From Outside Looking In to Knowing Yourself Through AuDHD

From The Neurodivergant Connection / Stories Reid

When AuDHD, Unmasking, and Perimenopause Collide

What happens when your brain finally makes sense, just as your old coping tools stop working?

In this episode, I sit down with Heather Zimmerman for an honest conversation about late discovery, AuDHD, masking, and the very real shift that can happen during perimenopause. We talk about what it’s like to look back at your life through a new lens, why so many women are missed or misread for years, and what changes when you stop trying to fit into spaces that were never built for you.

Heather shares her perspective with both personal experience and professional insight, which makes this conversation especially powerful. We also get into overstimulation, literal thinking, burnout, identity, and the quiet relief that can come when you finally understand why life has felt harder than it looked from the outside.

Heather Zimmerman has a master’s in psychology and is the founder of Divine Ascension Co. She creates content around neurodivergence, perimenopause, intuition, and self-understanding.

If you’ve ever wondered whether masking is costing you more than you realized, or why certain life stages seem to turn the volume up on everything, this episode will give you a lot to think about.

Timestamps

0:01 - Why AuDHD, unmasking, and perimenopause matter together
1:11 - What life felt like before having the language for it
10:11 - From “something feels off” to understanding how the brain works
13:12 - What perimenopause changed mentally, emotionally, and physically
22:10 - How masking showed up and why it became too exhausting
25:13 - What overstimulation can really look like in daily life
35:27 - What regulation actually means for an AuDHD nervous system
48:56 - What Heather wants overwhelmed listeners to hear right now

Heathers Resources:

Divine Ascension Co - Heather shared this as the main place to find her work, links, and updates. She said the easiest next step is to visit divineascensionco.com.
Facebook: Divine Ascension Co - Heather mentioned her Facebook page as another way to connect with her content. She suggested searching for Divine Ascension Co because her name is common online.
YouTube: Divine Ascension Co - Heather said her YouTube channel includes a series on neurodivergence and perimenopause. It was mentioned as a place where she talks more about underdiagnosis and medical gaslighting, especially for women.

If this conversation speaks to you, listen to the full episode and share it with someone who needs language for what they’re living through.

#AuDHD #Neurodivergent #Perimenopause #AutismAwareness #ADHDSupport

Hosted by Reid Miles.
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