Things That REALLY Matter with Becca Lory Hector & Carole Jean Whittington

What if asking for help wasn’t a weakness—but one of the most radical acts of self-trust an autistic woman can make?

In this powerful episode of our monthly Things That REALLY Matter series, Becca Lory Hector and Carole Jean Whittington go deep into a topic many autistic women carry quietly: why asking for help feels so hard—and how we begin to heal that wound.

Together, we unpack:

• The cultural myth of independence—and the trauma of self-reliance
  

• How masking and rejection train us to equate strength with silence
  

• Why past help-seeking may have felt dangerous or shameful
  

• Rewriting the inner dialogue: shifting from “I should do it all myself” to “I deserve support”
  

• Creating your “Safe to Ask” list and learning to receive without guilt
  

• How helping professionals can hold space for interdependence without overstepping autonomy
  

Whether you're navigating burnout or supporting someone who is, this episode offers insight, validation, and gentle next steps toward reclaiming your voice—and your right to ask.

💌 Companion Article: Why Asking for Help Feels So Hard as Autistic Women—And How to Start Healing That Wound

📩 Special Subscriber Bonus in The Recharge includes healing prompts + tools for clinicians

🔗 Join us at WhittingtonWellBeing.com or in the show notes to access your bonuses

📢 This week’s listener reflection: “This week, I asked for…” Tag us or message to share your micro-acts of radical self-care.

@BeccaLoryHector @CaroleJeanWhittington

🔔 Subscribe + turn on notifications so you never miss an episode of Beyond Chronic Burnout—where we explore what it really means to thrive as autistic women.

🔗 Connect with Carole Jean Whittington:

How to get out of burnout - STEP 1: Take the Spicy Pepper Burnout Quiz and discover if you are in burnout or not, and if so, what’s your burnout level from a Poblano Pepper Level 1, where there’s just a bit of heat up to the Ghost Pepper Level 5 when “you’re so hot, you’re not.” You’ll get the opportunity to join our free Step 2 Class after you take the quiz.

Take the Spicy Pepper Quiz: https://energize.whittingtonwellbeing.com/products/courses/view/1155744

Subscribe to The Recharge Newsletter and receive weekly burnout recovery insights, tools for yourself or to use with your autistic clients, and learn about upcoming workshops at Whittington Well-Being.

🔗 Subscribe to The Recharge:

https://energyuplevel.kit.com/becomeafan

Access the Recharge Library - https://energize.whittingtonwellbeing.com/products/courses/view/1180958/?action=signup

Connect with Becca Lory Hector:

https://beccalory.com/

#AutisticWomen #RadicalSelfCare #ThingsThatReallyMatter #NeurodivergentSupport #UnmaskingHealing #AutisticBurnout #BeyondChronicBurnout

What if understanding your burnout starts with understanding your why?

In this week’s episode of Beyond Chronic Burnout, Carole Jean Whittington shares how the Enneagram became a powerful guide for self-rediscovery during autistic burnout—and how it can help you or your clients finally make sense of your inner world.

Whether you’ve felt emotionally disconnected, chronically misunderstood, or simply unsure of who you are anymore... this conversation offers clarity, compassion, and practical tools for reconnecting with your true self.

💬 In this episode, you’ll explore:

• What the Enneagram really is—and why it works for autistic minds
  

• How it supports those who experience alexithymia (difficulty identifying emotions)
  

• Why self-understanding is key to burnout recovery
  

• How to identify your Enneagram Type
  

• Ways helping professionals can integrate Enneagram work with neuro-affirming care
  

✨ Plus: A gentle meditation, a downloadable Energy-Honoring Enneagram Assessment, journal prompts, and tips for translating these insights into both your personal healing and your professional practice.

🔗 Resources Mentioned:

• 
  

  The Energy-Honoring Enneagram Assessment (in this week’s issue of The Recharge)
  Living Unmasked book + bonus tools: whittingtonwellbeing.com
  

• Subscriber bonus: Enneagram Overview

• 
  

  🧠 This episode is for you if:

  • You’re autistic and feel emotionally disconnected or unsure of who you are
    

  • You’re a therapist, clinician, or coach supporting neurodivergent women
    

  • You want a deeper, more compassionate lens to navigate burnout and healing
    

  🔔 Subscribe + turn on notifications so you never miss an episode of Beyond Chronic Burnout—where we explore what it really means to thrive as autistic women.

  
  

  🔗 Connect with Carole Jean Whittington:

  
  

  How to get out of burnout - STEP 1: Take the Spicy Pepper Burnout Quiz and discover if you are in burnout or not, and if so, what’s your burnout level from a Poblano Pepper Level 1, where there’s just a bit of heat up to the Ghost Pepper Level 5 when “you’re so hot, you’re not.” You’ll get the opportunity to join our free Step 2 Class after you take the quiz.

  Take the Spicy Pepper Quiz: https://energize.whittingtonwellbeing.com/products/courses/view/1155744

  
  

  Subscribe to The Recharge Newsletter and receive weekly burnout recovery insights, tools for yourself or to use with your autistic clients, and learn about upcoming workshops at Whittington Well-Being.

  
  

  🔗 Subscribe to The Recharge:

  https://energyuplevel.kit.com/becomeafan

  
  

  🌿 Ready to reconnect with your authentic Self and finally step into your Comfort Zone? Get your copy of Living Unmasked: An Autistic Woman’s Guide to Get Into Your Comfort Zone—and start your journey out of burnout and into sustainable well-being.

  
  

  ✨ Your $9.99 digital + audio bundle includes the full book, exclusive bonus meditations, printable worksheets, and your personalized Roadmap to Energy Mastery.

  
  

  📘 Grab it here

  :https://energize.whittingtonwellbeing.com/products/courses/view/1182513

  
  

  You don’t have to hustle your way to healing. Let’s unmask gently, together. 💛

  
  

  #AutisticBurnout #SelfDiscovery #AutisticWomen #WellBeing #SelfHelp

  #NeuroaffirmingCare #BurnoutRecovery #AutisticWomen #TraumaInformedPractice #Enneagram #HelpingProfessionals #ClinicalTools #BeyondChronicBurnout

What if peace came from unmasking?

This milestone 200th episode of Beyond Chronic Burnout is a celebration in every sense—of unmasking, of sustainable energy, of thriving as our whole selves, and of YOU, the listener who’s been on this journey with us.

In this powerful episode, host Carole Jean Whittington shares what’s possible when we let go of performance, push past the myth of the “comfort zone,” and step into the version of ourselves that’s been waiting to exhale. You’ll hear insights from readers of Living Unmasked, stories from the healing journey, and reflections from 200 episodes of exploring what it really means to live without burnout.

PLUS: A behind-the-scenes look at Carole Jean’s new book Living Unmasked, how it’s changing lives, and why this podcast continues to be a sacred space for autistic women and the professionals who support them.

💡 What you'll discover:

• The real comfort zone and why it’s your gateway to healing
  

• What unmasking actually looks and feels like
  

• The Optimum Steady State and how it reverses spicy burnout
  

• Why this podcast exists—and what’s coming next
  

🔗 Get Living Unmasked (Digital + Audio):

https://energize.whittingtonwellbeing.com/products/courses/view/1182513

Thank you for being part of 200 episodes. Here’s to 200 more.

#BeyondChronicBurnout #LivingUnmasked #AutisticWomen #BurnoutRecovery #200EpisodesStrong #NeurodivergentSupport #UnmaskingJourney #SustainableEnergy #EnergyMastery

Could you—or someone you care about—be in burnout and not even know it?

In this powerful episode of Beyond Chronic Burnout, Carole Jean Whittington, Lead Burnout Researcher and Chief Well-Being Officer at Whittington Well-Being, brings her recent presentation from the 2nd Annual International Autism Summit straight to you. 🔥

She introduces the Spicy Pepper Scale, a new tool to help identify the stages of burnout, from barely-there to blazing-hot. With over 85% of autistic individuals potentially experiencing Spicy Burnout, it’s time we start calling it what it is—and more importantly, doing something about it.

You'll learn:

• 🔎 Why burnout often goes unrecognized in autistic people
  

• 🌶️ How the Spicy Pepper Scale helps you pinpoint where you are
  

• 🧠 The impact of masking, sensory overwhelm, and health overlap
  

• ⚙️ How The UnVeiling Method + Rapid Recharge Lab are changing the game in burnout recovery
  

This is more than a conversation—it’s a wake-up call filled with practical strategies and hope. Plus, Carole Jean shares tools, quizzes, and a sneak peek at her upcoming book to support your journey toward sustainable energy and safety.

🎧 Listen now and start turning down the heat on your burnout.

🔗 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

#SpicyBurnout #AutisticBurnout #UnmaskingAutism #BeyondChronicBurnout #TheUnVeilingMethod #AutismSummit #BurnoutRecovery #NeurodivergentWellBeing #AutisticAdults

What’s draining your energy—and how can you protect what little you have left?

In this powerful first episode of our new monthly series Things That Really Matter, Carole Jean and Becca Lory Hector dive into the often invisible emotional and mental toll that autistic individuals face—especially in a world that can feel increasingly marginalizing.

Together, they explore:

✨ How to identify and avoid spoon-stealing conversations ✨ The value of rest, self-care, and creating safe, sustainable routines

✨ Ways to build community that uplifts rather than drains ✨ Why now is the perfect time to build something new

✨ How internal reflection and creativity support long-term resilience

Whether you're autistic yourself or support those who are, this conversation offers a validating, practical, and deeply heartfelt look at how we can protect our spoons—and use them with intention.

🎧 Tune in now and join the conversation about what really matters.

🔗 Connect with Becca Lory Hector:

https://beccalory.com/

🔗 Connect with Carole Jean Whittington:

https://whittingtonwellbeing.com/

#ProtectYourSpoons #AutisticWomen #NeuroaffirmingCare #BeyondChronicBurnout #BeccaLoryHector #CaroleJeanWhittington #ThingsThatReallyMatter