Mad About... with Maddy Alexander-Grout

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This episode got real. I sat down with Sara-Louise Ackrill, founder of Wired Differently and co-author of The ND Lovers Club, to talk about something that's not spoken about enough: what it really means to be neurodivergent when it comes to love, money, and healing from trauma.

We covered everything from late autism and ADHD diagnoses (Sara at 38, me at 37), to the impact of coercive control and abusive relationships, and how financial instability often shows up alongside neurodivergence. Sara opens up about going bankrupt at 26, the weight of debt and mental health, and why she refuses to be ashamed of any part of her journey.

She also shares the behind-the-scenes of writing a book on ND relationships, the concept of limerence (yep, obsessive love was a big theme for both of us), and how masking, infatuation, and rejection sensitivity show up in romantic dynamics.

It’s raw, it’s funny, and it’s brutally honest - from both of us.

Resources mentioned: StepChange, Freedom Programme, Own My Life.

Connect with Sara-Louise: https://www.sara-louise.co.uk/

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Neurodivergence and Entrepreneurship
01:24 Personal Journeys of Neurodivergence
04:24 The Impact of Diagnosis on Self-Understanding
06:19 Navigating Financial Challenges and Debt
14:37 Experiences with Coercive Control and Relationships
20:37 Experiencing Coercive Control
23:44 The Impact of Neurodivergence on Relationships
24:44 The Endy Lovers Club: A Safe Space for Neurodivergent Women
28:14 Understanding Limerence and Obsession
33:41 Navigating Relationships and Neurodivergence

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This one’s for my fellow multipotentialites - the humans who do all the things and want to know how to promote them without totally confusing people.

I got a great question from one of my Invisible to Influential members who asked: “How do you promote your business when you do multiple things?”

As someone who’s a money coach, ADHD business coach, speaker, author, visibility strategist, and more - I get it. And I break it all down for you in this episode.

Here’s what I cover:

• How to clarify your messaging even when you’ve got 5+ job titles
• The 4 content pillars I use to stay consistent without being boxed in
• Why your job title isn’t what matters (your story is)
• How to show up so your audience “gets” you - no matter how many things you do
• When to separate your services, and when to combine them

If you’ve been stressing about how to market yourself as a multi-passionate biz owner, I got you.

Spoiler: It’s not about being everything to everyone - it’s about leading with YOU.


YT:

1. “Stop changing your job title every day”
2. “Be you, not your offers”
3. “Own your story, own your soundtrack”
4. “It’s not about your job title”
5. “The right people will find you”

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100 Neurodivergent Voices

This episode is different.

To celebrate the 100th episode of the Mad About… Podcast, I didn’t want to make it about me.

Instead, I wanted to do something bigger.

For years, neurodivergent people have been spoken about, researched, analysed, labelled and misunderstood. But far too rarely are we simply given the microphone to speak for ourselves.

So for this episode I asked one question:

“What are you mad about?”

And 100 neurodivergent humans answered.

In this episode you will hear 100 different voices, from people with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, Tourette’s, chronic conditions and other beautifully complex brains.

People from different backgrounds.
 Different ages.
 Different experiences of the world.

Some answers are funny.
 Some are powerful.
 Some are heartbreaking.
 Some will make you nod your head and feel seen in a way you never have before.

Because neurodivergent people are not one story.

We are not one stereotype.
 We are not one narrative.
 We are not a box.

This episode is a reminder that behind every diagnosis is a human being with passions, anger, joy, interests, obsessions and things that make them mad about life.

100 people.
 100 voices.
 100 things they are mad about.

And every single one of them deserves to be heard.

Time Stamp

0:00 Intro and the 100 Voices Mission
2:15 What Maddy is Mad About
4:45 Kindness and Empowerment with Vie
7:10 ADHD Myths and Diagnosis Trends
9:30 Dogs and Emotional Support
11:50 Crafting and Mental Health
14:15 Challenging Normality and Boxes
16:40 Cult Recovery and Pokémon
19:05 Changing Attitudes Toward Death
21:30 Systems for Sideways Thinkers
23:55 Stationery and Organisation Addiction
26:20 Appearances and Snap Judgments
28:45 Inclusion and Chronic Pain
31:10 Reeducating the Public on Autism
33:35 Comedy Improv and Confidence
36:00 Sensory and Emotional Needs in Kids
38:25 Navigating Access to Work Support
40:50 Child Safety and Online Bullying
43:15 Late Diagnosis and Allotment Gardening
45:40 Role Playing Games and Escapism
48:05 Cultural Bias in Spanish Diagnosis
50:30 Strategy Games and WWE Sacrifice
52:55 Expression and Fulfilment in Tech
55:20 Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria Explained
57:45 Silk Art and Creative Storytelling
1:00:10 Reforming the Education System
1:02:35 Neuroscience and the Human Body
1:05:00 Content Creation and the 1% Tweak
1:07:25 Sustainable Jewellery and Cork
1:09:50 Perinatal Mental Health Advocacy
1:12:15 Energy Management over Time Management
1:14:40 Fixing Founder Dependency and Burnout
1:17:05 Mental Health Awareness and Car Culture
1:19:30 Consumer Rights and Effective Complaining
1:21:55 Entrepreneurship and Late Diagnosis
1:24:20 The Joy of Airsoft and Inner Children
1:26:45 Nature, Spiritual Self, and Obsidian
1:29:10 Food, Cooking, and Happy Places
1:31:35 Rescue Dogs and Unconditional Love
1:34:00 Supporting PDA and Pressure-Sensitive Kids
1:36:25 Reconnecting with Self and Reiki
1:38:50 Education Advocacy and SEN Support
1:41:15 The Magic of Transformation Coaching
1:43:40 Holistic Health and Reclaiming Uniqueness
1:46:05 Success, Burnout, and Body Signals
1:48:30 Primitive Reflexes and Movement Therapy
1:50:55 Aphantasia and the Mind's Eye
1:53:20 Final Reflections and Community Thanks from Maddy 
1:55:59 Video End

CREDITS

Vie Portland@vie_empowerment
Erin Fung@betterbirthuk
Martin@a_different_spectrum
Hannah Dingle@huddleandcraft
Chantelle Jeffers@satorimomentostudio
Ben Gibbons@b3ngibb0ns
Honey-Dawn Dee Strutt@gothicdee
Alex Shahlaei Beeching@alexbeechingart
Christina

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This episode was hard to record - but also deeply needed.

I'm in the thick of it right now. 

My dad passed away suddenly, and I've been trying to navigate the heartbreak, PMDD, business, burnout, and the wild mess that is life with ADHD.

And today, I'm sharing what it's really like to grieve with a neurodivergent brain. I talk about the guilt, the impulsive spending urges, the dark thoughts, the small victories (like showering!), and the strange comfort of laughing in the middle of it all.

If you're in the "messy middle" too, whether it's grief, depression, burnout, or just being human, I hope this episode reminds you that you're not alone, and that showing up messily is still showing up.

I also open up about the financial impact of losing my Access to Work support, why this will be the last podcast episode for a little while (spoiler: we’ll be back for episode 100 in the new year), and how I’m coping one tiny step at a time.

Whether you’re neurodivergent or not, if you’ve ever felt like life is a bit too much, I hope this makes you see you're not alone, and this is what you need right now. Not in a fluffy way. In a "holy shit, how am I still standing?" kind of way.

Come for the raw truth, stay for the stories about my ADHD dad, impulsive motorbike buys, and why I might be turning into a runner (???).

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Have you ever felt THREATENED by people in your niche?

Have you avoided looking at what others are doing... or feared you'll be seen as a copy cat?

In this solo episode of Mad About Business, I open up about how I used to feel paralysed seeing someone in my industry “doing better” than me... and why that feeling comes from scarcity, not strategy. 

We dive into why avoiding your competitors doesn’t protect you, it actually keeps you small.

From working with fellow ADHD advocates to inviting other visibility strategists into my world, I’m sharing the messy truth about what happens when you stop seeing everyone as competition and start finding ways to grow together. You’ll also hear about real moments from my own business journey, like being called out as a "Sickfluencer" and how I turned that narrative around.

Whether you're in coaching, consulting, or content creation, this episode is your reminder: there’s more than enough to go around – and you don’t have to do it alone.

YT

“There’s no such thing as original”

“I used to be terrified of competitors”

“They’ll steal my clients!”

“It’s not copying – it’s business”

“She still endorsed my book”

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In this in-person episode of Mad About, I sat down with one of the most influential people in my personal transformation – Naomi Holbrook, The Unconventional Weight Loss Coach who’s completely changed how I see food, my body, and my ADHD.

We talk food noise, emotional eating, PMDD, and how my impulsivity used to show up in the Lidl middle aisle (yep, I’ve brought home a sofa). 

If you’ve ever been stuck in shame spirals around food, tried every diet under the sun (Slimming World, I’m looking at you), or found yourself stress-spending and binge-eating to cope...  Naomi is here to get rid of the rigid meal plans and instead, teaches women to heal their relationship with food, their bodies, and themselves!

Plus, we chat about:

• The unexpected connection between ADHD, food, and money
• What really helps when you're stuck in dopamine-dependence loops
• My own story of ditching alcohol, navigating emetophobia, and choosing health without injections
• How food planning is now saving me money (and sanity)
• Why reprogramming your brain is more powerful than willpower

Naomi also shares the story behind her book and what it really means to lose the literal and emotional weight, from shame to old beliefs to gray-area drinking.

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Today, I take you behind the scenes of what it’s really like to run a business while navigating ADHD, PMDD, and burnout.

When I recorded this, I was in a dark place. 

Deep in the PMDD spiral where suicidal thoughts felt consuming. 

The next day, after my period came early, I feel like a different person. That’s the brutal truth of PMDD: it hijacks your brain, wrecks your energy, and distorts your reality.

I share exactly what I was going through, how ADHD makes it 100x worse, and why we need to talk more openly about this monthly mental health rollercoaster - especially as business owners.

You'll hear how I’m learning to plan my workload around my PMDD cycle, the self-care strategies that have actually helped, and why communication (even when it’s messy) is everything.

If you’ve ever felt like you were falling apart during “that time of the month” or questioned whether you can keep running your business, this episode will make you feel seen.

This one’s real. It’s uncomfortable. But it’s so needed.

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This week I’m joined by the incredible Beth Thomas from Unbound Mind Coaching for a raw, relatable conversation about perfectionism, money stories, and what it really takes to love yourself as you are.

We talk about growing up with mixed money messages, the shame that comes from feeling “not good enough,” and the messy middle seasons of business nobody sees on Instagram. 

Beth shares powerful insights on internalised ableism, from feeling “not disabled enough” to the quiet ways scarcity mindset seeps into our self-worth, and how acceptance is the first step to changing it.

You’ll hear us cover everything from neurodivergent entrepreneurship, RSD, and people-pleasing, to mobility struggles, personal boundaries, and the pressure to “look” a certain way before putting yourself out there. If you’ve ever felt like you had to be perfect before you could start, this conversation will set you free.

Whether you’re here for the mindset shifts, the money talk, or just to feel less alone in your journey, you’ll walk away knowing you’re already enough – exactly as you are.

“I’m Not Disabled Enough”

“F*** Perfection – I’m Just Me”

“Money, Ableism, and Feeling Good Enough”

“If You Don’t Like Me, Leave”

“Your Worth Isn’t Up for Debate”

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I’m diving deep into the content boundaries I live by.  What I share, what I won’t share, and why visibility doesn’t have to come at the cost of your privacy.

So many of us feel pressure to overshare online to be “authentic.” But the word “should” can go straight in the f*ck it bucket!

You don’t owe your audience your trauma. You don’t need to crack yourself open just to stay visible. You get to choose what you share and how you show up.

From my own rules around sharing family and personal stories, to how I support communities I’m not part of, this episode is a must-listen if you’ve ever felt torn about what feels right to post.

Inside this episode:

• Why I never talk about my kids’ feelings online
• How to support others without co-opting their stories
• The 4 content pillars I stick to
• My “scar, not wound” policy for vulnerability
• How to balance authenticity with self-protection

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