153 [S11 E8] Creativity, small joys and redefining success: navigating the long-term impact of autistic burnout

Phoenix* is 44 and from The Netherlands. She has a PhD in philosophy and worked in academia for several years, before experiencing a severe burnout in her early thirties.

Phoenix started seriously considering that she might be autistic around two and a half years ago, after struggling for years with burnout, chronic fatigue and anxiety. She was formally recognised as autistic about a year ago, shortly after her young daughter.

Since her burnout, Phoenix has rediscovered her creativity and has found connection with herself and others through creative writing, visual art and making clay figurines. She is currently building a website called The Autistic Notebook, where she plans to share personal essays and cartoons exploring autistic experience.

In this conversation Phoenix talks about her social struggles at school, and in her career in academia, where problematic power dynamics helped put her on the path to eventual burnout. She shares the impact her burnout has had on her life, how she's coming to terms with dependency on others and redefining what success means to her as she finds joy and inspiration in creativity, moments of beauty and raising a joyful and creative daughter.

* Phoenix is a pseudonym

Squarepeg is a podcast in which I talk to other late identified autistic women and nonbinary people about their lives, their autism journeys, and what they've learned along the way.

I'm Amy Richards, and I was diagnosed autistic in 2016, when I was 37. I've been sharing my conversations with other autistic adults since 2020.

I hope you'll find these conversations inspiring and thought provoking, and that they'll help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

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EPISODE LINKS:

Phoenix's website: https://theautisticnotebook.com/