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

What happens when you finally get the diagnosis that explains your entire life… but it doesn’t bring the relief you expected?

In this episode, I share my personal story of receiving an autism diagnosis at age 36. We talk about the emotional weight of late-diagnosis — the grief, the exhaustion, the clarity, and the quiet rage of realizing just how much could have been different with earlier support.

I break down what the diagnostic process was actually like, the lack of resources available to late-diagnosed adults, and how it feels to confront decades of misunderstanding — from others, and from ourselves.

We also dive into something urgent happening right now: U.S. Health Secretary RFK Jr.'s plan to create a national autism registry — without our consent. We unpack the dangerous implications of this kind of surveillance, especially in a post-Roe v. Wade world where HIPAA protections have eroded, and we explore what it means to advocate for disability justice in a time when our autonomy is under attack.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever felt unseen, unsupported, or like the world wasn’t built for their brain. You are not alone. Your story matters. And your voice is powerful.

This is about more than labels. It’s about who gets to be seen, supported, and safe in the world.

🧠 You are not too much. You are not alone. You are not broken.

💬 Want to connect or support the podcast? Here’s how:

📧 Email: Neurospective@yahoo.com
📸 Instagram: @neurospective.podcast
☕ Donations (no pressure, just gratitude): ko-fi.com/neurospective
📣 Sharing the episode, saving, commenting — it all helps more than you know.

In this debut episode of Neurospective, I (Sam D.G.) share my story, from childhood trauma and years of masking, to finally understanding myself through a neurodivergent (ND) lens. This episode is personal and vulnerable, but it is also the reason this project exists. Neurospective is what happens when a neurodivergent woman stops masking and starts talking.

Join me weekly, as I break down lived experiences, invite voices from the community, and asks what it really means to be seen, supported, and human, as a late diagnosed autistic adult. Whether you're ND or simply curious, this show invites you to listen, learn, and feel more connected.

Please follow, share, and support the mission:

Instagram: @neurospective.podcast

Support the pod: ko-fi.com/neurospective

Contact: neurospective@yahoo.com