Is internet pop-science lying to you? In this episode of AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish, Callie and Jayne dismantle ADHD and the social media neuroscience trap to find out what the research actually says. Does visual clutter actually break the ADHD brain, or is social media overhyping the science? Real scientific studies get twisted into confident, viral social media claims about ADHD, clutter, stress, and working memory. We break down what the research actually measured, where the online interpretations stretch the truth, and how to balance competing sensory needs in shared spaces, because Callie needs a minimalist, clear space to think, while Jayne thrives in a cozy, dopamine-filled environment.

Hit follow to join two AuDHD grownups as they debunk pop-neuroscience and figure out whose neurodivergent home wins.

In This Episode:

• Why feeling validated makes us less likely to question internet claims.
• What visual-processing studies actually tell us about clutter.
• The real link between uncompleted tasks, stress, and laundry piles.
• Why useful brain metaphors aren’t empirical proof.
• How to negotiate shared spaces.
• Unmasking, mutual consideration, and whose accommodations get prioritised.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome back, Jayne

04:38 Your house hacks and the big-light dispute

06:04 When a neuroscience post feels almost too validating

07:29 Jury duty

12:48 British passport rant

19:44 The post that started it all

23:05 How do we know which neurodivergence content to trust?

28:36 Overstating the evidence

30:13 Research timelines

36:51 Taking laboratory findings into everyday life

38:14 Can your brain ignore clutter?

40:10 The Yale study

42:29 Unfinished tasks and open-tabs analogy

44:58 Clutter & cortisol, the 2010 study

46:56 The 501-person study

48:56 Does visual clutter make working memory shrink?

52:18 Validation or pressure

54:13 Competing sensory needs and shared spaces

58:20 Who gets overlooked in Autism

1:02:21 Checking citations

1:06:02 Your house hacks

Research:

These sources give context for our discussion on scientific interpretation and are not interchangeable evidence about ADHD or autistic people.

• Visual Clutter Study (Yale, 2024): Yale Research Link (Neural activity in macaques, not humans in messy homes).
• Clutter & Cortisol Study (Saxbe & Repetti, 2010): No Place Like Home Study (Correlated home descriptions with mood, did not establish causation).
• Home Clutter & Wellbeing (Quinn, 2025): ScienceDirect Link (Survey of 501 adults on perceived clutter and home beauty).
• Visual Attention Cortex (McMains & Kastner, 2011): JNeurosci Link (Research on visual competition, not working-memory).
• Unfinished Work Meta-Analysis (Wendsche et al., 2026): PubMed Link (Thoughts about work outside of working hours).
• Zeigarnik Effect Review (Ghibellini & Meier, 2025): Nature Link (Questions whether unfinished tasks enjoy a memory advantage).
• Original Instagram Carousel
• Ghibellini and Meier’s 2025 review of the Zeigarnik and Ovsiankina effects adds context to the open-tabs discussion.

Join the Conversation:

Send us your house hacks, your big-light stance, or a claim you’d like us to investigate!

• Email: [email protected]
• Socials: Find us on YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish
• Callie’s Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/
• LinkedIn: Callie: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142
• Jayne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-gurton-

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show and leave a rating or review to help other neurodivergent grownups find us!

Disclaimer & Acknowledgements:

We share lived experience, professional perspectives, and our own interpretations of research. This conversation is not medical advice. Expect mild swearing and ongoing learning.

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands from which we record: the Ngunnawal, Wadawurrung, and Dja Dja Wurrung peoples. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners.

Email: [email protected]

YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish

Callie's Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/

LinkedIn: Callie: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The answer to forgetting, losing things, laundry chaos, and food going mouldy in the fridge isn't to simply try harder

In this solo episode, Callie (a neuroinclusion specialist and coach) takes you inside the practical neurodivergent home systems her family uses to reduce cognitive load, support executive dysfunction, and make a multi-brained household easier to live in. You don’t need a perfectly organised, picture-perfect home, it’s about systemic changes in your environment so your brain doesn't have to work so hard.

Drawing on her background in systems thinking, behavioural insights, and neurodivergence, Callie explains how small environmental tweaks can reduce your reliance on working memory, help with task initiation, and smooth out daily transitions.

Enjoying the show? Please hit follow/subscribe and leave a review to help other AuDHD grownups find us!

In This Episode:

• The Neurodivergent Fridge: Why fresh food is banned from the bottom drawers
• Laundry Hacks: And the ongoing mystery of SOCKMAGEDDON
• Visual Cues & Labels: Making the physical environment do the remembering for you
• The Nike Rule: Managing clutter and visual load without getting overwhelmed
• Sensory-Friendly Lighting: Designing spaces around activities and different sensory preferences
• Household Infrastructure: Turning charging cables into permanent fixtures and creating functional transition and landing zones
• The Octo-pissoff-opus: An orange octopus with a very important job
• Externalising Time: Strategies to combat time blindness

Takeaway: When a routine repeatedly fails, start asking whether the environment or system can be redesigned to better support the humans using it.

Timestamps

00:00 - Episode introduction: Callie flying solo

00:40 - Inside a neurodivergent household

07:00 - Identifying friction points and designing new systems

10:02 - Making your environment do the remembering

10:38 - Labels, storage, and giving items a home

14:06 - Managing clutter, visual load, and disappearing Post-it notes

18:03 - The three-minute Nike rule

19:48 - Putting the solution exactly where the task happens

20:03 - Laundry baskets, SOCKMAGEDDON, and natural consequences

23:00 - The coat hanger hack for clothing management

25:27 - The receipt drawer: Delaying decisions until they matter

26:45 - Transition spots and attaching tasks to existing journeys

27:52 - Out of sight, out of mind: The fridge drawer problem

29:19 - Garage zones, storage categories, and dancing skeletons

30:06 - Designing rooms around activities

31:34 - Sensory lighting and Callie's controversial love of the big light

33:12 - Meet the Octo-pissoff-opus

34:20 - Charging cables as household infrastructure

36:33 - Landing zones and handling systems that only partly work

38:04 - Externalising time to manage executive dysfunction

38:36 - Weekly planners, meal planning, and shared shopping lists

40:54 - Annual planning and the bigger picture

41:51 - Should Callie come back for Part 2?

Share Your Systems With Us!

Do you have a home system that genuinely changed your life, or a friction point you just can't seem to figure out? We want to hear about it!

• Email us: [email protected]
• Instagram, TikTok, & YouTube: @AuDHDforGrownups_FThemFish
• Callie’s Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/
• Connect on LinkedIn: Callie Elward-Barrett: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142 Jayne Gurton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-gurton-

We talk about neurodivergence from our own lived and professional experiences. Neurodivergent people are not a monolith, a system that works brilliantly for one person might be useless for another. Use what helps, ignore what doesn't, and change the system when it stops serving you.

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live, work, and record, including the Ngunnawal, Wadawurrung, and Dja Dja Wurrung peoples. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

Email: [email protected]

YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish

Callie's Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/

LinkedIn: Callie: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does AuDHD rage actually feel like? And is anger even the right word for it?

In this episode of AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish, Callie and Jayne dive into the reality of emotional intensity in adult ADHD, autism, and AuDHD. If your neurodivergent nervous system goes from completely fine to ABSOLUTELY NOT due to sensory overwhelm, a meltdown, or sudden anger, you’re not alone.

This isn’t an episode about neurodivergent people being angry, because if the difficult emotions hit hard, neurodivergent joy is just as loud.

We explore why conversations about adult neurodivergence and emotional regulation focus so heavily on rejection sensitivity, frustration, and dysregulation while overlooking enthusiasm, awe, excitement, love and the glorious kind of joy that makes you want to kick your feet because there are king parrots in the garden.

We also tackle a tough question: when does validating an emotion help us move through it, and when does validation accidentally trap us in rumination?

In this episode:

• The myth of ADHD rage vs. what the research supports
• Emotional reactivity and rapid mood shifts in adult ADHD
• Sensory overload, panic, and the fight/flight response
• Why anger can feel safer
• Autistic communication, flat affect, and being mistaken for angry
• Venting, passionate speech, and how it impacts people around us
• Exploring the neurodivergent window of tolerance
• Rumination vs. validation: finding your logical brain again
• The joyful side of neurodivergent emotional intensity
• Finding your tiny, ridiculous, wonderful sources of joy
• Metacognition, anxiety, and learning to trust your intuition
• Pattern recognition, dating choices, and ‘Deb’

Timestamps:

00:11 Welcome, chest pops, and absolutely no normal

02:34 Today’s topic

10:28 What we mean by neurodivergent rage

12:12 Why does research focus heavily on negative emotions?

15:42 Late diagnosis, and finding the joy again

18:06 Suggestibility, self-talk, and changing your story

20:41 Validation versus rumination: moving through it

25:39 Is ADHD rage a real thing?

27:03 Autistic flat affect, passionate speech, and being misunderstood

29:02 When one person recovers quickly and the other doesn’t

31:01 Sensory overwhelm, panic, meltdowns, and rage

36:35 Nervous-system reactivity and emotional intensity

38:14 The neurodivergent window of tolerance

40:42 When your joy is too much

42:18 Rage, frustration, passion, and the full emotional range

45:29 Squishmallows, parrots, and finding joy

47:31 Listener question: intuition, anxiety, and Deb

51:28 Confirmation bias in dating patterns

55:40 Are we sometimes too busy being nice to help each other grow?

59:04 See you next week, Besties!

A quick note:

ADHD rage is not a clinical diagnosis. This conversation combines research-informed discussion with our own lived experience of ADHD, autism, and AuDHD. It isn’t medical or mental health advice, and neurodivergent people are every bit as varied as everyone else.

Acknowledgment:

We acknowledge the Ngunnawal, Wadawurrung, and Dja Dja Wurrung peoples, the Traditional Custodians of the lands from which we record and pay our respects to Elders past and present.

Connect with us:

• Email: [email protected]
• Socials: Find us on YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish
• Callie's Website: executivefunctioning.com.au
• LinkedIn: Callie: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142

Jayne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-gurton-

About the Show:

AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish is all about real conversations for late-diagnosed adults navigation adult ADHD, autism, AuDHD, neurodivergent relationships, work, emotional regulation, sensory overwhelm, and figuring out your brain as a grown-up.

Email: [email protected]

YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish

Callie's Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/

LinkedIn: Callie: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do so many autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD people describe simply knowing something before they can explain why?

In this episode of AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish, Callie and Jayne dive deep into the neuroscience and lived experience behind neurodivergent intuition. We unpack the thin line between a true gut feeling and trauma-informed hypervigilance, exploring how our brains process the world around us.

In This Episode:

• The Neuroscience of Intuition: How rapid processing and predictive processing create unconscious knowing.
• Pattern Recognition vs. Hypervigilance: Distinguishing genuine intuition from anxiety, trauma responses, and rejection sensitivity.
• The Body Connection: The vital role of interoception and what a literal gut feeling means for an AuDHD brain.
• Masking & Self-Trust: How years of social monitoring and masking cause us to override our own internal signals.
• Are We Psychic?: A lighthearted look at why neurodivergent people frequently joke about having a sixth sense.

00:00 – Welcome

04:03 – Big changes for Jayne

07:35 – Callie's Melbourne adventures and Dame Jacinda

14:54 – What do we mean by intuition?

20:11 – Is there neuroscience behind intuition?

22:10 – Jayne's journey back into her body and trusting herself

25:45 – Spirituality, skepticism, and understanding intuition

28:31 – ADHD, hypervigilance, and taking in ALL the information

34:13 – Autism and enhanced pattern recognition

39:36 – Predictive processing: Is the brain predicting what comes next?

42:10 – Interoception and the literal gut feeling

48:37 – Hypervigilance, trauma, intuition, or anxiety?

50:35 – Masking and learning not to trust yourself

55:32 – Are neurodivergent people psychic?

1:00:30 – A practical way to investigate your intuition

1:02:34 – Listener questions & Callie’s shameful unreleased episode vault

We are your neurodivergent besties, Callie Elward-Barrett and Jayne Gurton. We talk about neurodivergence in real adult life: work, relationships, burnout, identity, and all the things we wish someone had explained earlier.

This podcast was created on the lands of the Ngunnawal, Wadawurrung, and Dja Dja Wurrung Peoples.

Disclaimer: This episode shares lived experience and general discussion of research, neurodivergence, trauma, fibromyalgia, somatic practices, and wellbeing. It is not medical or psychological advice.

• Email: [email protected]
• Socials: Find us on YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish
• Callie’s Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/
• Callie on LinkedIn: Connect with Callie
• Jayne on LinkedIn: Connect with Jayne

AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish is a podcast about adult ADHD, autism, AuDHD, neurodivergence, executive functioning, masking, burnout, relationships, work, identity, and figuring out grown-up life with a differently wired brain.

Email: [email protected]

YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish

Callie's Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/

LinkedIn: Callie: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why can you spend hours doomscrolling, but still feel completely unable to reply to a text or pay a bill?

In Episode 62 of AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish, hosts Callie Elward-Barrett and Jayne Gurton unpack digital overwhelm through an adult ADHD and autism lens. They dive deep into the swing between compulsive tech use and total tech avoidance, the crushing shame of ghosting people you love, dopamine traps, sensory regulation, and why willpower is a terrible strategy for neurodivergent digital wellbeing.

The Quick Takeaway: Your inability to manage your phone isn't a moral failure or a lack of discipline. It is a capacity, sensory, and executive functioning bottleneck.

Overwhelmed by adulting? Get practical tools and executive functioning support at Callie’s website: executivefunctioning.com.au.

Timestamps

• 00:35 Welcome to F Them Fish and navigating a neurodivergent adult world
• 03:05 90s parenting style, random physical injuries, and yoga attempts
• 09:49 Women Unlimited, public speaking jitters, and a classic AuDHD cheese side quest
• 17:17 Jayne’s Confession: The shame when digital burnout turns into missed texts, bills, and birthdays
• 21:00 Why you aren't actually failing at tech, you’re just measuring by neurotypical metrics
• 25:30 Debunking the Goldfish: Why the viral 8-second attention span claim is total fiction (and how attention actually works)
• 30:50 All-or-Nothing Doomscrolling: Is your phone use an addiction, or are you desperately seeking dopamine and sensory regulation?
• 36:28 Why neurodivergent brains and young people are uniquely vulnerable to social media traps
• 41:46 Neurodivergent Kids & Screen Time: Balancing parental anxiety with active sensory regulation needs
• 43:13 A breakdown of the American Academy of Pediatrics framework for managing screens
• 51:01 How repeated exposure to algorithm feeds silently shapes your mood and beliefs
• 56:46 A raw look at parenting, social media, and Australia’s under-16 platform restrictions
• 1:01:00 How gaming loops exploit executive dysfunction
• 1:03:02 How Callie uses AppBlock and tactical boundaries to trick her brain out of tech loops
• 1:08:25 Practical strategies and mapping what you actually want from tech
• 1:09:48 How to rebuild your relationship with tech safely after autism/ADHD burnout
• 1:11:52 Outro & Epilogue: An unfortunate linguistic discovery

Resources

• Tech Boundary: AppBlock App (Callie’s tool recommendation - completely unsponsored)
• Screen Framework: AAP’s 5 Cs of Media Use Guide
• Global Tech Report: WHO Report: Teens, Screens and Mental Health
• Policy Context: eSafety Commissioner: Australia’s Social Media Age Restrictions

Support & Connect

If you love our messy, honest conversations about adult neurodivergence, please take 5 seconds to Follow or Subscribe on this app and leave us a 5-star review! It directly helps other AuDHD adults find our community.

Find us on YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish

Callie's Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/

LinkedIn: Callie: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142 Jayne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-gurton-

Disclaimer: This is a lived-experience conversation, not medical, psychological, psychiatric, or professional parenting advice.

Acknowledgment: This podcast was created on the lands of the Ngunnawal, Wadawurrung, and Dja Dja Wurrung Peoples.

Email: [email protected]

YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish

Callie's Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/

LinkedIn: Callie: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ever feel like your executive function completely packed its bags and left? If you are an AUDHD adult riding the hormonal rollercoaster, you are not losing your mind. Your hormones are just messing with your brain chemistry.

This week, we are diving into the chaotic intersection of ADHD, AuDHD, and perimenopause. Spoiler alert: this is not a dry medical lecture. We are talking real, lived-experience chatter about what actually happens when estrogen drops and ADHD traits dial up to eleven. From sensory overloads and catastrophic brain fog, to why your usual coping strategies suddenly stop working, we are breaking down the unfiltered reality of mid-life hormonal shifts. We also look at how this impacts the parenting journey, why women are fighting for testosterone access, the reality of manopause, the hidden pink tax on female hormones, the anxiety ADHD autism pipeline, why perimenopause absolutely counts as an acquired form of neurodivergence, and why you do not need an official diagnosis to start advocating for your health.

We can guarantee you’ve never heard ANYONE talking about estrogen and dopamine like this! What did she say?? Dopamine does what??

Whether you are officially diagnosed, self-identified, or just trying to figure out why everything feels ten times harder lately, pull up a chair. Let's figure out what the hell is happening together.

Timestamps

00:00 Catch ups, spring cleaning, and life updates

03:00 Late diagnosed neurodivergence and the hormonal storm

04:24 Keeping it real: Our official non-medical disclaimer

05:44 Overwhelm, frantic schedules, and a car crash update

13:37 Pushing through severe vertigo, double vision, and the 2011 Brixton riots

18:50 The core science: Estrogen, dopamine, and diagnosis peak at age thirty-seven

22:50 The layperson guide to brain chemistry: Dopaminergic neurons, inhibitors, and estrogen lube

28:40 Survival strategies, the DSM-5, and adult diagnosis history

33:04 Testosterone and the pink tax

36:15 The big debate: Is perimenopause a temporary or acquired form of neurodivergence?

40:06 Hormone testing, MHT, and clinical myths

47:13 Pregnancy and the anxiety, ADHD, autism connection

49:42 How to talk to your doctor and medical gaslighting

59:30 Final side quest: MySpace, old emo pages

1:05:55 See you next time!

Connect With Us

Email: [email protected]

• Send us an email to get your copy of Callie’s dandelion neurodivergence graphic!
• Got a perimenopause, ADHD, AuDHD, hormone, or is this just me? question? Send it to Jayne (with a Y) there are no dumb questions.

Find us on YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish

Callie's Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/

LinkedIn: Callie: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142 Jayne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-gurton-/

References

• European Psychiatry Journal study on the intersection of estrogen, dopamine, and late-stage neurodivergence: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/european-psychiatry/article/perimenopausal-symptoms-in-women-with-and-without-adhd-a-populationbased-cohort-study/7C584E5C4363EBCADFC485D3F0892A62
• Follow Dr Mary Haver on Instagram and TikTok for accessible women's health updates.
• Crappy to Happy podcast hosted by Cass Dunn, featuring insights on estrogen and cognitive health.

Medical Disclaimer

We are not doctors, medical professionals, or scientists. We are just two AuDHD grown-ups sharing our experiences, research, and frustrations. Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT) updates shared here are purely for conversational purposes. Always consult a healthcare professional for medical advice.

Email: [email protected]

YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish

Callie's Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/

LinkedIn: Callie: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special in-person episode recorded in Melbourne’s CBD, Jayne sits down with author Sarah Rosse to discuss her debut memoir, So, Who Are You Anyway?

Sarah shares the raw, keep getting up reality of supporting her son through a mental health crisis and suicide attempt at age 16. This is a conversation about the surreal days that follow a crisis, the family members often forgotten in the chaos, and finding gold in the cracks of our lives.

Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of suicide and a suicide attempt. It also includes a brief mention of the loss of a baby. Please take care while listening and skip this one if these topics aren't right for you today. 

This podcast is for entertainment and community purposes only. We are not a medical or therapy podcast - please don't take anything said here as medical or therapeutic advice.

Correction: During the conversation, Sarah refers to the loss of her baby as happening in 2021. This was a verbal slip -  the loss actually occurred in 2012.

In this episode, we cover:

• The Aftermath: The out-of-body feeling of the days following a crisis and the pressure to show life goes on.
• Kintsugi Healing: How the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold became a metaphor for Sarah’s life and her work with Kintsugi Heroes.
• The Forgotten Siblings: Practical ways to support brothers and sisters who are often overlooked during a mental health emergency.
• Writing as Medicine: Using journaling to stop the blur and process grief, shame, and disbelief.
• Living Grief: Understanding the loss of a baby in-utero and how we carry different types of grief.
• Exclusive Scoop: Sarah reveals details about her second book and her 100 Conversations project.

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro

01:24 – Sarah’s story 

02:30 – Navigating a child’s mental health crisis as a parent

05:26 – Kintsugi and embracing the perfectly imperfect

08:54 – Reframing shame and sharing stories 

10:37 – The forgotten family members in a mental health crisis

17:46 – Navigating the mental health system

20:00 – The advocacy gap for neurokin

22:10 – The impact of neurodiversity in a mental health journey 

27:31 – The role of schools

32:38 – Dismantling traditional thinking

36:21 – Grief and its complexities 

41:43 – Answering the question, So, who are you anyway?

42:39 – Advice for parents facing their child’s mental health crisis 

44:11 – Journalling for neurodivergent brains

45:48 – An exclusive scoop just for our besties… 

47:28 – Getting in touch

If you or someone you know is navigating similar challenges, remember that you are not alone. 

If this episode has brought up anything for you, please reach out to any of the resources below. 

Emergency & Immediate Crisis Support

• Emergency Services: Call 000 if life or safety is at risk
• SuicideLine Victoria: Call 1300 651 251 (24/7 free professional phone and online counselling for Victorians)
• Lifeline: Call 13 11 14 (24/7 national crisis support and suicide prevention).
• Suicide Call Back Service: Call 1300 659 467 (24/7 free national phone and online counselling)

Specialised Support Lines

• 13 YARN: Call 13 92 76 (24/7 national crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people)
• Beyond Blue: Call 1300 224 636 (24/7 general mental health and support).
• QLife / Switchboard Victoria: Call 1800 184 527 (Peer support and referral for LGBTIQA+)
• Kids Helpline: Call 1800 55 1800 (24/7 support for ages 5 to 25)

Bereavement and Postvention Support

• Support After Suicide: Visit Support After Suicide or call 1800 943 415 for grief support and specialised resources
• StandBy Support After Suicide: Visit StandBy Support After Suicide for local community postvention assistance

Kintsugi Heroes: https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/ 

Sarah’s Website: https://www.intentionalwritingforwellness.com/ 

Sarah’s Insta: https://www.instagram.com/sarah_rosse_author/ 

Sarah’s Book: https://books.google.com.au/books/about/So_Who_Are_You_Anyway.html?id=4iAN0gEACAAJ&redir_esc=y

Get in touch: [email protected] or find us on socials.

Email: [email protected]

YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish

Callie's Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/

LinkedIn: Callie: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why can a positive change you planned and genuinely wanted leave you dysregulated, exhausted, and desperate to get back to normal?

In this episode of AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish, your neurodivergent besties Callie Elward-Barrett and Jayne Gurton unpack why late-diagnosed adults crave novelty and freedom but desperately rely on structure, systems, and predictable anchor points to prevent neurodivergent burnout.

After a side quest involving a kangaroo collision, a battered Mazda, and a fancy stay at the Sofitel Melbourne, Callie and Jayne respond to a listener question from an AuDHDer whose daily structure was disrupted by several weeks of house guests.

They explore why being highly organised is less about productivity and more about protecting nervous-system capacity, memory, energy, and sensory regulation. Hear how to navigate ADHD and autism routine disruption, set clear boundaries, and create low-effort anchor points without trying to rebuild everything while you are already overwhelmed.

This podcast was created on the traditional lands of the Ngunnawal, Wadawurrung, and Dja Dja Wurrung Peoples. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging.

In This Episode:

• Why positive change can still trigger intense autistic and ADHD overwhelm
• How routines act as essential scaffolding for memory and sensory regulation
• Why capable-looking AuDHD adults may be hanging on by a thread
• Overcoming the shame of wanting visitors, holidays, or disruptions to end
• The physical cost of masking and the need for safe places to reset
• How to design flexible, temporary routines around your current energy levels
• Using clear communication and shared plans with family or house guests
• Low-effort, stabilizing habits rather than trying to fix everything at once
• Why checking your basic physiological needs (food, water, rest, movement) must come first
• Allowing yourself intentional, guilt-free recovery time when normal life finally returns 

Timestamps

00:00 – Neurodivergent travel stories with an unexpected American sidequest

06:17 – Two weeks off routine and the immediate impact of losing daily structure

09:52 – The kangaroo collision and arriving at a luxury hotel with half a car

23:15 – Listener Q&A: Why do planned, positive changes slowly trigger autistic overwhelm?

30:43 – When being highly organized is actually vital nervous-system support

34:00 – Late-diagnosed AuDHD masking: Dropping unrealistic, unsustainable standards to prevent burnout

36:36 – Brain scaffolding, using routines as systems for memory, energy, and sensory regulation

38:37 – How to build temporary, low-demand routines when your capacity drops

42:55 – Boundary setting: Protecting your peace and creating shared expectations with house guests

45:34 – Micro-anchors - stabilizing, low-effort anchor points to reduce daily overwhelm

48:02 – The nervous system pyramid: checking basic physical needs first

49:33 – Giving yourself permission to rest when life finally returns to normal

51:54 – The ultimate paradox: How AuDHD adults navigate the constant tug-of-war between needing novelty and needing structure

Connect With Us

• Watch & Follow: Find us on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok at @FThemFish
• Get In Touch: Send your stories, listener questions, ADHD tax confessions, guest ideas, and feedback to [email protected]

AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish is an honest, funny podcast about ADHD, Autism, work, relationships, sensory overload, burnout, identity, late diagnosis, rest, overthinking, and the stuff nobody explains after diagnosis. Follow or subscribe on your favourite player so you never miss an episode, and please leave us a five-star review if the pod makes you feel understood, entertained, or slightly less alone.

This episode shares lived experiences and practical ideas for educational and entertainment purposes. It is not medical, clinical, or psychological advice.

Email: [email protected]

YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish

Callie's Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/

LinkedIn: Callie: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does neuroinclusive leadership actually look like, and can empathy, active listening, adaptability, and emotional intelligence be learned?

In this solo deep dive, Jayne translates the findings from her Master of Leadership research into practical, plain-English lessons for leaders, workplaces, and neurodivergent employees.

Hello, hello, and welcome to AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish with your neurodivergent besties, Callie Elward-Barrett and Jayne Gurton. We talk about neurodivergence in real adult life: work, relationships, burnout, sensory needs, identity, and all the messy bits in between.

With Callie taking a well-earned break, Jayne hijacks the pod in full corporate boss-baddie mode to unpack her thesis, Empowering Neuroinclusivity: Exploring the Role of Leadership in Cultivating Neuroinclusive Workplace Culture. She explores why leadership is central, not incidental, to neuroinclusive workplaces, why empathy is a skill, and why inclusion requires much more than a quiet room or a one-off training day. (And yes, she would now like to be addressed as Master Jayne).

In this episode, we talk about:

• The shift from treating neurodivergence as a deficit to recognizing cognitive diversity as an organizational strength
• The learnable skills behind neuroinclusive leadership, including empathy, active listening, emotional intelligence, and adaptability
• Why intersectionality matters, and why support cannot focus on one part of a person in isolation
• How language, communication, and growth mindset shape identity, safety, and belonging at work
• Physical, social, and organisational environments, and why accommodations are only one piece of the puzzle
• Microaggressions, allyship, accessible recruitment, and the risk of quietly filtering neurodivergent people out
• What is still missing from the research, including a clear leadership framework built around neuroinclusive practice

Timestamps

00:35 - Jayne hijacks the pod

03:12 - The thesis and research questions

06:35 - From medical deficit to organizational strength

10:55 - Intersectionality: it is never just one thing

15:19 - Language, identity, and empowerment

20:32 - Physical, social, and organizational environments

25:34 - What the research still does not tell us

30:13 - The big takeaway: neuroinclusive leadership skills can be learned

Disclaimer: This episode shares research interpretation and lived experience. It is not medical, therapeutic, or legal advice.

Connect with us:

Find us on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish. Send us your questions, workplace stories, examples of leadership that made a real difference, or your latest ADHD taxes!

Email us at: mailto:[email protected]

Keywords:

Neuroinclusive leadership | AuDHD at work | neurodiversity in the workplace | ADHD leadership | autistic employees | workplace inclusion | psychological safety | reasonable adjustments | inclusive leadership

Email: [email protected]

YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish

Callie's Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/

LinkedIn: Callie: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this short podcast update, Callie explains why we are taking a week off, asks for listener feedback, and gives ADHD and AuDHD grownups permission to rest, be present, and do a little bit less.

This podcast was created on the lands of the Ngunnawal, Wadawurrung, and Dja Dja Wurrung Peoples.

Hello, hello, and welcome to AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish with your neurodivergent besties, Callie Elward-Barrett and Jayne Gurton. Where we talk about neurodivergence in real adult life: work, relationships, burnout, overwhelm, identity, and all the weird little things that make you think, ‘surely it’s not just me’. We’re honest, occasionally sweary, and very much not interested in pretending to be polished.

This is not quite a full episode, besties. It is a short update from Callie, because we are taking a week off and, in true ADHD fashion, forgot to tell you.

It is school holidays in Australia, the house is full of kids, Tech Guy is also taking some time off, and Callie is trying to be properly present with family. Because honestly, what is the point of working for yourself if you never let yourself use that flexibility?

This update is also about rest, guilt, and the pressure to keep producing, even when your actual life needs you. Callie gives you official permission to do less, pause without earning it through total burnout, and stop being everything to everyone all the time.

We also want your feedback. What do you want more of? What do you like? What is missing? What questions, ADHD tax stories, mortifying moments, overthinking spirals, or guest suggestions do you want to send us?

00:00 We are taking a week off

00:55 School holidays, family time, and being present

01:28 We want your feedback

02:10 Send us your questions, stories, ADHD tax, and overthinking spirals

03:10 Follow, subscribe, and help the algorithm

03:49 Permission to do less

04:41 You do not have to be everything to everyone

05:01 Upcoming guests and what is coming next

05:24 See you next week, besties

This short update includes Callie’s lived and professional perspective on rest, work, family, and doing less. It is not medical, psychological, or workplace advice.

Find us on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok at F Them Fish AuDHD for Grownups

Send your stories, questions, ADHD tax, guest ideas, and feedback to mailto:[email protected]

AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish is an honest, funny podcast about ADHD, Autism, work, relationships, sensory overload, burnout, identity, late diagnosis, rest, overthinking, and the stuff nobody explains after diagnosis.

Follow or subscribe so you do not miss an episode and leave us a five-star review if the pod makes you feel understood, entertained, or slightly less alone.

Email: [email protected]

YouTube and Instagram at AuDHD for Grownups: F Them Fish

Callie's Website: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/

LinkedIn: Callie: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-elward-barrett-263068142

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.