Actually Asten

For most of my life, I wasn’t sure where I fit. I was the kid who didn’t thrive in mainstream school. The teenager with too many labels and too few places to safely just be. The young adult who carried grief, trauma, and diagnoses like heavy bags — sometimes visible, sometimes hidden under a forced smile or a carefully timed joke.

And now? I think I’ve found my place.

I never set out to become an Expert by Experience. I didn’t grow up dreaming of sitting in meetings with NHS staff, giving talks, reviewing services, or advocating for autistic people like me. But bit by bit, piece by piece, it just started to make sense. Not in a big dramatic movie-moment kind of way — but in a quiet, almost sneaky way. Like, “Wait… this actually matters. And I’m good at it.”

There’s a kind of peace that comes with realising you’re doing what you’re meant to be doing. I don’t mean it’s always easy — it’s not. But it feels right. Like all the messy chapters before this one led to something that actually helps people. Something that means something.

And honestly? I’d be happy doing this for the rest of my life.

It’s not flashy. It’s not fame or fortune. It’s purpose. And that’s enough.

Because maybe the goal isn’t to become someone completely different. Maybe it’s about becoming more you — louder, stronger, more rooted in truth. Maybe it’s about making sure the next generation of autistic or disabled kids grows up in a world where they’re heard, supported, and seen as whole human beings from the start.

Maybe that’s what I was always meant to do.