The Great ADHD Myth: An AuDHD Panel Discussion on ADHD, Diagnosis, Medication & Lived Experience

What happens when the people actually living with ADHD get a seat at the table?

In this special panel episode of AuDHD and Then Some, Ellie AuDHD Capstick is joined by her co-host Daran, aka Man on Pause, and a diverse panel of voices to discuss and respond to Channel 4’s The Great ADHD Myth.

Together, the panel explores some of the biggest and most controversial conversations surrounding ADHD today, including ADHD diagnosis, late diagnosis, ADHD medication, overdiagnosis and underdiagnosis, neurodivergence, mental health, stigma, access to assessment and the reality of living with ADHD and AuDHD.

Rather than reducing ADHD to statistics, headlines or a television debate, this conversation puts real lived experience at the centre.

The panel shares personal perspectives on what ADHD actually looks and feels like, the impact of spending years without understanding your brain, the barriers people face when seeking diagnosis and support, and why conversations about ADHD need nuance, compassion and the voices of neurodivergent people themselves.

Expect disagreement, honesty, humour and some very big conversations.

Whether you're ADHD, AuDHD, autistic, questioning whether you might be neurodivergent, supporting someone with ADHD, or simply interested in the debate surrounding ADHD diagnosis in the UK, this episode offers perspectives that often get lost in the headlines.

With so much thanks, gratitude, kindness and appreciation to Chloe-Louise, Abdul-Ahad, Chris Anderson, Mick Miller, and, of course, our fabulous Daran Man on pause.

And last but absolutely not least, Angie Rhys.

Thank you all so much for giving your time, your voices, your experiences and your perspectives to this conversation. It genuinely wouldn’t have been the same without you. ❤️🌈

🎙️ AuDHD and Then Some, hosted by Ellie AuDHD Capstick

Topics include: ADHD, AuDHD, autism, ADHD diagnosis, late-diagnosed ADHD, ADHD medication, neurodivergence, ADHD assessment, ADHD stigma, mental health, lived experience, Channel 4's The Great ADHD Myth, and the ADHD diagnosis debate.

🎙️ New Episode: Rebuilding Yourself After Narcissistic Abuse with Skye Bellarmine

Content note: This episode includes discussions of narcissistic abuse, gaslighting, trauma, emotional manipulation, and recovery.

In this episode of AuDHD… And Then Some, I’m joined by Skye Bellarmine for a powerful and deeply honest conversation about surviving narcissistic abuse, learning to recognise the warning signs, and rebuilding your life after years of self-doubt.

Together, we discuss:

💜 What narcissistic abuse can look like in everyday life.

💜 How gaslighting slowly makes you question your own thoughts, memories, and instincts.

💜 Why leaving isn’t always as simple as people think.

💜 Rebuilding trust in yourself after emotional manipulation.

💜 Setting healthy boundaries without guilt.

💜 The long journey of healing and discovering who you are again.

💜 Why taking recovery one small step at a time can be life-changing.

We also talk about Skye’s personal journey through trauma and resilience, and how she found the strength to rebuild a life that felt authentic and hopeful.

Whether you’ve experienced narcissistic abuse yourself, you’re supporting someone who has, or you’re trying to make sense of a relationship that doesn’t feel right, I hope this conversation helps you feel a little less alone.

Thank you, Skye, for sharing your story with such honesty, compassion, and courage.

If this episode resonates with you, please follow the podcast, leave a review if you’d like to support the show, and share it with someone who might need to hear it.

💜 Happy listening.

Do you ever just… disappear when you’re overwhelmed?

If you’re AuDHD, ADHD, or autistic, you might experience shutdown — where everything becomes too much and you pull away, go quiet, or completely withdraw.

In this episode, I talk about neurodivergent burnout, shutdown, and why your brain sometimes needs to “switch off” to cope.

We explore:

– what shutdown looks like in ADHD, autism & AuDHD

– the difference between burnout, overwhelm, and shutdown

– why you might disappear from messages, people, or responsibilities

– the link between masking, exhaustion, and nervous system overload

– how to respond to yourself with compassion instead of guilt

This isn’t laziness. It’s not you “failing.”

It’s your nervous system trying to protect you.

If you’ve ever gone quiet and thought

“why can’t I just function like everyone else?”

this episode is for you.

Nervous System Regulation, Sensory Overload & AuDHD Burnout | Ellie & Tasha

This month, Ellie and Tasha are back together for their monthly AuDHD & Then Some catch-up — and this one is very real, very candid, and recorded while both of us are feeling a little bit frazzled ourselves.

Our theme this month is nervous system regulation, sensory overload and overwhelm in AuDHD, and we're talking openly about what that actually looks like in everyday life.

We chat about our own experiences of feeling close to burnout, recognising when our nervous systems are overloaded, what helps us regulate, and the small things we can do when our brains and bodies are screaming, "ENOUGH."

We cover:

🌈 AuDHD and nervous system regulation
🧠 ADHD, autism and sensory overload
🔥 Recognising neurodivergent burnout
😵‍💫 Overwhelm, exhaustion and feeling frazzled
💚 Ways we can support ourselves when we're dysregulated
🫶 Recovering from periods of burnout
🎧 Sensory needs and understanding your own nervous system
💬 Our own very real experiences this month
✨ Practical tips and ideas that may help
🌱 What we're working on ourselves — because we definitely don't have it all figured out either!

We also talk about what's coming this month inside the AuDHD & Then Some Membership, including our resources around nervous system regulation, sensory overwhelm and understanding your individual needs.

Members can access resources through our website and our Facebook Subscribers Hub, with resources designed to be downloadable, printable and fillable, so you can actually use them in whatever way works best for your brain.

And yes… we were BOTH slightly dreading recording this episode because we're tired, frazzled and feeling the effects of a very busy month.

But we showed up.

And actually? We're bloody glad we did. 💚

This is what our monthly episodes are about — no pretending we've mastered neurodivergence, no perfect morning routines and no telling you to simply "regulate your nervous system."

Just two AuDHD women having an honest conversation about what life looks like when your nervous system has had quite enough, thank you very much.

🎧 AuDHD & Then Some

Explore our membership, downloadable resources, tools, information, merchandise and more at audhdandthensome.com.

Topics: AuDHD, ADHD, autism, neurodivergence, nervous system regulation, sensory overload, sensory overwhelm, autistic burnout, ADHD burnout, AuDHD burnout, emotional regulation, dysregulation, overstimulation, executive dysfunction, neurodivergent women, ADHD women, autistic women, burnout recovery, sensory processing, mental health, self-regulation, neurodivergent support.

🎙️ NEW EPISODE: Can an App Really Spot Relationship Red Flags? | Justin Smith, Founder of Cray

This was a REALLY interesting one, and I genuinely want to know what you all think. 👀

Today I'm joined by Justin Smith, founder of Cray, a dating safety app he created following his own experience of an eight-year relationship that he describes as emotionally abusive and incredibly traumatic.

Justin took that experience and turned it into something designed to help other people recognise potential red flags, manipulation and unsafe patterns earlier.

Now, I went into this conversation with QUESTIONS. 😂

Because who actually decides what a red flag is?

Is something that's unhealthy in one relationship necessarily unhealthy in another?

How much does circumstance matter?

And can an app really account for all of that?

I want to make something clear because I think it's important: Justin and I didn't agree on absolutely everything in this conversation.

There were opinions and generalisations I questioned, and you'll hear me offer different perspectives throughout. But that's exactly what I want this podcast to be.

I don't want to only interview people who think exactly like me.

I want to be able to sit across from someone, hear their story, respectfully question things, disagree where appropriate and let YOU make up your own mind.

And I have to give Justin a massive thank you for that. 💜

I threw some pretty challenging questions at him, including questions that could easily have felt like criticism of something he's spent 18 months building, and he took every single one like an absolute trooper. He explained his reasoning, answered openly and never shied away from the conversation.

Thank you, Justin, for trusting me with your story and for being willing to have a genuinely open conversation rather than expecting me to simply nod along.

🎧 Have a listen and then PLEASE come back and tell me what you think.

Can an app really help us identify relationship red flags? And who gets to decide what a red flag actually is?

I'm genuinely interested to see where you lot land on this one. 👀💜

🎧 Spotify link below 👇

Is It Trauma… or Is It Neurodivergence? ADHD, Autism & the Nervous System | Elizabeth Ormes

Is it trauma? Is it ADHD or autism? Or can neurodivergence and trauma become so intertwined that it’s difficult to know where one ends and the other begins?

In this episode of AuDHD and Then Some, Ellie Capstick is joined by psychotherapist, trauma specialist and neurodivergent professional Elizabeth Ormes for an incredibly insightful conversation about AuDHD, ADHD, autism, trauma, masking and the neurodivergent nervous system.

Elizabeth brings nearly 30 years of experience in mental health — alongside her own lived experience of neurodivergence — and this turned into such a warm, fascinating and genuinely thought-provoking conversation.

We explore the huge overlap between trauma responses and neurodivergent traits, and what happens when a person has spent years masking, adapting, people-pleasing or living in survival mode without understanding why.

We talk about:

🧠 ADHD, autism and AuDHD⚡ Trauma and the neurodivergent nervous system🎭 Masking and losing your sense of identity❤️ People-pleasing and survival responses🫠 Emotional dysregulation, overwhelm and shutdown👩 Why neurodivergent women can be missed for so long🔍 Discovering your neurodivergence later in life🌱 Healing, self-understanding and learning who you are underneath the mask

We also ask an important question:

When you’ve spent your whole life believing something is “wrong” with you, what happens when you finally begin to understand your brain instead?

This episode isn’t about fixing neurodivergent people.

It’s about understanding ourselves — our brains, our bodies, our nervous systems and the experiences that have shaped us.

Whether you’re diagnosed with ADHD, autism or AuDHD, self-identifying, exploring whether you may be neurodivergent, or simply trying to understand yourself a little better, there is so much in this conversation to take away.

And yes… Elizabeth’s cat even makes a little appearance. 🐱❤️

🎙️ AuDHD and Then Some — real, honest conversations about ADHD, autism, AuDHD, late diagnosis, masking, mental health and life inside a neurodivergent brain.

Guest: Elizabeth Ormes — psychotherapist, trauma specialist, neurodivergent professional and founder of Actualizing Your Best Self.

Topics: AuDHD • ADHD in women • autism in women • neurodivergence • trauma • PTSD • complex trauma • nervous system regulation • autistic masking • ADHD masking • people-pleasing • emotional dysregulation • late diagnosed ADHD • late diagnosed autism • neurodivergent women • identity • healing

Today I discovered something that filled me with a whole new level of guilt, dread and panic…

A spam message folder.

Now, to most people, that probably doesn’t sound like a big deal. But to a recovering people pleaser with AuDHD, discovering messages from people who thought I’d ignored them has sent my brain into overdrive.

The reality is that I never imagined so many people would reach out to me.

Every day I receive messages about ADHD, autism, AuDHD, diagnosis journeys, parenting, relationships, mental health, burnout, masking and life in general. I am incredibly grateful that people trust me enough to share their stories, but if I’m honest, it also comes with a level of pressure that I wasn’t prepared for.

In this episode, I talk openly about the guilt of unread messages, the impossible standards we place on ourselves, people pleasing, rejection sensitivity and what happens when your desire to help everyone collides with the reality that you’re only one human being.

If you’ve ever felt guilty for not replying, struggled to keep up with messages, or felt responsible for everyone else’s feelings, this conversation is for you.

And a quick disclaimer…

If you ever need to speak with me directly and it’s something important, please don’t rely on social media messages alone. The best way to guarantee dedicated time with me is through my website.

You can book:

✨ Discovery Calls

✨ Podcast Features

✨ Brainstorm Sessions

✨ Body Doubling Sessions

✨ Mentoring & Support Appointments

That way, I know you have a dedicated space in my diary and can give you my full attention.

Maybe some of you are reading this thinking, “Why on earth would I want to talk to her?”

Honestly… I still don’t fully understand that either. 😂

But if you do, the option is there.

🌈 Book here:

www.ellieaudhd.com

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