The Squarepeg Podcast Amy Richards

Rose Matthews is an Autism Researcher, peer reviewer, consultant, presenter, trainer, and writer from Durham in the UK. 
Now 64, they first realised they might be autistic at 58 - and finally ‘found the answer to a lifetime of confusion’. Their long journey to diagnosis included an extremely varied career, leaving their marriage, living apart from their children, and being arrested and detained in a police cell following a ‘catastrophic’ meltdown.
In recent years they have gone from a job as a crossing guard to their current role as an autism researcher. They are interested in exploring the autistic experience of motherhood, menopause, retirement, death and dying. 
In our conversation we talk about:
➡ How clothing and fabrics are important to Rose’s self expression and their sensory experience
➡ The 'catastrophic’ meltdown that led to a traumatic night in a police cell - and a very useful and important piece of advice about the legal process
➡ Their decision to leave their young children with their father in their thirties, and how their autism diagnosis has helped them to forgive and heal the past
➡ Their research into autistic people's experience of menopause 
➡ Autism and ageing, and their experience of what they describe as the ‘transcendence, reinvention and self discovery’ of post-menopause.
 
CONTENT WARNING: 
Two very brief references to suicide (not explored in any detail)
Rose talks about an experience of sexual assault at approx. 37 mins in, for about 2 mins.
 
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:
Rose’s website: www.rosematthewsresearch.com 
Their LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rose-matthews/
Their Twitter account: https://twitter.com/NortherlyRose 
Bridging the Silos Autistic Menopause study: www.AutisticMenopause.com
Bridging the Silos Autistic Menopause Study: First published paper: 
https://journals.sagepub.com/home/aut
Science on the Spectrum (the research by Dr Rachel Moseley that Rose mentions): https://www.scienceonthespectrum.net/ 
Information on autism and menopause from the National Autistic Society: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/physical-health/menopause 
 
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, B Martinez, Basia, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Beth Kelly Herbert, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Cathy Oliver,  Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Corrine L. McDermid, DK, 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, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jess Dwyer, Jo, Julie, Karen, Karin Parker, Katarzyna Tomas

Dani Rodwell is a licensed Clinical Social Worker, therapist, and Co-founder of NeuroSpark Health. She lives in New Jersey, USA. 
She has worked in the field of autism and neurodevelopmental conditions for over 7 years - including working with neurodivergent youth, a brief period in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), then internships at The Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health, in mental health programming for neurodivergent adults and a support group for parents of neurodivergent adult children.
Now 29, Dani self-identified as autistic for five years, before being informally diagnosed in 2023. 
 
In our conversation we talk about:
 
➡ Advocating for herself and others, and the support within the ND community
➡ How she ended up being referred to a psychiatrist as a preteen, diagnosed with Oppositional Defiance Disorder and how her experiences and treatment ended with her being sent to a so-called 'therapeutic' boarding school for troubled teens
➡ Her short lived experience of using the controversial ABA with children, and later of working with adult ABA survivors with high support needs in residential settings
➡ Why she loves her current work providing autism assessments, therapy and support through Neurospark
 
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:
Website: https://www.neurosparkhealth.com/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neurosparkhealth/ 
 
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, B Martinez, Basia, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Beth Kelly Herbert, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Cathy Oliver,  Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Corrine L. McDermid, DK, 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, Hannah Breslin, Heather Peake, Hegatronix, Jackie Allen, Jayne Hutchinson, Jeff Goldman, Jen Bartlett, Jess Dwyer, Jo, Julie, Karin Parker, Katarzyna Tomaszewska, Kate and Kathryn, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine, Katherine Lynch, Kathy Crabbe, Ken K, Laura, Laurin Aman, Leo Ricketts, Lesley McKenzie, Lilli Simmons, Linda Brown, Lisa, Lisa Joy Powley, Liz, LQ, Lyb, Lynn Vieira, Mandy Allen, Marjory Webber, Martine, Melissa Shaw, Meredith L. Freyre, Monica Toohey, Monique Francis, NC, Pete Burke, Rebecca, Rebecca Biegel, Sadie Slater, Sandy Ladkin, Sarah Ivinson, Sarah Jeffrey, Sarah Musgrave, 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 becom

Nigel Rising is the Founder and CEO of Autistic Women Emerging, a charity that aims to change the lives of undiagnosed and newly diagnosed autistic women. The charity was born out of her own personal struggle with depression and suicidal ideation, and it is her hope to help prevent autistic women taking their lives because they believe they are bad people, or a burden to others. 
Nigel says: “My post-diagnosis journey has become a mission to understand and address why it took so long to discover why I had suffered a lifetime of painful isolation and loneliness. I cannot bear the thought that there are other people in the world right now experiencing the same dark pain I felt. I want other Autistic women to know that they are not alone in the pain, loneliness and isolation they feel when they are experiencing suicidal ideation.”
Nigel was born in Germany to a military family, raised in Texas, and now lives in Denver, Colorado, in the United States. Her MENSA-level intelligence led to a corporate career, but her social limitations and heavy masking took their toll. Now 53, she was diagnosed autistic with ADHD in early 2023. 
 
We talk about:
➡ The impact of her indigenous American upbringing, religious schooling, and her dad's military background
➡ Masking, hierarchies, her difficulties forming relationships, and her experience of suicidal ideation
➡ Her experience of asking for accommodations in a new role as an openly autistic person
➡ Her growing sense of autistic pride and community after a lifetime of not fitting in anywhere, and the conference for Autistic women she is running in Denver in October 2024, called Autistica Palooza.
 CONTENT WARNING: Suicidal ideation. Nigel talks at some length about this, from around 0:48 minutes in to around 0:58, so if you don’t want to hear about this topic, you might want to skip this section 
 
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:
Nigel’s website:https://autisticwomenemerging.org/ 
Autistica Palooza event page: https://autisticapalooza.com 
Her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-rising-esq-b874902aa/ 
Referenced article on suicide and suicidal ideation in autistic people from the National Autistic Society: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/suicide-research 
Warning signs of suicide in autistic people: https://988lifeline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Warning-Signs-Resource-Sept-2021-2.pdf
Autism in Heels, by Jennifer Cook: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Autism-Heels-Untold-Female-Spectrum/dp/1510758690 
 
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, B Martinez, Basia, Becky Beasley, Ben Davies, Beth Kelly Herbert, Carly Melling, Caroline, Cat Preston, Cathy Oliver,  Catrin Green, Charlotte Keen, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, DK, Dana Bradley, Danielle Warby, Debora

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:
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.

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 communi

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 

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.patr