Actually Asten

When I first heard the phrase “expert by experience”, I wasn’t sure if it really applied to me. I didn’t have a degree in autism studies, I didn’t have letters after my name. What I had was my story — messy, complicated, sometimes hard to talk about, but mine.

And that’s the point.

Being an expert by experience means showing up as yourself and saying, “This is what it’s really like.” It’s about the everyday things that don’t make it into textbooks: the joy of finally being understood, the exhaustion of masking, the little wins like managing a trip to London or negotiating more independence at home.

I’ve learned that my voice has value, even on the days when I doubt it. At conferences, in meetings, or chatting one-to-one, I’m reminded that people genuinely want to hear what it’s like from the inside. That’s powerful.

Sometimes I still feel like I’m just Asten with her laptop, her playlists, and her Pepsi Max. But maybe that’s exactly what makes the “expert” part real — I’m not separate from my story, I’m living it.

So if you ever feel like your experiences don’t count because they’re “just personal” — trust me, they matter more than you think.

Key takeaways

• Your lived experience is valid expertise.
• Small wins (travel, independence, everyday routines) matter.
• Sharing your story helps others feel less alone.