WTF is AuDHD?

Why is it that we can be incredibly capable, creative and motivated, but somehow struggle to organise our own lives? We've spent our whole lives trying to create routines, stick to planners, build systems and pretty much everytime, we abandon them, forget about them, or decide we've failed the moment we miss a day. This has led to years of shame, low self esteem, burnout - you name it!

In this episode, we talk about our experiences with executive dysfunction, and reveal why sometimes we're just lacking the flint to our fire - once the fire is going, we can find momentum, but the systems in today's world aren't kind to our brains. We unpack why traditional systems can be so difficult for AuDHD brains - and why sometimes, we don't need more discipline - w just need the right flint to get the fire started.

After years of struggling, we've created our own customisable journal system and we're hoping it helps you too!

Sign up to become a WTF Journal Founding Member - (includes $10 off your first order)

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Stress affects everyone, but sometimes we don't always become aware of it until it's too late.

In this episode, Ellie and Paige talk about their experiences with stress and how they've learnt to look for physical signs early. The body and mind are super connected, but Westernised medicine generally doesn't approach this holistic ideology, leading to a disconnect between your thoughts and feelings, and what your body is trying to say.

After Ellie's body recently burnt out, she's trying to learn how to identify it earlier and encourage others to listen to their bodies too. We ask our listeners how stress manifests physically in them, and there are a lot of clear themes that come up. Hopefully this episode will help you identify early signs of stress, be kinder to yourself and not always feel you have to "push through".

Join the conversation by joining our Reddit!

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This week, we've swapped places and now Paige has been sick! So in the spirit of accommodating ourselves, but still providing you with some fun, we're continuing to answer your questions.

We chat about light-hearted subjects like our star signs, to giving our opinions on disclosing your diagnosis to healthcare professionals and potential employers. We discuss how we balance our lives to avoid burnout (spoiler alert: we're still workjing on it) we finally reveal "the hill we will die on".

Thanks for your patience as we both get back to full health - we'll be back with a proper episode next week!

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Full disclosure - Ellie is super sick this week and because we self-produce this, we needed an accessible, low-effort topic, that would still be interesting to you - so we opened up your questions!

Did we used to fight as kids? What are we watching at the moment? Our go-to meals? What is our fave part of being AuDHD? And more!

Join our Reddit to participate in future conversations with us.

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We have both struggled with clothing for our entire life - it's a double-prong of sensory icks and societal expectations that really drive us up the wall. For many neurodivergent people, clothes can be a daily sensory battle, so in this episode, we chat about our favourite "safe clothes", why certain fabrics make us want to crawl out of our skin, the emotional side of getting dressed, the societal expectations of gender-based dressing and general social decorum, and why comfort should always win over fashion!

SOCIAL @wtfisaudhdpodcast

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CONTENT DISCLAIMER: This episode contains discussions about sex, intimacy, masking, consent, and unwanted sexual experiences. Please listen with caution. It also contains some EXPLICIT language, so be mindful of younger ears.

This week we're discussing a topic that many people experience but rarely talk about: masking during sex and intimacy.

After receiving a vulnerable email from a listener who described feeling like they were performing through every sexual experience, we wanted to explore the complicated relationship between masking, people-pleasing, sensory experiences, expectations, and intimacy.

We talk about our own experiences growing up as women, the messages we received about sex and relationships, and how being neurodivergent can sometimes make it difficult to identify, communicate, and prioritise our own needs. We also discuss the difference between wanting something and feeling like you should want it, as well as the exhaustion that can come from constantly performing for others.

As always, we're sharing personal experiences and listener stories rather than diagnostic criteria, and we recognise that everyone's relationship with sex and intimacy is different.

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Before we were diagnosed, Paige and Ellie dismissed the possibility that we could be autistic because we didn't match the stereotypes we'd been exposed to. Even though Paige suspected she was autistic at 15, the environmental voices were so loud she gave up.

In this episode, we're unpacking some of the reasons we didn't think we could be autistic and the experiences we later realised were showing up differently than we expected.

As always, we're sharing our personal stories and experiences, not providing diagnostic advice. These traits don't automatically mean someone is autistic, but they may help explain why so many late-diagnosed and AuDHD people overlooked autism in themselves for years.

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Before we jump into this week's episode - we have a new Reddit! The other one will be going to the graveyard, so join our new one here: https://www.reddit.com/r/wtfisaudhd

In this episode we chat about the hobbies, journals, activities we swore we'd stick to... only to abandon then a few weeks later.

From the feelings of "this is it!" "this is my new thing" to the shame and embarrassment that comes after you've forgotten it even exists. We explore why ADHD brains become so intensely focused on new interests, why that motivation can disappear seemingly overnight, and the guilt, shame and financial "ADHD tax" that often follows. We also discuss your contributions around hobbies and dusty journals from the new Reddit community.

Plus, we received a message from our local psychologist Mike Cochrane about scam diagnoses and how to keep an eye out for illiegitimate 'experts'.

And speaking of things we've abandoned in the past... Paige brings her latest journal updates - and how she's trying her best to ensure this is a journal that stays with you forever! More info at wtfjournals.com/signup

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Modern life can sometimes feel like actual torture for an ADHD brain - and it really can be!

In this episode, we chat about dopamine, procrastination, novelty-seeking, and why so many apps, algorithms, and endless notifications are designed to hijack everyone's brains. Then when you add in the ADHD, we become the perfect target.

We look at the ways modern life may be making life harder for ADHDers, and we share some personal examples minor tasks we've avoided, even though it would help us in the long run. If you're struggling in this modern day, overstimulating world - you are not alone.

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ellieonthetelly.com

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Why do so many autistic, ADHD and AuDHD people experience a constant feeling that something is “wrong” or about to go wrong?

In this episode of WTF is AuDHD?, we explore our experiences with the feeling of impending doom. We theorise why it might be experienced more in our community - from anxiety and sensory overload to nervous system activation, interoception, uncertainty intolerance and emotional dysregulation.

We also share a few funny stories from the week that was, that include a lost cellphone and a tea kettle #adhdthings

SOCIAL @wtfisaudpodcast

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