Heather Cook

Unmasking My Wardrobe Color Choices

I recently found another way I’ve been masking without realizing it. Here’s me talking through how I realized this and let this mask drop away.

How Much Is It Okay to Go Out of My Way for Others?

As you’re learning to establish healthier relationships and boundaries, the question comes up, “How much is it healthy to do things for others that use my own energy and effort?”

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How to Prevent Meltdowns

Meltdowns are no fun, but it is possible to avoid them. Here’s a framework for how.

When You Start Feeling Sensory Stuff and It’s All More Annoying, Here’s What to Do Next

A common experience with later identified Autistics who start figuring out all the sensory stuff that they’ve been shutting out, is that instead of things getting better, everything is more annoying.

Woman with dark skin and hair pulled up in a bun, wearing an orange shirt and black skirt, sits on the floor against a couch with her knees pulled up and arms crossed, looking anxious. In the background a guitar leans against a wall.

On Anxiety, Nuance, and Trusting Yourself

Sometimes the advice we get creates more problems than solutions. Here are a few thoughts on some anxiety advice I heard, and on developing trust in yourself.

Are Big Life Changes Worth It?

Are they worth it? A question that new clients (who want to make changes in their life but it’s also scary) sometimes ask me is,

What is Internalized Ableism?

Here are a couple examples of internalized ableism, and a few thoughts exploring what ableism is, how it gets so ingrained, and what the way out may be.

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Why “It’s Just A Label” Hurts

There’s so much history and personal experience surrounding diagnoses, and they’re more complicated than “just labels.”

FAQs About Coaching with Heather

Common questions about Heather’s style of life coaching with other adult Autistics to build their own autism-positive life.

You Don’t Need To Be Farther Along Than You Are

In our society, we get a lot of messages that once you figure out something, you need to go put it into practice. But that’s skipping a critical step.

Why NOT Get the Worst Over With First

Have you heard the saying, “eat the worst first and save the best for last”? I think it’s fundamentally flawed. Here’s why, and what I’ve found works better.