CLOUD is a podcast series created to discuss ADHD and late age diagnosis. Exploring both deeply personal stories while also speaking to leading experts includin...
Feeling Overwhelmed & Burnt Out? It’s Time To Talk About Regulation & ADHD with Jenna Free
ADHD and feeling overwhelmed, over stimulated and burnout seem to go hand in hand. A lot of us operate under the ‘go, go, go’ type of cadence with our two modes being full throttle or absolutely nothing. This inevitably leaves a lot of us feeling as though we can never get it together, we’re mentally exhausted all of the time and as though everyone around us is sick of our franticness. Joining the podcast today is certified ADHD therapist, who also has ADHD Jenna Free. Jenna refers to the frantic behaviours mentioned above as dysregulation. Jenna taught me a whole new way to think about managing my ADHD. Her work focuses on regulation and learning to bring ourselves back to a regulated state. This episode is for anyone who feels like: They are frantically trying to keep up with a to-do list that never ends Your life feels overwhelming while you also feel as though you’re barely getting anything done There is never enough time in the day and you’re always racing against the clock You ricochet between frantically running around panicking and crashing, zoned out and in a paralysis We speak about: Jenna’s experience of being diagnosed later in life and the cross over with postnatal depression A lot of ‘lifestyle’ treatments for ADHD are bandaids and don’t address the underlying cause of burnout Consistently being distracted by tasks while you are meant to be doing a task Identifying dysregulation and being in reaction mode Seeing time as a ‘vertical’ all stacked right in front of us rather than ‘horizontal’ in a linear way How the internal work softens us so we aren’t in survival mode so that we can implement some strategies You can find Jenna’s website and work And her InstagramSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
--------
33:46
Dopamine and the ADHD Brain With Neuroscientist TJ Power!
We know that the ADHD brain operates in some different ways to a neurotypical one, but what’s actually going on inside our brains?We’re joined today by neuroscientist, international speaker, and author of The DOSE Effect, TJ Power. TJ’s work focuses on small, practical habits that can help us regulate our brain chemistry.Today we dive into: How our dopamine levels differ from a neurotypical brain and what this means for our motivation, concentration and attention span How dopamine is connected to hyperfocus Changing the narrative of ‘disorder’ and ‘deficit’ to ‘difference’ TJ’s experience with OCD How to find your ADHD ‘superpower’ and flow state Task initiation challenges and transition stages How dopamine is linked to novelty and impulsivity How changing the first 5-10 mins of your morning can affect the whole rest of your day The science behind therapies like ice baths and saunas & how they compare to drugs in the brain We are then joined by clinical nutritionist Georgia Farrar to chat through which foods are best for maintaining focus and attention, which types of foods can exacerbate ADHD symptoms and whether caffeine is good or bad for our brains! Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 2:50 - Differences in ADHD brains 4:30 - The problem with the labels 'disorder' and 'deficit' 6:15 - TJ's experiences with OCD 11:45 - Finding your flow state 14:20 - How social media impacts dopamine 17:00 - Task initiation 19:40 - Dopamine & novelty 21:50 - Waking up and jumping on your phone 30:00 - Procrastination 31:30 - Deliberately reducing our stimulation 39:30 - Ice baths and dopamine 43:50 - Sleep and neurochemicals 46:00 - Nutrition for focus and attention 48:50 - Ultra processed foods 53:20 - Supplements that aid attention and focus 59:55 - Is caffeine good or bad? You can find more from TJ including his new book from his websiteTJ's Instagram You can find more about ultra processed foods and nutrition advice from Georgia See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
--------
1:02:59
Feel Like You’re Too Much? ADHD, Intense Emotions and Validation. CLOUD With Sabrina Zohar
One of the things that surprised me the most when I learnt more about ADHD was that we tend to all be people with big feelings. I had always thought that I just ‘felt’ things really deeply and that was just the way it was, but it turns out it isn’t a unique experience at all. Whether it’s a result of constantly being told we are ‘too much’ I’m not sure; but what I am sure about is that consistently being told I was too much left me with a pretty insatiable need for validation. Again, I don’t seem to be alone in that either… Joining the podcast today is the wonderful Sabrina Zohar! Sabrina is a relationship expert, entrepreneur and podcast host of the Sabrina Zohar show. I was particularly drawn to Sabrina because of her no bullshit, tell it like it is style of communicating. Today we take a big dive into big feelings, our experiences of learning how to accept ourselves and how ADHD has affected our relationships. We spoke about: Being diagnosed later in life, something really common for women Sabrina’s misdiagnosis of borderline personality disorder, and the dangers of misdiagnosis How we both found ourselves craving validation from people around us How we show up in the dating world when we feel like we are ‘too much’ but also not enough Limerence and hyperfixation on people when you have ADHD Repetition compulsion How ‘the spark’ can feel different for ADHD brains When to talk about ADHD in relationships Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 4:40 - Sabrina's diagnosis 7:45 - Being misdiagnosed with borderline personality disorder 9:10 - The symptoms of ADHD that Sabrina experienced 12:30 - Where the need for validation came from 15:00 - Worthiness & how the dial shifted for Sabrina 18:00 - How long does 'the work' take? 22:15 - Being 'too much' but also not enough 25:20 - Limerence and hyperfixation on people when you have ADHD 31:00 - Make them a real person 34:00 - Big feelings and Repetition compulsion 33:50 - How ‘the spark’ can feel different for ADHD brains 37:48 - Dating burn out & chasing 'the highs' 41:10 - Looking for something different in dating 45:30 - When to talk about ADHD in relationships You can find more from Sabrina’s website And Sabrina’s instagram You can watch us on Youtube Find us on Instagram Join us on tiktok Or join the Facebook Discussion GroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
--------
50:25
The Road To ADHD Diagnosis. With Dr Kieran Kennedy
If you're like me and you've seen a list of symptoms of ADHD and mentally said 'tick' to every one of them, you might be wondering what you're meant to do next. The actual process of seeking out a diagnosis and support can be confusing and it seems to vary depending on where you are in the country! Joining the pod again today is the wonderful Dr Kieran Kennedy! Kieran previously joined us for an episode about late age diagnosis, how that seems to shift your sense of identity, and the crossover of ADHD and conditions like anxiety and depression. Dr Kieran Kennedy is a psychiatrist who specialises in adult ADHD. Kieran focuses on a holistic approach in managing ADHD. Today we wanted to dive a little bit deeper into the causes of ADHD, whether medication is the direction some people with ADHD may like to investigate and what those options are and how the process of being diagnosed actually works in Australia. In today’s episode we speak about: What causes ADHD and what’s going on in our brains The genetic links of ADHD The wives' tale of ‘just try the medication and if it works, you’ve got ADHD!’ What’s the role of medication, and are there alternative approaches? Side effects of medication to look out for Flow on effects - changes like reducing alcohol and focussing on sleep as management For someone wondering if they have ADHD, what’s the next step? Some of the necessary hoops to jump through Time stamps: 0:00 - Intro 1:53 - What causes ADHD and what’s going on in our brains 4:25 - The genetic links of ADHD 5:30 - What's going on in the prefrontal cortex? 7:00 - Blame or brain 9:15 - History of medication 12:50 - The wives' tale of ‘just try the medication and if it works, you’ve got ADHD!’ 14:30 - What’s the role of medication, and are there alternative approaches? 21:00 - Side effects of medication to look out for 29:00 - Flow on effects - changes like reducing alcohol and focussing on sleep 30:00 - The controversy of medicating children 31:50 - For someone wondering if they have ADHD, what’s the next step? 35:30 - Financial impacts of diagnosis 37:30 - Other tests you may need to have done 43:00 - Being honest in the diagnosis process You can find more from Dr Kieran on his Instagram Hosted and produced by Keeshia Pettit You can watch us on Youtube Find us on Instagram Join us on tiktok Or join the Facebook Discussion GroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
--------
46:23
Why Is ADHD Everywhere Right Now? With Dr Kieran Kennedy
You might have noticed that there seems to be a lot of women who, just like me, are being diagnosed with ADHD in their late 20s, 30s and 40s. Today we wanted to have a chat about late age diagnosis and how that can make you question a lot about your past experiences. We also speak about the crossover of ADHD and other mental health conditions and why so many of us are diagnosed with anxiety disorders. Dr Kieran Kennedy is a psychiatrist who specialises in adult ADHD. Kieran focuses on a holistic approach in managing ADHD. Kieran is originally from New Zealand but came across the ditch 7 years ago for a fellowship in Melbourne. He is an author, a regular expert on Australian TV programs and a fitness nut. In today’s episode we speak about: The social media explosion—why is ADHD suddenly everywhere? Why do so many women get diagnosed later in life? The key differences between the different types of ADHD Why a lot of late aged diagnosed people are previously misdiagnosed with other conditions like anxiety, depression or even eating disorders What are some of the biggest misconceptions about ADHD? Many adults feel grief after a late diagnosis. Why is that? What is rejection sensitive dysphoria and who do you see it in? Timestamps: 0:00 Intro and Dr Kieran's experience 5:50 The social media explosion—why is ADHD suddenly everywhere? 7:20 Why do so many women get diagnosed later in life? 10:50 The key differences between the different types of ADHD 14:30 Why a lot of late aged diagnosed people are previously misdiagnosed with other conditions like anxiety, depression or even eating disorders 18:20 What are some of the biggest misconceptions about ADHD? 24:30 What is rejection sensitive dysphoria and who do you see it in? 30:18 A gentler sense of self Dr Kieran Kennedy will be joining us for an upcoming episode on the diagnosis process and medication options. You can find more from Dr Kieran on his Instagram You can watch us on Youtube Find us on Instagram Join us on tiktok Or join the Facebook Discussion GroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
CLOUD is a podcast series created to discuss ADHD and late age diagnosis. Exploring both deeply personal stories while also speaking to leading experts including guests such as the author of The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A Fuck - Mark Manson, Neuroscientist TJ Power and relationship experts Sabrina Zohar and Logan Ury.