Pause Purpose Play

In this episode of the Pauses Purpose Play podcast, host Michaela Thomas discusses the challenges and tensions that arise during festive holidays and offers advice on maintaining compassion and connection with partners, especially in neurodivergent families. Michaela highlights the importance of self-compassion, meeting emotional needs, and understanding the dynamics of relationships. She talks about her book, 'The Lasting Connection,' and its accompanying online course, 'The Compassionate Couple,' which aims to help couples strengthen their bond. Michaela reflects on the book's release during the COVID-19 lockdown and expresses her desire to revive its message by engaging in more public discussions and events. She concludes with a special Christmas discount code for the online course.

In this solo episode of the Pause Purpose Play podcast, Clinical Psychologist Michaela Thomas explores why the holiday season can feel so overwhelming and draining, especially for women with busy brains, ADHD traits, or perfectionistic tendencies - and how to move through it with more intention and self-compassion.

Michaela introduces the idea of balancing what drains you with what sustains you, and shares how using a visual schedule can help you manage energy more realistically, plan ahead, and reduce burnout.

Rather than striving for a “perfect” Christmas, this episode encourages lowering expectations, setting boundaries, and prioritising rest before you reach exhaustion.

Michaela also shares more about Golden, her immersive in-person experience for high-achieving ADHD women who need space to pause and recharge, reconnecting with their purpose and values.

Why the festive season can feel especially draining for busy, ADHD brains

The concept of drains vs. sustains and why energy matters more than time

Using a visual schedule to plan with compassion

Letting go of perfection and choosing rest

Have you ever wondered whether running is helping your mental health… or draining it?

I’m joined by Counselling Psychologist and passionate runner Dr Chloe Bedford for an honest, compassionate conversation about the complex dynamics between running, identity, and emotional regulation,  especially for busy, perfectionistic, or neurodivergent minds.

We explore both the light and dark sides of running - the clarity, calm, emotional regulation, and resilience it can bring… and the perfectionism, guilt, pressure, and burnout that can creep in when movement becomes another place we strive or push too hard to beat a personal best or complete a particular race despite it making us ill or injured.

Dr Chloe Bedford is a Counselling Psychologist working with adults, teens, and children struggling with their mental health. She has over 15 years experience of working in both the NHS and private practice. Chloe has spent time working in a specialist eating disorder service for teens and through this, as well as her own love of running, developed an interest in the complex relationship we can have with our bodies, eating and exercise.

Chloe is an enthusiastic runner, and has run many half marathons and 10kms. One day she dreams of making it to the start line of a marathon, but as a mother she accepts that this might have to wait. 

Together, we unpack how to approach running in a way that supports your wellbeing rather than drains it.

We also talk about how fitness culture, social media, and societal expectations shape our beliefs about what running “should” look like - and the liberation that comes from choosing your own pace, your own goals, and your own rhythm.

This episode is for you if you’ve ever:

Used running to cope or regulate your emotions

Slipped into all-or-nothing thinking around movement

Felt guilty when you “didn’t do enough”

Compared yourself to others or felt pressure to perform

Wanted a more compassionate, sustainable relationship with exercise

Chloe brings both psychological expertise and lived experience to help you create a version of running - or any kind of movement - that genuinely supports your mental health.

Black Friday is basically engineered to hijack an ADHD brain.

 Countdown timers, flashing banners, urgency emails — it’s the perfect storm for impulsive buying and dopamine-driven decisions.

In this short solo episode, Clinical Psychologist and ADHD specialist Michaela Thomas shares three quick, compassionate strategies to help you navigate Black Friday with intention, self-trust, and calm, rather than getting pulled into impulsive spending.

You’ll learn how to pause before you buy, check your emotional state, and create a tiny, intentional “YES list” that keeps you grounded instead of overwhelmed.

Whether you’ve overspent before or simply want to approach the season with more steadiness, this episode offers practical tools you can use today — without shame, restriction, or perfectionism.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

If you struggle with impulsivity, emotional regulation or burnout…

You’re not alone — and you’re not broken.

 These tendencies are part of your wiring, not a personal flaw.

You might need support in learning to slow down for long enough to notice how you feel so you can regulate your emotions and nervous system.

Connect with Michaela:

Join the newsletter for tools on slowing down with compassion on www.thethomasconnection.co.uk/newsletter

What happens when midlife hormones, ADHD traits, and the demands of running a business all collide?

In this episode of the Pause Purpose Play podcast, Clinical Psychologist Michaela Thomas speaks with Candice Mason, founder of Mother Cuppa Tea, about the realities of female entrepreneurship, hormone upheaval, and navigating neurodivergence in midlife.

Candice shares her candid journey through endometriosis, peri-menopause symptoms, and building a product-based business from the ground up. Together, Michaela and Candice explore the pressures of social media visibility, the emotional load behind brand growth, and the overlap between ADHD traits and entrepreneurial resilience.

You’ll hear:

Candice’s journey into launching Mother Cuppa Tea and being loved by Fearne Cotton!

How ADHD shows up in entrepreneurship - the strengths and the struggles

Why self-compassion matters when you’re juggling hormones, business, and visibility

Behind-the-scenes realities of running and growing a wellness brand

Candice’s recent win - being selected by Mary Portas for a high-impact pop-up retail opportunity

This is an honest, warm conversation about ambition, identity, and wellbeing - and how to build a business without burning yourself out.

💛 Connect with Candice:

✨ Connect with Michaela:

📘 Download Michaela’s free guide:

What if the way you’ve been taught to succeed is the very thing burning you out?

In a world that glorifies overwork, perfectionism and endless productivity, it can feel almost radical to rest, slow down, or say “no”. But that is where your business freedom lies. 

In this episode of the Pause Purpose Play podcast, Clinical Psychologist Michaela Thomas speaks with Jo Hooper, founder of the Me First Method, about the mental health impact of patriarchal and capitalist work cultures — and how to build a business that supports your wellbeing instead of sabotaging it.

Jo shares her experience of hitting breaking point in the corporate world, navigating multiple breakdowns, and reshaping her life and business around rest, boundaries and ease. Together, they explore how to step away from hustle culture, value your time and energy, and give yourself the permission slaps you need to reclaim your life.

You’ll hear:

This is an honest and compassionate conversation about redefining success on your own terms — and choosing spaciousness over self-sacrifice.

🎙️ About Jo Hooper

Jo Hooper is the founder of the Me First Method, helping powerhouse women build businesses that support their mental health. After a decade in the corporate world — and two breakdowns — she rebuilt her work around rest and sustainability. Known for her Permission Slaps and belief in slow, spacious living, Jo now helps women work less, live more, and rediscover joy in their businesses.

🔗Connect with Jo

Website

Instagram

You can be passionate about your exercise or sport, and still burn out from it. Have you ever pushed yourself so hard to “do better” or beat a personal best, that the joy disappeared?

In this episode of the Pause Purpose Play podcast, Clinical Psychologist Michaela Thomas speaks with Dr. Josephine Perry, Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist, about the complex relationship between ADHD, high performance, and perfectionism in sport and exercise.

Together, they explore how the drive for achievement can become both a strength and a struggle — especially for those with busy, high-achieving minds. Whether you’re an athlete, a coach, or someone using exercise to manage ADHD, this conversation offers insights into balancing motivation, wellbeing, and self-compassion.

Dr. Perry shares her practical ‘coins system’ for tracking energy expenditure and understanding when you’re pushing too hard, offering strategies to prevent burnout, injury, and loss of joy in movement. Michaela brings her signature compassionate approach to exploring how ADHD traits such as hyperfocus, impulsivity, and perfectionism can show up in exercise habits — and how to turn these into sources of balance and fulfilment instead of exhaustion.

You’ll hear:

How ADHD and perfectionism affect motivation, recovery, and performance

The fine line between discipline and overtraining

Why self-compassion is the missing piece for sustainable success

How societal pressures and body image ideals shape our relationship with sport

Ways to bring more joy, purpose, and play into your training or movement routines

About the Guest

performanceinmind.co.uk

josephineperry.co.uk

(A compassionate nudge for busy, neurodivergent women and perfectionists)

You know you should prioritise yourself — but what does that actually look like when you’re juggling ADHD, business, motherhood, and perfectionism?

In this episode of Pause Purpose Play, Clinical Psychologist and ADHD specialist Michaela Thomas explores what real self-care looks like beyond bubble baths and quick fixes. She shares the three types of clients she sees — from those running on empty to those beginning to create balance — and how each can benefit from more compassion and support.

You’ll also hear real success stories from Burn Bright members who learned to set boundaries, manage their energy, and finally put themselves on their own to-do list.

If you’ve been thinking, “I’ll prioritise myself later,” this is your gentle (but firm) reminder that now is the time.

Why self-care feels so hard for perfectionists and ADHD women

The three types of clients Michaela works with — and where you might fit

Real-life examples of women who learned to prioritise themselves

How to choose between therapy and coaching for the right kind of support

A final invitation to join Burn Bright before doors close

Inside Burn Bright, Michaela helps ADHD women in business find balance between ambition and rest through support, systems and self-compassion.

✨ Book your clarity call now: www.thethomasconnection.co.uk/burn-bright

You’ve seen the posts - “If you’re not up at 4am journalling and hitting the gym, do you even want success?”

In this short solo episode, Clinical Psychologist and ADHD specialist Michaela Thomas shares why you don’t need to burn out to build something brilliant. She unpacks how hustle culture is ableist, unsustainable, and particularly harmful for neurodivergent women and mums with ADHD, whose energy is already stretched thin.

You’ll learn how to redefine success on your terms, protect your nervous system, and build a business that feels balanced - not punitive.

Inside Burn Bright, Michaela helps ADHD women in business find sustainable success through support, systems and self-compassion.

✨ Book your clarity call: www.thethomasconnection.co.uk/burn-bright

Doors close for applications 24th of October and the programme starts 5th of November!