In this episode, hosts Haley Moss and Dr. Lori Butts speak with self-advocate, film / television writer and producer, and professor at Arizona State University Zhara Astra. Zhara Astra is a film and television writer, producer, as well as a professor where she developed the first university course in the world on understanding neurodivergent women at Arizona State University. After discovering in adulthood that she was on the spectrum, Zhara set out on a mission to change the way women are viewed, treated, and diagnosed in the medical world (and how they’re depicted in film and tv) while also aiming to help women and girls better understand their own brains. She is an international public speaker and has written articles about this for Scientific American Magazine as well as other publications, that have helped change the game for women worldwide. For more about Zhara’s work: https://zharaastra.com/ A TRANSCRIPTION FOR THIS EPISODE CAN BE FOUND HERE: https://differentbrains.org/self-acceptance-for-autistic-women-with-zhara-astra-spectrumly-speaking-ep-160/ ----------------- Spectrumly Speaking is the podcast dedicated to women on the autism spectrum, produced by Different Brains®. Every other week, join our hosts Haley Moss (an autism self-advocate, attorney, artist, and author) and Dr. Lori Butts (a licensed clinical and forensic psychologist, and licensed attorney) as they discuss topics and news stories, share personal stories, and interview some of the most fascinating voices from the autism community. Follow Different Brains on social media: https://twitter.com/diffbrains https://www.facebook.com/different.brains/ http://differentbrains.org/category/spectrumlyspeaking/