Exploring Your Autistic Self

A 5-week course designed to help you become more authentic, aligned and alive

About ‘Exploring Your Autistic Self’ course

‘Exploring Your Autistic Self’ is a 5-week self-directed learning course for recently diagnosed / self-identified autistic and AuDHD adults.

The aim of the course is to help you become more authentic, aligned and alive — as an autistic adult — at work as well as in other areas of your life. This will be achieved through the following:

  • You’ll be introduced to evidence-based knowledge around autism and autistic experience (and hear from lived experience thought leaders where present research is lagging behind), combined with tried-and-tested activities that I’ve used with my coaching clients since I launched Expand the Circle 3 years ago.

  • The course will be delivered by a series of emails (once to twice a week) directly to your mailbox — no need to sign up to a separate platform and remember login details.

  • There will be an opportunity for you to share your reflections and questions that arise during the course through a shared Google document.

Is this course for me?

    • You learn well by reflecting in your own time and space.

    • You’re not sure who you truly are and feel that you lack a compass to help you make positive choices — whether that’s work-related activities or hobbies.

    • You want the learning experience to be personalised to you and are happy to put some effort into it.

    • You want to learn about autism by reflecting on your experiences first and then connecting them to the key concepts, theories and lived experiences of autism / autistic adults.

    • You are prepared to experiment and try new things in your life.

    • You learn best by discussing your thoughts in real time with other people in a group.

    • You already know what your core values are and apply them in a balanced way in your work and personal life.

    • You want a list of general strategies (5 steps / 10 keys / and so on…) that you can apply and are not interested in creating your own list of strategies.

    • You want to learn about autism by exploring the key concepts and theories first and then connecting them to your own experience.

    • You are not prepared to make changes in your life right now.

Course timeline and structure

The course will be delivered in eight “bite-size” chunks over a period of 5 weeks.

Use the arrows below to learn more about what we’ll cover each week:

  • Week 1: Opening

    • Receive general course orientation.

    • Learn what motivated me to create this course and why I chose the VIA character strengths methodology as a framework.

    • Complete your first activity.

  • Week 2: Authenticity

    • Discover who you are at your core and any learned behaviours that you’ve adopted along the way to keep yourself safe (“masking”) or effective.

    • Learn how the most common values reported by autistic adults relate to what we know about the autistic experience, from both a research and lived experience perspective.

  • Week 3: Alignment

    • Assess how you apply your core qualities in your work and consider how you could adapt your role to make it more aligned with your character strengths (“job crafting”).

    • Get inspired by stories of other autistic adults who redesigned their roles or careers to play to their strengths.

  • Week 4: Aliveness

    • Discover situations in which applying your signature strengths is ineffective (even if it feels good or effective in the moment).

    • Learn how you can “turn to” some of your forgotten qualities to expand the range of choices available to you and prevent autistic burnout.

  • Week 5: Close

    • Consolidate your learning from the course.

    • Generate some ideas to help you build on what you’ve learned from the course and continue to make positive changes in your work and life so you can be more authentic, aligned and alive.

👇 Scroll Down to Learn More and Sign Up

Autistic people, again, can only truly thrive as autistic people, not as imitations of non-autistic people; one does not attain long-term wellbeing by stifling one’s True Self

— Nick Walker, autistic advocate and author of Neuroqueer Heresies

What’s the cost?

The entire course costs £25 (£5 per week) — this is roughly equivalent to a cup of posh coffee ☕
(or coffee and cake if you’re based in more reasonably priced areas of the UK / the world).

A few more things to note about the costing of the course:

  • It’s a fraction of the cost of 1-1 coaching and mentoring.

  • I’ve tried to keep the cost low to enable more people to access post-diagnostic / post-discovery autism support by making it “no frills”: email delivery with no individual or group live sessions. Of course, I’m here to answer any questions you might have before, during and after the course (as well as to hear about your revelations and successes!).

  • This is the first time I’m sharing the knowledge and activities in this format (versus as part of a 1-1 coaching and mentoring programme). Therefore, the price reflects the fact that there’s an element of experimentation involved — for both you and me.

What my coaching clients say about me

  • “Alicja gives validation, kindness and encouragement without gushing. I genuinely enjoyed talking to her and found her very easy to get along with. Maybe that’s ironic, or maybe autistic people just find it easier with people like them..

    Because I’m quite sceptical and like to have evidence and reasoning, I can find some styles of coaching fluffy and unconvincing. This meant that Alicja’s scientific and research-based approach was particularly appreciated. She often refers to academic research and explains things in biochemical, physiological or sociological terms. I like the fact-based approach.”

    — Naomi, Autistic Corporate Research Analyst in Investments

  • “What I value most in Alicja’s approach is her flexibility towards my needs, her openness and willingness to gently encourage me in the right ways. She is clearly very engaged with the subject matter beyond coaching sessions, so I always felt confident I was with someone who not only had the right level of knowledge to be helpful, but also has a genuine desire to further neurodiverse understanding.”

    — Glenn, Autistic Data Analyst in Tech

  • “Working with Alicja allowed me to enter into an authentic and constructive working relationship where I felt understood, and encouraged, as well as challenged - in ways which worked so well for me and felt right.”

    — Helen, Trainee Therapist

  • “After six sessions with Alicja, my confidence has improved dramatically. When situations arise that previously would have sent me into a meltdown, I feel more grounded and able to bring myself back from the edge. What I value most in Alicja’s approach is her ability to know the theory and explain it, but also get me to think about how to implement it.”

    — Lizzie, Autistic & ADHD Law Professional

  • “Coaching with Alicja gave me space to reflect.

    I have built my personal and professional identity on being a flawed neurotypical individual, when I need to build it on being neurodivergent. I hadn’t appreciated how much this had had an impact on my professional life, as well as my personal one. I have always felt strong imposter syndrome at work, but now I am beginning to reframe my professional identity around my lived experience. This process has helped me begin to see how to do that, and how I can begin to reframe my mindset.”

    — Holly, Manager with ADHD in the Charity Sector

  • “Alicja is personable, intelligent knowledgeable and asked me all the coaching questions I didn’t know I needed to ask myself. I have recommended her services in my place of work. I decided to enact change in my first coaching session and have been applying some of the tools I have learnt successfully!”

    — Anita, Dyslexic & Autistic Project Manager in Tech

  • “What I value most in Alicja’s approach is that she made me do the thinking. She empowered me to find the answers that would help me to become a better person. Along the way Alicja kept calm, despite a few sessions where I really struggled to get my head around things.

    I really enjoyed my time and sessions with Alicja. She's taught me lots of new methods to help me develop.”

    — Ahmed, Middle Manager with ADHD

  • “After six sessions with Alicja, I feel much more confident in my strengths and feel better able to manage issues in the workplace that were previously causing me worry, including sensory and communication issues. I now have a much better understanding of what I need to be comfortable and productive, and I have been able to ask my employer for these or put strategies in place for myself.”

    — Marie, Autistic D&I Professional in the Charity Sector

Read full-length coaching testimonials

How do I sign up?

Please complete the form below:

Note:
If you have already signed up using the general contact form, please be assured I’ve received your request — no need to fill the form above again.

Frequently asked questions and answers

  • To participate in the course, you will need:

    • An email address and access to the internet

    • Willingness to complete the VIA survey — it’s free to complete but you need to create an account with the VIA Institute

    • Space, time and desire to deepen your self-understanding and make changes in your life

  • I’ll email you with further details within 3-5 working days.

  • The first intake started on 15th May 2024.

    The next intake is expected to start in the summer of 2024, subject to demand.

  • If for whatever reason the course doesn’t meet your expectations and needs, I’d be happy to offer a full refund to the original payment method.

    Just send me an email to alicja@expandthecircle.co.uk to share your feedback on the course.

Want to know more before you decide?

Further Learning

Neurodiversity Insights and Blog
Have a Break, Not a Breakdown: Relaxation as an Autistic person / AuDHDer and How to Rest Neurodivergently
Have a Break, Not a Breakdown: Relaxation as an Autistic person / AuDHDer and How to Rest Neurodivergently

Why are autistic people/AuDHDers ‘bad’ at resting? And how can we learn to rest neurodivergently and reduce burnouts?

Newly Diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum as an Adult, Now What?
Newly Diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum as an Adult, Now What?

How can I learn more about autism and access post-diagnostic support for adults?

Fidgeting, Fiddling, Stimming: an Undervalued Key to Creativity?
Fidgeting, Fiddling, Stimming: an Undervalued Key to Creativity?

Should we be encouraging employees to fidget more?