S1E4: “Too High-Functioning to Matter?”

A Conversation with Brandon Stanley

What happens when people only see the version of you they want to believe? What if you’re told you’re “too articulate,” “too independent,” or “too high-functioning” to be autistic, and your struggles are dismissed entirely?

In this episode, Sam D.G. is joined by Brandon Stanley, a late-diagnosed autistic adult who opens up about what it’s like to live in that invisible in-between space where you’re not seen as "disabled enough" to deserve support but still expected to perform like everyone else. Together, they explore functioning labels, the emotional toll of masking, the reality of being gaslit by systems designed to help, and the kinds of support autistic adults actually need.

This one’s for everyone who’s ever had their diagnosis questioned, their experience minimized, or their pain downplayed because they didn’t “look autistic enough.” And if you’ve ever wondered whether you’re “enough” to belong - this is your reminder: you are.

🎧 Listen now. Validate your experience. Reclaim your narrative.

💬 Let’s keep the conversation going:
→ Instagram: @neurospective.podcast
→ TikTok: @samsafrass.dg
→ Email: Neurospective@yahoo.com
→ Support the pod: ko-fi.com/neurospective

Please rate, follow, and share the show - every bit of engagement helps us grow this community and bring more visibility to stories that deserve to be heard.

Episode 3: Learning to Self-Advocate

(After a Lifetime of Being Told to Sit Down and Shut Up)

This week, we’re talking about self-advocacy - the messy, necessary, often misunderstood act of standing up for yourself when the world is counting on your silence.

In this episode, I break down what real self-advocacy looks like, how it often gets weaponized against neurodivergent folks, and what happens when you start demanding basic clarity, equity, and respect - even in systems designed to grind you down.

I share a real-time personal experience from my own workplace and how it's impacted my mental health, energy, and sense of safety - because this isn't just theory. This is my life. This is our life.

We also unpack how these environments lead to burnout, why “masking through it” isn’t sustainable, and take a data-driven look at suicide rates in the neurodivergent community - because these stakes are very real.

Whether you’re just learning to advocate for yourself, or you’ve been surviving systems for decades - this one’s for you.

Follow & connect:

📧 Email: ⁠neurospective@yahoo.com⁠

📸 Instagram: @neurospective.podcast

🎥 TikTok: @samsafrass.dg

💜 Support the pod: ko-fi.com/neurospective