Autistic Culture | Where Autism Meets Identity!

In this week’s meeting of The Late Diagnosis Club, Dr Angela Kingdon welcomes Georgina Banks - Autistic, ADHD, chronically ill, and the founder & CEO of AuDHD UK, a suicide-prevention charity reshaping access to diagnosis and support across the UK.Georgina spent nearly a decade searching for answers while doctors dismissed her chronic illness, sensory overwhelm, and burnout as “anxiety.” In today’s conversation, she shares how late discovery helped her finally understand her body, her needs, and her mission — and how she turned personal pain into a national effort to save neurodivergent lives and to support hundreds of adults still fighting to be believed.This episode includes a discussion of suicide. Please listen with care.🪑 AttendeesChair: Dr Angela Kingdon — Author, community-builder, and Autistic advocateGuest: Georgina Banks — Autistic & ADHD founder of AuDHD UKYou: The Listener!🗒️ Meeting AgendaOpening remarks from the ChairMember introduction: Georgina’s late identificationDiscussion: chronic illness, dismissal, and Autistic burnoutBuilding AuDHD UK & suicide preventionKey learningsClub announcements🧾 Minutes from the Meeting1️⃣ Opening RemarksAngela opens with a truth many late-identified Autistic adults know deeply:We often spend years trying to survive systems that don’t recognise what’s happening to us.Georgina’s story shows how dangerous that invisibility can be — and how powerful clarity becomes once we have it.2️⃣ Member Introduction: Georgina’s storyAt 15, Georgina became severely ill while preparing for GCSEs. Doctors insisted it was “stress.”At 19, a gastroenterologist noted she had “a hint of Asperger’s.” At 20, she was officially diagnosed Autistic. ADHD would come years later, after burnout and shutdowns became impossible to ignore.3️⃣ Discussion HighlightsMisdiagnosed for years: Chronic illness, shutdowns, and sensory collapses dismissed as “anxiety.”Autistic traits overlooked: Literal thinking, tics, clumsiness, non-verbal episodes, sensory pain.Unmasking & regression: After diagnosis, lifelong compensations fell away.Founding AuDHD UK: Building a suicide-prevention charity offering assessments and weekly peer-support groups for undiagnosed adults who cannot afford private pathways.Why diagnosis access matters: Not for a label — but for safety, language, stability, and belonging.4️⃣ Key LearningsBeing unseen by the system does not mean you were wrong about yourself.Burnout, shutdown, and sensory overwhelm can masquerade as “anxiety.”Identification is a turning point, not the end point.Suicide prevention begins with validation, access, and community.Neurodivergent people design better support systems when they lead them.📌 Notice BoardAuDHD UK — https://audhduk.orgThe suicide-prevention charity founded by Georgina. AuDHD UK provides subsidised diagnostic assessments, weekly peer-support groups, and advocacy for neurodivergent adults who cannot safely or affordably access traditional diagnosis pathways.📣 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

In this meeting of The Late Diagnosis Club, Dr Angela Kingdon welcomes Mike Matthews — a late-diagnosed Autistic dad, writer, music obsessive, and dry-witted survivor of misdiagnosis, medical gaslighting, and five years of unanswered burnout.Together, Angela and Mike explore the messy middle between “something is wrong” and “oh — it’s autism,” the years lost to misunderstanding, the grief and relief of late self-discovery, and the unexpected joy of building a life that actually fits.🪑 AttendeesChair: Dr Angela Kingdon — Author, community-builder, and Autistic advocateGuest: Mike Matthews — Autistic dad, writer, punk enthusiast & playlist archivistYou: The Listener!🗒️ Meeting AgendaOpening remarks from the ChairMember introduction: Mike’s misdiagnosis journeyDiscussion: Burnout, sensory life, stigma & spiralsMember spotlight: Autistic creativity, playlists & book writingKey learningsClub announcements🧾 Minutes from the Meeting1️⃣ Opening RemarksAngela welcomes listeners into a story many late-diagnosed adults know too well: years of searching for answers, a system that keeps missing us, and the emotional cost of untreated Autistic burnout disguised as “depression.” Mike’s path began after becoming a parent — when suddenly the time he used for emotional regulation evaporated, and everything fell apart.2️⃣ Member Introduction: Mike's storyFrom the very first doctor visit, Mike’s concerns were waved away, misread, or treated with trial-and-error medications that created new problems rather than solving the old ones.3️⃣ Discussion HighlightsFive years of misdiagnosis: burnout mistaken for depression, sensory issues overlooked, and a formal evaluation that labelled him with the wrong disorder.Medication mishaps: antidepressants causing side effects, withdrawal “brain zaps,” and treatments that obscured the real issue — autistic burnout.Grief and relief: mourning the lost years while embracing clarity, self-knowledge, and a gentler relationship with himself and others.4️⃣ Key LearningsAutistic burnout is not depression — and treating it as such can prolong suffering.Misdiagnosis is common, especially when sensory experiences are ignored.Self-knowledge changes everything📣 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

In this meeting of The Late Diagnosis Club, Dr Angela Kingdon welcomes Amber Covucci — a late-diagnosed Autistic attorney, mother of two, and brilliant pattern-matcher who spent decades thinking she was “just sensitive” before discovering she was Autistic in her mid-30s.Together, Angela and Amber explore Autistic motherhood, masking, sensory life, high-achieving burnout, and raising neurodivergent kids while still learning how to accommodate their own needs.🪑 AttendeesChair: Dr Angela Kingdon — Author, community-builder, and Autistic advocateGuest: Amber Covucci — Autistic attorney, writer, and motherYou: The Listener!🗒️ Meeting AgendaOpening remarks from the ChairMember introduction: Amber’s Autistic childhood & early maskingDiscussion: Pregnancy, postpartum, sensory overwhelm & burnoutKey learningsClub announcements🧾 Minutes from the Meeting1️⃣ Opening RemarksAngela welcomes listeners into a conversation many Autistic mothers rarely hear reflected: what happens when your mask collapses under the sensory, emotional, and logistical weight of early parenthood.2️⃣ Member Introduction: Amber’s storyFrom childhood, Amber felt different: intensely focused (“too much attention disorder”), deeply sensitive, academically exceptional, and physically overwhelmed by clothing, noise, and transitions.Despite high achievement — gifted programs, top grades, law school — she also experienced chronic burnout, shutdowns, and sensory barriers nobody recognised as Autistic traits.3️⃣ Discussion HighlightsMissed Signs: Sensory overwhelm, hyperfocus, and lifelong burnout are misunderstood.Pregnancy & Postpartum: What looked like “postpartum anxiety” was Autistic burnout.Birth & Autonomy: Sensory-safe support and control made labour manageable.Work & Burnout: Deep-focus strengths paired with crash-level recovery needs.Autistic Parenting: New language and compassion for her own and her children’s needs.4️⃣ Key LearningsLate diagnosis brings relief, not limitationSensory overwhelm is not weakness — it’s informationAutistic parents can be extraordinary caregiversYou can redesign your life once you understand your brainDiagnosis isn’t necessary for belonging — self-knowledge is📣 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

In this meeting of The Late Diagnosis Club, Dr Angela Kingdon sits down with Aletha Shapiro, a mother of four, activist, costume designer, and creator of Autistic/ADHD pride, whose recent appearance on Bravo's Wife Swap: Housewives Edition became a masterclass in what happens when reality TV meets neurodivergent truth-telling.Together, Angela and Aletha unpack late diagnosis, self-advocacy, reality TV ethics, gatekeeping, burnout, and the liberation that comes from finally understanding your neurodivergence. This one is a ride.🪑 AttendeesChair: Dr Angela Kingdon — Author, community-builder, and Autistic advocateGuest: Aletha Shapiro — Autistic + ADHD activist, mother of four, and costume designer.You: The Listener!🗒️ Meeting AgendaOpening remarks from the ChairMember introduction: Aletha’s ADHD → Autism discoveryDiscussion: Reality TV, erasure, burnout, boundaries, and activismKey learnings from the meetingClub announcements🧾 Minutes from the Meeting1️⃣ Opening RemarksAngela opens by explaining why this week has been “epic” for Aletha — and why every late-diagnosed person will recognise the pattern:boldness → vulnerability → erasure by non-autistic systems. Reality TV found a way to turn generosity into humiliation.2️⃣ Member Introduction: Alethea’s storyAletha discovered her ADHD first — and cried when she learned the truth. But once she understood it, everything clicked. When she later discovered she was Autistic, the whole picture made sense.3️⃣ Discussion HighlightsAletha wanted to represent neurodivergent moms on national TV — to model low-demand parenting, sensory regulation, special interests as self-care, and Autistic strengths.Though producers reassured her it would be “feel-good TV,” the final cut removed every mention of her Autism and ADHD.Aletha was blindsided by a confrontational setup not disclosed ahead of filming.Animals, crocheting, crafts, concerts — all essential for emotional regulation.4️⃣ Key LearningsLate discovery brings clarity, boundaries, and liberation.Neurodivergent people belong in media — without being erased.Gatekeeping diagnosis causes harm and delays belonging.Representation matters — especially for Autistic parents.📣 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

In this meeting of The Late Diagnosis Club, Dr Angela Kingdon welcomes Amy Permann, a writer and Substack creator who discovered she’s Autistic in her 50s after decades of burnout, people-pleasing, and perfectionism.Together, Angela and Amy discuss self-diagnosis, trusting intuition, unlearning pressure, and why self-acceptance is a radical act of care.🪑 AttendeesChair: Dr Angela Kingdon — Author, community-builder, and Autistic advocateGuest: Amy Permann — Autistic writer and creator of Seeking AuthenticityYou: The Listener!🗒️ Meeting AgendaOpening remarks from the ChairMember introduction: Amy’s journey from “good girl” to self-advocateDiscussion: Misdiagnosis, boundaries, and self-trustKey learnings from the meetingClub announcements🧾 Minutes from the Meeting1️⃣ Opening RemarksAngela opens by asking: What happens when your entire life is built around expectations that were never yours?She welcomes Amy as a club member who’s learning to unlearn—redefining success, self-care, and what it means to live authentically.2️⃣ Member Introduction: Amy’s StoryAfter years of therapy and being the “good daughter,” Amy learned she was Autistic — not broken, not oversensitive.Her diagnosis followed her niece’s, sparking a journey through online communities, self-assessment, and finally, a validating experience.3️⃣ Discussion HighlightsParentified and People-Pleasing: How early responsibility shaped Amy’s self-image.The Good Girl Mask: Why pressure isn’t a motivator — and why saying no is survival.Trusting Your Own Intuition: Unlearning the habit of assuming others know best.Medical Gaslighting & Boundaries: Why autistic women often stop seeking care — and how Amy’s learning to ask questions again.Living Authentically: From checklist living to joyful presence — finding beauty in small moments, cats, and nature.4️⃣ Key LearningsYou can’t heal by pleasing everyone.Autistic women deserve support that trusts their self-knowledge.Self-diagnosis and formal diagnosis are equally valid paths to clarity.Living authentically means honouring your timing, your needs, and your truth.📣 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

In this meeting of The Late Diagnosis Club, Dr Angela Kingdon welcomes artist and illustrator Phoenix Goodson, whose journey through misdiagnosis, hospitalisation, and burnout eventually led to a powerful late diagnosis of autism and ADHD.Together, they explore how Phoenix rebuilt her life through art, self-advocacy, and community — turning survival into creativity, and chaos into colour.🪑 AttendeesChair: Dr Angela Kingdon — Author, community-builder, and Autistic advocateGuest: Phoenix Goodson — Autistic/ADHD artist, illustrator, and memoirist from the UKYou: The Listener!🗒️ Meeting AgendaOpening remarks from the ChairMember introduction: Phoenix’s 15-year road from misdiagnosis to discoveryDiscussion: Healing, identity, and art as sanctuaryKey learnings from the meetingClub announcements🧾 Minutes from the Meeting1️⃣ Opening RemarksAngela welcomed attendees and introduced Phoenix as this week’s guest. Angela highlighted the importance of recognising misdiagnosis as a barrier to care and community connection.2️⃣ Member Introduction: Phoenix's StoryPhoenix shares her experience of 15 years of psychiatric misdiagnosis before discovering she is AuDHD. She reflects on how art, writing, and structure became essential tools for healing and communication.3️⃣ Discussion HighlightsThe impact of repeated misdiagnosis on self-worth and identity.The role of creativity in rebuilding trust in oneself.How community spaces can offer safety and validation for AuDHD adults.The importance of accessible language when talking about neurodivergence.4️⃣ Key LearningsMisdiagnosis can delay self-understanding, but doesn’t erase it.Creative practice supports emotional regulation and belonging.Autistic and ADHD experiences often overlap — support needs to reflect that.Late discovery can mark the beginning of self-trust, not the end of struggle.📌 Notice BoardInto The Light — by Phoenix GoodsonA luminous, textural piece exploring self-discovery, resilience, and the transition from survival to creative freedom.💷 Price: £895 — Foil and acrylic paint on canvas board, includes professional framing and UK postage.For purchase or exhibition enquiries, don't hesitate to get in touch with Phoenix directly: phoenixgoodsonart@gmail.com📣 Club Announcements🎧 The Late Diagnosis Club is available on all major podcast 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

In this meeting of The Late Diagnosis Club, Dr. Angela Kingdon welcomes Lily George, a 25-year-old Autistic mental health worker who was first misdiagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder before realising she is Autistic.Lily shares what it’s like to work inside the psychiatric system as an Autistic person — supporting others while still learning to support herself. Together, Angela and Lily discuss late diagnosis, unmasking, accommodations, and what happens when you finally start to live as your authentic self.🪑 AttendeesChair: Dr. Angela Kingdon — Author, community-builder, and Autistic advocateGuest: Lily George — Autistic mental health worker and late-diagnosed self-advocateYou: The Listener!🗒️ Meeting AgendaOpening remarks from the ChairMember introduction: Lily’s path from misdiagnosis to clarityDiscussion: Mental health, masking, and self-advocacy at workKey learnings from the meetingClub announcements🧾 Minutes from the Meeting1️⃣ Opening RemarksAngela opens the meeting by acknowledging how often Autistic women and AFAB people are misdiagnosed before finding the right language for who they are.“Sometimes it’s not that we missed the signs — it’s that the system wasn’t built to see us.”2️⃣ Member Introduction: Lily’s StoryLily was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder in her teens and spent years believing she was “too emotional” or “too much.” When a therapist suggested she might be Autistic, everything shifted. She began exploring her neurotype, pursuing formal diagnosis for workplace accommodations, and finding self-acceptance through Autistic community.3️⃣ Discussion HighlightsFrom Misdiagnosis to Understanding: Why BPD and autism are often confused — especially for women and AFAB people.The Autistic Worker in a Psychiatric System: Supporting others while masking your own needs.Unmasking and Regression: Why things you used to force yourself to do may feel impossible once you stop masking.Self-Advocacy: Asking for adjustments and understanding in a clinical workplace.Autistic Joy: Pattern-matching, special interests, and rediscovering comfort in authenticity.4️⃣ Key LearningsMisdiagnosis delays belonging, not identity.Self-identification can be just as valid as formal diagnosis.Autistic people make better systems when they’re allowed to be themselves.You don’t have to be fully “figured out” to start helping others.🔗 LinksFollow Lily at her Life with Lily YouTube channel📣 Club Announcements🎧 The Late Diagnosis Club is available on all major podcast platforms.💬 Join our online meetups and community at latediagnosis.club.💜 There is a small charge — but no one is turned away for lack of funds.

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.🪑 AttendeesChair: Dr. Angela Kingdon — Author, community-builder, and Autistic advocateGuest: Derek Crager — Autistic/ADHD technologist, founder of Pocket Mentor, and author of Human First AIYou: The Listener!🗒️ Meeting AgendaOpening remarks from the ChairMember introduction: Derek’s 10-year road to diagnosisDiscussion: Work, masking, and Autistic safetyKey learnings from the meetingClub announcements🧾 Minutes from the Meeting1️⃣ Opening RemarksAngela 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 StoryDerek 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 HighlightsFrom Surviving to Designing: How Derek turned his late diagnosis into an advantage at work.Human-First AI: Building tech that adapts to people, not the other way around.Autistic Belonging: Creating relationships and workplaces that honour honesty and safety.4️⃣ Key LearningsLate diagnosis brings clarity, not limitation.Autistic design principles benefit everyone.Authenticity at work is psychological safety in action.🔗 LinksWeb: https://www.practicalai.appNew Book: https://www.humanfirstai.net (Free Chapter)📣 Club Announcements🎧 The Late Diagnosis Club is available on all major podcast platforms.💬 Join our online meetups and community at latediagnosis.club.💜 There is a small charge — but no one is turned away for lack of funds.

Welcome to the first official meeting of The Late Diagnosis Club — the podcast for anyone who discovered their neurodivergence later in life.Hosted by Dr. Angela Kingdon, this episode features artist and activist Sarah Davies, who shares how she went from a dyslexia diagnosis in childhood to discovering her autism at 34.Together, Angela and Sarah discuss identity, unmasking, self-advocacy, and what it means to call yourself a “neurodivergent baddie.”🪑 AttendeesChair: Dr. Angela Kingdon — Author, community-builder, and Autistic advocateGuest: Sarah Davies — Autistic and Dyslexic artist, campaigner, and community organiser from WalesYou: The Listener!🗒️ Meeting AgendaOpening remarks from the ChairMember introduction: Sarah’s late diagnosis storyDiscussion: Life before and after diagnosisKey learnings from the meetingClub announcements🧾 Minutes from the Meeting1️⃣ Opening RemarksAngela welcomed listeners to The Late Diagnosis Club — a space where Autistic and Neurodivergent adults can find community, connection, and conversation.“We’re not here to fix ourselves — we’re here to find each other.”2️⃣ Member Introduction: Sarah’s StorySarah shared how she first identified as Dyslexic in school, but didn’t receive her autism diagnosis until age 34. She described years of masking, burnout, and finally, the relief of understanding her neurotype.“It wasn’t that I was too much — I was just trying to fit into the wrong room.”3️⃣ Discussion HighlightsDopamine Dressing: Using bright colours and creative expression as self-regulation and joy.Hyperfocus for Healing: How her curiosity about GLP-1 science helped her reconnect with her body.Activism & Advocacy: From campaigning against the UK “bedroom tax” to founding Wrexham’s local Autistic meetup group.Community as Medicine: Why Autistic friendships feel grounding, not draining.4️⃣ Key LearningsLate diagnosis is an act of self-compassion, not correction.Autistic joy thrives in community, not conformity.Humour and authenticity are radical tools for survival.Self-advocacy begins with knowing what you need — and believing you deserve it.🔗 LinksWrexham Adults Autism Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1JjoEtEwcg/?mibextid=wwXIfr%0A📣 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.💜 There is a small charge — but no one is turned away for lack of funds.