The Squarepeg Podcast

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

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

A life coach shares her recent autism diagnosis and the cultural nuances of navigating autism in Norway. She reflects on the challenges of masking and the joy of finding her authentic self in a supportive relationship. The conversation touches on the impact of health issues like myalgic encephalitis and how it complicates social interactions. Listeners also hear about childhood memories of autistic joy, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and connection in fostering healthier relationships.

Dr. Vanissar Tarakali, a Somatic and Intuitive Trauma Coach, discusses her late diagnosis, the links between autism and somatic trauma, and her theories on autism and spirituality. She shares her journey of coming to terms with her diagnosis and the benefits of somatic healing for neurodivergent individuals. The podcast also explores the concept of empathy in autistic individuals and the deep bond between the narrator and animals. Reflections on going back in time and the importance of awareness are discussed.

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

Aishah-Nyeta is an advocate for climate, race, and disability justice from Virginia in the USA. She says she grew up feeling 'stupid' and different from her peers due to her dyscalculia and the social challenges of her undiagnosed autism. 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

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

Amy Lee Lillard is co-host of a feminist book podcast, and also an author; her first book, Dig Me Out, a collection of short stories, was published in 2021. Now 44, she lives in Des Moines, Iowa in the USA and was diagnosed autistic just last year. She wrote her book before she was aware of her autism, and found afterwards that she had essentially written a collection of autistic characters, without intending to. She says: "I write about the intersections of gender, sexuality and the patriarchy, and how it makes rage the only logical option. Once I understood myself to be autistic, I better understood this anger." She is childfree and queer, and was the first person in her working class family to graduate college. In our conversation we talk about: ➡ Upbringing, social class, generational undiagnosed autism and their impact on how we see and experience difference and disability ➡ Autism and memory, dissociation and trauma ➡ How autism, sexuality and gender interplay ➡ Being childfree ➡ Shame and internalised judgement ➡ Writing for self expression and self understanding 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: Amy's website - www.amyleelillard.com Her podcast: www.broadsandbooks.com Her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amyleelillard/ 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

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

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