S1E3 - Outside the Fishbowl

S1E3 - Outside the Fishbowl

Episode 3: Outside the Fishbowl How undiagnosed autism shaped my relationships For most of my life, I thought I was bad at relationships. I could get close to people, but I never felt like I truly belonged anywhere. I watched friendships form around me like I was standing outside a fishbowl looking in. I didn’t understand the rules, the cues, or why connection always seemed easier for everyone else. In this episode, I unpack how growing up autistic without knowing it shaped my relationships at every stage of life. From mirroring other kids just to fit in… to chasing connection through friendships and relationships that never quite felt right… to the identity collapse that came with coming out at 27 and losing most of my community. And finally, the moment at 33 when an autism diagnosis reframed my entire life. We talk about: * Growing up in a tiny town and suddenly entering complex social hierarchies * Missing social cues and learning friendship through observation * The fishbowl feeling of watching connections happen around you * Searching for belonging through identity shifts and relationships * Losing community after coming out and rebuilding a new one * Chronic autistic burnout and why connections felt exhausting * The relief of finally understanding your own brain For the first time, the patterns in my life made sense. Because the problem was never that I didn’t care about people. The problem was that I was trying to build relationships using rules that weren’t designed for how my brain works.

S1E2 - When Burnout Follows You Home

Burnout didn’t show up as a breakdown. It followed me home quietly. In this episode, I unpack the difference between traditional burnout and autistic burnout, and how I didn’t recognize what was happening until I’d been living in it for over a year. We talk about: * Skill regression and nervous system overload * Growing up being taught not to trust my body or my mind * How late diagnosis shaped my ability to recognize burnout * What it looked like inside my marriage and parenting * The subtle signs I missed * And what I’m doing now to reduce pressure instead of pushing harder This isn’t a recovery story tied in a bow. It’s an honest look at what happens when competence becomes survival and your body eventually says no. If you’ve ever looked fine on the outside while quietly unraveling inside, this one’s for you.

S1E1 - The Cost of Being “Good at My Job”

What does it really cost to be “good at your job”? In this first full episode of Unverified, Still True, I talk about how competence became a survival strategy for me. How being reliable, capable, and high-performing didn’t just shape my career, but quietly consumed my body, my relationships, and my sense of worth. This episode explores burnout beyond buzzwords. It’s about what happens when praise turns into expectation, when masking becomes second nature, and when being “the dependable one” starts to feel dangerous to let go of. I’m not on the other side of this yet. This isn’t a story about fixing it. It’s a story about finally seeing it. If you’ve ever felt like your value was tied to what you could produce, carry, or hold together, this episode is for you.

Pilot - Unverified, Still True

This episode is the origin of Unverified, Still True. It’s not a polished outcome story or a neatly packaged lesson. It’s documentation in real time. A decision to stop shrinking, stop performing, and stop waiting for permission to tell the truth about my own life. In this episode, I talk about why this podcast exists, who it’s for, and the kind of conversations it will hold. I explore unmasking as a survival skill, not a trend, and what happens when the strategies that once kept you safe start to cost more than they give. I share what masking has looked like for me, especially as an autistic person navigating work, relationships, productivity culture, and chronic self-doubt. This episode also introduces the idea of unmasking, what it is, why it can be destabilizing, and why naming your experience matters even when you can’t fully explain it or prove it to anyone else. This podcast isn’t about having answers. It’s about asking better questions. It’s about trusting your internal experience in a world that often dismisses it. It’s about living in the middle, before clarity hardens into certainty. If you’re tired of performing.  If you’re questioning what you were taught about yourself.  If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re faking it or finally telling the truth. This space is for you. Unverified does not mean untrue.