ADHD Mums

Perimenopause can feel like being blindsided by a hormonal crash no one prepared you for. Mood swings, rage, insomnia, and anxiety get dumped in the ‘mum stress’ basket — as if biology crashing is just bad attitude.

For ADHD mums, the mix of perimenopause and neurodivergence is like juggling knives while the floor gives way. This episode calls out the silence around perimenopause, explains the real biological shifts at play, and validates the lived experience of being dismissed when your body is in crisis.

What We Cover in This Episode

• How plummeting progesterone and rising stress hormones fuel rage and anxiety
• Why ADHD + perimenopause is a double hit to emotional regulation
• The invisible cost of being told ‘it’s just motherhood’
• Why the system ignores women’s health at this stage of life
• The importance of recognising biology, not blaming character

This Episode Is For You If…

• You’ve felt overwhelming rage or mood swings that don’t make sense
• Doctors, family, or friends have minimised your perimenopause symptoms
• You’re an ADHD mum exhausted by exhaustion, sleepless nights, and slammed doors
• You need language that validates your experience instead of pathologising it
• You’re ready to understand what’s really happening to your body

🎧 Listen now: The Perimenopause Crash — on Spotify, Apple, or adhdmums.com.au

• Perimenopause Symptom Tracker – Free self-check to see if what you’re experiencing might be perimenopause. Download here →
• Perimenopause ADHD Brain Fog Kit – Practical tools for mums dealing with brain fog, memory slips, and hormone chaos. Find it here

📚 Related Resources:

• Kylie Smart (ADHD & women’s health naturopath) — DIY Your ADHD course with ADHD Consultation Package 
• Dr Lara Bryden’s book on perimenopause — one of the few that actually explains what’s happening instead of gaslighting you
• ADHD Mums Shop — resources and free assessment tools for ADHD and autism

🎧 Other Episode with Kylie Smart:

• S1 E43 PMS and ADHD 
• S1 E48 Supplements and ADHD

JOIN THE COMMUNITY:

Have questions or want to connect with other ADHD mums? Join our supportive Facebook group here and dive into the conversation. No question is too small, and I love answering in a group format!

FOLLOW FOR MORE:

Get daily tips, insights, and relatable content for ADHD mums by following me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube

LEAVE A REVIEW:

Love this episode? Your review means everything! It helps other mums find this content and feel supported. Let’s spread the word and make a difference together.

COLLABS:

For collaborations or speaking engagements, email me at [email protected].

MORE RESOURCES:

Still unsure if ADHD or autism applies to you or your child? Take my recommended self-tests here.

Topics Covered

ADHD and perimenopause, ADHD mums and hormones, progesterone crash, perimenopause rage, neurodivergent women and menopause, stress hormones and ADHD, insomnia perimenopause, ADHD women’s health, hormone regulation in neurodivergence, menopause anxiety and rage, women’s health dismissal, ADHD mums podcast hormones series

Mentioned in this episode:

Give away bad for biz - free resources

Free Resouces

‘Not tonight’ isn’t rejection — it’s survival. You can be deeply in love, feel safe and connected, and still feel absolutely no desire for sex. For neurodivergent mums, it’s not about being broken. It’s about being depleted. Burnout, overstimulation, resentment, and chronic executive load all take a toll — and desire doesn’t grow in captivity.

This episode names the unspoken truth: you can love your partner and still dread intimacy when your nervous system is tapped out.

• Why love and desire aren’t the same thing
• How ADHD, burnout, and motherhood impact libido
• The difference between rejection and depletion
• Voices from ADHD mums on how sex feels in burnout
• Why desire needs space, safety, and energy to return
• Small ways to honour yourself without guilt or shame

• You’re in a healthy relationship but feel no desire for sex
• Even the thought of being touched feels like one more demand
• You’ve been told ‘sex is proof of love’ but feel otherwise
• You’re burnt out, touched out, or running on empty
• You want to know you’re not broken for feeling this way

• Esther Perel — Psychotherapist and author whose work on intimacy highlights that desire needs space and autonomy to thrive — two things ADHD mums are rarely afforded.
• ADHD Mums Facebook Group — A safe, supportive space where thousands of mums share the unfiltered truth about ADHD, burnout, intimacy, and the realities of daily life.
• 
  
• ADHD Mums Jotform Confession Box — An anonymous space where mums contributed raw, honest experiences about sex, exhaustion, and survival with ADHD.

• S1 E43 PMS and ADHD 
• S1 E48 Supplements and ADHD

If you’ve ever felt alone in this, these episodes prove you’re not.

🎧 Listen now: Can You Love Someone and Still Dread Sex? — on Spotify, Apple, or adhdmums.com.au

JOIN THE COMMUNITY:

Have questions or want to connect with other ADHD mums? Join our supportive Facebook group here and dive into the conversation. No question is too small, and I love answering in a group format!

FOLLOW FOR MORE:

Get daily tips, insights, and relatable content for ADHD mums by following me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube

LEAVE A REVIEW:

Love this episode? Your review means everything! It helps other mums find this content and feel supported. Let’s spread the word and make a difference together.

COLLABS:

For collaborations or speaking engagements, email me at [email protected].

MORE RESOURCES:

Still unsure if ADHD or autism applies to you or your child? Take my recommended self-tests here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Give away bad for biz - free resources

Free Resouces

School mornings feel like hostage negotiations — not routine. Missing shoes, weird sock meltdowns, vanishing library bags… and still the world says ‘just get more organised’. But ADHD families don’t run on habits — we run on cues.

In this Quick Reset, Jane shares the one simple change that turned mornings from chaos into something survivable: the hallway hook. More than a place for bags, it’s an environmental accommodation that reduces the daily executive function tax every ADHD mum knows too well.

• Why ADHD mums pay an ‘executive function tax’ every morning
• How visual cues beat willpower when it comes to routines
• The difference between neurotypical habits vs ADHD-friendly environments
• Why a hallway hook (or any visual system) can save your sanity
• Practical tips for setting up ADHD-friendly launchpads at home

• You’ve aged 100 years by 9am thanks to school chaos
• Your kids’ bags, shoes, or library books disappear into another dimension daily
• You’ve been told you just need to ‘get organised’
• You know reminders and willpower aren’t enough — you need cues that work
• You want one ADHD-friendly change that makes mornings survivable

• S3 E31 The ADHD Mum’s Guide to Surviving School Mornings Without Tears (Theirs or Yours)
• S3 E10 QUICK RESET: Why am I bracing for impact when nothing is wrong?
• Check out School mini-series if you haven’t yet

If school mornings leave you burnt out before 9am, these episodes will hit close to home.

Claim: “Neurodivergent people often rely on visual memory and object permanence strategies — like hallway hooks — to reduce executive function demands.”

Object Permanence & ADHD

Barkley, R. A. (2014). Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment.

– Barkley discusses how deficits in working memory and internal visualisation affect how ADHD individuals manage time, tasks, and memory. Without visual cues (like hooks, labels, laid-out clothes), the brain can “forget” the task exists.

Visual Cues and Home Organisation

Tuckman, A. R. (2009). More Attention, Less Deficit: Success Strategies for Adults with ADHD.

– Emphasises that visual systems (clear bins, hooks, laid-out outfits) help compensate for weak prospective memory and object permanence.

Environmental Modifications for ADHD

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2020). Parenting Children with ADHD.

– Recommends home modifications including visual schedules, labelled areas, and consistent placement for items (e.g. a hook for every bag or jacket) to support task follow-through and independence.

Executive Function Supports in Home Environments

Dawson, P., & Guare, R. (2010). Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents: A Practical Guide to Assessment and Intervention.

– Notes the need for external structures like visual reminders and routine anchors for kids with ADHD who struggle with task initiation and transition.

🎧 Listen now: Quick Reset: The Hallway Hook That Saved My Sanity — on Spotify, Apple, or adhdmums.com.au

JOIN THE COMMUNITY:

Have questions or want to connect with other ADHD mums? Join our supportive Facebook group here and dive into the conversation. No question is too small, and I love answering in a group format!

FOLLOW FOR MORE:

Get daily tips, insights, and relatable content for ADHD mums by following me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube

LEAVE A REVIEW:

Love this episode? Your review means everything! It helps other mums find this content and feel supported. Let’s spread the word and make a difference together.

COLLABS:

For collaborations or speaking engagements, email me at [email protected].

MORE RESOURCES:

Still unsure if ADHD or autism applies to you or your child? Take my recommended self-tests here.

Quick Reset hallway hook ADHD mums, ADHD school mornings survival, executive function tax in families, ADHD-friendly morning routines, ADHD cues vs habits, ADHD parenting hacks, school chaos ADHD strategies, ADHD environmental accommodations, ADHD mums podcast quick reset

Mentioned in this episode:

Give away bad for biz - free resources

Free Resouces

Doctors said anxiety. It turns out, for many ADHD mums, it’s actually hormones colliding with histamine.

This episode kicks off our hormone mini-series with ADHD & women’s health naturopath Kylie Smart, exploring how histamine interacts with oestrogen, stress, and ADHD — and why so many mums are dismissed as “hysterical” or “anxious” when the truth is biochemical.

What We Cover in This Episode

• Why doctors often misdiagnose hormone-related issues as anxiety
• What histamine is — and why it matters for ADHD and autistic women
• How histamine interacts with oestrogen, dopamine, and serotonin
• Symptoms linked to histamine issues: migraines, insomnia, heavy bleeding, rage, gut problems
• The overlap between histamine intolerance, mast cell activation, and ADHD
• Simple things you can try — from symptom tracking to food tweaks — while pushing for proper medical support

This Episode Is For You If….

• You’ve been told your migraines, rage, or exhaustion are “just stress”
• You experience PMS/PMDD that feels like a breakdown week
• You notice mood swings, insomnia, or gut issues before your period
• You’re curious why “self-care” doesn’t touch hormone-related burnout
• You want to understand the real biology behind ADHD, hormones, and histamine

🎧 Listen now: HORMONES: Histamine + Hormones – Why You Feel Like You’re Falling Apart — on Spotify, Apple, or adhdmums.com.au

• Perimenopause Symptom Tracker – Free self-check to see if what you’re experiencing might be perimenopause. Download here →
• Perimenopause ADHD Brain Fog Kit – Practical tools for mums dealing with brain fog, memory slips, and hormone chaos. Find it here

References & Resources Mentioned

• ADHD & women’s health naturopath who actually takes neurodivergent women seriously. Online clinic + courses: kyliesmart.com.au

🎧 Other Episode with Kylie Smart:

• S1 E43 PMS and ADHD 
• S1 E48 Supplements and ADHD

JOIN THE COMMUNITY:

Have questions or want to connect with other ADHD mums? Join our supportive Facebook group here and dive into the conversation. No question is too small, and I love answering in a group format!

FOLLOW FOR MORE:

Get daily tips, insights, and relatable content for ADHD mums by following me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube

LEAVE A REVIEW:

Love this episode? Your review means everything! It helps other mums find this content and feel supported. Let’s spread the word and make a difference together.

COLLABS:

For collaborations or speaking engagements, email me at [email protected].

MORE RESOURCES:

Still unsure if ADHD or autism applies to you or your child? Take my recommended self-tests here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Give away bad for biz - free resources

Free Resouces

‘Don’t label her,’ they said.
Now she cries herself to sleep, wondering why she’s too much. 💔

That’s what happens when kids grow up different but unsupported.
The world never calls it ADHD — it calls it bossy, weird, difficult.
And children believe it.

In this Quick Reset, Jane McFadden unpacks the real cost of avoiding diagnosis. Parents often fear labels, but silence does more harm. Kids who don’t get language and support end up creating their own labels: dumb, lazy, unloveable.

💬 In This Episode:

• Why silence teaches children they’re the problem
• How kids self-label when their struggles go unseen
• The hidden pain of quiet, internalising ADHD kids
• Why early diagnosis isn’t limiting — it’s liberating
• How support changes outcomes for neurodivergent kids and families
  
  

💭 This episode is for you if:
– You’ve been told ‘don’t label your child’
– You worry a diagnosis will box them in
– You’re raising a quiet ADHD or autistic child who ‘never causes trouble’

References and Related Resources:

• ADHD Mums Facebook Group – Join here 
• Research on Identity Formation– Studies highlight how early diagnosis supports stronger self-identity in neurodivergent children
• Kristin Neff’s Research on Self-Compassion – Self-Compassion resources
• Research on Early Identification of ADHD – Evidence shows early identification improves long-term mental health and resilience
  
  
• Related Episodes:
  
• S2E54 How to Talk to Your Child About ADHD – practical language and scripts for conversations

JOIN THE COMMUNITY:

Have questions or want to connect with other ADHD mums? Join our supportive Facebook group here and dive into the conversation. No question is too small, and I love answering in a group format!

FOLLOW FOR MORE:

Get daily tips, insights, and relatable content for ADHD mums by following me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube

LEAVE A REVIEW:

Love this episode? Your review means everything! It helps other mums find this content and feel supported. Let’s spread the word and make a difference together.

COLLABS:

For collaborations or speaking engagements, email me at [email protected].

MORE RESOURCES:

Still unsure if ADHD or autism applies to you or your child? Take my recommended self-tests here.

🧠 Topics covered: ADHD diagnosis stigma, internalising ADHD kids, ADHD self-esteem, ADHD parenting support, quiet ADHD, early interventio

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

‘Don’t label her,’ they said.

Now she cries herself to sleep, wondering why she’s too much. 💔

That’s what happens when kids grow up different but unsupported.

The world never calls it ADHD — it calls it bossy, weird, difficult.

And children believe it.

In this Quick Reset, Jane McFadden unpacks the real cost of avoiding diagnosis. Parents often fear labels, but silence does more harm. Kids who don’t get language and support end up creating their own labels: dumb, lazy, unloveable.

💬 In This Episode:

• Why silence teaches children they’re the problem
• How kids self-label when their struggles go unseen
• The hidden pain of quiet, internalising ADHD kids
• Why early diagnosis isn’t limiting — it’s liberating
• How support changes outcomes for neurodivergent kids and families

💭 This episode is for you if:

– You’ve been told ‘don’t label your child’

– You worry a diagnosis will box them in

– You’re raising a quiet ADHD or autistic child who ‘never causes trouble’

References and Related Resources:

• ADHD Mums Facebook Group – Join here 
• Research on Identity Formation– Studies highlight how early diagnosis supports stronger self-identity in neurodivergent children
• Kristin Neff’s Research on Self-Compassion – Self-Compassion resources
• Research on Early Identification of ADHD – Evidence shows early identification improves long-term mental health and resilience

Related Episodes:

• S2E54 How to Talk to Your Child About ADHD – practical language and scripts for conversations

JOIN THE COMMUNITY:

Have questions or want to connect with other ADHD mums? Join our supportive Facebook group here and dive into the conversation. No question is too small, and I love answering in a group format!

FOLLOW FOR MORE:

Get daily tips, insights, and relatable content for ADHD mums by following me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube

LEAVE A REVIEW:

Love this episode? Your review means everything! It helps other mums find this content and feel supported. Let’s spread the word and make a difference together.

COLLABS:

For collaborations or speaking engagements, email me at [email protected].

MORE RESOURCES:

Still unsure if ADHD or autism applies to you or your child? Take my recommended self-tests here.

Topics covered: ADHD diagnosis stigma, internalising ADHD kids, ADHD self-esteem, ADHD parenting support, quiet ADHD, early intervention

Mentioned in this episode:

Give away bad for biz - free resources

Free Resouces

You keep the house running. You hold the emotions. You never say no. And still, part of you wonders if you’re doing enough.

This solo episode isn’t just about perfectionism or people pleasing — it’s about the deeper pattern so many ADHD mums live inside without realising it: good girl conditioning. Jane peels back the layers of expectation, guilt, trauma, and survival-mode coping that lead neurodivergent women to break down quietly behind closed doors.

From childhood masking to motherhood martyrdom, this one hits deep — and offers five strategies to start peeling off the pressure without losing yourself in the process.

💡 What We Cover:

• What ‘good girl conditioning’ actually is (it’s not just a personality quirk)
• Why ADHD + perfectionism = emotional burnout on steroids
• The five signs you’ve internalised good girl roles — and how they sabotage you daily
• Why neurodivergent women are more vulnerable to this dynamic (even if they’re high achieving)
• The invisible ways this shows up in parenting, partnership, and school settings
• The conditioning phrases we grew up hearing — and how they shaped our self-worth
• How to start unlearning without upending your whole life (yet)
• Five daily strategies to gently shift from martyrdom to self-worth (without adding more to your to-do list)

🔗 Resources & Links:

• 🧠 Research cited:
  
  • Sanders & Munford (2008) – ‘Good Girl Identity as a Social Strategy’
• 🧰 Tools & kits mentioned:
  
  • Mental Load Reset Kit 
  • ADHD Planner & Personal Values Workbook
• ✍️ Submit feedback, questions or stories via the listener jotform: 
• • https://form.jotform.com/251238118486864

🎧 Listen Now

If your nervous system feels like it’s fraying — but you can’t stop making lists, saying yes, or “just getting on with it” — this episode is for you.
Listen in, let it crack something open, and start building a life that includes you in the equation.

📲 Hit play. Send to a friend. Save it for the next moment you wonder if it’s just you (it’s not).

JOIN THE COMMUNITY:

Have questions or want to connect with other ADHD mums? Join our supportive Facebook group here and dive into the conversation. No question is too small, and I love answering in a group format!

FOLLOW FOR MORE:

Get daily tips, insights, and relatable content for ADHD mums by following me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube

LEAVE A REVIEW:

Love this episode? Your review means everything! It helps other mums find this content and feel supported. Let’s spread the word and make a difference together.

COLLABS:

For collaborations or speaking engagements, email me at [email protected].

MORE RESOURCES:

Still unsure if ADHD or autism applies to you or your child? Take my recommended self-tests here.

Topics Covered In This Episode:

ADHD and perfectionism, people pleasing ADHD mums, masking in girls, emotional labour of motherhood, internalised ableism ADHD, ADHD and good girl syndrome, rejection sensitivity and burnout, parenting while neurodivergent, perfectionism trauma response, motherhood martyrdom, ADHD mum fatigue, boundaries and ADHD, late-diagnosed ADHD women, masking exhaustion, Sanders and Munford 2008 study, neurodivergent self-worth, ADHD social conditioning, ADHD mums mental health, ADHD emotional suppression, ADHD values planner

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You keep the house running. You hold the emotions. You never say no. And still, part of you wonders if you’re doing enough.

This solo episode isn’t just about perfectionism or people pleasing — it’s about the deeper pattern so many ADHD mums live inside without realising it: good girl conditioning. Jane peels back the layers of expectation, guilt, trauma, and survival-mode coping that lead neurodivergent women to break down quietly behind closed doors.

From childhood masking to motherhood martyrdom, this one hits deep — and offers five strategies to start peeling off the pressure without losing yourself in the process.

• What ‘good girl conditioning’ actually is (it’s not just a personality quirk)
• Why ADHD + perfectionism = emotional burnout on steroids
• The five signs you’ve internalised good girl roles — and how they sabotage you daily
• Why neurodivergent women are more vulnerable to this dynamic (even if they’re high achieving)
• The invisible ways this shows up in parenting, partnership, and school settings
• The conditioning phrases we grew up hearing — and how they shaped our self-worth
• How to start unlearning without upending your whole life (yet)
• Five daily strategies to gently shift from martyrdom to self-worth (without adding more to your to-do list)

🧠 Research cited:

• Sanders & Munford (2008) – ‘Good Girl Identity as a Social Strategy’

🧰 Tools & kits mentioned:

• Mental Load Reset Kit
• ADHD Planner & Personal Values Workbook
• ✍️ Submit feedback, questions or stories via the listener jotform: https://form.jotform.com/251238118486864

If your nervous system feels like it’s fraying — but you can’t stop making lists, saying yes, or “just getting on with it” — this episode is for you.

Listen in, let it crack something open, and start building a life that includes you in the equation.

📲 Hit play. Send to a friend. Save it for the next moment you wonder if it’s just you (it’s not).

JOIN THE COMMUNITY:

Have questions or want to connect with other ADHD mums? Join our supportive Facebook group here and dive into the conversation. No question is too small, and I love answering in a group format!

FOLLOW FOR MORE:

Get daily tips, insights, and relatable content for ADHD mums by following me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube

LEAVE A REVIEW:

Love this episode? Your review means everything! It helps other mums find this content and feel supported. Let’s spread the word and make a difference together.

COLLABS:

For collaborations or speaking engagements, email me at [email protected].

MORE RESOURCES:

Still unsure if ADHD or autism applies to you or your child? Take my recommended self-tests here.

Topics Covered In This Episode:

ADHD and perfectionism, people pleasing ADHD mums, masking in girls, emotional labour of motherhood, internalised ableism ADHD, ADHD and good girl syndrome, rejection sensitivity and burnout, parenting while neurodivergent, perfectionism trauma response, motherhood martyrdom, ADHD mum fatigue, boundaries and ADHD, late-diagnosed ADHD women, masking exhaustion, Sanders and Munford 2008 study, neurodivergent self-worth, ADHD social conditioning, ADHD mums mental health, ADHD emotional suppression, ADHD values planner

Mentioned in this episode:

Give away bad for biz - free resources

Free Resouces

You can’t ‘train’ a brain to enjoy being flooded with noise, light, smells, and chaos. You can only push it until it shuts down — or shuts you out. Yet families are told every day that ‘exposure therapy’ will fix sensory overwhelm. In this episode, we talk about why that’s not just wrong — it’s dangerous.

You’ll learn:

• How to tell the difference between fear-based and processing-based struggles.
• Why getting the label right matters for getting the support right.
• The long-term impact on trust and resilience when supports are mismatched.
• What meltdowns in public spaces really mean (hint: it’s not bad behaviour).
• Practical ways to adapt environments so kids can thrive without being pushed past breaking point.

If you’ve ever dragged your child through a noisy, bright, overwhelming place and watched them unravel, this episode will make you feel seen — and give you the language to advocate for real change.

💛 Listen now:

• Spotify:
• Apple Podcasts:
• Website: adhdmums.com.au

References & Related Resources

• Amanda Moses Psychology – Upcoming Event: Understanding Masked Autism
• Amanda Moses on Instagram: @amandamosespsychology
• Related ADHD Mums Episodes:
• S2E82 ADHD or PTSD? Why So Many Women Are Misdiagnosed (with Amanda Moses) – one of the most downloaded episodes referenced in this discussion
• S2E20 The Worst Assessment Process Ever (with Dina Robertson) – story of a 10-year fight for a diagnosis
• ADHD Mums Free Resource: ADHD & Autism Assessment Tool – check under the Free Resources section

JOIN THE COMMUNITY:

Have questions or want to connect with other ADHD mums? Join our supportive Facebook group here and dive into the conversation. No question is too small, and I love answering in a group format!

FOLLOW FOR MORE:

Get daily tips, insights, and relatable content for ADHD mums by following me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube

LEAVE A REVIEW:

Love this episode? Your review means everything! It helps other mums find this content and feel supported. Let’s spread the word and make a difference together.

COLLABS:

For collaborations or speaking engagements, email me at [email protected].

MORE RESOURCES:

Still unsure if ADHD or autism applies to you or your child? Take my recommended self-tests here.

Topics Covered

sensory overwhelm autism ADHD and sensory processing exposure therapy for autistic child fear-based vs processing-based anxiety sensory overload in children autism and public meltdowns trauma from exposure therapy supporting sensory sensitive kids

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mentioned in this episode:

Give away bad for biz - free resources

Free Resouces

Sometimes parenting feels like being pecked to death by tiny, unstable chickens. We love our kids fiercely — but that doesn’t mean we have to love every single moment of raising them.

In this unfiltered Quick Reset, Jane says the thing so many ADHD mums are scared to admit out loud: I don’t always like being a parent. And no — that doesn’t make you a bad mum. It makes you human.

From the endless to-do lists and medical appointments to the sensory overload and invisible labour, parenting as a neurodivergent mum is a full-body, full-time emotional marathon. And when you’re doing it without enough support, it’s no wonder your nervous system is running in the red.

Jane breaks down the science of parental burnout, the myths that make mums feel guilty for struggling, and the quiet ways we can reclaim honesty, capacity, and space — without toxic positivity or pretending everything’s fine.

💬 In this episode, we cover:

• Why it’s normal to feel touched-out, overstimulated, and over it
• The clinical research on parental burnout — especially for ADHD mums
• How gratitude and burnout can coexist (and why ‘but you chose this’ is unhelpful)
• Scripts for asking for space — with or without telling the truth
• Why emotional honesty helps our kids more than pretending to be happy

💭 This episode is for you if:
– You’ve ever thought, I can’t do this for one more second — and then kept going anyway
– You’re tired of feeling guilty for not loving every moment of motherhood
– You want permission to name the hard stuff without fear of judgment

📥 Add your own anonymous confession:
👉 https://form.jotform.com/251238072679867

🔗  References

Parental Burnout (2021 Study)  - A clinical study found that 12.9% of parents met clinical levels of parental burnout, with symptoms most common in mothers—especially those with perfectionism, neurodivergence, or low social support.

Regret in Parenthood (2015 Study, British Parents) - Research revealed that 8% of British parents regret having children, highlighting how unprepared many were for the realities of parenting.

Torn in Two: The Experience of Maternal Ambivalence by Rozsika Parker - This book explores how it is completely normal to love your child while disliking aspects of motherhood, offering a compassionate look at maternal ambivalence.

Unequal Care Work (2022 Study on Heterosexual Households) - A recent study showed that women in heterosexual households do 2.5x more unpaid care work than men, often paired with feelings of guilt for not fully enjoying it.

JOIN THE COMMUNITY:

Have questions or want to connect with other ADHD mums? Join our supportive Facebook group here and dive into the conversation. No question is too small, and I love answering in a group format!

FOLLOW FOR MORE:

Get daily tips, insights, and relatable content for ADHD mums by following me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube

LEAVE A REVIEW:

Love this episode? Your review means everything! It helps other mums find this content and feel supported. Let’s spread the word and make a difference together.

COLLABS:

For collaborations or speaking engagements, email me at [email protected].

MORE RESOURCES:

Still unsure if ADHD or autism applies to you or your child? Take my recommended self-tests here.

Topics covered in this episode:
ADHD mums, parental burnout, parenting shame, invisible load, executive dysfunction, emotional honesty, sensory overwhelm, overstimulation, parental regret, perfectionism, trauma triggers, motherhood myths, parenting capacity, neurodivergent parenting, chronic stress, guilt cycles, self-compassion, scripts for space, toxic positivity.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mentioned in this episode:

Give away bad for biz - free resources

Free Resouces