ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast

• IMPORTANT ADHD Hormonal Information from Professor Sandra Kooij

  🌟 My new book, The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit, is available to preorder here 🌟This week, I revisit a conversation with Professor Sandra Kooij, one of the world’s leading researchers in adult ADHD, women's health, and hormones and a pioneer in understanding how ADHD manifests differently in women.We discuss the powerful and often-overlooked link between hormones and ADHD symptoms, especially the role of oestrogen and dopamine throughout a woman’s life.Professor Kooij shares her groundbreaking research and clinical experience, highlighting how hormonal fluctuations, such as those around menstruation, postpartum and menopause, can intensify ADHD symptoms and impact daily life, mental health, and emotional regulation.You’ll also learn about new treatment approaches that combine hormonal and ADHD medication support and why a more collaborative, hormone-informed approach to ADHD care is so urgently needed.What You’ll Learn:✨ How hormonal changes such as PMS, postpartum, and menopause can intensify ADHD symptoms in women✨ The link between oestrogen and dopamine, and its effect on ADHD brain function and focus✨ Why women with ADHD may be more likely to experience earlier menopause✨ The associated health risks, including cardiovascular issues, in women with ADHD✨ How stimulant medications, SSRIs, and hormonal support may need adjusting during the menstrual cycle and menopausal phases✨ What to ask your doctor about managing ADHD through hormonal transitions✨ Why lifestyle changes may not be enough, and what comprehensive treatment can involve✨ The urgent need for more research into the ADHD-hormone connection in women’s healthTimestamps🕒 01:49 – Oestrogen and dopamine: the ADHD connection🕒 07:02 – PMDD, ADHD and evolving treatment options🕒 10:17 – Early menopause and ADHD🕒 14:50 – The H3 Network: uniting psychiatry, cardiology & gynaecologyThis is a must-listen episode for any woman navigating ADHD alongside hormonal shifts. Whether you're dealing with PMS, perimenopause, or postpartum challenges, or simply trying to understand your symptoms better, this episode is packed with science-backed insights and compassionate advice.You can find out more about all the work that Sandra does here. Links and Resources:⭐ Boosting Hormonal and Perimenopausal Wellbeing alongside ADHD Workshop with Adele Wimsett available to buy now on-demand - Click here to purchase.⭐ Book on the next ADHD Wellbeing Workshop - Click here to book.⭐ If you love the podcast but want more ADHD support, get a sneak peek of my brand new book, The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit and pre-order it here!⭐ Launching September! Tired of ADHD support that doesn’t get you? My new compassionate, community-first membership ditches the overwhelm by providing support aligned with YOU!

  --------  

  18:57
• Exploring Trauma and ADHD with Dr Kara Davey

  This week, Kate is joined by Dr. Kara Davey, Senior Clinical Psychologist, trauma specialist, and adult ADHD expert. Dr. Davey shares both personal and professional insights into how unresolved trauma can amplify ADHD symptoms, especially in women, and why understanding this connection is vital for healing and long-term wellbeing.Dr. Davey discusses her own ADHD diagnosis following a stillbirth, which deeply shaped her clinical perspective. Together, we explore how trauma, especially “small t” traumas like chronic stress or emotional invalidation, can go unrecognised but significantly impact mental health and functioning.Throughout the episode, Dr. Davey emphasises the need for trauma-informed, ADHD-aware care and the benefits of therapies like EMDR and somatic work in processing trauma.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:✨ How trauma (both “big T” and “small t”) can worsen ADHD symptoms in women✨ The emotional toll of undiagnosed ADHD and its link to complex PTSD (cPTSD)✨ Delayed ADHD diagnosis in women, often triggered by grief or life stressors✨ The generational impact of undiagnosed ADHD in families✨ Why validating emotional and relational trauma is key for ADHD support✨ How therapies like EMDR and somatic work can help process trauma✨ The importance of ADHD-aware, trauma-informed therapy✨ Why remote therapy offers accessible, ADHD-friendly mental health careTimestamps:🕒 00:09 – Exploring Trauma and ADHD🕒 06:10 – Understanding the intersection of ADHD and Trauma🕒 11:25 – Recognising the impact of emotional and interpersonal trauma🕒 20:42 – Trauma treatment options: EMDR and beyond🕒 30:53 – ADHD-friendly therapy approaches🕒 36:43 – The power of remote therapy for neurodivergent clientsLearn more about Dr Kara Davey's ADHD work here.Links and Resources:⭐ Boosting Hormonal and Perimenopausal Wellbeing alongside ADHD Workshop with Adele Wimsett is available to buy now on-demand - Click here to purchase.⭐ Book on the next ADHD Wellbeing Workshop - Click here to book.⭐ If you love the podcast but want more ADHD support, get a sneak peek of my brand new book, The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit and pre-order it here!⭐ Launching September! Tired of ADHD support that doesn’t get you? My new compassionate, community-first membership ditches the overwhelm by providing support aligned with YOU! Join the waitlist now for an exclusive founding member offer!Find all of Kate's popular online workshops and free resources hereFollow the podcast on InstagramFollow Kate on Instagram

  --------  

  44:48
• What’s Really Behind Our ADHD Cognitive Struggles?

  ✨ PRE-ORDER MY NEW BOOK, THE ADHD WOMEN'S WELLBEING TOOLKIT HERE! ✨In this week’s episode, we shift the focus from labels to brain health. Dr. Asad Rafi, psychiatrist and ADHD specialist, joins me to answer a listener’s powerful question about recognising ADHD at 60 — and whether it’s ADHD or natural cognitive ageing.You’ll also hear from Lucinda Miller. As clinical lead of the NatureDoc team, with over 25 years of experience as a naturopath and qualifications in Functional Medicine, Lucinda's book, Brain Brilliance, was published in August 2024. She discusses the significance of understanding how hormonal changes impact mental health and brain health.Together, we explore how age, hormones, and life experiences can impact our brain health, cognitive function, and why it’s not always a straightforward ADHD diagnosis.What You’ll Learn:✨ Why thinking about brain health, not just ADHD, is key to managing symptoms effectively✨ The difference between having features of ADHD and symptoms✨ How menopause and hormonal shifts can mimic or unmask ADHD✨ Why context and impact of ADHD symptoms throughout your life matter more than diagnosis checklists ✨ How to tell the difference between ADHD and natural cognitive changes ✨ Why brain fog isn’t always ADHD, and why it matters to know the difference✨The specifics when it comes to nutrient levels like Iron and Zinc✨ How your brain chemicals affect your mental clarity✨ Eating to support your brain health and functionDr. Rafi offers a thoughtful, holistic approach to late-life neurodivergence, helping us ask: Has it always been there, or is something else going on?If you’re navigating hormonal changes, questioning your focus, or wondering if ADHD fits, this episode offers clarity, compassion, and a brain-first perspective.Timestamps:🕒 01:41 – A listener’s story: Recognising ADHD at 60🕒 02:44 – Reframing ADHD through brain health🕒 05:07 – Symptoms vs. features: what to look for🕒 06:58 – Hormonal changes and ADHD🕒 07:43 – Brain fog and cognitive shifts during menopause🕒 08:51 - Understanding Dopamine ADHD and the Dietary Interplay🕒 15:13 - Iron Needs for Women, Absorption and ADHDListen now and discover how understanding your brain better can be the first step to feeling like yourself again.Links & Resources:⭐ Boosting Hormonal and Perimenopausal Wellbeing alongside ADHD Workshop available to buy now on demand. Click here to purchase.⭐ Book on the next ADHD Wellbeing Workshop all about 'Boosting your Self-Belief and Self-Trust after a late-in-life ADHD diagnosis' on May 6th @1.30pm! Click here to book.⭐ If you love the podcast but want more ADHD support, get a sneak peek of my brand new book, The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit and pre-order it here!⭐ Launching...

  --------  

  17:45
• Understand and Heal Your Emotional Eating: Insights for Neurodivergent Women

  🌟 My new book, The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit, is available to preorder here 🌟This week, I’m joined by nutritionist and eating behaviour coach Marcelle Rose to explore the often-overlooked connection between emotional eating and neurodivergence.If you’ve ever struggled with binge eating, food restriction or chaotic eating patterns, especially alongside ADHD or autism, you are not alone. We talk about why these behaviours are so common in the ADHD community, the impact of shame and generational messaging around food, and how traits like perfectionism, RSD and impaired interoception can make eating feel extra hard.Marcelle shares practical, compassionate tools to help you feel more connected to your body, understand your hunger signals, and heal your relationship with food, without restriction or guilt.Whether you're newly diagnosed or have long suspected your ADHD or neurodivergence influences your eating habits, this episode will leave you feeling seen, supported and more empowered to heal your relationship with food.What You’ll Learn:✨ Why ADHD and autism can increase the likelihood of emotional and binge eating✨ The difference between disordered eating, emotional eating, binge eating, restrictive eating and clinical eating disorders✨ How shame, diet culture and generational beliefs about weight impact your relationship with food✨ Why neurodivergent women often struggle with hunger cues and interoception – and how to start reconnecting✨ How RSD, perfectionism and comparison can feed into disordered eating✨ What recovery really looks like (and why it’s different for everyone)✨ The role of hormones, the menstrual cycle and sleep in your eating behaviours✨ Gentle, realistic strategies to feel more calm, consistent and confident with foodTimestamps:🕒 07:27 – What binge & disordered eating can look like🕒 15:40 – The emotional root of chaotic eating🕒 21:39 – Healing, body image, and self-compassion🕒 25:40 – Listening to your body’s hunger signals🕒 35:16 – Why neurodivergent brains need a gentler approachMarcelle’s book The Binge Freedom Method: 4 Pillars to Beating Emotional Eating for Good is available here. You can also connect with her community via The Food Freedom Collective on Facebook.Links and Resources:⭐ Boosting Your ADHD Hormonal and Perimenopausal Wellbeing Workshop with Adele Wimsett is available to buy now on-demand - Click here to purchase.⭐ Book on the next ADHD Wellbeing Workshop - Click here to book.⭐ If you love the podcast but want more ADHD support, get a sneak peek of my brand new book, The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit and pre-order it here!⭐ Launching September! Tired of ADHD support that doesn’t get you? My new compassionate, community-first membership ditches the overwhelm by providing support aligned with YOU!

  --------  

  39:41
• ADHD, Autism & Harnessing Our Unique Neurodiversity at Work with Rachel Morgan-Trimmer

  In this week’s episode, Kate speaks with Rachel Morgan-Trimmer, a neurodiversity consultant, TEDx speaker, and author of How to Be Autistic: A Guide for the Newly Diagnosed. Together they explore the complex intersection of ADHD and autism, and what it means to truly support neurodivergent people at work and beyond.Rachel shares her journey of late diagnosis, burnout, and self-discovery, and unpacks the lesser-known ways mental and physical health can be affected when ADHD and autism go unsupported. They dive deep into the power of language, the harm of assumptions, and how workplaces can move from just “awareness” to real, sustainable inclusion through low-cost, high-impact interventions.What You’ll Learn:✨ Why the overlap between ADHD and autism can feel confusing — especially for women✨ How internalised stigma, shame, and burnout can show up at work✨ What sustainable, inclusive systems for neurodiveristy look like in the workplace✨ How to support neurodivergent employees and be a better manager ✨ The role of passion, purpose, and flexibility in helping neurodivergent employees thrive✨ Why workplace inclusion must centre both health and performance✨ Why neurodiversity training is more in demand than ever✨ How changing the narrative from “not enough” to “full of potential” helps productivity and outcomes ✨ Rachel’s personal experience riding the wave of ADHD and autism — and how she empowers others to be their authentic selvesTimestamps:🕒 01:11 – How ADHD and autism overlap🕒 12:25 – The rise of neurodiversity awareness at work🕒 14:30 – What inclusive workplaces can look like🕒 24:40 – How neurodivergent traits show up in everyday life🕒 28:40 – Rethinking productivity with ADHD🕒 36:28 – Navigating neurodivergence as a woman🕒 40:08 – Why support is key to thrivingThis episode is for anyone who’s felt misunderstood at work, questioned how their brain “should” operate, or wants to help build a more inclusive workplace for their employees. When we reframe neurodivergence as a difference, not a deficit, everyone benefits.Find out more about Rachel and her work via her website, askfirebird.com or on LinkedIn. Buy Rachel's book here.Links and Resources:⭐ Perfectionism, Pressure, Procrastination, Productivity, and all the ADHD Ps in between! Workshop available to buy now on-demand. Click here to purchase.⭐ Book on the next ADHD Wellbeing Workshop all about 'Boosting Hormonal and Perimenopausal Wellbeing alongside ADHD' on April 22nd @1.30pm! Click here to book.⭐ If you love the podcast but want more ADHD support, get a sneak peek of my brand new book, The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit and pre-order it here!⭐ Launching September! Tired of ADHD support...

  --------  

  44:25

More Health & Wellness podcasts

Trending Health & Wellness podcasts

About ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast