When the Wheels Come Off: Navigating Family, Career, and Spiritual Practice

👋 Hey, I’m Rachel! I’m a content creator, yoga teacher, and coach, and a late-diagnosed neurodivergent woman - ADHD a few years back, and I strongly suspect Autism too, so I choose to self diagnose for the time being, as AuDHD. I’m also a proud mum of three (all ND as well!).

Over the past five years, I’ve been on a deep spiritual awakening - one that’s reshaped how I live, parent, and show up in the world. I’m sober, I’m open-hearted, and I don’t hold back from sharing the messy, the magical, and everything in between.

On this podcast, I bring it all together: life, neurodivergence, and spirituality — with honesty, curiosity, and a sense of humour. Expect unfiltered and unscripted chats and inspiring guests, too. Check out my offerings and connect with me below!

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Offerings:

Check out my FREE Inner Peace for ADHD Minds email mini course!

My luxury retreat for midlife women! (free workshop in the pop up too)

Goddess Codes Chakra Masterclass (GODDESS7 to get for £7)

Find me here:

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Transcript

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Conscious but grounded is a podcast exploring the intersection of neurodivergence and spirituality, high vibe living, while staying rooted in the very real challenges of life as a neurodivergent mom. Here I ask the big questions like, how do we connect to the universe while keeping our feet firmly on the ground? How do we honor our sensitivity, creativity, and unique wiring in a world that isn't always built for us? Expect honest, unscripted conversations, personal reflections, and inspiring guest episodes with spiritual teachers, healers and neurodivergent voices. This is a space for truth, humor, spirituality, and practical wisdom, so you can feel more connected, grounded, and at peace in your own skin. Let's dive in. Hello and welcome back to Conscious Book Grounded. This is a podcast by me Rachel Brady. I'm a mom of three. Um, I am neurodivergent, which we are just talking about a lot. I dunno if that will always be the case. It's kind of turning into a Neurodivergent and Spirituality podcast. Um, and on this podcast I talk about, uh, life through a spiritual lens, like all of my struggles and all of my goings on and happenings and how we stay grounded. But connected and conscious through it all. Like where do we kind of, yeah, where do we position ourselves? It's really hard. I find, I find like, um, living life through a spiritual lens. Um, at the minute I'm almost too much the other way. My normal problem is that I'm like, so like spiritual and kind of in that realm that I sometimes almost neglect the grounded side of things. But we're in the school holidays at the minute. It's the summer holidays. Excuse me, I'm drinking. Coffee and it's like giving me this kind of hiccupy thing. Um, and uh, yeah, I'm finding that I'm just like too, too ensconced in what was right in front of my nose at the minute and neglecting my spiritual practices quite a lot. Um, and in the last episode, I think I talked about the mountain backing accident that I had. Um, and that that put paid to a few things and it kind of took my eye off the ball with a lot of things and I was just kind of, I was in survival mode. I think really just focusing on like getting around. Around a bit more. And yeah, like stuff like diet and exercise and spiritual maintenance kind of dropped a little bit, but that's fine. That's like the ebb and flow of life, right? So I'm in the car, I've got a coffee and it's midday. It's the summer holidays and I've managed to escape all three kids that are at home. Adam just walked in, so he's there, but he is working. Uh, but my, after having a little, well, I don't know, a little heated debate should we say around the. Dinner table this lunchtime with my daughter. She's actually, you know, telling her that she's just kind of trouble making all the time. She actually stepped up to the plate and, and said that she would babysit.'cause I've gotta make a trip to a local town to pick up a new phone for my son who dropped his in the river yesterday. We're going on holiday tomorrow, first thing. And I need to go to a town to get this phone for him. So he has a phone on holiday.'cause he was really upset at the fact, at the idea of not having one. Right. I was really tempted to just be like, you'll be fine. But he is a teenager and you know, so I said, okay, fair play. I'll go and get it for you. Um, I get, get the new one for you, the replacement one. Um, and so I've managed to wangle a 45 minute car journey. Without kids and a whole kind of couple of hours in this town without kids, so hurray. I was like, right, everyone, come on, we're going, I'll take you to the park before we go. And they refused to go. And I was like, okay, fine. And she was like, I'll babysits done fine. Absolutely fine. I was just saying to my husband, I've kind of reached a point now where. We have done nothing all week. That would've been unthinkable in previous holidays.'cause my mantra has always been get them out the house. Get them out the house. Get them out the house. I've now reached a point, call it perimenopause. I think it's a bit of the, we do not care club coming in, you know, that trend on Instagram. The we, I mean, I'm just like, I've reached my limit with begging people to get ready. Chasing them around the house with shoes, trying on 17 pairs of socks. I mean, I'm mainly talking about my neurodiverse, my neurodivergent, um, almost 7-year-old. But also the others, you know, getting everyone ready, stopping them arguing, negotiating them to get in the car, losing my rag with them. I, I'm just now like, if no one wants to come, that's cool. Stay here then. So like this week, we have not left the house hardly. I mean, I've walked the dog a couple of times. Myself again, we're at the point now as well where the older two can be left with Stan. So this morning as well, I also went out and got a nail, my nails done, and I left the, I left him with them. It was a very early appointment. They're all still in, they're still in the pajamas now. Let's be real. Um. But they were kind of like just having breakfast, watching tv, and I was like, look, guys don't really want to take him to the nail appointment. And they were like, fine about just having him and, yeah, when I say babysitting, it's a loose term. We, he babysat, they babysat for us. The other night, it was my anniversary and we were like. I actually felt like death. I've been really struggling again with this kind of constantly Ill, constantly tired thing. Um, and, but we were like, look, it's our anniversary. Let's drag our asses out to a local kind of country pub foodie place. And so we went and they babysat for us. Um, and when we got back the one. Supposed to have been babysitting, was on his Xbox. Uh, and the other one was babysitting, who I actually said, you two aren't allowed to interact with each other'cause you fight in so much. She was the one that ended up babysitting. Anyway, we walked in and she was playing twister with him. It was really sweet. And I was like, Ava, you're fired by the way, like you was supposed to be babysitting, standing, apparently put on a really scary movie with like a killer shark. And so that's my family life update. This is life with three kids. It's, you know, as I tell this story, I'm like. You know what, it kind of sounds fun and it is fun, but also your nerve nervous system is run ragged by the constant, like the constant craziness of it all. Let's put it that way. Um, okay, so what I wanted to talk to you about today definitely relates to family life, but also is, um. It is relating to me and my constant life struggle, like the main theme in my life struggle, my kind of very 3D. Feet on the ground life struggle. But it, but it pertains to the spirituality and my purpose and my life purpose and my dharma is the whole career thing. And so I'm finding myself recording these episodes every now and then and not really sharing them very much, which I'm, I keep saying I'm gonna do it, but I actually, I'm gonna share them. Um, and really, really struggling with the career thing because obviously when summer happens, everything, the wheels come off. I mean, the wheels came off a little bit at the start, and I've got myself back on track. I'm super. Uh, I'm very grounded in my sobriety right now. I'm doing a little bit of yoga every day. I am trying to get back on track with my spiritual practices. Um, I meditated a couple of times recently, but I'm not doing that every day. But basically the wheels come off during the holidays. Um, and I've done it that many times now and experienced it that many times. I'm like, ah, okay, so what can we put in place and blah, blah, blah. But one in one, one way in which the wheels do come off, and I feel very untethered is in my career. Like, I, I can't do anything while the holidays are on. Although I can see now with what I've just shared with you that things are changing, the kids are getting older. So I will be able to do some slight things. You know, I did, for example, this morning I got up and did an Instagram post sharing the fact that today was the last day for a flash sale on my Cornwall retreat. So if you're listening to this, by the way, there may, well, by the time we listen to this, it may well be be before November the ninth, which is when we go, uh, and check it out on the page. There may be a spot left. So please join us. It's gonna be absolutely. Amazing people are booking flights. In fact, my co-host is ringing me now, so I'm gonna pause on this and I'll come back to you. And I'm back. So I just had a really lovely chat with my co-host of our Cornwall retreat and we were just saying how excited we are that it's definitely going ahead and all that jazz. So go and check that out on my website. Is there, it's called Luxury Retreats on my website, rachel brady.com. Um, yeah, so what I wanted to talk today was about this tussle this for God several years long, um, wrestle that I've had with my own internal and I. External experiences regarding my career. So like the decision whether to get a job because my neurodivergent mind struggles to stay focused and not be totally multi-passionate and have lots of different threads to what I do. And then the call and the craving towards order and structure that my kind of autistic side of my brain, if you like, um, craves and wants and recognizes that I would be better if I was held in a more of a system. As opposed to this very A DHD entrepreneurial, multi-passionate side and trying to like work out what's best. And, and, and so I landed on the same idea that I get every summer, which is I think I need to go into academia as well as do my entrepreneurial stuff. And so this has all got me reflecting. Um, the decision that I made, which was I did the same thing I've done several times before. Got, I applied for a course this time it was philosophy and it tied in with my year. My love of yoga philosophy and I put on my personal statement what I, what, what I wanted to explore, which was, you know, neurodivergence within the lens of spirituality and philosophy. And they obviously thought that was a good idea because they gave me a place on this course at a very prestigious university, at Russell Group University. And like my coach reflected back at me. The fact that I got accepted onto it is a huge dopamine hit. And perhaps, and it is also a huge, it's like a, it's like recognition, right? And as a projector in my human. Design, I'm a projector. Uh, one of the most important things for me, my design is to be seen, to be recognized. So whether that's somebody saying, this podcast episode really resonated with me, or, wow, you are such a present mother, or like, um, wow, that coaching session really moved the needle for me. Or like, whoa, that was the best yoga class ever. Like, that is all recognition for me. Um, and I don't get that. As often as I need. I think because I'm so torn all the time between being a mom and let's face it, like you don't get much thanks off your kids or your husband really. Although he says that he's trying to do it more. And I think, you know, he has said a few things, nice things recently about like how great a job you're doing. You know, you only ever get the criticism like, oh, there's no food in the fridge, or, why are you in a bad mood? Or like, whatever. It's like 99%. Well, alright, 70, 75% of the time. At the time, I'm like a really great mom. Um, and I need that recognition, like I've said to them several times recently. I love being a mom. I love being a, mainly a stay at home mom. I love, I love all of it. I'm a very domesticated, homey girl. Um, but I just wanna be recognized and appreciated and seen, and that rings true in my career as well. And so when I burn my career down, because I can't handle the nervous system stress of juggling career and motherhood. I always end up coming back to career as a need because I need to be seen as something other than a mom. I need my gifts and my purpose to be recognized. And so that's, um, I feel like what the coach said to me was, do you want my honest opinion? This is too much for you right now.'cause I was like, should I do this degree and run my business? And she was like, this is too much for you. Like, focus on your sobriety, focus on your wellbeing, focus on all those things. You're going to have a reaction to. This. And then I also, and I agreed with her and I just needed somebody to reflect that back to me. And she was like, look, I think the dopamine hit of knowing that you could do that if you wanted to is probably enough and what you were looking for in a weird way. And I was like, yeah, I think so. Like it's, it's really reassuring to know that they thought my ideas were valid and worth exploring an academic level and that they think I'm, you know, capable of doing a master's degree and whatever. And also, like she said, that doesn't mean that. Is a no forever. She's like, could you defer it? Could you do it in five years time? Like loads of women do degree, do masters and PhDs and stuff in their fifties and sixties like, and I was like, yeah, that sounds really good. Like when the kids are gone. I would love to do that. Like I do feel drawn to academia, but like I say, so the decision to not do it, and that made me reflect like, you know what? This is so the right decision. And then I got really excited about my business again. I reached out to my. Good group locally and said, I'm, I'm putting a class on. Give me a thumbs up if you think you're gonna be able to make it before I firm up this booking. I got really excited and I started to think about all the things that my little business gives me, like a voice. It gives me community in my local area. You know, I've got some amazing opportunities that have come recently. From my YouTube videos on a DHD I'm gonna be involved in a, in a film, a short film about masking. Um, somebody else is gonna send me like an aura ring. You know, sometimes it's not necessarily that they're going to, I'm gonna get paid for the film thing, but like, sometimes you cannot predict what these things, you know, what opportunities present themselves. And anyway, what I want, that wasn't what I wanted to talk to on this podcast. What I wanted to say is the real flex for me, it feels like there's an absolute shift. So the real flex you. In the eighties, nineties used to be like, girl, I've got a career, I've got this, I've got that. I've got three degrees and I've got five kids. And until actually quite recently, I think that was what people deemed as success and a flex and. In virtual commerce and you know, all those posts on Instagram where it's like the real flex is regulated nervous system, like clean bedsheets, you know, a home cooked meal, like a movie night with your family. I walk in nature, you know, I'm like, oh, I just wanna like kiss the scream when I see that, because that's so true. And don't get me wrong, I am also ambitious. I do also have quite expensive tastes like I. Want to travel. I do want to have an nice car. I do want to have an nice home. I do want to be successful in not, uh, only a domestic sense, but also I think there is, there really is a shift in this definition of what defines success. And I've noticed it in my. Self. Like I often used to think when I read those memes and I shared them. Yeah, you, you kind of given this lip service.'cause come on. Of course you want like the other type of success too. Yeah, I do. But do you know what I want more a regulated nervous system, a good night's sleep. And so I chose, in turning down this university place, I chose, I prioritized a regular nervous system, a good night's sleep, baking bread, you know, using my essentials, having time for yoga. I. I, okay, let's just interject here. Press pause, because I've just realized that this is, this is also a very privileged situation to be in, and I can't have this conversation without acknowledging my own white privilege. I'm a white, I am a woman that, so, but I'm a white woman. Um, um, and I just wanna acknowledge that that isn't a choice for the, for a huge amount of people, for the majority of people. But I still wanted to talk about it. I still want to talk about the fact that I honestly feel like there is a paradigm shift happening. Okay? So it may only be with the privileged view, but I think hopefully this will be start a movement towards a redefinition of success, a redefinition of priorities where actually our wellbeing is more important than the degrees we've got. The level of job senior. We've got the car, we drive all of it. You know, like more and more and more. When problems arrive in my life, I just think, what do I want? I'm like, I just want peace. I'm like, I just want peace. Like not having the bandwidth anymore to fight my children into getting out the house and chasing them around with shoes. I'm just like, what does he want? He wants to stay in his pajamas. He wants to play on his Xbox and then play with his toys and then jump on the trampoline. Absolutely fine me. There you go. You wanna weed mix instead of the meal, like. Look to you absolutely fine. There you go. Like I choose peace. Like I really, it's like this low demand lifestyle, like this low demand parenting, low demand lifestyle. I'm not gonna go to war with you in search of perfection, and I'm not gonna go to war with my own wellbeing in search of achievement. And so that was what I wanted to reflect. Today, I thought, what can I talk about on this call, Jenny? Um, so I hope that resonates and let me know. Are you kind of leaning towards that too? And like maybe you're taking like a, you know, or maybe you're not going for a promotion at work. Do you know what, that's just occurred to me, Adam. This has happened to Adam recently. My husband, he got an opportunity in front of him and me, and B were like, yes, go for it. Amazing increase in pay, blah, blah, blah. He went round and round and round and I coached him and coached him and coached him. And eventually he was like, he chose not to do it because he chose his wellbeing and our relationship and his stress levels over going for obviously he may not have got it, but like going for a more stressful, more senior position. Um, and so are you going through that right now? Are you deciding like, do I go for this permission, this promotion? Do. I go for this master's degree, do I go for this, this, this, whatever, X, Y, Z? Or do I choose to kind of stay where I am? Or even, you know, just choosing wellbeing. Choosing your wellbeing and your mental health over outward, outward seeming achievement. So that's it for now guys. I've got a really sore throat, well not sore throat, just like a husky throat today. I am just bloody ill again. I'm just like constantly on the cusp of being ill. Oh. Anyway, I'm gonna go and have a glass of water somewhere and get this phone from my son. Um, and we will catch up soon. I will post my, the several episodes that I've got stacked up, which is always the case and I'll be more brave in sharing them. And let me know if you are listening'cause that will really help me kind of not feel as I'm shouting into the ether as much as that, as much as I feel like I have with the minute. But that's fine. Alright, bye.