The Late Discovered Club

In this episode we are joined by Helen Hillman - a late discovered autistic woman, who made her autistic discovery whilst in therapy, and received her official diagnosis last year at the age of 28 after a long history of poor mental health. 

Helen has suffered with anxiety all her life, which she thought was explained by a diagnosis of dyspraxia when she was 18. She had her first breakdown, and was diagnosed with generalised anxiety, depression and obsessive compulsive disorder at age 20.

Helen experienced a second breakdown at age 24, and at this point, was unable to leave the house more than once or twice a week, and was losing hope, so mounted a search for a therapist. 

Helen talks in the episode about the life changing role that therapy played in her autistic discovery, and hopes that it helps those thinking about therapy, and therapists themselves. Helen has become increasingly convinced that sharing her experience will not only prove invaluable to her own processing, but is the surest way to help other women and girls who find themselves in similar positions to get the help they need. 

In this episode we are joined by Kate Boot - a late discovered AuDHD Speech and Language Therapist, Sensory Integration Practitioner and Relationships and Sex Education Practitioner.

Since qualifying, it’s fair to say that Kate has found herself on an authentic and original journey which has seen her lean into what she now understands, post discovery to be her autistic and ADHD strengths and identity.

Kate talks openly and vulnerably in this episode about her own experiences, and of how she has experimented with language, expanded her language, and crucially acquired new language on her own late discovery journey - which has not only helped her to make sense of her own autistic experience, but has also professionally helped to build that safety and advocacy for others too.

Language Matters.

In this episode we are joined by Marsha Martin - a Behavioural Therapist and the Founder and CEO of Black SEN Mamas - a UK based national support group and informational hub, which aids Black mothers of special educational needs and disabled (SEND) children, in sourcing adequate mental health support for themselves and resources and provision, for their children, with currently over 1,000 mums strong and growing fast.

Marsha talks about how initially autism was a thing of shame for her, to now being a tool of empowerment, and how there is power in knowledge and making your own space!

*The episode was recorded in Marsha's car (the only place she could find some space for the interview) and the sound quality is patchy in parts due to the Wi-Fi connection during the interview. We hope it doesn't impact your podcast experience.

In this episode we are joined by Lucy Baena - a Mother, Writer & Birthkeeper.

Throughout her life Lucy has been given an array of diagnosis the first at age 7 when she was diagnosed as Dyslexic. At 15 she discovered she was Epileptic and a month after her 38th birthday she received her Autistic diagnosis.

Lucy has struggled with a variety of complex health (& many mis) diagnosis over her life and learning that she is Autistic has had a profound impact on her understanding of her health and wellbeing.  

Since becoming a Mother 8 years ago Lucy has dedicated much of her time to being a Doula and Birthkeeping in her local community. Lucy was told that she would never have children so birthing at home as an Epileptic disabled mum was the achievement of Lucys life and has shown her she is made of pure fire.

Lucy was disabled before she knew she was Autistic so her post diagnosis experiences are different to those who learn they are Autistic but did not already consider themselves disabled.

Lucy believes in the power of wild places to heal and the sacredness of the natural world, especially the Ocean, and she now knows her Autistic brain sees things in the natural world that neurotypical people miss and she is full of awe daily.

In this episode we are joined by Jane Green MBE - an educationalist, former Assistant Headteacher, and former lead for autism education in all phases of education. 

Jane is disabled, neurodivergent and an autistic parent carer for her eldest neurodivergent autistic adult non-binary child. 

Jane is the Founder and Chair of SEDSConnective a multi-award, neurodivergent and symptomatic hypermobility user led and voluntary charity transforming neurodivergent health and wellbeing in a community and beyond worldwide. 

In the Kings’ Honours NYE list, Jane was awarded an MBE for voluntary services to neurodivergent people and those with related joint hypermobility syndromes including Ehlers-Danlos syndromes and the also closely related Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders.

In this episode we are joined Holly Smale - the internationally bestselling, award-winning author of the Geek Girl series, which has sold 3.4 million copies worldwide and is currently being adapted by Netflix.

The Cassandra Complex, her adult debut, was the Reese's Book Club pick for June this year. She was diagnosed as autistic at the age of 39, and a lot of things suddenly made sense.

Holly is a passionate advocate for neurodiversity and speaks and writes about it regularly.  

We're back! In this episode we are joined by Heidi Mavir - a public speaker, autistic advocate, author, podcaster and SEN parent.

We explore so much in this episode from Heidi's late autism discovery in her mid 40's, menopause, grief, loss, self-identification, being an autistic parent of an autistic child, what it was like growing up without the knowledge of knowing that you are autistic and ADHD, and of course becoming a Sunday Times best selling author with her book 'Your Child is not Broken'.

CW - This episode talks about Catherine's recent diagnosis of breast cancer.

In this episode we are joined by Laura Claxton - a comedy writer who has written gags for some of the biggest names and programmes in British Comedy.

We explore Laura's late autism discovery as a 30 something woman, and her lifetime of struggles that she has never shared publicly, until now.

Laura discovered very early on her life that if she could be 'the funny one' and make people laugh that she would be ok. Little did she know that her trauma response would see her decades later rapidly making a name for herself as one of the go to voices in British Comedy - we are talking The Jonathan Ross Show, The John Bishop Show, Alan Carr, Celebrity Juice - to name a few.

And when you consider that comedy is a hard industry for a woman anyway to move up in, now imagine being an autistic woman in that industry.

CW: We discuss eating disorders, and Laura's experience as an inpatient as a young adult.

In this episode we are joined by Samar Waqar who describes discovering that she is autistic and ADHD in her 30’s a s life changing discovery.

Samar's childhood was inherently spent knowing and believing within her heart that she was different, and her diagnosis served as validation for her - she could finally put her guard down.

Or could she?

In this episode we are joined by Dr Anthea Cree who is a Clinical Oncologist in the NHS.

Anthea is the first openly neurodivergent doctor in her organization, and has felt so alone. Anthea's openness at work about her neurodivergence saw her sharing her experiences in a video with her entire Royal College, although she confesses that it has caused much confusion about what to with her.

Anthea recognizes that prior to her own late autism and ADHD, as a Doctor, she had no understanding at all of what it means to be autistic. Andrea can plan complex radiotherapy treatments and support patients during the hardest conversations yet struggles with many of the simple day to day tasks.

Anthea is determined to change the culture for staff, because she knows that well supported, knowledgeable staff means that patients receive understanding too, along with better care and treatment, and that a change in attitude, to genuinely listen to patients, however they communicate, and believe what they are saying, would be a massive positive shift towards better and more neurodivergent affirming care.

In this episode we are joined by Madge Woollard - a self-employed piano and keyboard teacher who has run their own successful business since 1994. A graduate of Cambridge University, where they were a Peterhouse college’s first female organ scholar.

Madge currently works both privately and in schools, and now specializes in teaching neurodivergent students - diagnosed autistic in 2016 at age 44 after a lifetime of wondering why they felt so different, and since then has been passionate about advocating for autism rights.

In 2019 Madge was awarded an Autism-Friendly Business Award from the National Autistic Society. In 2022 Madge had a chapter published in a groundbreaking book: “Learning from Autistic Teachers: How to be a Neurodiversity-inclusive School” - Madge is a member of Spectrum Theatre Sheffield, an integrated community theatre company who write and perform thought-provoking social theatre.

They live in Sheffield with their wife who is also late-discovered autistic. 

In this episode we are joined by Dr Rosie Baruah who is an NHS Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine and Anesthesia in Scotland. Rosie has spoken publicly recently in a BBC Interview about her midlife discovery at 46, and her identity as a Late Discovered Autistic Female Doctor.

Rosie is determined to further educate and advocate for autistic doctors, widen perceptions about 'what' an autistic doctor looks like, shining a light on the prejudice and challenges they face, and the benefits that autistic doctors bring to their work.

In this episode we are joined by Kirsty Cullen-Campanelli from LA in California who, at 38 years old, is very much at the beginning of her autistic self-discovery journey. We talk misophonia, invalidation, multiple diagnoses preceding her autistic late discovery, sobriety, trauma and the life changing and affirming moment for Kirsty of finding a health professional who understood her.

We also talk about self-disclosure in Corporate America, the need for baseline accommodations in the workplace, leading with empathy, shaping decision making and bravely and vulnerably paying it forward, because “You can’t remove stigma if you don’t actively support its removal”.

CW: We touch on themes of trauma, suicide and abuse.

Raven Gray is a primitive skills practitioner and experimental archaeologist, with more than 25 years’ experience in wilderness living and survival training. 

Raven was 55 when she discovered that she is autistic, and comes on the show to talk vulnerably and publicly for the first time about her life as an undiscovered autistic woman and her journey to her autistic awakening. 

The ugly duckling that wasn’t a swan, but actually a Raven, shares the impact of not knowing or understanding who she was for over 5 decades and how it has felt carrying the weight and shame of a neuronormative narrative, and why the light is now permanently on post discovery. 

CW - themes of self harm, addiction, trauma and abuse. 

Dr Kate West is an autistic and first-generation academic, author and autism activist. Kate read her DPhil (PhD) and MSc at the University of Oxford (funded by one of the UK’s most competitive academic scholarships) and her Law degree at the University of Edinburgh.

She has been awarded various academic prizes and an international academic Fellowship. She is now Senior Lecturer in Visual Criminology at Oxford Brookes University.

She comes on the show to shine a light on her late discovery and navigating the world as an autistic academic.

CW: contains content on 'disordered' eating and suicidal ideation.

We've compiled a 15 minute trailer with a couple of clips from S1 and S2 to give you a flavour of our show.

Clip 1 - S2 EP1

Clip 2  - S1 EP11

Clip 3 - S1 Ep3

Clip 4 - S1 Ep12

Clip 5  - S1 EP14

3 ways you can support the podcast and the work we do...

Jennifer Crawford is a chef, pro-wrestler, and feeler of big feelings. They grew up in Nova Scotia’s beautiful Annapolis Valley, and after more than a decade in Toronto and winning MasterChef Canada in 2019, they're home again.

When they’re not weaving challah in the kitchen, you might find them as Moon Miss in the wrestling ring at the Lion’s Club Arena, cooking for their experimental pro-wrestling supper club, or giving themselves brain freeze at the local ice cream stand. 

At 40, they were diagnosed as autistic. They recently celebrated 5 years sober, and their 42nd birthday.

In our final episode of Season one we have Catherine and Caty, the mum & daughter duo together on the podcast for the first time where they:

• Unpack season one
• Talk about the impact it had on them 
• Their stand out moments
• What it was really like editing and interviewing BTS of the podcast 
• Hopes for season 2
• Key takeaways 
• Where we are and what next 

3 ways you can support the podcast and the work we do...

Our guest on Episode 15 is Hazel Lim - a leading advocate in the campaign against the stigma associated with autism, with a focus on the cultural stigma within the Chinese community in the UK.

Living as a late discovered autistic minority in the UK, Hazel understands the struggles. She moved with her husband and three children to Swansea to study for an MSc in Autism and related Conditions at Swansea University, she then decided to make Wales a permanent home. 

Hazel founded the Chinese Autism Support Group in 2016, when she realised there was no support available – even nationally – for Chinese families. Since then she has worked tirelessly to engage with this vulnerable group of people, who were almost hiding themselves away due to the language barriers and the cultural stigma associated with autism. 

Our guest on Episode 14 is Ed Jenneson - a leading UK Employment Lawyer and Partner at GunnerCooke. The focus in this episode is a theme that has come up repeatedly in season one, and in our group support circles and in our community, and that is the need for neurodivergent affirming and inclusive workplaces.

Workplaces that feel safe places in which to self-disclose and request adjustments. Because without psychologically safe workplaces, we mask, and masking leads to burnout, and burnout massively affects our mental health. 

We chose Ed to come on because he is a leader in the field of employment law, has a particular interest in the Equality Act, specifically hidden disabilities and neurodivergent cases, and works for one of the fastest growing Law firms in the UK.

Ed is also late discovered, diagnosed 3 years ago with ADHD and two years ago with dyslexia, and he speaks publicly about his experience, as well as talking about the legal obligation to make reasonable adjustments in the workplace. Ed acts for employers and employees and is therefore used to using the Equality Act as both a sword or a shield, depending on his client.

The first half of this interview features Ed his own late discovery story, and in the second half we ask Ed the questions that our community members asked us to ask Ed, we talk everything from reasonable adjustments, self-advocacy, self-disclosure in the workplace, bullying, tribunals, the role of HR, and what neurodiversity affirming looks like and who is getting it right, with Ed drawing extensively on his insights and experiences in the cases he has led.

This episode is a must listen for anyone who is neurodivergent, and for employers, and HR professionals to learn from, and feel empowered to create inclusive cultures and to lead the change needed to ensure more neurodivergent affirming workplaces where we can thrive.

Our guest on Episode 13 is Kate Laine-Toner - an autistic trainer, speaker and author, she is also mother to an amazing neurodivergent child. 

In 2012, Kate founded the parent support charity Bristol Autism Support when she struggled to find support for her own daughter, and over the following 10 years helped to guide over 3,000 parents and carers on their autism journey, as well as navigating her own autistic self-discovery during that time. We talk on the podcast about her journey over the last 10 years to self-acceptance and rediscovery, and what finding acceptance at 50 as an autistic woman looks and feels like. 

In 2022 she was given a British Citizen Award for her services to the autism parenting community, and recently received the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service on behalf of the charity. She left the charity last year and now delivers training on a wide range of autism topics for parents and carers and also provides training on autism and neurodiversity for corporate, charity, medical and public attraction settings. 

Her book ‘Autism… Where Do I Start? A guide to managing the emotional aspects of autism parenting’ published by JKP will be out in September 2023.

Our guest on Episode 12 is Eliza Fricker

The first ever JKP instant Sunday Times bestseller with her new book ‘Can’t Not Won’t’ - which is a story about a child who couldn't go to school.

Eliza's blog, Missing the Mark began 3 years ago as an illustrated blog to help process all those difficult times of navigating the education system and everyday life with a child who can’t go to school - the shame, the upset, the confusion.

Her work is clearly focused on her family experience, and her experience as a mother, but today we explore Eliza, and her experience as a late discovered autistic woman, shining a light on her story, and how she wants to make a difference and be the change.

Our guest on Episode 11 is Krystle McGilvery

Krystle McGilvery is the award-winning Founder of Mind Over Money, a finance training and education consultancy, a Behavioural Finance specialist, Podcaster, Mentor and Coach. 

She combines finance and psychology to improve financial decision-making, confidence, and wellbeing. Krystle has worked with the likes of Equifax, Moonpig, and AllBright, appeared on ITV, featured in several papers such as the Telegraph, on Refinery29, and on BBC Radio. 

Krystle is also the Board Director of several charities, a Chartered Accountant, and Mental Health First Aider.

She joins Catherine to courageously shine a light on what is very much the beginning of her autistic late discovery.

Our guest on Episode 10 is Charlotte Bergslien, AKA 'The Spectrum Girl'.

Trigger Warning: This episode discusses self-harm, suicide, abuse, and trauma

After hitting a massive autistic (and ADHD) burnout at the age of 36, Charlotte started sharing about her experiences leading up to her burnout and of her current life since being diagnosed at 38.

Charlotte always felt different from those around her, and remembers always being very confused about how she could fit in among her peers. She remembers feeling bewildered all the time and wondering if there was something wrong with her because of how people would react to whatever she would say or do. 

She could tell she was different and thought differently from the rest, but couldn't figure out why. She taught herself to mask by observing others, in order to get by socially, and she did it so well that she almost erased her own true identity.

In the end, suppressing herself led to her becoming so burned out that she wanted to give up on life. She quit working, started intensive therapy during sick leave and started the process towards diagnosis and burnout recovery. Today at the age of 40 she is healing through connecting from her home in Oslo, Norway with people around the world who can relate to her story.

Now she wants to contribute to the autism community by breaking down the stereotypical image of autistic people that the media has built, and by reaching one person at a time maybe help others who were in a similar situation that she was in up until her burnout.

Tee Cee joins our host Catherine Asta for a compassionate conversation to shine a light on her Late Discovered Autism. 

A presenter, writer, and filmmaker - Tee Cee is known for her colourful style, youthful nature and passion for Caribbean heritage. 

Diagnosed autistic aged 27, Tee Cee publicly revealed her diagnosis for the first time in her most recent documentary ‘Too Autistic for Black’. 

Commissioned by Warner Bros. Discovery as part of their Black British Unspoken series for Discovery Plus, the documentary explores what it’s like to be Black, British, and marginalised in the autism discourse. 

In 2022, Tee Cee hosted at the Birmingham 2022 Festival as part of Commonwealth Games, presenting the daily cultural programme. The festival saw over 750,000 visitors from all over the UK, the largest cultural programme to have accompanied a Commonwealth Games. 

Skilled on and off screen, Tee Cee was nominated for the Royal Television Society’s Breakthrough Off-Screen Award for her stellar TV and digital concepts, including a 45-episode short-form series ‘No Offence But’ which was published weekly on BBC Three’s socials and the 6-part iPlayer dating intervention series ‘My Mate’s A Bad Date’. 

Outside of her TV career, Tee Cee can be found inspiring the next generation through professional speaking and digital content creation. She champions personal and professional development through her platform 'Not Your Average Girl', which supports young women in the TV and digital sector, and her passion for inclusive storytelling continues in her written work.  

Aged 16, she wrote and published her debut children’s book ‘Snow Black, the Seven Rastas and Other Short Stories’, which was re-released in 2019. 

Becky Davies joins our host Catherine Asta to shine a light on her late autism discovery at 38.

As a Detective Inspector, Becky has the privilege of looking after the people who deliver a public protection service to some of the most vulnerable members of our society.

Also a single mum with two beautiful children, it  was her experience of #postnataldepression that ignited her passion for improving the mental health landscape for others.

It was these co-occuring experiences of anxiety and depression that made up part of her own neurodivergent jigsaw puzzle.

Adverse experiences as an undiagnosed neurodivergent woman throughout her life led her to become an advocate for others and she became a police federation workplace representative in 2018, representing mostly neurodivergent women who seek her out for help.

Due to Becky’s neurodivergent abilities to analyse, spot patterns and gaps in service delivery, she has taken on strategic and national work to improve the policing response to both victims and offenders, and some of this work has been published by the College of Policing as national best practice.

These achievements have been possible partly due to a small number of fantastic supporters, but mainly her own grit and determination to overcome cognitive and communication differences and the challenges this creates.

Becky describes her neurodivergent journey as still being in its early stages - slowly understanding what it means for her, and getting others to try and understand too.

After 38 years in the dark, it will take a little time.

Victoria Matthews-Patel talks to our host Catherine Asta about her experience of years of mental and physical ill health, which all culminated in a breakdown in 2018, and how, with professional help she uncovered layers of hidden trauma, followed by her late discovered autism and ADHD aged 51.

Why her 25 years of work in the education and charity sectors as an early years teacher and a literacy and dyslexia specialist, working with people who were struggling and had low self-worth, along with being a trauma survivor and thriver, then led to her train as a ‘With Compassion’ coach championing women who grew up in emotionally dysfunctional families.

Victoria published her first book in January 2023 ‘It’s Not Just You – Making Sense of Life and Thriving After Growing Up in an Emotionally Dysfunctional Family’ where she writes about her trauma healing and the things she learned along the way.

Andrea Anderson talks to our host Catherine Asta about her late discovered autism aged 45, just as the world was turning on a pandemic axis - what followed were two years of her carefully constructed world unravelling.

How her many bouts of burnout during her 10 + years working in fast growing, dynamic fashion and digital businesses saw her leave her career at ASOS severely burnt out, and devoid of any belief in herself at all.

And how a lifelong curiosity about identity and understanding how humans ‘work’ coupled with discovering her autism made her mission – to create environments in which humans can thrive – finally fall into place.

Andrea is in the final stages of writing a book ‘This is who I am; A guide to thriving with late life autism discovery’ which will be published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers later on in 2023.

Our guest on Episode 3 is Toni B, creator and host of the podcast 'Autistic at 40'. 

After a lifetime of existential confusion, wondering if there was any place for her in this world, along with the pain and shame of knowing that she was different but never understanding *why* Toni stumbled by chance upon a YouTube video about autistic masking, just around the same time she was wondering whether it was possible to carry on living. 

It was in this way that Toni, a health policy professional, discovered she was autistic - at 40. Toni is now on a mission to share everything she has learned about her autistic life - for the purpose that some of it may help others make sense of their too.

Our guest on episode 2 is ex-Olympic Rower and Founder of Neurodiverse Sport, Caragh McMurtry. 

Caragh talks to host Catherine Asta about her late discovered autism diagnosis, how she was misdiagnosed as having bipolar disorder during what should have been the peak of her athletic career, and why she is now fiercely focused on changing the narrative around neuroinclusion and neurodiversity in sport through education, so that other neurodivergent athletes don’t suffer in the way she has. 

Our guest on our first ever episode is me, Catherine Asta, the Creator and Host of The Late Discovered Club.

Having always been the champion of other peoples stories, I thought it was time to champion some of my own story. In this first episode, it’s just me, bravely and vulnerably sharing some of my late discovery story with you. 

Because I want to lead this podcast by example, and it turns out I have quite a lot I want to say.

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