What makes the transition to adulthood feel overwhelming for many neurodivergent young adults—and how can families help? On this episode, Zack interviews Justin Messinger, LCMHCS, Clinical Director at Intrepid Young Adults in the Asheville, North Carolina, area. Together, they explore how anxiety, executive functioning challenges, and years of feeling misunderstood can affect confidence, relationships, college, and employment. Justin discusses why applying for a job or accessing college support can involve more hurdles than others realize, and how past setbacks can make trying again feel intimidating.

For young adults seeking greater independence and parents wondering how to support them, Justin emphasizes building trust, understanding individual goals, and doing things with young adults rather than for them. He explains how practicing everyday skills in the community, offering the right level of support, and listening to feedback can help young adults build confidence at their own pace. The conversation also considers the value of online friendships, the importance of belonging, and why recognizing small steps forward can nurture hope and make the next challenge feel more manageable.

Zack's Hack: In this week's anxiety hack Zack shares a quote from The Hunger Games movie to help you fear less!

Fear Less is sponsored by Mountain Valley Treatment Center.

How did a family's commitment to education and experiential learning lay the groundwork for Mountain Valley Treatment Center? In this episode Zack speaks with Jay Wolter, president of Moosilauke Visions, the nonprofit organization behind Mountain Valley. Jay traces the organization's roots to his parents, John and Joan Wolter, and the founding of Beckett Academy in Connecticut in 1964. He shares how his father's struggles with dyslexia helped shape an approach that combined academics with outdoor adventure, meaningful work, and community life. From canoe expeditions to farming and residential programming, Jay describes the experiences and challenges that shaped his family's commitment to helping young people find environments where they could thrive.

Jay also recounts leaving his career as a healthcare attorney in 1993 to lead the struggling Pike School in New Hampshire, renaming it Beckett School and rebuilding its programming. That work grew into a broader network of services and eventually created the foundation for Mountain Valley. Jay explains how conversations with Dr. Dan Villiers led to a residential program focused specifically on anxiety, with Dan, Carl Lovejoy, and Jen Fullerton helping bring the vision to life. Combining specialized treatment with the Wolter family's longstanding emphasis on experiential learning and a supportive community, Mountain Valley began on a farm in Pike before moving to Plainfield in 2018. As the program approaches its 15th anniversary, Jay and Zack reflect on that legacy and discuss plans for a new dormitory and expanded services.

Zack's Hack: In this week's anxiety hack Zack shares a quote from experiential educator, John Dewey to help you fear less!

Fear Less is sponsored by Mountain Valley Treatment Center.

Why is it so hard to think clearly when anxiety takes over—and why can telling someone to "calm down" make things worse? In this episode Zack welcomes Dr. Bruce Perry, child and adolescent psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and coauthor of "What Happened to You?" with Oprah Winfrey. Dr. Perry explains how developmental experiences shape our stress responses and why understanding a person's history can help us make sense of their emotional struggles. Drawing on his Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics, he explores how stress can interfere with learning, communication, and interpreting other people's intentions, offering parents and people living with anxiety a more compassionate way to understand these challenges.

The conversation brings these ideas into everyday life through Dr. Perry's practical framework: regulate, relate, reason. Before offering advice or trying to solve a problem, we can attend to our own emotional state, help the other person become more regulated, and establish a sense of connection. For parents supporting an anxious child or teenager, this means paying attention to timing, tone, presence, and basic needs rather than expecting explanations to work during an overwhelming moment. Dr. Perry and Zack also explore how relationships, belonging, and supportive environments can encourage growth—and how shaming or punitive responses can undermine it. Listeners will leave with a clearer understanding of why connection matters and how to approach difficult moments with greater patience and intention.

Zack's Hack: In this week's anxiety hack Zack shares a quote from Dr. Bruce Perry which will help you have less fear!

Fear Less is sponsored by Mountain Valley Treatment Center.