Autistic Adults Deserve Relationship Education: Consent, Dating & Boundaries

"You're in graduate school." "You're in a long-term relationship." "You can carry a conversation." Okay—but at what cost? In this episode of Adulting with Autism, I talk with Ryn Rising, a queer, trans, neurodivergent counselor and coach who supports adults navigating late autism and ADHD identification, burnout, masking, identity, and relationships. Their practice offers counseling for Oregon residents and coaching for clients worldwide. Ryn shares how burnout during graduate school led them to seek an autism assessment and reconsider an earlier bipolar diagnosis. We explore why being able to perform, achieve, or connect socially does not reveal how much effort that performance requires. Ryn also introduces GRAVY: Gentleness, Rest and recovery, Accommodations, Vital needs, and Your joy. It is their personal framework for bringing more compassion, practical support, and recovery into a life where work, finances, and caregiving cannot simply disappear. We talk about small changes, rebuilding self-trust, welcoming a client's "no," different processing needs in relationships, and Ryn's experience of moving abroad. This conversation is for anyone who has finally found language for their experience—and is now asking, "How do I build a life that actually makes room for me?" Content note: Discussion of mental-health misdiagnosis, medical harm, identity-related stress, and political concerns. In This Episode, We Cover Ryn's experience of burnout in high school and graduate school.

What does helpful therapy look like when the goal is not simply more eye contact, fewer autistic traits, or appearing more comfortable than you actually feel? In this episode of Adulting with Autism, I talk with autistic psychotherapist and author Sean Inderbitzen about feeling stuck, rumination, body awareness, connection, and the importance of having a real voice in your own care. Sean introduces the approach he calls applied neural exercises: practices that invite curiosity and nonjudgmental attention to bodily experience. We discuss his use of polyvagal theory as a therapeutic framework, while exploring a broader question: what does this particular person want help with, and how will we know whether the support is working? We also talk about masking in context, sensory environments, basic needs, and why an approach that helps one person may not fit another. During the conversation, I demonstrate the movement I use while interviewing—and we notice what happens when I pay attention to how it feels. One of the most useful questions from the episode is one you can bring to a prospective therapist: "How do you respond when a client tells you that you're wrong?" Because support should include room to disagree, correct a misunderstanding, change direction, and say when something is not helping. Content note: This conversation includes grief, trauma, and brief discussion of suicidal thoughts and a potentially distressing clinical example. In This Episode, We Cover Sean's experience as an autistic psychotherapist and author.

What does helpful therapy look like when the goal is not simply more eye contact, fewer autistic traits, or appearing more comfortable than you actually feel? In this episode of Adulting with Autism, I talk with autistic psychotherapist and author Sean Inderbitzen about feeling stuck, rumination, body awareness, connection, and the importance of having a real voice in your own care. Sean introduces the approach he calls applied neural exercises: practices that invite curiosity and nonjudgmental attention to bodily experience. We discuss his use of polyvagal theory as a therapeutic framework, while exploring a broader question: what does this particular person want help with, and how will we know whether the support is working? We also talk about masking in context, sensory environments, basic needs, and why an approach that helps one person may not fit another. During the conversation, I demonstrate the movement I use while interviewing—and we notice what happens when I pay attention to how it feels. One of the most useful questions from the episode is one you can bring to a prospective therapist: "How do you respond when a client tells you that you're wrong?" Because support should include room to disagree, correct a misunderstanding, change direction, and say when something is not helping. Content note: This conversation includes grief, trauma, and brief discussion of suicidal thoughts and a potentially distressing clinical example. In This Episode, We Cover Sean's experience as an autistic psychotherapist and author.

I thought I would spend my career treating patients, become a director of rehab, and eventually retire. Apparently, life had other plans. In this solo episode of Adulting with Autism, I'm sharing what I have learned about becoming an entrepreneur while working full-time as an occupational therapist—and why you do not need a business degree or a perfect plan before you explore an idea. I started this podcast because I was frustrated by the lack of resources for my autistic son as he entered adulthood. I knew the problem I wanted to address. Running a podcast as a business? That part I had to learn. We're talking about doing too much, trying to be on every platform, buying equipment before you need it, comparing yourself to established creators, setting interview boundaries, and figuring out which services are actually worth paying for. I also share how I use ChatGPT—yes, her name is Shonda—to organize ideas and support my workflow, along with the deeply unfortunate moment I copied our entire conversation into a professional email. Including the profanity. This is not a blueprint for overnight success. It is an honest look at starting small, making mistakes, protecting your capacity, asking questions, and building systems that help you function instead of just making you look productive. In This Episode, We Cover Why my original career plan did not include becoming a podcast entrepreneur.

What if healthy living did not require following the latest trend, tolerating someone else's workout music, or pretending every day comes with the same amount of energy? In this episode of Adulting with Autism, I talk with Jimmy Clare, an autistic keynote speaker, autism advocate, podcaster, livestream host, and founder of CrazyFitnessGuy. He created the platform to share healthy living through autistic eyes, with an emphasis on practical support rather than pressure or perfection.crazyfitnessguy+1 Jimmy shares how exercise became part of his response to years of bullying, why sensory details matter in movement, and how he uses reminders, distraction blockers, and his most productive hours to structure his work. He also gets honest about what he has not figured out yet: adapting to pain, changing capacity, medication side effects, and difficult days. We discuss reducing expectations when you are unwell, finding enjoyable activities, communicating concerns to healthcare professionals, and stepping away from comparison. Jimmy speaks from lived experience—not as a certified fitness professional. This episode explores his personal approach to wellness, not an exercise prescription or individualized medical advice. In This Episode, We Cover Jimmy's work as a speaker, advocate, podcast host, and founder of CrazyFitnessGuy.