How Nyck Stopped Forcing a Life That Didn’t Fit After a Late Autism Diagnosis
In this meeting of The Late Diagnosis Club, Dr Angela Kingdon welcomes Nyck Walsh, who shares how a lifetime of feeling different led to a deeper understanding of themselves as Neurodivergent
In this meeting of The Late Diagnosis Club, Dr Angela Kingdon welcomes Nyck Walsh, writer, therapist, and advocate, who shares their journey to identifying as Autistic and ADHD later in life.
Nyck reflects on growing up feeling fundamentally different — navigating school, relationships, and work without the language to understand why things felt harder than they seemed for others. Like many late-identified adults, they developed ways to cope, adapt, and push through, often at the expense of their own well-being.
It wasn’t until adulthood, through a combination of burnout, reflection, and exposure to neurodivergent experiences, that Nyck began to recognise themselves, leading to a deeper understanding of their needs, identity, and way of being.
This is a conversation about unlearning, self-acceptance, and choosing a different way forward.
🎧 Listen to this episode:
🪑 Attendees
Chair: Dr Angela Kingdon — Author, community-builder, and Autistic advocate
Guest: Nyck Walsh — Writer, therapist, and AuDHD advocate
You: The Listener!
🗒️ Meeting Agenda
Opening remarks from the Chair
Member introduction: Lifelong difference
Discussion: Masking and adaptation
Burnout and turning points
Late identification journey
Self-trust and unlearning
Identity and authenticity
Building a life that fits
Key learnings
Club announcements
🧾 Minutes from the Meeting
1️⃣ Opening Remarks
Angela introduces Nyck Walsh and reflects on the shared experience of reaching adulthood before having the language to understand oneself.
2️⃣ Member Introduction: Nyck’s Story
Nyck describes a lifelong sense of being different, not quite fitting into expected social, academic, or professional norms.
Without a framework for Autism or ADHD, they developed strategies to cope, often masking their natural responses and pushing themselves to meet external expectations.
Over time, this led to burnout and a growing awareness that something deeper needed to be understood.
Through reflection and exposure to neurodivergent experiences, Nyck began to recognise themselves, leading to a process of late identification and self-understanding.
3️⃣ Discussion Highlights
Lifelong difference: Feeling out of sync with others from an early age
Masking: Adapting behaviour to meet expectations
Internal pressure: Pushing through despite difficulty
Burnout: The cost of long-term masking
Late identification: Recognition through reflection and community
Self-trust: Learning to listen to internal needs
Unlearning: Letting go of harmful narratives
Identity shift: Moving toward authenticity
Environment fit: Designing life around needs
Coaching perspective: Supporting others through similar journeys
4️⃣ Key Learnings
You can feel different long before you understand why.
Masking can delay recognition but comes at a cost.
Burnout is often a turning point toward self-understanding.
Late identification can open the door to self-trust.
Unlearning is as important as learning.
Building a life that fits is a process, not a moment.
📌 Notice Board
Neurodivergent Somatics in Therapy: an anti-oppressive model for whole person care - Nyck’s book - For book orders in Europe and Asia
Nyck’s book - For book orders in the US
The discount code is WN357 and offers a 30% discount on both the print and ebook when ordered through our site.
nyckwalsh.com
📣 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.
📌 Check the LDC Notice Board for Member Contributions
💜 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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🎙️ 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.