Callie Elward-Barrett and Jayne Gurton kick off with a very on-brand tech faceplant (“…I hadn’t turned it on”) aka the ADHD tax in real time.

From there, they get into sensory overload, emotional regulation, and what it’s like living in a world that’s basically always a bit too loud.

There’s also a thoughtful (and careful) reflection on Australia Day/January 26, plus why community and creativity can be both a lifeline and a rage-inducing craft project.

If you’re searching for:

• ADHD tax (real-life examples)
• sensory overload and what it feels like
• emotional regulation for AuDHD/ADHD adults
• neurodivergent burnout/overwhelm and coping
• creativity as a regulation tool (and why it can still be frustrating)

Takeaways:

• If you’re neurodivergent, your brain will eventually invoice you for skipped tech checks. (Hello, ADHD tax.)
• Sensory overload isn’t a personality flaw, it’s your nervous system saying “nope, we’re full.”
• Emotional regulation gets harder when your senses are already maxed out
• ADHD tax isn’t just money, it’s re-doing, recovering, over-explaining, and repairing.
• Creativity can be medicine… and also a shortcut to “why is this GLUE ruining my life?”
• Community is regulation. Being with people who get it can drop your stress faster than any hack.
• Personal stories teach what fact sheets can’t, especially when told with care and context.
• Humour isn’t minimising, it’s a survival skill and a bridge into the serious stuff.

Chapters

00:00 - Tech Fail Cold Open: “I Didn’t Turn It On” (ADHD Tax Energy)

02:17 - What F Them Fish Is About: AuDHD for Grownups (No Pretending)

05:25 - Sensory Overload: When Everything Is Loud, Bright, and Too Much

08:56 - Emotional Regulation: Why Overwhelm Escalates Fast

12:13 - Sensory Sensitivity in Real Life (And Why You’re Not ‘Dramatic’)

14:58 - Food Sensitivities, Preferences, and Social Expectations

17:02 - Australia Day / January 26: Cultural Sensitivity Without the Hot Takes

17:10 - ADHD Tax Explained: The Hidden Costs of Daily Life

21:24 - Work + Life + Social Events: The Calendar Spiral

26:50 - Crafting & Creativity: Joy, Frustration, and Nervous System Relief

30:36 - Community & Being Seen: The Stuff That Actually Helps

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

BRAND NEW, from the F Them Fish studios... WILD VOICES! Global Neurodiversity Update

In this inaugural episode of the WILD podcast, hosts Callie Elward-Barrett, Jayne Gurton, and Troy Heland introduce the ND WILD movement, a global initiative aimed at amplifying neurodivergent voices. They discuss their personal journeys with neurodivergence, including late diagnoses and the importance of community support. The conversation highlights the intersectionality of neurodiversity and LGBTQIA+ identities, particularly in the context of the upcoming Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, where they plan to participate with a group of neurodivergent and queer individuals. The hosts emphasize the need for inclusivity and accessibility in large events, aiming to create a sensory-friendly environment for all participants.

Keywords: neurodiversity, ND WILD, ADHD, inclusivity, LGBTQIA+, Mardi Gras, neurodivergent voices, community support, podcast, neuroinclusivity

Takeaways

• WILD is all about amplifying neurodivergent voices wherever they are.
• We want this to be a collective perspective and growing that community around all of you.
• Our tagline is no masking required.
• We are the evolution of humanity.
• If we can do something as massive as Mardi Gras in a sensory inclusive way, then do not tell me we can't do other things.

Chapters:

1. 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast
2. 01:05 Meet the Hosts and Their Mission
3. 06:30 The Importance of Neurodiversity and Inclusivity
4. 12:48 Upcoming Events and Community Engagement
5. 14:32 The Bop Drop and Generational Language
6. 15:36 Sponsorships and Community Support for Mardi Gras
7. 17:48 Creating a Sensory-Inclusive Experience
8. 22:13 The Importance of Accessibility Guides
9. 25:19 Spotlight on Neurodiversity Champions
10. 28:54 I See You Video.mp4

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

We are officially in season 2!!

We're back and there's been a few changes. Callie takes on the show as a solo host, with the first episode featuring an interview in front of a live audience of public servants! It is a little more... well... demure than you may be used to, but it is full of GOLD!

This conversation with the ACT Government in Australia, explores the importance of neurodiversity in the workplace, discussing how organizations can better support neurodivergent individuals. It covers the definition of neurodiversity, the role of managers, common experiences of neurodivergent employees, practical adjustments that can be made, and the rise in diagnoses. The discussion also addresses misconceptions about neurodivergence and emphasizes the need for compassion and understanding in creating inclusive work environments.

Takeaways:

• Neurodiversity includes all brains, not just those with diagnoses.
• Just ask people about their preferred language and don't assume you know what someone needs - we say this all the time!
• Kindness and compassion are crucial in supporting neurodivergent colleagues, especially when we are trying to navigate our masks and the toll that can take.
• Practical adjustments can benefit everyone, not just neurodivergent staff.
• Creating a culture of psychological safety is essential for open conversations about neurodiversity.

You can download the 5Cs model for neuroinclusion Callie talks about in the episode. Just make sure to attribute credit when you use it.

Find out more about working with Callie at: https://executivefunctioning.com.au/

Check out the global Neurodiversity Initiative at: https://ndwild.org/

Join the conversation on Linked In, Instagram, and TikTok: F Them Fish_ AuDHD for Grownups

Chapters in this episode

• 00:00 Introduction to Neurodiversity in the Workplace
• 02:38 Understanding Neurodiversity
• 08:33 The Role of Managers in Supporting Neurodivergent Employees
• 12:10 Common Experiences of Neurodivergent Individuals
• 18:28 Practical Adjustments for Neurodivergent Staff
• 25:11 The Rise in Neurodivergent Diagnoses
• 31:36 Addressing Misconceptions About Neurodivergence
• 37:08 Creating Inclusive Work Environments
• 40:18 Coping with Anxiety and Rejection Sensitivity
• 48:20 Resources and Community Support

Keywords: neurodiversity, workplace inclusion, neurodivergent, mental health, support strategies, workplace adjustments, compassion, understanding, leadership, employee experience

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

This podcast is recorded on the lands of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri People. We pay respect to Elders past, present, and emerging, and to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people listening.

This podcast is all about our experience with late ADHD diagnosis and the questions we have as we continue to navigate life. This podcast is in no way medical advice or intended to be used as a diagnostic tool. That applies for any guests we have on too!

We love hearing about our listeners' experiences with ADHD, and we'd love to hear yours if you want to join us on the mics - drop us a DM (socials are at F them fish_ADHD for grownups) or an email ([email protected]).

Iiiiit's Episode 30!!! This will be the last episode for this season before we take a teeny tiny break. There's a lot going on and we are going to recharge our batteries before coming back even stronger! Will Callie finally figure out remote recording? YES SHE WILL! Maybe... hopefully.

In this episode, we explore the connection between ADHD and Intuition - we know that as an ADHDer you have wondered if you have more intuition than other people. We hear you and we're going to look into it.

Topics covered:

• Beard chat - this thing pretty much has its own postal code!
• Threads - is it good?
• Is this the end of the world?
• Pattern recognition, mimicry, and hyperawareness
• Rituals, deja vu, and spirituality - do ADHDers have a 6th sense?
• Magiv versus neuroscience

Sidequests:

• 90s song lyrics - we ollld
• WAP CPR
• Was Merlin neurodivergent?
• Nursery rhymes and superstitions
• History is written by the victor - why are women always evil?

Come and join the F them fish community on the socials:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fthemfish_adhdforgrownups/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fthemfishADHDforgrownups

Please like, rate, (5 stars are the only stars :D ) and follow the podcast wherever you listen. It really helps. Don't forget to share with absolutely everyone you know. Especially your nan!

Love Callie and Lauchy xx

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

This podcast is recorded on the lands of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri People. We pay respect to Elders past, present, and emerging, and to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people listening.

This podcast is all about our experience with late ADHD diagnosis and the questions we have as we continue to navigate life. This podcast is in no way medical advice or intended to be used as a diagnostic tool. That applies for any guests we have on too!

We love hearing about our listeners' experiences with ADHD, and we'd love to hear yours if you want to join us on the mics - drop us a DM (socials are at F them fish_ADHD for grownups) or an email ([email protected]).

Andrew is back for episode 29 (basically ep 28 part 2) this is a special bonus episode, let us know if you like the episodes shorted and spread over 2 weeks - we can do that!

Topics covered:

• Stimming - vocal and physical
• Laughing at other people's conversations in public
• Time optimism
• How to use post-its to save your spoons
• Importance vs interest for ADHDers
• Sour taste test

Sidequests:

• Plot of land
• Repetitive noises give me uncontrollable rage
• stop interrupting!
• A day in the life of Andrew
• Are Twisties basically straight Cheezels?

Come and join the F them fish community on the socials:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fthemfish_adhdforgrownups/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fthemfishADHDforgrownups

Please like, rate, (5 stars are the only stars :D ) and follow the podcast wherever you listen. It really helps. Don't forget to share with absolutely everyone you know. Especially your nan!

Love Callie and Lauchy xx

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

This podcast is recorded on the lands of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri People. We pay respect to Elders past, present, and emerging, and to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people listening.

This podcast is all about our experience with late ADHD diagnosis and the questions we have as we continue to navigate life. This podcast is in no way medical advice or intended to be used as a diagnostic tool. That applies for any guests we have on too!

We love hearing about our listeners' experiences with ADHD, and we'd love to hear yours if you want to join us on the mics - drop us a DM (socials are at F them fish_ADHD for grownups) or an email ([email protected]).

Andrew is back for episode 28! If you heard episode 26, you'll have heard the listener feedback and know that there was a big call for him to come back and talk more about his experiences as a late-diagnosed ADHD and austistic man. This talk was long and I didn't want to cut any of it, so we will bring you part 2 next week as a special bonus episode - lucky!

Topics covered:

• Is it harder for men to get a late diagnosis?
• Revisiting ADHD and Autistic intersectionality
• Feeling invalid with 'only' having ADHD
• Reimagining the diagnostic criteria
• Insight into Callie's incredibly weird brain where songs are waiting so burst out at all times
• Maladaptive daydreaming

Sidequests:

• Lauchy has weaponised music against me!
• 2003 was 20 years ago...
• Shiz! My eyes are closed
• The origins of Spoon Theory

Come and join the F them fish community on the socials:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fthemfish_adhdforgrownups/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fthemfishADHDforgrownups

Please like, rate, (5 stars are the only stars :D ) and follow the podcast wherever you listen. It really helps. Don't forget to share with absolutely everyone you know. Especially your nan!

Love Callie and Lauchy xx

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

This podcast is recorded on the lands of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri People. We pay respect to Elders past, present, and emerging, and to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people listening.

This podcast is all about our experience with late ADHD diagnosis and the questions we have as we continue to navigate life. This podcast is in no way medical advice or intended to be used as a diagnostic tool. That applies for any guests we have on too!

We love hearing about our listeners' experiences with ADHD, and we'd love to hear yours if you want to join us on the mics - drop us a DM (socials are at F them fish_ADHD for grownups) or an email ([email protected]).

It's episode 27! Sharna is back and we are going deep into the tricky subject of ADHD and lying. This is one of the most challenging and shameful things that comes with having a neuromagical brain. We pull apart the various things that contribute to the common misconception that ADHDers a compulsive liars and dig into the elements that actually happen and why they can make it seem like we're lying. We also look at the fact that many neurodivergent people simply cannot actually lie and what does this contradiction mean for navigating the multitude of relationships we need to on a daily basis. This was a fascinating subject and we all learnt a lot about ourselves doing the research for this one.

Topics covered:

• Listener Question: How to communicate authentically when you're incapable of lying?
• Exaggeration and embellishment
• Lying to avoid rejection
• Is masking basically lying?
• lying vs surviving
• when someone else lies... WE KNOW!

Sidequests:

• Beards and bacteria
• 'Neurospicy' has been cancelled
• The ADHD situational personality
• Digging into 'Diversity'

Come and join the F them fish community on the socials:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fthemfish_adhdforgrownups/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fthemfishADHDforgrownups

Please like, rate, (5 stars are the only stars :D ) and follow the podcast wherever you listen. It really helps. Don't forget to share with absolutely everyone you know. Especially your nan!

Love Callie and Lauchy xx

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

This podcast is recorded on the lands of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri People. We pay respect to Elders past, present, and emerging, and to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people listening.

This podcast is all about our experience with late ADHD diagnosis and the questions we have as we continue to navigate life. This podcast is in no way medical advice or intended to be used as a diagnostic tool. That applies for any guests we have on too!

We love hearing about our listeners' experiences with ADHD, and we'd love to hear yours if you want to join us on the mics - drop us a DM (socials are at F them fish_ADHD for grownups) or an email ([email protected]).

Dr Di is back for episode 26! This is her third visit and today she is taking us through some of the challenges some ADHDers have with food and obesity. We want to be clear, we are not here for any form of size-shaming nor do we believe that larger bodies are in any way bad or wrong. What is interesting is looking at the sensory issues that might be affecting your relationship with food and how when we go looking for dopamine, sometimes that means we empty the pantry - this isn't a good thing in many ways! As Dr Di is a scientist and a Doctor, she explains some of the medications that could be used for treating some of these dopamine and mood challenges. Another reminder that if you have ANY questions about treatments or medications, you need to speak with your health care provider and do not take this as advice, because it absolutely isn't.

Topics covered:

• RSD vs Narcisism
• Exaggeration - it's a thing!
• Lifesavers taste test
• Food avoidance
• Dopamining (I'm totally claiming this)
• Types of taste that we crave

Sidequests:

• The correct way to hang toilet paper
• Colonoscopy prep
• Hermione Grainger is autistic
• ADHD, Autism and email hell

Come and join the F them fish community on the socials:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fthemfish_adhdforgrownups/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fthemfishADHDforgrownups

Please like, rate, (5 stars are the only stars :D ) and follow the podcast wherever you listen. It really helps. Don't forget to share with absolutely everyone you know. Especially your nan!

Love Callie and Lauchy xx

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

This podcast is recorded on the lands of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri People. We pay respect to Elders past, present, and emerging, and to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people listening.

This podcast is all about our experience with late ADHD diagnosis and the questions we have as we continue to navigate life. This podcast is in no way medical advice or intended to be used as a diagnostic tool. That applies for any guests we have on too!

We love hearing about our listeners' experiences with ADHD, and we'd love to hear yours if you want to join us on the mics - drop us a DM (socials are at F them fish_ADHD for grownups) or an email ([email protected]).

In episode 25, we go into the nooks and crannies of Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria and while it may not be one of the diagnostic criteria for ADHD, it is incredibly common for people who are neuro-magical. We take some listener feedback and Callie goes into an RSD pit. We then explore a listener question - How do you cope when someone you work with doesn't like you?

Topics covered:

• Listener feedback - do we do too many sidequests?
• How to seek and give feedback
• Should you approach the person in question?
• Preemptive groundwork to avoid conflict
• Things to stop doing immediately
• What if it can't be fixed
• THAT Panorama episode
• Taste test - raspberry Twisties

Sidequests:

• Kia ora koutou Aotearoa (so sorry for the shocking pronunciation!)
• Facebook Marketplace funnies
• Tone of voice doesn't mean tone!!
• Bad coffee
• Misheard song lyrics

Come and join the F them fish community on the socials:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fthemfish_adhdforgrownups/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fthemfishADHDforgrownups

Please like, rate, (5 stars are the only stars :D ) and follow the podcast wherever you listen. It really helps. Don't forget to share with absolutely everyone you know. Especially your nan!

Love Callie and Lauchy xx

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

This podcast is recorded on the lands of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri People. We pay respect to Elders past, present, and emerging, and to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people listening.

This podcast is all about our experience with late ADHD diagnosis and the questions we have as we continue to navigate life. This podcast is in no way medical advice or intended to be used as a diagnostic tool. That applies for any guests we have on too!

We love hearing about our listeners' experiences with ADHD, and we'd love to hear yours if you want to join us on the mics - drop us a DM (socials are at F them fish_ADHD for grownups) or an email ([email protected]).

It's episode 24! Occupational therapist Rachel is back and she has got some really great tips for anyone who thinks they would benfit from asking for some accommodations in the workplace and doesn't know where to start. As well as Rachel, we have another special guest in Baby B, who spent the entire 2 hours recording time strapped into a Tula and slept the whole time - we get some bonus baby snuffles every now and again, so strap your ovaries in as it is cuuuuuuuuute!

Topics covered:

• Callie has an apology to make
• What is an occupational therapist? Why should you get one?
• How to ask for workplace accommodations
• What is reasonable vs unreasonable?
• Step by step suggestions for accommodations that might help neurospicy people in the workplace
• Seeking vs sensitive
• Listener challenge - Rachel was a Peruvian meme, can you find it?

Sidequests:

• Neurodiversity or neurodivergence?
• Radio jingles from way back
• Other useless songs taking up brain space
• White noise is rage-inducing
• Fidgets

Come and join the F them fish community on the socials:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fthemfish_adhdforgrownups/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fthemfishADHDforgrownups
• Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fthemfish_adhdforgrownup?lang=en

Please like, rate, (5 stars are the only stars :D ) and follow the podcast wherever you listen. It really helps. Don't forget to share with absolutely everyone you know. Especially your nan!

Love Callie and Lauchy xx

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