Julie Legg sits down with psychiatric nurse practitioner and mental health advocate Carolyn Mallon, whose journey from high school dropout to doctorate-level clinician is both inspiring and deeply relatable for late-diagnosed ADHDers. Carolyn shares how understanding her neurodivergence in adulthood radically shifted her ability to study, self-advocate, and succeed both academically and emotionally.

The conversation explores the messy, non-linear paths many ADHDers walk, the grief that can accompany diagnosis, and how resilience often looks like simply showing up, trying again, and choosing compassion over shame. This episode is a great reminder that healing and success take many forms, and that it's never too late to start again... with better tools.

Key Points in this Episode:

• Carolyn’s diagnosis at 28 and how it changed her entire trajectory
• Why ADHD can mask as laziness or failure in school settings
• The emotional impact of late recognition and academic shame
• Making peace with your “past self” through compassion, not criticism
• How resilience is built in the middle of the mess, not just in hindsight
• The importance of redefining success beyond degrees and careers
• Why mental health providers with lived experience are uniquely powerful
• The joy of offering others the kind of care she once needed

Links:

• LINKEDIN: www.linkedin.com/in/cmallonrn/
• WEBSITE: https://www.balancementalhealth.com/
• FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/balancementalhealthnh
• YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@balancementalhealthnh
• INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/balancementalhealthnh
• RECOMMENDED READING: Learning Outside the Lines

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🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz

📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast

📖 BOOK: The Missing Piece: A Woman's Guide to Understanding, Diagnosing and Living with ADHD

ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More

Julie Legg chats with ADHD coach and advocate Leah Carroll, whose own diagnosis at 28 catalyzed a deep journey of self-understanding and transformation. Leah shares how her early attempts to "fix" her ADHD through medication alone fell short and how travel, radical honesty, and coaching led her to discover the personalized systems that now support her neurodivergent brain.

Leah unpacks the behind-the-scenes reality of living with ADHD from executive dysfunction to emotional dysregulation and offers powerful strategies to shift from shame to self-trust. Whether it's in the workplace, relationships, or day-to-day life, this conversation is full of relatable truths and practical tools for anyone navigating ADHD.

Key Points from the Episode:

• How Leah’s ADHD diagnosis at 28 was just the beginning, not the solution
• Why medication alone wasn’t enough and what she needed instead
• The emotional toll of shame, blame, and victimhood in undiagnosed ADHD
• What long-term travel taught her about adaptability and executive dysfunction
• The hidden labour behind ‘looking functional’ as an ADHDer
• How executive function challenges overlap to create chaos and paralysis
• The complex toll ADHD takes on relationships and how to build better communication
• The workplace mismatch: thriving in crisis but overwhelmed by admin
• Strategies for minimizing friction and maximizing clarity at work
• Why emotional regulation is about safety, not just willpower
• Building self-trust through small, consistent wins
• The underestimated power of foundational habits: sleep, food, movement, light, and hydration
• The magic of a “dopamine menu” and tiny strategies that re-regulate the nervous system

Links:

• INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/adhd.coach.leah/
• WEBSITE: https://leahccoaching.com/
• LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahdcarroll/
• BOOK A FREE COACHING CALL: https://calendly.com/adhdlc/free
• REFERENCE BOOK: https://www.thefouragreements.com/

Send us a text

Thanks for listening.

📌 Don’t forget to subscribe for more tools for beautifully different brains.

🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz

📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast

📖 BOOK: The Missing Piece: A Woman's Guide to Understanding, Diagnosing and Living with ADHD

ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More

Julie Legg speaks with Kayla Oughton — a Napier-based AuDHD coach and neurodivergent advocate with an eclectic background in construction project management, health coaching, suicide prevention, and digital marketing.

Kayla shares her journey from burnout in a male-dominated construction industry to becoming a voice for ADHDers and autistic women navigating late diagnosis, shame, and self-trust. She talks about the importance of understanding rejection sensitivity, embracing neurodivergent strengths, and leaning into the body’s signals.

This conversation cuts through the fluff and dives deep into what it really looks like to rebuild your life after diagnosis, and long before it. From beast days to slug days, Kayla reminds us all that we are not broken.

Key Points in the Episode:

• How a therapist’s question sparked Kayla’s ADHD diagnosis at 35
• Life inside the chaotic, undiagnosed world of construction project management
• The link between rejection sensitivity and suicidal ideation
• Why shame often hides behind the productivity mask in women
• How understanding ADHD can reframe your entire life story
• The overlap (and contradiction) between ADHD and autism traits
• Why rest, nervous system awareness, and body cues are vital tools
• The reality of success amnesia and the power of small wins
• Kayla's words to those still feeling broken or “too much”

Links:

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayla-oughton/

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/adhdcoachkayla

WEBSITE: https://dopamineandco.com/services

MATES4LIFE: https://mates4life.org.nz/

Send us a text

Thanks for listening.

📌 Don’t forget to subscribe for more tools for beautifully different brains.

🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz

📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast

📖 BOOK: The Missing Piece: A Woman's Guide to Understanding, Diagnosing and Living with ADHD

ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More