Y’all, I did it.

The first episode of Off on a Tangent is out in the world.

It’s called The Diagnosis, and it tells the story of how I found out I was autistic at 41.

Not just suspected. Not joked about in therapy. Not “maybe I should get tested.”

Confirmed. In writing. Alone in my house. Staring at a PDF from a neuropsychologist.

Level 2 autism. Two comorbidities. (Not ready to talk about those yet.)

That one moment reframed my entire life.

I finally understood why I was always exhausted. Why I kept getting sick. Why I felt like I was never quite getting it at work even though I was giving it everything I had.

So I did what the paperwork said I could: I asked for accommodations. Written instructions. Scheduled calls. Nothing wild.

Instead, I got laid off.

I signed the severance. I can’t name names. But I can tell the story.

This episode is about what it felt like to be handed the truth about who I am and then punished for it.

But it’s also about what I did next:

How I chose visibility.

How I started telling my story.

How I began to unmask, in public, on purpose.

And how this podcast was born.

Please listen to the first episode and consider subscribing. 💌

To hear more, visit rominamassa.substack.com