The Squarepeg Podcast

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

Gilly McKeown is an autism researcher in Brisbane, Australia. Originally from Manchester in the UK, she is in her thirties and was diagnosed autistic in 2021, when she was already more than halfway through her PhD in autism. She also has suspected ADHD, and is a single parent to her young autistic and ADHD daughter. 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

Lucy Pearce is an author, artist and publisher from East Cork in Ireland. She is 41, and when she was 37 she, her mother and her daughter were all diagnosed autistic within 6 months of each other. Lucy is the author of ten non-fiction books for women, focusing on women's healing, and founded her own publishing company in 2014 to offer support to new women authors whose books are often ignored by the mainstream publishing industry. Not knowing at the time that she was autistic, she has since realised that she and her books attract a neurodivergent audience. We covered a huge amount in our conversation, including: ➡ Her fight to get her daughter assessed ➡ How her relationship with her mother has changed since they were both diagnosed ➡ Coming to terms with her own needs, and learning to put her wellbeing first ➡ Giving language to the autistic experience ➡ Autistic women and advocating for our physical and mental health 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: Lucy's personal website: www.lucyhpearce.com WomanCraft Publishing: http://www.womancraftpublishing.com/ Instragram: https://www.instagram.com/lucyhpearce/ https://www.instagram.com/womancraft_publishing/ 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, 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 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

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

Sara Gibbs, a comedy writer and presenter of The Aut-Hour Podcast, shares her transformative journey as an undiagnosed autistic woman. She discusses her tough childhood, including bullying and social exclusion, which fueled her desire to write. Sara reflects on her diagnosis at 30, advocating for better understanding and representation of autism, especially in women. The conversation emphasizes the challenges of navigating toxic workplaces and the importance of embracing authenticity. Her memoir, Drama Queen, offers relatable insights into this journey.

Helen Evans, Chief Executive of the PDA Society and an advocate for those with Pathological Demand Avoidance, shares her compelling journey from late autism diagnosis to leadership. She discusses the challenges of navigating autism in a neurotypical world, including sensory struggles and workplace socializing. Helen reflects on her fierce commitment to social justice, her experiences addressing abuse in charities, and the importance of authentic leadership. She emphasizes the need for understanding and support for neurodivergent individuals, creating connections, and fostering empathy.

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

Kelly Coons was diagnosed autistic as a teenager, and at 20 is both my youngest guest to date and my only guest so far to have been diagnosed in childhood. She lives in the United States and is a prize-winning fourth year English student at Smith College, a liberal arts college in New England. Kelly has two autistic brothers, one of whom is her twin, who were both diagnosed before she was, and who were the inspiration for her debut young adult novel, a coming-of-age story about two autistic young men. Since diagnosis, she has become passionate about disability advocacy and promoting Autistic pride. In our conversation we talk about: ➡ Being assessed and diagnosed autistic without realising. ➡ Sensory issues ➡ Social difficulties and finding friends ➡ Some of the challenges of having an invisible disability ➡ Her experiences of university ➡ Writing and publishing her first book 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: Kelly's website: https://kellycoons.weebly.com/ Her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellycoonswritesabout_____/ Her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-coons/ Amazon listing for her book, All Ways: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B093LR5H7N/ Goodreads listing: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57887022-all-ways 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

Ann Mølgaard is a teacher at a sixth form college in Copenhagen in Denmark. She is 34 and was diagnosed autistic and ADHD in May this year, after being told that her initial referral had been declined because she was "too high functioning". Since her diagnosis, she has chosen to be open about her neurodivergence with her colleagues and students. In our conversation we talk about: ➡ Getting a diagnosis in Denmark ➡ Childhood bullying and feeling left out at school ➡ Losing herself through a lifetime of masking, and the ongoing process of returning to her core self ➡ Being an openly neurodivergent teacher 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: Ann's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annmolgaard/ 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 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

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