ADHDifference

Julie Legg
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  • MENTAL HEALTH

ADHDifference challenges the common misconception that ADHD only affects young people. Diagnosed as an adult, Julie Legg interviews guests from around the world, sharing new ADHD perspectives, strategies and insights. ADHDifference's mission is to foster a deeper understanding of ADHD by sharing personal, relatable experiences in informal and open conversations. Choosing "difference" over "disorder" reflects its belief that ADHD is a difference in brain wiring, not just a clinical label.Julie is the author of The Missing Piece: A Woman's Guide to Understanding, Diagnosing, and Living with ADHD (HarperCollins NZ, 2024) and ADHD advocate.

  1. S2E47: The Hidden Neuroscience Behind Self-Sabotage + guest Brian DesRoches

    1 DAY AGO

    S2E47: The Hidden Neuroscience Behind Self-Sabotage + guest Brian DesRoches

    Julie Legg speaks with psychotherapist and author Brian DesRoches (Living a Trigger-Free Life), whose work focuses on the neuroscience of emotional learning and a process called memory reconsolidation. Brian explains why so many people struggle with recurring triggers, self-sabotage, and emotional patterns even after years of insight or therapy. Rather than simply managing reactions or trying to “think positive,” Brian describes how the brain actually stores emotional learning and how those memories can be updated and rewired through a process that allows the brain to recognise when past threats are no longer true. The conversation explores internal conflict, self-criticism, and the protective mechanisms behind behaviours many ADHDers experience and offers a hopeful perspective: that lasting emotional change isn’t about trying harder, it’s about helping the brain learn something new. Key Points from the Episode: Emotional memories vs explicit memoriesWhat memory reconsolidation actually meansWhy insight alone rarely changes behaviourThe brain’s constant threat prediction systemInternal conflict: one foot on the gas, one on the brakeWhy willpower and discipline often failSelf-sabotage as a protective mechanismUpdating emotional memories through new experiencesReframing ADHD self-criticism and identityWhy emotional learning may represent an evolutionary shiftLinks: WEBSITE: https://www.briandesroches.com/LIVING A TRIGGER-FREE LIFE: https://a.co/d/bDgsLtCLINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-desroches-12313731a/ Send a text Thanks for listening. 📌 Don’t forget to subscribe for more tools for beautifully different brains. 🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz 📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast 📖 BOOK: The Missing Piece: A Woman's Guide to Understanding, Diagnosing and Living with ADHD ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More

    44 min
  2. S2E46: ADHD - Personal Reflections of a Dopamine Hunter + guest Ryan Turner

    4 DAYS AGO

    S2E46: ADHD - Personal Reflections of a Dopamine Hunter + guest Ryan Turner

    Julie Legg speaks with Ryan Turner — motocross rider, recruiter, content creator, and founder of Dopamine Hunters. After receiving his ADHD diagnosis in adulthood, Ryan began reflecting on a lifetime of intensity, stimulation-seeking, and relentless energy that had previously felt chaotic and misunderstood. Through motocross and other high-adrenaline pursuits, Ryan discovered that the environments many people see as risky or extreme can actually bring calm, focus, and clarity to ADHD minds. That insight inspired Dopamine Hunters, a growing community, podcast, and documentary exploring how dopamine drives passion, performance, and purpose. Ryan shares candidly about late diagnosis, substance use, self-medication, education systems that miss neurodivergent children, and why interest-based learning is often the key to unlocking potential. This episode is an honest and energetic conversation about finding healthy outlets for ADHD intensity and creating spaces where neurodivergent people can thrive. Key Points from the Episode: Ryan’s late ADHD diagnosis and emotional aftermathGrowing up masking ADHD while siblings received supportThe connection between ADHD and substance self-medicationWhy adrenaline environments can calm ADHD brainsMotocross as regulation, focus, and communityThe idea behind Dopamine Hunters and how it startedInterest-based learning and why traditional classrooms fail many ADHDersThe “hidden 20%” of students with internalised neurodivergencyBurnout vs healthy stimulation for ADHD mindsReframing hobbies as exploration rather than “quitting”The link between ADHD, dopamine, and purposeRyan’s mission to create a platform for neurodivergent storiesLinks: LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dopamine-hunters/WEBSITE: https://www.dopamine-hunters.com/YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@DopamineHuntersRyanTurner-h8zINSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/ryanturner751/Send a text Thanks for listening. 📌 Don’t forget to subscribe for more tools for beautifully different brains. 🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz 📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast 📖 BOOK: The Missing Piece: A Woman's Guide to Understanding, Diagnosing and Living with ADHD ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More

    41 min
  3. S2E45: ADHD & Money - Impulsive Spending, Budgeting & Avoidance + guest Tina Mathams

    2 MAR

    S2E45: ADHD & Money - Impulsive Spending, Budgeting & Avoidance + guest Tina Mathams

    Julie Legg speaks with accountant, financial educator, podcast host, and author of ADHD Money, Tina Mathams. Together they unpack the emotional side of money for ADHDers — the impulsive spending, the avoidance, the shame, and the cycle of guilt that can quietly spiral into financial overwhelm. Tina shares her personal story of hitting financial rock bottom while undiagnosed, and how understanding her ADHD completely changed the way she approached money. Rather than relying on willpower or rigid budgeting systems, she explains how tools like gamifying, body doubling, identity-based goals, and nervous system regulation can create sustainable financial change. This is a great reminder that money struggles are not moral failings — and that small, imperfect action can change everything. Key Points from the Episode: Growing up with limiting money beliefsImpulse spending as dopamine-seekingAvoidance, shame, and money guilt cyclesSeparating self-worth from financial mistakesUnderstanding your “money story”Why willpower-based budgeting fails ADHD brainsGamifying savings and body doubling for money tasksBreaking long-term goals into present-moment identity shiftsPersistency over consistencyThe power of self-compassion in financial recoveryTina’s rock-bottom moment and rebuilding journeyWhy money doesn’t have to be perfect to improveLinks: WEBSITE: https://www.instagram.com/theadhdaccountant/ADHD MONEY & FINANCE PODCAST: https://open.spotify.com/show/25LpCxWszqhkbmS8tcvLa1?si=891d61c6f6714cc0BOOK: https://amzn.to/3ZDExkNLINKTREE: https://beacons.ai/adhdmoneySend a text Thanks for listening. 📌 Don’t forget to subscribe for more tools for beautifully different brains. 🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz 📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast 📖 BOOK: The Missing Piece: A Woman's Guide to Understanding, Diagnosing and Living with ADHD ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More

    29 min
  4. S2E44: ADHD, Trauma & Reclaiming Self-Trust + guest Karen Dwyer-Tesoriero

    26 FEB

    S2E44: ADHD, Trauma & Reclaiming Self-Trust + guest Karen Dwyer-Tesoriero

    Julie Legg speaks with psychotherapist Karen Dwyer-Tesoriero, who specialises in adult ADHD, complex trauma, and attachment. With over 25 years in social work and psychotherapy, Karen brings both professional expertise and lived experience to the conversation after discovering her own ADHD later in life through her son’s diagnosis. Together, they discuss powerful overlap between ADHD and trauma, particularly how negative childhood messaging can evolve into legacy burdens that shape adult identity, attachment styles, perfectionism, and people-pleasing. Karen unpacks how rejection sensitivity can be mislabelled as personality disorder, how masking impacts women especially, and how internalised “I’m not good enough” narratives quietly drive anxiety and depression. Key Points from the Episode: Discovering ADHD later in life through a child’s diagnosisMasking in women and the “talks too much” childhood narrativeADHD and complex trauma: where they overlapRejection sensitivity vs borderline personality misdiagnosisHow negative childhood messages become “legacy burdens”Perfectionism and people-pleasing as trauma responsesAttachment styles in ADHD relationshipsThe role of nervous system regulation in healingUsing EMDR and Internal Family Systems to untangle beliefsWhy “normal” and “perfect” don’t actually existBuilding evidence for “I am good enough”A daily mantra: Dare to believe in yourselfLinks: WEBSITE: https://www.kdtesorierolcsw.net/INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/kdtesorierolcswFACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/kdtesorierolcsw.net/ LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-dwyer-tesoriero-lcsw-emdr-certified-411316a1/Send a text Thanks for listening. 📌 Don’t forget to subscribe for more tools for beautifully different brains. 🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz 📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast 📖 BOOK: The Missing Piece: A Woman's Guide to Understanding, Diagnosing and Living with ADHD ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More

    35 min
  5. S2E43: ADHD & Adaptive Innovation + guest Douglas Katz

    23 FEB

    S2E43: ADHD & Adaptive Innovation + guest Douglas Katz

    Julie Legg chats with Douglas Katz — West Point graduate, Army veteran, inventor — about receiving an ADHD diagnosis in his 50s and how that moment reframed his entire life. Rather than seeing ADHD as something to “manage” or suppress, Douglas began to recognise how his urgency-driven thinking, rapid problem-solving, and constant scanning for stimuli had actually fuelled his success in the military and entrepreneurship. What once felt like quirks or liabilities became strategic advantages in the right environments. From inventing adaptive tools inspired by his own physical limitations (such as his NULU knife), to embracing what he calls “Forrest Gumping” (allowing ideas to flow rather than forcing control) Douglas shares how understanding his brain allowed him to build a life based on ability rather than disability. This conversation is a reminder that adult diagnosis is not an ending. It is often the beginning of self-acceptance, recalibration, and unlocking a different lens on success. Key Points in the Episode: Receiving an ADHD diagnosis in his 50s and the surprising sense of validationWhy military and startup environments can reward ADHD traitsThe difference between managing ADHD and positioning yourself strategicallyReframing “disability” into contextual mismatchThe power of building a complementary team as an entrepreneur“Forrest Gumping” — letting ideas flow instead of forcing controlWhy intention is the most misunderstood ADHD traitHow adult diagnosis can become a turning point rather than a setbackMakers vs consumers — why producing creates regulationViewing ADHD as a superpower when aligned with the right environmentLinks: DOUGLAS KATZ: https://linktr.ee/dougkatzINSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/d.m.katz/FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/DOUGLASMKATZ/LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglaskatz/Send a text Thanks for listening. 📌 Don’t forget to subscribe for more tools for beautifully different brains. 🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz 📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast 📖 BOOK: The Missing Piece: A Woman's Guide to Understanding, Diagnosing and Living with ADHD ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More

    41 min
  6. S2E42: Designing Work for ADHD Brains in a Distracted World + guest Kit Slocum

    19 FEB

    S2E42: Designing Work for ADHD Brains in a Distracted World + guest Kit Slocum

    Julie Legg is joined by Kit Slocum, neurodiversity lead and learning experience designer at Flown. With a background in psychology and behavioural neuroscience, and lived experience of ADHD, Kit brings both science and compassion to the conversation about focus, productivity, and nervous system regulation. From going from failing grades to straight A’s after receiving accommodations, to questioning the systems that label distraction as a personal flaw, Kit reframes ADHD through the lens of nervous system science and the neurodiversity paradigm. She explains why modern environments are fundamentally overstimulating, why burnout is often the predictable result, and how small, intentional shifts can radically change how ADHDers experience work and life. This episode offers insight into body doubling, nervous system check-ins, structured flexibility, and how leaders can design workplaces that actually support neurodivergent brains rather than forcing them to adapt. Key Points from the Episode: Kit’s journey from academic struggle to thriving with accommodationsThe shift from the pathology paradigm to the neurodiversity paradigmWhy distraction is often a dysregulated nervous system, not lazinessHow modern over-stimulation keeps ADHD brains in “on” modeBurnout as the end result of chronic nervous system activationNervous system check-ins and micro-regulation strategiesWhy many productivity apps fail ADHDersCreating a personalised “toolbox” through experimentationDesigning workplaces around curiosity and structured flexibilityThe Neural Passport: communicating how you work bestBody doubling as a powerful focus strategyThe importance of language — disability, difference, or superpower?Community as the most powerful ADHD tool of allLinks: WEBSITE: https://flown.com/INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/flownspace/LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flown/ADHD MASTERY PROGRAM: https://flown.com/adhd-focus-programSend a text Thanks for listening. 📌 Don’t forget to subscribe for more tools for beautifully different brains. 🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz 📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast 📖 BOOK: The Missing Piece: A Woman's Guide to Understanding, Diagnosing and Living with ADHD ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More

    41 min
  7. S2E41: Why Self-Care Feels Harder Than It Should (ADHD Edition) + Dr Matthew Campbell

    16 FEB

    S2E41: Why Self-Care Feels Harder Than It Should (ADHD Edition) + Dr Matthew Campbell

    Julie Legg sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Matt Campbell, co-creator of the Our Primal Five framework, to explore why self-care feels so hard especially for ADHDers and why the basics matter more than we realise. Rather than promoting productivity hacks or aesthetic routines, Matt brings the conversation back to foundational human needs: sleep, sunlight, movement, social connection, and mindful consumption. He explains how modern life constantly pulls us away from these essentials, and why structure, not motivation, is the real key to sustainable change. This episode is a great reminder that self-care isn’t indulgence. It’s replenishment. And for ADHD brains in particular, small, structured, repeatable shifts can be far more transformative than grand, short-lived resolutions. Key Points from the Episode: Why “knowing” what to do doesn’t automatically lead to “doing” itThe difference between motivation and structure, and why structure winsWhy ADHDers struggle with the basics like sleep, hygiene, and routineHow perfectionism and all-or-nothing thinking sabotage changeWhy guilt and self-criticism actually block behaviour changeThe concept of Our Primal Five: sleep, sunlight, movement, social connection, and consumptionHow stacking habits makes change sustainableWhy exercise can rival antidepressants for mood regulationThe hidden cost of digital “junk” consumption — social media, news, and overstimulationThe power of understanding ADHD to dismantle narratives of laziness or failureSustainable self-care as structure, not indulgenceLinks: WEBSITE: https://www.ourprimal5.com/INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/ourprimal5LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-campbell-a5b22910/WORKBOOK: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FQWSX73R?tag=ourprimal5-20 NEWSLETTER: https://our-primal-5.kit.com/9b41ee5325Send a text Thanks for listening. 📌 Don’t forget to subscribe for more tools for beautifully different brains. 🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz 📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast 📖 BOOK: The Missing Piece: A Woman's Guide to Understanding, Diagnosing and Living with ADHD ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More

    39 min
  8. S2E40: ADHD Across Generations - The Power of Understanding + guest Ariel-Paul Saunders

    12 FEB

    S2E40: ADHD Across Generations - The Power of Understanding + guest Ariel-Paul Saunders

    Julie Legg speaks with registered therapeutic counsellor Ariel-Paul Saunders, who brings a relational, intergenerational lens to understanding ADHD. Diagnosed at 38, Ariel began questioning the traditional medical narrative after recognising that his most significant struggles with focus and regulation didn’t begin in childhood, but emerged following a major relational rupture in early adulthood. Together, Julie and Ariel explore ADHD not just as a fixed neurological condition, but as something shaped by attachment patterns, nervous system regulation, and family lineage. From wartime trauma passed down through generations to the orchid-and-dandelion analogy of sensitivity, this conversation reframes ADHD as a developmental journey rather than a personal defect. It’s an episode about compassion for ourselves, our parents, and our children, and about becoming the generation that transforms what gets passed forward. Key Points from the Episode Why Ariel’s ADHD symptoms intensified after a relational rupture in his early 20sWhat felt incomplete about the traditional medical explanation of ADHDThe role of nervous system regulation in how ADHD presentsAttachment, safety, and how connection shapes focus and executive functionThe “orchid vs dandelion” analogy for sensitivity and environmental fitHow trauma and emotional numbing can be passed down without intentionReframing ADHD as lineage rather than personal failureHow understanding our parents changes how we understand ourselvesSupporting children by seeing the state beneath the behaviourGrowing through ADHD traits, not necessarily “out of” themBecoming the generation that shifts relational patterns forwardLinks FREE CONSULTATION: https://securelythriving.com/book-a-callFREE RESOURCE: https://securelythriving.com/free-resourceARTICLE: Why-my-adhd-didnt-appear-until-age-21ARTICLE: The Neuroscience of How Attachment Shapes ADHD: From Dopamine to Executive FunctionARTICLE: Three Generations of ADHDINSTAGRAM: @securelythrivingfamilyFACEBOOK: @securelythrivingLINKEDIN: Ariel-Paul SaundersYOUTUBE: @securelythriving Send a text Thanks for listening. 📌 Don’t forget to subscribe for more tools for beautifully different brains. 🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz 📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast 📖 BOOK: The Missing Piece: A Woman's Guide to Understanding, Diagnosing and Living with ADHD ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More

    47 min
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About

ADHDifference challenges the common misconception that ADHD only affects young people. Diagnosed as an adult, Julie Legg interviews guests from around the world, sharing new ADHD perspectives, strategies and insights. ADHDifference's mission is to foster a deeper understanding of ADHD by sharing personal, relatable experiences in informal and open conversations. Choosing "difference" over "disorder" reflects its belief that ADHD is a difference in brain wiring, not just a clinical label.Julie is the author of The Missing Piece: A Woman's Guide to Understanding, Diagnosing, and Living with ADHD (HarperCollins NZ, 2024) and ADHD advocate.

Information

  • Creator
    Julie Legg
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    105
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Julie Legg & Jel Legg
  • Show Website
    ADHDifference