.com/shorts/uXsTG2_ahIs?feature=share07 Feb 2026 00:29 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mea62h23nk2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3me5o5zks3c2eKnights & Wizards 🛡️🧙‍♂️ Autistic minds often go quiet before they speak. Social minds often speak before they go quiet. Both are processing. Silence isn’t refusal. Speech isn’t aggression. Different paths. Same nervous system. https://youtube.com/shorts/i35qwYRJ5Aw?feature=share06 Feb 2026 00:40 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3me5o5zks3c2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3me35kyrlks2aAI isn’t “superhuman.” It’s faster, not smarter — and that’s the risk when it’s used for surveillance, eligibility decisions, risk scoring, and automated suspicion. Speed without judgment isn’t wisdom. If something feels off, you’re not broken —you’re noticing a mismatch. https://youtube.com/shorts/Xrlp6RPZt1I?feature=share05 Feb 2026 00:37 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3me35kyrlks2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mdymjnpwe22aWeighted ≠ restrained. Chosen pressure calms because it comes with agency, consent & predictability. Forced pressure alarms because your nervous system interprets it as danger. Same sensation, opposite meaning. Watch this → https://youtube.com/shorts/q7HQGsUCTSg?feature=share04 Feb 2026 00:27 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdymjnpwe22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mdqpoqs2ck2nSaturday reflection 🌱 A lot of autistic people are feeling cognitive dissonance right now—not anxiety, but the strain of living in a world where systems, narratives, and behavior don’t line up. That discomfort isn’t a flaw. It’s a signal. https://youtube.com/shorts/N3hHx69qON4?feature=share31 Jan 2026 21:02 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdqpoqs2ck2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mdol6flcr22nReading Rainbow tonight 🌈 I didn’t set out to write a theory—I set out to understand why the world asks so many of us to be something other than human. What I saw wasn’t brokenness, but mismatch. Different isn’t broken. https://youtube.com/shorts/53DfD8r_zJQ?feature=share31 Jan 2026 00:36 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdol6flcr22nhttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mdm2lpnx422mDifferent expression, same cause. Autistic neurotypes hit meltdowns. Social neurotypes hit breakdowns. Same load. Same nervous system. Same ape. 🦍 It’s not weakness—it’s biology under pressure. Lower the load. Regulate. Rest. You’re not broken. https://youtube.com/shorts/No0Ez3rA2pw?feature=share30 Jan 2026 00:34 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdm2lpnx422mhttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mdjlr2ciis2mBroken News: Today, the nervous systems of the world are saturated. It’s okay to log off.29 Jan 2026 01:03 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdjlr2ciis2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mdgzmbgyqc2mClothes aren’t neutral—they’re touch. 🧥 Compression can calm. Irritation can overload. If you avoided certain clothes as a kid, that wasn’t defiance—it was regulation. Sometimes the nervous system just needs a hood and a “brr.” https://youtube.com/shorts/LLG7dShQGT8?feature=share28 Jan 2026 00:33 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdgzmbgyqc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mdeja7hepc2uDigital overwhelm isn’t a personal failure. It’s load. If you’re exhausted, foggy, irritable, or on edge, your nervous system is responding exactly as designed under modern stress. You’re not broken. You’re under load. 🎙️ Episode 13: Digital Overwhelm youtu.be/254upsFWVa0 https://youtu.be/254upsFWVa027 Jan 2026 00:35 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdeja7hepc2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3md6amw55qk2iWith everything going on right now, a reminder: we are primates. Primates under sustained stress behave in predictable ways. Different neurotypes, same nervous system, same biology. You’re not broken — the load is heavy. https://youtube.com/shorts/qV9XxpTAoKA?feature=share24 Jan 2026 12:45 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3md6amw55qk2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3md4xr3qkz22oAutistic life isn’t just about surviving overload — it’s about returning from it gracefully. Tonight on Reading Rainbow Friday, I talk about recovery as an art form: quiet, deliberate, essential. 🌙 https://youtube.com/shorts/rE7S81PnDsw?feature=share 🧠💙24 Jan 2026 00:34 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3md4xr3qkz22ohttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3md2hav77ms2oWhen stress rises, people don’t become irrational — they become more themselves. Some regulate through connection. Some through coherence. Different nervous systems. Same pressure. Same human need for safety. 🛡️⚔️ https://youtube.com/shorts/FMY8gwxC2fc?feature=share23 Jan 2026 00:33 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3md2hav77ms2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mcxwf5fm4s2yTonight I’m skipping Broken News — because the news is what’s broken. Take a breath. Rest is regulation. Protect your nervous system. Different isn’t broken. 🌙 https://youtube.com/shorts/HbyXt0B6XUs?feature=share22 Jan 2026 00:26 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mcxwf5fm4s2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mcvgfcfm622hHands need jobs. Fidgeting isn’t distraction — it’s regulation. Busy hands send grounding signals that say: I’m here. I’m safe. I’m organized. Taking that away doesn’t create focus. It creates noise. Different isn’t broken. https://youtube.com/shorts/e48sg7pnY1U?feature=share21 Jan 2026 00:34 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mcvgfcfm622hhttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mcswe5lkt223Episode 12 of I’m Not Broken is live: Boundaries. Boundaries aren’t walls or rejection—they’re how a nervous system stays regulated and open. For autistic adults, they’re survival and self-respect. Watch here: youtu.be/8QBNmR8EtNk https://youtu.be/8QBNmR8EtNk20 Jan 2026 00:42 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mcswe5lkt223https://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mcpgtahc6k2hGrateful today. 💙 Thank you to everyone who’s supported my work and encouraged thoughtful, different ways of seeing. Print editions are coming together, and Rise of Atlantis is almost ready. Different isn’t broken. Let’s keep supporting each other. https://youtube.com/shorts/Jsk-0ocVoc0?feature=share18 Jan 2026 15:26 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mcpgtahc6k2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mcnfbsn7m22hSaturday Reflection: Autistic Timing Autistic development isn’t slower — it’s nonlinear. Inward first. Depth before identity. We don’t age out of our magic. We age into it. https://youtube.com/shorts/UxLqNyIYak0?feature=share17 Jan 2026 19:53 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mcnfbsn7m22hhttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mclgkmvvg22hReading Rainbow, Friday 📖 From The Autistic Survival Manual, Chapter 11: Environmental Harmony. Autistic suffering isn’t a personal flaw — it’s often environmental mismatch. The world wasn’t built for every nervous system. Different isn’t broken. https://youtube.com/shorts/G4o9ObABFuo?feature=share17 Jan 2026 01:10 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mclgkmvvg22hhttps://bsky.app/profile/jefferytowery.bsky.social/post/3mciudxyufc2xKnights and Wizards at work — execution vs pattern thinking. When we expect everyone to be Knights, we mislabel the Wizards asking the hard questions. Healthy teams need both. Different isn’t broken. Watch: https://youtube.com/shorts/q4uOZiP8SVk?feature=share16 Jan 2026 00:39 +0000at://did:plc:b3tassvmg2f4qeqkkhgwszll/app.bsky.feed.post/3mciudxyufc2x