Seeing Ourselves in Fiction: Neurodivergent Characters That Actually Feel Real with Author Luna Westish

Representation isn’t just about labels—it’s about feeling seen. Today, I sit down with debut author Luna Westish to explore how fiction can shift how we understand Autism, ADHD, anxiety, and ourselves.

You’ll hear how Luna wrote a character readers either relate to deeply or find frustrating and why both reactions matter. I reveal the surprising moments that made me rethink labels, we compare “token” characters to fully human ones, and you’ll discover how inner monologue, sensory detail, and own voices storytelling can change empathy without turning pain into plot armor.

We also talk about growth that doesn’t erase struggle, the lines between honest depiction and drama, and why reading outside our comfort zones prepares us for real life at home, in classrooms, and in community.

If you’ve never seen yourself on the page, this conversation offers a starting point and a few questions that might change what you pick up next

About the Guest

Luna Westish is the author of Meet Me at the Ruins, a character-driven novel that threads anxiety, relationships, and messy growth with care. She’s also taught business to kids and adults, worked in federal policy, and made jewelry because one lane was never going to cut it.

Key Timestamps

• 0:03 – Why fiction can change how we see our own minds

• 2:06 – The first time a character felt “too familiar”

• 6:49 – What representation gets wrong (and what’s finally improving)

• 10:01 – Sensory layers that make characters believable

• 11:22 – Real vs. tokenized: the role of inner life

• 13:07 – Do labels help—or do subtleties matter more?

• 15:19 – Writing Meet Me at the Ruins: when representation found her

• 19:10 – Writing as healing (and why it can feel like therapy)

• 24:27 – Honoring struggle without exploiting it

• 29:04 – Showing growth without minimizing the hard stuff

• 32:50 – Why “just a story” isn’t just a story

• 44:14 – Readers who felt seen—and why that matters

• 51:46 – Where to find Luna’s book and connect

Resources: lunawestish.com • bookshop.org • Available via libraries on Hoopla and Libby

If this episode resonated, subscribe, rate, and share it with a parent, educator, caregiver, or friend. Your support helps our community grow.

#Neurodiversity #Fiction #MentalHealth #Autism #ADHD

Hosted by Reid Miles.
Conversations unfold naturally — no scripts, no rush.

🎧 Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
🌐 More about the show and past episodes: https://podcast.ausha.co/neurodivergantconnection-thecuriousstroyteller
📩 Guest inquiries & media: Reid@AspergersStudio.com

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Executive Function Isn’t Laziness: Rethinking “Motivation,” Shame, and Support with Coach Carrie Bonnet

Executive function isn’t laziness—it’s a brain thing. In this episode, I sit with coach Carrie Bonnet to reframe the struggle.

If you’ve ever wondered why smart kids (and adults) still miss deadlines, lose steam, or freeze at “start,” this conversation will feel like a breath out. I ask Carrie Bonnet—Executive Function Coach, veteran teacher, and adjunct instructor at the University of Portland—what this actually feels like from the inside and what support looks like when we remove shame and lead with the brain.

You’ll hear why paper beats apps when you’re new to planning, how time blindness fuels the last-minute cycle, and the key shift parents and teachers can make that changes everything. We also get into the messy middle: boredom that feels like torture, the myth of “I work best under pressure,” and why “not caring” often isn’t the story at all.

I reveal where I’ve struggled too, and Carrie shares simple, sustainable ways we can make the invisible visible—without giving a full step-by-step here. By the end, you’ll be asking different questions and seeing different outcomes.

Questions to listen for: What makes task initiation so hard? How does shame sneak in? And what small moves reduce overwhelm today?

About the Guest

Carrie Bonnet is an Executive Function Coach, veteran middle and high school teacher, and adjunct instructor at the University of Portland. She works with students, families, and early-career teachers. Carrie lives in Oregon and is a mom to two teens.

Key Timestamps

• 0:02 – Welcome and who Carrie is

• 2:11 – The sixth grader who changed how we saw “late work”

• 5:10 – When it clicked: not laziness, not a moral failing

• 9:23 – Life skills don’t teach themselves (and why that matters)

• 12:00 – Paper vs. digital calendars: which one first?

• 15:20 – Backward planning a massive project without burning out

• 18:08 – “I work best under pressure”… or do I?

• 19:59 – What executive function challenges feel like from the inside (“borchure”)

• 23:13 – Overwhelm, time blindness, emotional flooding

• 25:16 – Dopamine, tiny wins, and the short timer spark

• 26:41 – Not caring vs. not being able

• 28:13 – The parent shift: replace judgment with curiosity

• 30:35 – No-shame, brain-first: where shame sneaks in

• 34:40 – Why it can take longer to read, grasp, and process

• 36:49 – “Strategy shopping” and the wallet solution

• 47:49 – The missing link in schools

• 50:54 – When the system isn’t a fit for the brain in front of us

• 52:53 – Make the invisible visible: classroom wins

• 55:20 – Why it’s harder for some brains (and what to remember)

• 58:01 – For anyone who feels broken: you’re not

• 58:54 – Where to find Carrie’s resources

Resources: Grab Carrie’s Task Initiation Toolkit: carriebonnet.com/toolkit

If this helped you or someone you love, follow the show, share this episode with a parent or teacher, and leave a quick rating. Your support helps more of our community feel seen.

#Neurodiversity #ExecutiveFunction #ADHD #Parenting #Education

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Late-Diagnosed at 65: Creativity, Compassion, and Coming Home to Yourself with Caroline Carey

I sit down with Caroline Carey, a creative, author, and grandmother who was diagnosed with AuDHD in her mid-60s—and everything started to make sense.

In this conversation, I open up about my own assessment experience while Caroline shares how a “you’re not depressed, you’re overwhelmed” moment changed her path. You’ll discover how she re-framed decades of school struggle, why dance became her nervous system’s anchor, and the unexpected support that finally let her ask for help in her business.

I reveal the questions I ask late-identified adults to spot patterns, while Caroline explains how she now sees rejection sensitivity, travel anxiety, and masking through a new lens. We also tease the spiritual thread that runs through her work—and the book she wrote once she realized what she’d been writing about all along.

By the end, you’ll be thinking about overwhelm vs. depression, what real support can look like, and how to tell when you’re “being you” versus blending in. And you might walk away asking: What if the world is finally coming to meet you?

About the Guest

Caroline Carey is a UK-based creative, author of “The Neurodivergent Soul,” soul cartographer, and longtime movement facilitator. She supports artists, writers, and difference-makers to express their stories with compassion and clarity.

Key Timestamps

• 0:02 – Welcome and late diagnosis at 65

• 5:08 – “Not depressed—overwhelmed” and the assessment that followed

• 9:21 – Who Caroline was 30 years ago and the dance that kept her steady

• 19:23 – What life felt like on the inside: love, exhaustion, overwhelm

• 23:26 – Masking, people-pleasing, and choosing authenticity

• 27:28 – The moment autism “clicked” and polarity made sense

• 30:32 – Writing “The Neurodivergent Soul” and naming the real story

• 40:12 – Travel anxiety, planning, and why “just relax” doesn’t help

• 53:22 – The UK grant that changed her business support

• 58:57 – Where to find Caroline’s work

If this episode helps you feel seen, share it with a parent, educator, or friend who needs it. Subscribe for more conversations that support our neurodiverse community.

Explore Caroline’s work: middleearthmedicine.com

#Neurodiversity #Autism #ADHD #AuDHD #LateDiagnosis

Hosted by Reid Miles.
Conversations unfold naturally — no scripts, no rush.

🎧 Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
🌐 More about the show and past episodes: https://podcast.ausha.co/neurodivergantconnection-thecuriousstroyteller
📩 Guest inquiries & media: Reid@AspergersStudio.com

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.