Jen Friel's Unbelievably True Story
Wonderfully weird. ✳︎ Persistent. ✳︎ Relentless.
What Is Talk Nerdy To Me®?
Let's talk nerdy about what this podcast actually is. Talk Nerdy To Me® is not your typical self-help show. It is not a clinical breakdown of neurodivergent conditions. It is not a polished, produced, everything-is-fine kind of podcast. It is the raw, funny, and unfiltered story of one woman who built a viral media brand with her bare hands — and only discovered why she was wired the way she was after a piece of surveillance footage changed everything.
Hosted by Jen Friel — writer, entrepreneur, and accidental internet pioneer — Talk Nerdy To Me® is a podcast about identity, resilience, and the weirdly wonderful ways we find our place in a world that was not built for the brains and bodies we were born with. Jen was diagnosed late in life with autism, synesthesia, and a few other conditions she'll tell you about along the way. Suddenly, the chaos made sense.
"If you were born knowing your brain was different, would you still try to think like everyone else? Or would you blaze your own path?"
— Jen Friel, Talk Nerdy To Me®This podcast is for the people who have always felt like too much. The ones who were told they were too loud, too intense, too sensitive, too weird. The ones who spent decades masking, performing, and trying to fit into a world that was not designed for them. If you've ever felt like an alien — welcome home. Jen is happy to host you and any other weirdo you came with.
LATEST EPISODES
Meet Jen Friel
Jen Friel is a trailblazer. She crashed the Grammy Awards, taught Pablo Escobar's surgeon how to use Twitter, and regularly invites Buzz Aldrin to her parties. Her life story is so unbelievable that Jerry Bruckheimer optioned it twice. But behind the wild adventures and the Hollywood bidding wars, Jen was drowning.
Without knowing why, she couldn't regulate her system. She led a challenging life just doing everyday things. After surviving two suicide attempts, she chose to start living life on her own terms — even though she was completely unsure of what that meant.
Then, a piece of surveillance footage changed everything.
Diagnosed late in life with autism, synesthesia, and a few other conditions she'll tell you about later, Jen finally got the answers she had been searching for. Suddenly, the chaos made sense. Her brand, Talk Nerdy To Me®, was optioned by Jerry Bruckheimer and purchased as a put-pilot at CBS after a four-way bidding war between ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX.
"Being born with these gifts and not knowing what they were made my life really confusing for a long time. I now get to live my quiet victory of self discovery out loud."
— Jen FrielToday, Jen is a neurodivergent influencer, autism advocate, and founder of Talk Nerdy To Me® — an intimate and intelligent perspective on what it is like being diagnosed with Autism and Synesthesia late in life. She writes to bring underrepresented voices to the table: the folks who've always felt a little offbeat, the sensory wizards who see, hear, and feel life in vibrant crossover.
What to Expect
Talk Nerdy To Me® is not a polished, scripted podcast. It is a conversation — raw, funny, and unfiltered. Here is what you will get every episode:
Every story is real. No embellishment needed.
Late-diagnosed with autism & synesthesia.
The life story that Hollywood couldn't ignore.
If you've ever felt like an alien — this is home.
Topics We Explore
Every episode digs into the real, lived experience of being a late-diagnosed neurodivergent person in a world that wasn't built for you. Here are the core themes:
What it means to receive an autism diagnosis in adulthood — the grief, the relief, and the radical clarity that follows.
Tasting colors, seeing sounds, feeling numbers. Jen's synesthesia is not a metaphor — it's a neurological reality she navigates every day.
The exhausting performance of appearing neurotypical — and what happens when you finally stop.
Bidding wars, network pilots, Jerry Bruckheimer, and what it's really like when Hollywood comes calling — twice.
Building a viral brand before influencer marketing was a thing. Teaching Pablo Escobar's surgeon how to use Twitter. The early internet was wild.
Two suicide attempts. A surveillance footage revelation. The moment Jen chose to start living life on her own terms.
Listen, Connect & Explore
| Resource | What It Is | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify | Stream & follow the podcast on Spotify | open.spotify.com → |
| Apple Podcasts | Stream & follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts | apple.com → |
| RSS Feed | Subscribe via any podcast app using the RSS feed | feeds.libsyn.com → |
| Autism Guide | The comprehensive Talk Nerdy To Me® autism resource | talknerdytome.com → |
| Synesthesia Guide | Everything you need to know about synesthesia | talknerdytome.com → |
| Jen Friel's Website | Jen's personal site and writing | jenfriel.com → |
| Contact / Press | Book Jen for interviews, speaking, or podcast features | talknerdytome.com → |
"If you've ever felt like an alien — welcome home. Jen is happy to host you and any other weirdo you came with. Subscribe now and hear the full story."