Today’s paid partner is BetterHelp, to get 10% off your first month of online therapy with a credentialed therapist head to www.betterhelp.com/aneedtoread

In this episode, I sit down with Ellie Middleton — author of Unmasked and How To Be You — to talk about the messy, powerful journey of self-discovery through a late diagnosis of autism and ADHD.

From anxiety misdiagnoses and burnout cycles to the pressures of “being normal” and the power of simply understanding yourself, Ellie opens up about it all.

We also dive into reading habits, writing under pressure, self-compassion, and learning to be a big brave girl (in the surf).

What We Talk About

• The cycle of burnout and the misdiagnosis of anxiety and depression

• Ellie’s late diagnosis journey and the “lightbulb” moment in therapy

• Masking and why “being normal” is so damn exhausting

• Reading as a neurodivergent person — fiction, nonfiction, and dropping the book snobbery

• Writing two books in under two years (and nearly breaking herself doing it)

• Neurodivergent time vs. linear time — and why “spinning out in space” matters

• The power of somatic work, surfing, and getting comfortable looking silly

• Gendered differences in how autism and ADHD are recognised

• Internalised ableism and the fear of being your unmasked self

• Self-compassion as a daily practice, not a one-time fix

Links & Resources:

• Follow Ellie: @elliemidds on Instagram / TikTok / LinkedIn

• Follow the podcast on Instagram: @aneedtoread

A Need To Read is partnered with The Breath Space, a online Breath-work education and practise portal that I have been using for the last couple of months, alongside my course to become a breath-work facilitator. To check out how breathwork can help you, follow the link and use the code ED for 50% off your first 2 months. 

https://courses.thebreathspace.co.uk/your-breath-space-online-membership 

You can also support my work by heading to www.buymeacoffee.com/aneedtoread 

Any feedback is welcome: aneedtoread.podcast@gmail.com