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ADHD Mums

ADHD Mums

By: Jane McFadden
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About this listen

 Being a mum is hard enough. Being a mum with ADHD — or raising neurodivergent kids is a whole different level. ADHD Mums is the unfiltered, science-meets-reality podcast hosted by Jane McFadden, educational neuroscientist, advocate, and mother of three. This isn’t another polished parenting show with 'ten easy tips.' It’s real stories, confessions we’re not supposed to say out loud, and the research that explains why so many of us are running on empty. Every week you’ll hear: 🎙️ Confessions — raw, anonymous truths from mums navigating rage, burnout, and survival. 🧠 Expert insights — from neuroscientists, clinicians, and policy leaders on ADHD, autism, and mental health. 💬 Advocacy in action — exposing ADHD medication shortages, NDIS red tape, and the hidden costs mothers carry. With over 1 million downloads already tuning in from across the world, the podcast has already influenced ADHD reforms in Australia, been featured in national media, and pushed politicians to answer the questions mothers are asking. If you’ve ever screamed in the car, forgotten every form until the night before, or wondered if you’re the only one falling apart — this podcast is your proof that you’re not broken, you’re just telling the truth.2025 Jane McFadden Hygiene & Healthy Living Parenting & Families Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships Social Sciences
Episodes
  • When You Know School Isn't Working — And You're Still Waiting for Permission to Leave

    When You Know School Isn't Working — And You're Still Waiting for Permission to Leave
    Apr 27 2026
    You've spent more time on drop-offs, pickups and meetings this week than your kid has spent actually learning.You keep telling yourself the routine is good for them. They come home flat anyway.You can see it isn't working. You just can't picture what else looks like.So you stay on the fence. Another term. Another meeting. Another 11pm google.What we coverWhy most homeschoolers in Australia didn't plan to homeschool — and what 'accidental homeschooling' actually meansThe two competing fears keeping you stuck — and which one usually wins in the endWhat 'enough is enough' really looks like (it's rarely one big moment — it's bankruptcy logic: slow, then very fast)What a homeschool day actually looks like when you're not running school-at-homeThe legal stuff schools won't tell you — you don't need their permissionWhy $50k a year still doesn't fix this, and what you might actually be paying forHow to take a term off without making a forever decisionWhy bullying gets reframed as 'resilience-building' at school but is illegal at workWhy this episode mattersThe fence is the hardest place to live. Most parents sit there longer than the kid can afford. Rebecca has spoken to hundreds of families about why they finally jumped — and the answer isn't 'they were ready.' It's that the fear of staying finally outweighed the fear of leaving. This episode names the decision underneath the decision, and hands you a permission slip you probably didn't know existed.This episode is for you ifYou've tried two schools, maybe three, and nothing's stuckThe meetings have started to outnumber the actual learningYou keep saying 'maybe next term' and next term keeps not comingYou're more scared of Uncle Ned's questions at Christmas than you'd like to admitPart of you knows it isn't working, and part of you can't picture what else looks likeYou've already googled 'homeschooling Queensland' at 11pm and closed the tabFor more about Dr. Rebecca Englishhttps://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/r.englishJane's Related EpisodesS1 EP63 — The Episode That Led Jane to Choose Homeschooling (Nicki Farrell, Wildlings) 👉 https://adhdmums.com.au/63-episode-that-led-jane-to-choose-homeschooling/S2 EP7 — Raising Strong Children: How to Support Without Always Solving Their Problems (Emma Rose Parsons, Spectrum House) 👉 https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/episode-7-raising-strong-children-how-to-support-without-always-solving-their-problems/S2 EP33 — Autistic Burnout: Self-Awareness Part 2 (Jane solo) 👉 https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/episode-33-preventing-autistic-burnout-practical-tips-for-neurodivergent-mums-and-their-children/S3 EP20 — SCHOOL SERIES: How to Choose a School That Won't Break Your Kid (or You) — Millie Carr https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/episode-20-how-to-choose-a-school-that-wont-break-your-kid-or-you/📬 Check out my Free Resources on Schools:Choosing the Right Schoolhttps://adhdmums.com.au/product/the-school-choice-kit/The School Complaint & Escalation Guide for Parentshttps://adhdmums.com.au/product/school-complaint-escalation-guide/📬 Check out my Paid Resource on Schools:When School Looks Fine But Isn’t Understanding Burnout, Masking & School Can’tMaking School Work: A Parent’s Guide to Neurodivergent Kids and the SystemSchool Advocacy Hub of Resourceshttps://adhdmums.com.au/advocacy/📬 Listener Questions & Community🎙️ Ask a Listener Question (voice)Voice notes are preferred when possible — hearing your voice helps add context — but you’re very welcome to submit a written question instead.Send me a WhatsApp voice message here:https://wa.me/61403457313✍️ Ask a Listener Question (written)https://form.jotform.com/251238118486864👥 Join the ADHD Mums Facebook GroupFor community, shared language, and conversations with other mums who get it.https://www.facebook.com/groups/adhdmumspodcast
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    38 mins
  • When the Teacher Asks ‘What Can I Do to Help? But You Don’t Know What to Say

    When the Teacher Asks ‘What Can I Do to Help? But You Don’t Know What to Say
    Apr 22 2026

    If your child looks ‘fine’ at school… but falls apart the second they get home —

    this episode is for you.

    🧠 What We Cover in This Episode:

    • What masking really looks like in a classroom setting
    • Why ‘they’re fine at school’ can be deeply misleading
    • The invisible work happening before the school day even starts
    • Why internalising kids are often missed entirely
    • What it costs to ‘look like you’re coping’ all day
    • Why asking a child to self-advocate isn’t always realistic
    • How anxiety builds when expectations aren’t predictable
    • The difference between behaviour you can see… and effort you can’t
    • Why some kids nod, smile… and completely miss instructions
    • What actually reduces stress in the classroom (and what doesn’t)

    💭 This episode is for you if:

    • Your child holds it together at school but unravels at home
    • You’ve been told ‘we’re not seeing that here’
    • Your child doesn’t speak up when they’re struggling
    • You can see the effort they’re putting in — even if others can’t
    • you’re trying to explain your child to the school and not being heard
    • You feel stuck between what you see… and what they report

    📬 Check out my Free Resources on Schools:

    The School Complaint & Escalation Guide for Parents

    https://adhdmums.com.au/product/school-complaint-escalation-guide/

    📬 Check out my Paid Resource on Schools:

    When School Looks Fine But Isn’t Understanding Burnout, Masking & School Can’t

    Making School Work: A Parent’s Guide to Neurodivergent Kids and the System

    School Advocacy Hub of Resources

    https://adhdmums.com.au/advocacy/

    📬 Listener Questions & Community

    🎙️ Ask a Listener Question (voice)

    Voice notes are preferred when possible — hearing your voice helps add context — but you’re very welcome to submit a written question instead.

    Send me a WhatsApp voice message here:

    https://wa.me/61403457313

    ✍️ Ask a Listener Question

    https://form.jotform.com/251238118486864

    👥 Join the ADHD Mums Facebook Group

    For community, shared language, and conversations with other mums who get it.

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/adhdmumspodcast
    Show More Show Less
    14 mins
  • When School Feels Too Much Too Early — Expectation Creep Explained

    When School Feels Too Much Too Early — Expectation Creep Explained
    Apr 20 2026

    If you’ve ever sat in a school meeting

    hearing what’s ‘expected’…

    and thought

    ‘this feels like too much… too early’ —

    this episode is for you.

    Because sometimes it’s not subtle.

    It’s that quiet moment where something doesn’t sit right…

    but you’re told it’s normal.

    In this episode, we unpack what’s really happening when school expectations keep creeping up — academically, behaviourally, socially — and why so many kids are being asked to meet standards that don’t actually match where they are.

    💭 This episode is for you if:

    – You’ve thought ‘this feels too much for their age’

    – Your child is struggling, but you know they’re capable

    – You’ve been told ‘this is just how school is now’

    – Your child is falling behind quickly and can’t catch up

    – You’re noticing stress, resistance, or shutdown around school

    – You’re questioning whether the system is actually the issue

    🎧 Related Episodes

    When School Becomes the Trauma – School Series

    https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/s2-ep2-school-series-when-school-becomes-the-trauma-what-no-one-tells-adhd-parents/

    Here’s the part most people don’t say out loud:

    If it feels too big…

    too fast…

    too much…

    that doesn’t automatically mean

    your child is the problem.

    Sometimes it means

    the expectations have moved

    and no one stopped

    to check

    who they were leaving behind.

    For more about Dr. Rebecca English

    https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/r.english

    📬 Check out my Free Resources on Schools:

    The School Choice Kit

    https://adhdmums.com.au/product/the-school-choice-kit/

    The School Complaint & Escalation Guide for Parents

    https://adhdmums.com.au/product/school-complaint-escalation-guide/

    📬 Check out my Paid Resource on Schools:

    Making School Work – Parent Guide ($20)

    https://adhdmums.com.au/product/making-school-work-parent-guide/

    School Advocacy Hub of Resources

    https://adhdmums.com.au/advocacy/

    📬 Listener Questions & Community

    🎙️ Ask a Listener Question (voice)

    Voice notes are preferred when possible — hearing your voice helps add context — but you’re very welcome to submit a written question instead.

    Send me a WhatsApp voice message here:

    https://wa.me/61403457313

    ✍️ Ask a Listener Question (written)

    https://form.jotform.com/251238118486864

    👥 Join the ADHD Mums Facebook Group

    For community, shared language, and conversations with other mums who get it.

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/adhdmumspodcast
    Show More Show Less
    23 mins
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