The Neurodivergent Woman
A podcast for neurodivergent women, hosted by clinical psychologist Monique Mitchelson and clinical neuropsychologist Michelle Livock. Covering Autism to ADHD and everything in between, we aim to educate and inspire women who think differently.
Episodes
Gender Diversity with Lumen Gorrie
For our final episode for Season 7, we’re thrilled to welcome clinical psychologist and lived-experience speaker, Lumen Gorrie (they / them), to speak with us about gender diversity. Lumen is a queer, trans, multiply neurodivergent, chronically ill, and disabled person based in Naarm. Lumen is passionate about neurodivergence, gender, queerness, disability and accessibility, making systemic
Living Regional, Rural, and Remote as a Neurodivergent Person with Avril Fazel
This week Monique chats with Avril Fazel about living in regional, rural, and remote areas as a neurodivergent person. Avril lives on the lands of Kuungkari, Bidjera and Inningai peoples, between the rural towns of Blackall and Tambo in outback Queensland. She identifies as intersectional feminist with lived experiences in mental illness and neurodivergence, and her social discourse is influenced
Domestic and Family Violence with Patricia Gallagher
In this week’s episode we’ll be discussing family violence and domestic abuse. These are important conversations, but they can also be distressing or triggering for some listeners. If this episode feels too difficult to listen to right now, please take care of yourself and consider coming back to it when you feel ready—or just skipping it altogether. And if you or someone you kno
Breastfeeding and Infant Sleep with Arnikka de Kort
This week Monique welcomes Arnikka de Kort to the podcast, to chat about breastfeeding and infant sleep. Arnikka is an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), Neonatal Nurse and Founder of SuckleBubs - a space that reimagines how women and babies are supported in the early weeks of newborn life. She is also the creator of In Bloom - a postpartum and breastfeeding m
EDS, POTS, and MCAS with Dr Megan Thomas and Bianca Comfort
On this week’s episode Monique chats with two amazing guests – Specialist GP Dr Megan Thomas (she / they) and Clinical Psychologist Bianca Comfort (she / her) – about Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), and Mast Cell Activation Disorder (MCAS). Dr Megan is a queer, disabled, neurodivergent doctor with lived experience of EDS, POT
Neurodivergent Stories with Jessica Horner
Hey everyone, just a heads up that in this episode Jessica mentions times in her life when she was suicidal. If this brings up anything for you, please reach out to someone you trust, or contact one of the support lines we’ve included in the show notes. Take care of yourselves, and feel free to pause or skip this one if you need to. This week we are chatting to Jessica Horner about ne
High Support Needs and Autism with Sienna Macalister
This week Monique chats with Sienna Macalister (they/them), who listeners may know by their Instagram handle @sienna.stims, about being an Autistic person with high support needs. Sienna is a non-binary, ‘unreliably speaking’ Autistic advocate, diagnosed with Autism Level 3. They are multiply neurodivergent and have a number of co-occurring health conditions, including Ehlers Danlos Sy
Neurodivergence and Teens with Dr Michelle Garnett
On today’s episode we are deeply honoured to have Dr Michelle Garnett speaking with us about neurodivergence in the teen years, as well as her own life experience as a neurodivergent woman. Dr Garnett is a clinical psychologist, author, and late-diagnosed AuDHDer, and she has worked in the autistic community for over 30 years. Listeners would likely know her as the co-founder of Attwood &
Functional Neurological Disorder with Simone Mangelsdorf-Collett
We’re super excited to bring you this week’s episode with Senior Clinical Neuropsychologist, Simone Mangelsdorf-Collett (she/her). We chat with Simone about Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) – or, as Simone puts it “the most common disorder you’ve never heard of”. Simone specialises in FND, neurodegenerative syndromes, and movement disorders, and practices
Neurodivergence and Chinese Culture with Sharen Lui
This week Monique chats with Sharen Lui. Sharen is a neurodivergent Educational and Developmental Psychologist, and the Director of Sprout Psychology Melbourne. Sharen specialises in neurodivergence within Asian communities, supporting families with assessments, therapy, and culturally responsive mental health support. Sharen and Monique cover: What neurodivergence means to Sharen and the
Unschooling with Sari González and Becka Koritz
On this week’s episode we chat with Sari González and Becka Koritz – co-founders of Radical Learning – about unschooling and alternative models of education. Sari and Becka are mums to neurodivergent unschoolers, youth rights advocates, and agile learning facilitators who challenge conventional education and parenting. Through their business, Radical Learning, and their po
Learning and Memory
We’re kicking off Season 7 with a deep dive into learning and memory – this one’s for the nerds out there! We cover: Four stages of memory: perceiving, encoding, retaining, and retrieving. What can affect perceiving and encoding; the ‘front end’ of memory. Different types of memory, including working memory, short term memory, long term memory, and different k
Season 7 coming March 24th!
We are back with Season 7 of the podcast on March 24th! In the meantime, we both have some online training for professionals. Check out Michelle’s training on providing meaningful and theraputic Assessment Feedback for psychologists, running online on the 28th Feb, and Monique’s training on the Square Model – Supporting Neurodivergent Folks in Therapy, running online on th
Knowing Yourself with Clare Bowen
For our final episode of Season 6 we are thrilled to welcome Australian actor and vocalist Clare Bowen to the podcast, to chat with us about her experiences as an Autistic and ADHD woman. Clare has been in a number of wonderful films, series, and theatre productions both here in Australia and internationally, with her most recognizable role being Scarlett O’Connor in the American TV series,
Dissociation with Dr Jamie Marich
This week Monique interviews Dr. Jamie Marich (she/they) about dissociation. Jamie is a clinical trauma specialist, EMDR Consultant, expressive artist, recovery advocate, and author of many excellent books, including ‘Dissociation Made Simple’, and their latest book ‘You Lied to Me About God’ – a memoir of spiritual abuse and recovery. She is a queer woman in long-ter
Self Care with Dr Megan Anna Neff
On today’s episode we’re excited to welcome Dr. Megan Anna Neff to the podcast to chat with us about neurodivergence and self-care. Megan is a clinical psychologist, author, and the founder of Neurodivergent Insights. She’s written Self-Care for Autistic People and has a new book on autistic burnout coming soon. Megan discovered her own neurodivergence at 37, which spar
Special Interests and Creativity with Marie Masse
This week on the pod we chat with Marie Masse (pronounced ‘moss’) about special interests and creativity. Marie is part of our little ND Woman Pod team, and she has been the creative genius behind pretty much everything except the actual episodes themselves, so if you follow us on socials, or you’ve checked out our website, or you’ve downloaded one of our gorgeous PDF episo
Gaming with Jess Rowlings
Today’s guest is Jess Rowlings. Jess is the CEO and co-founder of Next Level Collaboration, as well as a qualified speech and language therapist. She also works as a researcher at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, and previously Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. Jess is an adult diagnosed AuDHDer and has a lifelong love of games, both of which inform her work and researc
Aging as an Autistic Person with Prof. Sandra Thom-Jones
This week Monique interviews Professor Sandra Thom-Jones about aging as an autistic person. Sandra is an autistic author, artisan, academic, and advocate. She provides consultancy services to education, employment, and healthcare providers, and supports for autistic people, through her consultancy ‘Autistic Professor’. Sandra is the author of Growing in to Autism, and she has unde
Grooming with Anna Clarke
Content warning: This episode discusses grooming and sexual assault. Some listeners may decide to skip this one. This week Monique interviews fellow psychologist Anna Clarke on grooming. As a multiply neurodivergent psychologist, EMDR therapist, and play therapist, Anna is passionate about supporting care teams with a trauma-informed, neurodivergent-affirming lens, and they are experienced
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder with Penny Moodie
This week we speak with Penny Moodie about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Penny is a writer, OCD advocate, and mum of three little people. She is the author of ‘The Joy Thief: How OCD steals your happiness – and how to get it back’ and the co-creator the website soocd.com.au, which is packed with information on OCD and how to get support. In this episode Penny very g
Grief and Loss with Liam Spicer
On today’s episode Monique interviews Liam Spicer about grief and loss. Listeners will notice that Liam is not a neurodivergent woman, but we’ve decided to make an exception this time as Liam is an expert in the area of neurodivergence and grief. Liam is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology, and he’s a Psychologist, EMDR Consultant, and Accredited Schema Therapist based in Lau
Working with Eating Disorders with Margo White
We are thrilled to interview Margo White this week on working with eating disorders in the neurodivergent population. Margo is an Accredited Clinical Nutritionist, proudly neurodivergent AuDHDer, mother of two, and founder of Whole Body Nutrition. Margo helps Neurodivergent folk of all ages, genders, and backgrounds to cultivate an emotionally healthy relationship with food. A relationship th
Entrepreneurship and Neurodivergence with Dr Hayley Kelly
This week Monique chats with Dr Hayley Kelly about entrepreneurship. Hayley is a clinical psychologist, CEO, and Founder of Therapists Rising. Her goal is to transform the mental health landscape by helping therapists build sustainable and impactful businesses. Diagnosed with Autism and ADHD later in life, she brings a unique, neuroaffirming approach to entrepreneurship, inspiring mental health pr
Being Childfree
We kick off Season 6 with a chunky episode about being childfree, and share our personal experiences on this topic. This was a really meaningful and important topic for us – we hope you find it useful! We cover: The cultural and normative context of motherhood Understanding your desire for or against motherhood and what are the complexities and nuances in this. Ruby Warrington’
The Future of Neurodiversity Affirming Practice with Sonny Jane Wise
For our final episode of the season we welcome Sonny Jane Wise to the podcast, to share their wisdom on all things neurodivergence. This is a fabulous ep to start with if you’re new to the neurodiversity affirming model, and also if you’ve been here a while! Sonny Jane is a trans, multiply neurodivergent & disabled public speaker, advocate and author. Sonny was diagnosed wit
Dyspraxia with Rosemary Richings
We are thrilled to have Rosemary Richings on the podcast today, to chat with us about her experience of dyspraxia. Rosemary is a writer, editor, and public speaker specialising in disability and neurodiversity, and she is the author of Stumbling Through Space and Time: Living Life With Dyspraxia. Rosemary is on the board of trustees of Dyspraxic Me, a charity for dyspraxic
Compassionate Practice
In this week's episode we chat about compassionate practice. We have both been super keen to do an episode on compassion for a while now, given compassion is a core tenant of our practice. In this ep we went through some of the core features of compassion, how this can be used therapeutically, and developing self-compassion. We loved putting this episode together for you! We cover: What is
Minority Stress with Rebecca Gannon
Today on the show Monique interviews Rebecca Gannon. Rebecca is a Neurodivergent Psychologist with a Masters in Educational and Developmental Psychology. Their clinical work focuses on Autism and ADHD assessment for adults as well as supervising other Psychologists and allied health professionals in neuroaffirming practice skills. Rebecca is Aboriginal, a parent, a partner, and their long-standing
Depression and TMS with Michelle Marques
In this week’s episode we are thrilled to chat to Michelle Marques about her experience with depression and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, plus a million other things. Michelle is an Autistic and ADHD writer with a background in journalism and a Master’s in African American studies. Her writing and research focuses on gender, sexuality, race, neurodiversity, and pop culture.
Early Identification with Josephine Barbaro
This week on the podcast Monique interviews the incredible Associate Professor Josephine Barbaro. Josie is a late identified Autistic ADHDer. She is a Principal Research Fellow and Psychologist at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, La Trobe University, Melbourne. She is the Research Director of Identification and Diagnosis of Autism, and Clinical Director of the Victorian Early Assessment C
Sensory Regulation with Joanne Seymon
A note to our listeners: In this episode we chat about self-harm. Some of our listeners may prefer to skip this one. Happy Monday! In today’s episode Monique interviews Joanne Seymon; AuDHDer Occupational Therapist, and co-founder of Kaiko Fidgets. Jo is passionate about developing appropriate sensory tools for teens and adults, with a focus on harm minimisation and emotional regulat
Stimming with Marie Camin
On this week’s episode Monique interviews Marie Camin about stimming. Marie is a multiply neurodivergent clinical psychologist, researcher, and a neurodiversity advocate. Marie is currently completing her PhD on Autistic stimming at La Trobe University and she is a Founding Committee Member of the OTARC Autistic Advisory Group; she believes strongly in contributing to a more accurate and aff
Pelvic and Sexual Pain with Shan Morrison
This week on the podcast we interview ADHDer and physiotherapist Shan Morrison. Shan is a Specialist Women’s, Men’s & Pelvic Health Physiotherapist and fellow of the Australian College of Physiotherapists. She has practiced exclusively in pelvic health for 30 years, and is the director of Women’s & Men’s Health Physiotherapy: a private practice based in Melbour
Neurodivergent Parents Parenting Neurodivergent Kids with Dr Celia Falchi
Today’s guest is ADHDer psychologist Dr. Celia Falchi. Celia works in private practice in Wellington, New Zealand. She works with predominantly neurodivergent clients across the lifespan, specialising in trauma work, and she engages in advocacy work within the profession, including being on the Education Committee for AADPA. Celia is also mum to two AuDHDer neurodivergent kids, who are 10 an
'We don't know what we don't know' with Jodie Wilson
A note to our listeners – this episode briefly mentions suicide, so some of our listeners may decide to skip this one. This week on the podcast Monique interviews Jodie Wilson, who is an AuDHDer veterinarian, researcher, author, and mum (not necessarily in that order!). Jodie advocates for diversity inclusion within the veterinary industry through her work with the Veterinary Kaleido
The Menopause Transition
Menopause! It happens to roughly half of the human race, but it continues to be shrouded in mystery for many people. In today’s episode we discuss this very important transition. We cover: Why are we doing an episode on menopause? The social aspect of the menopause transition. An overview of our sex hormones and how these change during the menopause transition. Early and premature menopause
Decolonising Neurodivergence with Claire Johnston
On our final episode for season 4 we welcome Claire Johnston to the podcast. Claire is a citizen of the Red River Métis Nation, who lives on the land of their ancestors in Treaty 1 Territory, also known as Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. They are a Métis beadwork artist and are currently mentoring under Métis artist and Knowledge Keeper Jennine Krauchi. Claire is a pro
Perfectionism with Jennifer Kemp
This week we chat with Jennifer Kemp about perfectionism. Jennifer is a Clinical Psychologist based in Adelaide, Australia. She is the author of ‘The ACT Workbook for Perfectionism: Build Your Best (Imperfect) Life Using Powerful Acceptance & Commitment Therapy and Self-Compassion Skills’ as well as several e-books, which are linked below. Monique and Jennifer are currently co-writ
Acquired Brain Injury
Happy Monday! This week we chat about Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). We cover what is an acquired brain injury and what can cause an ABI, how does ABI fit within the neurodivergence umbrella, and the prevalence of ABI in Australia. We explore what are some of the cognitive manifestations of ABI and what can impact how an ABI manifests, identity shifts that can occur with an ‘acquired’ ne
Selective mutism with Chantell Marshall
This week we welcome Chantell Marshall to the podcast, who some may know through the social media handle @shylittlepixie. Chantell is an autistic woman, who lives with selective mutism, severe social anxiety and c-PTSD. She spends most of her time at home with her plants and her foster kittens. Chantell shares her personal journey through autism and mental health openly on social media; Chant
Language and Communication with Adina Levy
Today’s guest is Adina Levy. Adina is an AuDHDer, speech therapist, professional educator, and podcaster. She runs Play. Learn. Chat., and her podcast is called The Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Adina loves intertwining her personal and clinical experiences with the lived experiences and perspectives of other neurodivergent people. She is dedicated to helping pro
Friendships
This week we chat friendships – this was a huuuuuge topic! We cover understanding your friendship needs and how these might change over time, different ways of connecting and forms of friendships, maintenance and management of friendships over time, and factors specific to neurodivergent women and afab folk in friendships. We also chat through the impact of attachment and personal triggers o
Neurodivergence and Sex with Talisin Switch
Content warning: In this episode we talk explicitly and directly about sex. Please be mindful of this if you usually listen with children around. This week we welcome Talisin Switch to the podcast. Talisin is a neurodivergent sex worker and educator, specialising in BDSM and queer exploration. They consider themself to be a person with one foot in theoretical academics and the other in
Personality
This week’s episode is all about personality – what is personality, what factors impact the formation of personality, and how can we measure it? We also chat about personality disorders, unpacking what these are, how they are formed, and how personality disorders fit within the neurodiversity spectrum. We deep dive into Borderline Personality Disorder and Narcissistic Personality Disor
The Immigrant Experience and Neurodivergence with Sandhya Menon
This week’s guest is author and educational and developmental psychologist, Sandhya Menon. Sandhya is an autistic ADHDer. She was born in Singapore, is of Indian-Swiss heritage. She moved to Naarm/Melbourne in Australia after high school, where she lives and works today. Sandhya has written the book The Brain Forest to help children understand neurodiversity and inclusive p
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder with Genevieve Hall
This week we welcome Genevieve Hall back to the pod to chat with us about her experiences with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). Genevieve is a writer, marketing consultant, and creator of the Demimonde Jewel Shop. Her special interests include gemstones, bees, and starting new hobbies (ideally a niche crafting skill). On any given day Genevieve will be either powered or frustrated by her AD
Self Expression with Cynthia Spleen
This week we talk to Cynthia Spleen, aka @plasticmessiah, about self expression. Cynthia is a neuroqueer Mauritian creative based in Naarm. They identify as an autistic and nonbinary person, and have been drawing obsessively since they first picked up a pencil. Cynthia paints, makes music and comics, tattoos, writes, and performs. We chat with Cynthia about identity and labels, fashion, cre
Autistic Burnout
Season 4 is here! We kick off the season with a very chunky episode on Autistic Burnout. In this episode we cover what is burnout in general, the difference between optimal and peak performance, what is Autistic Burnout and what are the signs, what causes and what exacerbates Autistic Burnout, preventative and recovery strategies, and what burnout can signal to us. Find the study on autisti
Your questions answered
On our last episode for Season 3 we answer your questions! We cover: Questions around diagnosis, including the process of getting a diagnosis, grief and identity issues around late diagnosis, when to tell kids about their diagnosis, and the pros and cons of diagnosis Why is it that some neurodivergent people seem to ‘thrive in chaos’ and others need clear structure, routine, an
Identity with Clem Bastow
This week we welcome Clem Bastow to the pod. Clem is an autistic author, cultural critic and screenwriting researcher from Naarm/Melbourne. Their work appears regularly in The Guardian, The Saturday Paper and The Big Issue, and their debut nonfiction book ‘Late Bloomer’ was published by Hardie Grant in 2021. They are currently completing a PhD in screenwriting and Autistic experience a
Advocacy with Barb Cook
This week we have Barb Cook on the pod. Barb is a neurodivergent author, speaker, and advocate, best known as founder of Spectrum Women Magazine and leading editor and co-author of the book, Spectrum Women, Walking to the Beat of Autism. Barb works in her own practice, the NeuroDiversity Hub in Gympie, as a Developmental Educator, Integrative Nutritionist and a Neurodiversity Employment Consu
Pathological Demand Avoidance
On this week’s episode we discuss Pathological Demand Avoidance, or PDA. We explore what PDA is, including the history of this construct, and the positives and negatives of the PDA concept. We cover what factors can contribute to demand avoidance amongst neurodivergent people, including personal, neurobiological, cultural, and social factors, and chat though how our stress response plays int
Repetitive behaviours
This week we explore repetitive behaviours. We cover repetitive behaviours in autism, OCD, tics and Tourette’s Syndrome, and hoarding behaviour, including what causes and drives repetitive behaviours across these neurodivergences. We discuss the overlap of different neurodivergences that include repetitive behaviours, in addition to what distinguishes and differentiates different forms of re
Sexual assault and neurodivergence
Content warning: This episode contains multiple references to sexual assault. Some listeners may decide to skip this one. It is a disturbing reality that neurodivergent women are more likely to experience sexual assault in their lifetime compared to neurotypical women. In this episode we define sexual assault and sexual consent, and chat through the statistics around sexual assault am
Diversity and inclusion support in the workplace with Dr Tanya Murray
Dr Tanya Murray is an autistic woman and the principal project officer for the All Kinds of Minds team for the Department of Education in Queensland. This week we chat with Tanya about diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We cover what inclusion means in a workplace, ways that workplaces can work toward inclusion, make change, and embrace a different approach, how to create an inclusive cultu
Disability with Dr Sarah Bernard
This week we welcome Dr Sarah Bernard on the podcast. Dr Bernard is a disabled autistic ADHDer doctor based in Perth. She is a research team member at Autistic Doctors International and is passionate about disability advocacy and neurodiversity in healthcare. We cover a lot in this episode, including Sarah’s experiences as a neurodivergent woman in university, medical training, and professio
Depression and anxiety
In this episode we explore two of the most common mental health conditions: depression and anxiety. We unpack what separates normal sadness and worry from clinical levels of depression and anxiety and what the ‘purpose’ of these emotional states are. We discuss the overlap of depression and anxiety in neurodivergence, including how common it is, and what factors contribute to depressio
Exceptional and unusual abilities in neurodivergence
This week we discuss unusual and exceptional abilities in neurodivergence. We explore savant abilities, ‘splinter skills’, hyperlexia, and giftedness, as well as ‘twice exceptionality’. Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here. Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive
Bipolar Disorder with Anastasia McLean
This week Michelle and Monique talk with Anastasia McLean about Bipolar Disorder. Anastasia is the host of The Bipolar Diaries podcast. In this episode we cover what actually is Bipolar and Anastasia shares her experiences through adolescence, getting a diagnosis, and into adulthood. We talk about the difficulty teasing apart personality and neurodivergence, the overlap of some of the cognitive tr
What does an Autistic, ADHD’er brain look like?
Welcome to Season 3 of the pod! In this episode Michelle and Monique discuss the overlap and the differences between Autism and ADHD. We cover the differences in presentation of the two, and what it looks like to have both an Autistic and ADHD brain, across executive functioning, special interest, social processing, and sensory processing domains. We also explore the diagnostic criteria for both A
Neurodivergence and disordered eating with Annie Crowe
Content warning: This episode discusses disordered eating, weight loss, and diet culture, and Annie describes her experiences during periods of an active eating disorder. Some listeners may find this content triggering, particularly those currently experiencing an active eating disorder, and those in recovery from an eating disorder. Please consume with caution, and reach out to your local crisis
Interoception and alexithymia
This week we chat about interoception and alexithymia. We unpack what these concepts mean, and the difference between the two, including understanding our embodied experiences and emotional awareness. We describe some activities to build interoceptive awareness. A handout detailing the interoceptive activity described on the podcast will be available on our Patreon this month!
Representation and intersectionality with Paige Krystal Wilcox
Our guest this week is Paige Krystal Wilcox. Paige is an award-winning activist and author, and she uses the Intentional Storytelling method to create compelling stories that counter unhealthy or unhelpful bias, tropes, and stereotypes in mainstream media. Paige is a neurodivergent woman who was assigned male at birth, and she does not use the labels trans or transgender. In this episode we
Parenting Neurodivergent Kids
This week we discuss some of the strengths and challenges in parenting neurodivergent kids, whilst being neurodivergent yourself. We talk through the heritability of neurodivergence, intergenerational impacts of this, and the importance of knowing yourself to best know and support your child. We address boundary setting, managing conflicting sensory needs, teaching interoception, and managing expe
Perinatal Maternal Mental Health and Neurodiversity with Amanda Donnet
In this week’s episode we interview clinical psychologist, Amanda Donnet. Amanda works at the intersection of infant feeding, mental health, and early parenting, and she works from a Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) framework. She champions finding solutions that honour the needs of both parents and baby, bringing fierce compassion to perinatal mental health. For those who are new to
Treating Sleep Disorders
This week is part 2 of our two-part series on sleep. In this episode we discuss issues around chronic disordered sleep. We chat about the impact of sleep on emotional regulation and the feedback loops between other disorders or health conditions and sleep, including trauma, anxiety, depression, and pain conditions. Monique takes us through how sleep disorders are actually assessed and treat
Synaesthesia and ADHD epidemiology with Dr Holly Erskine
This week Monique and Michelle interview neurodivergent woman, epidemiologist, and mental health researcher, Dr Holly Erskine. Holly’s PhD research focussed on the global epidemiology of ADHD and conduct disorder as well as the long-term outcomes associated with these. She now leads an international project looking at mental health in adolescents in Kenya, Indonesia, and Vietnam. In t
Chronic Pain and Autoimmune Conditions
In this episode we discuss the overlap between neurodivergence, chronic pain, and autoimmune conditions. We review information on the prevalence of chronic pain and autoimmune conditions in neurodivergent women and discuss what can contribute to these conditions in neurodivergent women. Finally, we go through some strategies on how to manage the ‘boom and bust’ of chronic health condit
Sleep and Neurodivergence
This week is part 1 of a two-part sleep series. We discuss sleep cycles, common sleep issues and sleep disorders in neurodivergent people, and what can contribute to or cause sleeping issues. We go through some strategies to support healthy sleep, and what to do if you’re worried about your sleep. In part 2 of the sleep series, to be released on 21st March, we will dive into clinical
Psychosis and Schizophrenia with Dr Ilvana Dzafic
In this episode Monique and Michelle interview schizophrenia and psychosis researcher, Dr Ilvana Dzafic. We unpack how psychosis and schizophrenia fit into the neurodiversity framework, what is the psychosis continuum, and how psychosis and schizophrenia are experienced and perceived cross culturally. We also explore some underlying biological mechanisms of psychosis, including the predictive codi
Executive functioning
This week we unpack executive functioning – our brain’s ‘admin team’. We talk about how neurodivergent brains manage and act on information, covering working memory, planning and organising, and getting started on tasks. We also discuss differences between executive functioning in ADHD and Autism, and strategies to support executive functioning. Want polished
The History of Neurodivergence
Kicking off our second season, we explore the history of neurodivergence. In this episode we discuss the idea of a ‘normal’ brain, the adaptive functions of various neurodivergencies, how cultural narratives can impact how we see our effectiveness in society, and the historical evolution of Autism and ADHD. Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab t
The Neurodivergent Woman Season Two Trailer
Welcome to Season 2 of The Neurodivergent Woman Podcast! Episode 1 coming February 7th!Join us, clinical psychologist Monique Mitchelson and clinical neuropsychologist Michelle Livock, for the second season of The Neurodivergent Woman Podcast – a podcast showcasing neurodivergent women from all walks of life. Covering Autism to ADHD and everything in between, we aim to educate and inspire women wh
Relationships and communication
In our final episode for season 1, we talk about relationships and communication. We discuss making friends as an adult, communication barriers in neurotypical-neurodivergent relationships and in neurodivergent-neurodivergent relationships, attachment theory, and navigating intimate relationships. In this episode we briefly discuss attachment theory. It is important to flag that regar
The female hormone cycle
In this episode we discuss the female hormone cycle. We chat about what happens at each stage of our hormone cycle, how this impacts multiple aspects of our daily functioning, and what we can do to make each stage work for us. For those interested, here is the original article by Susan Sontag that we quoted in the ep. Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article fo
ADHD with Genevieve Hall
In this episode we talk with Genevieve Hall. Genevieve is an ADHDer, a writer, and a digital marketer. She shares the importance of having a ‘roadmap’ to her brain, what the diagnostic process was like for her, and her experiences with medication. Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here. Enjoyed this episode and want more content?
Autism with Tanya
This week we chat with Tanya about her experience as an Autistic woman. Tanya is a public servant researcher, and parent. She shares what being Autistic means to her, the importance of finding your tribe, and her experience as an Autistic parent. Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here. Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patr
Neurodivergence and therapy
This week we talk about neurodivergence in the therapy space, including how therapy is adjusted, strategies for anxiety and overwhelm, and different therapeutic styles. Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here. Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode tra
Neurodivergence and trauma
In this week’s episode we discuss the overlap between neurodivergence and trauma. We cover the difference between big T and little t traumas, how trauma processed in the brain, and how trauma is treated. Want polished copies of our episodes in pdf article format? Grab them here. Enjoyed this episode and want more content? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers re
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