AuDHD for grownups: honest, funny, neurodivergent conversations about work, relationships, sensory overload, identity, and the stuff nobody explains after diagnosis.

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

Hello, hello, and welcome to F Them Fish: AuDHD for Grownups with your neurodivergent besties, Callie Elward-Barrett and Jayne Gurton. This is the podcast 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.

Grab a beverage, or body double some life admin with us in your ears and let’s get started!

It's our 50th Episode! We started with a bit of a rant about Mother's Day, then decided to tackle this pervasive idea that there is an 'overdiagnosis crisis' - spoiler alert, we have opinions!

We decided after all of that to run through our '50 Things That...' lists in honour of our milestone. We think you'll find something that not only hits you in the feel bone, validates things you always suspected, and gives you some interesting dinner table chats, but our 50 accommodations list might just change your life. What did we miss? Tell us!

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

Send your stories and questions to [email protected]

AuDHD for grownups: honest, funny conversations about work, relationships, sensory overload, identity, and the stuff nobody explains after diagnosis.

00:00 - Intro and Mother's Day Rant - Cancel it!

06:49 - Sidequest: That's not alcohol free!

09:14 - Everyone is getting diagnosed nowadays

11:58 - Understanding Neurodivergence across Generations

14:45 - Generational Neurodivergence in the Workforce

17:41 - The Spectrum of Neurodivergence

21:02 - 50 signs it was probably AuDHD all along

28:45 - Don't iron clothes on your body!

30:18 - 50 Things We Wish We'd Known Earlier

38:09 - 50 Tiny Accommodations That Changed Our Lives

46:31 - Contact us if you want to know more about accommodations

47:41 - 'Sorry' is the armour we wear to protect ourselves

48:52 - 50 Things We No Longer Apologize For

56:17 - Reflecting and outro

AuDHD for grownups: honest, funny conversations about work, relationships, sensory overload, identity, and the stuff nobody explains after diagnosis.

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

AuDHD for grownups: honest, funny, neurodivergent conversations about work, relationships, sensory overload, identity, and the stuff nobody explains after diagnosis.

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

Hello, hello, and welcome to F Them Fish: AuDHD for Grownups with your neurodivergent besties, Callie Elward-Barrett and Jayne Gurton. This is the podcast 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.

Grab a beverage, or body double some life admin with us in your ears and let’s get started!

Are you a neurodivergent parent? Or do you parent neurodivergent kids? The this episode might just be for you. We talk with Patricia Falcetta OAM about her WILD award, the work she has been doing in the neurodiversity space with families and workplaces, and what drove her to do this work...several years before most people were doing it. She even received an Order of Australia Medal for it!

You can find Patricia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricia.falcetta/?hl=en or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patriciafalcetta/ Her website is https://sociallivingsolutions.com.au

Timestamps

00:43 — Welcome to WILD Voices

01:53 — Patricia’s WILD Award and Autism Awareness Month

03:27 — Patricia’s OAM and her family’s diagnosis journey

07:16 — Outdated labels, Asperger’s and PDD-NOS

08:20 — “Too empathetic to be autistic”

10:05 — Parent guilt, school systems and survival

12:00 — From parent advocacy to professional support

13:48 — Late diagnosis, ADHD and the female experience

16:16 — Advocacy, burnout and caring for yourself

18:59 — Why parents still feel isolated after diagnosis

20:55 — Strengths-based advice for parents

24:07 — Supporting exhausted neurodivergent parents

25:45 — Regulation strategies that actually work

28:19 — Fidgets, sensory tools and oral stims

31:18 — Tech, kids and nervous system overload

33:03 — Safety shows, spas and brain breaks

34:23 — Patricia’s impact in the neuroinclusion space

36:28 — Challenging the myth of low empathy

36:43 — Double empathy explained

40:52 — Jayne’s emotional realisation

42:46 — Neurodivergence, spirituality and sensitivity

43:56 — Patricia’s fun fact: dance classes

44:55 — Where to find Patricia

45:47 — WILD links and closing

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

Send your stories and questions to [email protected]

AuDHD for grownups: honest, funny conversations about work, relationships, sensory overload, identity, and the stuff nobody explains after diagnosis.

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

Callie and Jayne are out this week, with Callie MCing the Australian Neurodiversity Summit and at 945pm, the night before the pod is supposed to drop at 5am, she had to admit defeat on being able to edit this week's episode. So you lucky listeners get to listen to an episode from the inimitable PB, all about school and friendship challenges. We had an incredible episode to share with you this week that you'll get to hear next week instead. Enjoy this break from usual programming and we will see you soon next week xx

PB is back and she has got a lot to say about the challenges for ADHD kids. This episode has some fantastic advice for kids, parents AND teachers!

In this special episode, PB shares what it’s really like to navigate school with ADHD. From fidgets that help with focus, to the importance of having understanding teachers, PB gives us an honest and refreshing perspective on how neurodivergent kids experience the classroom.

Whether you’re a child, parent, or educator, PB’s insights remind us that ADHD isn’t about being naughty, it’s about different ways of thinking, learning, and thriving.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why ADHD can make school challenging, and what helps.
• How fidgets aren’t distractions, but powerful focus tools.
• Why teachers’ understanding of ADHD makes all the difference.
• The importance of involving children in conversations about their needs.
• How parents and educators can work together for better outcomes.
• A reminder that neurodivergent kids see the world differently, and that’s a strength.

Sound Bites:

• It’s not the nicest.
• Teachers are really busy.
• Speak out, speak your mind.

Chapters:

• 00:00 – Introduction and Personal Updates
• 00:37 – Navigating School with ADHD
• 02:22 – The Role of Fidgets in Learning
• 05:15 – Advice for Teachers and Parents
• 08:21 – Understanding Neurodiversity in the Classroom
• 11:07 – Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Who This Episode Is For:

• Neurodivergent kids who want to feel seen and heard.
• Parents who want to better support their child’s learning journey.
• Teachers looking for real insight into what helps students with ADHD thrive.

AuDHD for grownups: honest, funny conversations about work, relationships, sensory overload, identity, and the stuff nobody explains after diagnosis.

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

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

Hello, hello, and welcome to F Them Fish: AuDHD for Grownups with your neurodivergent besties, Callie Elward-Barrett and Jayne Gurton. This is the podcast 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.

Grab a beverage, or body double some life admin with us in your ears and let’s get started!

What happens when you leave a secure job, build a business around the work you actually care about, and then realise the workplace structure that used to hold you up is gone?

This week, Jayne flips the script and interviews Callie about what it’s really like to become a neurodivergent entrepreneur. They talk about the hidden executive functioning cost of working for yourself, why client work gets done while the business-building stuff gets pushed aside, and the strategies Callie is using to stay afloat, including separating what’s critical from what’s merely important, celebrating small wins, and creating somewhere to put the side quests.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

03:43 Jayne’s eye emergency and medical dismissal

09:39 Neurodivergence, healthcare bias, and the medical passport idea

14:11 Productive recovery weekend, and the floordrobe clean-out

17:14 TEDx news and neurodivergence in aged care

20:02 Should you leave your job to become an entrepreneur?

20:53 Why Callie left a secure government role

23:00 The real challenge of working for yourself

25:06 Why workplace structure matters more than you think

27:30 Client work vs business-building

29:06 Are ADHDers more suited to entrepreneurship?

30:32 Mask switching, family life, and the pressure of doing everything yourself

33:24 School holidays

34:22 Things that used to work but don’t anymore

42:58 Strategies that are helping now

51:08 Why it was still worth it

59:08 Wrap-up

If you’re an AuDHD or ADHD adult wondering whether to leave your job, build something of your own, or just trying to understand why everything feels harder without external structure, this one is for you.

Got a question, story or hot take? Email us at [email protected].

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

AuDHD for grownups: honest, funny conversations about work, relationships, sensory overload, identity, and the stuff nobody explains after diagnosis.

AuDHD for grownups: honest, funny conversations about work, relationships, sensory overload, identity, and the stuff nobody explains after diagnosis.

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

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

Hello, hello, and welcome to F Them Fish: AuDHD for Grownups with your neurodivergent besties, Callie Elward-Barrett and Jayne Gurton. This is the podcast 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.

Grab a beverage, or body double some life admin with us in your ears and let's get started!

In this week's episode, Callie and Jayne deep dive the podcast phenomenon 'Beth's Dead' - a limited series true crime podcast, all about parasocial relationships gone wrong.

More importantly, why is this relevant to neurodivergence? We will tell you with the help of some of our listener questions.

00:00 – Producer Callie says Hi

00:50 – Intro

04:33 – Last week’s homework and why Beth’s Dead got assigned

07:29 – What Beth’s Dead is about, plus spoiler warning

08:45 – Full recap of the podcast setup and the Beth storyline

12:18 – What a parasocial relationship actually is

14:20 – Beth was never real

15:04 – First reactions: gripping story or obvious manipulation?

15:55 – Boundaries, emotional emails, and where podcast hosts can get out of their depth

17:14 – The investigation: IP addresses, the professor theory, and the big phone call

19:36 – Callie’s theory: this never happened

21:41 – Jayne’s hesitation, the real expert moment, and why she’s less certain

23:42 – Why Callie still thinks key parts do not ring true

26:52 – Does it actually matter if the story was real, if it was well told?

27:53 – Listener question: when does a parasocial relationship stop being comforting and start being bad for your brain?

33:10 – Listener question: are neurodivergent people more vulnerable to intense online dynamics?

42:38 – Listener conspiracy theory corner

44:19 – Why this whole thing matters for neurodivergence

44:47 – Curiosity, needing receipts, and getting kicked out of class for too many questions

45:45 – Wrap-up, contact details, and next episode tease

https://www.patreon.com/cw/BethsDead - listen to Beth's Dead

https://www.instagram.com/nobodyslisteningright/ - follow Elizabeth and Any on Instagram - tell them we sent you (they won't have a clue who we are!)

https://www.instagram.com/armchairexppod/ - follow Monica Padman's podcast

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

Send your stories and questions to [email protected]

AuDHD for grownups: honest, funny conversations about work, relationships, sensory overload, identity, and the stuff nobody explains after diagnosis.

AuDHD for grownups: honest, funny conversations about work, relationships, sensory overload, identity, and the stuff nobody explains after diagnosis.

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

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

This week starts with Easter camping, mini golf, belly dancing, faffing, and a genuinely cursed run-in with paralysis ticks… then gets unexpectedly deep. Jayne shares a powerful realisation about the idea of being “enough” after years of feeling either too much or not enough, and together we unpack masking, self-worth, fibro fog, apologising for existing, and what it means to be the right amount of you.

Then Callie goes full truth-bomb on the neurodivergent drive for efficiency, why inefficiency can feel physically painful, and how leaving traditional work has exposed just how much executive function can be quietly held up by workplace structure. If you’ve ever looked high-functioning on the outside while privately relying on guard rails to keep life moving, this episode will probably hit a nerve. In a good way. Also, yes, there is a side quest about pink flip phones.

Timestamps

00:10 Welcome

00:48 Belly dance teacher era, camping, and post-holiday faffing

03:30 Paralysis ticks, dog panic, and Australia's hostile wildlife

07:31 Fibro flare-ups and the first big question: what does 'enough' even mean?

10:32 Why 'enough' is a social construct built around masking

16:02 Fibro fog, apologising for your brain and body, and self-protection

17:36 The perfect amount of Jayne, the perfect amount of Callie, and flexible authenticity

22:49 The relentless itch for efficiency and why inefficiency feels painful

29:07 Pink Motorola flip phones and the chaos of changing systems

31:37 Leaving structured work and suddenly confronting executive function failures

37:29 Homework: go binge Beth’s Dead before next week

Get in touch

Got a question, story, or hot take for the pod? Email us at [email protected]

Find us on socials @fthemfish_AuDHDforgrownups

AuDHD for grownups: honest, funny conversations about work, relationships, sensory overload, identity, and the stuff nobody explains after diagnosis.

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

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

This week is pure listener-chaos in the best possible way. We asked for your stories and you absolutely delivered. We’re talking panic-bought concert tickets, masking too hard on first dates, accidentally sending a spicy text to the wrong person, rejection sensitivity turning a delayed reply into a full cheating scandal, and the very specific experience of wanting someone right up until they like you back. We also get briefly obsessed with Miranda Hart, blow bubbles for World Bipolar Day, and once again prove that this podcast is excellent body-doubling audio for laundry, dishes, or whatever life admin you’ve been avoiding. Questionable advice, strong opinions, and a lot of feeling very seen.

Timestamps

00:01 Intro

01:02 Jayne’s new favourite book: Miranda Hart and feeling deeply seen

06:05 Bubbles for World Bipolar Day

08:14 We get into your listener questions

09:55 ADHD tax: panic-bought concert tickets and a man who now breathes too loudly

15:01 Masking on first dates and when the truth is actually 14 half-finished moisturisers

18:47 Weird-smelling water bottles, crying, and an accidental detour into hygiene standards

20:35 The spicy text sent to the wrong person from school pick-up

22:31 Rejection sensitivity, delayed replies, Bunnings, and the imaginary second family with a yacht

29:02 Why some of us love people until they like us back

36:12 Bonus ear filler and elite body-doubling content

36:59 Send us your stories and questions for future episodes

Find us on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok @ FThem Fish_AuDHD for Grownups

Send your stories and questions to [email protected]

AuDHD for grownups: honest, funny conversations about work, relationships, sensory overload, identity, and the stuff nobody explains after diagnosis.

AuDHD for grownups: honest, funny conversations about work, relationships, sensory overload, identity, and the stuff nobody explains after diagnosis.

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

This episode comes with a content warning.

We talk about family violence, abusive relationships, trauma, bullying, anxiety, depression, CPTSD, psychiatric hospitalisation, and some pretty heavy mental health stuff. So if this is not for you today, save it for a day when you’ve got a few more spoons.

Today it’s just me, no Jayne, and I’m joined by Jacinta Dubojski from Just Another Girl.

This is a different kind of conversation.

Jacinta is someone a lot of people would probably look at and make assumptions about. Tall, beautiful, polished, put together. And that is exactly part of why this conversation matters. Because people do that all the time. They look at someone and decide their life must have been easy.

It wasn’t.

We talk about bullying, low self-worth, abusive relationships, trauma, what it does to your brain and body, and what it takes to keep going when life has absolutely kicked the sh*t out of you.

Jacinta also talks about the work she now does with girls in schools through Just Another Girl, and why speaking up can genuinely change, and sometimes save, lives.

This one is raw. It wanders a bit in places. It gets heavy. It also has hope in it.

And the reason it belongs on this podcast is because neurodivergent people are more vulnerable to abusive relationships, family violence, coercion and other forms of harm than a lot of people realise. We do not talk about that enough.

If this one hits close to home, please check the support links below. And if you need to, send this episode to someone and just say, I need to talk.

Timestamps

00:00 Content warning

02:42 Intro and meeting Jacinta

04:10 Jacinta on her work, motherhood, trauma and why she shares her story

09:10 Modelling, bullying, appearance and being judged on the outside

18:28 How Just Another Girl started

21:44 Being bullied at school and not telling anyone

24:30 Domestic violence, trauma and feeling trapped

32:44 If this is your story too

36:31 Speaking in schools and trying to change lives early

39:18 Social media, girls, and protecting the next generation

42:48 What Jacinta would say to her younger self

47:49 Proof that things can get better

51:38 Reaching out when you’re struggling

58:46 Where to find Jacinta

59:47 Why this matters for neurodivergent people too

1:03:27 Final support message and wrap up

Find us on Youtube, Instagram and TikTok @FThemFish_AuDHDForGrownups

Email: [email protected]

Find Jacinta

Just Another Girl Project

Instagram: @just.anothergirl_

Support

If this episode brings stuff up for you, please reach out for support.

www.MindSpot.org.au

Lifeline 13 11 14

1800RESPECT

AuDHD for grownups: honest, funny conversations about work, relationships, sensory overload, identity, and the stuff nobody explains after diagnosis.

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

The ndWILD Co-Founders: Callie, Jayne, and Troy announce the first ever winners of the WILDly Neuroinclusive Awards LIVE in the following 5 categories:

1) WILDly Neuroinclusive Organisation: Recognises an organisation that has moved from awareness to structural action, changing how their systems, processes, or culture works for neurodivergent people.

2) WILDly Neuroinclusive Individual: Recognises a person who makes inclusion real for others through their daily actions, leadership, or advocacy, not just their identity

3) WILDly Neuroinclusive Event or Venue: Recognises a space or event that proved belonging doesn't have to be designed out, it can be designed in, for every kind of brain.

4) WILD Community Impact Award: Recognises work that reaches beyond a single workplace into communities, schools, or the public, making neurodiversity visible in the wider world.

5) WILD Change Maker: Recognises the biggest shift created in the last 6 months by a person, project, or team. This is about momentum, something moved because of them.

Tell us what you think: [email protected] and tell us who you think should be in the running for the 2027 WILDly Neuroinclusive Awards!

Follow us on Youtube, Instagram and Tiktok @ndWILDGlobal

AuDHD for grownups: honest, funny conversations about work, relationships, sensory overload, identity, and the stuff nobody explains after diagnosis.

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

Neurodiversity is bigger than autism and ADHD, and awareness alone is not the same thing as inclusion.

In this episode, Callie and Jayne kick off Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2026 by unpacking what neurodiversity actually means, why it is a social identity rather than a medical label, and why so many workplace conversations still flatten it into stereotypes, checklists, and entry-level training.

They talk about the problem with ‘autism and others’ thinking, why resist the list matters, and what happens when organisations say all the right things but their systems, culture, and leadership behaviours do not actually change.

They also answer a listener question about the difference between awareness and real inclusion in practice, exploring microaggressions, assigning intent, conflicting needs between neurodivergent people, and how to tell whether a workplace is genuinely trying to improve.

This one is part celebration, part side-eye, and part practical reality check.

In this episode

• what neurodiversity actually means
• why it is bigger than autism and ADHD
• why awareness without systems change falls flat
• resist the list: the problem with stereotypes and trait checklists
• how to tell whether a workplace is truly inclusive
• microaggressions, intent, repair, and real progress
• a quick look at the WILDly Neuro-inclusive Awards

Timestamps

00:11 Welcome and Neurodiversity Celebration Week begins

01:40 What this episode is really about: awareness vs inclusion

02:03 Neurodiversity is bigger than autism and ADHD

02:42 Neurodiversity as a social identity, not a medical term

05:24 Why the numbers are likely bigger than reported

05:53 DCA and AMAZE’s Neurodiversity at Work Guide

08:08 Diagnosis, identity, and barriers to being recognised

08:46 The problem with ‘autism and others’ training

10:04 Resist the List and why stereotypes are harmful

11:24 Why entry-level training misses too many neurodivergent adults

12:39 Perimenopause, nervous systems, and the broader neurodiversity conversation

17:22 Listener question: awareness vs real inclusion at work

19:24 Why systems, processes, and leadership matter

21:22 What happens when neurodivergent needs clash

22:34 Pain, perfection, and the pressure for workplaces to get it right

23:48 Assigning intent and stepping back from the moment

24:24 Microaggressions, trauma lenses, and ‘micro receivings’

25:42 Don’t let perfection get in the way of progress

26:01 What genuine effort actually looks like

27:37 Acknowledging mistakes, correcting, and moving on

29:47 Launching the WILDly Neuro-inclusive Awards

31:22 Hope, frustration, and the future of neuroinclusion

32:35 Follow, subscribe, and send us your ADHD tax stories

Connect

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

Send your stories and questions to [email protected]

AuDHD for grownups: honest, funny conversations about work, relationships, sensory overload, identity, and the stuff nobody explains after diagnosis.

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