People Don’t See Your Autism — People don’t see your Autism — until it’s the only thing they see. I don’t like using the term “high-functioning.” Who am I to judge how someone else functions? But it’s how most people rationalize my Autism. It’s how they rationalize that I wasn’t diagnosed with Autism until 23 years…

If you follow employment trends, you probably think I'm the reason your staff decided they need a mental health day and free Pizza every Wednesday. Do those journalists ever talk to their co-workers under 25? The thought of asking for a mental health day makes me break out in hives. …

I Put Myself Out There — My cousin refused to hang out with me in high school because I watched romantic comedies and ate brownie batter out of the bowl. That's all I did, according to her. It's also the most accurate character assessment I've ever had. But what did I find in those movies? Why…

Labor Hoarding Is Old News — I got an alert last week that the term “Labor Hoarding” is tending on LinkedIn. Is this the new “Quiet Quitting” or “Great Resignation?” Am I going to be inundated with articles about how to identify Labor Hoarding and what to do about it? Before I discuss the latest employment…

Graduates Still Need Support — No one warned me about Post-Graduate Depression. I found a Youtube video about it a year later. That's when it hit me. I have it. Post-Graduate Depression. It's normal. It's expected. It happens. Why didn't anyone warn me? So I'm warning you. I'm telling you what it feels like. I'm…

I came across Curtis Sittenfeld’s novel Rodham by chance while strolling around Barnes and Noble. I bought it because I’m a political enthusiast who dreamed of becoming President of the United States before it was popular. I read Hillary Clinton’s first memoir because I collect presidential memoirs. As a child…

Are You There God? It's Me, Madison — Mema says praying is talking to God like I would talk to a friend, but I'm not sure who I'm talking to anymore. I believe there is a celestial being with infinite knowledge. We are all part of a shared consciousness, but we each only contain part of that shared…

Maybe I Don't — I've been listening to Ed Sheeran's new song "Boat" on repeat. “They say that all scars will heal, but I know. Maybe I won’t.” Ed Sheeran Some wounds never heal. Maybe we don't. It's validating to acknowledge that kind of grief, live with it, and not be broken by it. Ed Sheeran Had To Face His Fears …

My Autism Is Disruptive — “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The teacher asks. My hand was the first to shoot up. The teacher looks around and pretends not to see my hand waving enthusiastically at her. “I want to be President of the United States,” I say. The class laughs…