In this meeting of The Late Diagnosis Club, Dr Angela Kingdon welcomes Katharine Gates, a writer, artist, and long-time creative who identified as Autistic and ADHD after a lifetime of questioning herself.
Katharine shares how she spent decades feeling like the “odd one out” — academically gifted, outwardly successful, yet constantly struggling with everyday life, relationships, and a persistent sense that something didn’t quite fit.
After 40 years of therapy, misdiagnoses, and searching for answers, it was a period of Autistic burnout that finally led her to recognise her neurodivergence and begin to reframe her life.
This is a conversation about being misunderstood for decades — and what changes when you finally understand yourself.
🪑 Attendees
Chair: Dr Angela Kingdon — Author, community-builder, and Autistic advocate
Guest: Katharine Gates — writer, artist, and Autistic + ADHD creator
You: The Listener!
🗒️ Meeting Agenda
🧾 Minutes from the Meeting
1️⃣ Opening Remarks
Angela introduces Katharine Gates, whose story reflects a common Late Diagnosis Club experience — decades of feeling different, capable, and confused all at once.
2️⃣ Member Introduction: Katharine’s Story
Katharine describes herself as an “exceedingly odd child,” growing up academically gifted but struggling to translate that success into everyday life.
She became highly skilled at masking — orienting her life around achievement and external validation — while privately questioning why basic things felt so difficult.
Over time, this led to cycles of burnout, misdiagnosis, and self-blame, with labels such as depression, anxiety, substance use, and personality disorder used to explain her experiences.
It wasn’t until a major burnout in adulthood that Katharine encountered the concept of autistic burnout and began recognising herself in Autistic narratives.
3️⃣ Discussion Highlights
4️⃣ Key Learnings
📣 Club Announcements
🎧 The Late Diagnosis Club is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.
💬 Join our online meetups and community at latediagnosis.club.
📌 Check the LDC Notice Board for Member Contributions
💜 There is a small charge — but no one is turned away for lack of funds.
🌈 Celebrate autistic voices with early access, ad-free listening, and our full archive at AutisticCulturePlus.com
🌐 Visit www.autisticculturepodcast.com
📲 Follow us on Instagram: @autisticculturepodcast
","author_name":"Autistic Culture Podcast Network"}