Share

AuDHD Podcast for grownups: F Them Fish!
AuDHD: Perfectly Imperfect, Getting through Grief - Kintsugi with Sarah Rosse
In this special in-person episode recorded in Melbourne’s CBD, Jayne sits down with author Sarah Rosse to discuss her debut memoir, So, Who Are You Anyway?
Sarah shares the raw, keep getting up reality of supporting her son through a mental health crisis and suicide attempt at age 16. This is a conversation about the surreal days that follow a crisis, the family members often forgotten in the chaos, and finding gold in the cracks of our lives.
Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of suicide and a suicide attempt. It also includes a brief mention of the loss of a baby. Please take care while listening and skip this one if these topics aren't right for you today.
This podcast is for entertainment and community purposes only. We are not a medical or therapy podcast - please don't take anything said here as medical or therapeutic advice.
Correction: During the conversation, Sarah refers to the loss of her baby as happening in 2021. This was a verbal slip - the loss actually occurred in 2012.
In this episode, we cover:
- The Aftermath: The out-of-body feeling of the days following a crisis and the pressure to show life goes on.
- Kintsugi Healing: How the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold became a metaphor for Sarah’s life and her work with Kintsugi Heroes.
- The Forgotten Siblings: Practical ways to support brothers and sisters who are often overlooked during a mental health emergency.
- Writing as Medicine: Using journaling to stop the blur and process grief, shame, and disbelief.
- Living Grief: Understanding the loss of a baby in-utero and how we carry different types of grief.
- Exclusive Scoop: Sarah reveals details about her second book and her 100 Conversations project.
Timestamps
00:00 – Intro
01:24 – Sarah’s story
02:30 – Navigating a child’s mental health crisis as a parent
05:26 – Kintsugi and embracing the perfectly imperfect
08:54 – Reframing shame and sharing stories
10:37 – The forgotten family members in a mental health crisis
17:46 – Navigating the mental health system
20:00 – The advocacy gap for neurokin
22:10 – The impact of neurodiversity in a mental health journey
27:31 – The role of schools
32:38 – Dismantling traditional thinking
36:21 – Grief and its complexities
41:43 – Answering the question, So, who are you anyway?
42:39 – Advice for parents facing their child’s mental health crisis
44:11 – Journalling for neurodivergent brains
45:48 – An exclusive scoop just for our besties…
47:28 – Getting in touch
If you or someone you know is navigating similar challenges, remember that you are not alone.
If this episode has brought up anything for you, please reach out to any of the resources below.
Emergency & Immediate Crisis Support
- Emergency Services: Call 000 if life or safety is at risk
- SuicideLine Victoria: Call 1300 651 251 (24/7 free professional phone and online counselling for Victorians)
- Lifeline: Call 13 11 14 (24/7 national crisis support and suicide prevention).
- Suicide Call Back Service: Call 1300 659 467 (24/7 free national phone and online counselling)
Specialised Support Lines
- 13 YARN: Call 13 92 76 (24/7 national crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people)
- Beyond Blue: Call 1300 224 636 (24/7 general mental health and support).
- QLife / Switchboard Victoria: Call 1800 184 527 (Peer support and referral for LGBTIQA+)
- Kids Helpline: Call 1800 55 1800 (24/7 support for ages 5 to 25)
Bereavement and Postvention Support
- Support After Suicide: Visit Support After Suicide or call 1800 943 415 for grief support and specialised resources
- StandBy Support After Suicide: Visit StandBy Support After Suicide for local community postvention assistance
Kintsugi Heroes: https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/
Sarah’s Website: https://www.intentionalwritingforwellness.com/
Sarah’s Insta: https://www.instagram.com/sarah_rosse_author/
Sarah’s Book: https://books.google.com.au/books/about/So_Who_Are_You_Anyway.html?id=4iAN0gEACAAJ&redir_esc=y
Get in touch: fthemfish@gmail.com or find us on socials.
Email: fthemfish@gmail.com
YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish
Callie's Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/
LinkedIn: Callie: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142
More episodes
View all episodes

68. AuDHD Burnout or Simple Tiredness: Are You Running on Empty?
33:43||Season 2, Ep. 68Do you feel like you’re constantly low on spoons? Are even the things you want to do feeling like effort? Does working out what might help sound like another job you don’t have the energy for? You’re not alone. Hit play to sit with two friends who get it.This week, Callie and Jayne talk about waking up with nothing in the tank, switching between professional and social roles, and making space for recovery when you still don’t feel recovered. From the background radiation of world events to financial stress and information overload, we explore the modern pressures that can leave neurodivergent brains entirely fried.In this episode, you’ll find:We share things we personally find helpful, including noticing what we want less of, and choosing one manageable next stepLow demand comforts, including rediscovering favourite musicBasket date night… Dopamining - salt and vinegar Cheezels, house-system wins, and a particularly inappropriate suggestion for finding lost belongingsAsking for professional and personal support when exhaustion persists.We might get better. But today, we’re starting small.Interested in having Jayne as your wedding celebrant? Email fthemfish@gmail.com, and we’ll connect you.Timestamps00:00 – Theme tune and welcome 02:50 – Do you feel constantly low on energy? 03:35 – Snack fixations and dopamining 05:39 – Can a timer keep us on track? 08:01 – Jayne’s new job, weddings, and the cost of switching roles 11:26 – Making time for recovery but still feeling depleted 13:36 – House systems that work for who you are - we might get better 16:54 – Basket date night: Unf*cking the household clutter together 18:05 – A very inappropriate lost-items strategy from Tom Cardy 19:44 – Feeling underwater and blurred vision 20:49 – When working out what you need feels like another job 22:56 – AuDHD Burnout and invisible effort 24:25 – World events, feeling unsafe, and the cost of living crisis 26:14 – Starting with what you don’t want 28:08 – Sleep, familiar music, and small comforts 29:39 – Finding just one manageable next step 31:16 – Time’s up: staying connected 32:37 – Producer’s note: seeking help and sharing the recovery loadMentioned in this episodeTom Cardy — H.Y.C.Y.BH?: the lost-items song from our side quest. Explicit language.Find our earlier house-systems episode: in your podcast feed.Healthdirect: Fatigue: further information about persistent tiredness and seeking support.Connect with usWe are a 100% independent podcast with no corporate backing or production company. If this episode felt like a warm hug, please follow, rate, or share it with another neurodivergent adult who needs to hear itEmail Us: Send your questions, stories, feedback, and small wins to fthemfish@gmail.com.Socials: Search AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTubeCallie’s Info: Explore executive functioning coaching, keynotes, and workshops at Executive Functioning Leadership Callie on LinkedInJayne on LinkedInAcknowledgement of CountryThis podcast was created on the lands of the Ngunnawal, Wadawurrung, and Dja Dja Wurrung Peoples. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and recognise their continuing connections to Country, culture, and community.Lived-experience noteWe share personal experiences and general discussion, not medical or psychological advice. ‘Low spoons’ describes limited energy or capacity, it is not a diagnosis. Persistent exhaustion, difficulty recovering, or changes in vision deserve professional assessment rather than assumptions about their cause. As Callie’s closing note reminds us, you don’t have to manage recovery alone.Contains occasional explicit language and adult humour.
67. Autistic, Queer, and Doing Life My Way. With Yenn Purkis
55:36||Season 2, Ep. 67Autism, queer identity, ambition, and building a life on your own terms. Author and advocate Yenn Purkis joins us for an honest conversation about their experiences and the expectations they’ve refused to live by.Welcome to AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish, with Callie Elward-Barrett and Jayne Gurton, your neurodivergent besties talking adult ADHD, autism, and the stuff nobody explains about grown-up life.This week, Yenn Purkis joins us in the Nook, bringing spectacular rainbow hair, a love of cats, and a remarkable willingness to share the difficult parts of their story alongside the joy.Yenn talks about receiving an autism diagnosis in prison, being misunderstood within mental health services, and finding support that helped them imagine a different future. They describe the steps towards university, a 17-year public service career, writing books, and a home they love, alongside the continuing reality of living with schizophrenia.We get into ambition, the limits other people place on us, and why asking for help can be complicated when independence matters deeply. We also compare our responses to motivational advice and question where protection, challenge, and resilience meet.Then we explore the joy of recognising your identity. Yenn shares their experience of coming out as non-binary and asexual, choosing their name, and finding people who understood. Expect swearing, side quests, and a Podcat determined to join the conversation.Content noteStrong language and discussion of incarceration, bullying, trauma, drug use, psychiatric hospitalisation, schizophrenia, suicide risk, and discrimination.In this episodeAutism diagnosis, misdiagnosis, and Yenn’s experiences of prison and mental health services.Finding hope, accepting support, and taking the next step towards change.Ambition and questioning other people’s assumptions about your capabilities.Support that respects boundaries and autonomy.Our different experiences of motivation, resilience, and discomfort.Non-binary and asexual identity, coming out, and becoming Yenn.Writing for autistic children and discovering how much those books mean to readers.Yenn’s books and websiteYenn Purkis’s biography and websiteYenn’s books at Woodslane HealthYenn also mentions their books with Lived Places Publishing. Contact Yenn through their website or social media to enquire about their newsletter or signed copies.A note from usWe share lived experience, professional perspectives, and personal reflections. This conversation is not individual medical, psychological, or workplace advice. Our ideas about autism, motivation, and resilience are exploratory, not established explanations of how everyone’s brain works. People’s circumstances, barriers, and support needs differ. Expect swearing, disagreement, and ongoing learning.Join the conversationSend your stories, questions, ADHD taxes, guest ideas, and feedback to fthemfish@gmail.com.Find us on YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them FishCallie's Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/LinkedIn: Callie: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142 Jayne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-gurton-Follow or subscribe so you don’t miss an episode, and leave us a five-star review if the pod makes you feel understood, entertained, or slightly less alone.This podcast was created on the lands of the Ngunnawal, Wadawurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung Peoples. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners.
66. ADHD and the Social Media Neuroscience Trap
01:09:25||Season 2, Ep. 66Is internet pop-science lying to you? In this episode of AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish, Callie and Jayne dismantle ADHD and the social media neuroscience trap to find out what the research actually says. Does visual clutter actually break the ADHD brain, or is social media overhyping the science? Real scientific studies get twisted into confident, viral social media claims about ADHD, clutter, stress, and working memory. We break down what the research actually measured, where the online interpretations stretch the truth, and how to balance competing sensory needs in shared spaces, because Callie needs a minimalist, clear space to think, while Jayne thrives in a cozy, dopamine-filled environment.Hit follow to join two AuDHD grownups as they debunk pop-neuroscience and figure out whose neurodivergent home wins. In This Episode:Why feeling validated makes us less likely to question internet claims.What visual-processing studies actually tell us about clutter.The real link between uncompleted tasks, stress, and laundry piles.Why useful brain metaphors aren’t empirical proof.How to negotiate shared spaces.Unmasking, mutual consideration, and whose accommodations get prioritised.Timestamps:00:00 Welcome back, Jayne04:38 Your house hacks and the big-light dispute06:04 When a neuroscience post feels almost too validating07:29 Jury duty12:48 British passport rant19:44 The post that started it all23:05 How do we know which neurodivergence content to trust?28:36 Overstating the evidence30:13 Research timelines36:51 Taking laboratory findings into everyday life38:14 Can your brain ignore clutter?40:10 The Yale study42:29 Unfinished tasks and open-tabs analogy44:58 Clutter & cortisol, the 2010 study46:56 The 501-person study48:56 Does visual clutter make working memory shrink?52:18 Validation or pressure54:13 Competing sensory needs and shared spaces58:20 Who gets overlooked in Autism1:02:21 Checking citations1:06:02 Your house hacks Research:These sources give context for our discussion on scientific interpretation and are not interchangeable evidence about ADHD or autistic people.Visual Clutter Study (Yale, 2024): Yale Research Link (Neural activity in macaques, not humans in messy homes).Clutter & Cortisol Study (Saxbe & Repetti, 2010): No Place Like Home Study (Correlated home descriptions with mood, did not establish causation).Home Clutter & Wellbeing (Quinn, 2025): ScienceDirect Link (Survey of 501 adults on perceived clutter and home beauty).Visual Attention Cortex (McMains & Kastner, 2011): JNeurosci Link (Research on visual competition, not working-memory).Unfinished Work Meta-Analysis (Wendsche et al., 2026): PubMed Link (Thoughts about work outside of working hours).Zeigarnik Effect Review (Ghibellini & Meier, 2025): Nature Link (Questions whether unfinished tasks enjoy a memory advantage).Original Instagram CarouselGhibellini and Meier’s 2025 review of the Zeigarnik and Ovsiankina effects adds context to the open-tabs discussion. Join the Conversation:Send us your house hacks, your big-light stance, or a claim you’d like us to investigate!Email: fthemfish@gmail.comSocials: Find us on YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them FishCallie’s Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/LinkedIn: Callie: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142Jayne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-gurton- If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show and leave a rating or review to help other neurodivergent grownups find us!Disclaimer & Acknowledgements:We share lived experience, professional perspectives, and our own interpretations of research. This conversation is not medical advice. Expect mild swearing and ongoing learning.We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands from which we record: the Ngunnawal, Wadawurrung, and Dja Dja Wurrung peoples. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners.
65. House Hacks: ADHD Organisation & Reducing Cognitive Load
44:21||Season 2, Ep. 65The answer to forgetting, losing things, laundry chaos, and food going mouldy in the fridge isn't to simply try harderIn this solo episode, Callie (a neuroinclusion specialist and coach) takes you inside the practical neurodivergent home systems her family uses to reduce cognitive load, support executive dysfunction, and make a multi-brained household easier to live in. You don’t need a perfectly organised, picture-perfect home, it’s about systemic changes in your environment so your brain doesn't have to work so hard.Drawing on her background in systems thinking, behavioural insights, and neurodivergence, Callie explains how small environmental tweaks can reduce your reliance on working memory, help with task initiation, and smooth out daily transitions.Enjoying the show? Please hit follow/subscribe and leave a review to help other AuDHD grownups find us! In This Episode:The Neurodivergent Fridge: Why fresh food is banned from the bottom drawersLaundry Hacks: And the ongoing mystery of SOCKMAGEDDONVisual Cues & Labels: Making the physical environment do the remembering for youThe Nike Rule: Managing clutter and visual load without getting overwhelmedSensory-Friendly Lighting: Designing spaces around activities and different sensory preferencesHousehold Infrastructure: Turning charging cables into permanent fixtures and creating functional transition and landing zonesThe Octo-pissoff-opus: An orange octopus with a very important jobExternalising Time: Strategies to combat time blindnessTakeaway: When a routine repeatedly fails, start asking whether the environment or system can be redesigned to better support the humans using it.Timestamps00:00 - Episode introduction: Callie flying solo00:40 - Inside a neurodivergent household07:00 - Identifying friction points and designing new systems10:02 - Making your environment do the remembering10:38 - Labels, storage, and giving items a home14:06 - Managing clutter, visual load, and disappearing Post-it notes18:03 - The three-minute Nike rule19:48 - Putting the solution exactly where the task happens20:03 - Laundry baskets, SOCKMAGEDDON, and natural consequences23:00 - The coat hanger hack for clothing management25:27 - The receipt drawer: Delaying decisions until they matter26:45 - Transition spots and attaching tasks to existing journeys27:52 - Out of sight, out of mind: The fridge drawer problem29:19 - Garage zones, storage categories, and dancing skeletons30:06 - Designing rooms around activities31:34 - Sensory lighting and Callie's controversial love of the big light33:12 - Meet the Octo-pissoff-opus34:20 - Charging cables as household infrastructure36:33 - Landing zones and handling systems that only partly work38:04 - Externalising time to manage executive dysfunction38:36 - Weekly planners, meal planning, and shared shopping lists40:54 - Annual planning and the bigger picture41:51 - Should Callie come back for Part 2?Share Your Systems With Us!Do you have a home system that genuinely changed your life, or a friction point you just can't seem to figure out? We want to hear about it!Email us: fthemfish@gmail.comInstagram, TikTok, & YouTube: @AuDHDforGrownups_FThemFishCallie’s Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/Connect on LinkedIn: Callie Elward-Barrett: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142 Jayne Gurton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-gurton- We talk about neurodivergence from our own lived and professional experiences. Neurodivergent people are not a monolith, a system that works brilliantly for one person might be useless for another. Use what helps, ignore what doesn't, and change the system when it stops serving you. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live, work, and record, including the Ngunnawal, Wadawurrung, and Dja Dja Wurrung peoples. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.
64. What is AuDHD Rage Exactly? Big Feelings, Sensory Overload, and Joy
59:51||Season 2, Ep. 64What does AuDHD rage actually feel like? And is anger even the right word for it?In this episode of AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish, Callie and Jayne dive into the reality of emotional intensity in adult ADHD, autism, and AuDHD. If your neurodivergent nervous system goes from completely fine to ABSOLUTELY NOT due to sensory overwhelm, a meltdown, or sudden anger, you’re not alone.This isn’t an episode about neurodivergent people being angry, because if the difficult emotions hit hard, neurodivergent joy is just as loud.We explore why conversations about adult neurodivergence and emotional regulation focus so heavily on rejection sensitivity, frustration, and dysregulation while overlooking enthusiasm, awe, excitement, love and the glorious kind of joy that makes you want to kick your feet because there are king parrots in the garden.We also tackle a tough question: when does validating an emotion help us move through it, and when does validation accidentally trap us in rumination?In this episode:The myth of ADHD rage vs. what the research supportsEmotional reactivity and rapid mood shifts in adult ADHDSensory overload, panic, and the fight/flight responseWhy anger can feel saferAutistic communication, flat affect, and being mistaken for angryVenting, passionate speech, and how it impacts people around usExploring the neurodivergent window of toleranceRumination vs. validation: finding your logical brain againThe joyful side of neurodivergent emotional intensityFinding your tiny, ridiculous, wonderful sources of joyMetacognition, anxiety, and learning to trust your intuitionPattern recognition, dating choices, and ‘Deb’Timestamps:00:11 Welcome, chest pops, and absolutely no normal02:34 Today’s topic10:28 What we mean by neurodivergent rage12:12 Why does research focus heavily on negative emotions?15:42 Late diagnosis, and finding the joy again18:06 Suggestibility, self-talk, and changing your story20:41 Validation versus rumination: moving through it25:39 Is ADHD rage a real thing?27:03 Autistic flat affect, passionate speech, and being misunderstood29:02 When one person recovers quickly and the other doesn’t31:01 Sensory overwhelm, panic, meltdowns, and rage36:35 Nervous-system reactivity and emotional intensity38:14 The neurodivergent window of tolerance40:42 When your joy is too much42:18 Rage, frustration, passion, and the full emotional range45:29 Squishmallows, parrots, and finding joy47:31 Listener question: intuition, anxiety, and Deb51:28 Confirmation bias in dating patterns55:40 Are we sometimes too busy being nice to help each other grow?59:04 See you next week, Besties!A quick note:ADHD rage is not a clinical diagnosis. This conversation combines research-informed discussion with our own lived experience of ADHD, autism, and AuDHD. It isn’t medical or mental health advice, and neurodivergent people are every bit as varied as everyone else.Acknowledgment:We acknowledge the Ngunnawal, Wadawurrung, and Dja Dja Wurrung peoples, the Traditional Custodians of the lands from which we record and pay our respects to Elders past and present.Connect with us:Email: fthemfish@gmail.comSocials: Find us on YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them FishCallie's Website: executivefunctioning.com.auLinkedIn: Callie: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142 Jayne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-gurton-About the Show:AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish is all about real conversations for late-diagnosed adults navigation adult ADHD, autism, AuDHD, neurodivergent relationships, work, emotional regulation, sensory overwhelm, and figuring out your brain as a grown-up.
63. Are Neurodivergent People More Intuitive?
01:05:07||Season 2, Ep. 63Are Neurodivergent People More Intuitive?Why do so many autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD people describe simply knowing something before they can explain why?In this episode of AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish, Callie and Jayne dive deep into the neuroscience and lived experience behind neurodivergent intuition. We unpack the thin line between a true gut feeling and trauma-informed hypervigilance, exploring how our brains process the world around us.In This Episode:The Neuroscience of Intuition: How rapid processing and predictive processing create unconscious knowing.Pattern Recognition vs. Hypervigilance: Distinguishing genuine intuition from anxiety, trauma responses, and rejection sensitivity.The Body Connection: The vital role of interoception and what a literal gut feeling means for an AuDHD brain.Masking & Self-Trust: How years of social monitoring and masking cause us to override our own internal signals.Are We Psychic?: A lighthearted look at why neurodivergent people frequently joke about having a sixth sense.Timestamps00:00 – Welcome04:03 – Big changes for Jayne07:35 – Callie's Melbourne adventures and Dame Jacinda14:54 – What do we mean by intuition?20:11 – Is there neuroscience behind intuition?22:10 – Jayne's journey back into her body and trusting herself25:45 – Spirituality, skepticism, and understanding intuition28:31 – ADHD, hypervigilance, and taking in ALL the information34:13 – Autism and enhanced pattern recognition39:36 – Predictive processing: Is the brain predicting what comes next?42:10 – Interoception and the literal gut feeling48:37 – Hypervigilance, trauma, intuition, or anxiety?50:35 – Masking and learning not to trust yourself55:32 – Are neurodivergent people psychic?1:00:30 – A practical way to investigate your intuition1:02:34 – Listener questions & Callie’s shameful unreleased episode vault 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.This podcast was created on the lands of the Ngunnawal, Wadawurrung, and Dja Dja Wurrung Peoples.Disclaimer: This episode shares lived experience and general discussion of research, neurodivergence, trauma, fibromyalgia, somatic practices, and wellbeing. It is not medical or psychological advice. Connect With UsEmail: fthemfish@gmail.comSocials: Find us on YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them FishCallie’s Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/Callie on LinkedIn: Connect with CallieJayne on LinkedIn: Connect with JayneAuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish is a podcast about adult ADHD, autism, AuDHD, neurodivergence, executive functioning, masking, burnout, relationships, work, identity, and figuring out grown-up life with a differently wired brain.
62. AuDHD Digital Overwhelm: Tech Traps Designed to Manipulate Your Neurodivergent Brain
01:12:28||Season 2, Ep. 62Why can you spend hours doomscrolling, but still feel completely unable to reply to a text or pay a bill?In Episode 62 of AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish, hosts Callie Elward-Barrett and Jayne Gurton unpack digital overwhelm through an adult ADHD and autism lens. They dive deep into the swing between compulsive tech use and total tech avoidance, the crushing shame of ghosting people you love, dopamine traps, sensory regulation, and why willpower is a terrible strategy for neurodivergent digital wellbeing.The Quick Takeaway: Your inability to manage your phone isn't a moral failure or a lack of discipline. It is a capacity, sensory, and executive functioning bottleneck.Overwhelmed by adulting? Get practical tools and executive functioning support at Callie’s website: executivefunctioning.com.au. Timestamps00:35 Welcome to F Them Fish and navigating a neurodivergent adult world03:05 90s parenting style, random physical injuries, and yoga attempts09:49 Women Unlimited, public speaking jitters, and a classic AuDHD cheese side quest17:17 Jayne’s Confession: The shame when digital burnout turns into missed texts, bills, and birthdays21:00 Why you aren't actually failing at tech, you’re just measuring by neurotypical metrics25:30 Debunking the Goldfish: Why the viral 8-second attention span claim is total fiction (and how attention actually works)30:50 All-or-Nothing Doomscrolling: Is your phone use an addiction, or are you desperately seeking dopamine and sensory regulation?36:28 Why neurodivergent brains and young people are uniquely vulnerable to social media traps41:46 Neurodivergent Kids & Screen Time: Balancing parental anxiety with active sensory regulation needs43:13 A breakdown of the American Academy of Pediatrics framework for managing screens51:01 How repeated exposure to algorithm feeds silently shapes your mood and beliefs56:46 A raw look at parenting, social media, and Australia’s under-16 platform restrictions1:01:00 How gaming loops exploit executive dysfunction1:03:02 How Callie uses AppBlock and tactical boundaries to trick her brain out of tech loops1:08:25 Practical strategies and mapping what you actually want from tech1:09:48 How to rebuild your relationship with tech safely after autism/ADHD burnout1:11:52 Outro & Epilogue: An unfortunate linguistic discovery Resources Tech Boundary: AppBlock App (Callie’s tool recommendation - completely unsponsored)Screen Framework: AAP’s 5 Cs of Media Use GuideGlobal Tech Report: WHO Report: Teens, Screens and Mental HealthPolicy Context: eSafety Commissioner: Australia’s Social Media Age RestrictionsSupport & ConnectIf you love our messy, honest conversations about adult neurodivergence, please take 5 seconds to Follow or Subscribe on this app and leave us a 5-star review! It directly helps other AuDHD adults find our community.Find us on YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them FishCallie's Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/LinkedIn: Callie: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142 Jayne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-gurton-Disclaimer: This is a lived-experience conversation, not medical, psychological, psychiatric, or professional parenting advice.Acknowledgment: This podcast was created on the lands of the Ngunnawal, Wadawurrung, and Dja Dja Wurrung Peoples.
61. AuDHD and Perimenopause - What The Hell is Happening?
01:05:55||Season 2, Ep. 61Ever feel like your executive function completely packed its bags and left? If you are an AUDHD adult riding the hormonal rollercoaster, you are not losing your mind. Your hormones are just messing with your brain chemistry.This week, we are diving into the chaotic intersection of ADHD, AuDHD, and perimenopause. Spoiler alert: this is not a dry medical lecture. We are talking real, lived-experience chatter about what actually happens when estrogen drops and ADHD traits dial up to eleven. From sensory overloads and catastrophic brain fog, to why your usual coping strategies suddenly stop working, we are breaking down the unfiltered reality of mid-life hormonal shifts. We also look at how this impacts the parenting journey, why women are fighting for testosterone access, the reality of manopause, the hidden pink tax on female hormones, the anxiety ADHD autism pipeline, why perimenopause absolutely counts as an acquired form of neurodivergence, and why you do not need an official diagnosis to start advocating for your health.We can guarantee you’ve never heard ANYONE talking about estrogen and dopamine like this! What did she say?? Dopamine does what??Whether you are officially diagnosed, self-identified, or just trying to figure out why everything feels ten times harder lately, pull up a chair. Let's figure out what the hell is happening together.Timestamps00:00 Catch ups, spring cleaning, and life updates03:00 Late diagnosed neurodivergence and the hormonal storm04:24 Keeping it real: Our official non-medical disclaimer05:44 Overwhelm, frantic schedules, and a car crash update13:37 Pushing through severe vertigo, double vision, and the 2011 Brixton riots18:50 The core science: Estrogen, dopamine, and diagnosis peak at age thirty-seven22:50 The layperson guide to brain chemistry: Dopaminergic neurons, inhibitors, and estrogen lube28:40 Survival strategies, the DSM-5, and adult diagnosis history33:04 Testosterone and the pink tax36:15 The big debate: Is perimenopause a temporary or acquired form of neurodivergence?40:06 Hormone testing, MHT, and clinical myths47:13 Pregnancy and the anxiety, ADHD, autism connection49:42 How to talk to your doctor and medical gaslighting59:30 Final side quest: MySpace, old emo pages1:05:55 See you next time!Connect With UsEmail: fthemfish@gmail.comSend us an email to get your copy of Callie’s dandelion neurodivergence graphic!Got a perimenopause, ADHD, AuDHD, hormone, or is this just me? question? Send it to Jayne (with a Y) there are no dumb questions.Find us on YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them FishCallie's Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/ LinkedIn: Callie: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142 Jayne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-gurton-/References European Psychiatry Journal study on the intersection of estrogen, dopamine, and late-stage neurodivergence: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/european-psychiatry/article/perimenopausal-symptoms-in-women-with-and-without-adhd-a-populationbased-cohort-study/7C584E5C4363EBCADFC485D3F0892A62 Follow Dr Mary Haver on Instagram and TikTok for accessible women's health updates.Crappy to Happy podcast hosted by Cass Dunn, featuring insights on estrogen and cognitive health.Medical DisclaimerWe are not doctors, medical professionals, or scientists. We are just two AuDHD grown-ups sharing our experiences, research, and frustrations. Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT) updates shared here are purely for conversational purposes. Always consult a healthcare professional for medical advice.