How Derek Put ‘Autistic, ADHD’ In His Email Signature And Thrived
In this episode, Angela speaks with Derek Crager about his journey from burnout to belonging — finding safety, purpose, and pride in a late autism diagnosis at 50.
In this meeting of The Late Diagnosis Club, Dr. Angela Kingdon welcomes technologist and advocate Derek Crager, who discovered he was Autistic and ADHD at age 50 — after decades of burnout, masking, and surviving unsafe workplaces.
Derek shares how that late diagnosis changed everything: his relationships, his leadership at Amazon, and his mission to build Pocket Mentor, a voice-based AI tool that helps real humans — not “ideal employees” — get the support they need in the moment they need it.
🎧 Listen to this episode:
🪑 Attendees
Chair: Dr Angela Kingdon — Author, community-builder, and Autistic advocate
Guest: Derek Crager — Autistic/ADHD technologist, founder of Pocket Mentor, and author of Human First AI
You: The Listener!
🗒️ Meeting Agenda
Opening remarks from the Chair
Member introduction: Derek’s 10-year road to diagnosis
Discussion: Work, masking, and Autistic safety
Key learnings from the meeting
Club announcements
🧾 Minutes from the Meeting
1️⃣ Opening Remarks
Angela opens the meeting by reminding listeners:
“You’re allowed to take ten years to get here. We saved you a seat.”
2️⃣ Member Introduction: Derek’s Story
Derek describes decades of dangerous job sites and social isolation before finally receiving his AuDHD diagnosis at 50. Realising his brain wasn’t broken — just wired for depth and precision — permitted him to stop apologising for his curiosity.
3️⃣ Discussion Highlights
From Surviving to Designing: How Derek turned his late diagnosis into an advantage at work.
Human-First AI: Building tech that adapts to people, not the other way around.
Autistic Belonging: Creating relationships and workplaces that honour honesty and safety..
4️⃣ Key Learnings
Late diagnosis brings clarity, not limitation.
Autistic design principles benefit everyone.
Authenticity at work is psychological safety in action.
🔗 Links
New Book: https://www.humanfirstai.net (Free Chapter)
📣 Club Announcements
🎧 The Late Diagnosis Club is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.
💬 Join our online meetups and community at latediagnosis.club.
💜 There is a small charge — but no one is turned away for lack of funds.
💌 Want To Be Our Next Guest?
If you’ve been nodding along and thinking, “That could be my story,” we want to hear from you.
We’re always looking for late-diagnosed or self-identified neurodivergent adults who are ready to share their story on The Late Diagnosis Club.
Tell us a little about yourself and your diagnosis journey here:
💜 Whether you’ve just realised you’re Autistic, ADHD, dyslexic, or you’re still figuring it out — your story belongs here. We’ve saved you a seat.
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Included with Autistic Culture Plus
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🎙️ Fund neurodivergent creators — paying Autistic hosts, editors, and producers for their work
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💡 Build an ecosystem of culture, not pathology — where being Autistic is celebrated, not “treated”
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For less than the price of a coffee, you help sustain a growing network that’s 100% by and for neurodivergent people — ensuring that Autistic stories, creativity, and brilliance reach the audiences they deserve.
Joining isn’t just a subscription.
It’s solidarity. Visibility. Community in action.
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A huge thank-you to our founding supporters of Autistic Culture Plus, who believed in this network before it even launched.
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These members form the foundation of the Autistic Culture Podcast Network, and you’ll see their names credited at the end of our shows and on our website.
🎙️ Executive Producers
Amy Burns, Anamaria B Call, Andrew Banner, Anna Goodson, Ashley Apelzin, Audrea Volker, Ben Coulson, Brian Churcek, Cappy Hamper, Carley Biblin, Charlene Deva, Chloe Cross, Clay Duhigg, Clayton Oliver, Danny Dunn, Daria Brown, David Garrido, Emily Burgess, Eric Crane, Erik Stenerud, Fiona Baker, Grace Norman, Helen Shaddock, Jaimie Collins, Jason Killian, Jen Unruh, Jennifer Carpenter, Julia Tretter, Kathie Watson-Gray, Kenneth Knowles, Kira Cotter, Kristine Lang, Kyle Raney, Llew P Williams, Laura Alvarado, Laura De Vito, Laura Provonsha, Lily George, Nelly Darmi, Nigel Rogers, Rachel Miller, Tim Scott, Tyler Kunz, Victoria Steed, Yanina Wood.
🎧 Producers
AJ Knight, Bobby Simon, Da Kovac, Katie N Benitez, Kate F, Kendra Murphy, Louise Lomas, Nicola Owen.
I relate to a lot of what you said and love that you mentioned Ann Landers and Dear Abby - I faithfully read them too. And... I now know what Honk if you want a pizza means too. LOL