ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast

Looking for further guidance and support on ADHD Women's Wellbeing? Check out my resource library here. The 'ADHD Women's Wellbeing Workshop Series' is on offer this July. Head here to learn more about the workshops and use code JULY to get 35% off.
If you've ever wondered why it took so long to get answers, for yourself or for your daughter, this episode is going to feel very familiar.
On this week's episode of The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast, I'm joined by Dr Olivia Kessel, a former medical doctor who graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and began her career in the trauma unit at Johannesburg General Hospital.
Olivia is now the host of the SEND Parenting Podcast and has spoken at the UK House of Lords on patient-centred care, appeared on BBC Radio and BBC Sounds, and addressed healthcare professionals and policy leaders on neurodiversity. She is also the mother of Alexandra, fourteen, who has mild cerebral palsy, dyslexia and ADHD, and the author of Beyond the Label: Empowering Parents of ADHD Girls.
In this episode, Olivia shares the remarkable and deeply personal journey that took her from practising medicine across three continents to founding the SEND Parenting community, after years of not recognising ADHD in her own daughter despite her medical background. We talk about why girls are still being diagnosed four to five years later than boys, how emotional dysregulation, masking and internalised struggles are so often missed, and what parents can actually do when they find themselves navigating a system that wasn't built for their child.
In this episode, we cover:
Why girls with ADHD are still being diagnosed four to five years later than boys, and what needs to change
How ADHD can present in girls as anxiety, people pleasing and internalised struggle rather than hyperactivity
Why 52% of people with dyslexia also have ADHD, and why the two should never be looked at in isolation
The emotional dysregulation that doesn't appear in the DSM diagnostic criteria, and why that matters
Why Olivia, as a doctor, still missed her daughter's ADHD for years
How the EHCP process almost broke her, and why it shouldn't be this hard for any family
The four wheels that need to be running for an ADHD brain to thrive: medication, nutrition, sleep and school support
Why early screening for neurodivergence in schools would benefit every child, not just those who are neurodivergent
How Olivia's daughter Alexandra went from chaos to making cottage pie by herself after finally getting the right support
What parents can bring to their GP to start asking the right questions

Discover other ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast parenting-related episodes here.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Welcome, and introducing Dr Olivia Kessel
01:44 - Olivia's career: from South Africa to Swaziland to the UK
08:55 - The EHCP process, and why it almost broke her
10:16 - How a former medical doctor missed her daughter's ADHD diagnosis
12:19 - Why girls are diagnosed so much later than boys
14:19 - How ADHD presents differently in girls: internalisation, anxiety and masking
16:27 - Dyslexia, ADHD and autism: why they rarely travel alone
18:17 - Sleep, emotional regulation and the things the DSM leaves out
22:06 - What changes when families finally understand their child's diagnosis
24:34 - Parenting with a neuroaffirming lens: Kate's own experience
27:06 - How Alexandra has grown in her own self-awareness at fourteen
30:26 - Why so many neurodivergent people were always there, just hiding
34:27 - Screens, social media and navigating this as an ADHD parent
40:19 - Why schools should teach every child as if they were neurodivergent
43:30 - Olivia's book Beyond the Label, her podcast and her ADHD mum community
45:33 - Why patients are currently leading the doctors on neurodiversity
Links and Resources:
Find my popular ADHD workshops and resources on my website here.
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @adhd_womenswellbeing_pod
Visit Olivia's website: sendparenting.com
Connect with Olivia on Instagram: @drolivia.sendparenting
Listen to Olivia's podcast: SEND Parenting Podcast
Get Olivia's book: Beyond the Label: Empowering Parents of ADHD Girls

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.

Looking for further guidance and support on ADHD Women's Wellbeing? Check out my resource library here. The 'ADHD Women's Wellbeing Workshop Series' is on offer this July. Head here to learn more about the workshops and use code JULY to get 35% off.
If you've been told your pain is growing pains, anxiety or just something you need to live with, this episode might be the beginning of finally understanding what's actually been going on in your body.
On this week's episode of The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast, I'm joined by Alexandra Orfanides, a London-based hypermobility specialist osteopath and founder of Hypermobility HQ.
Alexandra hosts the Help! I'm Hypermobile podcast and is the author of the book of the same name. She believes that "incurable" does not mean "untreatable," and she's on a mission to help the hypermobile community feel seen, supported, and informed.
In this episode, Alex and I talk about the significant overlap between hypermobility and neurodivergence, why so many women spend decades being dismissed or misdiagnosed, and what it actually means to understand your body through this lens. We also get into the difference between osteopathy and physiotherapy, how to recognise signs of hypermobility in children, and why self-treatment strategies are such a crucial part of managing a connective tissue condition day-to-day.
In this episode, we cover:
What hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorder actually are, and why the terminology matters
Why growing pains are not a real diagnosis, and what to look for in children instead
The strong correlation between hypermobility, ADHD and neurodivergence
How conditions like endometriosis, PCOS and dysmenorrhea overlap with hEDS and HSD
Why gastrointestinal issues in children should never just be dismissed as IBS
The difference between osteopathy and physiotherapy, and how to find the right practitioner
How chronic pain, headaches and migraines can be connected to hypermobile connective tissue
Why rhythmic movement, including swimming and dancing, can be so regulating for hypermobile and neurodivergent bodies
The importance of self-treatment strategies for people who can't always access clinic appointments
Why a diagnosis is a privilege, and how Help! I'm Hypermobile was written to reach the people who couldn't afford one

Timestamps:
00:00 - Welcome, and introducing Alexandra Orfanides
01:40 - Alex's personal story: growing up with undiagnosed pain
05:52 - From English literature to osteopathy
09:45 - Why hypermobility patients kept finding their way to Alex's clinic
11:46 - The overlap between hypermobility, ADHD and neurodivergence
14:12 - Osteopathy vs physiotherapy: what's the difference?
17:36 - Terminology: hEDS, HSD, condition vs disorder
20:30 - What patients are coming in knowing, and what they're not
23:57 - Signs to look for in children: growing pains, gut issues and more
28:15 - Endometriosis, PCOS and hormonal conditions in hypermobile bodies
30:39 - Migraines, headaches and the connection to the neck and connective tissue
36:32 - The gatekeeping problem and self-treatment strategies
39:24 - Working as a team with your patients
43:35 - Why Alex wrote Help! I'm Hypermobile
45:42 - How to work with Alex and what to expect
Links and Resources:
Find my popular ADHD workshops and resources on my website [here].
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @adhd_womenswellbeing_pod
Visit Alexandra's website: hypermobilityhq.com
Connect with Alexandra on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Pinterest: @hypermobilityhq
Listen to Alex's podcast: Help! I'm Hypermobile
Get Alex's book: Help! I'm Hypermobile: Your How-To Guide for hEDS, HSD, and Life in a Hypermobile Body
Research: Gynaecological conditions in hEDS and HSD (Daylor et al., 2025): https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14165636
Research: Defining growing pains — a scoping review (O'Keeffe et al., 2022): https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-052578

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.

Looking for ADHD support this summer? My entire 'ADHD Women's Wellbeing Series' is on offer this July. Head here to learn more about the workshops and use code JULY to get 35% off.
Now that summer is upon us, it can be both a vibrant and overwhelming time, and can often feel like riding a rollercoaster for your nervous system when you are ADHD or neurodivergent.
This season brings a whirlwind of social engagements and activities that ramp up our energy and excitement. But for many of us, this relentless pace leads to overwhelm and burnout if we don't balance that activation with necessary moments of calm. In this episode, we delve into understanding our nervous systems and recognising when we're becoming overactivated.
Activation itself isn't the problem; joy, excitement, creativity, travel, and meaningful work can all be activating. But staying in this energy for weeks can lead to reactivity, snapping, disturbed sleep, and emotional exhaustion. Kate shares her tips for bringing balance into daily life through micro mindful moments, rather than waiting for burnout to force you to slow down.
You'll hear how you can proactively weave grounding practices into your routine, whether it's a few minutes of breathwork, a walk in nature, or simply pausing to check in with yourself.
In this episode, we cover:
How summer's whirlwind of social activities can feel exciting but overwhelming, especially for those of us with ADHD
Why understanding the difference between nervous system activation and regulation is key to managing our responses during busy times
Daily moments of regulation aren't luxuries, but necessary maintenance for our well-being
How grounding activities like yoga, breathwork, or time in nature help us recharge and prevent burnout
Why listening to our bodies is vital, and how ignoring signs of fatigue often leads to burnout
How to find a rhythm between activation and regulation, rather than staying in a constant state of high energy or anxiety

🌟 The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live Event Audio Experience 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 in life with ADHD. Get lifetime access here!
Links and Resources:
Find my popular ADHD workshops and resources on my website here
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @adhd_womenswellbeing_pod
Grab your copy of my book, The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit here

Kate Moryoussef is an author, podcaster and 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.

Looking for ADHD support this summer? My entire 'ADHD Women's Wellbeing Series' is on offer this July. Head here to learn more about the workshops and use code JULY to get 35% off.
Now that summer is upon us, it can be both a vibrant and overwhelming time, and can often feel like riding a rollercoaster for your nervous system when you are ADHD or neurodivergent.
This season brings a whirlwind of social engagements and activities that ramp up our energy and excitement. But for many of us, this relentless pace leads to overwhelm and burnout if we don't balance that activation with necessary moments of calm. In this episode, we delve into understanding our nervous systems and recognising when we're becoming overactivated.
Activation itself isn't the problem; joy, excitement, creativity, travel, and meaningful work can all be activating. But staying in this energy for weeks can lead to reactivity, snapping, disturbed sleep, and emotional exhaustion. Kate shares her tips for bringing balance into daily life through micro mindful moments, rather than waiting for burnout to force you to slow down.
You'll hear how you can proactively weave grounding practices into your routine, whether it's a few minutes of breathwork, a walk in nature, or simply pausing to check in with yourself.
In this episode, we cover:
How summer's whirlwind of social activities can feel exciting but overwhelming, especially for those of us with ADHD
Why understanding the difference between nervous system activation and regulation is key to managing our responses during busy times
Daily moments of regulation aren't luxuries, but necessary maintenance for our well-being
How grounding activities like yoga, breathwork, or time in nature help us recharge and prevent burnout
Why listening to our bodies is vital, and how ignoring signs of fatigue often leads to burnout
How to find a rhythm between activation and regulation, rather than staying in a constant state of high energy or anxiety

🌟 The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live Event Audio Experience 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 in life with ADHD. Get lifetime access here!
Links and Resources:
Find my popular ADHD workshops and resources on my website here
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @adhd_womenswellbeing_pod
Grab your copy of my book, The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit here

Kate Moryoussef is an author, podcaster and 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.

Looking for ADHD self-empowerment, guidance and support? Look through my ADHD Women's Wellbeing resources here. My entire 'ADHD Women's Wellbeing Series' is on offer this July. Head here to learn more about the workshops and use code JULY to get 35% off.
I'm sure you relate to recalling an entire conversation from months ago or even song lyrics from the 80s, but forgetting why you walked into a room thirty seconds ago?
On this week's episode of The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast, I'm joined by Dr Sarah Rudebeck, a clinical psychologist with a PhD in memory from the University of Oxford.
Sarah specialises in working memory and executive function difficulties in adults, and is the co-founder of Recallify, an AI companion for memory support. She works clinically in the NHS, with a particular interest in bridging the gap between what research tells us about memory and what people are actually offered in terms of help.
In this episode, we talk about the difference between memories that are simply hard to retrieve under pressure and genuine working memory difficulties, why so many ADHD adults share a similar cognitive profile of strong intellectual ability alongside weaker working memory and attention, and why working memory cannot be trained like a muscle, no matter how many crosswords or brain games we try. We also get into the practical side, from school admin and parenting reminders to household overwhelm and overbuying, and how Sarah's own frustration with the gap between research and everyday support led her to co-found Recallify.
In this episode, we cover:
The difference between memories that are "in there" and memories you can retrieve under pressure
What working memory actually is, and how it differs from attention, executive function and long-term memory
The common ADHD cognitive profile: strong intellectual ability alongside weaker working memory and processing speed
What happens during a neuropsychological assessment, and what it reveals about your own pattern of strengths and difficulties
Why working memory cannot be trained like a muscle, and what the research on brain training actually shows
How hormonal changes in midlife can affect word retrieval and confidence
Where working memory difficulties show up day to day, from school admin to household overwhelm
Why so many of us overbuy and overcompensate rather than under-organise
Sarah's own experience of dyslexia and learning to lean on her strengths
How Recallify came about, and how its brain dump and task features work

Timestamps:
00:00 - Welcome, and introducing Dr Sarah Rudebeck
01:23 - Sarah's background and her work in the NHS
02:43 - Why memory can feel reliable in conversation but fail under pressure
05:50 - What working memory actually is
08:36 - What happens during a neuropsychological assessment
12:21 - How working memory difficulties show up in children at school
14:41 - Why working memory cannot be trained like a muscle
19:44 - Everyday examples: parenting, school admin and household overwhelm
24:38 - Why so many of us overbuy rather than under-organise
29:31 - Using your strengths to work around your weaknesses
32:01 - How the gap in NHS support led Sarah to create Recallify
46:33 - Sarah's free trial offer for listeners

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.
Links and Resources:
Find my popular ADHD workshops and resources on my website [here].
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @adhd_womenswellbeing_pod
Visit Recallify's website: recallify.ai
Connect with Recallify on Instagram: instagram.com/recallify.ai, Facebook and LinkedIn
Email Sarah's team for a free one-month trial of Recallify; each voucher is unique so you'll need to get in touch directly: info@recallify.ai

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.