Talking Twaddle with Amy Hourigan: The Stories We Carry

There’s something deeply familiar in Amy’s story — not just in the diagnosis or the overwhelm, but in the way she’s carried the story of being “too much” since birth. When she shared how her entry into the world fractured her family for a time — siblings sent to relatives, a mum recovering from surgery — I saw the shape of a narrative that many of us know all too well: “I caused chaos just by existing.”

That idea. That feeling. It’s not just a passing comment. It becomes your core script. And if you’re not careful, you don’t question it until you’re 40 and burnt out, parenting neurodivergent kids and wondering why every decision feels like survival.

But here’s the powerful part — Amy did question it. And in the process, she’s helping her children write a different story. One where being autistic isn’t the barrier to get over — it’s the platform to build from.

Podcast Episode: Talking Twaddle with Amy Hourigan

Episode Highlights

Diagnosis Through the Rearview Mirror
Amy’s late diagnosis started, like many of ours, through the doorway of parenting. Her kids’ challenges mirrored her own. It wasn’t their behaviour that was confusing — it was everyone else’s resistance to understanding it.
The First Story We Hear About Ourselves Matters
Amy shares how her birth and early attachment shaped an internal belief: “I make things harder.” That belief impacted how she mothered, how she worked, how she masked. And how long she waited before allowing herself support.
PDA Parenting, Parallel Healing
Learning about Pathological Demand Avoidance opened the door not only for her kids’ understanding, but her own. She talks about doing the work in parallel — not perfectly, but honestly — and how that changed everything.
The Myth of “Getting Through It”
Surviving school and society isn’t the same as learning to thrive. Amy’s story dismantles the idea that high masking means success. It meant delayed burnout and a longer path to self-trust.
Business Built from Special Interest (and Spite)
From SEO to spite-fuelled empire-building, Amy’s business journey is full of grit, cleverness, and proving people wrong. But the real success is in creating a life that honours her nervous system and her needs.

“The story I had about myself was that I was hard work. That I made everything harder just by existing. That story shaped everything — how I mothered, how I worked, how I broke. I’m learning to write a new one.”

Final Thoughts

Amy’s episode is a reminder that the stories we’re handed as children — especially as neurodivergent kids — don’t have to be the ones we keep. And the stories our children grow up with can be ones of pride, clarity, and connection.

We don’t need to build resilience in our kids. We need to give them stories that recognise their needs from the start — ones they don’t have to unlearn at 43.

Links & Resources:

Join BBMe Completely: BBMe Completely
Follow me on Instagram: BetterBeingMe_BBMe
Connect with Amy : Amy Who & Amy Who IG
Nikki Vox (Rapid Processing Therapy)
School Can’t Movement
The Remind Institute
Polyvagal Theory & Nervous System Education
Alison Davies — “Feelings are just feelings in motion.”

Subscribe to the Better Being Me Podcast: Talking Twaddle Season 2

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Talking Twaddle with Amy Hourigan: The Stories We Carry