Meet My Autistic Brain

Allie Memery never imagined that a late autism diagnosis at age 57 could be the launching pad for a whole new, satisfying life. In this episode she talks about the thing that became her special interest, the path to self-regulation and the social life that she couldn’t have expected.

She did it all while handling menopause, taking care of her aging mother and facing her own personal challenges. 

Alllie talks candidly about:

• How menopause amplified her sensory sensitivities long before she had any framework to understand why
• The physical toll of years of unaccommodated autistic needs — and how the body keeps score
• What it took to actually slow down when you've masked for decades
• The unexpected source of regulation and community she discovered after her diagnosis
• How her life was changed by a nature-inspired special interest
• The peer support she now offers other late-diagnosed adults, and why she built it the way she did

This one is practical, honest, and genuinely warm — exactly what you want from someone who's a few steps ahead on a path you might just be starting.

Support the show

Subscribe to Meet My Autistic Brain for more conversations that go beyond the usual autism explanations and get into the experiences, frustrations and unexpected discoveries of being an autistic adult.

Ranked #1 in FeedSpot's 40 Best Adult Autism Podcasts 

RATED IN THE TOP 0.5% GLOBALLY with more than 1.3 million downloads!

If you're enjoying the podcast and would like to help me continue making new episodes, you can support the show on Patreon, PayPal or KoFi. You can also give a gift to someone who can benefit from learning more about autism. 

If you are an autistic person who has written a book about autism or if you have a guest suggestion email me at [email protected].

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Email: [email protected]
Website

What does thriving actually look like for a late-diagnosed autistic adult?

Alexis Kruel gives a pretty specific answer from a life of contradictions.

Alexis is a commercial model and actor who was diagnosed autistic at 53 and ADHD shortly after. But this isn't really a diagnosis story. It's a story about what happens when your whole life suddenly plays back differently, and every awkward moment, every friendship that went cold, every dinner party you wanted to escape, finally makes sense.

She's built a life that genuinely fits her brain. In this conversation she talks about how she did it — and what she'd tell anyone who's still figuring that out.

In this episode:

• The video that stopped her cold and started everything
• Sensory life in the 70s — polyester, crinolines, a doomed trip to Stride Rite
• Why she was simultaneously popular yet seen as “different”
• How the fear of being seen inspired her to become a model
• How two autistic people built a marriage that works — and why she thinks that's not an accident
• Her advice for finding your comfort after late diagnosis

Find Alexis: 

Instagram & TikTok: @alexiskruel_official 

YouTube & Facebook: Alexis Kruel

Alexis Kruel website

Resources mentioned:

• @whileyouwonderau 
• theartofautism.com 
• Prosper Health — telehealth autism assessments for adults

Support the show

Subscribe to Meet My Autistic Brain for more conversations that go beyond the usual autism explanations and get into the experiences, frustrations and unexpected discoveries of being an autistic adult.

Ranked #1 in FeedSpot's 40 Best Adult Autism Podcasts 

RATED IN THE TOP 0.5% GLOBALLY with more than 1.3 million downloads!

If you're enjoying the podcast and would like to help me continue making new episodes, you can support the show on Patreon, PayPal or KoFi. You can also give a gift to someone who can benefit from learning more about autism. 

If you are an autistic person who has written a book about autism or if you have a guest suggestion email me at [email protected].

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Email: [email protected]
Website

Have you ever felt like the world's volume is turned all the way up — and no one else seems to notice?

For autistic people, sound sensitivity isn't just a quirk or an overreaction. It's a daily, exhausting reality. In this episode, you’ll hear what it actually feels like when everyday sounds become unbearable — and learn the science behind why it happens.

In this episode:

• Why between 50–70% of autistic people experience sound sensitivity at some point in their lives
• The elements of sound that can push an autistic brain into overdrive: frequency, duration, quantity, repetition, and volume
• What's happening in your brain when a disturbing noise sends your nervous system into fight-or-flight
• Why the common advice to "just get used to it" can actually make things worse for autistic people
• Practical tools and strategies that can help — from noise-canceling headphones to acoustic wall panels to earplug alternatives

Meet My Autistic Brain is a podcast for late-discovered autistics and anyone who wants to understand what life on the spectrum really looks like — no filters, no sugarcoating.

Listen, subscribe, and share with someone who needs to hear this one.

Support the show

Subscribe to Meet My Autistic Brain for more conversations that go beyond the usual autism explanations and get into the experiences, frustrations and unexpected discoveries of being an autistic adult.

Ranked #1 in FeedSpot's 40 Best Adult Autism Podcasts 

RATED IN THE TOP 0.5% GLOBALLY with more than 1.3 million downloads!

If you're enjoying the podcast and would like to help me continue making new episodes, you can support the show on Patreon, PayPal or KoFi. You can also give a gift to someone who can benefit from learning more about autism. 

If you are an autistic person who has written a book about autism or if you have a guest suggestion email me at [email protected].

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Email: [email protected]
Website

Did you know that AuDHD is its own unique experience, not just autism plus ADHD co-existing? In this episode Megan Griffith, author of Welcome to AuDHD: How to Survive and Thrive as an Adult with Autism and ADHD, gives us the inside look at AuDHD from her lived experience. Some of the things Megan talks about:

•  Why AuDHD is its own unique experience, not just autism plus ADHD stacked on top of each other
• How autism and ADHD can mask each other, leading to late or missed diagnoses
• Practical advice on employment, salary negotiation, and finding work that fuels rather than drains you
• Why autism and ADHD are often misunderstood as behavioral issues instead of neurodevelopmental disabilities
• Misdiagnosis and what to look for in an autism/ADHD assessment
• Learning to make accommodations instead of trying to “fix” yourself
• Why many autistic and ADHD people struggle with self-trust

There’s so much more!

The book: Welcome to AuDHD: How to Survive and Thrive as an Adult with Autism and ADHD

The Neurocuriousity Club

Megan Griffith website 

Support the show

Subscribe to Meet My Autistic Brain for more conversations that go beyond the usual autism explanations and get into the experiences, frustrations and unexpected discoveries of being an autistic adult.

Ranked #1 in FeedSpot's 40 Best Adult Autism Podcasts 

RATED IN THE TOP 0.5% GLOBALLY with more than 1.3 million downloads!

If you're enjoying the podcast and would like to help me continue making new episodes, you can support the show on Patreon, PayPal or KoFi. You can also give a gift to someone who can benefit from learning more about autism. 

If you are an autistic person who has written a book about autism or if you have a guest suggestion email me at [email protected].

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Ko-fi, PayPal, Patreon
Linktree
Email: [email protected]
Website

Something a little different this week! Natalie Diggins, former guest and author of the Autistic Adults Toolbox, reached out with a guest suggestion for the show — and that guest was me. So we turned the tables, and Natalie took over the hosting chair.

In this episode, Natalie pulls back the curtain and asks the questions I usually ask everyone else. We talk about how and why I started this podcast as a sitting judge — anonymously, and with a lot of hope — and what it was like to finally have an explanation for a lifetime of feeling different. We also dig into the moment that changed everything for me, how my understanding of autism has shifted over the years, and what I've learned from the incredible guests and listeners who have been part of this journey.

We also get into:

• What it's like to keep your autistic identity private when your whole life requires masking
• Why I don't think we can "learn our way out of" autism — and why that's actually okay
• The episodes and topics that have resonated most with listeners
• Navigating jury duty as an autistic person
• What's coming up next for the show

Support the show:

• Leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts
• Comment or ask a question on Spotify
• Support on [Patreon / Ko-Fi / PayPal]
• Share this episode with someone who will benefit

Support the show

Ranked #1 in FeedSpot's 40 Best Adult Autism Podcasts 

RATED IN THE TOP 0.5% GLOBALLY with more than 1.3 million downloads!

If you're enjoying the podcast and would like to help me continue making new episodes, you can support the show on Patreon, PayPal or KoFi. You can also give a gift to someone who can benefit from learning more about autism. 

If you are an autistic person who has written a book about autism or if you have a guest suggestion email me at [email protected].

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Ko-fi, PayPal, Patreon
Linktree
Email: [email protected]
Website

Let’s be honest. You’re tired of friendships not working out and convinced they never will. Maybe you don’t try anymore and who could blame you? But don’t give up before you hear this episode with Caroline Maguire, author of the just-released book, Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults. This is not the same old advice we hear. These are step-by-step details about how to make it happen. From walking into a room full of strangers to keeping a friendship going Caroline tells us how to leverage our neurodivergent traits. Ready to learn how to be a good friend? Listen now. 

Caroline's website

The book: Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults

Caroline's YouTube Channel

Support the show

Subscribe to Meet My Autistic Brain for more conversations that go beyond the usual autism explanations and get into the experiences, frustrations and unexpected discoveries of being an autistic adult.

Ranked #1 in FeedSpot's 40 Best Adult Autism Podcasts 

RATED IN THE TOP 0.5% GLOBALLY with more than 1.3 million downloads!

If you're enjoying the podcast and would like to help me continue making new episodes, you can support the show on Patreon, PayPal or KoFi. You can also give a gift to someone who can benefit from learning more about autism. 

If you are an autistic person who has written a book about autism or if you have a guest suggestion email me at [email protected].

Instagram
Ko-fi, PayPal, Patreon
Linktree
Email: [email protected]
Website

In this episode therapist, author and autistic woman Sharon O'Connor shares her deeply personal journey to a late autism diagnosis and the burnout that changed everything.

Sharon shares what it was like to begin recognizing herself in her young son's autism evaluation, how two dramatically different diagnostic assessments shaped her understanding and how she has healed from autistic burnout.

Topics covered in this episode include:

• What it's like to receive an autism diagnosis as an adult, and why the diagnostic experience matters as much as the outcome
• The relationship between masking and autistic burnout — and why burnout is never a personal failure
• Early warning signs that burnout may be approaching
• Why energy is the foundation of autistic life, and how sensitivity to others' emotions is often a form of self-protection
• How burnout affects our sense of identity 
• Practical suggestions for managing burnout when leaving a demanding job simply isn't an option
• Why connection with other autistic people can be transformative
• What life can look like on the other side of burnout

Website: SharonKOConnor.com 

Book: Healing Autistic Burnout — available in print, e-book, and audiobook https://a.co/d/028qGW4a

Support the show

Subscribe to Meet My Autistic Brain for more conversations that go beyond the usual autism explanations and get into the experiences, frustrations and unexpected discoveries of being an autistic adult.

Ranked #1 in FeedSpot's 40 Best Adult Autism Podcasts 

RATED IN THE TOP 0.5% GLOBALLY with more than 1.3 million downloads!

If you're enjoying the podcast and would like to help me continue making new episodes, you can support the show on Patreon, PayPal or KoFi. You can also give a gift to someone who can benefit from learning more about autism. 

If you are an autistic person who has written a book about autism or if you have a guest suggestion email me at [email protected].

Instagram
Ko-fi, PayPal, Patreon
Linktree
Email: [email protected]
Website

If you’ve been curious about how AI might actually help neurodivergent people—not just in theory, but in real, everyday life—this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

This special episode is from a podcast I’m genuinely excited to share with you called Hyperfocus with Rae Jacobson. Rae brings in experts—scientists, doctors, and researchers—and together they go beyond the headlines to explore what’s really true about how neurodivergent brains work.

In this featured episode, “What Could the AI Boom Mean For Neurodivergent People?”, the conversation is especially relevant. It looks at how AI can be used in meaningful, practical ways—particularly in the workplace—and how it can function as powerful assistive technology for neurodivergent people and those with disabilities.

This is one of those episodes where you come away with both insight and possibility—real ideas you can think about, and maybe even try.

There’s so much more in the conversation, and I’m really glad I get to share it with you. Take a listen and see what stands out for you.

Hyperfocus with Rae Jacobson

Support the show

Subscribe to Meet My Autistic Brain for more conversations that go beyond the usual autism explanations and get into the experiences, frustrations and unexpected discoveries of being an autistic adult.

Ranked #1 in FeedSpot's 40 Best Adult Autism Podcasts 

RATED IN THE TOP 0.5% GLOBALLY with more than 1.3 million downloads!

If you're enjoying the podcast and would like to help me continue making new episodes, you can support the show on Patreon, PayPal or KoFi. You can also give a gift to someone who can benefit from learning more about autism. 

If you are an autistic person who has written a book about autism or if you have a guest suggestion email me at [email protected].

Instagram
Ko-fi, PayPal, Patreon
Linktree
Email: [email protected]
Website

Meet Ryan Bush author of Become Who You Are and Designing the Mind. Hear how learning he’s autistic led him to a better understanding of himself and how we can all become who we truly are.

Become Who You Are is for everyone. It’s a must-read for late-diagnosed autistics who’ve spent a lifetime wanting to know.

Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Become-Who-You-Are-Self-Esteem/dp/1737846241/ref=monarch_sidesheet?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=theautistic05-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=5da2b9245809a6ac087a2b51b6712b9f&camp=1789&creative=9325

Learn more about the book

Ryan Bush website 

Support the show

Subscribe to Meet My Autistic Brain for more conversations that go beyond the usual autism explanations and get into the experiences, frustrations and unexpected discoveries of being an autistic adult.

Ranked #1 in FeedSpot's 40 Best Adult Autism Podcasts 

RATED IN THE TOP 0.5% GLOBALLY with more than 1.3 million downloads!

If you're enjoying the podcast and would like to help me continue making new episodes, you can support the show on Patreon, PayPal or KoFi. You can also give a gift to someone who can benefit from learning more about autism. 

If you are an autistic person who has written a book about autism or if you have a guest suggestion email me at [email protected].

Instagram
Ko-fi, PayPal, Patreon
Linktree
Email: [email protected]
Website

Step into the complex world of Women and Girls on the Autism Spectrum with author Sarah Hendrickx. She talks about why autism is often missed in women and girls and how traits can differ. You’ll hear her own personal story of late diagnosis and how it has impacted her life.

Sarah's website

Sarah's book

Support the show

Subscribe to Meet My Autistic Brain for more conversations that go beyond the usual autism explanations and get into the experiences, frustrations and unexpected discoveries of being an autistic adult.

Ranked #1 in FeedSpot's 40 Best Adult Autism Podcasts 

RATED IN THE TOP 0.5% GLOBALLY with more than 1.3 million downloads!

If you're enjoying the podcast and would like to help me continue making new episodes, you can support the show on Patreon, PayPal or KoFi. You can also give a gift to someone who can benefit from learning more about autism. 

If you are an autistic person who has written a book about autism or if you have a guest suggestion email me at [email protected].

Instagram
Ko-fi, PayPal, Patreon
Linktree
Email: [email protected]
Website