Episode 44

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Published on:

3rd Aug 2022

Episode 44: Adult Autism: Neurodivergent Insights [featuring Megan Neff]

I was diagnosed as Autistic at 35 years old. Adult Autism Diagnosis is becoming increasingly more common as we learn more about it and have more advocacy and awareness around it.

Adult Autism Diagnosis — How many of us have been overlooked, misunderstood, and searching for lifelong answers?

Dr. Megan Neff and I speak about our own experiences as autistic people and therapists, and how to build lives that work for us. We are hoping that people listening are able to feel validation, support, and acceptance.

Some of the things that we talk about:

  • Special Interests (my Garfield and beanie baby collection)
  • Our own experiences as autistic adults, mental health therapists, and entrepreneurs
  • Our own "ah-ha" moments
  • Misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis
  • Liberation and Grief behind diagnosis and understanding
  • "I'm around people I love but I just can't take it in."
  • "I can't enjoy things that are supposed to be enjoyable." – Megan
  • The paradox of masking — liberation vs. torturous exhaustion

More about Megan:

Dr. Megan Anna Neff has a doctorate in clinical psychology and is currently a psychology resident in private practice where she specializes in working with neurodivergent adults and provides neurodivergent affirming assessments. They are a parent to two neurodivergent children and in an inter-neuro partnership. She is a late-in-life diagnosed autistic-ADHDer who is passionate about educating the mental health field on non-stereotypical presentations of autism and ADHD.

Neff has co-authored two books, published in several peer-reviewed psychological journals and serves as a peer-reviewer for APA journals. She has a passion for research and for translating research into visualizations. You can also find their work on Instagram (@Neurodivergent_Insights) where they turn peer-reviewed academic articles into visual pixels one post at a time.

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Thanks to The Receptionist for iPad for sponsoring this episode.

The Receptionist for iPad is a HIPAA-ready digital check-in system that eliminates the need to walk back and forth from your office to the waiting room to see if your next appointment has arrived. Clients or patients can check in for their appointments, and you'll be immediately notified by text, email, or your preferred channel. Break free from interruptions and make the most of your time, because it is valuable. Start a free 14-day trial of the Receptionist for iPad by going to thereceptionist.com/privatepractice. Make sure to start your trial with that link to get your first month free if you decide to sign up.

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Mentioned in this episode:

The Receptionist for iPad

 The Receptionist for iPad is a HIPAA-ready digital check-in system that eliminates the need to walk back and forth from your office to the waiting room to see if your next appointment has arrived. Clients or patients can check in for their appointments, and you'll be immediately notified by text, email, or your preferred channel. Break free from interruptions and make the most of your time, because it is valuable. Start a free 14-day trial of the Receptionist for iPad by going to https://thereceptionist.com/privatepractice. Make sure to start your trial with that link to get your first month free if you decide to sign up.

Show artwork for The Neurodivergent Entrepreneur

About the Podcast

The Neurodivergent Entrepreneur
Honest conversations about building a business while Neurodivergent, the self-doubt, the chaos, and everything in between.
The Neurodivergent Entrepreneur is a podcast for ADHD, Autistic, and all other neurodivergent entrepreneurs who are building businesses, creative work, and lives that actually fit how their brains work. Hosted by Patrick Casale, LCMHC, this show is for people who
want to create meaningful work, create outside of the box, grow their impact, and build something sustainable without losing themselves in the process.

Being a neurodivergent entrepreneur can feel like holding a lot of contradictions at once. You may have big ideas, deep passion, creative energy, and a strong desire to do things differently. You may also be navigating burnout, masking, self-doubt, perfectionism, rejection sensitivity, executive dysfunction, inconsistent energy, and the pressure to keep showing up when your capacity is already stretched. This podcast speaks to that reality honestly, because building a business around your brain, your values, and your lived experience can be powerful, complicated, messy, and deeply personal.

Patrick Casale is a chronically ill, AuDHD, mental health therapist, entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, event host, group practice owner, and neurodivergent business owner who has built, grown, burned out, pivoted, and kept going. His work brings together clinical insight, lived experience, business perspective, and real conversation about what it actually takes to create something that feels values aligned. His conversations are direct, compassionate, unfiltered, and practical, with room for both the emotional reality of entrepreneurship and the concrete decisions that shape a sustainable business.

New episodes drop every Wednesday and feature honest conversations with neurodivergent entrepreneurs, creators, therapists, business owners, and leaders. Together, Patrick and his guests explore entrepreneurship, identity, mental health, chronic health,
creativity, leadership, systems, money mindset, visibility, community, sustainable growth, and the behind-the-scenes reality of creating work that matters.

Build your dream business. Protect your capacity. Work with your brain instead of against it.