The Late Discovered Club

Catherine speaks to Vanessa D’Souza AKA The Autistic Chef about her late autistic discovery. Vanessa is a MasterChef UK 2023 Semi-Finalist and National Autistic Society Celebrity Ambassador  who runs a neuroaffirming instagram page where she shares sensory friendly feeding tips and recipes in order to make cooking accessible to everyone. Connect with Catherine Buy Catherine's NEW Book ⁠'St...

It's World Autism Acceptance Week, so we thought we'd bring you an extra special episode to celebrate someone who, through his advocacy work, books and his very presence, has made a significant difference to our Late Discovered Community - we're not sure that Pete really knows the difference he has made to helping others feel seen, heard and understood through his work, and his words a...

We're back for another season, and first up in Season 3 is Dr Emma Svanberg - an award winning Clinical Psychologist, author of Parenting For Humans (Vermilion, 2 March 2023) founder of The Psychology Co-operative and co-founder of Make Birth Better CIC . Emma also facilitates a parenting community on Facebook called The Village – A Parenting Community For Humans. We explore how being undiagno...

In this episode we are joined by Helen Hillman - a late discovered autistic woman, who made her autistic discovery whilst in therapy, and received her official diagnosis last year at the age of 28 after a long history of poor mental health.  Helen has suffered with anxiety all her life, which she thought was explained by a diagnosis of dyspraxia when she was 18. She had her first breakdown, and wa...

In this episode we are joined by Kate Boot - a late discovered AuDHD Speech and Language Therapist, Sensory Integration Practitioner and Relationships and Sex Education Practitioner. Since qualifying, it’s fair to say that Kate has found herself on an authentic and original journey which has seen her lean into what she now understands, post discovery to be her autistic and ADHD strengths and ident...

In this episode we are joined by Marsha Martin - a Behavioural Therapist and the Founder and CEO of Black SEN Mamas - a UK based national support group and informational hub, which aids Black mothers of special educational needs and disabled (SEND) children, in sourcing adequate mental health support for themselves and resources and provision, for their children, with currently over 1,000 mums str...

In this episode we are joined by Lucy Baena - a Mother, Writer & Birthkeeper. Throughout her life Lucy has been given an array of diagnosis the first at age 7 when she was diagnosed as Dyslexic. At 15 she discovered she was Epileptic and a month after her 38th birthday she received her Autistic diagnosis. Lucy has struggled with a variety of complex health (& many mis) diagnosis over her l...

In this episode we are joined by Jane Green MBE - an educationalist, former Assistant Headteacher, and former lead for autism education in all phases of education.  Jane is disabled, neurodivergent and an autistic parent carer for her eldest neurodivergent autistic adult non-binary child.  Jane is the Founder and Chair of SEDSConnective a multi-award, neurodivergent and symptomatic hypermobility u...

In this episode we are joined Holly Smale - the internationally bestselling, award-winning author of the Geek Girl series, which has sold 3.4 million copies worldwide and is currently being adapted by Netflix. The Cassandra Complex, her adult debut, was the Reese's Book Club pick for June this year. She was diagnosed as autistic at the age of 39, and a lot of things suddenly made sense. Holly...

We're back! In this episode we are joined by Heidi Mavir - a public speaker, autistic advocate, author, podcaster and SEN parent. We explore so much in this episode from Heidi's late autism discovery in her mid 40's, menopause, grief, loss, self-identification, being an autistic parent of an autistic child, what it was like growing up without the knowledge of knowing that you are autis...

CW - This episode talks about Catherine's recent diagnosis of breast cancer. Coppafeel Connect with Catherine Buy Catherine's NEW Book ⁠'Still Living'⁠ published April 2026 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy Catherine's Book⁠⁠⁠ 'Rediscovered'⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit Catherine's website ⁠⁠ Contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Catherine⁠ ⁠⁠Follow Catherine on Instagram ⁠⁠...

In this episode we are joined by Laura Claxton - a comedy writer who has written gags for some of the biggest names and programmes in British Comedy. We explore Laura's late autism discovery as a 30 something woman, and her lifetime of struggles that she has never shared publicly, until now. Laura discovered very early on her life that if she could be 'the funny one' and make people la...

In this episode we are joined by Samar Waqar who describes discovering that she is autistic and ADHD in her 30’s a s life changing discovery. Samar's childhood was inherently spent knowing and believing within her heart that she was different, and her diagnosis served as validation for her - she could finally put her guard down. Or could she? She founded Kind Theory to cultivate acceptance, in...

In this episode we are joined by Dr Anthea Cree who is a Clinical Oncologist in the NHS. Anthea is the first openly neurodivergent doctor in her organization, and has felt so alone. Anthea's openness at work about her neurodivergence saw her sharing her experiences in a video with her entire Royal College, although she confesses that it has caused much confusion about what to with her. Anthea...

In this episode we are joined by Madge Woollard - a self-employed piano and keyboard teacher who has run their own successful business since 1994. A graduate of Cambridge University, where they were a Peterhouse college’s first female organ scholar. Madge currently works both privately and in schools, and now specializes in teaching neurodivergent students - diagnosed autistic in 2016 at age 44 af...

In this episode we are joined by Dr Rosie Baruah who is an NHS Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine and Anesthesia in Scotland. Rosie has spoken publicly recently in a BBC Interview about her midlife discovery at 46, and her identity as a Late Discovered Autistic Female Doctor. Rosie is determined to further educate and advocate for autistic doctors, widen perceptions about 'what' an auti...

In this episode we are joined by Kirsty Cullen-Campanelli from LA in California who, at 38 years old, is very much at the beginning of her autistic self-discovery journey. We talk misophonia, invalidation, multiple diagnoses preceding her autistic late discovery, sobriety, trauma and the life changing and affirming moment for Kirsty of finding a health professional who understood her. We also talk...

Raven Gray is a primitive skills practitioner and experimental archaeologist, with more than 25 years’ experience in wilderness living and survival training.  Raven was 55 when she discovered that she is autistic, and comes on the show to talk vulnerably and publicly for the first time about her life as an undiscovered autistic woman and her journey to her autistic awakening.  The ugly duckling th...

Dr Kate West is an autistic and first-generation academic, author and autism activist. Kate read her DPhil (PhD) and MSc at the University of Oxford (funded by one of the UK’s most competitive academic scholarships) and her Law degree at the University of Edinburgh. She has been awarded various academic prizes and an international academic Fellowship. She is now Senior Lecturer in Visual Criminolo...

Connect with Catherine ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy Catherine's Book⁠⁠⁠ 'Rediscovered'⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit Catherine's website ⁠⁠ Contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Catherine⁠ ⁠⁠Follow Catherine on Instagram ⁠⁠ Need Post Discovery Support? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our next 6 week post discovery support circle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our Late Discovered Club Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ &a...

Jennifer Crawford is a chef, pro-wrestler, and feeler of big feelings. They grew up in Nova Scotia’s beautiful Annapolis Valley, and after more than a decade in Toronto and winning MasterChef Canada in 2019, they're home again. When they’re not weaving challah in the kitchen, you might find them as Moon Miss in the wrestling ring at the Lion’s Club Arena, cooking for their experimental pro-wre...

In this bonus episode of Season one we have compiled all the compassionate messages our guests would want to tell their younger selves, and we have new music by Allora from their new EP 'Don't Feel it All' with 'Mother'. Connect with Catherine Buy Catherine's NEW Book ⁠'Still Living'⁠ published April 2026 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy Catherine's Book⁠⁠⁠ 'Rediscovered'⁠⁠⁠⁠...

In our final episode of Season one we have Catherine and Caty , the mum & daughter duo together on the podcast for the first time where they: Unpack season one Talk about the impact it had on them  Their stand out moments What it was really like editing and interviewing BTS of the podcast  Hopes for season 2 Key takeaways  Where we are and what next  Connect with Catherine Buy Catherine's...

Our guest on Episode 15 is Hazel Lim - a leading advocate in the campaign against the stigma associated with autism, with a focus on the cultural stigma within the Chinese community in the UK. Living as a late discovered autistic minority in the UK, Hazel understands the struggles. She moved with her husband and three children to Swansea to study for an MSc in Autism and related Conditions at Swan...

Our guest on Episode 14 is Ed Jenneson - a leading UK Employment Lawyer and Partner at GunnerCooke . The focus in this episode is a theme that has come up repeatedly in season one, and in our group support circles and in our community, and that is the need for neurodivergent affirming and inclusive workplaces. Workplaces that feel safe places in which to self-disclose and request adjustments. Beca...