The Neurodivergent Woman

This week we welcome Clem Bastow to the pod. Clem is an autistic author, cultural critic and screenwriting researcher from Naarm/Melbourne. Their work appears regularly in The Guardian, The Saturday Paper and The Big Issue, and their debut nonfiction book ‘Late Bloomer’ was published by Hardie Grant in 2021. They are currently completing a PhD in screenwriting and Autistic experience at RMIT, and they have taught screenwriting at University of Melbourne and short story at RMIT.    We chat with Clem about identity, language, and the power of seeing ourselves represented in fiction and media. We discuss the importance of seeing autistic stories, shared by autistic voices, to better represent the diversity of autistic experience. Clem shares their path to diagnosis and an autistic identity, and we chat about the myth of ‘high functioning’.   For more about Clem, or to buy their book ‘Late Bloomer’, check out Clem’s website here: http://www.clembastow.com/   Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we have Barb Cook on the pod. Barb is a neurodivergent author, speaker, and advocate, best known as founder of Spectrum Women Magazine and leading editor and co-author of the book, Spectrum Women, Walking to the Beat of Autism. Barb works in her own practice, the NeuroDiversity Hub in Gympie, as a Developmental Educator, Integrative Nutritionist and a Neurodiversity Employment Consultant for neurodivergent adults.   We chat with Barb about advocacy, including her journey to becoming an autistic, ADHDer, and dyslexic advocate, how to become an advocate for yourself and for others, and what are some of the key barriers to self-advocacy. This episode is packed full of practical examples and tips from Barb about how to know what you need and advocate for this. Barb also chats with us about the importance of self-acceptance and advocating for yourself, to yourself, after a late diagnosis.   Find a registered developmental educator here: www.deai.com.au   The Autistic Self Advocacy Network of Australia and New Zealand (ASAN)  https://asan-aunz.org/   For links to Barb’s books, including her new book with Yenn Purkis ‘The Autism and Neurodiversity Self-Advocacy Handbook’, check out Barb’s website here: https://barbcook.com.au/   Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week’s episode we discuss Pathological Demand Avoidance, or PDA. We explore what PDA is, including the history of this construct, and the positives and negatives of the PDA concept. We cover what factors can contribute to demand avoidance amongst neurodivergent people, including personal, neurobiological, cultural, and social factors, and chat though how our stress response plays into demand avoidance, and what you can do to lessen the impact of demand avoidance on your life (or how you can support your child with this).   For more information on Pathological Demand Avoidance check out:   Kirsty Forbes (https://www.kristyforbes.com.au/) Raelene Dundon, who has authored ‘PDA in the Therapy Room – A clinician’s guide to working with children with Pathological Demand Avoidance’.   Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we explore repetitive behaviours. We cover repetitive behaviours in autism, OCD, tics and Tourette’s Syndrome, and hoarding behaviour, including what causes and drives repetitive behaviours across these neurodivergences. We discuss the overlap of different neurodivergences that include repetitive behaviours, in addition to what distinguishes and differentiates different forms of repetitive behaviour.   Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Content warning: This episode contains multiple references to sexual assault. Some listeners may decide to skip this one.    It is a disturbing reality that neurodivergent women are more likely to experience sexual assault in their lifetime compared to neurotypical women. In this episode we define sexual assault and sexual consent, and chat through the statistics around sexual assault amongst neurodivergent women. We explore the factors driving the increased risk of sexual assault for neurodivergent women and discuss how to enact change, at a personal and societal level.   Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Tanya Murray is an autistic woman and the principal project officer for the All Kinds of Minds team for the Department of Education in Queensland. This week we chat with Tanya about diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We cover what inclusion means in a workplace, ways that workplaces can work toward inclusion, make change, and embrace a different approach, how to create an inclusive culture in the workplace, and how employees can recognize if a workplace is inclusive. We explore the strengths that neurodivergent minds bring to the workplace, and go through some examples of workplace adjustments to enable neurodivergent minds to flourish in a work setting. Finally, Tanya tells us about The All Kinds of Minds team that she is part of, and the neurodiversity pilot her team has run.   Check out the Diversity Council of Australia website here - https://www.dca.org.au/   Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we welcome Dr Sarah Bernard on the podcast. Dr Bernard is a disabled autistic ADHDer doctor based in Perth. She is a research team member at Autistic Doctors International and is passionate about disability advocacy and neurodiversity in healthcare. We cover a lot in this episode, including Sarah’s experiences as a neurodivergent woman in university, medical training, and professional life, the intersection of gender expectations and neurodivergence when communicating, and work-based accommodations and strategies. Sarah also shares her experience of mirror touch synaesthesia.   Sarah shares with us her path to diagnosis, and her experiences ‘coming out’ as neurodivergent and as disabled. We talk about the myth of ‘high functioning’, what it means to be disabled, and the importance of interdependence over independence.   Check out Sarah’s blog, The Neurodivergent Doctor, here - https://neurodivergentdr.wixsite.com/website   Check out Autistic Doctors International here – www.autisticdoctorsinternational.com   Sarah is on Twitter - @autisticdoc   Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we explore two of the most common mental health conditions: depression and anxiety. We unpack what separates normal sadness and worry from clinical levels of depression and anxiety and what the ‘purpose’ of these emotional states are. We discuss the overlap of depression and anxiety in neurodivergence, including how common it is, and what factors contribute to depression and anxiety in neurodivergence. Finally, we talk solutions. Including how to support good mental health functioning long term, and what you can do in the moment.   Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.com  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we discuss unusual and exceptional abilities in neurodivergence. We explore savant abilities, ‘splinter skills’, hyperlexia, and giftedness, as well as ‘twice exceptionality’.   Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Michelle and Monique talk with Anastasia McLean about Bipolar Disorder. Anastasia is the host of The Bipolar Diaries podcast. In this episode we cover what actually is Bipolar and Anastasia shares her experiences through adolescence, getting a diagnosis, and into adulthood. We talk about the difficulty teasing apart personality and neurodivergence, the overlap of some of the cognitive traits of Bipolar and ADHD, trauma, her experiences with friendships and relationships, and her medication journey. Anastasia shares her key behavioural and lifestyle strategies, and also the strengths that have come with her neurodivergence.   Anastasia talks about her experiences with such openness and grace – it was such a pleasure to have her on the podcast!   Listen to Anastasia’s podcast – The Bipolar Diaries – wherever you get your podcasts. Follow her on Instagram @thebipolardiaries_   Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Season 3 of the pod! In this episode Michelle and Monique discuss the overlap and the differences between Autism and ADHD. We cover the differences in presentation of the two, and what it looks like to have both an Autistic and ADHD brain, across executive functioning, special interest, social processing, and sensory processing domains. We also explore the diagnostic criteria for both Autism and ADHD; what is being measured through these criteria and what are other possible explanations for Autistic and ADHD traits.   Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Content warning: This episode discusses disordered eating, weight loss, and diet culture, and Annie describes her experiences during periods of an active eating disorder. Some listeners may find this content triggering, particularly those currently experiencing an active eating disorder, and those in recovery from an eating disorder. Please consume with caution, and reach out to your local crisis line if you need to talk to a professional.     In our final episode for Season 2 we chat with Annie Crowe about neurodivergence, late diagnosis, chronic health issues, and disordered eating. Annie is an Autistic lawyer with ADHD, dyslexia and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Annie shares her journey to diagnosis and her experience of disordered eating throughout her childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. We chat about the overlap between neurodivergence and eating disorders, including common eating disorders that co-occur with Autism and ADHD, and untangling eating issues that are part of neurodivergence versus part of an eating disorder. We discuss barriers to effective treatment of health and eating issues for neurodivergent individuals and what can be done differently to improve treatment and recovery.    Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we chat about interoception and alexithymia. We unpack what these concepts mean, and the difference between the two, including understanding our embodied experiences and emotional awareness. We describe some activities to build interoceptive awareness.    A handout detailing the interoceptive activity described on the podcast will be available on our Patreon this month!   Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our guest this week is Paige Krystal Wilcox. Paige is an award-winning activist and author, and she uses the Intentional Storytelling method to create compelling stories that counter unhealthy or unhelpful bias, tropes, and stereotypes in mainstream media. Paige is a neurodivergent woman who was assigned male at birth, and she does not use the labels trans or transgender.   In this episode we discuss the power of stories as a communication tool and the importance of representation in media. Paige shares with us her method for creating complex and diverse characters. We unpack ‘intersectionality’ and what this has meant for Paige throughout her life, and the personal strengths and challenges that have come from her neurodivergences and life experiences. Finally, Paige shares some of the accommodations she has in the workplace and she extols the benefits of spreadsheets and walking!  Paige’s books: My Life Most Memoirable  Before We Pulled The Trigger    Paige’s podcasts: Listen More with Page Krystal Wilcox  Paisal: A True RomCom   Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we discuss some of the strengths and challenges in parenting neurodivergent kids, whilst being neurodivergent yourself. We talk through the heritability of neurodivergence, intergenerational impacts of this, and the importance of knowing yourself to best know and support your child. We address boundary setting, managing conflicting sensory needs, teaching interoception, and managing expectations.   Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week’s episode we interview clinical psychologist, Amanda Donnet. Amanda works at the intersection of infant feeding, mental health, and early parenting, and she works from a Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) framework. She champions finding solutions that honour the needs of both parents and baby, bringing fierce compassion to perinatal mental health.   For those who are new to the term 'perinatal' - this just means 'around birth', so it includes pregnancy and infancy. While this ep is focused on parental mental health in the early years of your baby's life, there is loads of relevance for parents of kids of all ages!   In this episode we discuss common mental health challenges in the perinatal period and the intersection of society, gender, and neurodiversity in the perinatal mental health space. We unpack some common CFT-based frameworks and approaches in this space, and talk though loads of practical strategies, covering maternal rage, managing sensory and executive functioning load, and how to manage both mother and baby’s needs during this time.   This episode is packed with information! This month our Patreon subscribers receive a tip sheet detailing many of the great strategies mentioned in the episode. Check out our Patreon page for this and more exclusive additional content: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod   Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week is part 2 of our two-part series on sleep. In this episode we discuss issues around chronic disordered sleep. We chat about the impact of sleep on emotional regulation and the feedback loops between other disorders or health conditions and sleep, including trauma, anxiety, depression, and pain conditions.   Monique takes us through how sleep disorders are actually assessed and treated. She explains the sleep drive and how we can tune into this for the best chance of sleeping, and how sleep consolidation works.   Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Monique and Michelle interview neurodivergent woman, epidemiologist, and mental health researcher, Dr Holly Erskine. Holly’s PhD research focussed on the global epidemiology of ADHD and conduct disorder as well as the long-term outcomes associated with these. She now leads an international project looking at mental health in adolescents in Kenya, Indonesia, and Vietnam.   In this episode we discuss with Holly her experience of synaesthesia and she explains to us just how grapheme-colour synaesthesia works. Holly also describes her research on ADHD epidemiology, including prevalence data, long term outcomes for ADHDers, and the surprising (or maybe not!) connection between ADHD and driving accidents. We discuss disability and disorder terminology versus ‘difference’, and unpack some of the intricacies and inadequacies of language.   To explore more about GBD data visit GBD compare at: https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-compare/   A caveat: Dr Holly Erskine is not associated with the Deloitte report mentioned in the episode.   Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected] or visit www.ndwomanpod.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we discuss the overlap between neurodivergence, chronic pain, and autoimmune conditions. We review information on the prevalence of chronic pain and autoimmune conditions in neurodivergent women and discuss what can contribute to these conditions in neurodivergent women. Finally, we go through some strategies on how to manage the ‘boom and bust’ of chronic health conditions.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected] or visit www.ndwomanpod.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week is part 1 of a two-part sleep series. We discuss sleep cycles, common sleep issues and sleep disorders in neurodivergent people, and what can contribute to or cause sleeping issues. We go through some strategies to support healthy sleep, and what to do if you’re worried about your sleep.   In part 2 of the sleep series, to be released on 21st March, we will dive into clinical sleep disorders and how to treat them.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected] or visit www.ndwomanpod.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode Monique and Michelle interview schizophrenia and psychosis researcher, Dr Ilvana Dzafic. We unpack how psychosis and schizophrenia fit into the neurodiversity framework, what is the psychosis continuum, and how psychosis and schizophrenia are experienced and perceived cross culturally. We also explore some underlying biological mechanisms of psychosis, including the predictive coding theory, and chat about differences between men and women experiencing psychosis. Ilvana shares her own experiences of psychotic-like perceptions.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected] or visit www.ndwomanpod.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we unpack executive functioning – our brain’s ‘admin team’. We talk about how neurodivergent brains manage and act on information, covering working memory, planning and organising, and getting started on tasks. We also discuss differences between executive functioning in ADHD and Autism, and strategies to support executive functioning.     Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected] or visit www.ndwomanpod.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kicking off our second season, we explore the history of neurodivergence. In this episode we discuss the idea of a ‘normal’ brain, the adaptive functions of various neurodivergencies, how cultural narratives can impact how we see our effectiveness in society, and the historical evolution of Autism and ADHD.    Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Season 2 of The Neurodivergent Woman Podcast! Episode 1 coming February 7th!Join us, clinical psychologist Monique Mitchelson and clinical neuropsychologist Michelle Livock, for the second season of The Neurodivergent Woman Podcast – a podcast showcasing neurodivergent women from all walks of life. Covering Autism to ADHD and everything in between, we aim to educate and inspire women who think differently. Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comWe are on Patreon! Check out our Patreon page for exclusive additional content: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpodSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our final episode for season 1, we talk about relationships and communication. We discuss making friends as an adult, communication barriers in neurotypical-neurodivergent relationships and in neurodivergent-neurodivergent relationships, attachment theory, and navigating intimate relationships.    In this episode we briefly discuss attachment theory. It is important to flag that regardless of your attachment style, it is very possible to move toward a secure attachment as an adult. The following books are a good starting place:  Raising a Secure Child - Kent Hoffman, Glen Cooper, Bert Powell Attached - Amir Levine, Rachel Heller  Hold Me Tight - Sue Johnson    Other books we mentioned:  Safety Skills for Women on the Spectrum – Leanne Holiday  ADHD After Dark – Ari Tuckman    Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we discuss the female hormone cycle. We chat about what happens at each stage of our hormone cycle, how this impacts multiple aspects of our daily functioning, and what we can do to make each stage work for us.    For those interested, here is the original article by Susan Sontag that we quoted in the ep.    Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we talk with Genevieve Hall. Genevieve is an ADHDer, a writer, and a digital marketer. She shares the importance of having a ‘roadmap’ to her brain, what the diagnostic process was like for her, and her experiences with medication.    Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we chat with Tanya about her experience as an Autistic woman. Tanya is a public servant researcher, and parent. She shares what being Autistic means to her, the importance of finding your tribe, and her experience as an Autistic parent.    Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic  episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we talk about neurodivergence in the therapy space, including how therapy is adjusted, strategies for anxiety and overwhelm, and different therapeutic styles.    Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week’s episode we discuss the overlap between neurodivergence and trauma. We cover the difference between big T and little t traumas, how trauma processed in the brain, and how trauma is treated.    Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Monique and Michelle talk to Hariet Dunn. Hariet is dyslexic, and she’s a film and TV editer, set designer, and costume designer. Hariet shares her experiences in the school system and how she managed this, and the creative strengths dyslexia has given her.    Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Monique and Michelle discuss some common perceptual and processing differences, including synaesthesia, prosopagnosia, Auditory Processing Disorder, and Sensory Processing Disorder, and how these differences can manifest in various forms for different people.    Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we discuss the learning disorders – dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and dyspraxia. What are they, what’s going on neurologically in these conditions, and how does our culture and environment impact the expression of these conditions.    Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We welcome our first guest onto the podcast, clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist Debbie Jeffries. Debbie is an ADHDer and business owner, and in this episode she shares her experiences of ADHD and her personal and professional insights into making ADHD work for you.    Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we discuss the diagnostic process for Autism and ADHD in adults.   Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here.   Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, 50% off our episode articles, plus access to a huge backlog of bonus content, including bonus episodes, access to online courses, tip sheets and workbooks, and guided meditation practices. Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For our very first episode of Season 1, we’re excited to dive into the foundations of neurodiversity with your hosts, clinical psychologist Monique Mitchelson and clinical neuropsychologist Dr Michelle Livock.  We both work in a neurodiversity-affirming psychology practice in Australia and bring professional experience, along with personal connection, to this topic.   We cover a lot in this inaugural conversation! Including:  Why we wanted to create a podcast centring women and neurodivergence. Definitions: neurodiversity, neurodivergent, and neurotypical, and what sits under the neurodivergent umbrella. Why women and AFAB individuals are so often underdiagnosed, and how gendered expectations, masking, and patriarchal bias play a role. The power of language, the push away from pathologising terms, and how identity-first language can de-stigmatise neurodivergence. The core differences in what drives behaviour for neurodivergent vs neurotypical people, and how each style of connection works. Busting the “empathy myth” in neurodivergence, and why communication can feel easier between two people of the same neurotype. The unique talents of neurodivergent brains in science, art, and creative problem-solving, including the “scenic route” thinking style. How ADHD can present differently in women, and why these differences often lead to missed or delayed diagnoses.     Choose Your Next Adventure: Ways to Keep Exploring This Topic → Quick episode recap: Read the key takeaways from this episode on our blog — free, bite-sized, and easy to share: ndwomanpod.com/blog  → Go deeper: Grab the Episode Companion Article in our shop — a fully edited “transcript on steroids” with linked resources, in-conversation lists, anchoring quotes, reflection prompts, journaling space, and occasional visual concept snapshots. Perfect for personal reflection or professional use: Read it here → Get more of everything: Join our Patreon community for ad-free episodes, basic transcripts (Season 4 onwards), 50% off episode articles, bonus episodes, online courses, tip sheets, workbooks, guided meditations, and more: patreon.com/ndwomanpod   Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 1 of The Neurodivergent Woman coming July 10th!Join us, clinical psychologist Monique Mitchelson and clinical neuropsychologist Michelle Livock, for the inaugural season of The Neurodivergent Woman – a podcast showcasing neurodivergent women from all walks of life. Covering Autism to ADHD and everything in between, we aim to educate and inspire women who think differently. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.