Finding creative steadiness after 60 with an AuDHD lens

Late-Diagnosed at 65: Creativity, Compassion, and Coming Home to Yourself with Caroline Carey

I sit down with Caroline Carey, a creative, author, and grandmother who was diagnosed with AuDHD in her mid-60s—and everything started to make sense.

In this conversation, I open up about my own assessment experience while Caroline shares how a “you’re not depressed, you’re overwhelmed” moment changed her path. You’ll discover how she re-framed decades of school struggle, why dance became her nervous system’s anchor, and the unexpected support that finally let her ask for help in her business.

I reveal the questions I ask late-identified adults to spot patterns, while Caroline explains how she now sees rejection sensitivity, travel anxiety, and masking through a new lens. We also tease the spiritual thread that runs through her work—and the book she wrote once she realized what she’d been writing about all along.

By the end, you’ll be thinking about overwhelm vs. depression, what real support can look like, and how to tell when you’re “being you” versus blending in. And you might walk away asking: What if the world is finally coming to meet you?

About the Guest

Caroline Carey is a UK-based creative, author of “The Neurodivergent Soul,” soul cartographer, and longtime movement facilitator. She supports artists, writers, and difference-makers to express their stories with compassion and clarity.

Key Timestamps

• 0:02 – Welcome and late diagnosis at 65

• 5:08 – “Not depressed—overwhelmed” and the assessment that followed

• 9:21 – Who Caroline was 30 years ago and the dance that kept her steady

• 19:23 – What life felt like on the inside: love, exhaustion, overwhelm

• 23:26 – Masking, people-pleasing, and choosing authenticity

• 27:28 – The moment autism “clicked” and polarity made sense

• 30:32 – Writing “The Neurodivergent Soul” and naming the real story

• 40:12 – Travel anxiety, planning, and why “just relax” doesn’t help

• 53:22 – The UK grant that changed her business support

• 58:57 – Where to find Caroline’s work

If this episode helps you feel seen, share it with a parent, educator, or friend who needs it. Subscribe for more conversations that support our neurodiverse community.

Explore Caroline’s work: middleearthmedicine.com

#Neurodiversity #Autism #ADHD #AuDHD #LateDiagnosis

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