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ADHD Mums

ADHD Mums

By: Jane McFadden
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 Welcome to The ADHD MUMS Podcast, a lifeline for Australian mums navigating ADHD and motherhood. Perfect for struggling, burnt out mums who want to drop perfectionism.2025 Jane McFadden Hygiene & Healthy Living Parenting & Families Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships
Episodes
  • 26. QUICK RESET: Why You Keep Waking at 3am — And It’s Not Just Anxiety

    26. QUICK RESET: Why You Keep Waking at 3am — And It’s Not Just Anxiety
    Aug 5 2025
    If you’ve ever jolted awake at 3:11am spiralling over something you said in 2019 — you are not alone. This Quick Reset is for the mums lying in bed, exhausted but wired, wondering if their brain is broken. (Spoiler: it’s not.) In this raw and validating episode, Jane unpacks the real reasons so many neurodivergent women are waking up in the middle of the night. It’s not just anxiety. It’s hormones, cortisol spikes, perimenopause, trauma, overstimulation — and nervous systems that have been stuck in survival mode for years. This episode gives you permission to stop blaming yourself for ‘bad sleep’ and start exploring what your body might actually be trying to say. ✨ IN THIS RESET:• Why you might wake up at the exact same time every night• What progesterone and GABA have to do with your 3am brain spiral• Cortisol spikes, perimenopause, and stress-pattern sleep• Why lying in bed makes it worse — and what to do instead• The ‘entree thought’ that leads to a full-blown shame tornado• Real stories, lived experience, and no-pressure ideas to try• What actually helped Jane stop dreading the night 💭 This episode is for you if:– You wake up at 3am and feel like your brain is on fire– You spiral through every mistake you’ve ever made — and then still have to parent all day– You’ve tried all the sleep hygiene hacks and nothing works 📥 Grab free ADHD resources at: https://adhdmums.com.au/resources/ Other Quick Reset Episodes: S3E8 Advocating for Your Child Shouldn’t Break You — But It Often Does: Spotify | Apple PodcastS3E10 Why am I bracing for impact when nothing is wrong?: Spotify | Apple PodcastS3E12 I can’t stop snapping when my child does this one thing: Spotify | Apple Podcast S3E14 I Cancel Plans Because I Don’t Have the Energy to Fake My Personality: Spotify | Apple PodcastS3E15 He wants the Maldives but we can't even manage the park: Spotify | Apple PodcastS3E16 No meds, No plan, and no help..... but yet they're still calling us undiagnosed: Spotify | Apple PodcastS3E17 How we survive the 3- 6:00 PM shit show when kids are coming down off meds: Spotify | Apple PodcastS3E18 Why you are bad at asking for help and what to do instead: Spotify | Apple PodcastS2E22 Why self-care feels like another fucking task: Spotify | Apple PodcastS2E24 The ADHD Myth of 'Just try Harder': Spotify | Apple Podcast JOIN THE COMMUNITY: Have questions or want to connect with other ADHD mums? Join our supportive Facebook group here and dive into the conversation. No question is too small, and I love answering in a group format! FOLLOW FOR MORE: Get daily tips, insights, and relatable content for ADHD mums by following me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube LEAVE A REVIEW: Love this episode? Your review means everything! It helps other mums find this content and feel supported. Let’s spread the word and make a difference together. COLLABS: For collaborations or speaking engagements, email me at assistant@adhdmums.com.au. MORE RESOURCES: Still unsure if ADHD or autism applies to you or your child? Take my recommended self-tests here. TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:3am wakeups, ADHD insomnia, perimenopause, neurodivergent women, cortisol spikes, progesterone crash, GABA regulation, executive dysfunction, trauma-affected sleep, emotional overload, hormone dysregulation, ADHD parenting, internalised anxiety, rejection sensitivity, hypervigilance, shame spiral, ADHD women, sleep and trauma, chronic stress patterns.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    13 mins
  • 25. The Emotional Load of Raising Neurodivergent Girls and How to Lighten It

    25. The Emotional Load of Raising Neurodivergent Girls and How to Lighten It
    Aug 4 2025
    What if the exhaustion you're carrying isn’t about your daughter’s needs — but about the systems stacked against her? In this fiercely honest conversation, Jane sits down with Katie Koullas, founder of Yellow Ladybugs, to unpack the invisible weight neurodivergent mums carry while raising autistic and ADHD girls. From masking to missed diagnoses, perfectionism to protection — this episode doesn’t shy away from the real stuff. It validates the hell out of the lived experience of raising girls who internalise everything and explode only when no one’s watching. Katie shares her experience as a mum, advocate, and changemaker, giving voice to the deep guilt, relentless fear, and raw love that shape this reality — and what she’s learned about lightening the emotional load without selling your soul in the process. 💡 What We Cover: • Why the emotional load isn’t about your daughter — it’s about the world she’s navigating• The heartbreak of watching your daughter mask to survive• The reality of invisible struggles in schools, friendships, and diagnosis• How society gaslights and minimises internalising neurodivergent girls• How mums can reframe guilt, lean into radical acceptance, and still model strength• What burnout looks like when you're carrying it all — and how to catch it before it knocks you out• How we actually start changing the systems (hint: stop waiting for the neurotypicals)• What Katie wishes every mum raising a neurodivergent daughter had access to 🔗 Resources & Links: Learn more about Yellow Ladybugs and register for the June conference: yellowladybugs.com.auFollow Katie and Yellow Ladybugs on Instagram Related episodes: When School Becomes the Trauma (S3E2) | Spotify | Apple PodcastBurnout Starts in the Classroom (S3E3) | Spotify | Apple PodcastRSD & Emotional Intensity (S2 Ep 81) | Spotify | Apple Podcast 🎧 Listen Now: If you’ve ever felt like you’re parenting in secret, constantly translating your daughter’s needs to people who just don’t get it — this is the episode you didn’t know you needed. Tune in, share it with another mum carrying too much, and remind yourself you’re not failing — you’re unsupported. JOIN THE COMMUNITY: Have questions or want to connect with other ADHD mums? Join our supportive Facebook group here and dive into the conversation. No question is too small, and I love answering in a group format! FOLLOW FOR MORE: Get daily tips, insights, and relatable content for ADHD mums by following me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube LEAVE A REVIEW: Love this episode? Your review means everything! It helps other mums find this content and feel supported. Let’s spread the word and make a difference together. COLLABS: For collaborations or speaking engagements, email me at jane@adhdmums.com.au. MORE RESOURCES: Still unsure if ADHD or autism applies to you or your child? Take my recommended self-tests here. TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE: ADHD masking, autistic girls, neurodivergent parenting, emotional burnout, ADHD and guilt, internalisers, invisible needs in school, Yellow Ladybugs, neuroaffirming support, autism diagnosis, teenage girls and shutdowns, parent burnout, sensory overload, radical acceptance parenting, co-regulation exhaustion, ADHD shame, internalised ableism, school system failure, masking and meltdown, ADHD mum support, ADHD podcast Australia, Katie Koullas, neurodivergent self-advocacy, changing the system as a mum.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    41 mins
  • 24.  QUICK RESET: The ADHD Myth of 'Just try Harder'

    24.  QUICK RESET: The ADHD Myth of 'Just try Harder'
    Jul 30 2025
    If you’ve ever stood frozen in the kitchen, fully aware of what needs doing — and still couldn’t start — this episode is for you. This week’s Quick Reset tears apart the toxic myth that ADHD mums just need to “try harder.” Jane unpacks what’s actually happening when your brain stalls, and why shame, not laziness, is often the real culprit. From inner critics echoing old failures to the neuroscience behind executive dysfunction, this is a raw, validating, and darkly funny call to stop blaming effort — and start working with your brain instead. You’ll learn practical, low-pressure strategies to get started (no, not with a new app), and finally understand why “just do it” advice doesn’t just fail ADHD mums — it hurts us. ✨ IN THIS RESET: The damaging myth of laziness and willpowerHow shame shuts down executive functionWhy ADHD is not about motivation — it’s about regulationWhat to say to yourself instead of “I just need to focus”Brain-based strategies for task initiation that actually helpReal talk about fridge purchases, hyperfocus, and starting vs finishingWhy “trying harder” never fixed burnout — and never will 💭 This episode is for you if:– You keep thinking, “I should be able to do this” — but can’t start– You’ve got planners, lists, and alarms… and still feel stuck– You want to stop spiralling into shame and start using strategies that work for your brain 🔗 Sources & Citations: Brown, T. E. (2006). Attention Deficit Disorder: The Unfocused Mind in Children and Adults. Yale University Press.Barkley, R. A., Murphy, K. R., & Fischer, M. (2006). The ADHD Report, 14(6), 6–11.Volkow, N. D., Wang, G.-J., Kollins, S. H., Wigal, T. L., Newcorn, J. H., Telang, F., ... & Swanson, J. M. (2011). “Motivation deficit in ADHD is associated with dysfunction of the dopamine reward pathway.” Molecular Psychiatry, 16(11), 1147–1154.Sonuga-Barke, E. J. S. (2005). “Causal models of ADHD: From common simple deficits to multiple developmental pathways.” Biological Psychiatry, 57(11), 1231–1238. 📚 Mentioned Resource: ADHD Planner & Personal Values Workbook — Designed to help you rebuild capacity, re-centre your day, and stop measuring your worth by productivity.Explore more ADHD-friendly resources: https://adhdmums.com.au/resources/ Other Quick Reset Episodes: S3E8 Advocating for Your Child Shouldn’t Break You — But It Often Does: Spotify | Apple PodcastS3E10 Why am I bracing for impact when nothing is wrong?: Spotify | Apple PodcastS3E12 I can’t stop snapping when my child does this one thing: Spotify | Apple Podcast S3E14 I Cancel Plans Because I Don’t Have the Energy to Fake My Personality: Spotify | Apple PodcastS3E15 He wants the Maldives but we can't even manage the park: Spotify | Apple PodcastS3E16 No meds, No plan, and no help..... but yet they're still calling us undiagnosed: Spotify | Apple PodcastS3E17 How we survive the 3- 6:00 PM shit show when kids are coming down off meds: Spotify | Apple PodcastS3E18 Why you are bad at asking for help and what to do instead: Spotify | Apple PodcastS2E22 Why self-care feels like another fucking task: Spotify | Apple Podcast JOIN THE COMMUNITY: Have questions or want to connect with other ADHD mums? Join our supportive Facebook group here and dive into the conversation. No question is too small, and I love answering in a group format! FOLLOW FOR MORE: Get daily tips, insights, and relatable content for ADHD mums by following me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube LEAVE A REVIEW: Love this episode? Your review means everything! It helps other mums find this content and feel supported. Let’s spread the word and make a difference together. COLLABS: For collaborations or speaking engagements, email me at assistant@adhdmums.com.au. MORE RESOURCES: Still unsure if ADHD or autism applies to you or your child? Take my recommended self-tests here. TOPICS COVERED:ADHD executive dysfunction, task initiation, parenting with ADHD, emotional regulation, ADHD shame spiral, performance parenting, burnout, trauma-informed self-support, neuroaffirming strategies, inner critic, motivation myths, hyperfocus, late diagnosis, ADHD overwhelm, doing things differently, permission to rest.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    14 mins
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