ADHDifference

Julie Legg speaks with accountant, financial educator, podcast host, and author of ADHD Money, Tina Mathams. Together they unpack the emotional side of money for ADHDers — the impulsive spending, the avoidance, the shame, and the cycle of guilt that can quietly spiral into financial overwhelm.

Tina shares her personal story of hitting financial rock bottom while undiagnosed, and how understanding her ADHD completely changed the way she approached money. Rather than relying on willpower or rigid budgeting systems, she explains how tools like gamifying, body doubling, identity-based goals, and nervous system regulation can create sustainable financial change.

This is a great reminder that money struggles are not moral failings — and that small, imperfect action can change everything.

Key Points from the Episode:

• Growing up with limiting money beliefs
• Impulse spending as dopamine-seeking
• Avoidance, shame, and money guilt cycles
• Separating self-worth from financial mistakes
• Understanding your “money story”
• Why willpower-based budgeting fails ADHD brains
• Gamifying savings and body doubling for money tasks
• Breaking long-term goals into present-moment identity shifts
• Persistency over consistency
• The power of self-compassion in financial recovery
• Tina’s rock-bottom moment and rebuilding journey
• Why money doesn’t have to be perfect to improve

Links:

• WEBSITE: https://www.instagram.com/theadhdaccountant/
• ADHD MONEY & FINANCE PODCAST: https://open.spotify.com/show/25LpCxWszqhkbmS8tcvLa1?si=891d61c6f6714cc0
• BOOK: https://amzn.to/3ZDExkN
• LINKTREE: https://beacons.ai/adhdmoney

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening. 

📌 Don’t forget to subscribe for more tools for beautifully different brains. 

🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz  
📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast
▶️ YOUTUBE: @adhdifference
🎙️ YOUR HOST: JulieLegg.nz

 ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More

Julie Legg speaks with psychotherapist Karen Dwyer-Tesoriero, who specialises in adult ADHD, complex trauma, and attachment. With over 25 years in social work and psychotherapy, Karen brings both professional expertise and lived experience to the conversation after discovering her own ADHD later in life through her son’s diagnosis.

Together, they discuss powerful overlap between ADHD and trauma, particularly how negative childhood messaging can evolve into legacy burdens that shape adult identity, attachment styles, perfectionism, and people-pleasing. Karen unpacks how rejection sensitivity can be mislabelled as personality disorder, how masking impacts women especially, and how internalised “I’m not good enough” narratives quietly drive anxiety and depression.

Key Points from the Episode:

• Discovering ADHD later in life through a child’s diagnosis
• Masking in women and the “talks too much” childhood narrative
• ADHD and complex trauma: where they overlap
• Rejection sensitivity vs borderline personality misdiagnosis
• How negative childhood messages become “legacy burdens”
• Perfectionism and people-pleasing as trauma responses
• Attachment styles in ADHD relationships
• The role of nervous system regulation in healing
• Using EMDR and Internal Family Systems to untangle beliefs
• Why “normal” and “perfect” don’t actually exist
• Building evidence for “I am good enough”
• A daily mantra: Dare to believe in yourself

Links:

• WEBSITE: https://www.kdtesorierolcsw.net/
• INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/kdtesorierolcsw
• FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/kdtesorierolcsw.net/ 
• LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-dwyer-tesoriero-lcsw-emdr-certified-411316a1/

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening. 

📌 Don’t forget to subscribe for more tools for beautifully different brains. 

🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz  
📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast
▶️ YOUTUBE: @adhdifference
🎙️ YOUR HOST: JulieLegg.nz

 ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More

Julie Legg chats with Douglas Katz — West Point graduate, Army veteran, inventor — about receiving an ADHD diagnosis in his 50s and how that moment reframed his entire life. Rather than seeing ADHD as something to “manage” or suppress, Douglas began to recognise how his urgency-driven thinking, rapid problem-solving, and constant scanning for stimuli had actually fuelled his success in the military and entrepreneurship. What once felt like quirks or liabilities became strategic advantages in the right environments.

From inventing adaptive tools inspired by his own physical limitations (such as his NULU knife), to embracing what he calls “Forrest Gumping” (allowing ideas to flow rather than forcing control) Douglas shares how understanding his brain allowed him to build a life based on ability rather than disability.

This conversation is a reminder that adult diagnosis is not an ending. It is often the beginning of self-acceptance, recalibration, and unlocking a different lens on success.

Key Points in the Episode:

• Receiving an ADHD diagnosis in his 50s and the surprising sense of validation
• Why military and startup environments can reward ADHD traits
• The difference between managing ADHD and positioning yourself strategically
• Reframing “disability” into contextual mismatch
• The power of building a complementary team as an entrepreneur
• “Forrest Gumping” — letting ideas flow instead of forcing control
• Why intention is the most misunderstood ADHD trait
• How adult diagnosis can become a turning point rather than a setback
• Makers vs consumers — why producing creates regulation
• Viewing ADHD as a superpower when aligned with the right environment

Links:

• DOUGLAS KATZ: https://linktr.ee/dougkatz
• INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/d.m.katz/
• FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/DOUGLASMKATZ/
• LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglaskatz/

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening. 

📌 Don’t forget to subscribe for more tools for beautifully different brains. 

🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz  
📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast
▶️ YOUTUBE: @adhdifference
🎙️ YOUR HOST: JulieLegg.nz

 ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More

Julie Legg is joined by Kit Slocum, neurodiversity lead and learning experience designer at Flown. With a background in psychology and behavioural neuroscience, and lived experience of ADHD, Kit brings both science and compassion to the conversation about focus, productivity, and nervous system regulation.

From going from failing grades to straight A’s after receiving accommodations, to questioning the systems that label distraction as a personal flaw, Kit reframes ADHD through the lens of nervous system science and the neurodiversity paradigm. She explains why modern environments are fundamentally overstimulating, why burnout is often the predictable result, and how small, intentional shifts can radically change how ADHDers experience work and life.

This episode offers insight into body doubling, nervous system check-ins, structured flexibility, and how leaders can design workplaces that actually support neurodivergent brains rather than forcing them to adapt.

Key Points from the Episode:

• Kit’s journey from academic struggle to thriving with accommodations
• The shift from the pathology paradigm to the neurodiversity paradigm
• Why distraction is often a dysregulated nervous system, not laziness
• How modern over-stimulation keeps ADHD brains in “on” mode
• Burnout as the end result of chronic nervous system activation
• Nervous system check-ins and micro-regulation strategies
• Why many productivity apps fail ADHDers
• Creating a personalised “toolbox” through experimentation
• Designing workplaces around curiosity and structured flexibility
• The Neural Passport: communicating how you work best
• Body doubling as a powerful focus strategy
• The importance of language — disability, difference, or superpower?
• Community as the most powerful ADHD tool of all

Links:

• WEBSITE: https://flown.com/
• INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/flownspace/
• LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flown/
• ADHD MASTERY PROGRAM: https://flown.com/adhd-focus-program

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening. 

📌 Don’t forget to subscribe for more tools for beautifully different brains. 

🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz  
📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast
▶️ YOUTUBE: @adhdifference
🎙️ YOUR HOST: JulieLegg.nz

 ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More

Julie Legg sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Matt Campbell, co-creator of the Our Primal Five framework, to explore why self-care feels so hard especially for ADHDers and why the basics matter more than we realise.

Rather than promoting productivity hacks or aesthetic routines, Matt brings the conversation back to foundational human needs: sleep, sunlight, movement, social connection, and mindful consumption. He explains how modern life constantly pulls us away from these essentials, and why structure, not motivation, is the real key to sustainable change.

This episode is a great reminder that self-care isn’t indulgence. It’s replenishment. And for ADHD brains in particular, small, structured, repeatable shifts can be far more transformative than grand, short-lived resolutions.

Key Points from the Episode:

• Why “knowing” what to do doesn’t automatically lead to “doing” it
• The difference between motivation and structure, and why structure wins
• Why ADHDers struggle with the basics like sleep, hygiene, and routine
• How perfectionism and all-or-nothing thinking sabotage change
• Why guilt and self-criticism actually block behaviour change
• The concept of Our Primal Five: sleep, sunlight, movement, social connection, and consumption
• How stacking habits makes change sustainable
• Why exercise can rival antidepressants for mood regulation
• The hidden cost of digital “junk” consumption — social media, news, and overstimulation
• The power of understanding ADHD to dismantle narratives of laziness or failure
• Sustainable self-care as structure, not indulgence

Links:

• WEBSITE: https://www.ourprimal5.com/
• INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/ourprimal5
• LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-campbell-a5b22910/
• WORKBOOK: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FQWSX73R?tag=ourprimal5-20 
• NEWSLETTER: https://our-primal-5.kit.com/9b41ee5325

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening. 

📌 Don’t forget to subscribe for more tools for beautifully different brains. 

🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz  
📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast
▶️ YOUTUBE: @adhdifference
🎙️ YOUR HOST: JulieLegg.nz

 ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More

Julie Legg speaks with registered therapeutic counsellor Ariel-Paul Saunders, who brings a relational, intergenerational lens to understanding ADHD. Diagnosed at 38, Ariel began questioning the traditional medical narrative after recognising that his most significant struggles with focus and regulation didn’t begin in childhood, but emerged following a major relational rupture in early adulthood.

Together, Julie and Ariel explore ADHD not just as a fixed neurological condition, but as something shaped by attachment patterns, nervous system regulation, and family lineage. From wartime trauma passed down through generations to the orchid-and-dandelion analogy of sensitivity, this conversation reframes ADHD as a developmental journey rather than a personal defect.

It’s an episode about compassion for ourselves, our parents, and our children, and about becoming the generation that transforms what gets passed forward.

Key Points from the Episode

• Why Ariel’s ADHD symptoms intensified after a relational rupture in his early 20s
• What felt incomplete about the traditional medical explanation of ADHD
• The role of nervous system regulation in how ADHD presents
• Attachment, safety, and how connection shapes focus and executive function
• The “orchid vs dandelion” analogy for sensitivity and environmental fit
• How trauma and emotional numbing can be passed down without intention
• Reframing ADHD as lineage rather than personal failure
• How understanding our parents changes how we understand ourselves
• Supporting children by seeing the state beneath the behaviour
• Growing through ADHD traits, not necessarily “out of” them
• Becoming the generation that shifts relational patterns forward

Links

• FREE CONSULTATION: https://securelythriving.com/book-a-call
• FREE RESOURCE: https://securelythriving.com/free-resource
• ARTICLE: Why-my-adhd-didnt-appear-until-age-21
• ARTICLE: The Neuroscience of How Attachment Shapes ADHD: From Dopamine to Executive Function
• ARTICLE: Three Generations of ADHD
• INSTAGRAM: @securelythrivingfamily
• FACEBOOK: @securelythriving
• LINKEDIN: Ariel-Paul Saunders
• YOUTUBE: @securelythriving

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening. 

📌 Don’t forget to subscribe for more tools for beautifully different brains. 

🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz  
📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast
▶️ YOUTUBE: @adhdifference
🎙️ YOUR HOST: JulieLegg.nz

 ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More

Julie Legg is joined by Nika Brunet Milunovic, social worker, researcher, and founder of Calm Nest Collective. Nika shares how years working in the events and creative industries exposed a disconnect between how environments are designed and how human nervous systems actually function.

Drawing on her lived experience as a late-diagnosed neurodivergent woman, as well as her academic research, Nika explains why sensory overload, burnout, and emotional collapse are not personal failures, but predictable outcomes of overstimulating spaces. From conferences and festivals to offices, schools, and public venues, she makes a compelling case for sensory-friendly design as a form of prevention, not luxury.

This conversation explores how thoughtful environmental changes can radically improve regulation, focus, and wellbeing for ADHDers and non-ADHDers alike, and why creating calm, inclusive spaces is one of the most practical ways we can support mental health at scale.

Key Points from the Episode

• Why the events and creative industries are both a haven and a hazard for neurodivergent people
• How burnout and mental health crises often stem from environmental overload, not individual weakness
• What sensory-friendly spaces actually are, and how they support nervous system regulation
• Why quiet rooms, calm corners, and sensory spaces benefit everyone, not just ADHDers
• The science behind sensory deprivation, regulation, and the body’s stress response
• How workplaces and schools unintentionally exclude neurodivergent needs
• Small, low-cost environmental changes that make a big difference
• The role of social media in helping neurodivergent people find language, community, and self-understanding
• Why asking people what they need is the most powerful design tool we have
• A reminder that strategies are personal, and regulation is not one-size-fits-all

Links

WEBSITE: https://calmnestcollective.com/

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thatinclusiongirl

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikabrunet/

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening. 

📌 Don’t forget to subscribe for more tools for beautifully different brains. 

🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz  
📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast
▶️ YOUTUBE: @adhdifference
🎙️ YOUR HOST: JulieLegg.nz

 ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More

Julie Legg sits down with psychiatric nurse practitioner and mental health advocate Carolyn Mallon, whose journey from high school dropout to doctorate-level clinician is both inspiring and deeply relatable for late-diagnosed ADHDers. Carolyn shares how understanding her neurodivergence in adulthood radically shifted her ability to study, self-advocate, and succeed both academically and emotionally.

The conversation explores the messy, non-linear paths many ADHDers walk, the grief that can accompany diagnosis, and how resilience often looks like simply showing up, trying again, and choosing compassion over shame. This episode is a great reminder that healing and success take many forms, and that it's never too late to start again... with better tools.

Key Points in this Episode:

• Carolyn’s diagnosis at 28 and how it changed her entire trajectory
• Why ADHD can mask as laziness or failure in school settings
• The emotional impact of late recognition and academic shame
• Making peace with your “past self” through compassion, not criticism
• How resilience is built in the middle of the mess, not just in hindsight
• The importance of redefining success beyond degrees and careers
• Why mental health providers with lived experience are uniquely powerful
• The joy of offering others the kind of care she once needed

Links:

• LINKEDIN: www.linkedin.com/in/cmallonrn/
• WEBSITE: https://www.balancementalhealth.com/
• FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/balancementalhealthnh
• YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@balancementalhealthnh
• INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/balancementalhealthnh
• RECOMMENDED READING: Learning Outside the Lines

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening. 

📌 Don’t forget to subscribe for more tools for beautifully different brains. 

🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz  
📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast
▶️ YOUTUBE: @adhdifference
🎙️ YOUR HOST: JulieLegg.nz

 ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More

Julie Legg chats with ADHD coach and advocate Leah Carroll, whose own diagnosis at 28 catalyzed a deep journey of self-understanding and transformation. Leah shares how her early attempts to "fix" her ADHD through medication alone fell short and how travel, radical honesty, and coaching led her to discover the personalized systems that now support her neurodivergent brain.

Leah unpacks the behind-the-scenes reality of living with ADHD from executive dysfunction to emotional dysregulation and offers powerful strategies to shift from shame to self-trust. Whether it's in the workplace, relationships, or day-to-day life, this conversation is full of relatable truths and practical tools for anyone navigating ADHD.

Key Points from the Episode:

• How Leah’s ADHD diagnosis at 28 was just the beginning, not the solution
• Why medication alone wasn’t enough and what she needed instead
• The emotional toll of shame, blame, and victimhood in undiagnosed ADHD
• What long-term travel taught her about adaptability and executive dysfunction
• The hidden labour behind ‘looking functional’ as an ADHDer
• How executive function challenges overlap to create chaos and paralysis
• The complex toll ADHD takes on relationships and how to build better communication
• The workplace mismatch: thriving in crisis but overwhelmed by admin
• Strategies for minimizing friction and maximizing clarity at work
• Why emotional regulation is about safety, not just willpower
• Building self-trust through small, consistent wins
• The underestimated power of foundational habits: sleep, food, movement, light, and hydration
• The magic of a “dopamine menu” and tiny strategies that re-regulate the nervous system

Links:

• INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/adhd.coach.leah/
• WEBSITE: https://leahccoaching.com/
• LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahdcarroll/
• BOOK A FREE COACHING CALL: https://calendly.com/adhdlc/free
• REFERENCE BOOK: https://www.thefouragreements.com/

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening. 

📌 Don’t forget to subscribe for more tools for beautifully different brains. 

🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz  
📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast
▶️ YOUTUBE: @adhdifference
🎙️ YOUR HOST: JulieLegg.nz

 ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More

Julie Legg speaks with Kayla Oughton — a Napier-based AuDHD coach and neurodivergent advocate with an eclectic background in construction project management, health coaching, suicide prevention, and digital marketing.

Kayla shares her journey from burnout in a male-dominated construction industry to becoming a voice for ADHDers and autistic women navigating late diagnosis, shame, and self-trust. She talks about the importance of understanding rejection sensitivity, embracing neurodivergent strengths, and leaning into the body’s signals.

This conversation cuts through the fluff and dives deep into what it really looks like to rebuild your life after diagnosis, and long before it. From beast days to slug days, Kayla reminds us all that we are not broken.

Key Points in the Episode:

• How a therapist’s question sparked Kayla’s ADHD diagnosis at 35
• Life inside the chaotic, undiagnosed world of construction project management
• The link between rejection sensitivity and suicidal ideation
• Why shame often hides behind the productivity mask in women
• How understanding ADHD can reframe your entire life story
• The overlap (and contradiction) between ADHD and autism traits
• Why rest, nervous system awareness, and body cues are vital tools
• The reality of success amnesia and the power of small wins
• Kayla's words to those still feeling broken or “too much”

Links:

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayla-oughton/

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/adhdcoachkayla

WEBSITE: https://dopamineandco.com/services 

MATES4LIFE: https://mates4life.org.nz/ 

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening. 

📌 Don’t forget to subscribe for more tools for beautifully different brains. 

🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz  
📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast
▶️ YOUTUBE: @adhdifference
🎙️ YOUR HOST: JulieLegg.nz

 ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More