{BONUS} Alyssa Washington: clarity on the physical side of autism, language for my emotional experiences, and validation

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 Alyssa Washington, a coach, speaker and author from Canada, who now lives in South East Asia. I first talked with Alyssa in Series 2, Episode 1 about the connection between autism and physical health conditions. In this bonus recording she talks to me about getting clarity on the physical components of her autism, finding the language for her emotional experiences, and finding the validation that she’s not broken or dysfunctional. 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: http://perceptiontrainers.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpJgJR2GCrNjMTPtVZAHGKg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/perceptiontrainers/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliyah_pt/   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: Corinne Cariad, Katharine Richards, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Sarah Hardy 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