Awaken ADHD

Trigger Warning: disordered eating content. I love this episode, I hope you will too. This episode we I chat with Erin Murnane, an Accredited Practising Dietitian and body image coach with over 12 years’ experience in Australia and the UK. As an ADHDer herself, she’s on a mission to help women stop binge eating, ditch food guilt, and finally feel calm and in control around food.After years watching smart, driven people waste energy battling diets, Erin created a more compassionate, ADHD-friendly approach to eating — one that focuses on intuitive eating, body acceptance, and small, realistic changes (not perfection).When she’s not supporting clients, you’ll find her cooking up something new, travelling, or saying yes to anything that involves good food and a little adventure.This chat with Erin is fun, honest, informative and I hope you'll all have a little Erin on your shoulder by the end of this episode. Host: Jade Bonneywww.awakeninsights.com.auGuest: Erin Murnane (she/her) BFoodSc, BNutDietAccredited Practising Dietitian, Certified Intuitive Eating Counsellorhttps://balanceandbite.com.au/ 

In this episode of Awaken ADHD, Tobias honestly shares his journey living with undiagnosed ADHD and the impact it has had on his relationships, work, and understanding of self. We explore the challenges of hyperfocus, emotional masking, and the pressure many men feel to hide their feelings.From skydiving to freediving, Tobias has spent his life chasing calm through chaos. What started as thrill-seeking evolved into an exploration of his  ADHD traits, emotional regulation and self awareness. In this raw and insightful conversation, Tobias reflects on growing up hyper-focused on sports and high-risk activities, and suffering many injuries in the process. We talk about how neurodivergence can hide beneath productivity, risk-taking, and people-pleasing, and what it looks like to find peace without losing drive. Tobias opens up about breaking down stigma and finding strength in connection and self-awareness.“It’s such a tradie or male thing to mask how you’re feeling, but all it does is push back your healing.” (Tobias) We chat about the importance of recognising different ways of resting and healing that fit neurodivergent minds.“Rest doesn’t have to look like stillness. For ADHD minds, rest can be movement, curiosity, or simple creativity.” (Jade)“I want people to see that reaching out for help can be as simple as just going for two sessions, you can always leave if it’s not for you.” (Tobias)If you want to understand ADHD beyond stereotypes and hear a real story of growth and acceptance, this episode is for you.If you would like to know more about Awaken Adhd Uncoaching with me or book in to be a guest on my show visit my website. 

In this wonderfully honest and engaging episode Jade hears from a passionate high school teacher. Grace  was labelled “fussy,” “bossy,” and “too much” as a child. After a little nudge from a close friend, at 28, she was diagnosed with ADHD, and everything changed. “Because of how people perceived me, that became my perception of myself.”Grace shares her powerful story of shame, identity, and self-reclamation, how her high school drama teacher’s belief in her shifted her path in life.“For so long, I truly believed I wasn’t smart. Now I know I’m capable of anything I put my mind to.” She now hopes to be that person for as many students as she can reach.  Grace is also writing a children’s book to help neurodivergent kids feel seen. A beautiful, bold conversation about redefining what it means to belong.Follow Us:🎙️     Subscribe to Awaken ADHD on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen Follow @AwakenADHD on Instagram for updates  Reach  out if you’d like to share your story or collaborate

As Promised, this episode features a special guest and self described friend of the neurodivergent community, the one and only, Brigitte Jarvis.  She's a massage therapist, storyteller, actor, self-produced writer, she has written and produced over 20 projects, earning multiple awards including Best Stage Adaptation, Best Actress twice, and Best Sketch Comedy. This episode is for the neurodivergent creatives, entrepreneurs, and anyone tired of pushing through. This episode is your permission slip to stop running a marathon that was never designed for your brain and start honouring your natural sprints instead.  We talk about embracing the sprint- rest- repeat cycle,  rather than forcing yourself the run back to back sprints until you collaps. From creative surges to essential rest, we explore what it means to work with your brain, not against it.Letting go of the pressure to be “always on” is not a failure, it’s a strategy for sustainability, joy, and actual productivity.Brigitte’s passion now lies in her ‘Grow Your Own Work’ workshops, where she mentors fellow creatives to discover their unique voices. Recently, she’s expanded this space to help people connect back to themselves, drawing on her extensive experience as a therapist and her deep study of the human condition—including her own. About Brigittes “She Speaks” and "The Softening" Women’s Workshops.She Speaks is invites participants to connect with their happy inner child and wise future self through Guided visualisations and intuitive writing. "It's not and endless quest to live up to slogans, it's about coming home to yourself."It’s a gentle journey — not into trauma, but into light. Into who you are, what you need, and what you long to reclaim. The Softening is a winter reset, guiding women back into their bodies, their hearts, and their sense of inner home.Participants won’t leave buzzing with stimulation, they’ll leave wrapped in honey, with tools they can access in ordinary moments: sipping coffee, standing still, or simply breathing.Find more about Brigitte's offerings on instagram Connect to share through web or Instagram

Reclaiming Your Rhythm:  The Philosophy of Un-CoachingWelcome to another episode of Awaken ADHD. If traditional self-help feels like it was made for someone else, this episode is for you. In this episode, Neurodivergent counsellor, Jade, introduces Un-Coaching:  a gentler, more honest approach to growth that honors your actual rhythm, not someone else’s timeline.We talk about breaking up with the myth of linear progress, why “inconsistency” isn’t failure, and how real transformation often lives in the messy, in-between moments. This is for the sprinters, the crashers, the deep feelers, and the beautifully nonlinear humans who are done trying to fit a mold.Un-Coaching is less about fixing yourself and more about remembering who you were before the world told you to be different.You’re not broken. You’re moving differently. And that deserves respect, not correction.Please feel free to reach out via email [email protected] or explore my website for counselling, coaching and other content.

In these mini relationship episodes we'll explore common relationship conflict patterns that emerge with neurodivergent and neurotypical couples. These patterns are often more destructive when ADHD is either undiagnosed or not understood. In this episode we'll look at how Rejection Sensitivity can show up and create chaos. Or at the very least, cause hurt, misunderstandings and hyperviggilance  (constantly scanning for threat). I'll share some simple (in theory)  strategies to support you in working with these rejected feelings with minimal relationship rupture. I also refer to The Gottmans "Soft Start Up" strategy for bringing up topics and feeling with your partner. So if you find yourself easily hurt, walking on eggshells, worried your parter is upset with you, defending yourself when there is even a hint of (perceived)  criticism, then this episode is for you. Please feel free to reach out via email [email protected] or explore my website for counselling, coaching and other content. 

In this episode I chat with Ale Wiecek Rojo, a visionary leader, author, podcast host, renowned speaker,  the  founder of Sqr One, an online education platform, and is passionately committed to empowering purpose-driven entrepreneurs and burnt-out creatives to find their inner wisdom, align their purpose with their business, and make a positive impact on society by addressing systemic inequalities and raising consciousness.It was an honest and vulnerable conversation about hormones, perimenopause, mental health facing your fears and finding what lights you up. Ale's is a self described 'multi-passion' individual and I think that is a great way to describe many adhd'ers. Her journal/book Breath In (f**k this Sh*t) Breathe Out, will be available soon. To hear more from Ale, check out her podcast Living in AlignmentYou can find her on her website here.If you'd like to share your story you can email me at [email protected], visit Awaken ADHD or follow me on Instagram

In this episode your host, Jade, will share some insights and strategies surrounding emotional regulation and the role it plays in ADHD. We'll  look at some of the ways dysregulation (or lack of control over emotions) impacts your life and some of the strategies for self soothing. 

In this episode Jade and Rachael introduce their Parents of Neurodivergent Kids Support Program and share their personal experiences as parents of neurosparkly kids and professional insights as mental health professionals.It’s like parenting in hard mode and if you’re not careful, burnout is inevitable.They talk about how integral it is to have well practised self-care strategies along-side a big helping of self-compassion and a robust support network.The support program (currently offered in person in Seaford, Victoria) is designed to Embrace, Educate, Encourage and Empower parents.This conversation is honest, vulnerable and (if you’re finding the parenting journey a bit of a struggle) hopefully quite validating.You’ll be reminded to find more joy, spend less time with the guilt and the power of connecting with others sharing similar experiences.Host: Jade Bonney: Counsellor, Relationship Therapist and adult ADHD Coach https://awakenadhd.com.au/Guest: Rachael Flack, Social Worker, Counsellor and Doula https://www.amamaisborn.com.au/

In this honest and fascinating episode of Awaken ADHD I speak with a dear friend and colleague about the journey to her ADHD diagnosis. Siti is a Psychologist and Sensorimotor Art Therapist. She tells us that there were a couple of years between her online ADHD self survey to her formal ADHD diagnosis. During that time Siti moved, with her husband and 3 children, from a a busy Melbourne life to a small coastal town in Western Australia. There was a hope that maybe things would feel easier, that her fast mind might feel slower. In a sense, Siti conducted the ADHD experiment that I often speak about. What if we were to take ourselves out of this busy, hectic life, would we still be met with the executive functioning challenges that are part of the diagnostic criteria for ADHD? For Siti (and I would say the vast majority of diagnosed ADHDers) that answer was yes. You can take the ADHDer out of the city, you can’t take the ADHD out of the brain (and body). Life was slower and yet she was still racing.Siti describes her younger self as wanting to be a ‘good girl’ always trying hard at school and wanting to please. Despite learning coming relatively easily to her, she feels as though she didn’t know how to study, always left things to the last minute and feels that she could have done better. “The perfectionist is in my head and if I don’t have a deadline there won’t be an end product.”“I’m now shedding all the labels, including the ones I gave to myself and pouring through my life album.”When her own therapist suggested she had anxiety, she said, “no, I don’t have anxiety”. After some reflection she could see that the chaos inside her head translated to chaos outside and into many aspects of her life. Sound familiar?“I’m on the biggest self-help journey of my life.” She’s armoured up with a ton of self-compassion, and when she looks back through the pages of her life she now reflects “you know what, that was good enough, I am good enough.”There is so much gold packed into this episode. I hope to speak with Siti many more times. Not only is she is a wealth of knowledge and experience, she is a fabulous human! If you liked to know more about the work Siti does you can find her here on Linkedin If you'd like to share your story you can email me at [email protected], visit Awaken ADHD or follow me on Instagram. 

In these mini episodes we will explore the ways in which ADHD can show up in relationship and can often be destructive and cause conflict if not understood.  In this episode I will look at the common experience of half listening or half hearing and how it can be understood and supported within all our relationships. You know when you zone out of a conversation, or get stuck on the first thing a person says, or perhaps get overwhelmed by the content? It's frustrating for both parties and can lead to shame, resentment, defensiveness and conflict. I'll break it down into The Challenges and Obstacles, The Impact on the Relationship and Strategies to Interrupt the Pattern.I'd love to hear your thoughts or your story, please reach out via my website or socials. 

This episode is filled with depth and vulnerability. Cameron's story is one of depression, overwhelm and confronting self reflection. "I'm either having a wave crashing over me and I can't do anything, or I'm in between the waves and I can get things done." They share their experience of  not  being diagnosed earlier because of the structure and routine and learnt behaviour of 'holding' the energy in. Learning how to sit still despite the discomfort. "Mum had effectively coached me out of the external behaviour." Cameron and I reflect on the coping skills many of us utilise to self soothe  prior to diagnosis. The understanding and reflection that has emerged through the diagnostic journey has lead to deeper relationships and empowered self advocacy. Camerons story is worth honest, moving and brilliantly insightful.If you'd like to share your story you email me, visit Awaken ADHD or follow me on instagramIf

In these mini episodes we’ll explore common relationship conflict patterns that emerge within neurodivergent and neurotypical couples. These patterns tend to be more disruptive when ADHD is either undiagnosed or not understood. In this first mini episode we'll look and the 'parent-child' dynamic that can emerge within a couple and how it can cause conflict and build resentment.  As well as taking a quick look at 'weekend anxiety' that see's the neurodivergent partner trying to fill the 'free' time with tasks, activities, outings and projects. Often leaving their partner or family to clean up in the wake of the creative chaos and ungrounded energy. Sound familiar? Then take a listen. I'd love to hear your thoughts and stories. Reach out via email or socials

In this episode we hear from Amy, a social worker student, currently working in a support program at the children’s court and mother of two young boys. She shares her journey to diagnosis, at the age of 38, through resonating with other women’s stories on social media. During her lightbulb moment, she thought to herself “Oh my god, I’m am like text book ADHD.” Having struggled with anxiety and insomnia since primary school, Amy was often described by others as a lazy, forgetful, day dreamer, who doesn’t apply herself. She recalls thinking “it’s weird because I don’t feel lazy but I guess I am, and I thought I was academic, but I guess I’m just not smart.”A heartbreaking and familiar story that Amy tries not to think about too deeply. Since diagnosis and treatment she says “It’s so validating now- I can produce consistent and amazing work. And I I know that I’m not lazy”. She now understands that much of her anxiety was sensory overwhelm.Amy candidly talks about her oversharing, passionate hyper fixation, the highs and the lows. When her hyper fixation loses its excitement, she would simply set it aside, whenever this happened “I thought I was a weirdo and a joke of a human”.Amy’s story is familiar, honest, raw and engaging.If you'd like to share your story you can email me or visit Awaken ADHD and follow me Instagram.

In this lighthearted yet insightful episode, we chat with ‘neuro-spicy’ Teagan, a legal analyst and law student that may or may not learn to play the hurdy-gurdy!Teagan recalls when she first shared with her psychologist that her inability to action things in life was crippling. Challenging the ADHD  misconceptions, she reflects that she now understands that for her the  busyness is not in her body, but in her mind. “Now I’m processing grief for all the things I’ve missed whilst living in my head.”Teagan feels the relief of now being able to offer compassion to herself and is grateful to the people in her life that support her and accept her neuro-spicy self.This Awaken ADHD journey is honest, engaging and very relatable. If you want to share your journey, please reach out via email [email protected] , Awaken ADHD  or Instagram.  CreditsProduced and edited by Jade Bonney

Amber runs a successful design and strategy agency in Melbourne. She began her journey into the neurodivergent world about 5 years ago when her son was diagnosed with ADHD. Amber reflects upon the difficulty of having her experience of ADHD recognised by both peers and professionals due to her perceived 'high functioning' and successful professional life.  Her tenacious nature drove her to seek diagnosis despite these barriers. She speaks about the need for greater awareness of the female presentation of ADHD and how validating it is to hear stories of other women with ADHD. Amber's shares her journey with humour, wit and unapologetic determination.

Rachael is social worker, fertility and post partum doula/counsellor and a mother of three children, two of which are neurodivergent. These recent  diagnoses mark a whole new chapter in this family's life. When her son started to notice his 'deficits', she knew that he needed extra support. Rachael talks about coming to terms with the additional challenges her family face and balancing her career with her care giving role. Rachael looks forward to supporting neurodivergent families in the future, combining her lived experience with her professional skills. https://www.amamaisborn.com.au/

Amanda always knew she was different, though she kept that to herself. It wasn't until her daughter was diagnosed in grade 2 that she started to join the dots and her 'difference' began to make sense. "It was a very difficult time for me". Now Amanda is a proud neurodivergent individual, and the mother of two fabulous neurodivergent kids.  Having been through this journey Amanda is now a passionate advocate for neurodiversity in the workplace and supporting woman on their neurodivergent journey. Her mission is to  raise awareness and acceptance of neurodiversity so every amazing and unique brain has the opportunity to thrive. https://thrivingwithneurodiversity.com.au 

Host Jade shares her own Awaken ADHD story when she was diagnosed with ADHD at 44years. This late diagnosis had her look back over her  life through an entirely new lens. Jade talks about how women present differently and the need to challenge the diagnostic tools to capture these differences. 

Welcome to a new ADHD community!  Do you think you might have ADHD? Maybe you've just been recently diagnosed. Or perhaps someone you love has been. Or maybe you were diagnosed a long time ago and just love to feel connected to other neurodiversity individuals. Your host , Jade, is a counsellor, relationship therapist and ADHD coach. She'll be be joined each episode by fellow ADHD'ers and the occasional expert in the neurodiverse field. Join us as we journey alongside individuals as they awaken to ADHD. Let's create an empowered neurodiverse community through shared stories, insights, tears, laughter, chaos and clarity.If you'd like to share your story please reach out via www.awakeninsights.com.au