The Yellow Ladybugs Podcast

Welcome to Part 3 of the Yellow Ladybugs Workplace Resource Podcast series. We have released a five-part peer-led work resource for autistic and AuDHD people. This episode is based on Part 5 of the resource. Part 5 focuses on what happens after you get the job. How to stay well in work. How to notice early signs of burnout. And how to make changes before things reach crisis point. We hope you enjo...

Welcome to Part 2 of the Yellow Ladybugs Workplace Resource Podcast series. We have released a five-part peer-led work resource for autistic and AuDHD people. This episode is based on Part 3 and Part 4 of the resource. Part 3 focuses on the very real decisions autistic and AuDHD people make every day at work around disclosure and masking. Part 4 focuses on workplace adjustments and supports, and w...

Welcome to Part 1 of the Yellow Ladybugs Workplace Resource Podcast series. We have released a five-part peer-led work resource for autistic and AuDHD people. This episode is based on Part 1 and Part 2 of the resource.  Part 1 of this goes into finding the right work fit, understanding what 'fit' really means before you even think about job searching. It also goes through how monotropism, sensory...

Welcome to the Yellow Ladybugs Pop‑Up Podcast Series, where we bring you two key topics our community have been asking us for. We are proud to the second episode in this series—a peer‑led discussion for families and carers of autistic girls, teens, and gender‑diverse youth on Finding Autistic Joy and Celebrating Autistic Culture. This is a special series made possible through funding from the Info...

Yellow Ladybugs Pop Up Podcast Series: Episode 1 Recognising and responding to sexual violence for families and carers of autistic girls, teens, and gender diverse youth Welcome to the Yellow Ladybugs Pop Up Podcast Series, where we bring you two key topics our community have been asking us for. We are proud to present this first episode in this series—a peer led discussion for families and carers...

Welcome to our eight-part podcast series sharing key topics and insights about supporting autistic girls, women, and gender-diverse people. In this episode, we're focusing on Challenging School Systems: Scripts and Strategies for Families with Kelsie Olds. This is for those of us who have sat in a school meeting with a knot in our stomach, knowing our child is struggling but being told they are ‘f...

Welcome to our eight-part podcast series sharing key topics and insights about supporting autistic girls, women and gender-diverse people. In this episode, we’ll explore Family Dynamics: Complex Relationships and Competing Needs with Dr Alberto Veloso from Relational Minds. Today’s discussion is a real and honest look at the emotional pressure cooker that family life can become when neurodivergent...

Welcome to our eight-part podcast series sharing key topics and insights about supporting autistic girls, women, and gender-diverse people. In this episode, we're focusing on Caring for Yourself While Caring for Others: Managing Parental Stress and Avoiding Burnout with Sarah Hayden, Mel Spencer and Cassandra Allen. Today’s conversation is an honest, compassionate look at recognising the emotional...

Welcome to our eight-part podcast series sharing key topics and insights about supporting autistic girls, women, and gender-diverse people. In this episode, we’re focusing on Friendships & Safe Relationships: Recognising Red Flags and Green Flags with Frances Brennan, Annelil Desille and Caitlin Hughes. Today’s conversation explores how to spot healthy, affirming connections and understand when a...

Welcome to our eight-part podcast series exploring key topics that help us better support autistic girls, women, and gender-diverse people. This episode we will focus on Energy Regulation: Leveling Up Our Support for Our Ladybugs with Amy Laurent and Jac Fede. Today you’ll hear a practical, honest discussion about why supporting our ladybugs through the lens of energy regulation is a shift in thin...

Welcome to our eight-part podcast series sharing key topics and insights about supporting autistic girls, women and gender-diverse people. In this episode, we’ll explore Window of Tolerance: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know with Megan Anna Neff. This episode is a deep dive into what the Window of Tolerance actually means, how our autistic young people can have a smaller or thinner window, an...

Welcome to our eight-part podcast series exploring key topics that help us better support autistic girls, women, and gender-diverse people. This episode we will focus on Creating Safe Spaces for Anxious Autistic Brains: Understanding Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn Responses with Chelsea Luker and Chenai Mupotsa-Russell. Today’s conversation takes an honest, compassionate look at understanding wha...

Welcome to our eight-part podcast series exploring key topics that help us better support autistic girls, women, and gender-diverse people. This episode we will focus on Back to Basics: Learn How Classrooms Can be Inclusive and Affirming for Our Ladybugs with Em Hammond, Adina Levy and Ebony Birch-Hanger. We know many autistic students spend years believing they are broken, when really the system...

This episode describes what advocacy really means—especially when it’s led by autistic people with lived experience. Advocacy can take many forms, from speaking up in a classroom to challenging systems that exclude or harm. For autistic girls and gender-diverse young people, advocacy is not just about raising awareness—it’s about being heard, believed, and respected. We explore how advocacy can be...

This episode describes the unique experiences of First Nations autistic girls and gender-diverse young people, and the importance of listening deeply to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices in the autism space. Cultural identity, community connection, and intergenerational knowledge are powerful strengths—but systemic barriers, racism, and a lack of culturally safe support continue to impa...

This episode describes what life feels like through the eyes of autistic girls and gender-diverse young people. Too often, decisions are made about young people without hearing directly from them. In this conversation, we centre their voices—sharing firsthand experiences, insights, and reflections that challenge assumptions and deepen understanding. Our youth panellists speak openly about what hel...

Welcome to Episode 5 of Season 5 of the Yellow Ladybugs Podcast series. This episode describes how autistic burnout is different from everyday exhaustion—and how it often goes unrecognised in autistic girls and gender-diverse young people. Burnout can build slowly over time, especially when young people are constantly masking, trying to meet expectations, or pushing through overwhelm. We talk abou...

Welcome to Episode 4 of Season 5 of the Yellow Ladybugs Podcast series. This episode describes how autistic pride and emotional wellbeing are closely linked—especially for autistic girls and gender-diverse young people, who often grow up feeling different, misunderstood, or unseen. Without the right support, this can lead to shame, isolation, and poor mental health. But when young people feel affi...

Welcome to Episode 3 of Season 5 of the Yellow Ladybugs Podcast series. This episode describes how interoception—the sense that helps us understand what’s happening inside our body—plays a key role in the wellbeing of autistic girls and gender-diverse young people. When interoception is underdeveloped or misunderstood, it can impact everything from recognising hunger and pain to managing emotions...

Welcome to Episode 2 of Season 5 of the Yellow Ladybugs Podcast series. This episode describes how behaviour is often misunderstood—especially for autistic girls and gender-diverse young people whose needs may be hidden or internalised. Rather than seeing behaviour as something to manage or fix, we explore how it's actually a form of communication. We unpack why traditional behaviour approaches of...

Welcome to Episode 1 of Season 5 of the Yellow Ladybugs Podcast series.  This episode describes how many autistic girls and gender-diverse young people are overlooked because their struggles are hidden behind a well-practised mask. This episode explores what it really means to mask, how internalising distress can lead to burnout, shutdowns, and mental health challenges, and why it’s so often misun...

Welcome to Episode 10  of the Yellow Ladybugs podcast series  4   "Supporting Autistic Girls and Gender Diverse Students at School and Beyond."  This podcast series is brought to you by the Victorian Department of Education and Training. Having difficulty advocating for your rights, or even knowing what your rights are? We chat with three experts who will share their incredible insights on support...

Welcome to Episode 9  of the Yellow Ladybugs podcast series  4 "Supporting Autistic Girls and Gender Diverse Students at School and Beyond." This podcast series is brought to you by the Victorian Department of Education and Training. In this episode Katie Koullas CEO of Yellow Ladybugs speaks to renowned child psychiatrist Dr Alberto Veloso and explores  Regulations, Ruptures and Repairs: How to S...

Welcome to Episode 8 of the Yellow Ladybugs podcast series  4  "Supporting Autistic Girls and Gender Diverse Students at School and Beyond." This podcast series is brought to you by the Victorian Department of Education and Training. “Can’t. Not Won’t”. This important panel from our Supporting Autistic Girls and Gender Diverse students at school and Beyond Conference will explore the very hot topi...

Welcome to Episode 7 of the Yellow Ladybugs podcast series  4  "Supporting Autistic Girls and Gender Diverse Students at School and Beyond." This podcast series is brought to you by the Victorian Department of Education and Training.  Confused about therapy and ‘intervention’ and how to help the young ladybug in your life? This panel will utilise the clinical experience of two insightful autistic...