What Kind of Characteristics Jump Out to You Through the Lens of Being Autistic?

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. 

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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/ 

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THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

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

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