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Apr 2025
1 h

198 - The ND Lovers Club: Reclaiming Rel...

Carole Jean Whittington, Autistic Burnout Researcher at Whittington Well-Being
About this episode

 In this Social Saturdays episode of Beyond Chronic Burnout, we’re joined by powerhouse co-authors Bontle Senne and Sara Louise Ackrill to talk all things love, healing, and neurodivergence in their new book, The ND Lovers Club.


Together, we explore what it means to navigate relationships while autistic or otherwise neurodivergent. From the impact of masking and energy management to the pressure of societal norms and the journey to self-understanding, Bontle and Sara Louise open up about the deeply personal and often unspoken challenges of dating, intimacy, and connection.


This conversation is not just about relationships with others—it’s also about the most important relationship of all: the one with yourself.


 🔹 Why understanding your neurodivergent identity is essential in healthy relationships

🔹 How masking can drain connection—and how to step into authenticity

🔹 The emotional and physical health foundations of sustainable love

🔹 Personal stories of healing, growth, and finding joy while ND and dating

🔹 Behind the scenes of writing The ND Lovers Club and the power of storytelling for neurodivergent communities.  


Whether you’re ND and navigating love or a clinician supporting ND clients, this episode is a heart-centered look at connection through a truly affirming lens.


🔗 Connect with Carole Jean Whittington: 

🎉 You're Invited to the Birthday Book Launch Party! 🎉 Friday, May 2nd | 3 PM CT | MY VIBE Network

This isn’t your usual book launch. This is a celebration of you, your energy, and what becomes possible when we stop hiding and start living—unmasked.


Join hostess Michelle Pecak of the MY VIBE Network and author Carole Jean Whittington for the launch of Living Unmasked: An Autistic Woman’s Guide to Get Into Your Comfort Zone — a groundbreaking book written just for autistic women navigating burnout, masking, and reclaiming their joy.

💬 “We’ve been told to mold, conform, be helpful, and not make a fuss…” And that led to decades of masking—often so well we didn’t realize the slow, quiet burnout setting in. We told ourselves:


“It’s just a stressful season.” “It’ll get better soon.” But that day never came.

Instead, we slipped into the Restoration Illusion Trap—thinking we were okay because it was better than total collapse… but far from thriving.

🚨 It’s time to flip the script.


  • 🎁 FREE Preview of Chapter 1

  • 🧘 Bonus Guided Meditation: “Coming Home to Your Self”

    Key insights from the book that will shift how you see burnout and masking

  • 💬 Live Q&A with Carole Jean—bring your juiciest burnout questions!

  • 🎉 Birthday Vibes! Carole Jean is turning 51, and she’s sharing the spotlight with YOU

  • 💎 Special Launch Discount to Purchase the Book

  • 🎈 PLUS: The first 50 registrants receive a Birthday Gift! — Carole Jean’s exclusive Sensory Rest Tool Kit

👯‍♀️ Come as you are. Come feeling burned out, curious, celebratory, or quiet. Just don’t miss it.

🪑 Spots are limited!Register now to save your seat!

This is more than a book launch. It’s a coming home—to yourself, your power, your joy.


Registration for Birthday Book Launch Party, May 2, at 3 pm central 

https://energize.whittingtonwellbeing.com/products/courses/view/1182845 


🔗 Connect with GUEST: 

Bontle Senne is an AuDHD author, speaker, and consultant whose neurodivergent insights and lived experiences power her unique approach to leadership, coaching, writing, and publishing.

Sara-Louise Ackrill is an AuDHD CEO, therapist, coach, speaker, and award-winning social entrepreneur.

BOOK, The ND Lovers Club

https://amzn.eu/d/8K1kvu7

CONTACT US: Built to Diverge

https://www.builttodiverge.com/contact 

SARA-LOUISE’S LINKEDIN 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-louise-ackrill-frsa-9490871b3/ 

BONTLE’s LINKEDIN

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bontlesenne/ 


#NDLoversClub #NeurodivergentLove #AutisticWomen #NeurodivergentRelationships #SocialSaturdays #BeyondChronicBurnout #AuDHD #Neurodiversity #NeuroAffirmingCare

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