Episode 199 with Shannan Palma.

“Sometimes I know exactly what to do — but I just can’t make my body do it. And then comes the shame spiral, the anger, the anxiety.”

Shannan is the founder and CEO of ITI Assistive Technologies and co-leader of the Autistic Self-Reliance Support Network (ASR). Shannan is autistic and has ADHD, and she’s building the kinds of tools she wished had existed when she was struggling most. Prior to her dual diagnosis, Shannan was a professor who left academia due to severe burnout. After her diagnosis, she started looking for resources and support, but soon recognized a huge gap in support for autistic and ADHD adults — especially when it came to executive functioning and decision-making.

In this episode, Shannan and I discuss:

• Shannan’s path from academia to diagnosis and advocacy
• Her AI-powered decision support app Decide, designed specifically for neurodivergent brains by a team of autistic and ADHD developers
• How AI tools can support the mental load of neurodivergent life
• The concept of “bottom-up” processing in neurodivergent brains
• The urgent need for adult-focused research and how the tojisha-kenkyu method of self-directed research can be used among autistic adults.

Website: Autistic Self-Reliance (ASR) ; ITI Assistive Technologies

LinkedIn: Shannan Palma

Links & Resources:

Decide app

Video: Dr. Shannan Palma: #FlipThePowerDynamic in Autism Research and Funding

Annie Duke’s website

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

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Episode edited by E Podcast Productions

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

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Women & ADHD coaching: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

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Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/katy

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Order the “Hey, it’s ADHD!” course: www.womenandadhd.com/adhdcourse

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Did you love this episode? Click here to pledge a one-time donation to the podcast!

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If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD and you’d like to apply to be a guest on this podcast, visit womenandadhd.com/podcastguest.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd

Episode 198 with Raquel Devillé.

“The idea of just sitting still to meditate was always terrifying. I need movement — something active — otherwise I can’t calm down.”

Raquel is a therapist, yoga teacher, and the author of It’s Not Your Period! Beyond Moods and Myths: Understanding Unexplainable Emotions and the Hidden Roots of Pain, Stress, and Anxiety. Originally from Portugal and now based in Belgium, Raquel was diagnosed with ADHD and autism in adulthood after recognizing the signs through her children’s experiences.

Drawing from her personal journey and professional training, Raquel developed the EnCorps Method — a body-centered, practical framework designed to help neurodivergent individuals manage sensory overwhelm, chronic stress, and emotional dysregulation. Her work offers a refreshing, empowering path to self-acceptance and nervous system regulation.

In this episode, Raquel and I discuss:

• The connections between chronic stress, masking, sensory overwhelm, and chronic pain
• How TRE (Tension & Trauma Release Exercises) helps discharge stress stored in the body
• Why stillness-based meditation often doesn’t work for ADHDers — and what does
• Practical ways to weave body-based practices like TRE and somatic healing into daily life
• Highlights from her EnCorps Method, including embracing sensations, nurturing the body, and stabilizing the nervous system over time

Whether you're newly diagnosed or deep into your neurodivergence journey, Raquel’s approach offers some fascinating and tangible strategies for stabilizing the nervous system over time

Website: encorps.be ; raqueldeville.be

Instagram: @raqueldeville

Links & Resources:

Video: Peter Levine's Secret to Releasing Trauma from the Body

Video: Impala Escapes Death & Shakes off Stress

Book: When The Body Says No by Gabor Maté

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Episode edited by E Podcast Productions

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

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Women & ADHD coaching: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

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Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/katy

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Order the “Hey, it’s ADHD!” course: www.womenandadhd.com/adhdcourse

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Did you love this episode? Click here to pledge a one-time donation to the podcast!

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If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD and you’d like to apply to be a guest on this podcast, visit womenandadhd.com/podcastguest.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd

Episode 197 with Danielle Elliot.

“I would love to see the conversation move towards less questioning of women when they talk about having ADHD.”

Danielle is a health and science journalist, documentarian, and creator and host of Climbing the Walls, a new 6-part podcast series produced by Understood.org that releases April 9 (in 2 days!).

Danielle was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 36 amid a surge of ADHD diagnoses in women since the pandemic. In her podcast series, she travels the country speaking with mental health professionals and women with ADHD to get answers to her big questions, like “Why women?” “Why now?” — and are we as a society equipped to support these many recently diagnosed women?

In today’s interview, Danielle shares her own diagnosis story as well as what she discovered throughout this investigative journey. She shares what surprised her most, and where she feels the conversation around neurodivergence — especially among women — needs to be headed.

Website: danielliot.com ; https://lnk.to/climbingthewalls

Instagram: @understoodorg

Links & Resources:

Understood.org

GODDESS ADHD team

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Episode edited by E Podcast Productions

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

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Small group coaching with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

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Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

- - - - -

Order the “Hey, it’s ADHD!” course: www.womenandadhd.com/adhdcourse

- - - - -

Did you love this episode? Click here to pledge a one-time donation to the podcast!

- - - - -

If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD and you’d like to apply to be a guest on this podcast, visit womenandadhd.com/podcastguest.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd