Adulting with Autism

"You can be your authentic self at work."
A lot of autistic young adults were told that—and then hit the real world: code-switching, tone policing, vague bias, and pressure to mask just to keep a paycheck.
In this episode of Adulting With Autism, April talks with Nadine Jones—attorney, former head of legal for a multi‑billion‑dollar corporation, consultant, and mom of a child on the spectrum—about what corporate America actually looks like for neurodivergent employees… and how to protect yourself while still building a life.
This is a practical, no-fluff conversation about safety, strategy, and what to do when inclusion exists on paper but not in practice.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Why Nadine believes corporate America isn't ready for the wave of neurodivergent talent (but will have to adapt)
The real question of "code-switching": should employees adapt—or should companies learn to accommodate?
How direct autistic communication gets misread as rude or insubordinate, and what leaders can do to distinguish style vs "poor fit" vs bias
Disclosure realities: why some people don't disclose (and what that means: being held to neurotypical standards)
how disclosure can create legal protection under the ADA once you're employed
why disclosure during applications can feel like a catch‑22

What "accommodations" can look like in real life: breaks, lighting, processing time, communication clarity, tools/tech supports
A story-based look at "quirky" coworkers (knitting to self-regulate, jumping into conversations) and how teams can learn to accommodate instead of judging
The family/community education gap (including cultural dynamics) and why "little" supports (yes, even dino nuggets) can prevent major meltdowns and increase belonging
How to spot workplace microaggressions: harsher tone toward you vs others
exclusion from meetings
only negative feedback / no praise
different standards depending on "who submits the work"

How to document discrimination so you have options: write it down immediately (contemporaneous notes carry more weight)
track dates, times, quotes, witnesses, patterns
why "but did you document it?" is the legal department's first question

A hard truth about HR: HR protects the organization, not you—how to think about HR strategically
What companies often get wrong about DEI: why DEI survives when it's tied to business outcomes and the bottom line
what happens when it's treated as a "checkbox" or only as social good

Practical guidance for the "paycheck vs safety" dilemma: how to quietly job search
how to reset your nervous system on weekends
when to choose peace over the paycheck
severance/COBRA considerations and creating a buffer when you can

Connect with Nadine:
LinkedIn: Nadine Jones / General Counsel Support Services
Email: [email protected] (no "s" on service)
IG/TikTok: GC Support Insights (handle may appear as @gcsupportinsights)
Facebook: General Counsel Support Services
If you're entering the workforce and you want both dignity and stability, this episode gives you language, legal reality, and next steps.

Mindfulness isn't "clear your mind," sit perfectly still, and magically become calm.
In this episode of Adulting With Autism, April talks with Dr. Holly Rogers—psychiatrist and long-time leader in college student mental health—about what mindfulness actually is, why Gen Z is experiencing such high anxiety, and how neurodivergent young adults can use mindfulness to prevent overwhelm without turning it into another performance task.
Dr. Rogers developed a mindfulness curriculum for college students that's now taught at 300+ colleges worldwide, and she breaks it down in a way that makes sense for real life: busy brains, sensory differences, burnout cycles, and "I tried it and it didn't work."
In this episode, you'll learn:
Why young adulthood is uniquely stressful: uncertainty, constant transitions, and major life decisions
How technology can leave us over-connected online and under-connected in real life (and what that does to the nervous system)
What mindfulness is: present-moment awareness with friendly curiosity (not self-judgment)
What mindfulness is not: stopping thoughts, forcing stillness, or "doing it perfectly"
Why apps alone rarely create a lasting practice for beginners—and why community + a live teacher improves follow-through
The "minimum effective dose": research suggests 10 minutes/day can make a meaningful difference
What mindfulness helps with: sleep, anxiety, emotion regulation, resilience, and creating a pause between feeling and reacting
Alternative entry points for neurodivergent people: anchors using sound, sight, or breath
movement-based options
what to do if interoceptive awareness (body sensing) is hard

A burnout-friendly model: comfort zone → stretch zone → overwhelm how mindfulness helps you notice when you're approaching overwhelm early enough to reset

Purpose without pressure: avoiding "purpose paralysis" and living with purpose through integrity, kindness, attention, and connection
Reframing non-linear timelines: "it takes as long as it takes," and self-criticism makes everything harder
For anyone who thinks they "failed" at mindfulness: you didn't fail—your first method just didn't fit yet
Resources mentioned:
Website + free guided meditations + programs: MIEA.com
Free online meditation community: Dr. Rogers' Wednesday Meditation Circle (1st & 3rd Wednesdays)
Books: The Mindful 20-Something (2nd edition coming soon) and Mindfulness for the Next Generation
If your nervous system is fried from school, work, social navigation, or autistic burnout—and "mindfulness" sounds like a scam—this episode gives you a realistic starting point.

Ever go from "fine" to flooded in seconds—tight chest, racing thoughts, defensive tone—and then say things you regret?
That's not a character flaw. It's a brain hijack.
In this episode of Adulting With Autism, April talks with Diane McDowell, relationship coach (therapist-trained) and creator of the Brain to Heart Code, about what happens when your survival brain decides your partner is "dangerous"—and how to interrupt the hijack before it blows up your relationship.
This one is especially relevant for autistic and neurodivergent adults who live in the "preemptive flinch," scan constantly for threat, and mask as calm on the outside while shutting down internally.
In this episode, you'll learn:
What a brain hijack is (and why a slow text reply or a sigh can feel like a tiger chasing you)
Diane's 3-part model: End the hijack
Create safety that lasts
Return to you (honesty, self-trust, speaking your truth)

Why communication skills and "mindset work" fail when you're dysregulated: your prefrontal cortex goes offline
The most common hijack signals: chest pressure, changed breathing, clenched jaw/shoulders, racing thoughts, believing your story is 100% true
The "blue hair" rule: why defensiveness often shows up when you fear there's a smidge of truth (and how to use that as information)
How to shift from reacting to curiosity (self-curious + other-curious), including Diane's "sentence stems" to keep your tone grounded
How to work with bracing (and why focusing on "what do I need?" helps more than looping on "why am I like this?")
A micro-practice for rewiring: rehearse skills 5x/day (wake up, meals, bedtime) so you can access them when activated
What self-leadership means in conflict: stop spending your "brain juice" trying to control someone else—lead your nervous system instead
Why "self-sabotage" is often your body overprotecting (like an overzealous guard dog)—and how to soothe it without shame
How to speak your truth without demanding an apology, plus Diane's reframe on when apologies matter
Partner support without becoming a therapist: code words, noticing cues, time-outs, and not "shooting" each other mid-hijack
Boundaries that actually work: self-action boundaries ("If you yell, I will leave the room/house/end the call")
A core reframe for shame: you are 100% lovable, valuable, and worthy—and relationships improve when you stop performing to prove it
Free resources + quiz + mini-class: EmotionalSafetyCo.com (Free Resources tab)
If you've ever thought "I'm too reactive to be loved," this episode is your reminder: you're not broken—you're hijacked. And you can learn to come back to yourself.

If KPIs, OKRs, and vague performance reviews make you feel like you're constantly proving yourself—and still never "doing it right"—this episode will click.
April is joined by Radhika Dutt (electrical engineer, startup builder, author of Radical Product Thinking, and an ADHD-identified leader) to unpack why goals and targets often backfire, crush curiosity, and fuel burnout—especially for neurodivergent brains that thrive on meaning, pattern-finding, and problem-solving.
Instead of "hit this number," Radhika introduces a different way to work (and lead): puzzle setting + puzzle solving, using her OLA framework—a practical method you can apply in corporate, healthcare, education, and everyday life.
In this episode, you'll learn:
What OKRs and KPIs actually are—and why they often create performance theater instead of real progress
How target culture trains people to hide "bad numbers," making leaders the last to know when something is wrong
Why goal systems get gamed (the Microsoft support-queue example) and how that destroys morale for people who care about quality
The emotional cost of performance culture: masking, burnout, and losing intrinsic motivation
The shift that helps neurodivergent people thrive: move from goal-setting to puzzle-setting
How to set a strong puzzle using the 3 O's: Observation (what's happening)
Open Questions (what we genuinely don't know yet)
Objective (the puzzle summary)

How to solve puzzles without binary "pass/fail" thinking using 3 questions: How well did it work?
What did we learn?
What will we try next?

How to respond to vague performance feedback by turning it into a puzzle you can clarify and act on (including an OT/healthcare example)
Why psychological safety is required for this approach—and how leaders can model it without "shooting the messenger"
What the performance trap looks like at work and in personal life (chasing the next target → fast track to burnout)
When goals do work: repetitive tasks (reps at the gym) vs complex work that needs exploration (puzzles)
Radhika also shares real outcomes from puzzle-led work (including growth and churn improvement) and why it's okay—and necessary—to ask open questions you don't yet have answers to.
Free toolkit + framework: Radhika's OLA (Observe, Hypothesize, Learn, Adapt) resource (link in show notes)
Connect with Radhika: LinkedIn (link in show notes)
Upcoming book: releasing ~2027 (Radhika welcomes listener stories using the framework)
If you're tired of performing and ready to problem-solve like your brain actually wants to—this one's for you.

Turning 18 doesn't flip an "independent adult" switch—especially for autistic young adults.
In this episode of Adulting With Autism, April talks with Dr. Jack Hinman, Psy.D. from Engage (Southern Utah) about what actually helps autistic young adults move toward adulthood without losing autonomy, burning out, or getting stuck at home.
Dr. Jack breaks down why the transition from high school → "real life" often feels like a cliff, how parents can shift from control to influence, and what supports matter most when young adults are building real-world skills.
In this episode, you'll hear:
Why "if you met one autistic person, you met one autistic person" matters in support planning
The idea of bandwidth: sensory bandwidth, demand bandwidth, and social bandwidth—and why respecting it changes everything
Emerging adulthood as a longer runway (18–30+) and why interdependence is often the real goal
How to help parents stop treating adult kids like kids—without abandoning them
What goes wrong when autistic young adults have a bad therapy experience (and how to re-enter therapy slowly)
How to make therapy fit the person: pacing, reducing demand (even 15-minute family sessions), side-by-side seating, and meeting in less intense settings
Transition planning that actually works: building independence in small reps (menus, phone calls, scheduling, money habits)
What to do when a young adult is chronically online: start with empathy, name the belonging need it meets, and build bridges to structured offline connection
College readiness reality check: high school scaffolding hides skill gaps—start smaller (community college, high-interest classes, EF coaching/tutoring)
Dating while living at home: shift from "control" to relationship-based influence and keep connection close
Reframing anxiety: you can't grow without it—validate + normalize instead of treating anxiety as failure
A practical first step for moving out: make a 1–10 list and start with the easiest "number 1" action today
If you're a young adult who wants independence—or a parent trying to support it without micromanaging—this episode gives you language, frameworks, and next steps that don't rely on shame.
Learn more: engagelifenow.com
Dr. Jack on LinkedIn: Jack Hinman