Mad About... with Maddy Alexander-Grout

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In this episode of Mad About, Maddy Alexander-Grout is joined by the wonderful Michael Bown, community champion, performer, theatre-lover, choir member, charity supporter, and quite possibly the busiest man alive.

Michael shares what life looks like as an autistic person with big passions, a packed calendar, and a deep love for performing, community, musicals, festivals and making a difference. From attending hundreds of theatre shows a year to singing in multiple languages, collecting DVDs, making personalised badges and taking part in local community events, Michael shows the joy, dedication and brilliance that can come from fully embracing your special interests.

The conversation also explores autism, bullying, burnout, belonging, friendship, performing, finding your people, and why being different is not something to hide from.

This is a beautiful, funny and heartfelt episode about autistic joy, community, and what happens when someone finally finds the places where they feel safe, seen and celebrated.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

•  Michael’s role as a community champion in Lichfield 
•  His love of theatre, musicals, choirs and festivals 
•  Attending hundreds of shows and events every year 
•  Special interests and going “all in” 
•  Autism, dyspraxia and diagnosis at age 12 
•  The impact of bullying and finding belonging later in life 
•  Burnout and the pressure of a packed schedule 
•  Performing as a place of safety and connection 
•  Collecting DVDs, badges, calendars and memories 
•  The power of community, friendship and making a difference 

Key Takeaways

•  Special interests can be powerful sources of joy, identity and connection. 
•  Autistic people are not all the same, and social needs can look completely different from person to person. 
•  Finding the right community can change everything. 
•  Burnout can happen even when you love what you do. 
•  Being different is not wrong. It can be brilliant, beautiful and deeply meaningful. 
•  Belonging often comes from finding people who celebrate your quirks rather than question them. 

Favourite Quotes

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction to Michael and the Mad About Podcast
00:56 – Michael’s Life as a Community Champion
01:41 – Choirs, Concerts and Singing in Seven Languages
04:05 – Theatre, Musicals and Personalised Badge Collecting
05:17 – Special Interests, Shows and Going All In
06:32 – Work, Volunteering and a Very Busy Calendar
07:35 – Burnout, Rest and Reducing Pressure
09:30 – Autism, Socialising and Breaking Stereotypes
12:20 – Museums, Family Memories and Special Interests
14:53 – Maddy’s Sea Glass Collection and Creative Joy
16:03 – Lists, DVDs and Michael’s Collections
20:49 – Performing, Belonging and Feeling Safe on Stage
22:39 – Festivals, Lichfield and “Viva Lich Vegas”
28:58 – Michael’s Autism Diagnosis
30:05 – Bullying, Difference and Starting Again
35:42 – Walking for Autism and Making a Difference
37:26 – What Michael is Mad About

Connect with Maddy

Follow Maddy Alexander-Grout for more conversations around neurodivergence, money, business, life, visibility and what it really means to be seen, heard and understood.

Follow Maddy @madaboutmoneyofficial on TikTok and @maddytalk

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In this solo episode of Mad About Podcast, Maddy Alexander-Grout gets honest about ADHD, shame spirals, gym guilt, money avoidance, task paralysis, and the pressure neurodivergent people put on themselves to “do the thing.”

From struggling to go to the gym without a PT, to investing money, overspending, procrastinating, and putting unrealistic expectations on herself, Maddy explores how the word “should” can become one of the biggest blockers for neurodivergent brains.

This episode is a reminder that you are not lazy, broken or failing. Sometimes your brain is overwhelmed by pressure, guilt and emotional weight — and the more shame you pile on yourself, the harder it becomes to start.

Maddy talks openly about ADHD, PDA, spending addiction, fitness, self-worth, and why tiny steps matter more than perfection. Plus, why all your “shoulds” probably belong in the fuck it bucket.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

•  ADHD, PDA and task paralysis 
•  Shame spirals and procrastination 
•  Gym guilt and putting pressure on yourself 
•  Why neurodivergent brains resist “should” 
•  Money avoidance and emotional spending 
•  Investing, saving and taking tiny financial steps 
•  Switching tasks and ADHD overwhelm 
•  Motivation vs pressure 
•  Tiny habits that reduce barriers 
•  Self-worth, identity and internal criticism 
•  Why community support matters for neurodivergent people 

Key Takeaways

•  The word “should” often creates shame instead of action. 
•  PDA can make demands — even self-imposed ones — feel emotionally impossible. 
•  Tiny actions build momentum better than perfection does. 
•  Doing something is always better than staying stuck in guilt. 
•  Shame keeps neurodivergent people frozen. Compassion helps movement happen. 
•  Reducing barriers can make difficult tasks feel more accessible. 
•  You don’t need to transform your whole life overnight. 

Favourite Quotes

Chapters

00:00 – Why Maddy is Mad About the Gym
01:02 – ADHD, PDA and the Shame Spiral
02:20 – Strengthening Your Core Physically and Emotionally
03:05 – Task Paralysis and Emotional Weight
03:52 – Investing Money and Finally Doing the Thing
05:06 – Spending Addiction and Shame Around Money
06:02 – Ibiza, Book Writing and Reducing Pressure
06:50 – The “Fuck It Bucket” and Self-Worth
07:08 – Removing Barriers and Getting to the Gym
08:10 – Tiny Financial Steps That Build Momentum
08:55 – The Maddyverse and Community Support
09:32 – Why Neurodivergent People Need Cheerleaders
10:05 – Letting Go of Shame and Giving Yourself Grace

Connect with Maddy

Follow Maddy Alexander-Grout for more conversations around ADHD, money, visibility, business, identity and building a life that actually works for your brain.

@madaboutmoneyofficial on TikTok @maddytalksmoney on Instagram 

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In this episode of Mad About Podcast, Maddy Alexander-Grout sits down with Alyssa for a brilliantly honest, chaotic, funny, and emotional conversation about neurodivergence, identity, trauma, performance, and the pressure to fit into a world that often doesn’t understand different brains.

Together they dive into the realities of living with ADHD, the long-lasting impact of bullying, rejection sensitivity, masking, burnout, and why so many neurodivergent people use humour as a survival tool. From cringeworthy moments and public perception to self-expression, grief, nostalgia, and self-care, this episode feels like a conversation between two people who genuinely get it.

It’s funny. It’s vulnerable. It’s validating. And it’s a reminder that sometimes the people who laugh the loudest are carrying the heaviest stories.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

•  ADHD, diagnosis journeys, and late discovery 
•  Bullying and its impact on confidence and identity 
•  RSD (Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria) 
•  Why humour becomes a coping mechanism 
•  Performing, masking, and audience expectations 
•  The evolution of communication and online culture 
•  Alcohol, self-care, and neurodivergent coping strategies 
•  Balancing work, rest, family, and overstimulation 
•  Trauma, grief, and finding laughter in dark moments 
•  Cringe stories, public mistakes, and awkward memories 
•  Authenticity, visibility, and embracing who you really are 

Key Takeaways

•  Humour can be healing, especially for neurodivergent people navigating difficult experiences. 
•  Many ADHDers grow up feeling “too much” or misunderstood. 
•  Bullying and rejection can deeply shape self-worth and self-expression. 
•  Rest is not laziness — especially for neurodivergent brains. 
•  Authenticity becomes easier when you stop performing for everyone else. 
•  Shared experiences create powerful connection and validation. 

Favourite Quotes

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction to Neurodivergence and Humor
02:59 – Alyssa’s Journey to Diagnosis and Performance
05:52 – The Impact of Bullying on Neurodivergent Individuals
08:55 – Nostalgia and the Evolution of Communication
11:51 – Navigating RSD and Audience Perception
13:56 – Public Expectations and Algorithms
14:46 – Alcohol, Self-Care, and Coping Mechanisms
18:36 – Balancing Work, Family, and Personal Needs
21:52 – Embracing Neurodivergence and Self-Expression
26:30 – Coping with Grief and Finding Humor
27:35 – Cringe Moments and Professional Mishaps
32:53 – Why Trauma Often Creates Dark Humor
36:46 – Defying Societal Norms and Embracing Authenticity

Connect with Maddy

Follow Maddy Alexander-Grout for more conversations around ADHD, visibility, business, money, identity, and showing up authentically as a neurodivergent human. @maddytalksmoney on instagram @madaboutmoneyofficial on TikTok 

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Can ADHD Entrepreneurs REALLY Chill & Prosper?

In this episode of Mad About, Maddy is joined by money mentor, bestselling author and fellow ADHD entrepreneur Denise Duffield-Thomas for a brilliant, honest and hilarious conversation about money, business, ADHD and what happens when big ideas meet dopamine.

They talk about money shame, spending addiction, debt, low-ticket offers, overgiving, boundaries, business models that actually suit your brain, and why ADHD entrepreneurs need systems that protect them from themselves.

Denise shares her journey from entrepreneurial kid selling bracelets, to discovering coaching, building a huge online business, writing bestselling books and learning how ADHD shaped her money story. Maddy also opens up about her own debt journey, business failure, rebuilding after shame, and why visibility and honesty have been such a huge part of her work.

This episode is for anyone who has ever had a brilliant idea, bought the domain name, overcommitted instantly, then wondered what the fuck they’ve done.

In this episode, we talk about:

•  Denise’s journey from bracelet-selling kid to bestselling author 
•  Why ADHD brains are often natural entrepreneurs 
•  Money shame, debt and the emotional side of finances 
•  Maddy’s journey from £40k debt to becoming a money and business voice 
•  Why failure can be one of the most important parts of business 
•  The link between ADHD, dopamine and impulse spending 
•  Why more money doesn’t automatically fix money blocks 
•  Denise accidentally buying 22 antique couches 
•  Low-ticket offers, overgiving and pricing your work properly 
•  Creating business offers that match your actual brain 
•  Why ADHD entrepreneurs need boundaries, automation and systems 
•  The difference between chilling and prospering 
•  How to stop setting yourself up to fail 
•  Why collaboration beats competition 

Best bits:

“Money itself doesn’t cure money blocks.”

“Sometimes we need systems that protect us from ourselves.”

“If it’s a should, it goes in the fuck it bucket.”

“ADHD entrepreneurs need business models that support how their brains actually work.”

Links:

Follow Denise: @DeniseDT
Find Denise: denisedt.com
Follow Maddy: @MaddyTalksMoney on Instagram
TikTok: @MadAboutMoneyOfficial
Book: Mad About Money: Managing Finances and Life with ADHD

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In this episode of Mad About, Maddy talks about something so many business owners, especially neurodivergent ones, get wrong: trying to run a business when you are already running on empty.

Because let’s be honest, you cannot show up properly in your business if you are burnt out, overwhelmed, under-slept, under-fed, over-committed and ignoring your own needs.

Maddy shares her VIBE Method, a simple framework to help you check in with yourself before you dive into work, content, clients, or the never-ending to do list.

In this episode, she breaks down:

• Vitals: are you eating, sleeping, hydrating and taking your meds? 
• Internal state: how are you feeling mentally and emotionally? 
• Boundaries: where are you overgiving, people pleasing or saying yes when you mean no? 
• Energy: what is your actual capacity, not just the time you technically have available? 

This is your reminder that there is no badge of honour for working through the weekend, pushing through burnout, or pretending you are fine when you are absolutely not.

If your business feels harder than it should right now, this episode is your nudge to stop, reset, and check your VIBE first.

Maddy also shares why capacity matters more than hustle, why “should” belongs in the fuck it bucket, and why looking after yourself is not a luxury. It is part of building a business that actually works for your brain and your body.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stretched too thin, or like you’re trying to pour from an empty cup, this one is for you.

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This week on Mad About, I’m joined by one of my favourite clients, the lovely Ben Gibbons.

Ben is the founder of Nimble Photography, creating a safe and comfortable wedding photography experience for LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent people. But that is only part of his story.

In this episode, Ben opens up about growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness, being outed, going through conversion therapy, becoming homeless, and the huge journey of trying to work out who he really was after years of being told not to be himself.

We talk about trauma, rejection sensitivity, ADHD, autism, religion, politics, safeguarding, visibility, personal brand, and what happens when you finally stop shrinking and start speaking.

This is a really raw, brave and important conversation about identity, survival and finding your voice.

We cover:

•  growing up in a strict religious environment 
•  being neurodivergent and feeling different from the start 
•  the reality and impact of conversion therapy 
•  losing family and rebuilding life from the ground up 
•  chosen family, healing and love 
•  confidence, TikTok and showing up online 
•  standing up for your values in public 
•  creating change through visibility 

Trigger warning: this episode contains discussion of conversion therapy, suicidal ideation, homelessness, religious trauma, rejection, mental health, and discrimination.

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Why do autistic people take things at face value… and how can that actually put us at risk?

In this episode of Mad About, I’m sharing a very real (and slightly painful 😅) story about accidentally ending up in the wrong gym class… and how that spiralled into a much bigger realisation about trust, neurodivergence, and the way we process information.

We talk about:

•  Why autistic and ADHD brains often lead with trust, not suspicion 
•  How miscommunication happens and why we don’t always question it 
•  The link between people-pleasing, RSD, and not speaking up 
•  The dangers of taking things at face value in the online business world 
•  Why I refuse to promise “six-figure results” (and what I will promise instead) 

This one gets into the real talk about smoke and mirrors in the business space, how to spot red flags, and why having the right support around you matters more than buying another shiny course.

If you’ve ever trusted someone and thought “hang on… was that actually right?” — this episode is for you.

Come for the gym fail, stay for the life and business reality check 💥

Follow me @maddytalksmoney on Instagram

@madaboutmoneyofficial on TikTok

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This episode is a proper, unfiltered conversation between Maddy and Lucy Power about neurodivergence, trauma, identity, and what it really means to be yourself in a world that constantly tries to put you in a box.

From ADHD and autism to trauma responses, masking, queerness, and visibility—this is a deep, honest, sometimes funny, sometimes heavy chat about how our experiences shape who we are… and how we can start reclaiming that.

There are big conversations here. Real life. Real stories. And a lot of “oh shit, that makes sense.”

🧠 What We Talk About

•  Lucy’s journey into ADHD diagnosis later in life 
•  The overlap between trauma and neurodivergence
•  Why so many neurodivergent people carry trauma 
•  How trauma gets “stuck” and shows up in everyday life 
•  Masking, identity, and feeling like you don’t fit 
•  The pressure to conform to societal expectations 
•  Queerness, visibility, and living authentically 
•  Parenting, identity, and supporting neurodivergent kids 
•  The impact of cancel culture and social rejection 
•  Nervous system dysregulation and reactive behaviour 
•  What it actually means to be radically authentic

🔥 Key Takeaways

•  Trauma isn’t just what happened, it’s how your body holds it 
•  Neurodivergence and trauma can look very similar 
•  You’re not “too much”—you’ve just been unsupported 
•  Masking disconnects you from who you really are 
•  Identity is often a story we’ve been taught, not the truth 
•  Being yourself in a world that doesn’t get you is an act of rebellion 
•  You can build a life and business that actually fits who you are 

💬 Real Talk Moments

•  Maddy sharing her personal experiences with trauma, grief, and ADHD 
•  Lucy opening up about late diagnosis and queerness 
•  Honest chat about feeling excluded and self-protection responses 
•  The reality of raising neurodivergent kids and navigating identity 
•  A raw moment around grief and loss mid-recording 

💥 What Lucy is “Mad About”

Lucy shares what truly fires her up:

•  The way society treats trans people 
•  The impact of capitalism on wellbeing 
•  Global injustice and inequality 
•  And her deep passion for trauma work and transactional analysis

🧩 About Lucy

Lucy is a psychotherapeutic coach specialising in:

•  Trauma 
•  Neurodivergence 
•  Transactional Analysis 
•  Radical authenticity 

She helps people understand themselves on a deeper level and unlearn the layers that stop them from being who they truly are.

🌍 Connect with Lucy

•  Instagram: @IamLucyPower 
•  Facebook: Lucy Power 
•  LinkedIn: Lucy Power 
•  Email: [email protected]

📲 Connect with Maddy

•  Instagram: Maddy Talks Money
•  TikTok: Mad About Money Official
•  Book: Mad About Money

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Mad About with Maddy Alexander-Grout
Episode: Internalised Ableism, Burnout & Owning Your Soundtrack

💥 What this episode is about

This is a real, honest chat about internalised ableism — what it is, how it shows up, and why so many neurodivergent and disabled people end up pushing themselves to breaking point trying to “keep up.”

Maddy shares what this has looked like in her own life, from burnout and overworking to navigating new health challenges, and why learning your limits is actually where your power starts.

🧠 In this episode, we cover:

•  What internalised ableism actually means (and how it sneaks in) 
•  Why calling yourself “lazy” is complete bullshit 
•  The pressure to act “normal” in business and life 
•  Burnout, guilt, and the toxic productivity trap 
•  Learning your capacity and working with your energy, not against it 
•  Why rest is not something you need to earn 
•  The importance of boundaries, even in your business 
•  How community can help you unlearn ableist thinking 
•  The reality of advocating for yourself (and why it’s so hard) 
•  Accepting new diagnoses and evolving health challenges 

🔥 Key takeaways

•  You are not broken. Your brain just works differently. 
•  “Should” belongs in the fuck it bucket
•  Pushing through burnout is not strength, it’s self-abandonment 
•  Your worth is not measured by productivity 
•  You are allowed to do things in a way that actually works for you 
•  Support is not a weakness, it’s a strategy 

🎧 Maddy’s real-life moments in this episode

•  Navigating multiple chronic conditions and new diagnoses 
•  Coaching clients from bed on low-energy days 
•  Using a walking stick for the first time and dealing with the mindset around it 
•  Letting her community step in and support her 
•  Having honest conversations with her kids about her limits 

🌈 Big message

Owning your “soundtrack” means accepting every part of you — your brain, your body, your limits, and your strengths.

When you stop trying to fit into a world that wasn’t designed for you, you can finally start building one that is.

🧩 Resources & mentions

• Access to Work (UK) – Government support for disabled people in employment 
•  The Maddyverse – Free community for neurodivergent and chronically ill humans 
•  The Core – Paid membership focused on money, life, business, and support 

💬 Final thought

You don’t have to prove your worth by burning out.

You get to build a life and business that actually fits you.

📲 Connect with Maddy

•  Instagram: Maddy Talks Money
•  TikTok: Mad About Money Official
•  More: Maddy Alexander-Grout

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In this episode of Mad About, I’m joined by the brilliant Sophie Jane Lee, coach for voice, visibility and strategy, and author of Beyond Palatable: A Manifesto for Unapologetic Women.

We chat about Sophie’s journey from running a successful business on paper while struggling deeply underneath it all, to doing the hard inner work that helped her step into who she really is.

We get into:
✨ success vs actually feeling successful
✨ self-worth, self-sabotage and healing
✨ the drama triangle: victim, prosecutor and rescuer
✨ people pleasing, boundaries and nervous system responses
✨ neurodivergence, relationships and being misunderstood
✨ finding the right rooms, the right people and the right way to show up
✨ pregnancy, business and why “hard” doesn’t have to define everything

This is a really honest, funny, powerful conversation about accountability, self-expression, healing, and what it means to stop abandoning yourself.

Sophie’s book is out now and available from all major bookshops, on Kindle, and soon on audiobook.

Follow Sophie:
Instagram: @electricpeachstudios
LinkedIn: Sophie Jane Lee
Book: beyondpalatable.com

Follow me:
Instagram: @maddytalksmoney
TikTok: @madaboutmoneyofficial
Everywhere else: Maddy Alexander-Grout

If you enjoyed this episode, hit subscribe, leave a review, share it with a friend, and let me know in the comments if this conversation resonated with you.

#podcast #neurodiversity #boundaries #peoplepleasing #visibility #selfworth #healing #womeninbusiness #adhd #autism #madaboutpodcast

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