On this episode I discuss:

• Identifying the internalised belief that the outcome of social situations is your sole responsibility 
• Learning to centre your enjoyment in social situations
• Practical tools to start handing back 50% of the ‘social load’ of an interaction

References: 

Instagram Reel referenced: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C94Kwi3IaPx/

Thanks for listening! Please leave a review on Apple podcasts or a rating on Spotify (click the 3 dots > Rate Show) to help other autistic folks find this podcast. 

I also have another podcast you can check out. What's the difference between the two podcasts? My other podcast has over 100 episodes across several years and includes all topics and themes, mostly excluding autism chats. Whereas on The Autistic Mystic Podcast, I exclusively discuss themes and experiences I strongly connect back to autism, always.

My other podcast:

https://open.spotify.com/show/06ZDfctSjz5PynREGGoySV?si=7572442f6907415a 

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theautisticmysticpodcast 

Me on IG: @mukundwa_ and @iswis_podcast

Me on Tik Tok: @mukundwa.the.mystic

Find a therapist or counsellor: https://ndtherapists.com and https://neurodivergentpractitioners.org/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My life has changed for the better due to entering my thirties and understanding my brain more (autism). I'v begun the process of building authentic self-esteem and discuss this in depth. Namely:

• The tenets of improved self esteem
• Tools to reframe self care if you’re struggling to take your needs seriously
• Putting respeck on your name: not diminishing your talents
• When is self deprecation appropriate
• Disassociation as a coping mechanism
• Learning what boundaries are and tuning to my needs
• Parentification, Codependence and Emotional incest
• Sexual advocacy
• How autism has shifted my personal style
• Getting better at self advocacy
• Trusting my intuition
• Rejecting the idea of ‘coming out’
• The guilt of prioritising my needs

Please leave a review on Apple podcasts so that other late-diagnosers can find the show. And thank you Patrons for your presence! It’s a real joy creating and engaging with you all

Check out my other podcast: https://linktr.ee/mukundwa_

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/autisticasfpodcast

Find a therapist or counsellor: https://ndtherapists.com and https://neurodivergentpractitioners.org/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode I discuss:

• autistic burnout vs. Depression
• Affirmations feel like lies
• the emotional cost of managing everyday life
• The cost of hidden disabilities
• Moral imperatives
• The selfishness of Nihilism
• Thought distortions
• The applications of optimism, hope, pessimism and nihilism 

References: 

Rebecca Solnit interview - https://open.spotify.com/episode/45Qgrl4kcHVap19qqVc2G6?si=7989f4dd4f044276

Check out my other podcast: https://linktr.ee/mukundwa_

Join my Patreon: https://patreon.com/autisticasfuck

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/autisticasfpodcast

Find a therapist or counsellor: https://ndtherapists.com and https://neurodivergentpractitioners.org/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Having to work to live sucks, least of all when how your brain is built doesn't support consistent productivity. In this episode I discuss how difficult I find entrepreneurship and employment, and how much I resent having to betray myself at work just to maintain basic human rights (food, shelter). I get into:

• Entrepreneurship and how it triggers our fear of being perceived
• Capitalism and the illusion of choice
• Workplaces wanting your time and not your productivity
• The unfairness and impossibility of monetizing a passion
• Fundamental incongruities of autism and conventional offices

References:

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

Please leave a review on Apple podcasts so that other late-diagnosers can find the show

Check out my other podcast: https://linktr.ee/mukundwa_

Join my Patreon: https://patreon.com/autisticasfuck

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/autisticasfpodcast

Find a therapist or counsellor: https://ndtherapists.com and https://neurodivergentpractitioners.org/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is a detailed review of the themes in Helen Hoang's "The Kiss Quotient". It's an ICONIC book which inspired a lot of thought. I discuss autistic self-esteem, sexual exploration and platonic intimacy. More specifically:

00:00 Overview of the book 'The Kiss Quotient' with spoilers

00:15 Exploring Sexual Content in Literature vs. Pornography

04:22 Discussing the Emotional Journey of Reading 'The Kiss Quotient'

08:12 Stella's Story: Autistic Representation and Love

15:24 Reflecting on Personal Growth and Autistic Experiences

23:29 Navigating Social Interactions and Misunderstandings

25:04 Sensory Overload and Emotional Challenges during sex

26:41 Exploring Intimacy and Consent as an autistic woman

30:27 The Journey of self-understanding and Acceptance

45:36 Reflections on Work, Life, and Autistic Representation

Please leave a review on Apple podcasts so that other late-diagnosers can find the show

Check out my other podcast: https://linktr.ee/mukundwa_

Join my Patreon: https://patreon.com/autisticasfuck

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/autisticasfpodcast

Find a therapist or counsellor: https://ndtherapists.com and https://neurodivergentpractitioners.org/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is my case against casual sex! Sex is glorious and awesome and I hope we all have more of it. However we can't ignore the challenges inherent to autism that make us very bad candidates for casual sex. In this episode I unpack autistic sensitivities and accommodations that would make “casual” sex, anything but that. I discuss:

• The double burden of having to unmask and contend with socialisation that has made women fawn and struggle to self advocate
• Meltdowns, breakdowns and going nonverbal during stressful intimacy
• What does safe vs. unsafe sex look like for autistic women
• The importance of building self trust
• Double speak, manipulation vs. Directness
• Autistics and a trusting nature/naivity

Please leave a rating on Spotify and review on Apple podcasts so that other late-diagnosers can find the show

References

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Pick Up Artists Examined: https://youtu.be/Tpuw_aPP-n4?si=zPnLDXnh9GDO-uHQ 

Check out my other podcast: https://linktr.ee/mukundwa_

Join my Patreon: https://patreon.com/autisticasfuck

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/autisticasfpodcast

Find a therapist or counsellor: https://ndtherapists.com and https://neurodivergentpractitioners.org/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TRIGGER WARNING: S*icide

I've been having a hard time making meaning out of life - what with societal collapse, genocides hustle culture - and wanted to share some conclusions I made about why it is better to stay alive than to opt out. I hope this episode makes you feel seen and a little less alone.

Themes discussed:

Arguments in favour of staying alive

Finding joy while the world is burning

Finding ones place in the world

Autism and justice sensitivity 

Magic and nature 

Please leave a review on Apple podcasts so that other late-diagnosers can find the show

Check out my other podcast: https://linktr.ee/mukundwa_

Join my Patreon: https://patreon.com/autisticasfuck

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/autisticasfpodcast

Find a therapist or counsellor: https://ndtherapists.com and https://neurodivergentpractitioners.org/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I went to a queer brunch and had the most fascinating experience. This episode discusses my reflections on:

Social Anxiety, Solipsism and Self-Awareness

The fundamental loneliness of being an adult

The Harsh Realities of Adulthood

The Complexities of Dating and Social Expectations

Group Vulnerability and Shared Experiences

Please leave a review on Apple podcasts so that other late-diagnosers can find the show

Check out my other podcast: https://linktr.ee/mukundwa_

Join my Patreon: https://patreon.com/autisticasfuck

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/autisticasfpodcast

Find a therapist or counsellor: https://ndtherapists.com and https://neurodivergentpractitioners.org/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amanda Seales is being unfairly dog-pilled on. When people are cut down because they're honest and direct, what does this say about society at large? If it's unsafe for a successful, effective, beautiful allistic woman to be unflinching in her anti-establishment critiques, what hope is there for the average black autistic woman? This episode dissects bullying dynamics, the price of honesty, Hollywood, blackness and the isolation that comes from being a truth-teller.

00:35 The Unfair Treatment of Amanda Seales and Its Implications on black autistic women

03:00 The Intersection of Autism, Likability, and Professional Success

05:44 Black Hollywood, oppression, bullies thrive in silence

10:38 Hollywood archetypes and bullying

Please leave a review on Apple podcasts so that other late-diagnosers can find the show

Check out my other podcast: https://linktr.ee/mukundwa_

Join my Patreon: https://patreon.com/autisticasfuck

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/autisticasfpodcast

Find a therapist or counsellor: https://ndtherapists.com and https://neurodivergentpractitioners.org/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode flits between several topics that all tie together quite nicely: bad dating advice, Dune 2 (spoilers) and its representation of black and brown people, racism and the genocide in Palestine, strong sense of justice, the pain of being perceived and navigating social media hierarchy, the lack of resources for autistic adults, whitewashing of history through film and television

TRIGGER WARNING: I use the word s*icide

Here are the time stamps:

02:19 News flash, autistic kids grow up! And adult autism is underrepresented in terms of resources.

03:12 Navigating Life's Contradictions: Childhood Lessons vs Adult Realities

08:43 Neurotypical dating advice will ruin you

12:05 The Need for Autistic Adult Resources and Community

15:56 The pains of being perceived on social media

18:28 Autistic trait - a strong sense of justice

20:00 The media's obsession with showing POC brutalized

21:00 Whitewashing of history through film and television

Please leave a review on Apple podcasts so that other late-diagnosers can find the show

Check out my other podcast: https://linktr.ee/mukundwa_

Join my Patreon: https://patreon.com/autisticasfuck

Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/autisticasfpodcast

Find a therapist or counsellor: https://ndtherapists.com and https://neurodivergentpractitioners.org/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.