Ellie Middleton is an activist, speaker and writer committed to breaking taboos and empowering neurodivergent people to thrive in and out of the workplace. Ellie's story is tragically relatable, but also full of hope, insight and wisdom.

00:00 Trailer

03:04 Shall we start by explaining in brief your diagnoses and where they came throughout your life?

07:52 What were the various iterations of masking throughout your childhood?

10:51 What are the hidden costs of masking

16:06 When was the last time you felt truly 100% unmasked and this made you feel uncomfortable to feel like you're being yourself?

23:59 When was the last time you felt truly 100% unmasked and this made you feel incredibly liberated and accepted?

27:12 From your experience, what toll does the feeling of being misunderstood take on a person at the time it's happening, and in hindsight what toll do you think it can play on a person when they reach adulthood?

31:14 We’ve had a few guests on with AuDHD and one of the most illustrative of analogies is "it's like 2 siblings dragging each other across the room by their hair". How would you describe these two sectors of the brain colliding on a day-to-day basis?

35:46 Last time you were on you described a sort of 6 month pendulum swing of depression that would then swing to optimism and ambition. You haven't been on here for around a year, so I was just wondering if this has cropped up again in your life and how?

39:48 ADHD item

42:24 The washing machine of woes

48:19 Does having ADHD and Autism make you more tolerant of other people who exhibit what might be frustrating symptoms of ADHD and Autism in your personal or professional life?

51:04 You’ve built a fantastic community online lending support to neurodivergents, from those who have reached out, do you see any common themes in the turmoils of those who are feeling lost?

53:23 Have you made any steps over the last year to manage your R.S.D and has it cropped up in your life since you were last on?

58:23 For someone who has said they take things literally and can maybe be more blunt than people are used to, this must cause confusions in conversations and friendships, how does your RSD deal with these confusions?

01:04:07 Why are boundaries important to a person?

01:11:16 At the beginning of your Ted Talk, you listed contradictions of social dynamics that you had trouble balancing. Could you mention a couple of them now?

01:13:18 You then go on to say other neurotypical people just seemed to have a metaphorical rulebook which helped them understand these things that you couldn't get to grips with, did this lead to resentment of being different? Having to work so hard to understand something others know intrinsically?

01:17:01 A letter from the previous guest

Buy Ellie's book 👉 https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-You-Goodbye-Should-Would/dp/0241710375

Follow Ellie on Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/elliemidds/?hl=en

This episode has been produced for entertainment purposes only and is in no way meant to be taken as medical advice or advice in any way.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Parul Singh opens up about her late ADHD & autism diagnosis. It’s insightful, hilarious and very relatable. Thank you Parul for sharing your incredible story with us.

00:00 Trailer

02:48 When was your first memory of feeling like you might have ADHD?

11:45 And since you were last on, you were diagnosed with Autism too, so the second part of the question. When was your first memory of feeling like you have autistic traits?

20:36 How do you find Autism manifests itself in your social and professional life?

24:16 We had Jay Beech on the show who also has AuDHD and he said that the ADHD brain and the Autism brain are like 2 siblings pulling each other by the hair and dragging each other across the room, is this true for you?

25:53 Has this more recent diagnosis made a lot of sense of previous struggles you've had in the past?

30:55 Since your diagnosis, have you found your tribe?

33:25 Has your diagnosis made sense to those closest to you?

36:26 How do you communicate the everyday struggles of being AuDHD to those around you, those people by which your relationship relies heavily on your strength to communicate things to them. i.e friends, family and partner?

44:47 ‘Pebbling’ explained

46:08 In general, do you find it hard to draw out empathy from a person who has a brain that just thinks in a totally different way?

50:16 What part does "Stockholm Syndrome" play in this? And can you briefly explain what Stockholm syndrome is?

53:00 How much of your AuDHD do you think might be caused by complex PTSD?

56:46 The ADHD Item segment

01:00:19 The ADHD Agony Aunt segment (Washing Machine of Woes)

01:02:31 What is the difference between a shutdown and a meltdown? And why might one occur over the other?

01:11:35 How have you learnt to harness both your ADHD and Autism to become a successful individual?

01:13:32 Does your ADHD ever mask your Autism or vice versa?

01:14:28 What is your relationship with alcohol like at the moment and how has that journey been over the years?

01:16:10 The Alien scenario

01:18:41 Most impulsive thing

01:21:01 Signing the ‘thinks outside the box’ canvas

Find Parul on Linkedin 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/parul-parallel-minds/

This episode has been produced for entertainment purposes only and is in no way meant to be taken as medical advice or advice in any way.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.