A lot of Autistic and AuDHDers start their own businesses because they can't survive in existing corporate spaces. But without a specific plan to make their business work differently, they end up replicating the very thing they were fleeing. The same cycles of collapse. 1/2 #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD

QUESTION: my next video, coming soon, will be on two critical shifts I made in working this time, that has let me work for myself for six years so far without burning out. What do you think those two critical shifts were? What made such a huge difference?

So much of what's shaped my life has been social pressure, expectations, or things completely outside my control. 1/2 #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #Autistic #Neurodiversity #BurnoutRecovery

Not everyone wants to grow and scale. Not everyone wants to work one-on-one, in person, or live. You can do virtual, asynchronous work. You can design for variable capacity. You can build something that fits the life you actually have. 1/2 #ActuallyAutistic #NeuroDivergent #Neurodiversity

It's okay to start with the less bad option. When I was rebuilding after burnout, I wasn't starting from a place of thriving. I was starting from a place of "what can I actually do right now?" 1/3 #AutisticBurnout #BurnoutRecovery #Burnout #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD

For many of us, it’s really hard to know what we want, or even acknowledge that we have wants (especially when wanting has been very thoroughly trained out of us), but I guarantee you that you have wants. 1/3 #ActuallyAutistic #Autistic #AuDHD #Interoception

How to Build a Burnout-Resistant Business as a Self-Employed Autistic/AuDHD www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky5Y... #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #AutisticTwitter #Neurospicy #ND

There is no reason whatsoever to put yourself through the slog of mainstream networking. So you don't need to beat yourself up about not doing it. Save your mental and emotional energy for things that actually matter. #ActuallyAutistic

What I mean by a neurodivergent-friendly business. I'm not talking about productivity hacks or life tips. 1/3 #ActuallyAutistic #NeuroDivergent #Neurodiversity #Neurodiverse

Your impulse to cut back on things has been spot on. But it matters what you're cutting back on. Cutting back on work hours, without changing the actual conditions of your work, doesn't make as much difference as you'd hope. 1/3 #AutisticBurnout #BurnoutRecovery #Burnout #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD

Every piece of standard business advice assumes you have: 1/4 #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #Autistic #Neurodivergent #Neurodiversity

Well, lawn mowing season has officially begun in my neighborhood.

Communication problems aren't always because of us. A lot of people are bad at communication. Not just #Autistics. A lot of allistics are really bad at it too. And sometimes the communication breakdown is their fault. It's not always us. (Even when they claim otherwise.)

Even ethical business advice implicitly assumes you'll have the willpower to avoid pushy sales tactics when you're desperate for money, have brain fog, decision fatigue, and variable capacity. Willpower isn't a strategy. Structure is. #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #Autistic #Neurospicy #Neurodiversity

Since I’ve been more active in both coaching and autism advocacy, people have asked me lots of questions. But one of the ones I get most often is, “How do I get out of burnout without changing much in my life?” 1/3 #AutisticBurnout #BurnoutRecovery #Burnout #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD

I Hate Networking (And You Don't Actually Need to Do It) | Autistic Business Advice #2 buff.ly/7j95ea9 #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #AutisticTwitter #Neurospicy #ND

A lot of what I had to unlearn when unmasking wasn't so much my own beliefs about myself, it was other people's concepts of what I "should" or "shouldn't" be that I had internalized over the years and accepted as true. 1/2 #AutisticMasking #ActuallyAutistic #Autistic #Neurodiversity #unmasking

Get very specific, around the negative thoughts that come up for you. What is it actually saying? 1/2 #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #Autistic #Interoception

Build a sustainable, resilient business that works WITH your Autistic/AuDHD brain—without sacrificing your health, integrity, or profit. A course for Autistic & AuDHD solopreneurs, small-business owners, and freelancers. buff.ly/s12m6TP #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #AutisticBusiness

This narrative that #autistic people are socially avoidant, shy, withdrawn, antisocial, or whatnot, and therefore there’s something inherently wrong with us, is not true. Autistics are not socially avoidant. People avoid discomfort. And people particularly avoid communication gaps.

I’ve avoided plenty of social situations in my life, but I’ve never actually followed through with my fantasy of becoming a hermit in the woods. 1/3 #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #Autistic #Neurospicy #Neurodiversity

I give myself permission to be less productive some days, and for that to be inconsistent and unpredictable. There are days that are just, “this is a pain day, this is not going to work for me”. Or “this is a day where my focus is not here, I don’t know where it went, but it’s not here”. 1/2 #AuDHD

Western society has a complicated history with mental health. Many people have been demonized, cast aside, and worse, when they didn’t meet artificial, unrealistic, standards for mental health. 1/2 #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #Neurodiversity #NeuroDivergent #Neurodiverse #ND

A friendship that only lasts for a few years isn’t necessarily a “failed friendship”. It could’ve been a friendship that was good for a few years and then you drifted in different directions. That doesn’t invalidate those several years of friendship, it just means that it didn’t last forever. 1/3

Stop Trying to Be Consistent — Business Advice for Autistic & AuDHD Business Owners buff.ly/sMA4LUC #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #AutisticTwitter #Neurospicy #ND

For a few years, between bouts of burnout, I taught high school German. One of the most common reactions I get when I mention that is: “Oh, wow, that’s so hard! I could never do that!” 1/2 #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #Autistic #Neurodiversity #Communication

When someone says they want to be normal, what I think they really want is to fit in, to be accepted by the group, to belong. It’s the belonging that we’re really after, not being the same. #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #Autistic

For some people, asking “how was your day?” is a low stress way to start a conversation. I found that often what the other person wants is connection, not information about your day, though they’re using that as a starting point to get a connection. 1/2 #ActuallyAutistic

Rest is not... buff.ly/W8Vfojg #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #AutisticTwitter #Neurospicy #ND

There’s a lot of cultural messaging that says part time work isn’t good enough. And a lot of it really comes down to a narrow focus on productivity as the only measure for personal worth. 1/3 #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #Autistic #Neurospicy #Neurodiversity

In #AutisticBurnout, your brain and nervous system are struggling to keep up with unreasonable demands, and have gone into a self protection mode. Try to honor that, and give yourself compassion. 1/2

Many autism therapies have as their goal to make autistic children “normal,” or “indistinguishable from their peers.” 1/3 #Autism #autistic #ActuallyAutistic #AutismAcceptance #Acceptance #autismacceptancemonth

The holidays are stressful for a lot of people. But when you’re #Autistic or #AuDHD, and especially if you have complicated relationships with family, and sensory stuff feels extra intense, things get even more overwhelming. 1/2

I didn't see the signs of my last two major burnouts until I was already deep in them. Or rather, looking back I saw the signs but didn't pay them heed. I was too stuck in the thinking that I had to keep going to consider other possibilities. #AutisticBurnout #Burnout #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD

If you’re #Autistic and you’re in a situation where you’re working with, living with, friends with someone who is regularly hurting you, and you can’t figure out why, but there’s clearly a bad situation: I’m wondering, what is it about them that is creating this situation? 1/2

For every AuDHD solopreneur who's been told to "just be more consistent" or "put yourself out there more"— This one's for you. Self-employment strategies that work WITH your brain. Available now → buff.ly/pz4Y6L6 Link in bio #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #AutisticBusiness #NeurodivergentEntrepreneur

A lot of allistics who socialize more easily are able to avoid situations which they find awkward or embarrassing. 1/3 #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #Autistic #Neurospicy #Neurodiversity

FYI, tomorrow is the last day for the early bird sign up bonus for my Autistic self-employment course. Learn to build systems into your business that prevent burnout by design. It's not tips and tricks. Not "just rest more." It's real structure that creates the outcomes you want. buff.ly/YlBCe0f

How to Build a Burnout-Resistant Business as a Self-Employed Autistic/AuDHD www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky5Y... #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #AutisticTwitter #Neurospicy #ND

As you’re trying to make your work better for you, you’re going to have to deal with a lot of internal messaging around internalized ableism, capitalistic messaging, and people-pleasing thoughts. Processing through that takes time. 1/2 #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #Autistic #Acceptance #Neurodiversity

Every self-employed Autistic I work with blames themselves. They're exhausted, stressed, wondering if they're cut out for this. But they're not the problem. Standard business advice wasn't built for neurodivergent brains. 1/3 #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #Autistic #Neurospicy #Neurodiversity

I want to float an idea. There's a version of being sensitive to the other person, of being aware of them and attuned to them, that isn't #AutisticMasking. 1/3

Burnout recovery involves leaving things behind www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQYp... #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #AutisticTwitter #Neurospicy #ND

Our society is set up on the assumption that the only reason people do anything is out of fear or discipline. 1/2 #ActuallyAutistic

There’s a lot of room in every market for lots of players, because you’re going to have a different take on things than someone else will. 1/3 #ActuallyAutistic #Neurodivergent #Neurodiversity #Neurodiverse #ND

It’s hard to be creative when you’re afraid, because creativity is, at its essence, a vulnerable act. You’re putting something into the world that doesn’t yet exist, and that is vulnerable. 1/3 #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #Anxiety

People sometimes ask me what to say when they disclose their #autism, like there's a script that'll guarantee a good reaction. But there isn't. There's no perfect combination of words that'll make someone respond with acceptance and support no matter who they are or what they're carrying. 1/2

Available now! For self-employed Autistics and AuDHDers. How to build a sustainable, burnout-resistant business that works WITH your brain— without sacrificing your integrity, health, or profit.

 Whether it's your primary income or something you're building on the side. buff.ly/YlBCe0f #AuDHD

In my house, dinner leftovers go straight into individual containers in the fridge. That way, lunch is sorted. I don't have to think about it, plan it, or make a decision. I just grab one and heat it up. 1/2 #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #Autistic #Neurodiversity #Neurodivergent

So much of our lives have been strongly influenced by social pressures or other factors outside of our control. 1/3 #Autistic #ActuallyAutistic #Acceptance #Understanding #Neurodiverse #Neurodiversity