FTBM Podcast Ep297: Love Spectrum Inspired App

FTBM Podcast Ep297: Love Spectrum Inspired App

V: [00:00:00] I found my husband before dating apps had to come around. But I hear how challenging it can be to even, sift through people that first, whether, you know, have common interest or that you find attractive, whatever it is. But then also that have similar communication styles and similar goals. And you have just made it so easy for our neurodivergent youth to have an accessible lifestyle that they can then continue, whether it be for friendship or for dating. 

You are listening to the Free to Be Mindful podcast, where busy moms get practical tips and real talk conversations to find calm joy in a little more breathing room in everyday life. I'm Vanessa Licensed therapist, mom, coach, and a mom to a tween and toddler. Each week we get honest about motherhood and mindset helping you live with more presence, less pressure without losing your well, you know.

Here we [00:01:00] go.

Hello and welcome to the Free To Be Mindful Podcast. I hope that you're feeling good, looking good and doing better in this world than you were yesterday.

So I'm so excited for this podcast interview as I am for everyone, but I just have great guests. I really enjoy talking with them. So this is the first time that the podcast is going to have two guests at the same time. And they are the co-founders of this amazing app which is called Synchrony.

So Synchrony is a first of a kind social app, and it's designed to help neurodivergent adults build friendships, experience belongings, and achieve social dependence.

And that is a phenomenal tool that I feel everybody could probably benefit from, but especially our neurodivergent youth and our young adults.

So we have two out of three founders of Synchrony today, and they are Jamie Castano and Britt Moser.

 So Jamie is a mom, a licensed social worker, the co-founder of Synchrony and Chief [00:02:00] Sale and Business Development at Synchrony.

Inspired by her son. So this entire app is based out of a personal need really filled with a lot of heart. Jamie combines her personal experience with over 20 years in crisis intervention and executive sales, and she's passionate, about helping neurodivergent adults and building friendships and social confidence.

And then Britt Moser is an educator autism specialist and a digital learning expert. She's again, the co-founder and chief clinical product officer at Synchrony. She has her master's degree in autism studies and director learning, and she spends her career designing programs that foster positive social experiences for neurodivergent individuals.

I love the way that their backgrounds have merged together to build this interesting, creative, but absolutely necessary tool that is going to help so many neurodivergent youth and young adults.[00:03:00]

I know that you're going to get so much out of this conversation. If you know any mom that has a neurodivergent child in their life, regardless of age, you're going to want them to listen into this episode too because you're going to get so much out of it. And remember, our kids, although there are babies forever, they do eventually grow into young adults and into adulthood, and this type of tool is going to be so beneficial for them. Here we go. 

V: Jamie and Britt, thank you for joining us on the Free To Be Mindful podcast today. I'm so glad that you're both with us and before we officially say hello, this is the very first time that the podcast has two guests on at the same time. So I'm really excited to have you both. 

Jamie: Well, thanks for having us and happy to be your first.

Britt: Yeah, likewise. 

V: Yes. So as we will go through your story and everything phenomenal that you're doing, not only for your app, but really for the entire community. I first want to [00:04:00] get to know you a little bit better and you can share a fun fact or anything else that you'd like for folks to know.

And Jamie, we'll start with you. 

Jamie: A fun fact. Well, there's a lot of fun facts. I was in corporate America for 20 something years, so what most people don't know, unless you read my bio, is that my first love outta school was social work. So I'm a licensed social worker in this state of New York. I haven't practiced, but I'm still certified. So, anybody that knows who, well, when they find out now that I'm a social worker, they're kind of surprised because they know me as corporate America, Jamie or the mom. 

V: That's really awesome, and I love that you have that background. And I think once you have that training in you, it never leaves.

Jamie: Especially when you have that passion. 

V: Yes, yes, yes, yes. And how about you, Brit? 

Britt: So something interesting about me that I don't think a lot of people know is that I'm also a painter. I do a lot of painting and artistic pursuits in my spare time and that kind of ties into what we'll talk about today in that I'm just a very visual person and I like to create a lot.

And that ties a lot into my role at Synchrony. And , [00:05:00] yeah, just something interesting about me that ties in a little bit. 

V: It really does, and that's great to know. I can see, you know, kind of the, the overlap and I can't wait to hear more. So we will get into the story. I love that there's a, the practical, the application part, but obviously it starts at the heart of it all and how this even came to be.

And Jamie, I know that that starts with you. 

Jamie: It does. So, obviously I'm a mom first and foremost. I have two, two amazing children, but, , Cameron is 18 and she's typically developing. My son Jesse just turned 21 and he is on the spectrum and he is really the heart of kind of where Synchrony was born.

So, i'll try to say long story short, but it's difficult. Really like anything else, I think when when you have a mom that sees a child with a need or a gap, I think a lot of great inventions and a great businesses are formed. You take passion commitments and a little bit of fearlessness and, and a vision is created.

But my son, Jesse, when he was little, we had a ton of resources for him. [00:06:00] Almost too many, if anything. You know, when he had digestion issues. We were on that gluten-free, dairy-free diet long before there was a whole Foods. Was not very fun for me cooking up chicken legs in my little studio apartment. But, hyperbaric and physical therapy and ot.

And then as he got older, approaching his teenage years. There were new problems that I finally kind of didn't see any available resources for. They were specifically social problems. He saw his younger sister always hanging out and wanted to have the same opportunities. And there really wasn't any sustainable resource available to help him build community. To help him find people, they were camps and onesie, twosie groups, but nothing that was really bonding or a cement that would really offer kind of long term, social interactions.

And around that same time, the show Love on the Spectrum aired and I was borderline obsessed. Really because it was the first time I had seen attention on this age group, the young adult, [00:07:00] emerging young adults, even older adults. And they were talking about the desire to be social and the desire to date. And it really sparked a big interest in me, kind of like, an itch I just couldn't scratch. I just kept thinking about this need and this massive requirement really to kind of find your people.

And, what I realized is that it was great that there was all this attention, but there was a lot of loneliness in between those dates. And a lot of failed dating attempts because there really weren't resources available to kind of help. So, the mom had me just kept thinking and around that time I met Brit through a mutual practitioner that my son was getting services and we hit it off immediately 'cause she too is a geek and obsessed with love on the spectrum. And, we joked, Hey, why don't we build a dating app and the joke real became kind of serious. We both realized that there was this gap, but even more importantly, what we realized is that dating wasn't the problem. Sure it's a need, but how do you date successfully when you struggle to make [00:08:00] friends, when you struggle with social anxiety and difficulties with communications. And her and I just, I think, bonded immediately and set on a mission to find a way to build this resource, to build a platform, to create a community for neurodivergent adults. And, brought on another partner. And two years later, we're here to talk about what we're building to actually address that gap.

V: Absolutely amazing and thank you so much for sharing your backstory as obviously that's at the center of it all. But also there's a lot of vulnerability there because being that that's at the heart, you really have to put it out in the open. And hopefully your son is, is okay with that as far as sharing his story.

And, and well wait till to 

Jamie: hear more about my son's involvement in this 'cause he's got a name included in the app. So he has to be okay with it. Yes, 

V: I love it. And to bring it back and make some connections with our potential listeners or viewers if they're watching it on YouTube is that first, as parents, we understand our kids and I feel like we'll do anything [00:09:00] and move mountains to get them what they need, especially if we're already tapped in into what's happening.

And I love that you are really following the story into his young adulthood because one, when people perhaps aren't with people who have this diagnosis first, they only see them as a diagnosis and then kind of forget like they're people and they have wants and they have desires and they're just normal people, but neurodivergent.

So the fact that he wants to date and wants to hone in on his social skills or whatever it is, is so very important. And the second thing that came to mind is that especially as someone who works with youth of all ages, there's so much help for our littles, for our really like five to maybe about like middle school, high school age. And then after that. It's like miraculously, nobody needs social skills or nobody needs this kind of help. But that is so very important to continue it because we all continue to really hone in on our either social emotional learning skills or our emotional intelligence, whatever [00:10:00] way you wanna look at it, whether it be done intentionally or unintentionally.

But this is phenomenal because it really does it intentionally and gets them the help that they need in a way that still gives them autonomy over their own lives, i'm imagining. 

Jamie: Yeah, I mean, you said something really important. I think, Bri being in the, autism field and she can talk a little bit more about that. And, and me as you know, the mom in this, , I was in corporate America in a different space. But there's so many resources and attention when your child gets diagnosed. And this is a really prevalent classification. now. And what happens when these kids get older? Does it mean they no longer have autism? Of course not. They still need all the things that anybody else needs.

And I understand. I'm really grateful for all the services and supports that were there with childhood. And I think there's a, a push to help with adulthood, but I really think that there should be more towards this very obvious given, right, to have kind of a happy social life. You know, social, emotional, we all want that. Why shouldn't they have it? 

V: [00:11:00] Yeah, so you left off on your story as far as meeting somebody else and meeting Brit and then. 

Britt: So, in the background, while, Jamie was experiencing all this, my background is in education and that sort of space. And so I started off my career as an elementary school teacher and then very quickly transitioned into a leadership position in New York City schools as an autism coach. And what that meant was I was coaching the teachers and the leaders all about best practices for educating our autistic students in mainstream classrooms. And my passion for that, and my skillset came into play because I have, like I was saying about the visual brain, a very clear idea and connection point between, struggles or lagging skills that students or people are experiencing. And then very strategic visual supports that can accompany that. And I love creating those things as well.

And so once I was watching Love on the Spectrum, and I [00:12:00] could see all of the struggles and the successes that the cast members were having on that show. It just like the penny dropped. I could see the solution. I was like a dating app and then I transitioned to a social app, including friendship as well. But I could just see that What about if we could have something, a tangible resource, something in people's pocket that gave them all of the supports that I create for my students in the classroom setting, but leveled up, aged up to meet them where they are now.

And really it's just, you're just aging it up. It's similar sorts of things, right? It's executive functioning supports, it's prompting, it's conversational tools, things like that. and I was just so fortunate to meet Jamie and we had this shared vision and, and yeah, now it's about two years later and it's coming to life and we're about to launch.

V: I absolutely love the overlap that we both have because I started my career off as an elementary teacher, like Brit, and now in the mental health space and like Jamie. And, I [00:13:00] really love how the marrying of. Both then to bring this thing, this thing to life, which takes I'm sure a lot of time, a lot of energy, a lot of financial resources I'm sure as well, to make it happen for our neurodivergent kids.

And when I say kids, I see that lovingly even past the age of 21. So I love that overlap and it seems like we have to give a lot of credit to the show Love on the spectrum, which I've never watched, but it seems like I have to. 

Jamie: Yes, big time. 

V: Yeah. It seems like a lot of things came from that you miss 

Jamie: their time.

I think it's important to know where the vision is now, right? So we have these ideas and we intersect, and we brought on a third co-founder, Rebecca Matchett. Becky, she's our serial entrepreneur, to help us lend more of that entrepreneurial spirit to our vision and brought on app developers.

And really what this app is isn't just a social app. It's a social app that actually has built in support. Using AI to address all of these [00:14:00] social deficits that the Neurodivergent community deals with.

So social anxiety. What to say next. Social decoding. What does that mean? How do I say this? When do I say it?

We had a lot of this vision initially, well, when we were starting to do the app, we were thinking we'll have built-in coaches, live people. And then with time and what you see is really a few things. One, I think the neurodivergent community, going off of what I see, they're adults. They don't always want a therapist or a mom helping them and telling them what to say. They want that feeling. And I, and I'm sorry for using the word they. You know, I don't wanna speak for the entire community. It's just a feeling that I have as a mom and being in the world. But my experience is that, there's a desire to be independent, there desire to learn, and to socialize and to get help when needed, and access help if they needed, and not have that parent, teacher, or therapist always there.

So within the app, we're using AI to offer an on-demand social coach, and that social coach is [00:15:00] named after my son, Jesse. so community members when they join will be able to find their people, make connections, but ask Jesse for help when they're struggling with what to say next or how to say it.

V: That is absolutely amazing. So it is real time help that if they get stuck or if they need to be redirected somehow, they have real life AI help in that moment. Jesse tells 'em, do this instead of that, or maybe you can take it in this direction, that type of thing. 

Britt: Yeah. And I think something important that is a differentiator between this and kind of like a, an AI chat bot here is that it's not just stock standard responses going on. Like have you tried asking them about the weather? Have you tried asking them about their day?

No. What we have done, and this is where I personally think that this is using AI for good, when I feel like ai, ai, AI is just like in the zeitgeist so hugely right now. Is that we've [00:16:00] tailored, the support that people can get based on social communication difficulties.

And so what happens is if you and I are messaging and I get stuck and I click our little Jessie button, what pops up is three different buttons. That offers that some social communication support. So you can click one that says, help expressing myself, and that helps you with how you can express yourself, that expressive language, different conversation ideas, but it's what it's doing is analyzing your messages and giving you tailored things based on your communication preferences. The communication preferences of the person that you're talking to, your interests, their interests, how your relationship has developed, and it's giving you tailored support based on the actual context that is happening in the conversation, not just generic responses. And so it is very, truly as if there was a coach there in the room with you and coaching along two [00:17:00] people, having a conversation, but as you need it, as you want it.

So we have express yourself that expressive language and, and ideas. Then we also have understand what's happening. So you could click that if you are struggling with understanding the social nuances of a conversation. What could this emoji mean? They said they made this joke, I don't quite get it. That sort of thing. And then the last button is Protect my comfort. And that is all to do with boundary setting, which I think is a huge skill gap that we wanna develop in not just our neurodivergent people, but all people. And so you could click that button if somebody made you feel uncomfortable and you don't know what to say or how to respond to that. If you wanna exit a conversation kindly. All of those kinds of things. So those are the three tailored social communication supports that we've pre-programmed that you can access.

But then you can also ask anything at any time as well. So if you've got a, a niche question that you might wanna ask Jessie, that's available to you. But we just figured like the strength of AI is [00:18:00] typically in the prompting and what you can put into it. So why don't we do that already so that it's being used to foster that connection and that communication rather than just saying, here's a support, figure out how to use it.

V: That is absolutely phenomenal. And I mean, I'm thinking as you're explaining all of these different tools that they have available is that anybody can probably find this, and that's what all my friends say. I'm sure we all get stuck somehow or sometimes like, oh, well how do I set this boundary? Or where do I go at this point of the conversation? Or what exactly did they mean? Were they being sarcastic or were they jabbing me or teasing, or whatever it is.

And it just reminds me, just recently, I was giving a talk about how important it is to have emotional intelligence within education for leaders. Because we so often stress the social emotional learning in our kids, but we forget as leaders that we still have to hone in and finesse and go about our lives improving those skills and the stakes are higher, but we don't have as much help [00:19:00] or as many reminders when it comes to adults.

So the fact that this is here for neurodivergent young adults and into adulthood, I'm sure, and they can keep on using it regardless of age, is absolutely amazing. 

Britt: Thank you. Thank you. We're really proud. I'm excited that everybody who is using the app will be on the same playing field. Everybody will have access to this. I think that sometimes in WhatsApp threads that I see, it's like, oh, they use chat GBT to use to write that response or that example, or whatever it may be. But this is putting everyone on the same playing field. Everybody has access to the support for whatever they need, whether it's the social decoding or whether it's more to formulate, how do I express this specific idea that I'm having? You know, I just can't seem to find the words. So we're very proud of it. We're so excited for it to be out in the universe in a very short amount of time. And yeah, it's gonna be great. 

V: Amazing, amazing.

Where would people be able to access it and to learn more about it? [00:20:00]

Britt: Yeah, so if you wanna access information right now, you can always go to our socials, which is Synchrony app, but also our website, which is where potential members or people who might potentially wanna share this out to somebody can join our wait list. And that is join synchrony.com and that's where you can learn all about myself, Jamie, our other co-founder, Becky, can learn about our story, can learn about our mission, and just more details about the app. But otherwise, it will be available end of January, very, very early February in the app store for both Apple and Google Play.

V: I love that. And when I first heard of it as a mom educator and being in the mental health, that helps kids who are on the spectrum and with social skills overall, my mind immediately went to safety. First thinking, do you have to have a certain classification to use this? And also how do we keep our big kids safe while they're on this app?

Jamie: I am so glad you [00:21:00] mentioned that. Because that's obviously the first thing that I thought about being a mom. My son often would say to me, mom, I wanna go on, I'm not gonna mention the name, the dating app. But my concern always is, you know, you don't want them being catfished or getting into a situation that they really can't manage.

So, two things. First of all, safety's built in our DDNA. That's just like mom blood, right? Yeah. So the first thing is we wanna make sure that anybody coming into the community is who they say they are. So there will be a third party verification, id check you take a selfie, you have to say who you are.

You don't need to prove your neurodiversity classification. Really thought a lot about this. Our goal here is to not create boundaries and walls, but to provide safety and security. So in order to do that, we have a second party verification step.

So once you join and you say who you are, you have to give a person, a trusted partner as a reference. It could be a mom, it could be you as a therapist, it could [00:22:00] be, your school and employer. They are then sent information about Synchrony and a blurb about what we're doing and what we're trying to build, and they will then verify if you're a good fit for the community.

In that way, we can really keep the community authentic, pure, and as safe as possible.

V: You really have thought this all the way through, which is so appreciated as we're thinking about the ongoing safety of our youth. 

Jamie: Yeah. It's a balance, right? You want it to be safe, but you also don't want the entry to be prohibitive. You want people to be able to access when they need that help.

So yeah, you're, you're right. We've thought a lot about this and, and settled on what we think is a really good, strong approach in ensuring safety, but also ensuring accessibility. 

V: so amazing that you have all thought this all the way through and thinking about the safety. So now when a person is on there, how do we know their intention of what to use it for? Is it just to find friends? Is it to date? Can it be for either or? And how do they go about even getting started on the app. 

Britt: Yeah, so I think that a [00:23:00] big struggle that most people have with regular dating apps is the ambiguity and the things that are left unsaid. And so we've intentionally built the whole profile building process to try and mitigate that as much as we possibly can and build that for the neurodivergent lens.

And so what we mean by that is as you're building your profile and you upload your photo and put your name in and all of that kind of thing, we heavily prioritize interests. And so that will be like almost the number one thing that pushes other sync mates, that's what we call the people that, that you match up with, potential sync mates to you based on interest. Because that, we know that with neurodivergent people interests weigh so much more heavily. Then many other things. So we push people with common interests to each other.

The other piece to that is you can put your neurodivergent classification in your profile. You can choose not to display it. But you can pop that in and you can also indicate whether you're looking for somebody who is like you or you don't care about that. You're [00:24:00] just happy to meet anybody. So that's an important distinction there too, is you know, not all autistic people wanna date or meet, make friends with other autistic people. So it's opening it up to the options for everybody.

The other thing that is very important to us is communication preferences. And I kind of mentioned that a little bit when we're talking about AI and how it's incorporating all of these aspects. Communication preferences are a big thing. It's everybody communicates differently. Some people like really direct communication. Other people like time to process all different aspects. So you can pop that into your profile as well, and that takes it into consideration for you. But also, do you wanna meet with somebody who also has similar communication preferences to you? But if you match with somebody, you can also see what their communication preferences are so that if they're taking three days to respond to you. You are not getting freaked out and thinking that you did something wrong because this is all information that is front loaded to you in the beginning.

So reducing that amount of things that are left [00:25:00] unsaid so that we're all just showing up on this app, completely ourselves, completely unashamed of who we are and who we are most comfortably when we're trying to connect with other people.

Jamie: Our goal here is to really simply put. Help neurodivergent young adults and older adults find their people, form community, have common interests, and we are really being very thoughtful about the resources that we're in integrating into the app to ensure that they have that success.

V: Extremely thoughtful. And you know, as when people talk, I see pictures in my head. And the first picture that popped up as you were just talking, Britt, was being at a bar and how easy it would be if it was like, okay, you have my common interests, it'd be really easy to speak to you. Let's get it going. As an introvert at heart, that would be amazing, but obviously that's not the way that things work. I also am very thankful that I'm older, so I, I found my husband before dating apps had to come around. But I hear [00:26:00] how challenging it can be to even, sift through people that first, whether, you know, have common interest or that you find attractive, whatever it is. But then also that have similar communication styles and similar goals. And you have just made it so easy for our neurodivergent youth to have an accessible lifestyle that they can then continue, whether it be for friendship or for dating. And I'm really, really proud of you both, Becky, and the entire team that I'm sure took to put this all together. 

Jamie: Thank you. We really wanna make sure that Synchrony is not transactional, that people aren't going on there to find their date and then get off. This is about community building and a lifelong bond and, cement and glue that we're hoping to really help the community feel. More in touch and happier. 

V: Amazing. And now pulling back from the app a little bit, just you all as people. Because as again, all the roles that we wear, we also wear the role, all three of us of [00:27:00] entrepreneur. And of really having an idea and then getting the resources and bringing this all to life.

And when you said that you found each other but then bought a third person in that is more of the entrepreneurial, maybe natural person. And I'm sure. You had a bunch of tech people to also help. Was that process challenging?

And also just to give you kudos of knowing we can't do everything ourselves. ' Cause so often as women and as moms we're like, well, we're just gonna get it done. But sometimes we have to know what we don't know and be comfortable enough and have trust in other people that they're experts their lanes and can help us see this to light. So how did that process work? 

Jamie: You know what? What's interesting? Hindsight's always 2020. I would've never imagined the personalities and the people that we work with to all get along so well. What we didn't anticipate, or I didn't anticipate, you hit the nail on the head as a mom type a, you know, business. I could be very controlling [00:28:00] and very used to doing things the way I wanna do them when I wanna do them. And it, it. Been a challenge, I don't wanna say an obstacle, a challenge to really sit back and just trust that people are doing what they say.

I don't build apps, I don't know technology. So when we're on calls and your CTO says, you know, here are the features that I think we need to push back further and launch, or we hit the snafu. I can't question. I have to trust and I have to say, okay. And that I didn't anticipate how little I would know. Probably ignorance is bliss out. I know how much I wouldn't know. Maybe I would've had more trepidation. But, when you put blinders on and you wanna fill a need, you, you move forward. And now it. We need to trust all the time. And so far, knock on wood, we've not been disappointed.

Britt: We've learned so much along the way too. Like we've learned how the whole app development process works and how their internal systems operate and the processes that they follow. And that's been really, that's been really [00:29:00] awesome.

I think something that's really benefited us as a team has been that we trust our gut a lot of the time. If we feel like there's a strong connection between whoever we are opting to work with and we can tell when somebody gets the mission. Nobody that we have worked with along this has not gotten the actual mission. It doesn't matter if it's the guys on the coding team or if it's someone from the design team. Everybody has a personal connection to this and has shared that with us. And that's made, that's made our work experience just so much stronger.

And I also wanna circle back to something else that Jamie had said, which was, we communicate so strongly with each other. As a founding team, we have had hours and hours and hours of conversations over the tiniest little features in the app. And we have not even butted heads, but we've just all very comfortably shared our perspectives on why we think this could be a good idea, why that won't work, a concern that we have about this. And it's, it all [00:30:00] is on the table at all times, and I think that's been a big strength, is that nobody is scared to share their opinion, but also nobody is not willing to listen as well. 

Jamie: Well, I think because, we curated the experience and we picked each other. We were, fortunate in picking each person to fill a very specific lane. And we have not been bumper cars at all. You know, we respect each other's opinions.

But I am not a visual person. So when it comes down to that stuff, you know, Britt's got full say. And Becky and kind of her entrepreneurial spirit about pricing and mm-hmm. And business methodology. We trust her. I know the lane that I sit comfortably in and I think that really helps.

V: Yes, that's why I asked that question. I asked it very intentionally because being a co-founder with two other women and building a nationwide directory for Latino private practice owners and therapists, you have to know your own lane. You know exactly what the, the seeker is looking for and what the therapist can provide.

But design and mechanics and apps and tech, that's, I don't do that stuff. It's so important to [00:31:00] communicate well to, you know, let others know your needs, but also to know your lane and have trust. Follow your intuition, but have trust in other people who do what they're experts in.

And I hope that listeners and viewers really walk away with that because whether it be that you are designing an app, or a directory, or whether it be something in everyday life, those are skills needed in those areas too. 

Jamie: Can I give a little shout out to the, that it's all women, so we're not battling egos.

I love it. 

V: That's 

Britt: so true. I was actually just thinking about that, a shout out to the fact that we're also all moms and so I think that makes a huge difference when you're showing up to work.

I know like when I've had to sit out of meetings because my son's homesick, I'm never met with a hard time and I also don't have the stress behind that of expecting to be met with a hard time. So it's just, we all have our own lives, we all have our own stuff going on, but we're also all incredibly passionate and committed to moving through with this project and seeing it through to be as successful as it [00:32:00] possibly can be.

So I think that's a big strength of just moms in the workforce working with other moms in the workforce.

V: It really is comforting knowing that we can still show up to our places of employment as our full selves, and knowing that you also did a lot of other things before getting to this place and still see it as a success with personal life happening. And again, I hope that listeners and viewers can walk away with that.

So if you have a dream in your heart of something that you want to happen. Definitely make it happen. Put thoughts on paper and then seek the right supports in order to make that dream a reality. 

So moving forward, I always ask this of all of my guests and to ask, , you separately, if you could be remembered for any one thing in the world, what would it be?

Jamie: I didn't know this question ahead of time, but it's something I always, always say. And it's not my quote, it's just how I am. I wanna be remembered by how I make people feel. End of [00:33:00] story. You know, money is great, success is great, but if you make somebody feel heard, understood, important, less anxious, validated, whatever that is, if you can associate that with something positive, then that to me is being immortal. That's what I wanna be remembered by forever. 

Britt: I wanna be remembered by someone who does things to help people. And I think that, you know, whilst yes, cheesily that aligns with what we're doing with Synchrony, but, but I consider myself as a go-getter and someone who follows through with the things that they wanna do. But it's usually in the realm of to help people or to do something in service of somebody else. Or to do a painting for somebody for one of my friends or things like that. And so, yeah, I think I wanna be remembered as somebody who was helpful to others and supportive of others.

V: Amazing and you both are fulfilling that definitely through the Synchrony app that I can't wait to share, not only with family members who can benefit from [00:34:00] it, but also clients that really need this ongoing, as they go into young adulthood and beyond.

So once again to point people back, we'll make sure to flashes across the screen and to put it in the show notes.

Britt: You can join our waiting list on@joinsynchrony.com or you can download the app in the Google Play or the App Store as of late January or early February, 2026. 

Jamie: So the website is join synchrony.com and our socials are all Synchrony apps. 

V: Thank you both. Jamie Britt, your other co-founder, Becky, and your entire team for putting your heart and your mind to something that is really going to profoundly help our neurodivergent youth.

I am so grateful that people like you exist and have this creativity, and have the the courage to really bring it to life. And I thank you both for your time and energy today as well.

Jamie: Thank you, and thank you for really understanding the value of our mission. It's the gasoline and the tank, [00:35:00] so thank you.

Britt: Yes. Thanks, Vanessa. This was great. 

V: My pleasure. 

Thank you once again to both Jamie and Britt and the entire Synchrony team for what they do. When I came across Synchrony and the project that they were working on, I was immediately interested because as someone who works with a lot of neurodivergent youth, there are only so many resources that you can offer. Whether it be based on location or based on a certain age range. And like I mentioned in the podcast, there's so much for our young children, but these diagnoses and these concerns don't go away.

So to have something ongoing that is going to apply for folks as they enter young, adulthood, and beyond, and that's going to help with such a big part of life, which is communication. We can all improve in that area, but to receive immediate feedback as to how to carry a conversation, those are lifelong skills.

I am just so filled with awe of everything that they've done and that [00:36:00] they've created and brought to life, and really excited to be sharing this information as I know it can be helpful to so many families out there. 

And I really wanted to bring light to the aspect of bringing ideas to light. And it doesn't have to be creating an app or a nationwide directory, but it really is anything that's in your heart. Anything that you feel is going to be helpful to others or to yourself. Anything that you wanna bring out into the world, do it.

And sometimes we stop ourselves because we think, well, somebody else is doing something similar. And yes, that may be true, but how many makeup lines are there? How many department stores are there? How many brands of sliced breads are there? Right? You can do things with your own twist. You can do things like my mom says, with your own sazon or with your seasoning and you are going to stand out because the person that you are and how you do that thing.

So for today's reflection, I really want you to think about is there something that you wanna bring into the [00:37:00] world? And it doesn't have to be a big creative project. It can be even a new routine for yourself or something new for you to follow in your home or for your kids to do in your home. Whatever you do and whatever you think of is needed, and we don't want to have those talents and those ideas that come into your heart and into your minds to go to waste.

So think of one thing that perhaps you'd like to implement in any way, shape, or form, and what that first step can be in order to make that a reality.

My friends, it's always a pleasure to share these resources with you. Thank you so much for spending some time with us today. And remember in a world where you're free to be, anything you are, always free to be mindful. Thanks for tuning in and I'll catch you next time. 

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