Neurodivergent and Burnt Out? Why Freelance Editing Might Fit Your Brain Better than a 9-5 Job Does

After a Yale University Press internship where a supervisor told her she had "a strange brain," and six months of applications with zero interviews, Hannah Bartlett stopped trying to fit into a system that wasn't built for her.

She launched a freelance editing business instead—and has doubled her income every year since.

In this episode of the Leaving Academia podcast, Hannah shares what it's like to build a business as a neurodivergent, disabled editor—and why freelancing can fit your brain in ways a traditional job never will.

We discuss:

🧠 How posting about neurodivergence and disability on Threads became Hannah's #1 client source

🧠 The communication boundaries that protect her energy ("book editing is not an emergency")

🧠 How email templates and inquiry forms eliminate the dread of client communication

🧠 Why her autistic directness is a strength clients seek out—not something to hide

🧠 How to unlearn academia's validation trap ("I don't need an A in freelance editing")

If you've been struggling to find a job that's a fit, this conversation will show you it's the environment that's the problem—and that you can build one that truly works for you.

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