Episode 29: Riona O Connor - ADHD, Gatekeeping, Intrusive Thoughts and IKEA Instructions

A massive thank you to Riona O Connor for sharing her very fresh ADHD diagnosis journey with us! If you haven’t already heard of Ireland’s finest,  Riona is an actor; who prior to Motherhood performed in the West End. Finding theatre schedules too demanding once starting a family, she scratched her performing itch by creating comedic content on her social media platform, for which she has gained an enormous following: @rionaoconnor_Alongside her content creation, and comedy songwriting {check out her album: The Brightside} Riona is also a voiceover artist. With her gorgeous County Kerry accent, you can instantly hear why this legend of a lady would be paid to speak! Riona jumped onboard the late ADHD diagnosis rollercoaster in March of this year, after divulging her inability to read and follow Ikea instructions pamphlets to a Teacher friend, who suggested she consider the neurodevelopmental disorder as the cause. Missed up until the age of 40 due to masking from a young age and that old ADHD stereotype conflicting with ‘not having a hyperactive bone in her body.’There are three things in particular that we particularly LOVE about this episode; firstly, the way that Riona discovered her neurodivergence. With ableist media like THAT Guardian article mocking ADHD as a trend and invalidating conversations about ADHD with non doctors; it’s important to note, that unknown masking pros like the three of us found out and sought diagnosis after divulging seemingly trivial symptoms in chats with clued-up friends.  Secondly, Riona’s very unique answer to what she would change about the ADHD diagnostic process. Thirdly, we fully agree that the word lazy needs to get right  in the bin! Finally, we just love Riona, and we know you will too. OK, that’s four, but dyscalculia! :) We are so incredibly grateful to this absolute LEGEND for sharing her Inattentive ADHD diagnosis story with us. Not only is she an absolute joy to blether with; so much of what she says resonates hard, and she shares some absolute pearls to treasure too. THANK YOU SO MUCH RIONA!   We look forward to sharing our next chapter with you in the coming days when we've recovered from the lurgy. In the meantime, if you haven't already, you can enter our giveaway to WIN an ADHDAF X All The Discos Festive Bundle on Instagram Finally, if  you have enjoyed this episode, we would love you to make a donation to our Buy Me a Coffee PageBig loveL & D XTRIGGER WARNING: This episode features strong language and topics that some may find disturbing. Such as mental health issues, low self worth/self-esteem, intrusive thoughts, and family struggles. Support the show