1. Home
  2. AWG Self-Esteem

AWG Secular 12 Step Self-Esteem Group 🚀


Access this page in bionic reading here. 

Looking for the old site? All of the original materials are still available on https://awg12steps.wordpress.com/

On this page:

Zoom access and meeting times Meeting description Workbook Readings
Zoom access and meeting times

Meetings are every Tuesday from 11 am to 12 pm Eastern US Time. See Meeting Time in a Different Time Zone (normal calendar)


* Zoom link not working? Search the meeting ID below in the Zoom meeting database and then use the code to sign in: 

Meeting ID: 824 1142 4876
Code: 781927


Emails will be sent out to mailing list members in the rare case of a cancellation.
Get a weekly email reminder for meetings

Submit your email to receive a reminder each week about the upcoming AWG Self-Esteem group meeting
Your email address is only used to send you our newsletter and information about our activities. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Meeting description

This is a secular 12 Step meeting focused on self-esteem recovery for late-identified autistic women and members of all other marginalized genders (nonbinary, gender fluid, MTF/FTM trans, agender, autigender, and more). 

We meet each Tuesday on Zoom, practice the AWG 12 Steps using the AWG 12 Step Workbook, share in response to weekly readings, and participate in the optional co-mentorship program if we so desire. 

It is not mandatory to turn on your mic or camera. Coming to listen is totally fine. By taking part, we hold space for others, and ourselves, to participate in a way that is manageable for us as we exist right now.

It is not necessary to actively be doing the AWG 12 Steps in order to be a full participant. Any contact with the group and its resources can be beneficial as long as it’s sustainable for each of us as individuals. Many of us participate simply by attending meetings.

As we participate in this meeting over time, we might find ourselves seeking to…

  • Find our own concept of self-esteem and grow toward it
  • Come to discover a more realistic sense of our place in the world
  • Reassess our relationships, especially in terms of our responsibilities towards ourselves and others
  • Come to understand personal boundaries, their roles in our lives, and how to develop and maintain healthy boundaries
  • Understand the concept of nonviolent detachment and how and when to enact it
  • Develop more manageable lifestyles
  • Develop a sense of self that leads to more health, well being, and manageability in our lives
  • Release others from the responsibility of defining or reinforcing our sense of self-esteem
  • Form personal goals about self-esteem and self-concept based on our own understanding of our own needs, as they exist today

AWG 12 Step Self-Esteem Readings

A "spiky" sense of self?

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

Pre-identification, I feared my strengths were just accidents I couldn't depend on

Learning about how my "spiky profile" affects my relationships with other people and communities has helped me understand part of why my sense of self has been so confusing in the past. Some things I'm really good at, better than anyone else I know. On the other hand, certain very "normal" things are harder for me than for anyone else I know.

Guess which of those I'm called on to use more often in my day-to-day life? The normal things I'm not good at. Guess which of those I'm called on to use more in the presence of other people? The normal things I'm not good at.

Many of the things I am good at, I have to find venues for, make space in my life for. And with all the responsibilities of adulthood, that's not always easy to do. I'm often too tired from the normal things I'm not as good at. Even when I get an opportunity to do what I'm good at, there aren't always people around who can appreciate what I'm doing or what makes my performance impressive.

This circumstance of feeling like I'm always on display for the things that are harder for me, whereas I need to search to find opportunity and appreciation for the things I'm good at, has influenced my sense of self and impacted my relationships with others.

What's helped my sense of self has been to realize that even though I don't always have an opportunity to do what I'm good at or get public recognition, my strengths are still a part of me. Even when I'm struggling with "basic" tasks. Even when I'm having a terrible day.

Pre-identification, I feared that my strengths were just accidents I couldn't depend on. Post-identification, I know that my spiky profile is always with me. My strengths aren't going anywhere. They're who I am.

How about you? Do you feel you have a spiky profile, and if so, has it influenced your sense of self?

Share questions:

  • Do you have a spiky profile? What are some of the spikes and low points?
  • Do you ever feel the nature of your spiky profile means your "weak" sides are on public display more often than your strong sides? How so?
  • Do you ever have outsized feelings of pride/happiness when using your strengths or outsized feelings of self-disappointment, embarrassment, or despair about your weaknesses? Are the size or polarity of these emotions ever unmanageable in your life?
  • Are you able to make time and space in your life for your strengths to come out? 
  • Do you have individuals or a community who can appreciate your strengths and understand the significance of what you are doing?
  • What are some other ways your spiky profile may have influenced your sense of self?
  • Has the way you understand the concepts of "weaknesses" and "strengths" changed since you learned you are autistic?
  • Any tools, resources, or strategies to share? 
  • Anything else to add?
No comments yet

AWG 12 Step Self-Esteem Workbook

Step 1

We admitted that despite our efforts, many of the factors affecting our sense of self and self-esteem seemed out of control, leading to increased unmanageability in our lives.

Step 2

Coming Soon

Step 3

Coming Soon

Step 4

Coming Soon
Search
This website may use cookies and external scripts. More information