Catherine Asta

About Me

At the heart of everything I do is the belief that healing and belonging begin with being seen, heard and understood.

Sometimes that happens in the therapy room or through a microphone in a virtual podcast studio.

Sometimes in a circle or community of peers who realise they are not alone, or equipping professionals to design and deliver trauma aware, deeply human peer support.

And sometimes it’s narrative on a page or designing frameworks and spaces that can hold people.

My work is about creating spaces where people can gather, belong, and begin again.

Across the last two decades, I’ve led multi-million pound community programmes, co-designed NHS strategic advisory and patient forums to support £5bn strategy development, headed up transformation for a large NHS acute trust and created pioneering peer led support spaces.

I’m an ex NHS Strategist turned psychotherapist and writer whose work brings a neurodivergent, compassionate and embodied perspective to questions of healing, loss and identity. I weave psychological insight with nature-rooted wisdom and somatic knowing.

I am the host of the globally recognised podcast and community 'The Late Discovered Club' - the number one ranked podcast for late-identified autistic women, as well as host of the NHS-funded ‘Autism Central’ podcast.

My bestselling book ‘Rediscovered’ is currently being translated internationally, with my memoir ‘Still Living’ published in April 2026.

Through my 'Gather + Belong' Circle Design Programme, I support individuals and organisations to create trauma-informed, neuro-inclusive peer spaces that are deeply human.

I also deliver post discovery peer support circles for late discovered autistic women from across the world to explore their journey together. At the end of 2025 I was appointed as an Associate to co-author and deliver a PEERS framework for the £6 million NHS funded National Autism Peer Education Programme - as well as producing and hosting the podcast for the programme.

Alongside my creative work, I collaborate with organisations across media, healthcare, education and community sectors through consultancy, training, content and programme design.

Ranging from designing content for, and delivering training to hundreds of mental health professionals in the NHS as part of the National Autism Training Programme to guest lecturing the next generation of psychotherapists at UCL.

A two-time breast cancer survivor, I live on the edge of the moors in Ilkley, Yorkshire in the UK where the landscape inspires and informs much of my writing and creative work.