In this episode of Spicy Brain, host Lara Sullivan is joined by Cassia Tierney Clarke, host of the 9 lives podcast, for a raw and honest conversation about autistic burnout, late diagnosis and rebuilding your life from the ground up.
From the outside, Cassia had it all. A viral weight loss and sobriety journey, millions of views, a running career, brand deals, a business and a podcast. Behind the scenes, she was falling apart. After stepping away from public life for a year, Cassia opens up about the breakdown that forced everything to stop, being diagnosed with CPTSD, and finally finding out she is autistic and ADHD after 31 years of masking.
The episode explores:
🌶️ Going viral overnight and building a life she never felt built for
🌶️ How undiagnosed autism can leave women vulnerable in relationships
🌶️ Burnout, collapse and stepping away from public life
🌶️ Trauma in the body, shutdowns and going nonverbal
🌶️ Getting diagnosed autistic and ADHD after a CPTSD diagnosis
🌶️ The all-or-nothing brain, from alcohol to running to work
🌶️ Why she stopped running, and what movement looks like now
🌶️ “Stop calling yourself lazy when you’re exhausted”
🌶️ Rebuilding, reclaiming autistic joy and becoming herself again
Whether you’re in burnout right now, reinterpreting your whole life after a diagnosis, or wondering who you are once the old version of you no longer fits, this conversation is a reminder that rebuilding is possible.
Tune in for an honest chat about burnout, identity and finding your way back to yourself.
Timestamps
00:00:00 Introducing Cassia Tierney
00:03:00 Going Viral: Weight Loss, Sobriety and Running
00:07:59 Running, Nature and Reconnecting with Your Inner Child
00:11:02 Why Race Day Is So Hard for Autistic Runners
00:12:35 Building a Business on Social Media
00:15:36 How Nine Lives Began
00:16:50 The Breakdown Behind the Success
00:20:35 Saying Yes to Everything and Stepping Away
00:23:11 Moving Home and Physically Collapsing
00:24:32 A CPTSD Diagnosis Before Autism
00:26:45 Validation, Success and Hating Social Media
00:28:52 Heightened Senses, Smells and Memory
00:30:47 Misdiagnosis in Autistic Women
00:31:24 Trauma in the Body, Shutdowns and Going Nonverbal
00:34:09 Childhood Signs and Why They Get Missed
00:35:55 Family, Community and an Autistic Dad
00:41:06 Getting Diagnosed Autistic and ADHD
00:44:06 31 Years of Masking and Feeling “More Autistic”
00:46:49 Redefining Success
00:47:59 Boundaries and Telling Friends
00:50:30 Unmasking and Stepping Away from Running
00:54:30 Dating After Diagnosis
00:57:38 Living with Autism and ADHD and Daily Self-Forgiveness
01:00:13 The All-or-Nothing Brain: Alcohol, Sobriety and Work
01:04:09 A Task a Day and the Ego Death
01:06:37 Stop Calling Yourself Lazy When You’re Exhausted
01:09:04 Rebuilding and Reclaiming Autistic Joy
01:12:29 What She’d Tell Her Past Self
01:13:48 Losing Followers and Finding a New Audience
01:17:01 Spicy Fire Round
01:19:46 Advice for Anyone in Burnout
Support
This episode discusses suicidal thoughts, self-injury and abusive relationships. If you’re struggling, you’re not alone:
Samaritans: call 116 123 (free, 24/7) or visit samaritans.org
National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247 or nationaldahelpline.org.uk
Contact Spicy Brain:
Email: hello@spicybrainmedia.com
Follow us on social media:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/spicybrain.podcast/
Follow Lara:
Website: linktr.ee/Sullivanlara
Instagram: www.instagram.com/sullivanlara/
Follow Cassia:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cassiatierney/
Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/9lives_podcast/?hl=en
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