ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast

🌟 Looking for further ADHD support? Kate is hosting a 'Ask Me Anything' Q&A workshop on Monday, 13th July at 6.30 pm, where you can submit your question ahead of time and join the conversation live on Zoom. Book your space here.
🌟 Kate's also opening a small number of 1-2-1 sessions, a chance to bring whatever's on your mind and get some focused time together. Book your session here.
This week's episode: When we finally receive a diagnosis, it can feel like the missing piece. But for so many AuDHD women, it's only the beginning of a much longer journey — one that takes us back through everything we thought we knew about ourselves.
This week on The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast, I'm welcoming back Dr Samantha Hiew, AuDHDer, scientist, and founder of ADHD Girls. Diagnosed with ADHD at 40, Sam has since received a working autism diagnosis after a seven-month struggle with clinicians who focused on developmental delays and trauma, rather than listening to her experiences.
Since we last spoke, Sam has launched a major lived experience survey, and the findings are both validating and hard to sit with. This is a rich and honest conversation about what it really means to be a neurodivergent woman navigating identity, relationships, midlife, and a healthcare system that still doesn't fully see us.
In this episode, we explore:
Sam's seven-month fight for an autism diagnosis and what it reveals about how the system fails women
What a lived experience survey of 400+ AuDHD women found about masking, identity and emotional safety
Why AuDHD women are predisposed to abandon themselves and how masking becomes survival
Relational trauma, sexual trauma, and patterns of conditioning in neurodivergent women
Perimenopause, unmasking, and what the hormonal shift reveals
Rebuilding self-trust and building community after a lifetime of masking as an AuDHD woman
The seasons of womanhood framework and how perimenopause represents autumn
The neuroscience of RSD and the salience network in ADHD and autism
Why psychiatry prescribes without brain scans, genetic testing, or hormonal context and the harm this causes
Self-advocacy tool for ND women navigating healthcare systems
Sam's AuDHD women's advanced practitioner programme

Listen to our previous episodes with Samantha below:
Episode 28: Advocating For Your Neurodiversity In The Workplace with Samantha Hiew
Episode 108: The Intersection Between ADHD and Autism with Dr Samantha Hiew

Support and information on topics raised in today's episode:
Refuge website and support link
Women's Aid Website

The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live Event Recording is here!
My first-ever ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live event sold out, and now the full experience is available to you wherever you are, whenever it feels right.
Alongside three neuro-affirming experts, we spent four hours exploring the questions that matter most to late-diagnosed women. Get lifetime access here!
Inside the ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live Recording, you'll find:
Kate Moryoussef on post-diagnosis growth and her gentle framework for what comes next
Dr Hannah Cullen on the neuroscience of ADHD and why your brain works the way it does
Hannah Miller on reconnecting with purpose through a neurodivergent lens
Adele Wimsett myth-busting on hormones, HRT, progesterone and perimenopause

Understand yourself more deeply, feel less alone, and finally access the expert knowledge you deserve because every woman with ADHD deserves access to the knowledge, expertise and understanding that for too long hasn't been available to us.
To get lifetime access for £44, click here.
Links and Resources:
Find my popular ADHD workshops and resources on my website [here].
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @adhd_womenswellbeing_pod
Visit Samantha's website (samanthahiew.com) or connect with Samantha on LinkedIn
Samantha's AuDHD women's advanced practitioner programme
Samantha's self-advocacy tool for ND women navigating healthcare systems
Master's Event: Transform Trauma Oxford

Kate Moryoussef is a women's ADHD lifestyle and wellbeing coach and EFT practitioner who helps overwhelmed and unfulfilled newly diagnosed ADHD women find more calm, balance, hope, health, compassion, creativity and clarity.
This week's episode is sponsored by Elete, a simple way to support your hydration by adding essential electrolytes to the water you're already drinking. So many of us get completely absorbed in a task and forget to drink anything for hours, then wonder why we feel foggy or flat later in the day. Elete is sugar-free, with no artificial sweeteners or unnecessary additives, and it's trusted by health-conscious families, athletes and wellness professionals alike. Head to eletewater.co.uk and use the code WWP20 for an exclusive 20% listener discount.

🌟 If you've got a question you'd love Kate's input on, or you're after some more individual support, there are two ways to connect with Kate this summer. She's hosting an Ask Me Anything Q&A workshop on Monday 13th July at 6.30pm, where you can submit your question ahead of time and join the conversation live on Zoom. Book your space here.
🌟 Kate's also opening a small number of 1-2-1 sessions, a chance to bring whatever's on your mind and get some focused time together. Book your session here.
This week's episode: How often do you feel completely exhausted all day, yet when you get yourself to bed early, your brain switches on, and you're unable to sleep?
You do everything you're told to: no screens, no caffeine, a cool dark room, yet your brain is still filled with thoughts, to-do lists and the things you said 5 years ago.
But the reality is, for ADHD brains, sleep isn't a habit problem... It's a neurological problem. And the standard advice around skeeo hygiene and behaviour was never built with us in mind.
This week on The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast, I'm joined by ADHD sleep expert, Heather Darwall-Smith, a psychotherapist specialising in sleep, with a particular focus on adults with ADHD.
Heather was herself diagnosed with ADHD late in life, and that lived experience sits alongside her clinical expertise in everything she does. Her new book, The ADHD Sleep Book: A Compassionate Guide for the Wired and Overtired Brain, is the first book dedicated specifically to ADHD and sleep.
In this episode, we explore:
Why 75% of people with ADHD experience chronic sleep problems
Chronotypes, body clocks, and ADHD sleep disorders explained
Heather's late ADHD diagnosis: from panic attacks and bipolar misdiagnosis to clarity
How the ADHD stress response causes hyperarousal and disrupted sleep at night
ADHD medication timing and sleep: why getting both right is so complex
How family sleep beliefs and intergenerational patterns affect ADHD rest
Phone addiction, sleep, and navigating different sleep needs as a couple
The hidden link between ADHD, binge eating, and sleep apnea
Why perfectionism and insomnia feed each other in the ADHD brain
Hormones, perimenopause, and ADHD, sleep, and when to get your bloods checked

Heather brings a unique blend of neuroscience, psychology, personal experience and genuine compassion to a topic that so many of us have struggled with in silence. If you have ever felt like you're the only one who can't sleep or just need to try harder, this episode is for you.
The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live Event Recording is here!
My first-ever ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live event sold out, and now the full experience is available to you wherever you are, whenever it feels right.
Alongside three neuro-affirming experts, we spent four hours exploring the questions that matter most to women diagnosed late. Get lifetime access here!
Inside the ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live Recording, you'll find:
Kate Moryoussef on post-diagnosis growth and her gentle framework for what comes next
Dr Hannah Cullen on the neuroscience of ADHD and why your brain works the way it does
Hannah Miller on reconnecting with purpose through a neurodivergent lens
Adele Wimsett myth-busting on hormones, HRT, progesterone and perimenopause

Understand yourself more deeply, feel less alone, and finally access the expert knowledge you deserve. Because every woman with ADHD deserves access to the knowledge, expertise and understanding that for too long simply hasn't been available to us.
To get lifetime access for £44, click here.
Links and Resources:
Find my popular ADHD workshops and resources on my website [here].
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @adhd_womenswellbeing_pod
Visit Heather's website: heatherdarwallsmith.com or adhdsleepclub.com
Connect with Heather on Instagram @thesleeppsychotherapist and @adhdsleepclub
Check out Heather's book, The ADHD Sleep Book

Kate Moryoussef is a women's ADHD lifestyle and wellbeing coach and EFT practitioner who helps overwhelmed and unfulfilled newly diagnosed women with ADHD find more calm, balance, hope, health, compassion, creativity, and clarity.

Building a business with an ADHD brain can feel less like following a carefully laid plan and more like learning to work with ever-changing waves of energy, focus, and creativity. How do you create something sustainable for you, and what are the best foundations to start from?
This episode is part of a workshop I delivered called Just Because You Can Solve It Doesn't Mean You Should. It's a gentle but powerful reframe for ADHD women building businesses who want to work with their nervous system rather than constantly pushing against it.
You'll discover why trying to force consistency, productivity, and motivation every day may be working against you, and how understanding your natural energy patterns can help you build a business that feels more sustainable and supportive.
This episode explores:
Why coming to understand that ADHD energy is not linear can help you embrace fluctuations in your productivity and creativity.
How hormonal cycles greatly influence your motivation and energy levels, which is important to recognise in business.
Why you should practice self-compassion on low-energy days and reframe motivation
Listening to your nervous system as crucial burnout prevention method to maintaining a sustainable pace of business.

By the end of the episode, you'll have simple reminders to help you tune into your nervous system, make decisions from a place of self-awareness, and build a business that supports your wellbeing as much as your success.
If you've ever felt like you're constantly trying to keep up, this conversation offers a different approach to honour your unique rhythms and helps you create success that feels true to you.

The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live Event Recording is here!
My first-ever ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live event sold out, and now the full experience is available to you wherever you are, whenever it feels right.
Alongside three neuro-affirming experts, we spent four hours exploring the questions that matter most to late-diagnosed women. Get lifetime access here!
Inside the ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live Recording, you'll find:
Kate Moryoussef on post-diagnosis growth and her gentle framework for what comes next
Dr Hannah Cullen on the neuroscience of ADHD and why your brain works the way it does
Hannah Miller on reconnecting with purpose through a neurodivergent lens
Adele Wimsett myth-busting on hormones, HRT, progesterone and perimenopause

Understand yourself more deeply, feel less alone, and finally access the expert knowledge you deserve. Because every woman with ADHD deserves access to the knowledge, expertise and understanding that for too long simply hasn't been available to us.
To get lifetime access for £44, click here.
Links and Resources:
Find my popular ADHD workshops and resources on my website [here].
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @adhd_womenswellbeing_pod

Kate Moryoussef is a women's ADHD lifestyle and wellbeing coach and EFT practitioner who helps overwhelmed and unfulfilled newly diagnosed ADHD women find more calm, balance, hope, health, compassion, creativity and clarity.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, feedback and insights on what could improve The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast in this short poll - it takes 2 minutes, and as a thank you, we'll send you a little gift!
Does thinking about money make something in your body tighten? Your chest pound and throat close?
Maybe you avoid opening your banking app for weeks. Maybe you know something needs to change but every system you've tried has lasted about three days. Maybe you've spent money you didn't mean to spend, not because you're irresponsible, but because in that moment it was the only thing that made you feel okay.
You are not bad with money.
You just haven't had a system built for your brain.
This week on The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast I'm joined by Esther Bangura, neurodivergent financial educator, ADHD and money coach, and host of the Neurodivergent Money Management podcast. After years of debt, stress spending, and burnout, Esther paid off £18,000 and bought her own home. Instead of following conventional financial advice, she used systems that actually worked with her ADHD brain; and now she helps other high-earning neurodivergent women do the same.
For so many of us, spending isn't really about the thing we're buying, it's about control, relief, and finding calm for a nervous system caught in overwhelm.
In this episode, we explore:
Esther's realisation of her spending habits and gaining a sense of control
Why her own ADHD diagnosis transformed the way she supports her clients
Why the same money systems doesn't work for everyone, and how to find what actually works for you
How to understand your spending patterns and energy levels and use that data to build a strategy that sticks
How burnout and financial stress affected Esther's fertility and her experience of miscarriage
What needs to change in financial education for neurodivergent people
Practical tips for ADHD business owners managing their finances

This episode is for every woman who has ever felt shame around money or avoided the conversation because it felt too exposing. Esther brings warmth, honesty and genuine practical wisdom to a topic that our community doesn't talk about anywhere near enough.
Financial peace is possible for our brains and this episode shows you what that can look like.
Support and information on topics raised in today's episode:
The Miscarriage Association Website
The Miscarriage Association helpline and support services
StepChange Debt Charity
Timestamps:
00:01 - Introduction to ADHD Women's Wellbeing
01:12 - Navigating Financial Challenges as a Neurodivergent Individual
10:59 - Understanding ADHD and Financial Management
21:41 - Exploring Financial Challenges of Neurodivergent Women
35:13 - Navigating Transitions: Understanding Yourself and Your Finances
40:06 - Navigating Burnout and Self-Employment
44:42 - Navigating Neurodivergent Business Strategies

This week’s episode is sponsored by Understood.org, the leading nonprofit dedicated to empowering the millions of people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. Their podcast, AHA Aha! Shared candid stories about ADHD realisations, including the unexpected, emotional and even funny ways ADHD symptoms can surface!
The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live Event Recording is here!
My first-ever ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live event sold out, and now the full experience is available to you wherever you are, whenever it feels right.
Alongside three neuro-affirming experts, we spent four hours exploring the questions that matter most to late-diagnosed women. Get lifetime access here!
Inside the ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live Recording, you'll find:
Kate Moryoussef on post-diagnosis growth and her gentle framework for what comes next
Dr Hannah Cullen on the neuroscience of ADHD and why your brain works the way it does
Hannah Miller on reconnecting with purpose through a neurodivergent lens
Adele Wimsett myth-busting on hormones, HRT, progesterone and perimenopause

Understand yourself more deeply, feel less alone, and finally access the expert knowledge you deserve. Because every woman with ADHD deserves access to the knowledge, expertise and understanding that for too long simply hasn't been available to us.
To get lifetime access for £44, click here.
Links and Resources:
Find my popular ADHD workshops and resources on my website [here].
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @adhd_womenswellbeing_pod

Kate Moryoussef is a women's ADHD lifestyle and wellbeing coach and EFT practitioner who helps overwhelmed and unfulfilled newly diagnosed ADHD women find more calm, balance, hope, health, compassion, creativity and clarity.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, feedback and insights on what could improve The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast in this short poll - it takes 2 minutes, and as a thank you, we'll send you a little gift!
How many times have you walked into a doctor's appointment knowing something is wrong, and walked out feeling dismissed, unheard, or handed an explanation that just doesn't fit?
For women with ADHD, the intersection of hormones and neurodivergence has been one of medicine's most neglected areas. Not because it isn't important, but because for too long, women have been considered too complex, too variable, too messy to study properly. And the cost of that has been devastating.
This week on The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast, I'm welcoming back Dr Lotta Borg Skoglund, a psychiatrist, researcher, and Associate Professor at Uppsala University in Sweden. Lotta has spent years investigating how hormonal fluctuations shape ADHD across women's entire reproductive lives — and her new book, Female Hormones and ADHD: The Impact on Brain and Body, is out in the UK on 4th June.
What Lotta shares in this episode is not just fascinating; it is information that women deserve to have, and that could genuinely change their long-term health.
In this episode, we explore:
Why women have historically been excluded from research, and what that has cost us clinically
Lotta's new research on ADHD medication during pregnancy, lactation, and across the menstrual cycle
Why neurodivergent women may experience perimenopause symptoms earlier, and why this so often goes unrecognised
The critical window of opportunity for hormone therapy
Why a hormonal assessment should come before receiving ADHD medication
The link between postmenopausal oestrogen loss and heart attacks in women
The connections between ADHD and endometriosis, PCOS, burnout, pain and sick leave
Why every doctor (regardless of specialism) needs to be asking about hormones
How we can use the predictable hormonal risk windows across a woman's reproductive life to support her
Testosterone, perimenopause, and what the research does and doesn't yet tell us
How Lotta's new book can help you advocate for yourself in the doctor's office

This episode is for every woman who has ever felt that her hormonal health and her neurodivergence were being treated as two completely separate problems by two completely separate systems.
Lotta's work is quietly changing what is possible for us, and this conversation is essential listening.
You can also listen to our previous conversations with Lotta here:
E120 Connecting Hormones and Psychiatry to help more ADHD women
E174: Breaking down ADHD Neuroscience, Menstrual Cycles, Hormones and Anxiety
This week’s episode is sponsored by Understood.org, the leading nonprofit dedicated to empowering the millions of people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia.
If you’re parenting a neurodivergent child, I’d recommend listening to their podcast, Everybody Gets a Juicebox, as it’s full of relatable stories and practical tools to help your family thrive while protecting your own wellbeing, too!
The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live Event Recording is here!
My first-ever ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live event sold out, and now the full experience is available to you wherever you are, whenever it feels right.
Alongside three neuro-affirming experts, we spent four hours exploring the questions that matter most to late-diagnosed women. Get lifetime access here!
Inside the ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live Recording, you'll find:
Kate Moryoussef on post-diagnosis growth and her gentle framework for what comes next
Dr Hannah Cullen on the neuroscience of ADHD and why your brain works the way it does
Hannah Miller on reconnecting with purpose through a neurodivergent lens
Adele Wimsett myth-busting on hormones, HRT, progesterone and perimenopause

Understand yourself more deeply, feel less alone, and finally access the expert knowledge you deserve. Because every woman with ADHD deserves access to the knowledge, expertise and understanding that for too long simply hasn't been available to us.
To get lifetime access for £44, click here.
Links and Resources:
Find my popular ADHD workshops and resources on my website [here].
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @adhd_womenswellbeing_pod
Visit Lotta's website (lottaborgskoglund.com) for more information

Kate Moryoussef is a women's ADHD lifestyle and wellbeing coach and EFT practitioner who helps overwhelmed and unfulfilled newly diagnosed ADHD women find more calm, balance, hope, health, compassion, creativity and clarity.