How Julie Discovered Her Autism Through Burnout and Books
In this episode, Angela speaks with Julie Farrell about recognising her autism through burnout, writing communities, and finally seeing herself reflected in other Autistic women’s stories.
In this meeting of The Late Diagnosis Club, Dr Angela Kingdon welcomes Julie Farrell, a late-diagnosed Autistic and ADHD writer, activist, and co-founder of The Inklusion Guide, a resource dedicated to making literature events accessible to disabled people.
Julie shares her slow, layered journey toward understanding her neurodivergence — from burnout, migraines, and chronic illness labels, to finding herself mirrored in Autistic writers like Katherine May, to sobbing through the documentary Seeing the Unseen and finally knowing in her bones.
Together, Angela and Julie explore masking, shutdowns mislabelled as anxiety, CPTSD, creative identity, freelance work as nervous system regulation, and the relief of receiving a diagnosis in a supportive, affirming environment. They also talk about ADHD medication, menstrual cycle titration, EMDR therapy, and what it feels like to “precipitate out of the hot goo” and become solid for the first time.
This episode is also about Autistic joy — about stars, navigation, grief, and how Julie’s late father taught her to look up at the night sky and find her way.
🎧 Listen to this episode:
🪑 Attendees
Chair: Dr Angela Kingdon — Author, community-builder, and Autistic advocate
Guest: Julie Farrell — Writer, activist, and late-diagnosed Autistic & ADHD woman
You: The Listener!
🗒️ Meeting Agenda
Opening remarks from the Chair
Member introduction: Burnout, writing communities, and slow recognition
Discussion: Masking, shutdowns, and anxiety misdiagnosis
Chronic illness labels, brain fog, and nervous system overwhelm
Self-identification, late ADHD discovery and medication
Creativity, rejection sensitivity, and publishing Someone Like Me
Key learnings
Club announcements
🧾 Minutes from the Meeting
1️⃣ Opening Remarks
Angela introduces Julie as a writer whose work reclaims Autistic narrative and centres accessibility, creativity, and late discovery. The conversation begins with the power of anthologies — reading other Autistic women’s work and realising, “Oh. That wasn’t just me.”
2️⃣ Member Introduction: Julie’s Story
Julie traces her recognition back to 2018, when she ran a co-writing group in Edinburgh and befriended an openly Autistic man who spoke about burnout cycles. At the time, she didn’t see herself in autism — she was high masking and had internalized generalized anxiety and fibromyalgia diagnoses.
Reading Wintering by Catherine May and later reviewing the documentary Seeing the Unseen became turning points. She describes sobbing at the end of the film and knowing, finally, that she was Autistic.
3️⃣ Discussion Highlights
Masking & shutdowns: Nonverbal shutdowns misinterpreted as panic attacks
Misdiagnosis: Anxiety and fibromyalgia concealing Autistic burnout
Burnout at 30: Months unable to leave the sofa; repeated medical dismissal
Self-ID vs formal diagnosis: The emotional weight of both
Being believed: “Are you telling me I’m not stupid?”
ADHD discovery: Hyperactivity, career misalignment, and paid assessment
Medication: Titration and menstrual cycle adjustments
Publishing: Invited to contribute to Someone Like Me
Grief & stars: Writing about her father, navigation, and expansive belonging
4️⃣ Key Learnings
Burnout cycles can be mistaken for anxiety
Masking can delay self-recognition for years
Diagnosis can dissolve lifelong shame
Medication can reshape creative capacity
Freelance work can be nervous system care
Autistic joy often lives in special interests
📌 Notice Board
📣 Club Announcements
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🎙️ 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, Eleanor Collins, Emily Griffiths, Hannah Hughes, Jennifer Kemp, Jonas Fløde, Kate F, Katie N Benitez, Kendra Murphy, Lisa Dennys, Logan Wall, Louise Lomas, Melissa Nance, Nicola Owen, Rebecka Johansson, Sam Morris, Sarah Hannah Morris.