Amanda Nicholson

Amanda Nicholson is a late-identified autistic writer and podcaster whose creative journey is rooted in self-discovery, reflection, and a deep desire to help others feel less alone. After beginning her own process of seeking an autism diagnosis, Amanda found herself facing a lack of accessible support and understanding. Instead of staying silent, she turned to writing. Creating a Substack blog that evolved into a podcast exploring her personal experiences of navigating identity, creativity, and neurodivergence. What began as a way to make sense of her own story quickly became something more. A space for shared experience. A platform for other autistic voices. A bridge between personal reflection and community understanding. Through guest contributions from autistic writers and interviews with others in the creative space, Amanda has built a body of work that expands beyond her own perspective while staying grounded in honesty and lived experience. Her writing has also reached wider audiences through features in publications such as Stylist and The Daily Mail . Opportunities that have allowed her to bring conversations around autism into spaces beyond her immediate community. She draws inspiration from voices like Pete Wharmby , whose advocacy around autism helps bring visibility and clarity to issues often misunderstood. While Amanda isn’t certain about following a similar public-facing path, she admires the impact of speaking openly and educating others through storytelling and presence. She is also a spoken word performer, using poetry and live readings as another way to express herself creatively, even as she continues to explore whether public speaking in a broader sense is part of her future. At her core, Amanda is creative, introspective, and honest. Someone using writing not just as expression, but as connection. Through Legacy Bench, she continues to share her story, develop her voice, and explore how personal experience can become something that resonates far beyond the self.