Spicy Brain

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
#SpicyBrain #AutisticBurnout #LateDiagnosis #AuDHD #Autism #ADHD #Unmasking #NeurodivergentPodcast

In this episode of Spicy Brain, host Lara Sullivan is joined by Millie Gooch, founder of Sober Girl Society and author of Hangxiety: How Alcohol Messes with Your Mind, for an honest conversation about alcohol and the neurodivergent brain.
Millie started drinking at university, where alcohol became the thing that switched off her brain, gave her confidence and helped her feel “normal”. Years of blackouts and days-long hangovers later, she went sober at 26. It took another seven years and a psychiatric assessment for her book to find out she is autistic and ADHD. Looking back, so much of it suddenly made sense.
The episode explores:
🌶️ Why alcohol can feel like a shortcut to a neurotypical brain
🌶️ What actually happens in your brain when you drink, and the next day
🌶️ Hangxiety, rumination and why hangovers hit neurodivergent people harder
🌶️ Blackouts, memory and “drunk words are sober thoughts”
🌶️ ADHD, impulsivity and why stopping at two drinks is so hard
🌶️ The “addictive personality” myth and why neurodivergent people are overrepresented in addiction settings
🌶️ The alcohol industry, “drink responsibly” and what other countries do differently
🌶️ Sobriety vs self-optimisation culture
🌶️ Practical first steps if you want to change your relationship with alcohol
Whether you’ve already stopped, are thinking about cutting back, or have never understood why alcohol hits you so hard, this is a judgement-free look at how your drinking might be connected to your neurodivergence.
Tune in for a conversation full of science, lived experience and a lot of nodding along.
Timestamps
00:00:00 Introducing Millie Gooch
00:02:00 Starting to Drink at University
00:03:47 Realising She Didn’t Drink Like Everyone Else
00:09:29 Going Sober at 26: The Final Hangover
00:16:13 Early Sobriety, Panic Attacks and Therapy
00:20:52 What Alcohol Does to Your Brain
00:25:40 Can Your Brain Recover? Addiction on a Spectrum
00:30:52 Hangxiety and Why Hangovers Hit Neurodivergent People Harder
00:37:36 Drunk Words, Sober Thoughts and Lost Memories
00:42:12 Why Nobody Links Alcohol and Mental Health
00:47:52 Getting Diagnosed Autistic and ADHD
00:56:02 How Alcohol Affects the Neurodivergent Brain
00:58:08 The Addictive Personality Myth
01:00:52 ADHD, Impulsivity and Not Being Able to Stop
01:01:52 Addiction Services and Neurodivergence
01:03:47 The Alcohol Industry and “Drink Responsibly”
01:07:35 How Other Countries Restrict Alcohol
01:09:51 What Needs to Change in the UK
01:15:20 Sobriety vs Self-Optimisation
01:20:32 Practical Tips to Drink Less
01:22:19 Spicy Fire Round

Support
If anything in this episode has affected you, these organisations offer free advice and support:
Alcohol Change UK: alcoholchange.org.uk
We Are With You: wearewithyou.org.uk
Nacoa (for anyone affected by a parent’s drinking): nacoa.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 Millie:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milliegooch/
Sober Girl Society: https://sobergirlsociety.com/
Hangxiety: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hangxiety-Alcohol-Messes-Your-Mind/dp/1837826641/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0

Spicy Brain Season Two kicks off with Anna Archer! 
Host Lara Sullivan sits down with vlogger, business owner, investor and running community favourite Anna Archer, who spent 24 years not knowing she was autistic and ADHD.
From the outside, Anna's life looked sorted. The vlogs, the running community, the friendships, the business. Underneath it was a very different story. Anna opens up about growing up online, rewatching her old videos for signs she missed, and what it's been like looking back at her whole life through a completely new lens.
The episode explores:
 🌶️ Growing up online, work-life balance and female friendships
 🌶️ Getting diagnosed with both autism and ADHD
 🌶️ Social stigma, telling friends and going quiet on social media
 🌶️ Being vulnerable with an online audience and showing up as yourself
 🌶️ The push and pull of being AuDHD
 🌶️ ADHD medication, the hormonal cycle and lifestyle regulation
 🌶️ Skill regression, unmasking and taking steps before you feel ready
This conversation is an honest look at post-diagnosis self-doubt, what's still hard, and why not having it all figured out is a normal part of the process.
Tune in for a real conversation about late diagnosis, identity, and what life actually looks like after finding out you're AuDHD.
Timestamps
00:00:00 How Lara and Anna Met
00:06:07 Rewatching Old Videos for Signs of Autism and ADHD
00:09:45 Growing Up Online, Work-Life Balance and Female Friendships
00:24:42 Getting Diagnosed with ADHD and Autism
00:37:34 Autism Stigma, Telling Friends and Going Quiet on Social Media
00:46:05 Vulnerability Online and Being More Yourself
00:56:28 The Opposites of Being AuDHD
01:03:01 ADHD Medication, Hormonal Cycles and Regulation
01:14:24 Regression, Unmasking and Starting Before You Feel Ready
01:24:42 Spicy Fire Round
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 Anna:
 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annaarcher/
 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnnaArcherFitness

Spicy Brain Season Two Teaser | Behind the Scenes with Producer Vickey
Spicy Brain is back! In this Season Two teaser, host Lara Sullivan is joined by Spicy Brain producer Vickey from Voices & Visuals for a behind-the-scenes chat about how the podcast came together, how they met, what Season One taught them both, and what listeners can expect from the brand-new season.
From the very first nervous studio session to a growing community of autistic people, ADHDers and neurodivergent listeners who finally feel seen, Lara talks about the importance of building a neurodiverse team and what's on the horizon for Spicy Brain.

In this trailer:
🌶️ Growing a neurodivergent team
🌶️ What it's like making a neurodivergent podcast from behind the mic
🌶️ How Lara and Vickey met 
🌶️ How the Spicy Brain community has grown
🌶️ A first look at what's coming in Season Two
New episodes land very soon. Hit follow so you don't miss the first one.
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/

In this special season one finale of Spicy Brain, host Lara Sullivan reflects on the journey of creating the podcast, from overcoming her own fear of being in the studio to building a community where neurodivergent people can share their experiences openly and without judgement.
Lara revisits the conversations and key lessons from guests exploring everything from workplace accommodations and late diagnosis to relationships, nutrition, OCD, ADHD, autism and the realities of living as a neurodivergent person.

In this season finale, Lara explores:
🌶️ What she learned from each guest throughout Season One
🌶️ Why workplace accommodations should be based on individual needs
🌶️ The different realities and support needs within the autistic community
🌶️ ADHD, hormones, OCD and other co-occurring experiences
🌶️ Why lived experience matters when understanding neurodivergence
🌶️ How the Spicy Brain community has grown beyond the podcast
🌶️ Why neurodivergent people should be at the centre of conversations about neurodivergence
🌶️ What’s coming next!
Tune in for a heartfelt look back at season one, the lessons Lara has taken from her guests, and the community that has made Spicy Brain what it is.
Contact Spicy Brain

Thanks for tuning in to Spicy Brain, the podcast Lara Sullivan created after her own late autism diagnosis. Each week, Lara sits down with guests from across the neurodivergent community to challenge stereotypes, celebrate differences, and laugh through the shared realities of life. For more content visit our website or follow us on your favourite social platform to stay connected.
Find out more:
Email: hello@spicybrainmedia.com 
  
Follow us on social media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spicybrain.podcast/
Follow Lara:
Website: https://www.linktr.ee/Sullivanlara
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sullivanlara/