Welcome to AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish. This ADHD Awareness Month episode features late-diagnosed ADHD women Callie Elward-Barrett and Jayne Gurton discussing neurodivergent burnout, self-trust, and resilience when a toxic workplace decides you are the problem.
Do you feel like you went from capable to suddenly being considered the problem without actually changing? What does resilience look like when you can’t simply wait for the difficult bit to end and ‘bounce back’? Callie shares the personal story behind her approach to resilience. As a senior executive, she was supported after her ADHD diagnosis, until a change in leadership brought a very different response.
For Callie, three personal anchors help: feeling that what she does matters, finding joy for its own sake, and choosing to contribute to change. Remember, being harmed doesn’t make fixing the problem your responsibility.
Hello, hello, and welcome! We are your neurodivergent besties, Callie Elward-Barrett and Jayne Gurton. We talk about neurodivergence in real adult life: work, relationships, burnout, identity, and all the things we wish someone had explained earlier. Take us along as your body double while you tackle the washing, go for a walk, or get through that task you’ve been avoiding.
Inside the Episode:
Content note: Swearing, workplace mistreatment, severe emotional distress, references to past dark thoughts, and childhood adversity. The most emotionally intense discussion is around 14:08-22:32. The practical reflection on what helps begins at 27:06.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro and welcome
01:22 Bedazzled ballet flats
04:51 Callie’s ADHD conference adventures
12:39 When the room decides you’re the problem
13:13 What does resilience actually mean?
14:08 ADHD disclosure and a change in workplace support
17:45 Internalised blame and rethinking ‘bouncing back’
20:31 When you’re struggling but can’t talk
22:32 Childhood, ambition, and refusing other people’s limits
27:06 Feeling that you matter: purpose and external validation
31:09 Joy for yourself, and choosing to be part of change
35:49 Letting go of ‘back to normal’
36:53 Your ADHD doesn’t make you the problem
37:52 Keeping your ambition and defining success for yourself
39:40 Listener reflections and staying connected
40:47 Jayne’s Ballarat drag bingo
What helps you feel that you matter? What brings you joy? Email us your stories, questions, or a different perspective - we want to hear it.
Follow the show, share this episode with someone who needs it, and leave a rating or review if our conversations help you feel less alone. We might get better!
Connect with us
Email: fthemfish@gmail.com
Find us on YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish
Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/
LinkedIn:
Callie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142
Jayne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-gurton-
This podcast was created on the lands of the Ngunnawal, Wadawurrung, and Dja Dja Wurrung Peoples. We acknowledge their continuing connection to Country and pay our respects to Elders past and present.
This episode shares lived experience and personal reflections, not individual medical or psychological advice.
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