Amanda Harrinauth is a disability empowerment coach and poet from California, USA. She was born premature, weighing just 1 pound 7ounces. She had hydrocephalus and other health problems, and her parents were told she was unlikely to survive beyond a few days, and that if she did, she would need to be institutionalised. But against all the odds she survived - and her parents made the decision to raise her at home. She is now 32.

She spent her childhood in and out of hospitals, suffered seizures and is now vision impaired as a result of Retinopathy of Immaturity, a congenital birth condition. Then at 26 she was diagnosed autistic, with an intellectual disability. She began writing poetry as a way to process her thoughts and emotions following her diagnosis, and says it was through her writing that she finally learned how to make her autism work for her. 

She says, “I may be vision impaired and autistic but I have big dreams. I have a choice every time I deal with a new obstacle: to let it win or to fight back. There is no cure for any of my conditions, so I'm just going to keep telling them who’s running the show. I believe we can overcome anything.” 

As well as being a poet, she does public speaking, is involved with the Special Olympics and also works with other disabled people as an empowerment and life coach. She says she supports her clients to “celebrate and love who they are, so they can live their dreams and spread love for the common good of everyone”.

In our conversation we talk about 

➡ Perceptions of disability

➡ How writing helped her come to terms with her autism diagnosis

➡ Her childhood difficulties

➡ Routine, boundaries and comfort items

➡ Disability, challenges and accepting help

➡ Her work with the Special Olympics and as an empowerment coach

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Amanda's website: http://www.poetmandy.com/ 

Her Instragram: https://www.instagram.com/amandaharrinauth/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Abigail J Moore, Ben Davies, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke, Susan Millington, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady and Vicki Temple.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

My guest today is Sarah Boon, an MA graduate and autism advocate from Surrey in the UK.  I first talked with Sarah about her experiences being autistic at work and university in Series 1, Episode 10. In this bonus recording Sarah talks to me about being kinder to herself, setting good social boundaries, and finding a new purpose in life. I hope you’ll enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

You can find Sarah on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Saraheboon

And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Saraheboon/

She also has a blog: https://autisticallysarah.com/  

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website:  https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Cat Preston, Corinne Cariad, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Sarah Hardy, Vera Cady

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Sanna Östergren is a writer and literary translator from Sweden. She lives in the countryside with her husband and their two-year-old son, where she also runs a small independent publishing company. 

She realised she was autistic about a year ago, when the overwhelm of new motherhood started turning her life-long shutdowns into meltdowns, and she was diagnosed in April this year, aged 32.

When we recorded this episode she was on a break from work, to allow her to focus on parenting, gardening and preparing for the imminent birth of her second child. 

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ The sensory and self regulatory overwhelm of becoming a parent 

➡ Shutdowns, meltdowns, burnouts and boundary setting

➡ Overcoming her fear of childbirth

➡ Depression, social anxiety, and seeking therapy

➡ How being self employed has made her life easier

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Katherine May’s Wintering: https://katherine-may.co.uk/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Abigail J Moore, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Clare Holmes, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Elizabeth Vezina, Elizabeth Williams, Felicia Libo, Galina, Gwyneth, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Kenneth Knowles, Laura Battley, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Lyb, Mandy Allen, MN, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Stephanie Murray, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tessa Valyou, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vicki Temple, Victoria Routledge and Zephyrine Craster.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Gemma Gray is a strategic marketing consultant from Edinburgh in Scotland. She left her long-term role following a burnout two years ago and became self-employed. She is a parent to an autistic daughter, and was diagnosed herself in March this year, aged 46. Still in the early days of her diagnosis, she says she is unravelling being a people-pleasing professional masker with chronic low self esteem and imposter syndrome.

Eight years ago, before her own diagnosis, Gemma set up a Facebook group for parents of autistic children, which is still going strong, and she has recently been awarded funding to research employment opportunities for autistic women.

We talk about:

➡ Ableism and work, and finding freedom in self employment

➡ People pleasing, hating confrontation, and learning to say no

➡ Her rural childhood, being bullied at school, and befriending an elderly shepherdess and the school janitor

➡ Her journey to getting her daughter diagnosed, and not seeing her own autism because she was comparing herself to her young daughter

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Gemma’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grayconsultinguk

Her private FB group for parents of autistic children, Colouring Outside The Lines: https://www.facebook.com/groups/185070228524321 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/latetotheautismparty

Churchill Fellowship: https://www.churchillfellowship.org/ 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Alice Kemp, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Amy Sullivan, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Evgeniia Pupysheva, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Frederike, Galina, Grace, Gwyneth, H Arena, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jo, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lara, Laura, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa Joy Powley, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Monica Toohey, NC, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Jeffrey, Sarah Swanton, Shauna Schramke, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tessa Valyou, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Victoria Routledge, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Livia Sara is an eating disorder survivor, mental health coach, autism advocate and author from the Netherlands.

Diagnosed autistic at 20, she now helps other neurodivergent people recover from disordered eating through learning to embrace their unique traits. 

She takes a holistic approach to health and healing, supporting each individual on their own journey to recovery and living life to their fullest potential. 

She shares autism and eating disorder related content on her popular YouTube and Instagram accounts, hosts her own podcast, the Liv Label Free podcast, and is publishing three books in 2023 - one of which is coming out next month. I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview before we recorded this episode.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Her experiences of developing an eating disorder as a preteen

➡ How autistic traits can be mistaken for eating disorder ‘behaviours’, and how this can make treatment and recovery harder

➡ Labels, stigma and diet culture, and why discovering she was autistic has helped her in her recovery

➡ The work she does now, her book, and  how she has been able to use her experiences to help others 

CONTENT WARNING

This episode contains discussion of disordered eating and eating disorders from the start. 

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Website: https://www.livlabelfree.com 

Podcast: Liv Label Free https://www.livlabelfree.com/podcasts/liv-label-free 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/livlabelfree 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livlabelfree/ 

Information on eating disorders and autism from the National Autistic Society: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/mental-health/eating-disorders 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Amy Sullivan, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Clare Forrest, Clare Holmes, Corinne Cariad, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Erin Pineapple, Ewan McNeill, Felicia Libo, Fiona Connor, Galina, Gwyneth, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Jackie Allen, JF, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jo, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Kenneth Knowles, Laura, Laurencia Saenz Benavides, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, MN, Paul Harris, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Rebecca Kemp, Sadie Slater, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Swanton, Shauna Schramke, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tegan Bailey, Tessa Valyou, Tree Hall, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Victoria Chang, Victoria Routledge, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Sophie Adamkiewicz was born in Poland, but was brought up in Germany after her mother emigrated there when the Berlin wall fell, and she says that she has felt like an outsider all her life.

At the time of our rerecording she was living in Ireland, but was about to move to London. She is 37, and is currently self-diagnosed and on the waiting list for her autism and ADHD assessments. 

She has worked in freelance video and CGI production, as a producer at a Fortune 500 company and been Head of Studio. She is now a producer at a large production agency.

In our conversation we talk about 

➡ Coming to terms with being autistic

➡ Communication difficulties across neurotypes, and feeling out of place everywhere 

➡ Masking and stimming

➡ The intersection of autism and her transition as a trans woman

➡ and learning to acknowledge and accept our limitations

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Sophie’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/snek_Mom 

Her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophieahltorp/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abigail J Moore, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Jackie Allen, Jessica, Karawynn Long, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Laurie Green, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke and Vera Cady.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

This special Squarepeg miniseries celebrates the great things that start to happen in our lives when we discover in adulthood that we’re autistic. Seven of my previous guests have returned to each share the three most important things that have changed for the better in their lives since they were diagnosed, or realised they were autistic.

My guest today is Hannah Smith, a business owner from Hertfordshire in the UK.  I first talked with Hannah about homeschooling her autistic daughters in Series 2, Episode 8. In this bonus recording Hannah talks to me about having better boundaries, getting more comfortable with comfort zones, and dealing with change.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Hannah’s website: www.theglitterbox.co.uk 

Her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegltrbox/ 

Her zentangle Insta: https://www.instagram.com/the.mellowbox/ 

Changing Our Minds: How children can take control of their own learning - Naomi Fisher

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website:  https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Corinne Cariad, Katharine Richards, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Sarah Hardy

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

My guest today was diagnosed autistic very recently. She is originally from the Czech Republic, and now lives in Bristol in the UK. She is a life coach in her 40s, with a background in mathematics and computer science, and describes herself as an extrovert whose special interest is people watching.

Today I’m delighted to share my conversation with Vera.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Being an autistic extrovert

➡ How living in a different country can work out well for autistic people

➡ Autistic fatigue, burnout and managing our energy

➡ Learning and play, and having a rich inner world

➡ How she’s turned a fascination with people into a business she loves

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

You can find Vera on her website: https://veracadycoaching.com

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website:  https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Cat Preston, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke, Sarah Hardy, Vera C.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Nadia Dillon is a software engineer and entrepreneur from London in the UK. Diagnosed autistic at 27, after experiencing a burnout, she is now 30, and her brilliantly insightful - and beautiful - Instagram account about her post-diagnosis journey has grown to over 25K followers (you may know her by her Instagram handle, @autisticblackgirl).

She started her Instagram as an outlet to express her frustrations with navigating a neurotypical world, and she is also keen to highlight the particular experiences of Black autistic people. 

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Burnout, sensory overload and eye contact

➡ Getting support and accommodations at work

➡ Masking and code switching, and deconstructing and rebuilding herself post-diagnosis

➡ Barriers to diagnosis for people of colour, and visibility of Black autistic people

VOTE FOR SQUAREPEG IN THE BRITISH PODCAST AWARDS

If you haven’t voted in the British Podcast Awards yet, there’s still time! I’ve been nominated for a Rising Star award for Squarepeg – and you can vote for me in the Listeners’ Choice award. Voting closes on Sunday 17 July. It would be amazing if Squarepeg could win something, as it will help spread the word and allow more people who could benefit from it to find the podcast. If you want to vote, click here and search for ‘Squarepeg’ with no space to find the right show.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Nadia’s Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/autisticblackgirl/

Vote for Squarepeg in the British Podcast Awards 2022: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/vote (search for ‘Squarepeg’ with no space!)

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Abigail J Moore, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Emily, Elizabeth Williams, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady, Vicki Temple, Victoria Routledge and Zephyrine Craster.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast

Chloe Slater was diagnosed autistic aged 25, and has been in the mental health system since the age of 16, where she says she has experienced ‘awful treatment, amazing care, and everything in between’.

Content warning: Chloe and I cover some challenging topics in this episode, including eating disorders, self harm, medical trauma, suicidal ideation and suicide. So if you would rather not hear about these topics, you might not want to listen to this one.

Now 34, Chloe lives in Stroud, Gloucestershire, in the UK, with her two dogs and other pets.

After studying art in college she found herself unable to complete further studies. Diagnosed first with Borderline Personality Disorder, she describes herself as ‘mostly a happy loner’ who enjoys being surrounded by animals and a select few humans.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Her joy in her special interests 

➡ The impact of her BPD diagnosis

➡ Introversion and social difficulties

➡ How interoception and alexithymia can interplay with eating disorders

➡ The intersectionality of mental health and autism

➡ And fitting in to the autistic community

I feel privileged to share our conversation with you. Choe’s story is a testament both to her own resilience and to the value of diagnosis; as she says, discovering she was autistic and receiving a diagnosis literally saved her life.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Chloe's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slater.chloe/

Her Twitter: https://twitter.com/outfitappro 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Abigail J Moore, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Elizabeth Williams, Elise, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Mandy Allen, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Susan Millington, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady, Vicki Temple and Victoria Routledge.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Dr Alexandra Johnston is an academic and social anthropologist from Melbourne, Australia. Now 49, she was diagnosed in March 2023. She lives with her wife, Cherie, who she describes as the first person she ever truly unmasked with.

She has several degrees, including a Masters and PhD in Psychology, and her special interests include writing, writing and… writing! So much so, that she self-diagnosed by conducting a literature review of autism, and writing a 45,000 word report on her findings.

I found Alexandra really interesting to talk to. I hope that you enjoy this episode as much as I did.

We talk about:

➡ her deep dive into the literature as she discovered her autism

➡ uncovering neurodivergence across generations of her family

➡ the very different reactions of her parents to her diagnosis

➡ having the support of her wife since her DX, and how their relationship has strengthened

➡ clusters of traits and co-occurring conditions

➡ our experiences of burnout and its impact

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-johnston-30598436/?originalSubdomain=au 

Reframing Autism: https://reframingautism.org.au/ 

The ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation: www.alivenetwork.com.au 

Autism centre of Excellence: https://www.griffith.edu.au/arts-education-law/autism-centre-excellence 

Paper on Autistic Burnout - "Having All of Your Internal Resources Exhausted Beyond Measure and Being Left with No Clean-Up Crew": Defining Autistic Burnout https://dx.doi.org/10.1089/aut.2019.0079

Self-determination theory for autistic people: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1250391 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Alice Kemp, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Amy Sullivan, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Clare Holmes, Corinne Cariad, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Frederike, Galina, Gwyneth, H Arena, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Jackie Allen, JF, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jo, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lara, Laura, Laurencia Saenz Benavides, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa Joy Powley, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Monica Toohey, NC, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Swanton, Shauna Schramke, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tegan Bailey, Tessa Valyou, Tree Hall, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Victoria Routledge, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Samantha Grierson Schwartz is a playwright and businesswoman, born in Yorkshire in the UK. She now splits her time between Glasgow, Rugby and London.

Since being diagnosed autistic at 42, she has written a series of audio plays which deal with late autism diagnosis and motherhood - the first of which, Crocodile, stars LGBT icon Heather Peace, and tells the story of a bisexual woman dealing with her recent Autism and ADHD diagnosis and the start of a new relationship.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ ‘Coming out’ as autistic in adulthood, and when and how we bring it up

➡ Her take on meltdowns and shutdowns, the causes and coping strategies 

➡ Starting a new job and a new relationship as a newly diagnosed autistic woman

➡ Telling authentic autistic stories through drama

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Sam's website: www.socroc.co.uk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crocodile_sam/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoCrocodile

Crocodile the audio play: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ZupaxdNPtmrtUwohGeJea 

Mole the audio play: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6ZXpFYnMDDFcGPls5nQrTe?si=t1LA0D4cQGyDp68OcdPo8Q&nd=1 

(The audio plays are also available on iTunes, Google and Amazon Music)

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website:  https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Cat Preston, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke, Sarah Hardy, Vera Cady

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Coming to terms with being autistic

➡ Autistic experiences of Covid-19 lockdown

➡ How autism and gender intersect

➡ Academic studies as an autistic person, learning delays and sensory overload

➡ Alexithymia and interoception 

➡ Masking and mirroring

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Bernard’s website (including a brilliant page of autism links and resources): https://bernardgrant.com 

Their LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernardgrant/ 

Yenn Purkis: The Autistic Trans Guide to Life

Autism, gender and autigender:

https://www.queerundefined.com/search/autigender 

https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/largest-study-to-date-confirms-overlap-between-autism-and-gender-diversity/ 

Interoception:

https://autismawarenesscentre.com/what-is-interoception-and-how-does-it-impact-autism/ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcM44dFxbyg

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Cat Preston, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke, Sarah Hardy, Vera Cady

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Allie Mason is a talent coordinator and author from Cheltenham in the UK. She has a keen interest in sports – especially solo sports – and her children’s non-fiction debut, The Autistic Guide to Adventure, is due to be published in 2023.

Allie is 25 and was diagnosed autistic in 2020, whilst studying for her MA. She is currently training to rollerskate the Berlin Marathon to raise money for the charity Ambitious About Autism.

In our conversation Allie and I talked about:

➡ How we shared our autism diagnoses with friends and family

➡ Why autistic people often struggle with sport and physical activity

➡ How Allie went from an unsporty child to embracing physical adventure and challenge

➡ Ableism in sport

➡ Finding the right activities and the right supports for us as autistic people.

I enjoyed this conversation so much, and how looking at autism through the lens of physical activity revealed so many interesting observations about us.

I hope you’ll enjoy it too.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Allie's website: www.alliewrote.com

Her Instagram: www.instagram.com/alliewrote

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Abigail J Moore, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Elizabeth Williams, Elise, Jackie Allen, Jason White, Jeff Goldman, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady, Vicki Temple and Victoria Routledge.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

I first released this episode in July 2022, as part of Season 6. And this week I’ve released a brand new episode with Cloie, as part of a miniseries of revisits, where I reconnect with some of my guests from previous conversations. So here’s Cloie’s original episode, for those of you new to the podcast, or in case you’d like to refresh your memory before listening to the new episode (that’s episode 124).

Cloie Parfitt is a psychotherapist, originally from Tennessee in the United States, now living in Norwich in the UK. A former nurse, she switched to psychotherapy when she realised that she found the hospital environment and long shifts too much of a sensory challenge.

She now works with many neurodivergent clients, and is currently undertaking a professional doctorate in counselling and psychotherapy at the University of Edinburgh, where she works collaboratively with autistic women to explore their experience of psychological trauma and trauma therapy.

In our conversation we talk about

➡ Her experiences of social isolation, sensory overload, burnout and depression

➡ Psychotherapy and autism

➡ Why some types of therapy don’t always work for autistic women

➡ Barriers to effective treatment, and how mental health practitioners can better mitigate these challenges.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Cloie’s website: www.diversemindstherapy.org

Her Insta: https://www.instagram.com/the_neurodivergent_therapist/

Samantha Craft’s list of traits: http://www.myspectrumsuite.com/samantha-crafts-autistic-traits-checklist/

If you’d like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abby, Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Alex Williams, Alice Kemp, Amanda Ford, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Aubrey Brand, B Martinez, Basia, Becca Lee, Becki Bodey, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Beth Kelly Herbert, Caprice, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catherine Paul, Cathy Oliver, Catrin Green, C B, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Claire, Corinne Cariad, Corrine L. McDermid, DK, Dana, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deanna M. Counts Goldy, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Eleni, Elizabeth Williams, Em, Emilie Morris, Emma Franks, Erica Kenworthy, Evgeniia Pupysheva, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Fiona Ross, Frederike, Galina, Grace, Gwyneth, H Arena, Hannah, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Helen White, Holly Knight-Smith, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jess Dwyer, Jo, Julie, Karen, Karin Parker, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine, Katherine Lowney, Katherine Lynch, Kathy Crabbe, Ken K, Lana MacEachern, Laura, Laura, Laurin Aman, Leisa Reichelt,  Leo Ricketts, Lesley McKenzie, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa, Lisa Joy Powley, Lisa Williams, Liz, LQ, Lula Cork, Lyb, Lynn Vieira, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, MelissaS, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Michelle Penny, Monica Toohey, Monique Francis, NC, Netty, Paul Harris, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sandra Chapman, Sandy Klarsten, Sandy Ladkin, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Jeffrey, Sarah Musgrave, Sarah Raine, Sarah Swanton, Seth Williams, Shauna, Shauna Schramke, Shelia Smith, Sophie King, Stefan Mundt, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tara Blue Meyer, Tara Finlay Art, Tessa Valyou, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

My guest today is Scottish comedian Fern Brady. Fern is in her 30s and was diagnosed autistic in January this year, after a series of meltdowns caused her to seek answers. She has been open about her diagnosis from the start, when a throwaway tweet about it went unexpectedly viral!

Fern started out as a journalist before moving into stand-up comedy in 2010. As well as touring, she has appeared on shows such as Live at the Apollo and the BBC Radio 4 News Quiz, and her live show, Power and Chaos, is currently available on BBC iPlayer. She also co-hosts the hilarious BBC podcast, Wheel of Misfortune. 

We talk about:

• Meltdowns (what they feel like, and finding your triggers)
• Alexithymia, theory of mind and her experiences of counselling
• Food and disordered eating
• Being the ‘black sheep’ of the family growing up
• Autism and employment
• and how her autism and her stand-up comedy intersect

SQUAREPEG PATRONS! You’ll find some additional content from my conversation with Fern on the Patreon platform as a bonus recording. So if you enjoyed my chat with Fern, head over to Patreon now and have a listen.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

You can find Fern on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fernfrombathgate/ 

And on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FernBrady 

Her show Power and Chaos: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p097tnpb 

Her podcast, Wheel of Misfortune: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08m3z73/episodes/downloads 

Info about alexithymia: https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/people-alexithymia-emotions-mystery/ 

Shop with episode sponsor, ND Renegade: https://www.ndrenegade.com/ 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website:  https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Cat Preston, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke, Sarah Hardy, Vera Cady

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast

In a bit of a change from the usual format, in this episode I share some of the things that have changed for the better in my own life since I was diagnosed autistic, including feeling able to give myself permission to live and work the way I want to and need to, without feeling guilty, reframing my past failures and achievements, and finding a group of people I can truly relate to.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

If you'd like to find out more about my business, you can pop over to my website: https://amyrichards.wales/

You can also find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyrichardsobm/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with me at Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Cat Preston, Corinne Cariad, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Sarah Hardy, Vera Cady

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast

Mandy Williams is a Volunteer Coordinator with Scottish Women’s Autism and a competitive athlete. Originally from Manchester in the UK, she now lives in Stirling in Scotland. She was diagnosed autistic two years ago, aged 45.

She is passionate about exercise, and her enthusiasm for this special interest shines out. She has achieved a bronze medal in mountain running, and recently qualified for the World Championship Hyrox event, a global fitness race.

I’m delighted to share my conversation with. I loved this conversation so much - Mandy has such good energy and she was a joy to chat with. 

We cover so much in this conversation, but some of the highlights are:

➡ Her journey from working in retail to finding a better fit with an autism organisation, where she’s surrounded by autistic people and is fully seen and supported

➡ How she experiences the sensory, self-regulatory and mental health benefits of exercise

➡ Navigating the social aspect of competitive fitness, and coping at big events

➡ Making sport and fitness more accessible for autistic people

EPISODE LINKS:

Mandy’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n_d_athlete/

Find about more about Hyrox racing: https://hyrox.com/ 

Allie Mason’s Squarepeg episode on sport: https://squarepeg.community/69-s6-ep2-finding-the-right-adventure-autism-resilience-sport-and-support/ 

Gilly McKeown’s Squarepeg episode on sport: https://squarepeg.community/59-s5-ep4-getting-an-autism-diagnosis-while-doing-a-phd-in-autism-and-parenting-an-autistic-child/

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Ben Davies, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Clare Forrest, Clare Holmes, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Fiona Connor, Galina, Gwyneth, Hannah Breslin, Jackie Allen, JF, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Kenneth Knowles, Laura, Laurencia Saenz Benavides, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, MN, Paul Harris, Pete Burke, Rebecca Biegel, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Swanton, Stephanie Murray, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tammie Fabien, Tegan Bailey, Tessa Valyou, Tree Hall, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Victoria Chang, Victoria Routledge, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

She has spent years supporting the autistic community and helping others advocate for services. She recently completed a Masters degree in Counselling and is in the process of starting a counselling practice in Las Vegas, USA. 

She’s also a musician and a semi professional poker player, and she met her biological father for the first time on TV.

In this conversation we talk about:

• The differences in trying to get an autism diagnosis for kids of different sexes;
• Neurotypical people's perceptions of autism - and navigating friendships with neurotypical friends
• Masking, routines and decision fatigue
• What it was like meeting her father on television
• And what effective counselling for neurodivergent people looks like.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Becca’s website: http://www.youruniquemind.com/ (site under construction when this episode was published)

Becca’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Your-Unique-Mind-108559494362144 

Becca meets her dad on the Today Show: https://www.today.com/video/watch-father-daughters-emotional-first-meeting-42075715670 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: http://squarepeg.community/ 

This episode was recorded in the autumn of 2020 and originally released as part of the second season of Squarepeg. I was delighted to get to speak to Sophie again recently, in 2024, and that new episode is now available for you to listen to. So I’m re-releasing my original conversation with Sophie here, so that anyone who wants to can refresh their memory before listening to my update with Sophie, episode 120.

Sophie Longley is an English teacher and reading specialist. She was diagnosed autistic in 2020, aged 28 and is based in Singapore, where she works with children with reading difficulties. She has spent the last four years living and working in Asia, after suffering from severe burnout from a corporate career in London. 

Her recent Autism diagnosis and the ongoing struggles she has faced being autistic in the workplace have prompted her to change careers to become a clinical psychologist. She will be pursuing a Master's in Experimental psychology at the University of Sussex in 2021, with a goal to improve how clinicians diagnose autistic women. 

She has a special interest in researching autistic women's experiences in the workplace.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ What it was like getting a diagnosis in Singapore

➡ Her experiences of working in corporate job roles, including losing a series of jobs due to her undiagnosed autism, masking in interviews, and the pressure to be social at work

➡ The challenges of being autistic at work

➡ Achieving diversity in the workplace

➡ What it’s like being autistic in the classroom - for teachers and students

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Sophie’s blog: https://sophielongley.medium.com/

Her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophlongley28/ 

Books mentioned in this episode:

Neurodivergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn't Designed for You, Jenara Nerenburg 

Born on a Blue Day, Daniel Tammet

Quiet, Susan Cain

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: http://squarepeg.community/ 

Support Squarepeg on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abby, Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Alex Williams, Alice Kemp, Amanda Ford, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Aubrey Brand, B Martinez, Basia, Becca Lee, Becki Bodey, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Beth Kelly Herbert, Caprice, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catherine Paul, Cathy Oliver, Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Claire, Corinne Cariad, Corrine L. McDermid, DK, Dana, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deanna M. Counts Goldy, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Eleni, Elizabeth Williams, Em, Emilie Morris, Emma Franks, Erica Kenworthy, Evgeniia Pupysheva, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Fiona Ross, Frederike, Galina, Grace, Gwyneth, H Arena, Hannah, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Helen White, Holly Knight-Smith, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jess Dwyer, Jo, Julie, Karen, Karin Parker, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine, Katherine Lowney, Katherine Lynch, Kathy Crabbe, Ken K, Lana MacEachern, Laura, Laura, Laurin Aman, Leisa Reichelt,  Leo Ricketts, Lesley McKenzie, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa, Lisa Joy Powley, Lisa Williams, Liz, LQ, Lula Cork, Lyb, Lynn Vieira, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, MelissaS, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Michelle Penny, Monica Toohey, Monique Francis, NC, Netty, Paul Harris, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sandra Chapman, Sandy Klarsten, Sandy Ladkin, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Jeffrey, Sarah Musgrave, Sarah Raine, Sarah Swanton, Seth Williams, Shauna, Shauna Schramke, Shelia Smith, Sophie King, Stefan Mundt, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tara Blue Meyer, Tara Finlay Art, Tessa Valyou, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Aisha Edwards is a somatic trauma therapist, podcaster and writer from Vancouver, Washington, USA, and was diagnosed autistic last year, aged 39.

Somatic trauma therapy is a body-centred approach to treating post-traumatic stress disorder that rather than focusing only on thoughts or emotions associated with a traumatic event, expands to include the natural bodily responses.

I’m delighted to bring you this special bonus episode of the Squarepeg Podcast. This was recorded as a collaboration with the Emergent Liberation Collective podcast, a podcast about somatics and spirituality as instruments for personal healing and collective transformation.

In my conversation with Aisha we talk about:

➡ The grief and validation of a late autism diagnosis

➡ Masking and unmasking

➡ Meltdowns

➡ Attracting our neurokin

➡ The impact of intergenerational autism

I hope you’ll enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

If you’re interested in somatic healing you might like to explore Aisha’s Within From Without: Trauma Informed Soul Journeying Guide, a nine part guide for integrating those traumatised parts of the self that’s full of trauma-informed education, spiritual practices, skills, tools and interventions. You can find the link to this in the show notes and on my website.

And if you are one of my Patrons, you’ll find a special free download waiting for you from Aisha - her Ritual for Self Compassion.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Emergent Liberation Collective podcast: https://emergentliberationcollective.libsyn.com/website 

Aisha’s therapy website: https://www.fullflightwellness.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emergentliberationcollective/ 

Within From Without: Trauma Informed Soul Journeying: https://fullflight.kartra.com/page/Vbk10 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Abigail J Moore, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Annette, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Emily, Elizabeth Williams, Gwyneth, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Kenneth Knowles, Laura Battley, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady, Vicki Temple, Victoria Routledge and Zephyrine Craster.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Rose Matthews is an Autism Researcher, peer reviewer, consultant, presenter, trainer, and writer from Durham in the UK. 

Now 64, they first realised they might be autistic at 58 - and finally ‘found the answer to a lifetime of confusion’. Their long journey to diagnosis included an extremely varied career, leaving their marriage, living apart from their children, and being arrested and detained in a police cell following a ‘catastrophic’ meltdown.

In recent years they have gone from a job as a crossing guard to their current role as an autism researcher. They are interested in exploring the autistic experience of motherhood, menopause, retirement, death and dying. 

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ How clothing and fabrics are important to Rose’s self expression and their sensory experience

➡ The 'catastrophic’ meltdown that led to a traumatic night in a police cell - and a very useful and important piece of advice about the legal process

➡ Their decision to leave their young children with their father in their thirties, and how their autism diagnosis has helped them to forgive and heal the past

➡ Their research into autistic people's experience of menopause 

➡ Autism and ageing, and their experience of what they describe as the ‘transcendence, reinvention and self discovery’ of post-menopause.

CONTENT WARNING: 

Two very brief references to suicide (not explored in any detail)

Rose talks about an experience of sexual assault at approx. 37 mins in, for about 2 mins.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Rose’s website: www.rosematthewsresearch.com 

Their LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rose-matthews/

Their Twitter account: https://twitter.com/NortherlyRose 

Bridging the Silos Autistic Menopause study: www.AutisticMenopause.com

Bridging the Silos Autistic Menopause Study: First published paper: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/13623613241244548

Science on the Spectrum (the research by Dr Rachel Moseley that Rose mentions): https://www.scienceonthespectrum.net/ 

Information on autism and menopause from the National Autistic Society: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/physical-health/menopause 

If you'd like to connect with me, get in touch or follow Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abby, Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Alice Kemp, Amanda Ford, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, B Martinez, Basia, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Beth Kelly Herbert, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Cathy Oliver,  Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Corrine L. McDermid, DK, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Evgeniia Pupysheva, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Fiona Ross, Frederike, Galina, Grace, Gwyneth, H Arena, Hannah, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jess Dwyer, Jo, Julie, Karen, Karin Parker, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine, Katherine Lowney, Katherine Lynch, Kathy Crabbe, Ken K, Laura, Laurin Aman, Leisa Reichelt,  Leo Ricketts, Lesley McKenzie, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa, Lisa Joy Powley, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Lynn Vieira, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, MelissaS, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Monica Toohey, Monique Francis, NC, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sandy Ladkin, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Jeffrey, Sarah Musgrave, Sarah Raine, Sarah Swanton, Shauna Schramke, Stefan Mundt, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tara Blue Meyer, Tara Finlay Art, Tessa Valyou, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

She became active in an autistic adults’ peer support group after her diagnosis, and is now co-facilitator of the group. Her social work practice is devoted primarily to working with older autistic adults, neurodiverse couples, and autistic children and their families. She is committed to helping train other service providers to work with autistic adults.

She has a doctorate in Feminist-Liberation Theology and and a PhD in Social Foundations of Education, and has recently published a book co-authored with two other autistic adults, Older Autistic Adults in their Own Words: The Lost Generation.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Getting an autism diagnosis later in life

➡ The power of support groups

➡ Being an autistic therapist

➡ The unique experiences of older autistic adults

➡ ‘Coming out’ as autistic - being prepared, and political and social parallels with coming out as LGBT+

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Wilma's website: http://awakeningswithwake.com/

Wilma's book is 'Older Autistic Adults in their Own Words:  The Lost Generation', by Eric Endlich, Robert S. Lagos and Wilma Wake. Available from all good booksellers.

The book that prompted Wilma to seek an autism assessment was Rudy Simone's 'Aspergirls'.

AANE (Asperger/Autism Network): https://www.aane.org/ 
They have a programme for training therapists to do neurodiverse couples therapy and ongoing consultation groups.

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Cat Preston, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Laurie Green, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke, Sarah Hardy, Vera Cady

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Audrey Mitchell is a counsellor with a private practise in Idaho, USA. She was diagnosed autistic in 2020, around the same time as her teenage daughter, and the last two years have been a time of processing and learning to accept herself as she is, and unmask in both her personal and professional lives.

I first interviewed her two years ago, for the very first season of SquarePeg. Since that interview was recorded she has finished writing her first, soon-to-be-published memoir, Polishing Marbles, a book intended, in her words, for ‘all the generations of women who ever asked, “What am I doing here and why does everything hurt so much?”’

The book has been decades in the writing; she started writing it, she says, after she kept finding that telling people anecdotes about her life often ‘resulted in looks of shock and concern, followed with the cautious suggestion that I should perhaps consider writing a book about it.’

It was lovely to catch up and so interesting to get another snapshot in time of someone’s journey from diagnosis.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Processing her diagnosis as a counsellor, and recognising her autistic clients

➡ Unmasking at home, in relationships and as a business owner - and her ever-evolving relationship with her autistic teen

➡ Uncovering the impact of undiagnosed autism across generations of her family

➡ Returning to her book and discovering it was always a book about an autistic woman

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Audrey’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audreypolishesmarbles/

Her book: https://www.polishingmarbles.com/ 

Her therapy practice: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/audreys-peace-of-mind-counseling-services-boise-id/331803 

Her previous Squarepeg episode: https://squarepeg.community/9-s1-ep9-female-presentation-autistic-counsellors-and-dealing-with-depression/ 

Her bonus episode: https://squarepeg.community/25-audrey-mitchell-meeting-my-needs-with-family-and-friends-dating-again-and-advocating-for-my-daughter/ 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Abigail J Moore, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Ben Davies, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Clare Holmes, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Elizabeth Vezina, Elizabeth Williams, Felicia Libo, Galina, Gwyneth, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Kenneth Knowles, Laura Battley, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Lyb, Mandy Allen, MN, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Stephanie Murray, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tammie Fabien, Tessa Valyou, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Victoria Chang, Victoria Routledge, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Diane J Wright is an autistic advocate and the founder of Autastic, an online community that aims to help late diagnosed autistic adults, particularly those from minority communities, and is the only resource of its size founded by a woman of colour. 

Diane was diagnosed autistic in her early 40s. Her career has been in the entertainment industry, and she now provides diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility consultation to film and television producers and writers, focusing on neurodivergence and communities of colour, drawing on her lived experience as an Afro-Caribbean, biracial, invisibly disabled Canadian-American.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Picking apart the complexities of childhood trauma and autism

➡ Her work shaping how neurodivergent stories are told in film and TV

➡ The experiences and challenges of autistic people of colour, and why there aren’t more Black autistic advocates

➡ The experiences and needs of older late diagnosed autistic people

➡ The role masking plays in success, and the importance of reframing what it means to  be successful.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

https://autastic.com 

https://twitter.com/WeAreAutastic 

https://instagram.com/WeAreAutastic

https://facebook.com/WeAreAutastic 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Abigail J Moore, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Emily, Elizabeth Williams, Gwyneth, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Kenneth Knowles, Laura Battley, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady, Vicki Temple, Victoria Routledge and Zephyrine Craster.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Corinne Cariad is self diagnosed autistic and currently waiting for her assessment, but already has a diagnosis of ADHD. She’s 40 and lives in Pembrokeshire in Wales, where she is a consultant with a focus on third sector, food and education. Food has been a special interest for most of her life, and she’s worked in catering, run her own cookery workshops, and been a Food Technology teacher in high schools.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ The overlap of ADHD and autism

➡ Autistic burnout

➡ Her teen years, fitting in and finding herself 

➡ Meeting the needs of autistic children in schools

➡ Following her special interest in food to find work that she loves

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Corinne's website is: https://www.corinnecariad.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myepicuriouslife/ 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Cat Preston, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke, Sarah Hardy, Vera Cady

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Marisa Hamamoto is a leading voice in disability inclusion, professional dancer and founder of Infinite Flow, an award-winning dance company and nonprofit that employs disabled and nondisabled dancers with a mission to create a more inclusive world, one dance at a time.  

Marisa is a stroke survivor, and a proud fourth-generation Japanese American. She was diagnosed autistic in 2022, which she describes as bringing a mixture of ‘Relief and confusion’ - being a seasoned leader and ally in the physical disability space, then discovering she was autistic and working out what that means for her and for her company.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Why she set up an inclusive dance company

➡ Examining own ableism/internalised ableism

➡ Being a visible Asian-American autistic, intersectional representation and stigma

➡ Her positivity around being autistic

➡ Her experience of lifelong social challenges, and how she’s found belonging and social connection through dance

➡ Physical and invisible disabilities, autism and whether we identify as disabled

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Marisa’s website: https://www.marisahamamoto.com/ 

Her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marisahamamoto/ 

Infinite Flow website: https://www.infiniteflowdance.org/ 

Infinite Flow Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infiniteflowdance/ 

If you'd like to connect with me, get in touch or follow Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abby, Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Alice Kemp, Amanda Ford, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Evgeniia Pupysheva, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Fiona Ross, Frederike, Galina, Grace, Gwyneth, H Arena, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jo, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine, Katherine Lynch, Ken K, Laura, Leo Ricketts, Lesley McKenzie, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa, Lisa Joy Powley, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Monica Toohey, NC, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sandy Ladkin, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Jeffrey, Sarah Raine, Sarah Swanton, Shauna Schramke, Stefan Mundt, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tara Blue Meyer, Tara Finlay Art, Tessa Valyou, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Anissa Ljanta is a writer, a neurodivergent specialist coach, educator and equity and inclusion advocate living in the remote hills of a wild surf beach in West Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand.

She grew up in Samoa and South Auckland in Aotearoa New Zealand, where she was deemed a gifted child but was unable to deliver results. Her inability to live the expected 9-5 life led her to step out of life as most people know it, spending 18 years going from one adventure to another in various corners of the globe. Now 52, Anissa is a single mother to a neurodivergent teen. She was diagnosed autistic in 2021.

Anissa was such a delight to talk with, so gentle and thoughtful as she reflected on her life, her struggles and autistic joys. She touched on many different topics, some of which are:

➡ Being unable to work full time, not being able to live a consistent life, and accepting that sometimes we can't live the life we want

➡ Being debilitated by burnout - its ongoing and accumulative effects, and the importance of having a plan

➡ Making a haunting neurodivergent  discovery in her family history

➡ The power of reframing past experiences through a neurodivergent lens, and finding a sense of connection within her family.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

NEW for 2024: Anissa's book, Wild of Brain is available!
Hardback: https://www.wildofbrain.com/shop-resources/p/wild-of-brain-the-book
Kindle (UK): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wild-Brain-extraordinary-neuro-curious-struggling-ebook/dp/B0DJV9YMVR/
Kindle (USA): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJV9YMVR/

Wild of Brain substack: https://anissaljanta.substack.com/

Wild of Brain Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085740605286

Hannah Gadsby interview on We Can Do Hard Things podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6cVlrd5mRHdx5AlFJyXRAG

If you'd like to connect with me, get in touch or follow Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abby, Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Alice Kemp, Amanda Ford, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Evgeniia Pupysheva, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Fiona Ross, Frederike, Galina, Grace, Gwyneth, H Arena, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jess Dwyer, Jo, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine, Katherine Lynch, Ken K, Laura, Leo Ricketts, Lesley McKenzie, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa, Lisa Joy Powley, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Monica Toohey, NC, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sandy Ladkin, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Jeffrey, Sarah Raine, Sarah Swanton, Shauna Schramke, Stefan Mundt, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tara Blue Meyer, Tara Finlay Art, Tessa Valyou, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast

Hannah Brockway is a violinist in her thirties from Australia; music has been her lifelong special interest. Since discovering her autism Hannah has realised that many of the people she’s gravitated towards in her life are neurodivergent too.

In this episode Hannah shares some of her experiences around chronic fatigue, anorexia and panic disorder, needing to take two assessments before finally getting her autism diagnosis, and some of the difficulties she’s faced as an autistic professional musician. 

Squarepeg is a podcast in which I talk to other late identified autistic women and nonbinary people about their lives, their autism journeys, and what they’ve learned along the way.

I’m Amy Richards, and I was diagnosed autistic in 2016, when I was 37. I’ve been sharing my conversations with other autistic adults since 2020.

I hope you'll find these conversations inspiring and thought provoking, and that they’ll help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

EPISODE LINKS:

Hannah's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannah_unmasked/
Her book:
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=VeAHEQAAQBAJ&fbclid
https://www.booktopia.com.au/a-cautionary-tale-hannah-brockway/book/9780648399919.html

If you'd like to connect with me, get in touch or follow Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Aisling Walsh is a queer feminist freelance writer and translator and PhD candidate living in Guatemala City. She is 37 and was diagnosed autistic in December 2021 and is self-diagnosed with ADHD. She was also diagnosed with epilepsy at 23, but now suspects that her seizures might actually be dissociative seizures linked to autistic shutdown.

Aisling has spent over seven years working in communications, advocacy and activism with international development organisations, including the UN, in countries including Ireland, Guatemala, Mexico and Bolivia. 

Her stories, essays and features have been published in many different publications, including The Irish Times. She is currently working towards a PhD in sociology at the National University of Ireland Galway, where she is researching decolonial and feminist practices of healing justice in Guatemala.

In our conversation we talk about 

➡ The impact of having Covid-19 on her sensory issues

➡ Meltdowns, burnout, and managing our energy and productivity without guilt

➡ Finding her tribe - but also navigating toxic work cultures and bullying

➡ Autism, epilepsy and dissociation

I hope you’ll enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

Disclaimer: In this episode Aisling and I talk about her belief that she may have been misdiagnosed with epilepsy. If you would like more information about autism and seizures, I have added some links to the show notes. The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Aisling's website: www.aislingwrites.net

Twitter: @AxliWrites

Instagram: Aisling_Writes 

Contently: https://aislingwalsh.contently.com 

Hannah Gadsby's show, Nanette: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Gadsby:_Nanette 

Links to information about autism and epilepsy:

https://www.autistica.org.uk/what-is-autism/signs-and-symptoms/epilepsy-and-autism

https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/diagnosis/dissociative-seizures-non-epileptic-attack-disorder-nead 

https://www.seizure-journal.com/article/S1059-1311(19)30466-2/fulltext#secsect0005

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Abigail J Moore, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Elizabeth Williams, Elise, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Mandy Allen, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Susan Millington, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady, Vicki Temple and Victoria Routledge.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

My guest today is Jess Hendrickx, owner of Hendrickx Associates, a company in East Sussex, UK that provides non-clinical adult autism assessments and support for autistic young people and adults.

Jess was diagnosed herself in 2018, aged 30, and her partner is also autistic. 

Jess supports autistic adults to build self-awareness, identify their goals and come to terms with their diagnosis. After working in the business as an administrator for several years, and then as an autism coach and mentor, she took over the running of the company from her mum, Sarah Hendrickx, in the autumn of 2020. 

In my conversation with Jess we talk about:

➡ Her difficult teenage years

➡ Finally finding her purpose, after a series of abandoned courses and various different jobs

➡ Her work with Hendrickx Associates, and what she’s learned through coaching and mentoring other autistic people

➡ The challenges and positives of being in a relationship when you’re both autistic

➡ Her takes on special interests and late diagnosis 

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Hendrickx Associates website: www.asperger-training.com 

Invisible I: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2_a05o1pW4fr9SzlyMv8OA 

Women & Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder - Sarah Hendrickx

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website:  https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Corinne Cariad
Katharine Richards
Lea LiLilli Simmons
Sarah Hardy

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast

Daisy Shearer is a PhD candidate in experimental condensed matter physics at the University of Surrey in the UK. She is a passionate researcher, science communicator, and educator with a drive to make STEM more accessible and inclusive, focusing on disabled and neurodivergent people.

Now 25, she was diagnosed autistic at 21. I discovered her through her very popular Instagram account, Notes from the Physics Lab, where she shares snapshots of quantum tech research life and her work as a semiconductor spintronics researcher. She also has a blog and a YouTube channel, where she talks about physics and autism.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Being openly autistic in STEM

➡ Managing sensory issues that lead to anxiety, meltdown and shutdown

➡ Whether autism is a disability

➡ Reasonable adjustments in academic settings

➡ Making learning and teaching accessible for neurodivergent students, and creating systems for connecting with other neurodiverse people

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Daisy's website: https://www.daisyshearer.com/

Her blog: https://notesfromthephysicslab.com/

Neurodivergent in STEM: https://www.neurodivergentinstem.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notesfromthephysicslab/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/QuantumDaisy

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Caroline, Cat Preston, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Karawynn Long, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Laurie Green, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke, Sarah Hardy, Vera Cady

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast

Malori talks about her experience of spending seven years being given various misdiagnoses and being medicated and treated for conditions that she didn't have. Now, with the knowledge that she is autistic, Malori reflects back on her journey through the mental health system, what she's learned, and what's changed for the better since she first sought help for the difficulties that she was experiencing back in 2015.

Content warning: in this episode, Malori shares some of her experience of getting treatment for an eating disorder.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which I talk to other late identified autistic women and nonbinary people about their lives, their autism journeys, and what they’ve learned along the way. I’m Amy Richards, and I was diagnosed autistic in 2016, when I was 37. I’ve been sharing my conversations with other autistic adults since 2020. I hope you'll find these conversations inspiring and thought provoking, and that they’ll help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

If you'd like to connect with me, get in touch or follow Squarepeg, you can find me on:
Website: https://squarepeg.community/
Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abby, Abi Hunter, Alex Williams, Alice Kemp, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Aubrey Brand, B Martinez, Basia, Becca Lee, Becky Beasley, Beth Kelly Herbert, Caprice, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catherine, Catherine Paul, Cathy Oliver, C B, Charlotte Keen, Claire Gerard, Corinne Cariad, Corrine L. McDermid, Dana, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deanna M. Counts Goldy, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Eleni, Em, Emma Franks, Erica Kenworthy, Evgeniia Pupysheva, Ewan McNeill, Frederike, Galina, Grace, H Arena, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Holly Knight-Smith, India, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jo, Julie, Julie Gillespie, Karen, Jenn W, Karin Parker, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine, Katherine Lowney, Katherine Meizel, Ken K, Lana MacEachern, Laura, Laura, Laurin Aman, Leisa Reichelt, Lilli Simmons, Lisa, Lisa Joy Powley, Lisa Williams, Liz, Lizzie, LQ, Lula Cork, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, MelissaS, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Monica Toohey, Natalie Orner, NC, Nicola Neil, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sandra Chapman, Sandy Klarsten, Sandy Ladkin, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Jeffrey, Sarah Musgrave, Sarah Raine, Sarah Rhodes, Seth Williams, Shauna Schramke, Shelia Smith, Sophie King, Stefan Mundt, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tara Blue, Tara Finlay Art, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, and Zephyrine Craster.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Growing up, she suffered with numerous health conditions, anxiety and depression - that she believes were all linked to her undiagnosed autism. She has spent years learning about health and nutrition in order to improve her own health and wellbeing - something she now helps others to do. 

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ The connection between autism and physical health conditions, including disordered eating and digestive issues

➡ Emotional and physical hypersensitivity 

➡ How to connect with your body’s wisdom and take control of your own health

➡ Building a life and work that fits around our needs as autistic people

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

http://perceptiontrainers.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpJgJR2GCrNjMTPtVZAHGKg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/perceptiontrainers/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliyah_pt/

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/AliyahMS

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: http://squarepeg.community/ 

Support Squarepeg on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

My guest today is Beth Rees, a mental health blogger from Caerphilly in South Wales.  I first talked with Beth in Series 2, Episode 9 about her Borderline Personality Disorder diagnosis and imposter syndrome around self diagnosis. In this bonus recording Beth talks to me about finally finding an explanation for behaviours that had always been seen as negative, feeling able to question her original diagnosis of BPD, and being able to learn more about herself from the autistic community. I hope you’ll enjoy hearing from Beth as much as I did.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Information about BPD from Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/borderline-personality-disorder-bpd/about-bpd/ 

Mind UK - what to do if you suspect your diagnosis is wrong: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/personality-disorders/why-is-it-controversial/#CouldMyDiagnosisBeWrong 

Beth’s blog: www.justasquarepeg.com  

Her Instagram: https://instagram.com/justasquarepegblog

Facebook page: https://facebook.com/justasquarepeg

Twitter: https://twitter.com/justasquarepeg

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website:  https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Corinne Cariad, Katharine Richards, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Sarah Hardy

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Jacqui O’Riordan is an Advanced Nurse Practitioner from Harrogate, North Yorkshire in the UK. She has worked as a mental health nurse for almost 20 years, including working in a secure unit with chronically ill patients. She has worked in crisis assessment with Accident and Emergency and the Police since 2008. 

Now 49, Jacqui was diagnosed as autistic and ADHD a year ago, and her two children are also autistic.

Since learning more about autism, she has begun to question the lack of proper training in neurodiversity that mental health professionals in the UK are currently given. She wants to see a push for better training and the inclusion of autistic staff in planning and delivering training. To this end, she recently set up a working group of autistic staff who work in her NHS organisation, including a Consultant Psychiatrist, social workers, nurses and admin staff, to explore this further.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ How she and her children came to realise they were all autistic

➡ The positives and the challenges of living as a newly diagnosed family unit

➡ How her work as a psychiatric nurse has been impacted and informed by her deepening understanding of autism, and addressing the lack of knowledge and awareness in the profession

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

The autistic student nurse Jacqui mentions at the end (who has since qualified):

https://www.authenticallyemily.uk/

National Autistic Society information and signposts on autism and mental health: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/mental-health

Mentalhealth.org information and signposts on autism and mental health: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/a-z-topics/autism-and-mental-health 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Abigail J Moore, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Ben Davies, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Clare Holmes, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Elizabeth Vezina, Elizabeth Williams, Felicia Libo, Galina, Gwyneth, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Kenneth Knowles, Laura Battley, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Lyb, Mandy Allen, MN, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Stephanie Murray, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tammie Fabien, Tessa Valyou, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vicki Temple, Victoria Chang, Victoria Routledge, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

In this conversation I talk with assistance dog trainer Monique Juniper about the inspiration behind Capable K9s, and how she’s been able to build a business that allows her the freedom to work around her own disability and needs, so she’s able to enjoy her work, manage her workload and avoid burning out again; and the importance of serving our communities and being authentic in the work that we do.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

If you'd like to connect or get in touch, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: http://squarepeg.community/ 

If you'd like to connect with Monique or find out more about Capable Canines, head over to her website: https://www.capablek9s.com.au/ 

Laura Richmond is a writer and researcher from Southampton in the UK. Now 35, she was diagnosed autistic last year.

She had an extremely difficult road to diagnosis. Social and emotional struggles in childhood led to her being in and out of the psychiatric system for 15 years, misdiagnosed and spending time in various psychiatric hospitals. 

The turning point came when her son was born: after a traumatic birth she developed PTSD and spent time in a psychiatric mother and baby unit. Her positive experience there, so unlike her previous time in hospital, led her to begin writing about her experiences and unravelling her own history, eventually leading to her autism diagnosis and a book about her experiences that will be published very soon.

Laura and I covered so many different things in this conversation! Although some of the topics we discuss are not easy, I believe it’s so important that these stories are told. 

Some of the things we talk about are:

➡ Why she was initially cautious about getting an autism diagnosis

➡ Her mental health challenges, self harm, and her time in psychiatric services

➡ Hyperlexia, sensory issues and the double empathy problem

➡ Her journey of self discovery through writing her memoir and tapping into autistic joy

CONTENT WARNING:

Please be aware that there is discussion of self harm, mental health difficulties, the psychiatric system and birth trauma from the start and at various points throughout this episode, so if you don’t wish to hear about these topics, you may want to skip this one.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Laura’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cooksferryqueen/ 

Her Twitter - https://twitter.com/cooksferryqueen 

Her Linktree - https://linktr.ee/cooksferryqueen 

Pre-order/buy her book - https://unbound.com/books/all-my-worldly-joy/

Information on autism and self harm from the National Autistic Society: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/mental-health/self-harm 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Clare Forrest, Clare Holmes, Corinne Cariad, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Erin Pineapple, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Galina, Gwyneth, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Jackie Allen, JF, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Kenneth Knowles, Laura, Laurencia Saenz Benavides, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, MN, Paul Harris, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Rebecca Kemp, Sadie Slater, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Swanton, Shauna Schramke, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tegan Bailey, Tessa Valyou, Tree Hall, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Victoria Chang, Victoria Routledge, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast

Nesceda Blake is a performing arts producer and creative energiser from Melbourne, Australia. In a bit of a departure from my usual guests, she was diagnosed very early, at just three years old. I found her insights as an early diagnosed woman fascinating - and I was struck by how familiar and relatable her experiences still were.

We met on LinkedIn, after I came across a post about her experiences with recruiters which had gone viral. After leaving a job with an autism organisation, she had started looking for a new role, and quickly found herself clashing with the neurotypical standards of professionalism in interview guides and job ads.

She passed her feedback on to one recruitment firm, and to her surprise they replied, saying that she had inspired them to change their materials and start an advisory group.

Her post on LinkedIn about this has lead to many more employers and recruiters pledging to change their processes, too.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Her experience of being diagnosed as a child

➡ Meltdowns, masking and burnout

➡ Support needs, functioning labels and addressing the needs of all autistic people

➡ Neurodiversity and equity in the workplace, accommodations, and how the hiring process can be changed to be more inclusive

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Nesceda’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nesceda/ 

Nesceda's Website:  http://nesceda.com/

Her article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/autistic-jobseeker-please-stop-perpetuating-nesceda-blake/ 

The post that went viral: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nesceda_interview-neurodiversityatwork-actuallyautistic-activity-6894113559224164352-2ron/

The post update: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6899215353453395968/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Abigail J Moore, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Elizabeth Williams, Elise, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Mandy Allen, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Susan Millington, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady, Vicki Temple and Victoria Routledge.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast

My guest this week is a 39 year old autistic mum from Cheshire in the UK, who identifies as fitting the PDA profile. She is a certified Forest Bathing Guide and is training to become a Nature Therapy Practitioner. 

She believes that nature connection can help Neurodivergent people form a strong personal identity and help combat burnout and overwhelm. 

She is also interested in the links between autistic burnout and physical illness, after developing chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and Conversion Disorder, which she herself views through a lens of prolonged autistic catatonia. 

She has written for several publications, not just on neurodiversity but also on the environment and climate emergency, and believes that neurodivergents have a key role to play in the protection of humanity and the planet.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Her childhood, and her issues with forming and maintaining friendships

➡ Pathological Demand Avoidance

➡ Autistic women and health, including her own experiences of chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and Conversion Disorder

➡ Our connection to the world, each other and nature

➡ Nature therapy and how being in nature can help neurodivergent people

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

PDA Society website: https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/ 

Autistic catatonia: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/catatonia-autism

Transition movement - Rob Hopkins - From What Is to What If: https://www.robhopkins.net/the-book/ 

Polyvagal theory: https://ct.counseling.org/2016/06/polyvagal-theory-practice/ 

Johann Hari’s TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/johann_hari_everything_you_think_you_know_about_addiction_is_wrong?language=en

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Cat Preston, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke, Sarah Hardy, Vera Cady

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Heather Peak is an artist who lives near Hay on Wye in the UK. She came from a working class background, and was discouraged from making a career as an artist, but decided to go to art school in Brighton where she found a place she finally felt she fit.

Now 48, she has established an art practice over the past two decades that combines art, architecture, theatre and social practice. She is co-director of Studio Morison along with 

Ivan Morison, creating work that is focused on human spaces and the communities that occupy them, and the ideas of escape, play, shelter and refuge. Over the past 20 years she has exhibited across the UK, including at the Tate Modern, and in Europe, Australasia, North and South America and Asia. 

She self identified as autistic seven years ago, and was formally diagnosed last year. Since her diagnosis she has come to understand her art through the lens of autistic thinking and pattern-spotting – and realised that many of the people who appreciate and relate to her art are neurodivergent, too.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Re-writing and reframing her life and art post-diagnosis

➡ The push-pull between distraction and hyperfocus

➡ Autistic joy, and the healing power of nature and animals

➡ Making art that speaks to neurodivergent audiences, pattern spotting, and using art as a medium to interpret the world and connect with others

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Heather’s website: https://peakmorison.org/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallbellsring/

https://www.instagram.com/morison_studio/ 

The Very Public Art of Heather Peak and Ivan Morison (book): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Me-Leave-Alone-Heather/dp/1908970472 

Floating library of short stories: www.smallbellsring.co.uk 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Abigail J Moore, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Elizabeth Williams, Elise, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady, Vicki Temple and Victoria Routledge.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Naomi Ghafoor is a mental health activist who has spent over a decade battling the mental healthcare system and dealing with misdiagnoses, negligence and systemic abuse, which recently led to her suing her NHS mental health trust earlier this year. 

Now 26, she works as a Lived Experience Leadership Officer for a mental health charity in London, UK and is passionate about sharing her experiences and using her voice to uplift and empower others. She was diagnosed autistic at 24.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Being misdiagnosed with BPD and told she couldn't be autistic 

➡ Finally getting her autism DX after several years of negative experiences in the mental health system

➡ The impact of intensive outpatient treatment for BPD and being unnecessarily medicated 

➡ Suing her NHS Trust over her misdiagnosis and trying to prove their negligence

➡ Her experiences of employment, including with a mental health charity

CONTENT WARNING: one very brief mention of a death by suicide and one brief mention of suicidal ideation

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/naomimarlene_

Twitter: https://twitter.com/naomighaf

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomighafoor/

Her self-produced short video, Creative Therapies as a response to self harm: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6990974279504797696/ 

PMDD and autism: https://www.additudemag.com/pmdd-autism-adhd/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Alice Kemp, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Amy Sullivan, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Evgeniia Pupysheva, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Frederike, Galina, Grace, Gwyneth, H Arena, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jo, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lara, Laura, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa Joy Powley, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Monica Toohey, NC, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Jeffrey, Sarah Swanton, Shauna Schramke, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tessa Valyou, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Victoria Routledge, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Dani Rodwell is a licensed Clinical Social Worker, therapist, and Co-founder of NeuroSpark Health. She lives in New Jersey, USA. 

She has worked in the field of autism and neurodevelopmental conditions for over 7 years - including working with neurodivergent youth, a brief period in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), then internships at The Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health, in mental health programming for neurodivergent adults and a support group for parents of neurodivergent adult children.

Now 29, Dani self-identified as autistic for five years, before being informally diagnosed in 2023. 

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Advocating for herself and others, and the support within the ND community

➡ How she ended up being referred to a psychiatrist as a preteen, diagnosed with Oppositional Defiance Disorder and how her experiences and treatment ended with her being sent to a so-called 'therapeutic' boarding school for troubled teens

➡ Her short lived experience of using the controversial ABA with children, and later of working with adult ABA survivors with high support needs in residential settings

➡ Why she loves her current work providing autism assessments, therapy and support through Neurospark

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Website: https://www.neurosparkhealth.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neurosparkhealth/ 

If you'd like to connect with me, get in touch or follow Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abby, Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Alice Kemp, Amanda Ford, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, B Martinez, Basia, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Beth Kelly Herbert, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Cathy Oliver,  Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Corrine L. McDermid, DK, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Evgeniia Pupysheva, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Fiona Ross, Frederike, Galina, Grace, Gwyneth, H Arena, Hannah, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jess Dwyer, Jo, Julie, Karin Parker, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine, Katherine Lynch, Kathy Crabbe, Ken K, Laura, Laurin Aman, Leo Ricketts, Lesley McKenzie, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa, Lisa Joy Powley, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Lynn Vieira, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Monica Toohey, Monique Francis, NC, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sandy Ladkin, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Jeffrey, Sarah Musgrave, Sarah Raine, Sarah Swanton, Shauna Schramke, Stefan Mundt, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tara Blue Meyer, Tara Finlay Art, Tessa Valyou, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

This special Squarepeg miniseries celebrates the great things that start to happen in our lives when we discover in adulthood that we’re autistic. Seven of my previous guests have returned to each share the three most important things that have changed for the better in their lives since they were diagnosed, or realised they were autistic. 

My guest today is Stephanie Silvan, who lives in Finland and is an animal behaviourist, linguist and biologist. I first talked with Stephanie about burnout and mental health in Series 1, Episode 6. In this bonus recording I catch up with what’s happened in Stephanie’s life since then, as she talks to me about going to therapy, starting a mindfulness practice, and getting clear about what she wants to do with the rest of her life. I hope you’ll enjoy catching up with Stephanie as much as I did.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website:  https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Corinne Cariad, Katharine Richards, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Sarah Hardy

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Megan is 27 and was diagnosed autistic three years ago. No one ever suspected she might be autistic as a child, and she first realised she might be when she experienced some mental health breakdowns at university. She now lives in West Sussex, UK, where she is the Workflow Team Lead at a GP (family medicine) practice.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Her time studying at Oxford, one of the top universities in the UK, including its impact on mental health

➡ Coming out as autistic to friends and colleagues - and similarities to coming out as LGBT+

➡ The difficulties of talking to our parents about being diagnosed autistic

➡ Being autistic at work, and getting reasonable adjustments (including the best adjustment I’ve ever heard of!)

➡ Advice for getting a diagnosis referral in the UK [34:09]

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Megan’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/morpholomeg 

Her YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/megbirch  

Video talking about her diagnosis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcb5HRGceH0

Her Tumblr: https://morpholomeg.tumblr.com/post/183920690463/yesterday-was-world-autism-awareness-day-so-im 

Her amateur dramatics online performances: http://copthorneplayers.co.uk/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: http://squarepeg.community/ 

Support Squarepeg on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Like many autistic people she has pursued various different courses and degrees, including doing a degree in speech therapy, and at the time we recorded this episode she was just coming to the end of the third year of her PhD, looking at the challenges faced by autistic children and young people in sport. 

In our conversation we talk about 

➡ Parenting an autistic daughter as an autistic adult, and what’s changed since they’ve both been diagnosed

➡ When is a good time to share a child’s diagnosis with them

➡ The difficulties she faced as an undiagnosed autistic student on an undergraduate course

➡ Her research into access to sport for autistic children and young people

➡ The barriers to inclusivity in sport, including sensory and physical needs - and ableism.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Gilly’s website: https://neurodivergentresearcher.com/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gemckeown1 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neurodivergent_researcher/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neurodivergentresearcher

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Abigail J Moore, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Elise, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Susan Millington, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady, Vicki Temple and Victoria Routledge.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Kathy Carter is a writer and neurodiversity-affirming hypnotherapist. She was diagnosed autistic herself in 2017, after realising that her son was probably autistic. She in her 40s and lives in Kent in the UK. She works with neurodivergent, highly sensitive and anxious clients and her hypnotherapy is adapted to autistic needs.

She has recently been appointed Neurodivergence Advisor to Therapy Today, the journal of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Their Advisory Board is a new initiative launching in September 2021 made up of a hand-picked range of counsellors and psychotherapists from marginalised groups across the black and ethnic minority, LBGTQ+, neurodiversity, and disabled communities.

In our conversation we talk about 

➡ Her experiences of fatigue and burnout as a teenager

➡ Learning to listen to your body and be in tune with your own energy

➡ Polyvagal theory, and how it works for autistic people

➡ Bringing a holistic approach to therapy, and adapting therapy to autistic needs

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Kathy's hypnotherapy practice: www.arrivetherapy.co.uk

Her blog post on polyvagal theory: https://spectra.blog/news-views/autistic-superpower-days-why-autists-may-be-on-an-autistic-spectrum-within-a-spectrum-different-autistic-days-and-a-nod-to-polyvagal-theory/

Thriving Autistic: https://support.thrivingautistic.org/en

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abigail J Moore, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Jackie Allen, Karawynn Long, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Laurie Green, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke and Vera Cady.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast

Janet Murray is a content strategist who lives near London in the UK. She was recently diagnosed autistic, after first getting a diagnosis of ADHD in 2020.

A former journalist and PR coach, Janet has written for many national publications, is the host of the Courageous Content podcast and founder of the Courageous Content Live Event  - an annual content marketing event for creative businesses/brands - and is also a keynote speaker who has spoken on big stages all over the world. 

She says that she has a strong desire for order and routine, but is also one of the most disorganised people on the planet, and puts her unlikely success down to creating easy-to-follow systems and processes to help her stay productive.

In this episode Janet really goes into the everyday experience of being autistic, as we talk about:

➡ Feeling disconnected from peers and experiencing bullying as a child and an adult

➡ How her rule following and direct communication have caused her difficulties in her interactions with others

➡ Being emotional and highly sensitive, yet often being interpreted as rude, overly serious and cold.

➡ The challenges of navigating female friendships as a neurodivergent woman

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Website: https://www.janetmurray.co.uk 

Podcast: https://courageous-content.captivate.fm/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janmurrayuk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janetmurrayofficial

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@janmurrayuk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jan_murray 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janet-murray74/

https://janetmurray.co.uk/how-i-discovered-im-autistic-and-have-adhd/

https://janetmurray.co.uk/how-i-discovered-i-had-adhd-and-why-its-my-superpower-as-an-entrepreneur/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Abigail J Moore, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Clare Holmes, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Elizabeth Vezina, Elizabeth Williams, Felicia Libo, Galina, Gwyneth, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Kenneth Knowles, Laura Battley, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Lyb, Mandy Allen, MN, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Stephanie Murray, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tessa Valyou, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vicki Temple, Victoria Routledge and Zephyrine Craster.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast

I am thrilled to bring you this conversation with somatic therapist Aisha Edwards, in which we talk about autism and loneliness. This continues a short series of revisits, where I reconnect with some of my guests from previous episodes.

I first met Aisha two years ago, in 2022, when we recorded the bonus episode at the end of Season 6. Aisha is a somatic trauma therapist, podcaster and writer from Vancouver, Washington, USA and was diagnosed autistic in 2021. Since we last spoke, she has been focusing largely on her nonprofit, Radical Rest, providing communal healing spaces for BIPOC folk.

Somatic trauma therapy is a body-centred approach to treating post-traumatic stress disorder that, rather than focusing only on thoughts or emotions associated with a traumatic event, expands to include the natural bodily responses.

This is a bit of a different episode, focused on a single topic. After a quick catchup we jump pretty much straight into it. But if you’d like to learn more about Aisha’s story, or refresh your memory, I’ve re-released her original episode with this one - it’s episode 121. 

And in this episode we talk about:

• What loneliness means to us, and the sorts of connections autistic people want and need

• What impacts our ability to connect

• How we can improve our connection to others and feel less lonely

Aisha is such a joy to talk to, and I hope you get as much out of this conversation as I did.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS

Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/full_flight_wellness/ 

https://www.instagram.com/radical.rest 

The Other Significant Others - the book Aisha mentions https://www.amazon.co.uk/Other-Significant-Others-Reimagining-Friendship/dp/1250280915

If you'd like to connect with me, get in touch or follow Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abby, Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Alex Williams, Alice Kemp, Amanda Ford, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Aubrey Brand, B Martinez, Basia, Becca Lee, Becki Bodey, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Beth Kelly Herbert, Caprice, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catherine Paul, Cathy Oliver, Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Claire, Corinne Cariad, Corrine L. McDermid, DK, Dana, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deanna M. Counts Goldy, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Eleni, Elizabeth Williams, Em, Emilie Morris, Emma Franks, Erica Kenworthy, Evgeniia Pupysheva, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Fiona Ross, Frederike, Galina, Grace, Gwyneth, H Arena, Hannah, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Helen White, Holly Knight-Smith, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jess Dwyer, Jo, Julie, Karen, Karin Parker, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine, Katherine Lowney, Katherine Lynch, Kathy Crabbe, Ken K, Lana MacEachern, Laura, Laura, Laurin Aman, Leisa Reichelt,  Leo Ricketts, Lesley McKenzie, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa, Lisa Joy Powley, Lisa Williams, Liz, LQ, Lula Cork, Lyb, Lynn Vieira, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, MelissaS, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Michelle Penny, Monica Toohey, Monique Francis, NC, Netty, Paul Harris, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sandra Chapman, Sandy Klarsten, Sandy Ladkin, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Jeffrey, Sarah Musgrave, Sarah Raine, Sarah Swanton, Seth Williams, Shauna, Shauna Schramke, Shelia Smith, Sophie King, Stefan Mundt, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tara Blue Meyer, Tara Finlay Art, Tessa Valyou, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Now 25, she was diagnosed autistic in 2020, when she began using her Instagram account to educate her friends and community – and the wider world – about autism and her particular experience as a Black autistic woman.

She recently graduated with a BA in Climate Change and Society, and hopes to bring awareness and innovation to the environmental challenges and injustices of the world. She also serves as a Gen-Z advisor for the Climate Mental Health Network, an organisation that aims to address the mental health consequences of climate change.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Growing up hyper aware of her difference

➡ Auditory processing disorder

➡ Her difficulties sharing her autism diagnosis with her family

➡ Disability discrimination at university

➡ The intersectionality of identities, and how we can all do more to understand them

I hope you’ll enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

Skin picking is mentioned in this episode (the proper term for this, which neither of us could remember, is dermatillomania or excoriation disorder). If you’d like more information about this condition, visit this NHS page.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Aishah's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aishah_nyeta/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AishahNyeta

Website: https://www.aishahnyeta.com/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Abigail J Moore, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Elizabeth Williams, Elise, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady, Vicki Temple and Victoria Routledge.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Welcome to the Squarepeg podcast!

This is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

If you'd like to connect or get in touch, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or via my website: http://squarepeg.community/ 

Ebonie Allard is an award-winning International Master Coach, an author, and an artist. Now in her early 40s, she was mostly raised in the UK, but before she was seven years old she had lived in a house truck, on a commune, in France, New Zealand, Ireland, and England. She now lives in Spain.

She says that she has never had a 'proper job' - she’s been self-employed, a freelancer, a business owner and an entrepreneur all her life.

Ebonie was diagnosed autistic fairly recently, but has always drawn neurodivergent people to her, and her work helps other neurodivergent, creative and spiritual humans to self actualise and enjoy their physical experience.

I enjoyed this conversation so much - Ebonie is such a calming presence and brings a wonderful mix of wisdom and down-to-earthness. In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Reframing our past lives and selves

➡ Replacing unhealthy coping mechanisms with healthier ones

➡ Learning to embrace our demons, process emotions and regulate our nervous systems

➡ Removing stigma around meltdowns, stimming and other natural autistic things

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Ebonie’s course, Misfit to Maven: the Fundamentals https://www.ebonieallard.com/the-fundamentals

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eboniealchemy/

This Sacrosanct Life podcast: https://www.ebonieallard.com/podcasts/this-sacrosanct-life 

Adulting with Ebonie podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5BW278BdWdxI4dTuBpc1BY

Her book, Misfit to Maven (that we reference in this episode): https://www.ebonieallard.com/misfit-to-maven-book 

Her book ‘The Manual of Me®️’: https://www.ebonieallard.com/the-manual-of-me

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Clare Forrest, Clare Holmes, Corinne Cariad, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Fiona Connor, Galina, Gwyneth, Hannah Breslin, Jackie Allen, JF, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Kenneth Knowles, Laura, Laurencia Saenz Benavides, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, MN, Paul Harris, Pete Burke, Rebecca Biegel, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Swanton, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tegan Bailey, Tessa Valyou, Tree Hall, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Victoria Chang, Victoria Routledge, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Welcome to Squarepeg, the podcast in which neurodivergent women, trans and nonbinary people explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

Lis Parsons is an Open University tutor from North Wales who describes herself as ‘the classic gifted student with no social skills’. Diagnosed autistic in her 40s, she says that in some ways she’s a ‘slow learner’, but despite experiencing interruption in her education, she has gone on to achieve a BSc in Psychology and an MA in Creative Writing.

In this conversation I talk with Lis Parsons about growing up and trying to make sense of life before diagnosis; trying to find a doctor who understands autism in women; the challenges of staying in employment - and paying the bills - when you’re autistic; finding engaging and rewarding work that suits us and fits our needs; and how being autistic can give us certain advantages in life.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

If you'd like to connect or get in touch, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: http://squarepeg.community/ 

Becky Beasley is an award winning visual artist, receiving the highest UK award for Visual Arts in the country, a Paul Hamlyn Artists Award, in 2018, and also teaches Fine Art part time at Goldsmiths College.

But alongside her career success she has battled with mental health and hormonal problems, prompting her to go on a research journey that ultimately lead to her autism diagnosis in February this year.

Becky is in her mid 40s, lives and works in Hastings in the UK and describes herself as a women’s health gap warrior.

In our conversation we talk about 

➡ Hormones, female reproductive health and the gender health gap - and how these impact autistic people who menstruate

➡ Mental health and its impact on life and work

➡ Becoming attuned to ourselves, meeting our sensory needs and giving ourselves permission to stim

➡ Gender identity, friendship and finding your tribe

TRIGGER WARNING:

Please be aware that there is mention of suicide and suicidal ideation, miscarriage and eating disorders from the start of this episode, so if you don’t want to hear about these topics you might want to give this one a miss.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Becky's website: www.beckybeasley.com/

Her award: https://www.phf.org.uk/artist/becky-beasley/

More about her art: https://www.plan-b.ro/artist/becky-beasley/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/beckybeasleyuk/
https://www.instagram.com/autist_perimenopause_diary/ 
https://www.instagram.com/theseaweedshophastings/ 

Maisie Hill (hormones): https://www.maisiehill.com/ 

Towards a Profile of Adult Autistic women: https://taniaannmarshall.wordpress.com/2013/03/26/moving-towards-a-female-profile-the-unique-characteristics-abilities-and-talents-of-asperwomen-adult-women-with-asperger-syndrome/ 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abigail J Moore, Caroline, Cat Preston, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Karawynn Long, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Laurie Green, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke, Sarah Hardy and Vera Cady.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Rhonda Moore is a medical anthropologist in her early 50s. After self diagnosing as autistic in 2019, she was formally diagnosed the following year.

She spent her childhood in Chicago, USA, and now lives in Bethesda, Maryland, where she is Program Director in Global Mental Health at NIH (the National Institutes of Health, the main US government agency responsible for public health research). 

She has a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from Stanford University and postdoctoral fellowships from Stanford Medical School and the University of Texas, and has published four books, with a fifth – about mental health equity – on the way.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Intergenerational autism

➡ The impact of growing up autistic in an abusive home

➡ Autism, trauma and resilience

➡ The intersectionality of autism, gender, age and race and its impact on marginalisation and health

➡ Being neurodivergent at work, disclosure, accommodations and career progression

I hope you’ll get as much out of our conversation as I did.

Content warning: During this conversation Rhonda shares her childhood experience of domestic violence, so if this is something you don’t want to hear about, you might choose not to listen to this episode.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Rhonda’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/skyymoore

Her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhondamoore/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Abigail J Moore, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Elizabeth Williams, Elise, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Susan Millington, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady, Vicki Temple and Victoria Routledge.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

I recorded this special episode with former Squarepeg guest Sophie Longley. I last spoke with Sophie at the end of 2020, when she was working as an English teacher in Singapore and was about to start her Masters in Experimental psychology at the University of Sussex. (If you’d like to go back and listen to her original episode again to refresh your memory, that’s episode 15 - Season 2, Episode 3). 

Since graduating, Sophie has done a lot of things, trying out different career paths while processing her 2020 autism diagnosis in a deeper way. Some of her work is in academia, where she’s been involved in autism research, including looking at the post-diagnostic experiences of late diagnosed women, and exploring the language used around autism in the news and media. And she’s also a career mentor for autistic women who are stuck in a rut with their careers or need guidance navigating the workplace.

In this episode we talk about:

 What it’s been like for Sophie processing her autism diagnosis on a deeper level, over the past 4 years

• The benefits and challenges of getting a late diagnosis, and the post-diagnostic experience of late diagnosed women

• Her experience of trying to get accommodations at uni - and her expectations vs reality, and whether we need to disclose our autism to get our needs met

• What it’s like working in autism research roles in teams with a mix of other autistic and NT people

• The benefits and drawbacks of masking, unmasking privilege, and what unmasking actually looks like

 And we explore the concepts of ‘grelief’ and ‘autism fatigue’.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

LINKS

 Sophie’s original Squarepeg episode: https://squarepeg.community/15-s2-ep3-autism-and-work-culture-masking-socialising-and-finding-the-right-work/ 

 Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-longley/ 

 Mentoring: https://www.expandthecircle.co.uk/associates-sophie-longley 

Research article: Language Matters in British Newspapers: A Participatory Analysis of the Autism UK Press Corpus https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2023.0105

If you'd like to connect with me, get in touch or follow Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abby, Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Alex Williams, Alice Kemp, Amanda Ford, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Aubrey Brand, B Martinez, Basia, Becca Lee, Becki Bodey, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Beth Kelly Herbert, Caprice, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catherine Paul, Cathy Oliver, Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Claire, Corinne Cariad, Corrine L. McDermid, DK, Dana, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deanna M. Counts Goldy, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Eleni, Elizabeth Williams, Em, Emilie Morris, Emma Franks, Erica Kenworthy, Evgeniia Pupysheva, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Fiona Ross, Frederike, Galina, Grace, Gwyneth, H Arena, Hannah, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Helen White, Holly Knight-Smith, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jess Dwyer, Jo, Julie, Karen, Karin Parker, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine, Katherine Lowney, Katherine Lynch, Kathy Crabbe, Ken K, Lana MacEachern, Laura, Laura, Laurin Aman, Leisa Reichelt,  Leo Ricketts, Lesley McKenzie, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa, Lisa Joy Powley, Lisa Williams, Liz, LQ, Lula Cork, Lyb, Lynn Vieira, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, MelissaS, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Michelle Penny, Monica Toohey, Monique Francis, NC, Netty, Paul Harris, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sandra Chapman, Sandy Klarsten, Sandy Ladkin, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Jeffrey, Sarah Musgrave, Sarah Raine, Sarah Swanton, Seth Williams, Shauna, Shauna Schramke, Shelia Smith, Sophie King, Stefan Mundt, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tara Blue Meyer, Tara Finlay Art, Tessa Valyou, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

In this bonus episode I share more about my own autism journey, and talk about my career-ending burnout and creating authentically autistic lives we don't want to escape from.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

If you're interested in joining me for Thrive, you can find out more and sign up here: https://squarepeg.community/thrive-enrol/ 

If you'd like to connect with me, get in touch or follow Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abby, Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Alex Williams, Alice Kemp, Amanda Ford, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Aubrey Brand, B Martinez, Basia, Becki Bodey, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Beth Kelly Herbert, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catherine Paul, Cathy Oliver, Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Corrine L. McDermid, DK, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deanna M. Counts Goldy, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Emilie Morris, Erica Kenworthy, Evgeniia Pupysheva, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Fiona Ross, Frederike, Galina, Grace, Gwyneth, H Arena, Hannah, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Helen White, Holly Knight-Smith, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jess Dwyer, Jo, Julie, Karen, Karin Parker, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine, Katherine Lowney, Katherine Lynch, Kathy Crabbe, Ken K, Lana MacEachern, Laura, Laurin Aman, Leisa Reichelt,  Leo Ricketts, Lesley McKenzie, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa, Lisa Joy Powley, Lisa Williams, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Lynn Vieira, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, MelissaS, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Monica Toohey, Monique Francis, NC, Paul Harris, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sandra Chapman, Sandy Ladkin, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Jeffrey, Sarah Musgrave, Sarah Raine, Sarah Swanton, Shauna, Shauna Schramke, Shelia Smith, Stefan Mundt, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tara Blue Meyer, Tara Finlay Art, Tessa Valyou, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Sophie Longley is an English teacher and reading specialist. She was diagnosed autistic in 2020, aged 28 and is based in Singapore, where she works with children with reading difficulties. She has spent the last four years living and working in Asia, after suffering from severe burnout from a corporate career in London. 

Her recent Autism diagnosis and the ongoing struggles she has faced being autistic in the workplace have prompted her to change careers to become a clinical psychologist. She will be pursuing a Master's in Experimental psychology at the University of Sussex in 2021, with a goal to improve how clinicians diagnose autistic women. 

She has a special interest in researching autistic women's experiences in the workplace.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ What it was like getting a diagnosis in Singapore

➡ Her experiences of working in corporate job roles, including losing a series of jobs due to her undiagnosed autism, masking in interviews, and the pressure to be social at work

➡ The challenges of being autistic at work

➡ Achieving diversity in the workplace

➡ What it’s like being autistic in the classroom - for teachers and students

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Sophie’s blog: https://sophielongley.medium.com/

Her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophlongley28/ 

Books mentioned in this episode:

Neurodivergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn't Designed for You, Jenara Nerenburg 

Born on a Blue Day, Daniel Tammet

Quiet, Susan Cain

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: http://squarepeg.community/ 

Support Squarepeg on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Tara was diagnosed autistic last year, after a conversation with her husband prompted some research into autism. She is 49 and lives in the northern United States, where she works as an visual artist and online education coordinator. Her childhood was unusual, and she now believes that her parents were probably both undiagnosed neurodivergent, and that this impacted on their behaviour and her own upbringing.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Her childhood, and why she believes her parents were neurodivergent

➡ Having a difficult relationship with food

➡ Autism and a lack of spacial awareness

➡ The interplay between physical health, diet and autistic traits

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

If you relate to Tara’s experiences with food and would like to connect with her to share your experiences, you can email her using this address: neurodivergent1971@gmail.com

Vegan Luke: https://www.tiktok.com/@veganluke 

And the name for lack of spatial awareness? I couldn’t find a specific term for this, but it is common to both autistic people and those with dyspraxia.

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website:  https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A huge thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Corinne Cariad

Katharine Richards

Lilli Simmons

Sarah Hardy

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

D.L. Mayfield is a freelance writer from Portland, USA. She has written for Christian publications in the US for over 10 years, and is the author of several books, the latest of which, Unruly Saint, explores the life and work of the late American journalist, social activist and anarchist Catholic Dorothy Day.

D.L. herself grew up highly religious in an evangelical family in the US. Now in her late 30s, she is currently in the process of being assessed for autism, after she reached out to an autistic therapist in order to better parent her autistic child. In her words, what followed has been a ‘wild year’ of self discovery.

She is in the process of transitioning away from being, as she describes it, a hyper-religious person, deconstructing authoritarian religion and exploring the exploitation of neurodivergent people by some religious groups. Her Substack newsletter, God is My Special Interest, has attracted a wide community of people who are exploring neurodivergence and who also come from a faith background.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ The impact of growing up undiagnosed in the evangelical church in America

➡ Parenting an autistic PDA child, postpartum depression, and being an autistic mother in autism mom spaces

➡ Autistic experiences of lockdowns 

➡ The appeal of religion to autistic people, and the numbers of undiagnosed autistic women that can be found in Christian groups

➡ The deconstruction of her own religious identity alongside her emerging self identification as autistic

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

D.L.’s website: http://www.dlmayfield.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d_l_mayfield/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/d_l_mayfield 

God Is My Special Interest Substack: https://dlmayfield.substack.com/ 

The Prophetic Imagination Station podcast: https://www.propheticimaginationstation.com/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Abigail J Moore, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Annette, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Emily, Elizabeth Vezina, Elizabeth Williams, Felicia Libo, Galina, Gwyneth, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Kenneth Knowles, Laura Battley, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Stephanie Murray, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tessa Valyou, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vicki Temple, Victoria Routledge and Zephyrine Craster.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Luize is self diagnosed. She’s 26 and lives in Latvia, where an autism diagnosis is not available for adults. She briefly studied medicine at university, before switching to Sociology. She has spent time volunteering abroad with animal rights and environmental organisations, where for the first time she felt a sense of belonging, despite the challenges of living and working in a group situation in a different country. While abroad she gradually realised she is autistic.

In my conversation with Luize we talk about 

➡ Sensory issues at school and work

➡ Attitudes to autism in her country

➡ Her decision to quit her medical degree

➡ What is was like volunteering abroad, and how it helped her discover her autism

➡ Sustainable activism, burnout, and some of the issues faced by neurodivergent people in volunteer projects

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

https://www.instagram.com/mimijona/

https://www.instagram.com/the.mindful.traveller/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Cat Preston, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Laurie Green, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke, Sarah Hardy, Vera Cady

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Holly Smale is a multimillion-bestselling and award-winning author of young adult fiction, famous for her Geek Girl and The Valentines series of books.

Geek Girl heroine Harriet Manners is a 15 year old, socially awkward girl, and Holly says that it was only after being diagnosed autistic herself at 39 that she realised that her character Harriet is also autistic - and that she had actually been writing about neurodivergence for a decade. 

Holly lives in Hove, in East Sussex in the UK.

Holly and I talked about all sorts of things, including:

➡ Meltdowns, masking, synaesthesia and dyspraxia

➡ Holly’s childhood memories

➡ Coming out as autistic publicly

➡ Attitudes, misconceptions and gender stereotypes

➡ Undiagnosed intergenerational autism 

➡ Her lifelong special interest in books and writing, autistic characters in books and on screen and writing an autistic character 

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Find Holly on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HolSmale 

Kieran Rose course: https://theautisticadvocate.com/onlinelearning/ 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Caroline, Cat Preston, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Karawynn Long, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Laurie Green, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke, Sarah Hardy, Vera Cady

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Helen Evans is Chief Executive of the PDA Society. She was diagnosed autistic aged 39 in October 2020, two years after her son, who has a PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) profile. She grew up in South London, and now lives in Oxfordshire. 

From 2012 to 2015 Helen was Global Head of Safeguarding at Oxfam, and tried to get the organisation to tackle issues of systemic sexual abuse perpetrated by Oxfam workers. After speaking publicly about the issue and giving evidence to MPs and the Charity Commission, she was awarded Whistleblower of the Year in 2019. Since leaving Oxfam in 2015 she has been CEO of two neurological condition charities, and was appointed CEO of the PDA Society in July 2021.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ What the PDA profile is

➡ Having a strong sense of social justice

➡ Dealing with invisible sensory struggles, face blindness and meltdowns

➡ Workplace socialising and the work environment, and being openly autistic at work

➡ Maintaining friendships as an autistic adult

➡ Navigating systems as a neurodivergent parent

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

PDA Society website: https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/ 

Helen's LinkedIn account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-evans-0357832/ 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abigail J Moore, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Jackie Allen, Jessica, Karawynn Long, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Laurie Green, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke, Tree Hall, Vera Cady and Vicki Temple.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Nigel Rising is the Founder and CEO of Autistic Women Emerging, a charity that aims to change the lives of undiagnosed and newly diagnosed autistic women. The charity was born out of her own personal struggle with depression and suicidal ideation, and it is her hope to help prevent autistic women taking their lives because they believe they are bad people, or a burden to others. 

Nigel says: “My post-diagnosis journey has become a mission to understand and address why it took so long to discover why I had suffered a lifetime of painful isolation and loneliness. I cannot bear the thought that there are other people in the world right now experiencing the same dark pain I felt. I want other Autistic women to know that they are not alone in the pain, loneliness and isolation they feel when they are experiencing suicidal ideation.”

Nigel was born in Germany to a military family, raised in Texas, and now lives in Denver, Colorado, in the United States. Her MENSA-level intelligence led to a corporate career, but her social limitations and heavy masking took their toll. Now 53, she was diagnosed autistic with ADHD in early 2023. 

We talk about:

➡ The impact of her indigenous American upbringing, religious schooling, and her dad's military background

➡ Masking, hierarchies, her difficulties forming relationships, and her experience of suicidal ideation

➡ Her experience of asking for accommodations in a new role as an openly autistic person

➡ Her growing sense of autistic pride and community after a lifetime of not fitting in anywhere, and the conference for Autistic women she is running in Denver in October 2024, called Autistica Palooza.

 CONTENT WARNING: Suicidal ideation. Nigel talks at some length about this, from around 0:48 minutes in to around 0:58, so if you don’t want to hear about this topic, you might want to skip this section 

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Nigel’s website:https://autisticwomenemerging.org/ 

Autistica Palooza event page: https://autisticapalooza.com 

Her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-rising-esq-b874902aa/ 

Referenced article on suicide and suicidal ideation in autistic people from the National Autistic Society: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/suicide-research 

Warning signs of suicide in autistic people: https://988lifeline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Warning-Signs-Resource-Sept-2021-2.pdf

Autism in Heels, by Jennifer Cook: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Autism-Heels-Untold-Female-Spectrum/dp/1510758690 

If you'd like to connect with me, get in touch or follow Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abby, Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Alice Kemp, Amanda Ford, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, B Martinez, Basia, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Beth Kelly Herbert, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Cathy Oliver,  Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, DK, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Evgeniia Pupysheva, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Fiona Ross, Frederike, Galina, Grace, Gwyneth, H Arena, Hannah, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jess Dwyer, Jo, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine, Katherine Lynch, Ken K, Laura, Leo Ricketts, Lesley McKenzie, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa, Lisa Joy Powley, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Lynn Vieira, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Monica Toohey, Monique Francis, NC, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sandy Ladkin, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Jeffrey, Sarah Musgrave, Sarah Raine, Sarah Swanton, Shauna Schramke, Stefan Mundt, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tara Blue Meyer, Tara Finlay Art, Tessa Valyou, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast

I first released this episode in the summer of 2022, at the end of Season 6. And this week I’ve released a brand new episode with Aisha, as part of a short series of revisits, where I reconnect with some of my guests from previous conversations. So here’s Aisha’s original episode, for those of you new to the podcast, or in case you’d like to refresh your memory before listening to the new episode (that’s episode 122).

Aisha Edwards is a somatic trauma therapist, podcaster and writer from Vancouver, Washington, USA, and was diagnosed autistic last year, aged 39.

Somatic trauma therapy is a body-centred approach to treating post-traumatic stress disorder that rather than focusing only on thoughts or emotions associated with a traumatic event, expands to include the natural bodily responses.

I’m delighted to bring you this special bonus episode of the Squarepeg Podcast. This was recorded as a collaboration with the Emergent Liberation Collective podcast, a podcast about somatics and spirituality as instruments for personal healing and collective transformation.

In my conversation with Aisha we talk about:

➡ The grief and validation of a late autism diagnosis

➡ Masking and unmasking

➡ Meltdowns

➡ Attracting our neurokin

➡ The impact of intergenerational autism

If you’re interested in somatic healing you might like to explore Aisha’s Within From Without: Trauma Informed Soul Journeying Guide, a nine part guide for integrating those traumatised parts of the self that’s full of trauma-informed education, spiritual practices, skills, tools and interventions. You can find the link to this in the show notes and on my website.

And if you are one of my Patrons, you’ll find a special free download waiting for you from Aisha – her Ritual for Self Compassion.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Emergent Liberation Collective podcast: https://emergentliberationcollective.libsyn.com/website

Aisha’s therapy website: https://www.fullflightwellness.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emergentliberationcollective/

Within From Without: Trauma Informed Soul Journeying: https://fullflight.kartra.com/page/Vbk10

If you’d like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abby, Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Alex Williams, Alice Kemp, Amanda Ford, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Aubrey Brand, B Martinez, Basia, Becca Lee, Becki Bodey, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Beth Kelly Herbert, Caprice, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catherine Paul, Cathy Oliver, Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Claire, Corinne Cariad, Corrine L. McDermid, DK, Dana, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deanna M. Counts Goldy, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Eleni, Elizabeth Williams, Em, Emilie Morris, Emma Franks, Erica Kenworthy, Evgeniia Pupysheva, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Fiona Ross, Frederike, Galina, Grace, Gwyneth, H Arena, Hannah, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Helen White, Holly Knight-Smith, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jess Dwyer, Jo, Julie, Karen, Karin Parker, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine, Katherine Lowney, Katherine Lynch, Kathy Crabbe, Ken K, Lana MacEachern, Laura, Laura, Laurin Aman, Leisa Reichelt,  Leo Ricketts, Lesley McKenzie, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa, Lisa Joy Powley, Lisa Williams, Liz, LQ, Lula Cork, Lyb, Lynn Vieira, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, MelissaS, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Michelle Penny, Monica Toohey, Monique Francis, NC, Netty, Paul Harris, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sandra Chapman, Sandy Klarsten, Sandy Ladkin, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Jeffrey, Sarah Musgrave, Sarah Raine, Sarah Swanton, Seth Williams, Shauna, Shauna Schramke, Shelia Smith, Sophie King, Stefan Mundt, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tara Blue Meyer, Tara Finlay Art, Tessa Valyou, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Marie Ralph is an autistic, disabled single mum to two neurodivergent sons. She is 48 and was diagnosed five years ago. She lives in Newquay, Cornwall in the UK, where as well as being a full time carer, she is Director of Youth Art Connect and Cornwall Tourettes and Tic Disorder Group.  Marie has spent countless hours fighting for equality, promoting anti ableism in education and organisations, and provide training and support in all things neurodivergent. She strives to change perceptions of what neurodiversity is, and to show that hidden disabilities are no less disabling than more obvious physical ones. 

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Meltdowns, eye contact and difficulties navigating friendships and romantic relationships

➡ How working in care settings with autistic young people helped her realise she was autistic

➡ Her experience of advocating for her neurodivergent sons, and for other neurodivergent people in her community

➡ Attitudes towards disability, accessibility and accommodations

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Marie’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-ralph-b82456a4/ 

Youth Art Connect website: https://youthartconnect.org/

Youth Art Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YouthArtConnect/ 

Cornwall tourette syndrome and tic disorder support group: https://www.facebook.com/Cornwall-Tourette-Syndrome-Support-Group-323546645067794/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Abigail J Moore, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Elizabeth Williams, Elise, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Mandy Allen, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Swanton, Susan Millington, Suzanna Chen, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady, Vicki Temple and Victoria Routledge.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Suzi Payton is a life coach, stand-up comedian, comedy improvisation teacher and autism trainer from Brighton in the UK. She is 46 and has been diagnosed with ‘clinically significant autistic traits’, but believes that her lifelong masking has prevented her from receiving a full diagnosis. She does have a diagnosis of inattentive ADHD. 

When her 17-year teaching career ended after she experienced workplace bullying and gaslighting she became self employed, and she now coaches other neurodivergent adults and delivers autism training to organisations. 

She is passionate about supporting other autistic people to identify and celebrate their strengths and to get support with challenges.

In our conversation we talk about 

➡ Her difficulties getting a diagnosis

➡ Sensory and communication issues, toxic workplaces and bullying at work

➡ Being out as a neurodivergent person in the workplace

➡ Her work as a coach to other neurodivergent adults

➡ Discovering improv and drama, and finding what she needed to thrive and enjoy her life and work

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Suzi's website: www.suzipayton.com

Her Instragram: https://www.instagram.com/suzipayton_coach_comedian/

Her article about improv:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-comedy-improvisation-changed-my-life-suzi-payton/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abigail J Moore, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Jackie Allen, Jessica, Karawynn Long, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Laurie Green, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke and Vera Cady.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Angela Lauria is a CEO and author from Washington DC, USA. Now 49, she was diagnosed autistic 10 years ago, and initially underwent a form of the controversial ABA therapy in an effort to ‘fix’ the things about her that she had always felt were wrong. One burnout, some autism-positive therapy and ten years of processing later, she was able to fully accept and embrace her own autistic identity, and wider autistic culture. 

Realising she didn’t fit into traditional workplaces, Angela started her own publishing company, providing consulting, editing, design, and book launch marketing for authors who have a message and want to make an impact. 

She has also recently started a podcast called The Autistic Culture Podcast.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ How she went from trying to fix herself with ABA and CBT therapies to celebrating her autism

➡ Burnout, meltdowns, stimming and friendship difficulties

➡ How misinterpreting situations and others’ expectations, and finding it hard to read the room at school and in the workplace has impacted her

CONTENT WARNING: Angela and I talk about self harm during this episode, so if you don't want to hear about this topic, you might want to give this one a miss.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Company website: https://www.differencepress.com/ 

The podcast: https://autisticculture.substack.com/ 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Abigail J Moore, Adam Klager, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Ben Davies, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Clare Holmes, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Elizabeth Vezina, Elizabeth Williams, Galina, Gwyneth, Hannah Breslin, Jackie Allen, JF, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, JE, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Kenneth Knowles, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Meredith L. Freyre, MN, Pete Burke, Rebecca Biegel, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Stephanie Murray, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tammie Fabien, Tegan Bailey, Tessa Valyou, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Victoria Chang, Victoria Routledge, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Max Marnau is an autistic counsellor in her sixties. She realised she was autistic seven years ago, and was diagnosed in 2019.

She was born in London, the daughter of Austro-Hungarian Jews who escaped Nazi persecution just before World War 2.

She now lives in the Scottish Borders, where she runs a thriving private practice counselling both neurotypical and autistic people. She also works for Edinburgh University Student Counselling Service.

She has degrees from both Cambridge and Oxford universities but says she later "lurched from one disastrous admin job to another", and experienced workplace bullying. She had been a nightline and Samaritan volunteer in her youth but it wasn't until a difficult relationship made her reassess her life that she started training as a counsellor and built a new life for herself on her terms.  

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Feeling like an alien growing up

➡ Gravitating towards other neurodivergent people - and knowing one when we meet one!

➡ Why autistic people make good counsellors

➡ Counselling autistic people and what works best for us

➡ Why the spectrum is not a straight line

➡ Why it’s not our responsibility to educate neurotypical people about autism

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Find Max's coaching page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EttrickCounselling/ 

Her Facebook group for autistic counsellors: https://www.facebook.com/groups/219116049856887 

Her Counselling Directory profile: https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/counsellors/max-marnau 

Max's article, You don't look autistic: coming out as an autistic therapist: https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/memberarticles/you-dont-look-autistic-coming-out-as-an-autistic-therapist

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

Support Squarepeg on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Martine van Bijlert is a writer and researcher from the Netherlands. Now 52, she grew up in Iran and worked in places like Kabul, Grozny and Tehran as an aid worker, diplomat and researcher. She now divides her time between her own creative projects and her work for the Afghanistan Analysts Network, a Kabul-based think tank she founded with friends. 

She is self-identified autistic and ADHD, and says she feels like she has always been surrounded by neurodivergent people, as a child, during her studies and in her work abroad, and perhaps because of that she thought things were easier for her than for other people, not harder - which is probably one of the reasons it took her a while to unearth her own neurodivergence.

We talk about:

➡ Finding life more difficult as she’s got older

➡ Realising that most of her family were probably neurodivergent, including her Bible-smuggling grandfather

➡ Being drawn to foreign countries after spending her early childhood in Iran

➡ How her neurodivergent objectivity, pragmatism and cool-headed logic helped her in dangerous situations

➡ Her experience of burnout after setting up and running an organisation in Kabul - and its links to neurodivergent idealism and how we can lose our internal compass as a result

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Martine’s website: www.martinevanbijlert.com 

Her (beautiful!) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mvbijlert/ 

AAN website: www.afghanistan-analysts.org

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Clare Forrest, Clare Holmes, Corinne Cariad, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Erin Pineapple, Fiona Connor, Galina, Gwyneth, Hannah Breslin, Jackie Allen, JF, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Kenneth Knowles, Laura, Laurencia Saenz Benavides, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, MN, Paul Harris, Pete Burke, Rebecca Biegel, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Swanton, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tegan Bailey, Tessa Valyou, Tree Hall, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Victoria Chang, Victoria Routledge, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast

Déa Neile-Hopton is a basketmaker and artist. She is of mixed Jamaican and English heritage and grew up in the 1970s and 80s in York, England. Now 47, she lives in Whitland in Wales, with her partner and three neurodivergent children. She is self diagnosed autistic and was diagnosed ADHD in 2021.

She has a passion for arts and crafts, and for teaching circus skills, but has struggled to find a place in the world of work, finding job seeking and workplaces traumatic and experiencing repeated breakdowns, depression and lack of confidence around work, leading to her surviving on disability benefits.

She is now trying to figure out how to approach work in a way that supports her better, focusing on creating and making, and developing her basket making business. Earlier this year she was selected to take part in a BBC TV show about crafters starting businesses.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Growing up Black and autistic in a dysfunctional neurodivergent family

➡ Her experience as a teen at boarding school 

➡ Finding it hard to recognise autistic traits in herself

➡ Burnouts, breakdowns, anxiety and her struggles around employment 

➡ Raising autistic kids and being their advocate

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Déa's website: http://styxandstone.co.uk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dea.styx_and_stone.willow/

Facebook business page: https://www.facebook.com/styxandstone.willow 

Personal facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/dea.neilehopton

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Abigail J Moore, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Ben Davies, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Clare Holmes, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Elizabeth Vezina, Elizabeth Williams, Galina, Gwyneth, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Kenneth Knowles, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Lyb, Mandy Allen, MN, Pete Burke, Rebecca Biegel, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Stephanie Murray, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tammie Fabien, Tegan Bailey, Tessa Valyou, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Victoria Chang, Victoria Routledge, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

This special Squarepeg miniseries celebrates the great things that start to happen in our lives when we discover in adulthood that we’re autistic. Seven of my previous guests have returned to each share the three most important things that have changed for the better in their lives since they were diagnosed, or realised they were autistic. 

My guest today is Audrey Mitchell, a counsellor from Idaho, USA. I first talked with Audrey in Series 1, Episode 9, about raising a daughter when you’re both autistic, and why autistic people make great counsellors. In this bonus recording she talks to me about being able to verbalise her needs with her family and friends, advocating for her daughter, and what happened when she started dating again post-diagnosis. 

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

http://www.audreyspeaceofmind.com/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website:  https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Corinne Cariad, Katharine Richards, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Sarah Hardy

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Charlotte is from Suffolk, UK, and says they’ve wanted to be an author their entire life, and believe autistic people have a place in the arts. They are nonbinary and bi/ace.

In our conversation we talk about 

• Whether autism is a disability
• What is was like to win an art prize and realise a lifelong dream of being a published author
• Finding community in our shared special interests
• The writing process, the place of autistic people in the arts, and the importance of autistic people telling our own stories

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

You can find Charlotte’s video and book here: https://myriadeditions.com/creator/charlotte-amelia-poe/

And connect with them on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/smallreprieves/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: http://squarepeg.community/

Cloie Parfitt is a psychotherapist, originally from Tennessee in the United States, now living in Norwich in the UK. A former nurse, she switched to psychotherapy when she realised that she found the hospital environment and long shifts too much of a sensory challenge. 

She now works with many neurodivergent clients, and is currently undertaking a professional doctorate in counselling and psychotherapy at the University of Edinburgh, where she works collaboratively with autistic women to explore their experience of psychological trauma and trauma therapy. 

In our conversation we talk about 

➡ Her experiences of social isolation, sensory overload, burnout and depression

➡ Psychotherapy and autism

➡ Why some types of therapy don’t always work for autistic women

➡ Barriers to effective treatment, and how mental health practitioners can better mitigate these challenges.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Cloie's website: www.diversemindstherapy.org

Her Insta: https://www.instagram.com/the_neurodivergent_therapist/ 

Samantha Craft’s list of traits: http://www.myspectrumsuite.com/samantha-crafts-autistic-traits-checklist/

VOTE FOR SQUAREPEG IN THE BRITISH PODCAST AWARDS

If you haven’t voted in the British Podcast Awards yet, there’s still time! I’ve been nominated for a Rising Star award for Squarepeg – and you can vote for me in the Listeners’ Choice award. Voting closes on Sunday 17 July.

It would be amazing if Squarepeg could win something, as it will help spread the word and allow more people who could benefit from it to find the podcast.

>>> If you want to vote, click here and search for ‘Squarepeg’ with no space to find the right show. <<<

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Abigail J Moore, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Emily, Elizabeth Williams, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady, Vicki Temple, Victoria Routledge and Zephyrine Craster.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

She lives in Surrey in the UK, is a former TEFL teacher, and has recently completed an MA in Psychology of Education. She recently started an online survey exploring how autistic psychology students feel about how and what they are taught about autism. 

In our conversation we talk about:

• Being misdiagnosed as a child
• Adult self diagnosis
• The crossover of autistic and ADHD traits
• Being autistic at work
• Her experiences of studying psychology at university
• Autistic involvement in research and training

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

You can find Sarah on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Saraheboon

And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Saraheboon/

She also has a blog: https://autisticallysarah.com/  

The Ken Robinson quote I refer to at the end of the episode:

“Some of the most brilliant, creative people I know did not do well at school. Many of them didn't really discover what they could do—and who they really were—until they'd left school and recovered from their education.”

If you’d like to find out more about the late (and brilliant) Ken Robinson, visit his website: http://sirkenrobinson.com/. His TED talks are well worth a watch.

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: http://squarepeg.community/ 

Kirstie Pickles is an equine vet, academic, mum and mental health advocate from Derbyshire in the UK. Now 49, she was diagnosed autistic at 47, following her daughter’s diagnosis.

She is passionate about sharing her story and raising the awareness of neurodiversity to allow for better self-advocacy and reduce the stigma associated with autism, and is currently researching autism within her profession, and is involved in an autism awareness training programme for medical professionals as an expert by experience. 

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Her lifelong special interest and determination to become a vet, and her experience of thriving at school and university – but finding the transition from academia to the workplace difficult, and struggling to cope as a newly qualified vet

➡ How her diagnosis has helped her get accommodations at work

➡ The findings of her research into autistic vets, including ‘shocking’ statistics around their mental health and wellbeing

➡ How the research – that has relevance to all autistics who work or want to work – can be applied to better support autistic professionals and employees

➡ How she’s now advocating for herself and other autistic adults

CONTENT WARNING

During this conversation there’s a very brief mention of statistics around suicide.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Kirstie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirstie-pickles-01ab6b150

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Clare Forrest, Clare Holmes, Corinne Cariad, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Erin Pineapple, Ewan McNeill, Felicia Libo, Fiona Connor, Galina, Gwyneth, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Jackie Allen, JF, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Kenneth Knowles, Laura, Laurencia Saenz Benavides, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, MN, Paul Harris, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Rebecca Kemp, Sadie Slater, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Swanton, Shauna Schramke, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tegan Bailey, Tessa Valyou, Tree Hall, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Victoria Chang, Victoria Routledge, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Madge Woollard is a musician and teacher from Sheffield in the UK. A Cambridge graduate, she has run her own piano teaching business for the last 25 years, teaching privately and in schools.

She was diagnosed autistic at the age of 44, and has since gone on to win an Autism Friendly Business Award from the National Autistic Society, for her work teaching music to autistic students.

She has taken part in autism research, is involved with the autistic theatre group, Spectrum Theatre, and has played on stage with actress and singer Heather Peace. She identifies as LGBT and nonbinary.

In this conversation we talk about her experience of late diagnosis; what it was like studying at one of our top universities; how failing to master job interviews and find employment led to her setting up a business instead; what it’s like teaching and running a business as an autistic person; teaching autistic children when you are autistic yourself; and the benefits and drawbacks of ‘coming out’ as autistic to clients and students.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS

Madge's website: https://mwoollard.webs.com/

Spectrum Theatre, Sheffield, UK: https://www.spectrumtheatresheffield.com/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: http://squarepeg.community/ 

Alma is an unemployed forager, food designer, artist, craftswoman and permaculture gardener from the Netherlands. She was diagnosed autistic in 2019 after self identifying the year before; she has also since been diagnosed with ADHD.

When her then undiagnosed autistic and ADHD traits meant that she wasn’t able to finish her degree, she was offered a management position at the student café she had worked at while at university, staying there until she suffered a burnout in 2016 and found herself unable to work.

Her life since then has been about survival, and she wanted to come on the podcast to talk about the role of privilege and poverty in autistic lives.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ The impact of her upbringing, growing up in poverty with a neurodivergent parent

➡ The impact of her burnout

➡ Being both autistic and ADHD and how this effects her executive function

➡ The intersectionality of autism, privilege and poverty ‒ and survivorship bias

➡ Navigating a romantic relationship when you’re both neurodivergent

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Alma's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_a.l.m.l.a_/

VOTE FOR SQUAREPEG IN THE BRITISH PODCAST AWARDS

If you haven’t voted in the British Podcast Awards yet, you can vote for me in the Listeners’ Choice award. Voting closes on Sunday 17 July 2022. If you want to vote, click here and search for ‘Squarepeg’ with no space to find the right show.

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Abigail J Moore, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Emily, Elizabeth Williams, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Kenneth Knowles, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady, Vicki Temple, Victoria Routledge and Zephyrine Craster.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

My guest today is Alyssa Washington, a coach, speaker and author from Canada, who now lives in South East Asia. I first talked with Alyssa in Series 2, Episode 1 about the connection between autism and physical health conditions. In this bonus recording she talks to me about getting clarity on the physical components of her autism, finding the language for her emotional experiences, and finding the validation that she’s not broken or dysfunctional.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

http://perceptiontrainers.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpJgJR2GCrNjMTPtVZAHGKg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/perceptiontrainers/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliyah_pt/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website:  https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Corinne Cariad, Katharine Richards, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Sarah Hardy

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Noheli Rosas is 28 and was recently diagnosed, after first recognising she might be autistic two years ago. She lives in Puerto Rico in the Caribbean, where she runs her own eco salon specialising in henna body art, ayurvedic hair care and incense making. Her salon allows exposure space for over 30 artists, including many queer and neurodivergent people.

Through her business she has found a way to explore her special interests, work to her strengths, meet her needs and make a living - while creating a vibrant and supportive community of like minded people.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Cultural attitudes to autism in the Carribean

➡ The positives and negatives of masking

➡ Relating to others - both neurotypical and neurodivergent

➡ Turning special interests into a thriving business

➡ Creating a life and work that plays to your strengths and support your needs as an autistic person

➡ The importance - and power - of community

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/hennaturalpr 

https://instagram.com/bruma.incense 

https://instagram.com/lapimpitud 

Website: http://hennatural.com  

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

Support Squarepeg on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast

Rosie Weldon is a Senior Financial Analyst and author whose memoir, ‘My Autistic Fight Song’, tells the story of how she fought to get her accountancy degree and find her place in the world of work, despite her struggles with mental and physical health and the challenges that come with being autistic. Now 31, she was diagnosed aged 25.

Since graduating from Chester University - where she received some incredibly supportive accommodations - she became an account, finding her first job with Bank of America. But she found herself having to make the decision to leave after developing a neurological disorder due to the demands of a role that wasn’t able to meet her autistic needs. 

Rosie now lives in Dorset, where she works full time from home as a Senior Financial Analyst, and shares her life online to help raise awareness of daily autistic life. 

She says that she “wants to raise awareness of the daily struggles we face as autistic people, but also our ability to thrive in an environment that is suited to us, when support is in place, because a lot of young autistic people think life's doors are closed to them, and they aren't.”

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Her difficulties at school and university

➡ The accommodations that helped her achieve her degree and find work she loves

➡ Her challenges being out and about in the world and dealing with change

➡ Why working from home has been a game-changer for her

➡ How employers can best support autistic employees

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Rosie’s website: www.rosieweldon.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosieweldonsautisticlife/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/rosieweldon118  

Twitter: www.twitter.com/rosieweldon118  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosie-weldon-5b728ab5/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Clare Forrest, Clare Holmes, Corinne Cariad, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Erin Pineapple, Fiona Connor, Galina, Gwyneth, Hannah Breslin, Jackie Allen, JF, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Kenneth Knowles, Laura, Laurencia Saenz Benavides, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, MN, Paul Harris, Pete Burke, Rebecca Biegel, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Swanton, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tegan Bailey, Tessa Valyou, Tree Hall, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Victoria Chang, Victoria Routledge, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Dana Michel is a live performance artist and choreographer in Montreal, Canada, where she creates experiences based on a mixture of improvisation, choreography, hip-hop, cinematography, techno, poetry and social commentary. Now 47, she self identified as autistic in 2020. She also has a diagnosis of ADHD.

Before graduating in Contemporary Dance in her late twenties, Dana was a marketing executive, competitive runner and football player. 

During her career as a performance artist she has received several awards, including an award for outstanding artistic accomplishments, the Silver Lion for Innovation in Dance and an International Prize for Live Art. She has been highlighted among notable female choreographers of the year by the New York Times, and was the first ever dance artist in residence at the National Arts Centre, Canada. 

Dana is currently touring four solo performance works.

We talk about:

➡ Why 'autism pants' feel more comfortable to her than 'ADHD pants'

➡ Her reaction to being diagnosed as 'twice exceptional' and 'gifted'

➡ Needing people to believe and accept our autism

➡ Being in another world as a child, and struggling to fit into the professional world as an adult

➡ Burnout, and how Dana feels that she was saved from the professional grind by following her autistic joy, and how she's found ways to overcome her feelings of not wanting to live in the world.

Content warning: Suicidal ideation

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danamavismichel 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danamichel3 

Video: https://vimeo.com/danamichel 

Websites:

https://parbleux.com/en/artists-organizations/dana-michel

https://www.keyperformance.se/?page_id=256

https://www.danamichel.tv/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Alice Kemp, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Evgeniia Pupysheva, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Fiona Ross, Frederike, Galina, Grace, Gwyneth, H Arena, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jo, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Ken K, Lara, Laura, Leo Ricketts, Lesley McKenzie, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa Joy Powley, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Monica Toohey, NC, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Jeffrey, Sarah Raine, Sarah Swanton, Shauna Schramke, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tessa Valyou, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Victoria Routledge, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Elizabeth Williams is an acupuncturist from South Carolina, USA. She is 43 and was diagnosed autistic just a few months ago, in February this year.

Like me, she started out her career as a teacher, before switching to acupuncture, which she says is a much better fit for her. Since her career change she has been on a journey of self discovery, exploring everything she could find about personality theories and physical and mental health. But she says that it wasn’t until she figured out she’s autistic that all the pieces fell in to place. 

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Reframing childhood experiences

➡ Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria and masking, and its impact on relationships

➡ Choosing work that has the perfect sensory environment

➡ Advocating for our own health, autism and digestive and autoimmune issues, the gut-brain connection, and acupuncture and taking an holistic approach to our health.

I HAVE NEWS!!
I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that I’ve been nominated for a British Podcast Award for Squarepeg - in the Rising Star category. There’s also a Listeners’ Choice award, so if you’re enjoying the podcast I’d love it if you could vote for me. It would be amazing if Squarepeg could win something, as it will help spread the word and allow more people who need it to find the podcast. 

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Elizabeth's website: https://www.drelizabethwilliams.com/ 

Her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drevwilliams/ 

Vote for Squarepeg in the British Podcast Awards 2022: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/vote

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Abigail J Moore, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Elizabeth Williams, Elise, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady, Vicki Temple, Victoria Routledge and Zephyrine Craster.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

My guest today is in her mid twenties and is currently awaiting her autism assessment after seeking help with her mental health following childbirth and the sensory challenges of parenting a small baby.

She lives in Baglan, Port Talbot in South Wales where she works in a secure children’s home for youth offenders and extremely vulnerable young people and is also studying for a psychology degree.

Today I’m delighted to share my conversation with Georgia Davies.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Sensory sensitivity

➡ Friendships at school and in adulthood

➡ The impact of puberty on an undiagnosed autistic girl

➡ Pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood as an autistic woman - and finding strategies to make it easier to cope with parenthood

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Follow Georgia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/autisticmamma/

Read her interview for Raising Girls on the Spectrum: https://www.raisinggirlsontheautismspectrum.ie/Georgia-Davies.php

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website:  https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Cat Preston, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke, Sarah Hardy, Vera Cady

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

My guest today blew me away with their energy and drive to help marginalised communities flourish. Still only 25, they work full time in autism advocacy for an organisation in Washington, USA, and they are a writer, musician and playwright, as well as serving on the board of the Plus One Foundation, an organisation that funds life changing experiences for people with neurological disorders. They are also Executive Director and Co-Founder of a brand new inclusive theatre project, Rainy Day Arts Collective.

In this conversation I talk with Jack Conley about going through school and university with undiagnosed autism, getting a diagnosis as an adult, strategies for managing job interviews as an autistic person, the intersection of autistic and queer communities, and the benefits of living with an emotional support animal.

Jack says that they ‘absolutely love’ what they do, and that they are ‘passionate about advocacy being done by people connected to a cause’. As well as being autistic, Jack identifies as nonbinary, transgender and bisexual.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Rainy Day Arts Collective: https://www.facebook.com/rainydaycollective/ 

Washington Autism Advocacy: https://washingtonautismadvocacy.org/ 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: http://squarepeg.community/

Sara Gibbs has built a successful career, but also – like so many of us – experienced the challenges of being in the world as an autistic person. 

After enduring vicious bullying and social exclusion during her school days, and having some pretty horrendous experiences in the workplace, she decided to become a writer. After taking a comedy writing course she has since written for Dead Ringers, The News Quiz, The Daily Mash, The Now Show, The Mash Report and Have I Got News for You.

She is also the co-founder of satirical women’s magazine Succubus, the founder of The First Laugh Comedy Writing Competition for new writers and the presenter of The Aut-Hour Podcast. 

Diagnosed autistic at 30, she published her brilliant – and hugely relatable – memoir of life as an undiagnosed autistic woman, Drama Queen, in 2021. I devoured this book as soon as I got my hands on it, and I was so excited to talk to her for Squarepeg. 

We talked about all sorts of things, including

➡ Her childhood, bullying and her experience at a Steiner school

➡ Her difficult relationship with her dad, who she suspects may have been autistic too

➡ Dealing with a toxic workplace environment

➡ Finding her place in the world as a writer

➡ and The challenge autistic people in particular can face when trying to change careers

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Sara’s website: https://saragibbs.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sara_rose_g

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sara_Rose_G 

Her book: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Drama-Queen-by-Sara-Gibbs/9781472274366 

The Aut-Hour podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/613Ai66JCoNNnVWrE8x8YD

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Abigail J Moore, Ben Davies, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke, Susan Millington, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady and Vicki Temple.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Suzanna Chen was born in China and raised in Vancouver, Canada from the age of 9. She was diagnosed autistic in her final year of high school. She is now 18 and an undergraduate student at University College London in the UK. 

Standing at the intersection of gender, racial, and ability minorities, she is passionate about advocating for the overlooked intersectionality of social justice issues. She writes for popular student magazine The Tab, and is a staff writer at the youth-led advocacy publication Detester Magazine, a non-profit platform dedicated to amplifying Black, Indigenous, and People of Color youth activism on social and political issues.

Alongside the Learn from Autistics platform, Detester are currently collecting research for a book on autistic youth/young adult advocacy for inclusion in all areas of society, with particular emphasis on the intersection of disability and race.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Cultural attitudes to autism, disability and mental health in Chinese communities

➡ Sharing her autism diagnosis with her school, teachers and peers in Canada

➡ Coming to terms with her new identity

➡ Accessibility for autistic students

➡ The intersectionality of autism, gender, race and ability

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Suzanna’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzannachen8/ 

The survey: https://forms.gle/bR8QChdjxrm19hw78 

Detester Magazine’s website: https://detester.org/index.html

https://www.learnfromautistics.com/ (Learn from Autistics - the other organisation involved in the book project)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CSPyvdkpr0S/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link (Detester’s social media post about the survey)

Suzanna’s autistic freshers article: https://thetab.com/uk/london/2021/10/05/how-im-navigating-or-trying-to-survive-freshers-as-an-autistic-ucl-student-42123 

The sunflower lanyard scheme: https://hiddendisabilitiesstore.com/about-hidden-disabilities-sunflower 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Abigail J Moore, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Elise, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lilli Simmons, Mandy Allen, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Susan Millington, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady, Vicki Temple and Victoria Routledge.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Vic Weiner is a youth justice attorney and lifelong social justice activist in the USA. 

They were brought up by a college professor mother in an unconventional home without a TV, and as a child they always felt like an outsider. However, as they grew up and continued to struggle socially, they realised it wasn’t just their unusual upbringing - there was something else going on. They were diagnosed autistic at 34.

Vic attended Warren Wilson College, a unique university where the students work and undertake community service in addition to their studies. After struggling to find suitable employment after graduation, including trying teaching and youth work, Vic decided to go to law school, where they finally found something that worked for their neurodivergent brain.

We talk about:

➡ Autism and gender, and their experiences of being transmasculine, genderqueer, queer and asexual. 

➡ Imposter syndrome, being an outsider, and not fitting in, and finding groups exhausting and lonely

➡ Generational autism 

➡ Attending a university that attracts a large number of neurodivergent students

➡ Navigating emerging gender and autistic identities

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

LINKS:

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Alice Kemp, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Amy Sullivan, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Evgeniia Pupysheva, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Fiona Ross, Frederike, Galina, Grace, Gwyneth, H Arena, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jo, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lara, Laura, Leo Ricketts, Lesley McKenzie, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa Joy Powley, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Monica Toohey, NC, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Jeffrey, Sarah Swanton, Shauna Schramke, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tessa Valyou, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Victoria Routledge, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

She started her career as an artist and art teacher, before retraining and qualifying in Psychoanalytic Child Therapy in 1992, a very different time in terms of mental health. She has gone on to create a role for herself as an autism specialist in CAMHS.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Her experience of psychoanalytic therapy

➡ Growing up in a dysfunctional (and possibly autistic) family

➡ How autistic people are accommodated in schools and workplaces

➡ How autism is viewed by psychotherapists and psychologists - and how attitudes have changed in the last 30 years

➡ Her hopes for autistic young people now and in the future.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Deborah’s website: www.autism-psychology.co.uk  

Article on trauma and autism - transformingautism.org

Differentbrains.org 

Books:

A Spectrum Girls Survival Guide -  Siena Castellon

Autism in Heels -  Jennifer O’Toole 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website:  https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A huge thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Corinne Cariad
Katharine Richards
Lilli Simmons
Sarah Hardy

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Beth Rees is currently waiting for her autism assessment after being initially diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder.

She’s a mental health blogger in her thirties, and lives in Caerphilly in South Wales, where she also works for a local charity.

She’s hoping that sharing her story will help other autistic people who have been misdiagnosed with BPD.

In my conversation with Beth we talk about:

➡ Being diagnosed with BPD, then realising that the diagnosis doesn’t fit

➡ The journey of discovery - discovering all the things about ourselves that are actually autistic traits

➡ Questioning mental health diagnoses - is it depression or autistic burnout?

➡ Experiencing imposter syndrome when you don’t yet have a formal diagnosis

➡ Why parents need to be asked better questions during the diagnosis interview

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Information about BPD from Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/borderline-personality-disorder-bpd/about-bpd/ 

From Mind UK - What to do if you suspect your diagnosis is wrong: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/personality-disorders/why-is-it-controversial/#CouldMyDiagnosisBeWrong 

Beth’s blog: www.justasquarepeg.com  

Her Instagram: https://instagram.com/justasquarepegblog

Facebook page: https://facebook.com/justasquarepeg

Twitter: https://twitter.com/justasquarepeg

Books: 

Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Sarah Hendrickx)

Spectrum Women: Walking to the Beat of Autism (Barb Cook and Dr Michelle Garnett)

Autism in Heels: The Untold Story of a Female Life on the Spectrum (Jennifer Cook O'Toole)

I Think I Might Be Autistic: A Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis and Self-Discovery for Adults (Cynthia Kim)

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

Become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Rachel Stelmach was diagnosed autistic in her 40s. She works for a disability arts organisation here in Wales, where she works with disabled artists in the fields of Creative Technology and Combined Arts. She’s also a Disability Equality and Mental Health First Aid trainer. 

Her career has included launching her own art and design agency, working for a women’s music festival and running holiday play schemes for disabled young people. 

In her spare time she’s a keen macro photographer and also runs an AirBnB, and is a voluntary advocate helping people through the UK benefits system.

In our conversation we talk about:

• Autism and mental health
• The language we use to talk about autism
• Whether autism is a disability
• Post-diagnosis and workplace support
• How to talk to loved ones about being autistic.

We also talk about an operation on her hand that left Rachel with a physical disability; if you are squeamish you might want to fast forward this part. The timings of this section are below.

At the end of this episode Rachel shares some useful information and advice about navigating the UK benefits system - the timings of this are below.

09:20 - 13:50 Rachel talks about the operation on her hand that left her with a physical disability.

43:34 - Rachel shares information and advice about navigating the UK disability benefits system.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

You can follow and connect with Rachel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bluehook 

And on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluehook/ 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: http://squarepeg.community/ 

Gem Kennedy is a Coach and podcaster from Essex in the UK. They are non-binary and queer, and self identified as autistic and ADHD last year, at 35. 

They are a Transformational Coach, facilitator and advocate, supporting neurodivergent and queer folk, present a podcast called Queers & Co., and are also co-parent to two home educated autistic children. 

They are passionate about body liberation, queering things, spirituality, children's rights and playing the ukulele!

We covered a lot in this conversation! But a few of the things we talk about are:

➡ Gem’s early experiences of anxiety and school refusal 

➡ Gender expectations and connecting with gender

➡ Masking and unmasking – when and where to unmask, situations they avoid and thinking about where to spend our energy, and how to be social and actually enjoy it!

➡ Balancing life, work and homeschooling, and meeting needs in a neurodivergent household

➡ Queering things and seeking out counter-cultural wisdom

CONTENT WARNING

Before we begin, I need to let you know that there a couple of brief mentions of disordered eating in this conversation, but the topic isn’t explored in any detail.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Gem’s website: www.gemkennedy.com 

Their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegemkennedy/ 

Queers & Co podcast: https://www.gemkennedy.com/podcast

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Amy Sullivan, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Clare Forrest, Clare Holmes, Corinne Cariad, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Erin Pineapple, Ewan McNeill, Felicia Libo, Fiona Connor, Galina, Gwyneth, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Jackie Allen, JF, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Kenneth Knowles, Laura, Laurencia Saenz Benavides, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, MN, Paul Harris, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Rebecca Kemp, Sadie Slater, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Swanton, Shauna Schramke, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tegan Bailey, Tessa Valyou, Tree Hall, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Victoria Chang, Victoria Routledge, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast

Dr Megan Anna Neff is a neurodivergent Clinical Psychologist from Portland, Oregon, in the USA. She has a small private practice specialising in neurodivergent-affirming therapy and is the founder of Neurodivergent Insights, where she creates education and wellness resources for neurodivergent adults. She is also co-host of the Divergent Conversations podcast. 

Dr Neff is dedicated to educating the mental health field on non-stereotypical presentations of autism and ADHD. Now 39, she was diagnosed autistic over two years ago, and also has ADHD. She is also a parent to two neurodivergent children.

She regularly provides trainings on neurodivergent-affirming practices and is the author of the forthcoming book Self-Care for Autistic People.

I’m delighted to share my conversation with Dr Neff.

We talk about:

➡ What happened after she discovered she was autistic a few weeks before completing her PhD - and realised that a lot of what she’d been taught about autism was incorrect.

➡ OCD, PTSD, learning difficulties, dyslexia, and difficulties at school

➡ Misdiagnosis, what autistic people often get misdiagnosed with, and why

➡ Autistic people and CBT, what neurodivergent-affirming therapy can look like and the importance of the sensory aspect

➡ The challenges of being a content creator in the autism space

➡ Identity and terminology, and integrating our intersecting identities and unexplained experiences

TRIGGER WARNING: brief mentions of mental health and self harming throughout, but not in any detail.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

Links

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neurodivergent_insights/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NeuodivergentInsights/ 

Website: www.neurodivergentinsights.com 

Podcast: https://www.divergentpod.com/ 

Book: Self-Care For Autistic People: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Self-Care-for-Autistic-People/Megan-Anna-Neff/9781507221938

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Alice Kemp, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Amy Sullivan, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Clare Holmes, Corinne Cariad, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Frederike, Galina, Gwyneth, H Arena, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Jackie Allen, JF, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jo, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lara, Laura, Laurencia Saenz Benavides, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa Joy Powley, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Monica Toohey, NC, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Swanton, Shauna Schramke, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tegan Bailey, Tessa Valyou, Tree Hall, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Victoria Routledge, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Kira Young is a Native American poet, philosopher, activist and singer from Virginia, USA. She is 52 and was formally diagnosed very recently, after self diagnosing last year.

She has held various different roles, both in corporations and the US Government, but her direct communication style and personal and professional integrity have often led to clashes with authority. She is now in the process of transitioning to making a living from her many passions.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Meltdowns and masking

➡ Neurodiverse families and relationships

➡ Autism, gender and the Native American Two-Spirit gender identity 

➡ Navigating female friendships

➡ Neurodiverse recruitment, support and leadership, communication styles, and the representation of neurodiversity in the workplace

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Kira’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/KiraYoung4

Her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirayoung4/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kira.youngTHC

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Abigail J Moore, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Elizabeth Williams, Elise, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Mandy Allen, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Susan Millington, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady, Vicki Temple and Victoria Routledge.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Carolyn Gage is a American playwright, performer, director, and activist. She was diagnosed autistic last year, at the age of 68.

She is the author of twelve books and close to 90 lesbian and feminist themed plays, and her work is widely published and performed. 

Carolyn toured for 22 years in her internationally-acclaimed one-woman show, The Second Coming of Joan of Arc. She has won numerous awards, including the Lambda Literary Award in Drama for best LGBT books in the US. 

She was born in Virginia and currently lives on Mount Desert Island, off the coast of Maine, where she still writes and occasionally performs. 

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Growing up undiagnosed autistic in the 1950s in a dysfunctional home

➡ Escaping from reality as a child - and confronting it as an adult

➡ Energy, shutdown and burnout

➡ The intersection of autism, feminism, gender and sexuality

➡ Masking and relationships

➡ Choosing to live alone

TRIGGER WARNING

Please be aware that there is mention of childhood trauma and abuse from the start of this episode, so if you don’t want to hear about this topic you might want to give this one a miss.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Carolyn's website: www.carolyngage.com

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abigail J Moore, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Jackie Allen, Jessica, Karawynn Long, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Laurie Green, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke and Vera Cady.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Naomi Clarke is a freelance writer, community mentor, fundraiser and Human Design reader. 

She self diagnosed as autistic around two years ago, but due to inequality in the medical system has so far not been able to get a formal diagnosis. 

She describes herself as an autistic, queer, mixed race person with two children (one of her sons was diagnosed autistic 5 years ago).

She wears a lot of hats in her life; she writes for work and for personal interest, and is passionate about building lives outside of the system of mainstream schooling. Until very recently she was running a self directed learning community for home educated young people in London. She loves crafts like sewing, crochet, and knitting, and her current main special interests are Human Design and kink and BDSM. 

She says that she is still finding her autistic identity and overcoming some internalised ableism, which is often made much worse by struggling to see Black and POC autistic people in spaces of influence. 

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Finding community as an intersectional autistic person

➡ The issue of safety for unmasked autistic Black and people of colour

➡ The challenges of making self-directed learning communities accessible for neurodivergent children and facilitators

➡ How Human Design has helped her understand herself and other people better

➡ Why the kink and BDSM community can be a safe space for autistic people to explore their sexuality

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Naomi's Instagram: www.instagram.com/_naomi.clarke_

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Clare Forrest, Clare Holmes, Corinne Cariad, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Erin Pineapple, Fiona Connor, Galina, Gwyneth, Hannah Breslin, Jackie Allen, JF, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Kenneth Knowles, Laura, Laurencia Saenz Benavides, Lea Li, Leo Ricketts, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, MN, Paul Harris, Pete Burke, Rebecca Biegel, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Cottrell, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Swanton, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tegan Bailey, Tessa Valyou, Tree Hall, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Victoria Chang, Victoria Routledge, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Shannon Collins is a social worker and educator from Denver, Colorado in the United States. Now 46, she decided to pursue an autism diagnosis in 2019, after her child was diagnosed.

Shannon describes herself as ‘an autistic, queer survivor of sexual and physical violence’ and has spent over 20 years working to end domestic violence and sexual assault through advocacy, prevention and education.

She now specialises in the formation of trauma-informed victim advocacy programs in higher education institutions, and the development and maintenance of campus-based Coordinated Community Response Teams.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Her two decade journey to diagnosis and healing

➡ Seeking accommodations at work

➡ The challenges of processing and verbalising her experiences

➡ The intersection of autism and trauma

This is a difficult topic, but an important one, and I hope you’ll get as much out of this conversation as I did.

Please be aware that although we don’t go into detail about Shannon’s experiences, there is discussion of sexual and physical trauma in this episode, so if you don’t want to hear about this topic you might not want to listen to this one.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Article about the study on sexual abuse in autistic girls and women: https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/girls-autism-high-risk-sexual-abuse-large-study-says/ 

Support and services for people in the UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/abuse/

Support and services for people in the USA: https://www.rainn.org/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abigail J Moore, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Jackie Allen, Jessica, Karawynn Long, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Laurie Green, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke, Tree Hall, Vera Cady and Vicki Temple.

If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Victoria is an autistic blogger and PhD student from Manchester in the UK. Diagnosed autistic aged 25, she started an Instagram account and blog called ‘Actually Aspling’ the same year, in 2017. Victoria also has dyslexia, dyspraxia, epilepsy and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. She has an MSc in Psychology and is currently a PhD student in autism research. In our conversation we talked about: ➡ Masking, mirroring and empathy

➡ Friendships and bullying

➡ Getting accommodations as a uni student

➡ Autism assessment and diagnosis, and ungendering the diagnostic criteria

➡ Whether autism is a disability or a superpower

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Victoria's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Actually_aspling/

Her blog: https://actuallyaspling.wordpress.com/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

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If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

Ella Pitt is 26 and was diagnosed autistic very recently. They’re an English Literature graduate with a first class honours degree and they live and work in Brixton, London, in the UK. They also have a blog and write poetry.

They struggled with an eating disorder in their late teens and early twenties, and they were eventually sectioned under the Mental Health Act as their health deteriorated. They spent some time as an inpatient in a specialist hospital, where their then undiagnosed autism impacted on their treatment and recovery.

In my conversation with Ella Pitt we talk about 

➡ Growing up without an autism diagnosis

➡ The interplay between autism and anorexia nervosa

➡ How accepted treatments for eating disorders play out with autistic patients

➡ The impact of finally getting an autism diagnosis - and what it means for the future

I’m aware that this conversation might be triggering for some listeners. In the first few minutes we chat more generally; the conversation about disordered eating begins at 00:12:10. If the issues we discuss in this episode affect you or someone you know, you’ll find some links below where you can get more information.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Ella's blog: https://whatsthetimeconfessional.wordpress.com/

Their poetry Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatsthetimepoetry/

Their twitter: https://twitter.com/smellaarmpitt

Information about anorexia’s link to autism: https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/anorexias-link-to-autism-explained/ 

https://www.spectrumnews.org/features/deep-dive/the-invisible-link-between-autism-and-anorexia/