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A way in to Not Always Neurosparkly

Not Always Neurosparkly is for the late-diagnosed/identified and still-figuring-it-out. For the AuDHD burnout survivors, the people who never quite fit in and are only now understanding why, and for anyone living with chronic illness alongside a brain that never came with a manual.

If you’re tired of the superpowers narrative or exhausted from pushing through, welcome! Here, we can be honest together.

I call it tender-wired, because neurodivergent and chronically ill nervous systems aren’t broken. They’re differently wired, and they need a different kind of care. It’s not about pushing through or performing wellness. I’m not into pretending the hard parts aren’t hard. Just honest, gentle, grounded attention to the life that’s in front of you.

On Not Always Neurosparkly, you’ll find writing that names what most resources leave out: the chronic fatigue that follows decades of masking, the trauma woven through so many of our stories, the grief, confusion and relief of late diagnosis/identification, the way life looks when you stop performing someone you’re not.

And alongside the hard parts, there is always room for the strange beauty of this wiring. The creativity, the intensity, the depth. Let’s explore autistic joy and ADHD hyperfocus; let’s celebrate the gifts of slowing down when your body says No.

Ready to dive in?

Here are two pieces from my series of Tender-Wired Guides:

The Tender-Wired Guide to Rest & Energy

The Tender-Wired Guide to Unmasking

More links below — but first, a bit about me. I’m Morgana, AuDHD, late-realised, chronically ill, singer-songwriter when I have the spoons, and living in rural West Wales with a lot of rain and a lot of feelings. I came to neurodivergent self-understanding in my late 30s and early 40s after decades of wondering what was wrong with me. The answer turned out to be: nothing, and also quite a lot, and also none of it was what I thought.

I was a single mother for eight years and spent a year with my partner in a van before I had any idea what sensory overload was, have been in trauma healing work since my early twenties, and have lived with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for over 14 years.

I’ve written two books (The Wild Wandering Arc: A Journey Through Vanlife, Nature & Love and Wild Motherhood: Tending the Fire of your Creative Spirit) about my experiences as a vanomad, mother, creative and spiritual seeker. I write because I needed a space to be completely honest — about the parts that are hard, the parts that are healing, and the parts that are worth celebrating on their own terms, whatever others think.

My essays here on Substack go deep, weaving together lived experience, community voices and recent research. Readers tell me they feel seen in a way that’s rare.

“Thank you for being vulnerable and telling it like it is. No glossing over, no sugar-coating, just the truth.” — Silvana

“It is so precious to me to see my difficulties put into words… to see that someone beautiful, precious and loveable who I admire has these challenges makes me feel less shame and more love for myself. Priceless.” — Jessica Ive, paid subscriber.

Here are some of the articles that have connected most with readers — perhaps you might enjoy them, too:

A neurodivergent career: why traditional work doesn’t work for me and what I do instead

Making relationships work as an AuDHDer

Is it my neurodivergent wiring or is it trauma?

How I live with AuDHD's internal dilemmas

"Female autism": when autism doesn't look like autism

When you can read everyone but yourself: on autistic and ADHD emotional awareness

When it Matters Why We’re Tired: Rest, Chronic Fatigue and Neurodivergence

I always love to hear readers’ thoughts and endeavour to respond to every thoughtful comment, so feel free to dive into the comments section whenever you want — I’ve kept this open for free subscribers. There’s often a lot of community to be found in the shared experiences there, too!

Thank you for being here! I hope that my work enhances your life and supports you in your own journey, whether you’re a neurodivergent person, someone who loves one, or if you identify with the other parts of my healing journey (chronic fatigue, trauma).

If you choose to upgrade as a supporter for £7/month, you will receive additional exclusive posts (my most personal sharings) and other offerings as they emerge, plus access to my entire archive.

See you soon!

Morgana xx