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In this meeting of The Late Diagnosis Club, Dr. Angela Kingdon welcomes technologist and advocate Derek Crager, who discovered he was Autistic and ADHD at age 50 — after decades of burnout, masking, and surviving unsafe workplaces.

Derek shares how that late diagnosis changed everything: his relationships, his leadership at Amazon, and his mission to build Pocket Mentor, a voice-based AI tool that helps real humans — not “ideal employees” — get the support they need in the moment they need it.


🪑 Attendees

Chair: Dr. Angela Kingdon — Author, community-builder, and Autistic advocate

Guest: Derek Crager — Autistic/ADHD technologist, founder of Pocket Mentor, and author of Human First AI

You: The Listener!


🗒️ Meeting Agenda

  1. Opening remarks from the Chair
  2. Member introduction: Derek’s 10-year road to diagnosis
  3. Discussion: Work, masking, and Autistic safety
  4. Key learnings from the meeting
  5. Club announcements


🧾 Minutes from the Meeting


1️⃣ Opening Remarks

Angela opens the meeting by reminding listeners:

“You’re allowed to take ten years to get here. We saved you a seat.”


2️⃣ Member Introduction: Derek’s Story

Derek describes decades of dangerous job sites and social isolation before finally receiving his autism and ADHD diagnoses at 50. Realising his brain wasn’t broken — just wired for depth and precision — gave him permission to stop apologising for his curiosity.


3️⃣ Discussion Highlights


4️⃣ Key Learnings


🔗 Links


📣 Club Announcements

","author_name":"Autistic Culture Institute"}