The Squarepeg Podcast - {BONUS} Amy Richards: giving myself permission, reframing past failures and achievements, and finding people I can relate to.

{BONUS} Amy Richards: giving myself permission, reframing past failures and achievements, and finding people I can relate to.

04/04/21 • 21 min

This special Squarepeg miniseries celebrates the great things that start to happen in our lives when we discover in adulthood that we’re autistic.

In a bit of a change from the usual format, in this episode I share some of the things that have changed for the better in my own life since I was diagnosed autistic, including feeling able to give myself permission to live and work the way I want to and need to, without feeling guilty, reframing my past failures and achievements, and finding a group of people I can truly relate to.

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:

If you'd like to find out more about my business, you can pop over to my website: https://amyrichards.wales/

You can also find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyrichardsobm/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with me at Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Cat Preston, Corinne Cariad, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Sarah Hardy, Vera Cady

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

This special Squarepeg miniseries celebrates the great things that start to happen in our lives when we discover in adulthood that we’re autistic.

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.

EPISODE LINKS:

If you'd like to find out more about my business, you can pop over to my website: https://amyrichards.wales/

You can also find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyrichardsobm/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with me at Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Cat Preston, Corinne Cariad, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Sarah Hardy, Vera Cady

Previous Episode

{BONUS} Sarah Boon: being kinder to myself, having better boundaries and finding a new purpose in life

This special Squarepeg miniseries celebrates the great things that start to happen in our lives when we discover in adulthood that we’re autistic. Seven of my previous guests have returned to each share the three most important things that have changed for the better in their lives since they were diagnosed, or realised they were autistic.

My guest today is Sarah Boon, an MA graduate and autism advocate from Surrey in the UK. I first talked with Sarah about her experiences being autistic at work and university in Series 1, Episode 10. In this bonus recording Sarah talks to me about being kinder to herself, setting good social boundaries, and finding a new purpose in life. I hope you’ll enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

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.

EPISODE LINKS:

You can find Sarah on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Saraheboon

And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Saraheboon/

She also has a blog: https://autisticallysarah.com/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Cat Preston, Corinne Cariad, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Sarah Hardy, Vera Cady

Next Episode

32. S3, Ep1: Fern Brady: autistic meltdowns, understanding emotions and being the ‘black sheep’

My guest today is Scottish comedian Fern Brady. Fern is in her 30s and was diagnosed autistic in January this year, after a series of meltdowns caused her to seek answers. She has been open about her diagnosis from the start, when a throwaway tweet about it went unexpectedly viral!

Fern started out as a journalist before moving into stand-up comedy in 2010. As well as touring, she has appeared on shows such as Live at the Apollo and the BBC Radio 4 News Quiz, and her live show, Power and Chaos, is currently available on BBC iPlayer. She also co-hosts the hilarious BBC podcast, Wheel of Misfortune.

We talk about:

Meltdowns (what they feel like, and finding your triggers)
Alexithymia, theory of mind and her experiences of counselling
Food and disordered eating
Being the ‘black sheep’ of the family growing up
Autism and employment
and how her autism and her stand-up comedy intersect

SQUAREPEG PATRONS! You’ll find some additional content from my conversation with Fern on the Patreon platform as a bonus recording. So if you enjoyed my chat with Fern, head over to Patreon now and have a listen.

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.

EPISODE LINKS:

You can find Fern on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fernfrombathgate/

And on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FernBrady

Her show Power and Chaos: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p097tnpb

Her podcast, Wheel of Misfortune: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08m3z73/episodes/downloads

Info about alexithymia: https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/people-alexithymia-emotions-mystery/

Shop with episode sponsor, ND Renegade: https://www.ndrenegade.com/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/