Autism hacks, sensory stories and The Autistic Adult's Toolbox

Ever find yourself carrying earplugs in every bag and pocket, just in case the world gets a little too… loud? Or maybe you’ve written letters to your doctor, explaining that “no, you don’t look autistic” is not the hot take they think it is? This is the episode for you.I had the absolute privilege of sitting down with Natalie Diggins, technologist, deep tech investor, and—most importantly—the author of The Autistic Adults Toolbox. I’m not even exaggerating when I say her book lives permanently on my desk, just waiting to solve another of life’s neurospicy puzzles.I didn’t tell her that before we interviewed, but, okay, surprise Natalie: you’re basically my lifeline on days when the world feels like a construction site inside my brain. I know some of you feel that too.Here’s what you’re going to get from this episode: Natalie doesn’t spend her time pontificating about “overcoming adversity” or “finding your purpose.” No, she gets down to the real stuff: reverse engineering a life that works for your brain, documenting every semi-absurd hack, and making sure sensory survival is always step one. You’ll hear how she wrote a pre-op letter for her surgeon (“Strangers touching me = nope”), only to find the medical world has a lot of catching up to do. A little bit of hope: not all doctors are stuck in the 1990s, but spoiler… plenty of them are.You’ll get the inside scoop on the magic tool-making mindset that yields everything from bespoke sensory plans to New York City restaurant negotiation tactics (earplug, anyone?), and what happens when you decide you can mask or unmask, by choice, not requirement. Natalie even breaks down her “hot meter” for dealing with the “you don’t look autistic” crowd.Why should you listen? Maybe you’re late-diagnosed, or you’re still in the “is it sensory? Is it burnout? Am I just quirky?” phase. Natalie’s journey is a cheat code for ditching shame, building support systems, and treating diagnosis as just another plot point—not the whole story. If you want to hear how anyone can build actual, actionable strategies for living well, even when your brain is extra spicy (and sometimes extra tired, extra loud, or extra meltdown-y), hit play.My helpful offers for other people with neurospicy brains - https://stan.store/elletwoMentioned in this episode:Wanna sponsor this podcasthttp://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/sponsorsSponsor Different Not Broken