Send us a text "Pigs are for eating, not for dating." This powerful metaphor emerged from my journey through unhelpful therapy, where I was repeatedly told to lose weight because "thin girls get away with more." During this special Autism Acceptance Month episode, I'm sharing raw, personal chapters from my book "Dropped in a Maze" to illuminate the unique challenges faced by those of us on the spectrum. My story takes you through therapy sessions with Dr. Grey, who despite his expertise in autism, focused more on changing my appearance than addressing my emotional needs. The comments he would make would vacillate between supportive to critical throughout the therapeutic relationship. Instead of making me feel better, it made me feel much smaller and much worse. This only allowed for insecurities to fester until I finally stood in my power and stood up for myself using the tools I had to learn on my own. I learned to validate myself during the 2L (second semester of law school) when my depression hit an all time high after feeling a huge let down. I allowed myself to put up with toxic friendships due to my lack of self-esteem and vulnerabilities built over the years. I didn't know who I was and accepted anything that came my way. I eventually learned skills that were off putting to others such as how to dine better with proper use of utensils, I learned how to walk better, and I learned about ways to present my best self. Even though it was embarrassing to learn lessons later in life that people learn much earlier, it was worth everything. I was different, I am different, but I am NOT less. At the end of the day, the main person who could ever be your advocate and best support is YOU!
