How to Build a Life That Feels Safe Colorful and Fully Your Own

What Changes When I Stop Asking “What’s Wrong With Me?”If you’ve ever felt too much, too different, or deeply misunderstood, this conversation will stay with you.In this episode, I sit down with Patricia Stellamares to talk about masking, survival, late-diagnosed AuDHD, and what happens when we stop trying to be easier for other people to understand. We explore the quiet cost of living in self-protection for too long, and the relief that can come when your neurodivergence finally has a name.Patricia shares how childhood shame, trauma, and being told she was “wrong” shaped the way she moved through the world. Then, we get into the shift from surviving to actually living, what being truly seen can do to the nervous system, and why healing often has less to do with “fixing” yourself and more to do with letting go of harmful stories.If you’ve been carrying questions about belonging, self-trust, or what healing can look like after years of exhaustion, I think this episode will give you a lot to sit with.About the GuestPatricia Stellamares is the founder of Invocation Healing Arts. She creates retreats, coaching experiences, and healing spaces that support neurodivergent people, couples, and anyone working through trauma, self-doubt, and identity.Key Timestamps0:02 - I welcome Patricia Stellamares to the show2:49 - When feeling “different” started to feel like being “wrong”5:05 - How long that story followed her8:48 - The first time she felt truly seen and believed16:08 - The moment survival and living stopped feeling like the same thing21:14 - What she wishes people understood about neurodivergent lives22:33 - What autism and AuDHD gave her that she didn’t have before26:59 - Healing from being told you’re wrong29:54 - What she hopes people discover in her retreat work35:43 - How being truly seen changes us40:12 - Her message for anyone who feels aloneIf this episode speaks to you, listen through to the end and share it with someone who needs a little more understanding today. You can also find Patricia at invocationhealingarts.com.#Neurodivergent #AuDHD #AutismAwareness #HealingTrauma #MentalHealthHosted by Reid Miles.Conversations unfold naturally — no scripts, no rush.🎧 Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts🌐 More about the show and past episodes: https://podcast.ausha.co/neurodivergantconnection-thecuriousstroyteller📩 Guest inquiries & media: Reid@AspergersStudio.comHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.