![The Squarepeg Podcast - 113 [S9 E8] Making the invisible visible: getting comfortable with a late autism diagnosis](https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/episode_images/b129ad87c775f7e411dd4042a6b48672d0678874e860a683aa35515cd051151a.avif)
113 [S9 E8] Making the invisible visible: getting comfortable with a late autism diagnosis
03/09/24 • 70 min
Marisa Hamamoto is a leading voice in disability inclusion, professional dancer and founder of Infinite Flow, an award-winning dance company and nonprofit that employs disabled and nondisabled dancers with a mission to create a more inclusive world, one dance at a time.
Marisa is a stroke survivor, and a proud fourth-generation Japanese American. She was diagnosed autistic in 2022, which she describes as bringing a mixture of ‘Relief and confusion’ - being a seasoned leader and ally in the physical disability space, then discovering she was autistic and working out what that means for her and for her company.
In our conversation we talk about:
➡ Why she set up an inclusive dance company
➡ Examining own ableism/internalised ableism
➡ Being a visible Asian-American autistic, intersectional representation and stigma
➡ Her positivity around being autistic
➡ Her experience of lifelong social challenges, and how she’s found belonging and social connection through dance
➡ Physical and invisible disabilities, autism and whether we identify as disabled
Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.
I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.
I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.
EPISODE LINKS:
Marisa’s website: https://www.marisahamamoto.com/
Her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marisahamamoto/
Infinite Flow website: https://www.infiniteflowdance.org/
Infinite Flow Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infiniteflowdance/
If you'd like to connect with me, get in touch or follow Squarepeg, you can find me on:
Website: https://squarepeg.community/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/
THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!
A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:
Abby, Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Alice Kemp, Amanda Ford, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Evgeniia Pupysheva, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Fiona Ross, Frederike, Galina, Grace, Gwyneth, H Arena, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jo, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine, Katherine Lynch, Ken K, Laura, Leo Ricketts, Lesley McKenzie, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa, Lisa Joy Powley, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Monica Toohey, NC, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sandy Ladkin, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Jeffrey, Sarah Raine, Sarah Swanton, Shauna Schramke, Stefan Mundt, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tara Blue Meyer, Tara Finlay Art, Tessa Valyou, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.
If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast
Marisa Hamamoto is a leading voice in disability inclusion, professional dancer and founder of Infinite Flow, an award-winning dance company and nonprofit that employs disabled and nondisabled dancers with a mission to create a more inclusive world, one dance at a time.
Marisa is a stroke survivor, and a proud fourth-generation Japanese American. She was diagnosed autistic in 2022, which she describes as bringing a mixture of ‘Relief and confusion’ - being a seasoned leader and ally in the physical disability space, then discovering she was autistic and working out what that means for her and for her company.
In our conversation we talk about:
➡ Why she set up an inclusive dance company
➡ Examining own ableism/internalised ableism
➡ Being a visible Asian-American autistic, intersectional representation and stigma
➡ Her positivity around being autistic
➡ Her experience of lifelong social challenges, and how she’s found belonging and social connection through dance
➡ Physical and invisible disabilities, autism and whether we identify as disabled
Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.
I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.
I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.
EPISODE LINKS:
Marisa’s website: https://www.marisahamamoto.com/
Her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marisahamamoto/
Infinite Flow website: https://www.infiniteflowdance.org/
Infinite Flow Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infiniteflowdance/
If you'd like to connect with me, get in touch or follow Squarepeg, you can find me on:
Website: https://squarepeg.community/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/
THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!
A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:
Abby, Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Alice Kemp, Amanda Ford, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Evgeniia Pupysheva, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Fiona Ross, Frederike, Galina, Grace, Gwyneth, H Arena, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jo, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine, Katherine Lynch, Ken K, Laura, Leo Ricketts, Lesley McKenzie, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa, Lisa Joy Powley, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Monica Toohey, NC, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sandy Ladkin, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Jeffrey, Sarah Raine, Sarah Swanton, Shauna Schramke, Stefan Mundt, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tara Blue Meyer, Tara Finlay Art, Tessa Valyou, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.
If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast
Previous Episode
![undefined - 112 [S9 E7] Why the system is thwarting autistic people: reimagining neurodivergent health - with Dr Mel Houser](https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/episode_images/c17d196b37779c7b4ea4c271685231f352b1677bb3ec6d7352c85948292e8447.avif)
112 [S9 E7] Why the system is thwarting autistic people: reimagining neurodivergent health - with Dr Mel Houser
Dr Mel Houser is a family physician in Montpelier, Vermont in the United States, with a clinical focus on providing medical care for neurodivergent patients across the lifespan. Now 40, she was diagnosed autistic two years ago, following a burnout - and at the same time was diagnosed as ADHD, dyspraxic, dyslexic, and dyscalculic. She is also the parent of an autistic 6 year old.
Dr Houser is the Founder and Executive Director of All Brains Belong, a nonprofit organisation in Montpelier that provides neurodiversity-affirming medical care, social connection opportunities for all ages, and educational training. Their ‘community village’ model is reimagining health for neurodivergent people by unlearning many of the ‘defaults’ of the healthcare system.
In our conversation we talk about:
➡ How the healthcare system is thwarting autistic people, and what can be done about it
➡ Reconnecting with our intuition around our health, and removing the distinction between healthcare and the rest of life
➡ How we can identify and learn to manage our ‘unnamed constellation of intertwined medical problems’ as autistic people
➡ The overlap of autism and ADHD and outwitting the shame narrative around our abilities and needs
Dr Houser also talks about the statistic that stopped her in her tracks and prompted her to start her nonprofit.
Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.
I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.
I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.
EPISODE LINKS:
Dr Houser’s website: https://allbrainsbelong.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allbrainsbelongvt
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-houser-652505212/
If you'd like to connect with me, get in touch or follow Squarepeg, you can find me on:
Website: https://squarepeg.community/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/
THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!
A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:
Abby, Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Alice Kemp, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Evgeniia Pupysheva, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Fiona Ross, Frederike, Galina, Grace, Gwyneth, H Arena, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jo, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine, Katherine Lynch, Ken K, Laura, Leo Ricketts, Lesley McKenzie, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa Joy Powley, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Monica Toohey, NC, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Jeffrey, Sarah Raine, Sarah Swanton, Shauna Schramke, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tara Blue Meyer, Tessa Valyou, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.
If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast
Next Episode
114. S9 E9: Playing on ‘hard mode’: accepting our autistic challenges while anchoring to our brilliance
Anissa Ljanta is a writer, a neurodivergent specialist coach, educator and equity and inclusion advocate living in the remote hills of a wild surf beach in West Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand.
She grew up in Samoa and South Auckland in Aotearoa New Zealand, where she was deemed a gifted child but was unable to deliver results. Her inability to live the expected 9-5 life led her to step out of life as most people know it, spending 18 years going from one adventure to another in various corners of the globe. Now 52, Anissa is a single mother to a neurodivergent teen. She was diagnosed autistic in 2021.
Anissa was such a delight to talk with, so gentle and thoughtful as she reflected on her life, her struggles and autistic joys. She touched on many different topics, some of which are:
➡ Being unable to work full time, not being able to live a consistent life, and accepting that sometimes we can't live the life we want
➡ Being debilitated by burnout - its ongoing and accumulative effects, and the importance of having a plan
➡ Making a haunting neurodivergent discovery in her family history
➡ The power of reframing past experiences through a neurodivergent lens, and finding a sense of connection within her family.
Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.
I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.
I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.
EPISODE LINKS:
NEW for 2024: Anissa's book, Wild of Brain is available! Hardback: https://www.wildofbrain.com/shop-resources/p/wild-of-brain-the-book Kindle (UK): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wild-Brain-extraordinary-neuro-curious-struggling-ebook/dp/B0DJV9YMVR/ Kindle (USA): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJV9YMVR/
Wild of Brain substack: https://anissaljanta.substack.com/
Wild of Brain Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085740605286
Hannah Gadsby interview on We Can Do Hard Things podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6cVlrd5mRHdx5AlFJyXRAG
If you'd like to connect with me, get in touch or follow Squarepeg, you can find me on:
Website: https://squarepeg.community/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/
THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!
A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:
Abby, Abi Hunter, Adam Klager, Alice Kemp, Amanda Ford, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Anika Lacerte, Annette, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Deborah Cullinan, Dennis McNulty, Elizabeth Williams, Erica Kenworthy, Evgeniia Pupysheva, Ewan McNeill, Fiona Connor, Fiona Ross, Frederike, Galina, Grace, Gwyneth, H Arena, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jess Dwyer, Jo, Julie, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine, Katherine Lynch, Ken K, Laura, Leo Ricketts, Lesley McKenzie, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa, Lisa Joy Powley, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Monica Toohey, NC, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sandy Ladkin, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Jeffrey, Sarah Raine, Sarah Swanton, Shauna Schramke, Stefan Mundt, Suzanne, Talia's Nature, Tammie Fabien, Tamsen Staniford, Tara Blue Meyer, Tara Finlay Art, Tessa Valyou, Vic Wiener, Vicki Temple, Wendy Walker, Zephyrine Craster and Zoe Lee.
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