ADHD Chatter

Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen is a British clinical psychologist and world-renowned expert on autism.

In this deeply personal and eye-opening conversation, we explore the hidden struggles of being autistic, from the loneliness of feeling different and the emotional cost of masking to the link between autism, addiction and mental health. We uncover why autistic people can see patterns others miss, the truth about autistic empathy, and what happens when years of masking leave you questioning who you really are.

An essential conversation for anyone who has ever felt different, misunderstood or alone.

Chapters:

00:00 Trailer
02:24 What Everyone Gets WRONG About Autism

08:02 The Hidden Psychological Cost of Feeling Different

10:01 Are You Born Autistic? Nature vs Nurture

11:32 Why Autistic People Crave Intellectual Intimacy

14:59 The Loneliness Nobody Talks About

19:07 When Autistic Obsessions Become Superpowers

21:20 The Darkest Side of Feeling Different

23:56 The Shocking Link Between Loneliness and Addiction

28:08 The Hidden Cost of Autistic Masking

33:05 When Masking Makes You Lose Yourself

38:33 Why Autistic Girls Are More Vulnerable to Abuse

42:22 Why Autistic Brains See What Others Miss

49:55 The Biggest Myth About Autistic Empathy

01:17:30 An Emotional Letter to My Younger Self

Buy Simon’s book 👉 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pattern-Seekers-Theory-Human-Invention/dp/014198239X

Alex's book entitled 'Now It All Makes Sense' 👉 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-All-Makes-Sense-Diagnosis/dp/1399817817

Alex’s book about Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria 👉 https://linktr.ee/adhdchatter?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=9ffd8709-06df-444c-9936-c136fbd14d6e

Producer: Timon Woodward
Recorded by: Hamlin Studios
Trailer editor: Ryan Faber

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I wish I knew about this 14 day meal plan years ago. It changes everything.

Dr. Jolene Brighten is a board-certified naturopathic endocrinologist and leading voice in women’s health and hormones.

Dr. Brighten’s Book ADHD & Women: https://drbrighten.com/adhd-and-women/
Dr. Brighten’s Website: https://drbrighten.com
Dr. Brighten’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjolenebrighten
Dr. Brighten’s Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrJoleneBrighten
Dr. Brighten’s Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drjolenebrighten
Dr. Brighten’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drbrighten/

Alex's book entitled 'Now It All Makes Sense' 👉 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-All-Makes-Sense-Diagnosis/dp/1399817817

Alex’s book about Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria 👉 https://linktr.ee/adhdchatter?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=9ffd8709-06df-444c-9936-c136fbd14d6e

Producer: Timon Woodward
Recorded by: Hamlin Studios
Trailer editor: Ryan Faber

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Jolene Brighten is a board-certified naturopathic endocrinologist and leading voice in women’s health and hormones.

In this episode, she joins Alex to explore the often-overlooked connection between ADHD, hormones, the immune system, pregnancy, postpartum changes, PMDD and perimenopause, and why so many women are still being misunderstood by conventional medicine.

Chapters:

00:00 The Heartbreaking Reality of ADHD

02:07 The ADHD Patient Dr Jolene Will Never Forget

05:19 Why ADHD Isn’t Just a Brain Condition

06:51 The Hidden Brain–Hormone–Immune Connection

12:14 Why Estrogen Can Change Everything for ADHD Women

14:04 What Medicine Still Gets Wrong About Female ADHD

16:43 The Shocking Link Between ADHD, PMDD & Endometriosis

29:45 Why Pregnancy Can Make ADHD So Much Harder

32:54 The Postpartum ADHD Experience Nobody Warns You About

37:02 Why ADHD Can Suddenly Get Worse in Perimenopause

43:23 The 14-Day Meal Plan for Better ADHD Energy & Focus

50:21 The Lifestyle Habits That Can Transform Female ADHD

52:37 What ADHD Women Think Is Normal — But Isn’t

53:28 The ADHD Symptom Women Blame Themselves For Most

56:55 A Letter to My Younger Self

Dr. Brighten’s Book ADHD & Women: https://drbrighten.com/adhd-and-women/

Dr. Brighten’s Website: https://drbrighten.com

Dr. Brighten’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjolenebrighten

Dr. Brighten’s Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrJoleneBrighten

Dr. Brighten’s Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drjolenebrighten

Dr. Brighten’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drbrighten/

Alex's book entitled 'Now It All Makes Sense' 👉 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-All-Makes-Sense-Diagnosis/dp/1399817817

Alex’s book about Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria 👉 https://linktr.ee/adhdchatter?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=9ffd8709-06df-444c-9936-c136fbd14d6e

Producer: Timon Woodward

Recorded by: Hamlin Studios

Trailer editor: Ryan Faber

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode has been paid for by Focused. It contains an advert for their ADHD assessments.

Almost one year on, Danielle Mulligan, Focused Clinical Lead and ADHD Nurse Practitioner, returns to the podcast to discuss how assessment and support for ADHD is changing.

Get a discount on your ADHD assessment at Focused -- use the code 'CHATTER' at checkout https://uk.focused.clinic/

Chapters:

00:00 The Heartbreaking Reality of ADHD

02:33 Why ADHD Makes You Feel Broken

06:47 The Scary Pattern After 1,000s of ADHD Assessments

10:35 Why Being Misunderstood Turns Into Shame

12:48 Why an ADHD Diagnosis Can Make Things Feel Worse

15:18 The #1 Thing ADHD People Blame Themselves For

17:03 The Hidden Grief After an ADHD Diagnosis

19:31 How ADHD People Learn to Hide It

22:50 Why So Many ADHD Adults Were Missed for Decades

24:57 The Pattern Before an ADHD Breaking Point

25:57 Why Focused Was Created

26:57 What Actually Happens During an ADHD Assessment

28:45 What an ADHD Assessor Is Really Looking For

29:47 How to Make ADHD Assessments Feel Safe

31:06 The Growing NHS vs Private ADHD Assessment Gap

33:30 The Biggest Misconception About ADHD

34:56 A Heartbreaking Letter to My Younger Self

Take the ADHD and Education survey at Focused = Enter their £150 prize draw https://uk.focused.clinic/adhd-education-survey/quiz

Explore Focused: https://uk.focused.clinic/

Focused on Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@focusedclinic

Focused on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/focused.clinic/

Focused on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcrewyWYFprbMiObNA1Jgow

Focused on X https://x.com/Focusedclinic

Focused on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/focusedclinic/

Alex's book entitled 'Now It All Makes Sense' 👉 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-All-Makes-Sense-Diagnosis/dp/1399817817

Alex’s book about Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria 👉 https://linktr.ee/adhdchatter?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=9ffd8709-06df-444c-9936-c136fbd14d6e

Producer: Timon Woodward

Recorded by: Hamlin Studios

Trailer editor: Ryan Faber

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Clinical psychologist, therapist and ADHD expert Dr Jacob Ambrose returns to explore what a dysregulated nervous system really looks like, why anxiety and hypervigilance can become your normal, and what happens when you finally begin to feel safe.

We discuss why rest can initially feel uncomfortable, the difference between being perceptive and hypervigilant, why rejection can feel so personal, and a difficult question: if fear has powered you for most of your life, what replaces it when you begin to heal?

Chapters:

01:14 What does ‘healing your nervous system’ actually mean

02:17 What does a dysregulated nervous system actually look like

04:50 Why healing makes you feel worse to start with

06:21 The first rule of healing

08:06 The big emotions that come with healing

12:23 How healing reduces anxiety and makes you less productive

17:42 If your life has been powered by fear, what replaces it

19:31 How can you feel exhausted but not realise

21:10 Restorative solitude vs unhealthy isolation

23:55 Tiimo advert

25:30 The early warning signs of a dysregulated nervous system

29:22 Why reason leaves you when you’re triggered

32:51 When rejection stops feeling so personal

37:23 The difference between being perceptive and hypervigilant

38:51 Are you healing when things that bothered you no longer do

41:42 Healing from narcissistic abuse

47:37 Advice for anyone who’s trying to heal

48:49 A letter to my younger self

Find Dr Jacob on Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/dr.jacob.ambrose/?hl=en

Get 30% off an annual Tiimo subscription 👉 https://www.tiimoapp.com/offers/adhdchatter

Alex's book entitled 'Now It All Makes Sense' 👉 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-All-Makes-Sense-Diagnosis/dp/1399817817

Alex’s book about Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria 👉 https://linktr.ee/adhdchatter?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=9ffd8709-06df-444c-9936-c136fbd14d6e

Producer: Timon Woodward

Recorded by: Hamlin Studios

Trailer editor: Ryan Faber

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices