Fox & Zalcman
Research. Writing.
Lived Experience.
We see you. We are listening.A space for the lived experiences of late-diagnosed and self-identified neurodivergent women, ready to be heard.Every story shared here belongs to one woman. Together they belong to all of us.
Am I really so different?
Lonely, emotional, weary and full to the brim with shame, sadness and anger.If these words have weighed heavy on your shoulders for far too long, then we welcome you to this safe space.You do not need a diagnosis to be here. You only need to have sensed, somewhere quietly inside you, that there was always more to your story than you were led to believe.And perhaps grief too, for the years you have tried so hard to navigate a world that seemed just out of reach.This is for every woman who spent years feeling so very different and wondering why.For every woman who masked, adapted, repeatedly burned out and is still trying her best to survive.For every woman whose dawn is ready to rise, slowly, steadily and with the right community and support.Come and meet us where you are right now in your neurodivergent journey.
Why we are listening
We are Lynne Fox and Pen Zalcman, neurodivergent women who have come together with a shared purpose.Our research and writing collaboration was born from a simple but profound recognition: that there are thousands of women who spent decades not knowing why life felt so difficult.Women who wondered what was wrong with them.Women who finally received a late diagnosis, or recognised themselves without one, and felt, for the first time, that their story made sense.Our current piece of research explores the lived experiences of women in this community, with the aim of creating a book that gives voice to what has so often gone unspoken.The experiences that have been missed, minimised or misunderstood.The stories that exist in the space between diagnosis, or understanding, and the quiet, extraordinary resilience that each of us carries.We want to honour these experiences with the depth and honesty they ask of us.We are leading a nationwide research project across the UK, reaching women through organisations, communities and individuals who understand this experience.At this stage we are not collecting stories. We are openly listening.We would love to understand what you would find most helpful, validating and meaningful to read.Your responses will help shape the direction, tone and content as this work evolves.This book is for you.
Shaped by you.
Your story belongs here too
Do you have a story to share?A voice that wants to be heard?Every voice, every experience, matters here.Is there a particular era of your life you found challenging?What did you most need to hear when you were younger?Are you still carrying grief for what could have been, for the versions of yourself you never got to be?We want to hear the darkest days and the lightest ones, the joy, the newfound acceptance, the new connections, the self-awareness you longed for and the self-compassion that was absent for so long.Our stories have never been told, never gathered, never held with the care they deserved.We were missed for decades, sometimes entire lifetimes.Now we are stepping out of the shadows, together.It's time we were seen, gently, at our own pace, and held at last.
Our Story
Pen and Lynne share a rare kind of connection. We hold real respect and admiration for one another, and a closeness and understanding that sits underneath it all.We support, encourage and believe in each other, in our work and in our life, and often arrive at the same idea without a word passing between us.With each other, there is no masking, no performing, just an easy, flowing friendship that evolves with every exchange.We are two women who feel safe with each other, and it is from that place that this work grows.
Lynne Fox
Lynne is a Specialist in Bereavement and Loss, with seven years of experience supporting adults and children through some of life's most difficult moments.She is also a Certified Grief Educator, trained through the programme of David Kessler, an internationally recognised grief expert and author.Lynne has a particular interest in the grief that can accompany late diagnosis of ADHD and autism, drawing on her own experience of neurodivergence.Her work is rooted in care, compassion and a deep respect for each person's own pace through grief.
Pen Zalcman
Pen is an Executive Neurodiversity Coach who works primarily with late-diagnosed autistic, ADHD and AuDHD women.While much other work centres on women's experiences, she welcomes people of all genders who recognise themselves in this journey.An EMCC Senior Practitioner and AuDHD coach, she supports people through diagnosis, burnout and life transitions, helping them build lives that feel authentic, sustainable and true to themselves.Pen believes that many of us carry a fractured sense of identity for years. Through connection, shared experience and community, we can begin to rediscover who we are and find our way home to ourselves.
50%+
of women with ADHD are thought
to remain undiagnosed.
4:1
is the current ratio of men to women
diagnosed autistic.
23%
of women in eating disorder treatment are autistic, most never knew it.
Community
You do not have to explain yourself here.So many of us have spent our lives feeling like we never quite belonged anywhere.There is a quiet relief, and a flicker of healing, in being with women who recognise themselves in your story.Here, friendships can grow.Experiences can be shared without shame or guilt.Grief can be witnessed, gently, without judgement.This is a place to begin getting to know yourself, in whatever way that unfolds. Perhaps for the first time.A community where we can reach some kind of acceptance, in our own time and our own way.Where we feel empowered to make different choices, to find purpose and hope, and to be curious about what might still be possible.
Research Questionnaire
Your voice matters.Either press the green button or scan the QR code to complete the questionnaire.Responses are anonymous, treated with care, and seen only by us.There’s no right or wrong way to answerThank you for your contribution.
Connect with us
We welcome connection.You can use the form to say hello, ask a question, or get in touch about the work we are doing.We would love to hear from you.We aim to get back to you within five days.
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