AUTISTIC PRESENCE
Support for Autistic Women
If your experience as an autistic woman has been anything like mine, you know what it’s like to feel bewildered and overwhelmed by a world not set up for your thriving.
Because girls and women are conditioned to be nice and to accommodate others before ourselves, our authentic self-expression has often been masked by our efforts to be sweet and well-behaved, aiming to earn approval from others.
Perhaps others got to benefit from our efforts to fit in, but we know that all the masking has taken a huge toll on us: the burnout, the exhaustion, the loneliness, the grief of not getting to be our true selves.
Adding to the emotional processing load for many of us is the weight of not having known we were autistic until late in life because our traits went unnoticed, or were labeled in girlhood as too demanding, too sensitive, or too stubborn.
The truth is, we aren’t “too” anything. Misunderstood, maybe, but too much of anything? No way.
Who are we, then?
We are deeply sensitive feelers. Talented, empathetic leaders. Brilliant thinkers. Organized, reliable, creative, inventive single women, married women, moms, grandmothers, sisters, daughters, healers, scientists, entrepreneurs, authors, students, teachers, and guides. The list goes on and on. There are as many versions of us as there are stars in the sky.
But what is common, is that we are right to be who we are: stewards of a neurotype that is vital to human flourishing and evolution.
Who we are, is a gift.
And being around other autistic women can help you remember that.
If you’re seeking community, understanding, or strategies for more fulfilling and sustainable ways to live as an autistic woman, you’re in the right place. There are three ways to work with me; I’d love to meet you. I invite you to scroll down to view ways we can work together.
One on one coaching
for autistic women
If you’re looking for some additional support, I’ve opened a few spots for one-on-one Internal Family Systems (IFS) - informed coaching. IFS has been the most respectful, gentle, compassionate, and impactful modality I’ve ever used in my healing journey, and I’m thrilled to be able to now offer it to others.
Autism and
the menstrual cycle
free discussion group
Autistic people benefit from consistency and predictability, so the ever changing rhythms of a woman's body can be one more overwhelming challenge to navigate in a world full of overwhelming challenges.
But if we become students of our menstrual cycles, we can better learn how they operate, and what we need at each phase. In turn, this knowledge can help us heal from burnout, and help us protect ourselves against the severity of future burnouts.
Come together in community with those who share the experiences of autism and menstruation in an opportunity to learn from each other, and to be seen, known, and valued.
At each meeting, we read an approximately 15 minute excerpt from Wild Power by Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer, published by Hay House UK.
Audio version plays, and the Kindle version displays simultaneously, for all to follow along. Afterwards, the group opens for discussion and sharing.
Please leave 90 minutes; the meeting length depends on the size of the group and the number of shares. Maximum group size is 15.
All those who menstruate or have menstruated are welcome.
Thank you to Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer of the Red School for permission to include the book.
Autistic women
Free Discussion Group
Come together in community with other autistic women to share experiences, learn from each other, and be seen, known, and valued.
Each month we join on Zoom to explore one or more aspects of the autistic experience in depth, with an emphasis on how we experience autism as women, and how our experiences may present differently from men’s due to gender conditioning.
In April we’ll be reading an approximately 15 minute excerpt about sensory issues from Looking After Your Autistic Self by Niamh Garvey, published by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.
Audio version will play, and the Kindle version will display simultaneously, for all to follow along. Afterwards, the group will open for discussion and sharing.
Please leave 90 minutes; the meeting length will depend on the size of the group and the number of shares. Maximum group size is 15.
Thank you to Niamh Garvey for permission to include the book.
