Ep 100- 100 Neurodivergent Voices

100 Neurodivergent Voices

This episode is different.

To celebrate the 100th episode of the Mad About… Podcast, I didn’t want to make it about me.

Instead, I wanted to do something bigger.

For years, neurodivergent people have been spoken about, researched, analysed, labelled and misunderstood. But far too rarely are we simply given the microphone to speak for ourselves.

So for this episode I asked one question:

“What are you mad about?”

And 100 neurodivergent humans answered.

In this episode you will hear 100 different voices, from people with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, Tourette’s, chronic conditions and other beautifully complex brains.

People from different backgrounds.
 Different ages.
 Different experiences of the world.

Some answers are funny.
 Some are powerful.
 Some are heartbreaking.
 Some will make you nod your head and feel seen in a way you never have before.

Because neurodivergent people are not one story.

We are not one stereotype.
 We are not one narrative.
 We are not a box.

This episode is a reminder that behind every diagnosis is a human being with passions, anger, joy, interests, obsessions and things that make them mad about life.

100 people.
 100 voices.
 100 things they are mad about.

And every single one of them deserves to be heard.

Time Stamp

0:00 Intro and the 100 Voices Mission
2:15 What Maddy is Mad About
4:45 Kindness and Empowerment with Vie
7:10 ADHD Myths and Diagnosis Trends
9:30 Dogs and Emotional Support
11:50 Crafting and Mental Health
14:15 Challenging Normality and Boxes
16:40 Cult Recovery and Pokémon
19:05 Changing Attitudes Toward Death
21:30 Systems for Sideways Thinkers
23:55 Stationery and Organisation Addiction
26:20 Appearances and Snap Judgments
28:45 Inclusion and Chronic Pain
31:10 Reeducating the Public on Autism
33:35 Comedy Improv and Confidence
36:00 Sensory and Emotional Needs in Kids
38:25 Navigating Access to Work Support
40:50 Child Safety and Online Bullying
43:15 Late Diagnosis and Allotment Gardening
45:40 Role Playing Games and Escapism
48:05 Cultural Bias in Spanish Diagnosis
50:30 Strategy Games and WWE Sacrifice
52:55 Expression and Fulfilment in Tech
55:20 Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria Explained
57:45 Silk Art and Creative Storytelling
1:00:10 Reforming the Education System
1:02:35 Neuroscience and the Human Body
1:05:00 Content Creation and the 1% Tweak
1:07:25 Sustainable Jewellery and Cork
1:09:50 Perinatal Mental Health Advocacy
1:12:15 Energy Management over Time Management
1:14:40 Fixing Founder Dependency and Burnout
1:17:05 Mental Health Awareness and Car Culture
1:19:30 Consumer Rights and Effective Complaining
1:21:55 Entrepreneurship and Late Diagnosis
1:24:20 The Joy of Airsoft and Inner Children
1:26:45 Nature, Spiritual Self, and Obsidian
1:29:10 Food, Cooking, and Happy Places
1:31:35 Rescue Dogs and Unconditional Love
1:34:00 Supporting PDA and Pressure-Sensitive Kids
1:36:25 Reconnecting with Self and Reiki
1:38:50 Education Advocacy and SEN Support
1:41:15 The Magic of Transformation Coaching
1:43:40 Holistic Health and Reclaiming Uniqueness
1:46:05 Success, Burnout, and Body Signals
1:48:30 Primitive Reflexes and Movement Therapy
1:50:55 Aphantasia and the Mind's Eye

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Transcript

SPEAKER_28 0:00

Welcome to Mad About Podcast. I'm Maddie Alexander Grout and I am your host. This is our 100th podcast episode and it is a very, very special episode. I didn't want it to just be about me. I wanted it to be about neurodivergent people and how wildly different they all are. So so many people put neurodivergent people in a box. It's all about like, oh, if you're ADHD, you are all the same. Like we all have different presentations, we all have different ways that our neurodivergence shows up for us. So I wanted to put together a hundred neurodivergent voices. In fact, it's a lot more than a hundred neurodivergent voices. I didn't think it would be as busy as it has been, but so many people wanted to get involved and share their stories. So if you haven't met me before, um I'm Maddy Alexander Grout. I'm an ADHD money and business coach. I am a visibility strategist, I'm a disability advocate, I'm a TikTok influencer. Gross. Everybody hates TikTok influencers, but I always think like if you're doing something to help the world, then it's all good. I'm also best-selling author of Mad About Money, Managing Finances and Life with ADHD. And I've also written a kids' book about money, which is called That's My Money. Now I am the poster child for neurodivergence. I have literally everything. I am autistic, I have ADHD, I have mild Tourettes, I have dyspraxia, dysgraphia, dyslexia, dyscalculia, OCD. I'm also perimenopausal, I have PMDD, I have Hashimoto's disease. I have so many things that are going on in my brain, but the one thing that I am super passionate about is giving people who are disabled a voice, especially neurodivergents, because they don't always get one. We're not the same. We are all so so different. And this podcast is our opportunity to show the world how different we all are. So I asked everybody who took part what they are mad about. And mad about can mean so many different things. It can mean mad angry, it can mean mad passionate, it can mean mad, like as in totally obsessed, it can mean crazy. Um, and I wanted people to tell me what is making them mad at the moment, and so many different things came up. I am so proud of this podcast episode and everybody who took part because everybody put their heart and soul into it. So before we get started and listen to the 100 amazing neurodivergent people who took part, I want to tell you what I'm mad about. So I am mad about music. Like in particular, I love neuro like I love alternative music, like punk, rock, scar, metal, like anything that is loud and shouty and screamy that has an emotion behind it. Love it. I am mad about the weather. Not mad about like raining or anything like that. I'm mad about things that happen in the sky. I'm mad about stars, rainbows, lightning, um, the northern lights. Like I chase the northern lights wherever I possibly can. I love rugby. I'm so mad about rugby. In particular, women's rugby. Women's rugby doesn't get enough support, and I love it. I also have a very minor crush on Ellie Kill Dunn because she is awesome. I am also mad about the state of the economy. I am mad about the government. I'm mad about racism. Like, how on earth people think that they can still be racist in this day and age just baffles me. I am mad about supporting the LBGTQIA community. I'm mad that trans people don't get to use the bathroom that they want to use. I am mad about inequality, inequity. I'm mad about neurodivergent people being able to thrive in the workplace. I am mad about writing books. I love writing books. I've got another one coming out later this year. I am mad about making sure that this country has a future. I'm mad about supporting my children and making sure that neurodivergent people are seen, heard, and understood because it is so, so important. So without further ado, let's get on with this podcast. I'm introducing you to a hundred, well, more than a hundred, neurodivergent people who have all got something to say.

SPEAKER_58 4:21

Hello, I am V, and I used to be very mad about the unfairness in the world, in life in general. And then I did some work on myself using my work experience, my academic experience, but more importantly, my life experience. And now I am passionate about life. I love life, and I feel that we all need to celebrate it more. I'm here, I believe, to make the world a happier kind of place and more confident place than when I joined it.

SPEAKER_39 4:53

And from that, I'm going to focus on the kindness. I truly believe that kindness is one of the most powerful things in the world.

SPEAKER_58 5:00

And by showing small acts of kindness to ourselves, to others, to people we don't know by our actions, by what we buy, by what we support, can make a huge difference in this world. And I love that. So I'm V from VIP Empowerment, and I'm here to make the world a better place. How about you?

SPEAKER_46 5:21

Hi, I'm Erin from All DHD and Me podcast. I'm mad about the current and growing public sentiment that ADHD and autism is overdiagnosed, that it is a trend, that it's too easy to gain a diagnosis and use it as an excuse because in reality it's the opposite. There are so many of us that are undiagnosed, unrealised, and unsupported that we are misdiagnosed. I don't think anybody who's been through an autism or ADHD assessment either spent that amount of time, effort, and money to gain a diagnosis that wasn't warranted or needed. There are children in schools who are struggling. There are adults who are suicidal. I don't think that there is an over-diagnosis. There is an under-diagnosis and lack of support in society for neurodivergence.

SPEAKER_45 6:20

Hi there, I'm Martin, and I'm absolutely mad about how lovely dogs are. But at the same time, I'm also mad in another way about how you can really get to keep them forever during your lifespan and that they'll usually not live as long as you. That's sad because they're really your family members, your best friends, your really great source of you just no emotional support. So I'm mad about that.

SPEAKER_58 6:49

Hi, my name is Hannah Dingle. I am autistic and I am mad about craft. I love it so much because I'm able to relax and distract myself from whatever is going on in that day. It really helps me with my mental health and in times of overwhelm. I have two small boys, so there is limited time to craft. To try and solve this, I have created a small business called Huddle and Craft. It is for neurodiverse people and parents in Gloucestershire to huddle together and do craft. I've only ran one session so far, but it was so calming and relaxing, and I even got to do some craft. I am also mad about penguins. It started with my grandma passing on all these penguins to me, and now it's made my its way into my business. Thank you for listening.

unknown 7:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_07 7:48

Hello, my name's Chantal and I'm mad about normality. I think it stifles us and it blocks us from our potential and our creativity and our individuality. It's got us trying to squeeze into boxes and spaces that aren't designed for everyone. And we're not allowed to question it. It's just the way things have always been done. It it's got people giving up and deciding they're stupid and insignificant and what's the point in trying. I think that the world needs to give more space for us to be creative and to really explore our magic and what our potential looks like.

SPEAKER_76 8:31

Hi, I'm Ben, the founder of Nimble, and also an ex-Jehovah's Witness creator on TikTok. I'm mad about talking about my experiences growing up in a cult. As well as talking politics and talking to the people in Parliament about how we can safeguard against others having the same experiences I had. I'm also mad about my business, working as a photographer and filmmaker. I believe in having a service that is a safe space for those in the LGBTQ community and the neurodivergent community. As someone in both communities, I understand the need for a service that has no expectations of being posed or having to leave our comfort zones.

SPEAKER_11 9:23

Hi, I'm Honey, and I'm mad about changing attitudes towards death. Many Western countries, especially Britain, tend to have a stiff upper lip about talking about death and dealing with it. They want to put it in a cupboard and stick their head in the sand. Um, but I'm here to tell you that I am proof that you don't have to be frightened of it, and that if you are, you can overcome that. Because one day, scared as you like, I picked up a book and started to learn. And I've never looked back since I've become fascinated by it. So yeah, I really believe that neurodivergent people s often struggle to understand such a massive topic. Um, and as a neurodivergent person, I want to bring that to other people, bring that understanding. And I think it's a really important step and it should be an important part of life.

SPEAKER_74 10:19

I'm Alex. And I'm mad. Mad about systems that try and sand us down. I'm mad that my mind is my greatest friend, my greatest foe. The world was not built for sideways minds like ours. It was built for straight, it was built for vertical, not for sideways thinkers. And yes, I suffer. I suffer every day, behind the smiles. Truth is, I have seen horrors, terror to a mother with severe bipolar before, son of an immigrant, grew up in poverty, and hungry sometimes. Some days it was dark without money for the electric meter. I've seen things that no child should see, I have heard things no child should hear. Am I broken? Yes. But I work. And that's the paradox. Too much, too fast, too clever, too different, too foreign. Yes, probably. But I work. Mad? Yes, I'm mad. I'm angry. That's a world not built for people like us. You have a gift, I have a gift, and you, we owe it to ourselves to share it with the world. We cannot let the world change us. We must change the world.

SPEAKER_65 11:25

Hello, I'm Christina. I am the founder of Your Organized Lady.

SPEAKER_58 11:30

I would like to say I am mad about organizers and planners. I am also mad about stationery. I love these, these are my current addiction. They are very cute. I like you refill them. So much fun. And they always obviously bring out some more different animals that makes me want to. I am also mad about animals. I've always have been. Love most types of animals. I also love cars and driving. Slightly mad about potholes, but that's a completely different conversation. I also love people being themselves. People feeling comfortable enough with you to be themselves. Hi, I'm Kellyanne Riley Smith, and I am mad about appearances and how people will make a snap judgment based on that appearance. Um I love the saying, you know, never judge a book by its cover. And another one, um, even salt looks like sugar. And there are so many of us that give off the impression, because of masking, that we are doing fine. And we are the ones who tend to be overlooked, misjudged, um, and really don't get those reasonable adjustments that we need because people assume, you know, what they see is what is actually going on. And that's not the case. It can be such a point where I know I have massed to a point where actually I don't even know who the real me, who the real me is anymore. So all I'm gonna say is never assume that you know what somebody is carrying. Um, always look that little bit deeper. Hello, I'm Melanie Costa, and I'm mad about three things inclusion, cats, and pink. I am neurodivergent. I live with multiple disabilities and chronic pain daily. Exclusion is literally everywhere. Policies, frameworks, in-person events. I have meltdowns if things aren't inclusive, could cause a flare-up of pain, and the flare-up of pain alongside my neurodivergents gives me anxiety that is through the roof. Having your own business and being neurodivergent and all the other things that I have to deal with is really difficult. The whole concept of time, for example, I could have three hours to get ready for something, suddenly find that I've got three minutes following a journey. I have to have my sat nav on, even if I know where I'm going. Also mad about cats, Teddy and Mippy struggling to get away.

SPEAKER_60 14:03

And pink, obviously. Good morning, Asie. Would you like to tell people what you're mad about?

SPEAKER_58 14:18

Looking, looking, looking, looking, looking at Hi, I'm Hannah, and I'm mad about people that say stupid shit when it comes to neurodiversity. You know, we all know those people, right? The kind of everyone's a little bit autistic. No, Dave, they are not. They aren't. Otherwise, if everybody was a bit autistic, none of us would be a bit autistic. So annoying. The other day I got told I didn't look very autistic. What what does that even mean? What does that even mean? Yeah, I shouldn't let it get to me as much as I do, but I massively do, massively do.

SPEAKER_39 15:40

So I'm on a single woman mission to re-educate all the stupid out there, one person at a time.

SPEAKER_58 15:48

And by the way, people don't appear to appreciate me telling them what idiots they are when they say this stuff.

SPEAKER_48 15:54

So yeah, sorry about that, all those idiots out there. But you know, it's real simple, just don't say stupid shit about autism.

SPEAKER_58 16:01

Bye. Hi, I'm Susie Payton. I'm a speaker, comedian, and confidence and visibility coach for neurodivergent people. And I am absolutely mad, mad, mad about comedy, specifically comedy improvisation, where you make stuff up on the spot with somebody else and it gets ridiculous. It's creative, it's a dopamine booster, it's a confidence booster, it's helped me get comfortable with being uncomfortable, it's helped me with my speaking on stages when I can trust my brain because it goes blank. I always do, and comedy has helped me to trust that something will always come to my brain as long as I don't panic. So it's helped me with that. It's helped me to be fun, to be silly, it's creative. Honestly, it's it's playtime for grown-ups. It is the best thing ever. And I am absolutely mad about comedy.

SPEAKER_73 17:00

Hi, I'm Manira, and I'm mad about kids being able to learn their way and be themselves by honoring their sensory and emotional needs. Too many kids are expected to learn in one narrow way, sitting still, staying quiet, no touching, just looking and listening, even when their bodies and brains don't work that way. Some kids need movement to process information, to focus and to learn. Some need to touch and manipulate with their hands to understand and make sense of things. Some need emotional safety versus pressure before learning can even begin. When we stop trying to make all kids learn the same way and instead support learning that works for their brain, body, and sensory systems, kids feel safer, more capable, and drive their own learning. And that's why I'm mad about understanding kids' sensory and emotional needs, so learning feels good to them.

SPEAKER_35 18:00

Hi, I'm Anita, and I'm mad about access to work. Access to work is a government program that gives disabled people or people with health conditions accommodations at work that go beyond reasonable adjustments. Now, that sounds great in theory, but it like most things from the government doesn't work very well in practice, especially when you're neurodivergent. And that's why I'm so mad about it in all sorts of sense, because it has such incredible potential, but it's so bureaucratic. It's really hard to navigate when you're neurodivergent, which is why I specialize in helping neurodivergent people navigate access to work so that they can get the support that they need at work. And that includes discovering what you need, discovering how to ask for it in a way that access to work understands it, and then maximizing your grant so you finally have support at work. Because who likes struggling?

SPEAKER_12 18:58

Hi, my name is Dr. Maiva Clerk, and I am a parent empowerment and child safety advocate. I help parents and caregivers of neurodivergent children by providing emotional support and practical tools without burning out as they guide their children toward meaningful friendships. And I am mad about children going online and not being prepared. And therefore, I have developed a course to help neurodivergent children to become prepared by identifying what bullying is, if they're being bullied, if they're witnessing bullying, or if they are in fact the bully. They learn how to report it, and this will help them to be safe online and not fall victim to people preying on our children. Thank you.

SPEAKER_39 20:03

So I am absolutely mad about three things. So the first thing, obviously, being my children, completely mad about them, they're amazing. The second thing being around supporting other late-diagnosed neurodivergent women and supporting parent carers of neurodivergent children. So hence why I started my own not-for-profit organisation called Autism and ADHD, Parent Support UK. And thirdly, but not least of all, is my own personal favourite, which it my own personal mad about, which is my allotment. So I'm a mad allotment gardener. I love growing my veg, I love growing my plants, and it brings me so much joy. So much so that as part of our not-for-profit organisation, I also set up a neurodivergent family allotment gardening club for other people and other families like me and mine.

SPEAKER_58 20:52

Bye guys. Hi, I'm Karen and I'm Matt about role-playing games. So I really enjoy just getting together with my friends and pretend to be someone I'm not. Not because I don't like who I am, but because sometimes it's just really fun to do something out of the ordinary, something you wouldn't do in real life. So for example, I don't want to have to actually defuse a bomb or fight a vampire or climb a giant tower while orcs are throwing things at me. Wouldn't appeal.

SPEAKER_52 21:19

But in the game, I'm happy to just roll with it and see what happens.

SPEAKER_56 21:24

Hey, I'm Patricia, I'm autistic, hasty hasty, and obviously Spanish. I'm mad about the lack of knowledge when it comes to different cultures and how many women from my culture, Spanish culture, are being diagnosed as bipolar or having a personality disorder instead being diagnosed autistic and HDHD because the traits that we have exaggerated also autism and HDHD are so similar to the traits. Of an Spanish citizen when they're very, very exaggerated. But that is not just how we are as Spanish people. And it took 12 years for me to be diagnosed because doctors didn't want to listen and didn't want to understand that those two things they are different.

SPEAKER_71 22:24

Hi, I'm Simon Fresn, and I'd like to share a few things of what I'm mad about. Firstly, I'm mad about my research. I care deeply about neurominority teachers and the fact that they are completely invisible in our education system. And I'm also mad about strategy games and social deduction. I really enjoy the thinking, the psychology, the planning, the patterns, because it really makes me think about social dynamics and understanding how people can influence one another, etc. I enjoy watching WWE, and it's not because it's of the spectacle, it's also because of the sacrifice. Because these athletes actually put their bodies on the line for in the name of entertainment, so then everybody can enjoy watching what they do. And it resonates with me because it's very similar to what I've done for years in putting my mental health on the line to challenge systems and structures that are not set up for people like me.

SPEAKER_58 23:25

Hi, I'm Atty, and I'm mad about people expressing themselves. I have ADHD, I'm late diagnosed, and I'm also a singer and songwriter. But my main job is that I'm a coach for people in tech. So software engineers, data, design, tech leads, you name it, product. A lot of people join the tech industry with enthusiasm and they've got fire in their belly and they want to do good things and build interesting projects. And sometimes they get to a point where they feel burned out or unfulfilled, the work gets boring, and they're not growing anymore. So sometimes they even get to a point where they're thinking, is tech even for me anymore? So my mission is to help people find out what they really want and help them to get it day to day, but also long term. Um, and that's by expressing themselves, expressing what they want, what they need, and that doesn't have to be loud, it can be quiet. So I just want people to be happy, and that's what I'm mad about people being happy and expressing themselves.

SPEAKER_30 24:19

Have a good day. I'm Eliana and I'm mad about RSD. My brain doesn't perceive rejection like everyone else. It goes from zero to a hundred and causes an internal meltdown. So unlike everyone else who just can deal with a bit of dust, a short text, a miscall, I literally have to translate reality and spend ten times the energy trying to work out whether my friends hate me or not because they haven't put a full stock at the end of a text. And it is exhausting. I am not needy, it's not drama, it's a neurological glitch, and I hate being perceived as too much. RSD is loud, heavy, and yeah, I'm mad about it. Thank you for listening.

SPEAKER_17 25:07

Hi, I'm Renna, and I'm madly deeply passionate about creating these beautiful multifunctional silk pieces. This is no ordinary piece of art.

SPEAKER_58 25:14

This is one which I get to connect and co-create with the other person, to weave in the threads of time, their journey, their visions, their dreams all in one piece of silk. So using wax and ink laying on top of one another, I get to see this story being brought to life right right in front of my eyes in real time. And that's incredibly magical to bring to life something which they wanted to tell from the past and the present and future. And then when the time comes, if they wish to, they can pass this piece on to the next person, carrying all of those stories and journeys together onto the next person, which then they can wear and create their own journeys and visions with. So this is something I get to do and I find true medical, and I feel so privileged to do this work. Hi everyone, my name's Debbie. Thanks, Maddie, for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts. I'm mad about the education system, but I really disappointed that it's felt that academia is more of a priority than creativity, and I think that this makes things much, much worse for the beautiful neurodivergent brains out there. Not only that, the people that have a natural instinct to be more creative rather than academic, they are being mistreated in the education system. So that's my little rant that I really, really would like to see a change in the system so that the creative arts are brought front and centre and young people get the opportunity to express their creativity rather than stuck behind a book learning things that actually are no longer really relevant in society nowadays.

SPEAKER_47 26:59

So that's me. Bit of a rant, but what the heck? Thank you very much. Hi, I'm Gia Lilly, and I am mad about the human body. I've been this way since around the age of five, where I've been fascinated by how the body works, how it functions, what happens when it doesn't work optimally. And unfortunately, I learned that the hard way after developing uh several medical health conditions, including hidden disabilities. So I got my learning through life. And also not just the body, I also realized through my own challenges how much this plays a part in all of it, in health, in wealth, in communication, in our relationships, all of it. This, the brain. I am a certified neurocoach and I love using science-backed strategies to support people in having a better life.

SPEAKER_00 28:00

Hello, I'm Alan Spicer, and I'm mad about content creation. I've been doing it now for 15 years, maybe even 20 years. It's the non-stop constant tweaking of numbers that I love. If I tweak one thing by 1%, then things move forward. If I get a little bit better, if I learn a new skill over and over again, I can compile that all into more and more things. And what I've done is I've started collecting silver play buttons for me and my clients. Now, my ADHD has helped me with this because I go out of my way for that dopamine hit. I'll go and learn something new. And that new thing I can then ravel into my spider web and my continual knowledge of collecting more of these and adding yet another one percent.

SPEAKER_46 28:46

My name's Kerry, and I am mad about cork.

SPEAKER_58 28:50

Mad as incessed. I love it. So you know cork from wine bottles, right? So it's actually the bark off of an oak tree, really carefully stripped off in Portugal. And it doesn't harm the tree, it actually helps the tree because the tree then can absorb three times its weight in CO2, meaning it helps reverse climate change. That bark is then used for cork wine bottle stoppers, and then the bits, offcuts of that is ground down and made into lots of different things, including cork fabric, which I then have made into all these really fun colours and make into amazing jewellery because it's lightweight, like you've held a cork wine bottle, like you know it's light, it's a hyperallergenic, it's sustainable, it's vegan, and it's a literally the best thing in the world. Hi, I'm Jenna, and I'm mad about I'm mad about perinatal mental health and particularly to be intrusive thoughts and helping people who are not getting access to the support they need. I'm a queer bio and non-bio mummy of my wife, neurodivergent, and it's really important to me that people are provided with perinatal mental health support that is affirming within those areas.

SPEAKER_21 30:20

So I'm also passionate about acceptance and commitment therapy alongside sensory and nervous system safety.

SPEAKER_58 30:28

And I love my wife got me into country music, but I love rock music. I love Joan Jett, I love the film The Runaways. One of my favourite films is Gia. I love Angeline Jolie and Tomb Raider was just like one of the films that made me think. Hi, I'm Alice Startnall, and you want to know what I'm mad about?

SPEAKER_40 30:51

Energy management. Bear with me.

SPEAKER_58 30:53

I burnt out a few years ago and it made me realize that time management isn't anything to do with time, it's energy. And now, as a time management coach, that is what I help people do. And the irony isn't lost on me that I've actually recently been diagnosed with ADHD.

SPEAKER_36 31:10

Yes, the very thing we struggle with, but that just proves why it's not about managing your time, but about managing your energy. And when you learn to harness this with the right tools and frameworks, that's when we can harness the superpowers of our ADHD.

SPEAKER_58 31:26

Let's work with it rather than against it. I might have got this time management stuff now, but I'm still figuring out the other ADHD stuff, to be honest. And on that note, I can actually smell burning, so I am gonna go because I forgot I was cooking my lunch. Hi guys, I'm Charlotte, and I'm mad about fixing founder dependency. I cannot stop thinking about the number of founders out there that are totally exhausted, not because they're doing it wrong, but because their business only works when they are literally switched on. I am crazy mad about businesses that have to rely on adrenaline or models that reward burnout.

SPEAKER_29 32:05

I'm mad about the lie that people tell that if it feels hard, you just need more discipline, or you need to be more obsessed, or you need to launch more, or you need to hustle harder. As someone who is neurodivergent, I feel this in my body. When things are chaotic, my brain is on fire. And when things are calm and repeatable, I'm unstoppable.

SPEAKER_58 32:22

So I'm obsessed and help and obsessed with helping myself and my clients build businesses that just don't rely on constant output, having to be on or visible all the time, or constant self-sacrifice. I'm talking repeat revenue, systems that compound and models that support real humans because we shouldn't have to burn ourselves out to be successful.

SPEAKER_79 32:41

I am Dale Watts from Autoism. I'm grateful for the invitation that he has given me today. This is hard club that I started in awareness of mental health and neurodiversity. I'm ADHD, and cars are my main passions. But not just that, there's also uh me trying to make a change in the neurodiversion world, the mental health world. Cars are a great way to attract people, and I've raised plenty of money for charity, you know, thousands of doing that. I'm really grateful for you. And I've been doing this since I was 14 years old, you know, unbelievable. I'm now nearly 22, and I've had so much support from so many lovely people, and uh it's great to raise money for charity, bring cars together, bring community together. Give it a follow. Authorism underscore on Instagram. This is a very four GT by fate cars. And it's got five ECBO, rubber. And yeah, just bring use bring cars and people together and charity, mind you.

SPEAKER_52 33:39

I'm Helen Dudney, aka the complaining cow, consumer champion and stuff, and I'm mad about helping people with their consumer rights, asserting them, and getting mad at companies, but you don't have to be rude. Just get mad and get even. Know your consumer rights, know how to complain effectively, mad about helping people do that. I'm quite mad about chocolate, I'm quite like chocolate, and I'm mad about swearing. I quite like swearing, because squaring can be f ⁇ ing useful. Extremely creative. I'm not, however, mad about walking the bloody dog in the rain. And I'm quite mad about Prosacco. I'm not mad about the dog getting caught behind the bloody van either. Move, get out of it.

unknown 34:24

Dick it.

SPEAKER_52 34:25

What else am I mad about? I've got three more seconds. I'm mad about not I'm really mad about not having to really do this thing properly on TikTok. You can stop and pause and stuff, and I can't do it in once here. And look, I'm nearly there. I think I'm possibly just mad.

SPEAKER_24 34:40

Hi, I'm Jane and I'm from FAQ Business down here in Australia. And I am mad about business and entrepreneurship and thinking. And the thing is, that probably clouded me from finding out that I had ADHD. I only got diagnosed last year when I was 53. And it was because I had encountered so many entrepreneurs working with them, and a lot of them had ADHD. And the funny thing is, ADHD and entrepreneurship and whole brain thinking, the experimental, the side that works with entrepreneurs, it all kind of overlaps. And so part of me thought, well, yeah, I am these things, but aren't I just entrepreneurial thinking? So that is where my mad about comes from. I am mad about business and thinking, which also means I'm mad about ADHD.

SPEAKER_66 35:37

I'm Henry. And I am mad about Airsoft. What is Airsoft, you say? Soft play. Yeah, maybe. Airsoft is I think grown men running about engaging strongly with their inner child, shooting each other with BB guns. Now BB guns, yeah, they're replica guns. But this isn't about aggression and war. This is about having a huge amount of fun sliding, skidding, shooting, somersaults. There are no somersaults, but I'd be totally up for it if someone did do a somersault. And as an ADHD AU man, I get to be free and seen and celebrated as I celebrate everybody else who plays alongside me. It's exercise, it's teamwork. It is utterly, utterly joyful. And I won't show any guns right here because people get funny about guns, and that's okay. But I'm mad about airsoft.

SPEAKER_62 36:36

Hey you beautiful people. I'm V. I run Essentially Evolving, helping you be yourself in a way that feels safe, grounded, so that you can evolve without losing your passion, burning out, or becoming someone you don't recognise. I'm totally mad about the power of all things in nature and what we can learn from everything on the earth and as part of being on the earth, whether that be from the elements, the sea, orca, ant, giraffe, moss, whatever. I'm also massively passionate about you being your wild, undomesticated, ensoled spiritual self and taking up your space in the world as you're meant to be part of that magical web of life. I'm also obsessed with knitting, crochet, making bags, organizing databases, spreadsheets, and having a second brain using the programme Obsidian. If you want to know anything about that, just get in touch. Obsidian's amazing. But basically, I'm mad about you taking up your space in the world and being your amazing unique self.

SPEAKER_68 37:34

Hi, my name is Stephen Alexander, and I am mad about food. I was always that kid who would go to parties and make themselves sick. Now I'm the adult who goes to or you can eat buffets and makes himself sick. And I guess food is like my happy place, my go-to place. I love cooking and making it. I go into pubs, restaurants, cafes, just talking about food. On occasions, I even get free food. In fact, I love food that much. I decided to create my own food content. I mean, why not? Have a great day.

SPEAKER_09 38:20

Hi, my name's Sam, and I am mad about multiple things. This is the main thing though. This is the main, main love and obsession of my life. My beautiful rescue dog, Amber, who I've have a very big inkling, maybe neurodivergent herself. She's my biggest gift in life, my biggest blessing, and a big, big mirror of me. She loves to sleep all day. Her safe space is bed, Dipto. And then out of nowhere, it's Zoomy time. She makes me feel less lonely. She gives me structure. She gives me purpose. She just gives me unconditional love. Oh, darling. And I don't know where I'd be without her. We are a pair of late-diagnosed beauties.

SPEAKER_25 39:15

Hello, my name's Jenny. I'm one half of the Audacious Humans, and I'm mad about demand-avoid and pressure-sensitive kids being labelled the problem when it's the system that's broken. There's another bill being proposed, another policy, another system designed to monitor, measure, and manage the very children it's breaking. And we are done. Done with education systems that label our kids difficult when they're dysregulated. Done with policies that punish families for choosing safety over conformity. Done with being told we're failing our children when we're the ones who caught them as they fell. That's why Audacious Humans exists. For the families brave enough to step outside cultural expectations and build something better for the parents who left the system because staying meant watching their children break. For the kids who flourish when they carve their own path away from structures that were never meant for them. We're not here to fix your child. We're here to dismantle the lie that they're broken. A community of rebels who chose connection over conforming. The system will keep failing neurodivergent children. We'll keep catching them.

SPEAKER_37 40:14

Hey, I'm Hayley, founder of the Empowered Soul Academy. And I am mad about reconnecting with self, re-igniting your power, and rising with purpose. This may seem daunting, however, I am mad about this being exciting because you get to choose. I am mad about you taking back your power, you being at the center of all that we do and creating a magical ripple effect in the world. And if you want to get mad, reconnecting with self, reigniting and taking back your power and rising with purpose, then come and hang out. I am also mad about Reiki healing energy, crystals, card guidance, sunshine, beach days, and football. Come get mad with me.

SPEAKER_41 41:12

Hi, I'm Emily, and I'm mad about getting Eurodivergent children and young people what they need to ensure that they can thrive in education that is meaningful for them. I'm a sem mum of two young children who some might consider sem betweeners and I, as a mum, not as an advocate, I'm not trained, but as a mum work with on a voluntary basis other parents both in person and online to get the information out there to ensure that families know as many of the options around neurodivergent pathways, around education and healthcare plans in England, around support services, mental health services, independent reports, independent and NHS professionals, and as much as possible to get them what they need.

SPEAKER_50 42:13

Hi, I'm Vivian Joy, and I'm mad about transformation. Why transformation? Anything, in fact, any transformation, typically people, that's what I do. I'm a transformation coach, but also anything like houses, gardens, hair, where there's the before and after. I love to see that. This is who that person was, or this is what this building was like, and this is what it's going to be transformed into. And then that whole process and the emotion and the journey. It's a bit like when you watch like a reality TV show and you see that person go through their own personal journey and come out the other end. Absolutely obsessed with it. I think it started way back when I was young, and I used to work for a hair salon when I was about 14. And I watched a lady come in with a really bad perm and I watched the hairdresser completely transform this woman's life, and she went out smiling, happy, grateful. And from that moment, I've been hooked on helping people transform their lives.

SPEAKER_15 43:07

Hi, I'm Maria, and I am mad about people reclaiming their uniqueness, their bodies and their lives. I'm mad about people remembering that the body isn't something to fight or control or be scared of, but something to listen to, understand, and actually enjoy living in. I'm mad about personalized work and care using data science, genetics, real life patterns to support its person as an individual, not as a label or as a protocol or as a diagnosis. I'm mad about holistic health and how the body, the mind, the emotions, the nervous systems are all deeply connected. I'm especially mad about women in the 40s and 50s and beyond, feeling strong, sensual, confident, and fully alive again, not invisible, not fragile, but deeply at home in ourselves. Thanks for letting me share this.

SPEAKER_75 43:58

Hi, I'm Ben Cook, ADHD and well-being coach, and I am mad about rekindling the art of conversation. I'm mad about helping humans thrive in an increasingly digital world. I'm mad about taking what COVID taught us that we struggle, really struggle with our human connection and learning from that. I'm mad about creating a new culture in the town where I live, Penarth, that's based on face-to-face, not face-to-phone. I'm so mad that I'm crowdfunding a community connector role for myself to facilitate this. I'm mad about my community building a town together when nobody feels alone. Does that make me mad? You decide.

SPEAKER_36 44:57

Hi, my name is Tay, and I'm mad about helping neurodivergent women in their careers. Um I've just gone off a call actually speaking to one of my clients and preparing her for a job interview that she has tomorrow. And it's just so nice to help to reinstill confidence in someone who's been battered and bruised by the job market by previous managers, you know telling someone that they're amazing at what they do because they've they've forgotten that. Yeah, that is really what I that's what I live for, and I love empowering women to truly know who they are.

SPEAKER_61 45:53

Hi, I'm Em and I'm mad about getting to a place where women with ADHD no longer feel less than because of the messages that we've had our whole lives that society and the people around us told us. You know, the stuff, the whole kind of you're too emotional, you're lazy, why can't you just do the thing? We've had enough of this stuff. I was diagnosed four, five years ago, and I spent my whole life hearing this stuff, and it had a massive impact on my self-worth, which had a massive impact on every choice that I made. And so, yeah, you know the picture. And so that's my passion. My passion is that we will get to a place where we no longer feel like it is, where we can fully accept, embrace, and love our differences, everything about us, because in my opinion, and I hope yours too, we are bloody brilliant. And it's really time that we start to see this. So that's my passion.

SPEAKER_43 46:45

Hi, I'm Adele. I have ADHD, and I'm mad about knitting. Um, I'm working as towards a hypnotherapy qualification so that I can combine my crafts and my um singing, because I'm also a singer, and my business all together as one. So I'm authentic. As you can see, I'm not wearing makeup at the moment. My hair's a bit of a mess. I'm not big on masks, I'm not big on fakes. I sing far too much. I am basically mad about life.

SPEAKER_19 47:22

Hey, I'm Nikki, I'm the anti-racist mum, and I am mad about inequity. I am mad that we are run um globally by morally bankrupt, deplorable human beings that are incapable of empathy. We should not, you know, we should not be run by these people, which is why I am mad about supporting people with my complexion to be accountable um for how our actions and our words align with the impact that we actually have on the world and those values that we purport to hold. So, yeah, if you're a neurodivergent, neurospicy person and you are passionate about social justice, you are the kind of person that aligns with me. Let's be mad and let's create safer communities for all children and young people to thrive by changing our actions and our words.

SPEAKER_67 48:21

Hello, I'm Danny Trigg, and I'm mad about supporting my fellow neurodivergent community. About a year ago, I founded Divergent Training and Coaching here in Northern Ireland to provide coaching services to people here locally as well as abroad, and just try and get the message out there, whether it be through ADHD, broad AHD coaching, awareness events, advocacy, whether it be speaking events, what have you, I'm there currently navigating the process of setting up my own social enterprise to fund ADHD support groups, of which we have none over here, and looking to help and partner with any other businesses that are neuroinclusive, driving neurodiversity awareness or supporting fellow neurodivergent individuals, whether it be businesses, charities, or other social enterprises. And we just want to empower people to work better with their brain instead of against it and just help other people get in the fight with us.

SPEAKER_58 49:13

Hello, I'm Jess, and I am Autistic ADHD, and I am mad about creating spaces where autistic children and young people can belong as their authentic selves and they can connect with the wide autistic community. I'm also mad about giving access to up-to-date, affirming information about autism so that children and young people and their wider families can work out what being autistic means to them. And I do all of that through my organisation Grove, where I work with a team of amazing autistic adults and we support young people through interest-based groups and mentoring and a programme called Being Me, which is completely autistic, designed and led. I'm also mad about my dog Ben, who is just my most lovely, wonderful best friend in the whole world.

SPEAKER_22 50:03

Hi, I'm Veronica Pullen. I'm I'm mad about this Highly Island off the south coast of England called the Isle of Wight. I first came here when I was six with my mum and dad, and that year my dad died. It was the last time we hold it over hat. The year later I came back and I stayed with my club in um in a hospital, and it a few metres, the hotel I got my mum and dad and the hostel a few metres apart. That area of the shanking cliff part is very special to me. It looks like over the overlay, also special. Oh so special. The whole island has a lot, but the needles are beautiful, got here's beautiful. And I really love it. I live here. I love that I was like in 2013 or for 20 years. If it wasn't to live here, we make that happen. We live here full time now. Um everyone has an olive story. Well, nine out of ten people have an all-right story, something it's a lion that was share from shops or what have you. And it's truly magical police.

SPEAKER_10 51:07

Hi, I'm Morla, and I'm mad about increasing other divergent awareness amongst parents and teachers. More parents, children themselves and teachers need to be educated that challenges with weaker working memory, time management, slower processing speed, and overwhelm, etc., is all linked to their ADHD or in executive functioning challenges that they may have. And I'm really passionate about educating our students that their brain is not less, but it's just wired differently. And my wish is that a neurodivergent child does not spend their days wishing that they could be better at learning a certain way or better at managing their emotions. And I'd like to see a program for kids that educates them about how their brain works and how they can succeed when they can work with it and not against it. And training for teachers, I'd like to see to help them understand that a struggling child with weaker skills like flexibility and the ability to start a task, etc., are due to weaker skills. Just like reading a maths. There's skills that need to be worked on, and this can be done within the home and in school, and I'd like to see that parents could co-parent with the same perspective. Thank you.

SPEAKER_17 52:22

I'm Lucy Power, and I'm mad about transactional analysis. It's a psychological approach that I started learning in the mid-90s when I was doing a master's in social work, and it changed the way I think about myself, the way that I frame my relationships, the way I observe and understand other people as well. It's really helped me to relate to myself and to others. And I want to gift you a bit of transaction analysis today, just in case it helps you too. So the three foundational principles are these we're all okay.

unknown 52:54

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_17 52:54

Even him. Even your ex. Yeah. We're all okay. And we can all think. Even those those types. They can think, yeah. Just a little just like you can. They can think too. And we all choose our fate. And we can change our minds at any time. How exciting is that.

SPEAKER_02 53:15

We get to choose and we get to change our minds. Hi, I'm not trying to mad about how neural inclusion in higher education and workplaces is still not the standard. Every student, employee, and leader deserves a level playing field.

SPEAKER_65 53:35

Hi, I'm Kat. I'm mad about a few things. My first passion is Pilates and exercise. Um, I'm really passionate about helping other people. So when I hear that clients have become pain-free for the first time, that's really powerful to me and just makes me smile with joy and glee for them. Because some of my clients have artificial hips or artificial knees. They may suffer with uh long-term kind of chronic back pain. Um, so to hear them after attending my classes, that they're then pain-free is so powerful, and that's a huge passion of mine, just helping people look and feel their best. I also do it with my wellness business as well. So for nutrition. And then my other absolute passion is Disney. I'm just a big kid and I absolutely love it.

SPEAKER_44 54:29

Hi, I'm Lou, and I am mad about my new venture. I own multiple businesses, but my latest one is helping business owners succeed in business after facing adversity. It's a very personal thing to me, and I am really, really looking forward to being able to help as many people as I can.

SPEAKER_05 54:50

Hi everybody, I'm Grace, and I am mad about the ocean. So much so that I created an ocean in my living room. So I'm gonna show that to you now and talk a little bit about it. This is my very own in-home ocean. It is a 95-gallon reef tank. I've got lots of really beautiful fish and coral that I've grown. And this has been a project of labor and love over the past few years. I'm super proud of it. I have ADHD. I suspect that I am Audi HD, that I'm on the autism spectrum also. And fish and ocean life has always been something I am absolutely mad about. I get lost in working on this tank for hours and hours. And it's sometimes hard for me to notice anything else going on when I'm watching it or working on it. It really is one of my favorite things about life.

SPEAKER_29 55:55

Hello, I'm Carol Sison, and I am mad about helping people to get their ducks in a row. I'm the founder of Your Final Matters, and I help people to consider all of the really important aspects around later life and end-of-life planning, which they may be organizing for themselves or for a loved one or parent. We cover all sorts of things, and whilst I don't give any legal or financial advice specifically, we talk about all of the aspects that you need to consider before you get your will written, talking about your powers of attorney, thinking about advanced care plans, your digital legacy. We talk about inheritance tax and pensions, we talk about equity release, and I'm also an independent funeral celebrant, so we talk about funeral planning. The last thing I cover is about probate, which relates to the legal process after somebody dies, because most people don't have a clue what that is. And a lot of people are executors or powers of attorney and they haven't really understood what's involved. So I really help people in a safe space, and I'm very compassionate and caring and helping people to get organized.

SPEAKER_48 56:55

Hi, Carol May here, the ADHD health coach and nutritional therapist. And I am mad about colour because I love colour. Colour gives me dopamine and I hate the fact that every car seems to be black, white, or grey. Is that just me? Or is that an ADHD thing? I'm not quite sure. I'm also mad about driving really fast. And I think that is an ADHD thing, apparently. Again, it's a dopamine thing. I'm also really mad about food, uh good food, uh quality food, brain feeding food, ADHD brain feeding food, and making it as simple and easy as possible to cook. I teach kids how to cook, teach adults how to cook, and I am really mad about getting the information out there about what is good food for our brain.

SPEAKER_58 57:52

Hey everyone, I'm Liz Mears. I'm a neurodivergent parenting coach, and I am absolutely mad about our kids and the Sen crisis and education and giving them the best possible start in life that they all deserve. I'm mad about it in the best possible way. I get angry about it too, but that anger has definitely fuelled me forward to get out there to help support all the parents who are completely losing themselves in the system, fighting for what their kids deserve. I run the Wild Portal, which is a monthly hippie woo-woo new moon ritual space where we not only get a little bit witchy, we also get down to the nitty-gritty of supporting each other along the way. Other things I'm mad about pink and k-pop.

SPEAKER_38 58:41

I could go on about those for absolutely forever. But for now, I'll leave you with that.

SPEAKER_04 58:46

Hey everyone, I'm Jennifer Kearns. I'm the founder of Lady Rubber Club and We War magazine. I'm also neurodivergent, have lots of different disabilities, including a rare blood cancer, and I am passionately, fiercely mad about our mission of no more hiding. And leopard print, as you can probably tell, right? So no more hiding is all about the fact that we should never be made to feel that we have to hide parts of ourselves in order to be seen as valuable, as capable, as worthy. We all have epic gold inside ourselves. And once we can sort of flip that internal paradigm and own our worth and know our value, lots of things will change. It doesn't mean that things are perfect, and it doesn't mean that, you know, there aren't additional challenges, and of course there are, right? But at the same time, once we flip that internal narrative, it also helps us start to change the external one.

SPEAKER_01 59:46

I'm Dave, Dave Beppord or Rockstar Dave, and I'm mad about Van Halen. So much so that I even went and got the tattoo. And if Jump ever comes on the dance floor, I'm gonna be telling you exactly when you're allowed to jump and when you're not allowed to jump. So why Van Halen? Well, to me, there's two types of music it's either good or bad, and you don't get to choose how it gets you. And for me, Van Halen music always, always, always got me. And because of Van Halen, I play a little guitar. But no, in all reality, I do actually play a full-size guitar. I've always considered Ed to be neurodivergent. I mean he was always painfully shy and awkward, he had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, and didn't think it was crazy at all to wire his amplifier up to the light switch in order to get it to work as he wanted to. People will always ask, which version of Van Halen do you prefer? And I was always saying the version where Eddie was playing on guitar.

SPEAKER_58 1:00:47

Hello, I'm Amber and I'm mad about breath work. Breath work is the tool that changed everything for me. As an already accredited coach, I hit burnout still really hard, and that felt heavy. And then I found breath work and that changed everything for me. Now I'm really passionate about supporting other people to have this knowledge, have this awareness about this superpower that we all have available to us. It's not just for the real spiritual, deeply spiritual people or the real athletes out there. We're all breathing about 20,000 times a day, and I'm really passionate and mad about getting this message out and about how to educate ourselves around how to breathe functionally and really take back control of our nervous system and our lives.

SPEAKER_70 1:01:38

Hi, I'm Jack Price Harbacch. I'm 36. I have ADHD combined and autism level one. I'm mad about politics. I wish I wasn't, but the current state of things makes me mad. I've been passionate about fairness and social justice for a long time. I would consider myself to be very progressive. I am a Liberal Democrat, former parliamentary candidate. I'm gonna be hopefully standing in local elections next year to combat the rise of reform. It's disgraceful that potentially the next prime minister of this country is someone who believes that neurodivergence is a load of nonsense. So I use my platform to campaign for the rights of neurodivergent people. I also indulge in writing a lot of substacks. I'm also in the middle of writing a political novel. So, like any ADHD person, I've got a million plates spinning at once. I've got no idea if I'm ever gonna stop them breaking.

SPEAKER_58 1:02:37

Hi, I'm Hannah Strange, and I'm mad about plants and herbalism and learning how they work in the human body.

SPEAKER_78 1:02:45

I'm mad about mushrooms, not in the trendy way, in the how is this even real way?

SPEAKER_58 1:02:52

I'm mad about ritual magic and witchcraft. I'm mad about folklore and fairies. I'm mad about dopamine dressing and using colour and textures to just bring me pure joy. I'm mad about holistic well-being because separating the body, mind, and the spirit has never made sense to me. I'm mad about blending ancient wisdom with modern science. I'm mad about implementing spirituality throughout my entire life. And I'm just generally a bit mad. And I refuse to tone that down.

SPEAKER_53 1:03:32

Hi, I'm Elisa Curia, I've got ADHD, and I'm mad. I'm mad about so many things. Water bottles that just disappear. I've thought my daughter 50,000 water bottles. No, actually 50,000 and one, and they've all disappeared. I'm mad about paramenopause messing with my brain. I'm mad that I get hot in the middle of the night and I go to turn the heating off and I'm muttering to myself, who left that heating on. These kids. I think I'm made of money. It's not on, is it? It's not on. I'm the heating. I'm the heating. I'm mad that I keep crying for no reason. I'm mad about all the hate Heda Swift gets. She's lovely and she made a really lovely music video and it had Graeme Norton in it. Well, it's not to love about that. Bore off you fun sponges, leave her alone. Even though it's the same every single morning before the school run, that my daughter knows she needs her water bottle and her school bag. She still manages to leave the house every day without her water bottle and school bag. And then I have to go and get the water bottle and the school bag.

SPEAKER_63 1:04:30

Every single morning.

SPEAKER_58 1:04:31

Hi, I'm Torah Askin from TK Finance Tree, and I'm mad about financial literacy. Why is it not taught in schools? Okay. You know, why don't we understand what happens when we end up using a bank overdraft? Why are we not taught about, you know, well, a national insurance number means what it is, how why we have tax deducted, what is APR if we decide to take a credit card out, for example, okay? Um and I'm also passionate about it in business, okay? A lot of people say to me over the years, because I'm a lecturer in in finance, so um I love to break down the jargon. And lots of people say, I don't like numbers, hate the numbers. But you know, if we just broke down the terminology and reduced some of the jargon that we use, then actually we can empower people to be more financially literate and not fear the numbers so they could make better decisions and not be shocked when their tax bill arrives. So that's me, passionate about financial literacy, trying to get it on the government agenda as part of the work that I'm doing as well with Zero Financial Confidence Task Force and the Maple Review.

SPEAKER_18 1:05:28

Hi, my name's Sammy Ford, Sammy with an eye, and I'm just mad about fads. Now I can't pick just one because there's been too many in my life, frankly. Elvis Presley, Van Gogh, Poetry, Painting, Photography, you name it. But when I was diagnosed autistic and ADHD a few years ago in my early 50s, during perimenopause and after a mental health crisis, I realised that my mad fads are actually special interests. And it makes sense to me now, just like so many other things in my life. When I was mad about the military, I became a Royal Air Force officer. When I was mad about Mad about photography, I won a daily male wildlife competition. When I was mad about poetry, I had poems published, such as Vicarious UK. My mad fads make me who I am. And now I'm passionate about helping others. I deliver poetry workshops, but I also give keynote talks. And I show as many people as possible that neurodiversity is as important as biodiversity. And that neurodivergent people help to change the world in a positive way due to their different thinking.

SPEAKER_06 1:06:30

Hi, my name's Lucy. I'm an online fitness coach who specializes in supporting neurodivergent women to lose weight, end food noise, heal the relationship with food, and get consistent AF with the health and fitness endeavors. I have combined ADHD myself, and what I am mad about is probably going to come with no surprise is fitness. Both in the respect of I absolutely adore fitness in how much it has helped me, how incredible it has made me feel, how much it's helped my ADHD, and how much it helps the amazing people that I get to support. But I'm also mad about fitness and how it very much shames and belittles a lot of neurodivergent individuals. It makes people feel not good enough. It makes people feel lazy and it keeps people trapped in systems of being in a body they're not happy with, being unhealthy. And that's why I'm on a mission to show neurodivergent legends how it is they can make health and fitness work for their neurospicy brain.

SPEAKER_26 1:07:21

Hi, I'm Tony Horn. And what I'm absolutely mad about in the best possible way is life. I genuinely love it. The messy, noisy, imperfect version of it. I'm mad about people realizing they're not broken. They just think, feel, and experience the world differently, just like I do. I'm mad about the everyday stuff too. I love my children fiercely. If I'm not working, my time, my energy, and my heart is with them. I also love my animals, the calm they bring, the grounding, the quiet companionship where nothing needs explaining. And yes, I'm a huge Disney lover too. Why? It reminds me that from childhood all the way through to adulthood, that magic still exists, that imagination keeps us human. What gets me up each morning is knowing that what I do helps people feel seen, understood, and less alone. That's what I'm mad about. And I wouldn't change it for anything.

SPEAKER_33 1:08:21

Hi, I'm Donna, and I am mad about how tea is drunk in the UK. So much so that I went to China to find good tea. And then I discovered that tea is being grown right here in the Scottish Islands, almost on my doorstep. So armed with my perspective that I came from China, I am now mad about creating incredible tea with the seasons, not just the bog standard tea. This is another level. PhD Rain also loves a ritual, and I have found that in tea. And I am also mad about bringing this ritual, these good teas to people through my tea business, unravel tea.

SPEAKER_51 1:09:09

Hello, my name's Nikki McGlynn and I am mad about primitive reflexes. Now, most people don't know what primitive reflexes are. They are movement patterns that babies make that help to mature their central nervous system. And they disproportionately affect people who are neurodivergent when they are retained or stuck in the system. And the beauty of primitive reflexes is because they are movement patterns, we can use movement programmes in order to encourage those primitive reflexes to integrate into the system and therefore make life a lot easier for people who have ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, etc. etc. So that is my great passion to try and tell people about primitive reflexes.

SPEAKER_13 1:09:58

Hello, my name is Paulina Travana and I am mad about aphantasia. Now what is this? Well, close your eyes for a moment. Picture a red apple as clearly as you can. Open your eyes. Did you actually see that apple? Now, if not, you probably have apantasia. About 4% of the population have it. We cannot see things in our mind's eye, and very often it cuts across other senses as well. So you might not be able to smell things internally or you have a sense of taste, hearing, touch. And why am I mad about apantasia? Because I'm a hypnotherapist, and a lot of hypnotherapy includes visualization. And doesn't work for us this way, does it? Or things like meditation, you know, anywhere where you're asked to picture yourself on a beach and so on. And a lot of people with ADHD autism have apantasia.

SPEAKER_69 1:10:58

Hello, my name's John. I'm I'm mad about the class system in England. I'm obsessed with soul music and my hyper focus is Marvin Gaye and D'Angelo, who recently passed away, age 51. So I'm still goody about it. I get fired up by food, which is not good. I'm trying to chill on the sort of um you know food is dopamine thing. I'm in love with the idea of a very successful future incoming. And I can't stop thinking about my acting career and how to get ahead and how good it's gonna be when my moment comes, but it's taken its time. I've done some good bits, but I know I'm destined for something big, but I need to be understood by the right people to get in the right rooms.

SPEAKER_58 1:11:47

I'm Karen Weibrow and I am mad about grief. Death is one of the only things that we're guaranteed in this life, and we are awful at dealing with it. We try and brush it under the carpet. People will actually cross the street so they do not have to have an awkward conversation with somebody who has just had a bereavement. Um, we uh try and fill the awkward silences with platitudes, with um ways that we can fix this problem. If there's nothing that we can do to fix grief, it is a process that needs to be lived through and it needs to be felt through. Um, people just need us to sit with them through the uncomfortableness, through the tears, through the heartbreak, and know that you are there for them.

SPEAKER_31 1:12:46

Hi, I'm Gemma, and I am mad about the subconscious mind because you cannot grow a business with beliefs that are working against you. I am mad about the nervous system because if your brain and body do not feel safe in doing the things that you need to, like being visible, like taking action and everything else in between, then it will block you every single time. I'm mad about regulation before strategy because if you are in fight or flight or freeze, then you are not able to think logically and implement the things that you need to. Uh whereas if you are calm and regulated, which let me tell you, if neurodivergence is super important, then you are going to do the things that you need. And I'm also mad about the mental, physical, and emotional health of parents of neurodivergent children. And I think it's really important that they are supported.

SPEAKER_58 1:13:45

I'm Charlotte, and I am mad about choices. As a woman in midlife who is reimagining her life with her kids after divorce, I find myself in a phase of having the freedom to make decisions that feel good for me, ones where I don't have to accommodate someone else in quite the same way. And without the same external pressures that I felt when I was younger, one of my favourite decisions I've made has been to home educate my children. Up until I needed a solution, I had no idea that there was an alternative to school education. I thought that was the only option. But as a lifelong learner, I now get to be part of the learning process. I get to spend more time with my kids. It actually works better for our rhythm of living. And part of it's actually soothing my own soul and my own experience of education through the school system. So I'm really grateful for that choice. What's been the best choice you've ever made for you?

SPEAKER_78 1:14:46

I'm Eden, and I'm mad about the lack of accessible opportunities for young people here in Northern Ireland.

SPEAKER_55 1:14:52

I'm Nikki Liu and I'm mad about unmasking, and rightly so. I was in my 30s. I'd had 11 procedures or operations in six years. I'd just paid£450 for an appointment with a specialist, the best in the country. And although he couldn't see anything on the scans, he was sat there in front of me telling me I needed open heart investigative surgery to check out my diaphragm. I walked out of that office knowing that it was up to me to fix this my pain that I was in. And I started to stand up for myself. At that point, I didn't even realise what my favourite colour was. Because the problem with the mask is it isn't really a mask, it is actually a Lego tower. We're all given Legos at birth. And if you're making yours with bricks that aren't yours, it's going to have a very wobbly foundations and you're going to struggle when you get into your 30s and 40s with fatigue, pain, and exhaustion. And that is why I am mad about unmasking.

SPEAKER_27 1:15:50

Hi, my name is Catherine, and I am mad about parenting and childcare working with neurodivergent children. I discovered much later in life that I'm neurodivergent myself, that I have autism and ADHD. But for many years I studied children and young people, worked with, you know, hundreds of different children and young people, many of whom had autism and AHD, had my own children who both are neurodivergent. And I've come to find a way of parenting and working with children that is non-hierarchical and focuses on a deep connection and relationship with children and respecting their autonomy, their consent, working to collaborate with them instead of using rewards and punishments and those kind of external motivations. And I find that works so much better, particularly with PDA kids, but actually all neurodivergent children. So that's me. That's what I'm mad about.

SPEAKER_58 1:16:52

I'm Nicola Howard, life alchemist, and I am mad about success being defined by how much we can override our bodies and our brains. We act like hunger is being virtuous, skipping meals, running on caffeine, ignoring our pain, and pushing through exhaustion somehow proves that we are serious about our work. That mindset wrecks everybody. For neurodivergent women, it does us real harm. Because the cost isn't just feeling a little bit tired. No, it's burnout, it's health issues, and the constant sense that you are failing at something that everyone else just seems to be able to do. So here's that lie that I refuse to uphold. Starving ourselves is not discipline, and ignoring our nervous systems is not strength. Needing food, rest, sunlight, and the support that we need does not mean that we lack ambition. Because if your work only functions when you're hungry, exhausted, or overriding your health, the problem isn't you. The problem is the definition of success that we've been sold.

SPEAKER_40 1:18:01

Hi, my name is Anja Holzman.

SPEAKER_58 1:18:04

And as a person who is obsessed with neurodiversity and supporting people with the neurodiversity, I am super mad at the fact that still there is this idea that neurodiversity is neurodivergence is something to be embarrassed about when really what it is is an evolutionary trait and it supports society in being able to move forward and evolve and do incredible things. I don't think that we would be where we are today without all of the incredible neurodivergent minds that have come before us. So I can't wait for neurodivergence to be appreciated as an essential part of society where it can be celebrated. Hi, Maddy. Congratulations on the podcast anniversary. I'm honoured to be one of the hundred people contributing to this episode.

SPEAKER_32 1:19:07

And I am mad about burnout in people with ADHD. My name's Ann Diamond.

SPEAKER_31 1:19:13

I'm from Resilience Revel, and I support people with ADHD to connect with and accept themselves so they can manage stress and overwhelm and break free from burnout and thrive. Because the systems that we live and work in are not built to support us.

SPEAKER_58 1:19:33

So it's not us as a problem, it's the systems. So I'm really mad about sharing that because we think we're broken, we're not, it's the systems, and we need to change this.

SPEAKER_09 1:19:46

Hope the rest of your episode goes really well, and I can't wait to hear that the 99 people. Thank you.

SPEAKER_23 1:19:54

Hi, I'm Sam, and I'm mad about music. You can probably tell that from the background here. I love the power of music to connect with people. I love being on stage and getting an audience really riled up and excited. I love writing things that express my feelings, and I don't think I know a better way of bringing the most difficult to access feelings to the surface. And I love the feeling that I'm almost dancing with somebody who I'm playing music with. Uh, the other thing that I'm mad about is people and why they do the things they do and understanding where they're coming from and what drives them and makes them tick. That's really what's paid my wages for the last 20 years or so. And it's a passion that's been with me since I was a kid. I always wanted to get people better, have those really deep, insightful conversations. Uh, and that's never changed. Great to meet you.

SPEAKER_60 1:20:50

Hi, I'm Charlie Hart, also known as Awesome Charlie, with an AU for Autistic. Yes, you guessed it. I'm mad about autism. I love being autistic. I didn't know I was autistic until I was 42. It's not all unicorns farting rainbows. It can be hard at times. But knowing that you're autistic is very much a good news story. Even the things that some other people pathologise, like, yes, we have highly focused special interests. That's where expertise comes from. Yes, I'm easily overwhelmed as an autistic person. But finding out I'm autistic meant that I could develop coping strategies. I could self-advocate for my needs. Yes, I've got sensory sensitivities due to autism, but I also have things that bring me sensory joy. I even wear the infinity symbol, earrings, and necklace. Yeah, that's me, awesome Charlie, with an AU for autistic.

SPEAKER_58 1:21:51

Hi everyone, I'm Sarah, and I'm mad about Bach.

SPEAKER_32 1:21:56

And I wanted to talk to you about Bach because although there are a lot of reasons why I love Bach, there's one in particular why he's great for neurodivergent people. And that is when I get into a bit of a stress and my brain is all twizzled up and frazzled and in a bit of a funny place.

SPEAKER_58 1:22:15

I find listening to Bach can help slow me down and calm me and set the bits of my brain back to where it feels like they should be.

SPEAKER_32 1:22:26

I hope you can hear this. It's originally a chorale, so it was written for voices for people to sing.

SPEAKER_09 1:22:34

This has been arranged by Simone Dimenstein and she has arranged it for piano and she's a pianist and she's playing it now. Um I hope you manage to find the things you're mad about.

SPEAKER_22 1:22:50

Thank you.

SPEAKER_58 1:22:52

Hi, I'm Kelly. I'm a poet and artist, and I am mad about everything. When Maddie asks the question, what you are one thing you're mad about, I could not pinpoint just one thing, because I am interested in everything. I actually just created a painting which shows what it's like inside my mind, and my thoughts just pass so quickly through me, and I try and grab them, and it's really, really hard for me to focus on that one thing.

SPEAKER_30 1:23:16

I'll start studying one thing, then I'll jump into another, and then another, another, and everything just sparks my interest.

SPEAKER_58 1:23:22

I'm really interested in enjoying the mundane, which is often passed by, because I think the things that really bring us joy. So focusing on the little sparks, the first sip of your tea or listening to the birds. They're the things I really, really enjoy. But whether that's the one thing, I don't know. I love art, I love painting, I love cooking, I love my family, I love being outside, I love nature, I love swimming. There is just so much I love. I think it is impossible to tell you one thing I'm mad about. So, Maddy, I'm sorry, I can't say one thing because I love everything.

SPEAKER_54 1:23:54

Hi, I'm Carrie Farrell, and I want to talk to you about what I'm crazy about, mad about, and obsessed with. And that's my husband, Neil Farrell. I've known Neil for over 34 years. We've been together for nearly five and married for nearly three. Neil knows me more than anybody else, and there's a reason why I'm so crazy about him. Neil spotted that I was neurodivergent long before anybody else did, long before anybody professional, and I've been misdiagnosed for years and years. Neil has taught me that it's okay to embrace my crazy, quirky, weird side. That it's okay to have an age inappropriate obsession with unicorns, with everything pink and everything glittery. He's taught me that having bright pink shoes and dancing in the rain is okay, not to worry about what people think, and not to care when people look at me like I'm some mad woman. Meeting Neil has really changed my life and for the better. There's nothing I wouldn't do for the man. I'm truly obsessed, truly mad and truly in love. Thank you, Neil.

SPEAKER_57 1:24:56

I love you. Hi, my name's Lisa. I'm mad about pink things: flamingos, glitter, leopard prints, seaquins, French bulldogs, nice gin. But what I am really, really passionate about is helping people sausage. So we all get caught in the sausage machine of conformity through life. And what I'm really, really passionate and mad about is helping people spot where they're stuck in the sausage machine, split the skin and break free, and then sizzle in their funky diva era. So really stepping into their power. And we might use the pink and the glitter and the sequins and the leopard print, but if that's not for you, then that's equally that's absolutely fine. It's whatever's right for you. Do your thing, you be you, embrace your uniqueness.

SPEAKER_34 1:25:52

Good afternoon. My name is Michael. I am mad about performing arts because for the last 30 years I have had the opportunity to perform in some of the most prestigious venues around this country, including Birmingham Symphony Hall, where in 2024 I had the opportunity to perform on stage with Beyond the Barricade's Gala Choir for their 25th anniversary concert at the Symphony Hall. This year I have 44 performances to do, including yet another performance at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham. This time it will be Community Spirit 2026, where I have two solos and have the opportunity to sing with 15 other choirs. It should be very interesting, and what a fantastic opportunity this will be. Thank you for listening.

SPEAKER_38 1:26:44

Hi, I'm Vicar, and I am mad about energy. In a really floaty, like weary way, but also a practical, very human way too. I work with people who are capable, thoughtful, people like ourselves who are often given away far too much, feel tired, stuck, and things should be flowing more easily than they are, but it's just stuck. So for me, energy is everything because when your nervous system feels safe, your body can receive. It can receive everything like ideas, decisions, motivation to move forward. Um, so here's something you can try right now. Put your hand on your heart and your mother and your solar plectus on your tummy just there, and just slow your breath enough. Your shoulders drop, breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. And that ship you feel there, with that one simple breath, that's everything. That is your system starting to come out of effort and into receiving. And that's what I believe in putting power back into people's hands as easily as that.

SPEAKER_59 1:27:46

Hiya, my name's Dawn. What am I passionate about or mad about? Motorbikes, drumming, living life to the full, to the absolute max, and it doesn't matter what age you start. I've got a pharmacology degree, and I'm also A qualified psychotherapist, person-centred counsellor, and I'm a professional drum therapist as well. I'm passionate about transformation that people can change. You know, I was drinking a litre and a half of okra a day. Now I've been 12 years sober my way. Everyone is unique. It's I offer a totally different, holistic, person-centred approach, but it's down to the individual. I want people to be inspired to take, you know, get the most out of life and to live life to the max. There should be nothing stopping you. But I just have to show a picture of my amazing drum kit here, which I love and takes up most of my office. And yeah, it's just it's just about you can change. Transformation is possible.

SPEAKER_58 1:28:44

Hi, I am Kerry Hales, and I am mad about fun. Anything, if it's not fun, I'm not interested in doing it. Finding the fun in small things, finding fun in conversations, and getting curious with clients and people and friends and anybody of what they find fun. Where do they light up? What do they enjoy doing? Making things fun, making chores fun. We have big headphones on in our house and we dance and sing when we're doing chores, because otherwise I think we'll get done. Um so what else? It's just of what's fun, fun in doing new adventures, fun in finding and seeking something new to get curious about, fun in making creating playlists that make me sing and dance, and fun ways to work, fun ways to play.

SPEAKER_42 1:29:42

Hi everyone, I'm Emma, and I'm really enjoying this sunshine on my face. It's wonderful, right? After all that rain. I am mad about movement. I absolutely love it. Not exclusively for ADHDs or people with neurodiversions. The benefits are for everyone, but specifically for us, it's about getting that dopamine going to fire up our executive functioning. I know I am much better after exercise. It quiets that inner critic in our mind and turns it into our inner coach. And I am so here for that. I value and love and hanker after novelty. So no class is the same. I do three 30-minute classes a week, okay? And no class ever the same. It's short and it's sharp, and we resource, nourish, and maintain and sustain our bodies. And I absolutely love it. We get those endorphins running around the body, okay, to make us feel good and confident and capable. And it changes my day every time I do it. And I believe it will have the same impact on everyone.

SPEAKER_58 1:30:45

Hi, I'm Lou, and I'm mad about all things neurodivergence, neuroscience, spirituality, and nature. So for me, it began in 2020 when I was diagnosed with ADHD, which came as a bit of a surprise for me. I never thought like I had the typical symptoms of ADHD, but I've always, always had a curiosity around why do I feel different? Why do I feel like I don't fit in? Why does my brain go from naught to 100? Why do I feel like this? Other people don't seem to be experiencing this. And I got massively into physics as well as holistic health. I'm a weight Reiki practitioner, sound therapy practitioner, and have recently qualified as a counsellor and I study psychology and neuroscience. Um, the more I understand about my brain and how it works and how I could help that from a very like varied perspective, the more I want to know. And now I work passing on this knowledge to others in my job as a well-being practitioner, particularly for neurodivergent people, um, for one of the big names in mental health. And I'm really sorry this video is more than 60 seconds. That was really challenging. I'd love to tell you more about it sometime.

SPEAKER_21 1:31:58

Hi, I'm Julia, and I'm mad about nature. I absolutely love getting out for dog walks, looking up at the sky, the trees, and especially the sea. I find the sea really calming. I'm also mad about emergency situations, which is a little bit strange, but I'm the person that people call for animal rescues to fix things. I've always loved programs like 24 Hours in AE and police custody ones. So yeah, that definitely is an interest of mine. I'm also mad about creative health, find that really calming. I've been doing creative activities my entire life. I'm a writer, an artist, and photographer. I love that you can focus in on just one thing and that calms your brain down. But I'm equally mad and angry about that, that that is just not the case in schools. Creative activities have been taken away far too much. It drives me mad. And, you know, the school system is just not fit for purpose and needs more of this stuff in it. So that's what I'm really passionate about.

SPEAKER_22 1:32:54

Hi, I'm Lizzie, Dr. Lizzie Burnthot, and I'm mad about helping you show impact, influence, power, and passion.

SPEAKER_58 1:33:01

I'm absolutely passionate that we all have everything within us already. But sometimes we have those gremlins telling us we're not good enough. We have that people pleaser, we have that body armor, we have that perfectionism, that fitting in stuff that completely railroads us and stop us being the awesome person that we are inside. So I'm all about the courage to be you. My book is all about the courage to be you with lots of tips and tools, how to own who you are, ditch the stuff that's not helping you, and yeah, let's lead life. But my mission is any workplace toxicity. And if we can all show up with impact and influence, it just is not tolerated. So take care, have a great day, and I'll speak to you soon. Bye. Hi, I'm Kerry Bentley and I am mad about research. I absolutely love it. And I don't just mean research in the traditional sense where, for example, you might get diagnosed autistic and ADHD and spend hundreds of hours researching neurodiversity and racking up loads of qualifications on it.

SPEAKER_48 1:34:01

Or spending hours in the university library researching a really niche area of post-war German politics, obviously both of which I've done. I mean research in all forms and all kinds.

SPEAKER_58 1:34:12

So, for example, going on holiday, I spend hours researching flights, villas, cottages to make sure I've exhausted all possibilities and I've made absolutely the best choice in that area, even though I'm probably going to end up going back to the very first thing that I found.

SPEAKER_48 1:34:26

But I've done all that research and truth be told, I absolutely love it. So my all DHD brain is absolutely mad about research.

SPEAKER_58 1:34:34

Hi, I'm Carl. I'm mad about nature. Even on days like the I'm mad about dancing. My nervous system and I often negotiate.

SPEAKER_08 1:34:45

Um, but at the end of the direct thing inside outside anywhere. I dignity optional, but they're both really good regulation tools. Handy given I was diagnosed with ADHD recently.

SPEAKER_58 1:35:00

And all of a sudden everything just doesn't make sense why I keep talking about eating why I'm mad about understanding neurodiversity and inclusion and creating nurturing and grounding journals that are soothing spaces for individuals to reconnect with themselves and feel health.

SPEAKER_18 1:35:27

You could say I am mad about helping people to feel safe enough to exhale.

SPEAKER_58 1:35:33

I'm Elizabeth Papalia, the founder of Growinterlife.com, and I am mad about well-being, and I love finding ways to break it down in an accessible, straightforward uh process that that can improve our well-being and tackle stress, burnout, overwhelm, and more.

SPEAKER_49 1:35:54

What do you think would happen if you became intentional in your lifestyle to include opportunities to give generously in ways that aligned with your values and your priorities in life?

SPEAKER_58 1:36:05

To slow down and become more aware of yourself and your environment, if you became active in ways that raised your heart rate and also made you happy. If you took the time to have meaningful connections with people that you cared about and if you started learning more about things that were interesting and stimulating to you. And if you did all of those five things, you would statistically increase your well-being.

SPEAKER_63 1:36:35

Hi, my name's Jax, and I'm mad about a lot of things, but today I'm gonna focus on home education for neurodivergent families because that is where I think I make the most difference. And I'm gonna share some of the books that I like to talk about when I explain why home education works for me and for my family who are for autistic and otherwise neurodivergent children. So this is the children's story. It could be relevant to today's world. You might want to look it up. It's very, very short, very easy to read. Two of my whoops, two of my absolute favourites from my own childhood, The Wizard Verse and Orinkle in Time, both about people who are underestimated and minorities and still make massive, massive differences. This one, one of my all-time faves, The State of Grace by Rachel Lucas. The first time I ever saw myself on a page, representation is important. That's a minute.

SPEAKER_40 1:37:35

Goodbye. Hello, I'm Diana. I'm mad about women's history and what is documented and what we've got access to. The thing that really triggered that is I've had a faith for a long time. Um, there is a book, a biblical text that talks a lot about a woman's inner world, and it's been attributed to a male author, and a female academic has come along and suggested that it wasn't. It was actually a Roman noble woman who converted and documented, and it's by a woman academic. Then the other one I was really curious about is the actual Gospel of Mary. This was translated by a female academic in one of the Ivy League colleges, and she literally translates it word for word and gives the social cultural context. So that is just the tip of the iceberg of all sorts of things that I love to research and learn about.

SPEAKER_58 1:38:35

Hi, my name's Hallie, and I am mad about creativity in business and in life, and also mad about making AI accessible for everyone. So if you are someone who is currently on the fence about using AI, maybe you're fearful about using AI, maybe you don't know how to use it, maybe you don't even know how you could use this creatively in your business, then I'm the person that could probably show you how.

SPEAKER_49 1:39:04

I work with founders who are a little bit afraid of AI, let's not lie, but they also are really interested to see how it could work for them.

SPEAKER_58 1:39:16

So I help show them whether they actually need AI in their business, and if they do, how and where to place it.

SPEAKER_72 1:39:24

Hello, Maddy and Mad About Podcast. What am I mad about? People, people and society either not believing you about your disabilities or um not like TAs, like when I was at school and trying to get a THCP, that kind of thing, those type of assessor people at school. Um used to say that people back in the 90s, if you had a lung disability or other different disabilities, that you couldn't be autistic. And I myself wasn't diagnosed until I was 28 years old.

SPEAKER_14 1:40:16

I'm Jen Wilson and I'm mad about consent. No, I'm not talking about sex education, and nope, I'm not talking about those tick boxes for cookies on the interwebs. I'm talking about choices, decisions, how we use our agency to make a difference in the world and connect with each other, how we use our accountability to give ourselves permission to ask for what we want, say no to what we don't want, and take action on shaping a world we all need. Consent is a radical force for making change in our own lives and in the world. It's why I founded the International Day of Consent. And if you want to get better at saying no to people pleasing and yes to what matters most, I am here for that.

SPEAKER_08 1:41:06

Hi, I'm Maddy, another Maddy. I am mad about body balance fitness classes that I go to at my local leisure centre. I've been going about a year, just over a year, and it's a mix of yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi. It's for sort of like mixed abilities. I wish I'd done it years ago, or at least started something like yoga, or at least regular exercise, like this kind of exercise. It's it's just a really enjoyable class. The instructors are lovely, the music is really motivating, it's really accessible, it's a really nice, friendly class, and you just feel so uplifted. I feel uplifted every time I've been. I am autistic and ADHD. So doing exercise really helps calm my mind, it's grounding and helps reset my brain.

SPEAKER_64 1:42:06

Hi, I'm Lorena Carroll, and I'm mad about helping parents realise they're not shit at what they do. They've just got ADHD. I'm an ADHD mum, a parenting coach, someone who spent years thinking I just needed more discipline. I just needed to work harder, try harder, do better. What I've learned by looking at research, by studying with some of the leading experts in ADHD and parenting is that ADHD isn't a lack of effort, it's a difference in regulation. What I'm fired up about right now is changing the narrative around difficult kids and crap parenting. Because most of the time, what looks like defiance or lazy, bad parenting is actually nervous systems that are struggling to survive in a world that they're not designed for. Nervous systems that are desperately begging for safety, understanding, and co-regulation. My neurodivergence shows up as deep empathy and a brain that connects the dots and finds patterns everywhere. And it makes me brilliant at spotting what's going on at families to see what's going on underneath and what the underlying problem is and help you to solve it. I care fiercely about helping families that feel like they're struggling with this alone because I have been there and I know how much easier it is when you have community and validation and support. So yeah, I'm mad about rewriting a story for neurodivergent families from shame to strength.

SPEAKER_49 1:43:22

Hi, I'm mad, like Feral, but in a healing way. I'm Paige, an Audi HD spiritual coach, who helps neurodivergent humans heal without setting themselves on fire. I'm mad about people gaslighting diagnosis. I'm mad about burnout just being called life. I'm also mad about people emotionally borrowing from us with no intention of repayment. Like, sir, this is not a bank. And I'm also mad about just raise your vibrations culture when my nervous system is vibrating from trauma. Like, no. But I'm also good mad, mad enough to build safer spaces, mad enough to teach boundaries and spirituality. So if you're emotionally exhausted but spiritually spicy, welcome. We have snacks, boundaries and receipts.

SPEAKER_51 1:44:15

Hi, I'm Renee, and I'm mad about educational inclusion, bringing social justice to people.

SPEAKER_58 1:44:23

Um I'd really love to see an education system that is fully inclusive, that supports both teachers and parents, with systems designed by parents living with their neurodivergence or disability, designing things because they are also parents of children with neurodivergence and disabilities so that it actually works.

SPEAKER_47 1:44:51

I'm also mad about reading, I'm mad about maps, mad about music.

SPEAKER_20 1:44:57

Um, I love my puppy Molly, who is down here. And I'm just mad about loving life and everything.

SPEAKER_58 1:45:10

Hey, I'm Laura, and I'm mad about checking the fridge for the hundredth time for a snack. I'm also mad about getting my clients incredible results, especially women that are incredible at what they do, they are running highly successful businesses, they feel invisible, and I help them to leverage their credibility, their story to get booked and paid as a speaker.

SPEAKER_31 1:45:45

Also, where's my keys again?

SPEAKER_32 1:45:48

Hi, I'm Lisa Ventura, and I'm mad about building a world that all neurodivergent people deserve, and that's why I founded NeuroUnity. So for too long, neurodivergent professionals have been told to mask to fit in, to be the problem that needs fixing. But here's what I'm obsessed with. What if we flipped that entire narrative? So I founded NeuroUn because I got tired of watching brilliant neurodivergent people being seen as liabilities instead of being recognized as the creative, pattern spotting, hyper-focused innovators that they actually are. So I believe that every neurodivergent person deserves to show up as their full, authentic self. Not as a risk, not as a problem, but as the asset that they have always, always been. So thank you for listening. Tell me what you're mad about as well.

SPEAKER_47 1:46:44

Nicola here from Dyslexia Desk, and I'm mad about supporting dyslexic business owners to follow their dream.

SPEAKER_58 1:46:50

Why, you may ask? Well, that's because years of misery working in a neurotypical workplace led me to suffer severe mental health, depression, anxiety, low mood, just not enjoying day-to-day life, basically. And I knew that I would be a fantastic businesswoman as well. I often would end up in employed roles, in senior management roles, to only come crumbling down when I was having a bad dyslexic moment or they saw something that they didn't feel was quite good enough. So now I run a successful bookkeeping company. I'm working on dyslexia desks, supporting other people, and I'm absolutely mad about watching people succeed. Hi, I'm Claire from Maths Positive, and I'm mad about maths.

SPEAKER_25 1:47:46

I'm mad about making maths feel safer for, especially for neurodivergent learners who have spent years thinking that they can't do it.

SPEAKER_58 1:47:56

I'm mad about how many bright, thoughtful young people think they're bad at maths just because school wasn't built for their brains. Maths has become something people fear instead of something that helps them to understand the world. And that's not okay. I'm mad about changing math.

SPEAKER_25 1:48:15

I'm mad about teaching maths without shame, without rushing, without pressure to perform. Because when we change the environment, not just the person, learners don't just cope, they thrive. And everyone deserves to thrive in learning. That should be a baseline, not a privilege.

SPEAKER_16 1:48:35

Hey, so my name is Pauline, and his name is Nucky, and we are mad about to be frank so much. And why shouldn't we be about the life that I have lost through late diagnosis? The hospitalizations, what I meant through. I am mad about community and the people who came there who helped me out when the others wouldn't. I am mad about shop local. I am mad being around people. I am mad about so much. Uh puzzles, politics, geopolitics, technology, stem, fantasy and art and sci-fi and futurism and Star Trek and data. And lucky, you, of course, of course. I'm mad about so much. But I think going forward is trying to do something valid.

SPEAKER_58 1:49:31

Hi, I'm Anitha. I'm an occupational therapist. Well, you can be neurodivaged people of all ages, and I have lived experience, and I am mad about improving understanding of sensory processing. Our unique sensory profile helps shape our challenges, likes, dislikes, fears, and phobias, and it impacts on engagement, learning, and general well being. Recognizing, understanding, and respecting these differences, we can move beyond a one size fits all. approach and offer strategies that empower people to thrive and I support people in identifying their own sensory needs as well as those around them, be that family, friends, school staff, work colleagues. And I can show people how to implement practical adaptations, create safe environments and also use their senses to help with nervous system regulation.

SPEAKER_03 1:50:22

Hi, I'm Ben and I'm mad about this dog right now. I have ADHD autism and suspected what's it called again? Dyslexia. Dyslexia. I'm mad about lots of people bullying each other because I don't think that's fair in the world. And I don't think homeless people should be homeless. I think that the government should give everyone a home I'm mad about my special interests like football and gaming and I just hope the world will be a better place.

SPEAKER_20 1:51:06

Hi I'm Nina and I'm mad about the classical guitar I absolutely love this instrument. It is my biggest joy of my life and it has been since I was ten. And audiences like it too I've been described as captivating and enchanting and that my guitar makes people cry.

SPEAKER_28 1:51:46

Wonderful so there you have it 100 well more than 100 neurodivergent voices. It's so important that we get this podcast as far and wide as humanly possible. Let's celebrate difference. Let's celebrate people who have got exciting and amazing brains. Let's celebrate the fact that we are all different. This podcast has been amazing and I've got some thank yous that I want to uh I want to throw out there. So first of all I just want to say thank you to everybody who took part in this without you this podcast would not have been possible. I'm going to name you all in the credits. I want to say thank you to Alan Spicer who is my YouTube expert and my podcast editor and he's been amazing and so supportive. I want to say thank you to Carol Searle who is my amazing right hand woman my VA and literally the person who keeps this glue holding everything together. I want to say thank you to everybody who has listened to this podcast. I want to say thank you to everybody who has you know given us some time who's shared it who's liked it who's commented because without your support this podcast wouldn't go as far as it is going to go. I want to say thank you to Nina Rideout for providing us with some amazing amazing acoustic guitar music for the end credits of this video. I want to say thank you to the people who have listened to Mad About for the last two years. I want to say thank you to my community I want to say thank you to everybody who is a member of the Maddiverse, my free community for neurodivergent people. I want to say thank you to the core my membership the people who do my courses the people who pay me for coaching you guys are just the best. And I want to say thank you to my family because they've kind of lost me for the last couple of months recording all of this and putting it all together. It's not been an easy job but I am so pleased with how it's turned out. So there you have it all of your neurodivergent voices I hope you like it. I'm Maddie Alexander Grout. You can follow me on Instagram Maddie TalksMoney Mad About Money official on TikTok and Maddie Alexander Grout everywhere else you've been listening to Mad About podcast I hope I will see you again