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I got my official ADHD diagnosis in my forties, and it’s forcing me to tell the truth about what people never see behind “high functioning”. On the outside I’m building, leading, creating, parenting, delivering. Inside, it can feel like 20 tabs are open at once, ideas are loud, tasks are heavy, and the effort it takes to look composed is the part nobody claps for. I talk through ADHD combined presentation, autistic traits, dyslexia, masking, and why a late diagnosis can be both grief and relief.

We then shift into something that hit a nerve online: friendship and money. A clip about Savannah James and April McDaniel sparks a bigger conversation about friendship economics, entitlement versus generosity, and what happens when two people love each other but live in completely different financial realities. If every plan reflects one person’s disposable income, the friendship can quietly become inaccessible. We unpack dignity, resentment, power imbalance, and the uncomfortable questions most people avoid.

From there we zoom out to the UK: Andy Burnham’s Labour conference speech, what it signals about the economy, public services, social care, and the personal tax allowance. I also get practical about the world of work: career mobility beyond the UK, and how to protect yourself when senior people ignore you to block your progress.

Finally, I answer a listener dilemma on Access to Work, a manager demanding unredacted receipts by email, and how GDPR data minimisation plus the Equality Act 2010 should shape the process. If this speaks to you, subscribe, share the episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review with the point that landed hardest for you.

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Music (Intro and Outro) Written and created by Nomadic Star

Stationary Company: Sistah Scribble

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A grand jury says “no indictment” and the timeline instantly gets flattened into “case closed” online, so we slow it right down and get precise. We talk through the Nolan Wells update, what a grand jury actually does in the US (and why it is not a criminal trial), and why “consistent with drowning” still leaves a family living with unanswered questions. If you care about justice, transparency and how institutions build or destroy trust, this part matters.

We tackle Hyrox and the most basic question of all: when does “determination” become a health and safety issue, and who gets the benefit of the doubt when they cross the line?

We bring it home with real world workplace strategy: Barclays staff pushing back on return-to-office demands through union organising, the Colin Kaepernick and Jay-Z clash as a case study in Black solidarity versus capitalism, and a DoorDash settlement that proves rights on paper mean nothing without enforcement.

We also break down UK personal tax allowance set to possibly increase. Celebrating Maya Jukes’ promotion with a reminder to negotiate scope, resources, authority and pay, not just a title. If this gave you language for something you’ve been feeling at work, share it with a friend, subscribe, and leave a review so more people can find the podcast.

Sponsorships - Email me: hello@toyatalks.com

TikTok: toya_washington

Twitter: @toya_w (#ToyaTalksPodcast)

Snapchat: @toyawashington

Instagram: @toya_washington & @toya_talks

https://toyatalks.com/

Music (Intro and Outro) Written and created by Nomadic Star

Stationary Company: Sistah Scribble

• Instagram: @sistahscribble
• Website: www.sistahscribble.com
• Email: hello@sistahscribble.com

Send us Fan Mail

The job market is brutal, interviews are getting longer and cheekier, and too many of us are trying to hold everything together while quietly running on empty. We’re back, and we start with the real reasons people disappear: burnout, change, family life, and the pressure of masking when you’re neurodivergent and “high functioning”. I talk about what it looks like to prioritise the urgent, protect your privacy, and rebuild momentum without pretending it’s easy.

Then we get into career strategy for the UK job market in crisis. I share why this doesn’t feel like a generalist market anymore, how to specialise without trapping yourself, and why learning and development has to sit with you, not your employer. We also talk internal mobility, gatekeeping, pay compression, and the rise of ridiculous multi-stage interviews. There’s a story in here that proves a point: when you set boundaries and you’re willing to walk away, employers suddenly remember how to make an offer, and you can negotiate from strength.

We zoom out to power and culture too: Ed Sheeran, Macklemore, Palestine, and why “I don’t do politics” can land as hypocrisy when you’ve used your platform before. We challenge the return of Ali G, the recycling of racist caricatures as “nostalgia”, and how that mess shows up later as workplace “banter”. We cover Target’s tone-deaf costume scandal, the Cambridge review into Professor Jason Arday’s death and the UK press, and we end on a big ownership question with the Dangote Refinery IPO and what it could mean for African wealth and retail investors.

If you got something from this, subscribe, share it with your group chats, and leave a review so more people can find the podcast. What boundary are you setting this week?

Sponsorships - Email me: hello@toyatalks.com

TikTok: toya_washington

Twitter: @toya_w (#ToyaTalksPodcast)

Snapchat: @toyawashington

Instagram: @toya_washington & @toya_talks

https://toyatalks.com/

Music (Intro and Outro) Written and created by Nomadic Star

Stationary Company: Sistah Scribble

• Instagram: @sistahscribble
• Website: www.sistahscribble.com
• Email: hello@sistahscribble.com