Every few years, a new headline claims to have found “the cause” of autism. This time it’s Tylenol (paracetamol). Before that, it was vaccines, diets, or even parenting styles. These stories grab attention, but they also leave parents carrying a heavy weight of guilt, shame, and anger.

In this episode, I unpack the latest Tylenol announcement in plain language, place it within the long history of blaming mothers for autism, and explore why science keeps chasing causes instead of focusing on what really matters: supporting autistic people to thrive.

Most importantly, I talk about what these headlines do to us emotionally as parents — and how we can release the blame that doesn’t belong to us. Because you are not broken. Your child is not broken. And you are not to blame.

You’re tired. You’re irritable. You can’t remember why you walked into the kitchen.

Is it burnout? Chronic stress from being a carer? Perimenopause? Or are you just… falling apart?

In this episode, Kirsten unpacks the perfect storm so many mothers face: the identity shift of post-diagnosis matrescence, the relentless mental load of raising a neurodivergent child, and the hormonal upheaval of perimenopause.

With personal reflection, expert insight, and plenty of validation, we’ll explore:

• Why burnout, stress, and perimenopause can look and feel the same

• How medical gaslighting leaves mothers unsupported

• The biology, the systems, and the cultural silence keeping us stuck

• Practical ways to care for yourself when you can’t change the storm

You’re not broken. You’re living through more than anyone should — and you still show up.

What if your need to control everything — the routines, the therapies, the endless meetings — wasn’t just about being prepared… but about being afraid?

In this raw and reflective episode, I explore how the urge to manage every detail of our child’s life is often rooted in fear: fear of judgment, fear of failing them, fear of what might happen if we don’t get it exactly right. I open up about my own journey through post-diagnosis matrescence, emotional burnout, and the slow, painful realisation that all my striving was leaving me disconnected from myself and my child.

Together, we’ll unpack:

• Why control often masks deeper fears

• How matrescence amplifies anxiety for mothers of neurodivergent children

• The emotional and physical cost of trying to “get it all right”

• What happens when we start to loosen our grip

• Real-life reflections on trust, presence, and letting go — without giving up

This one is for every mum who’s ever felt like she’s the only thing holding it all together — and is quietly falling apart in the process.