ADHD Mums

Jane McFadden
  • ٤٫٢ (٦)
  • الصحة النفسية
  • يتم التحديث أسبوعيًا

Being a mum is hard enough. Being a mum with ADHD — or raising neurodivergent kids is a whole different level. ADHD Mums is the unfiltered, science-meets-reality podcast hosted by Jane McFadden, educational neuroscientist, advocate, and mother of three. This isn’t another polished parenting show with 'ten easy tips.' It’s real stories, confessions we’re not supposed to say out loud, and the research that explains why so many of us are running on empty. Every week you’ll hear: 🎙️ Confessions — raw, anonymous truths from mums navigating rage, burnout, and survival. 🧠 Expert insights — from neuroscientists, clinicians, and policy leaders on ADHD, autism, and mental health. 💬 Advocacy in action — exposing ADHD medication shortages, NDIS red tape, and the hidden costs mothers carry. With over 1 million downloads already tuning in from across the world, the podcast has already influenced ADHD reforms in Australia, been featured in national media, and pushed politicians to answer the questions mothers are asking. If you’ve ever screamed in the car, forgotten every form until the night before, or wondered if you’re the only one falling apart — this podcast is your proof that you’re not broken, you’re just telling the truth.

  1. When the Teacher Asks ‘What Can I Do to Help? But You Don’t Know What to Say

    قبل ١٨ ساعة

    When the Teacher Asks ‘What Can I Do to Help? But You Don’t Know What to Say

    If your child looks ‘fine’ at school… but falls apart the second they get home — this episode is for you. 🧠 What We Cover in This Episode: What masking really looks like in a classroom settingWhy ‘they’re fine at school’ can be deeply misleadingThe invisible work happening before the school day even startsWhy internalising kids are often missed entirelyWhat it costs to ‘look like you’re coping’ all dayWhy asking a child to self-advocate isn’t always realisticHow anxiety builds when expectations aren’t predictableThe difference between behaviour you can see… and effort you can’tWhy some kids nod, smile… and completely miss instructionsWhat actually reduces stress in the classroom (and what doesn’t) 💭 This episode is for you if: Your child holds it together at school but unravels at homeYou’ve been told ‘we’re not seeing that here’Your child doesn’t speak up when they’re strugglingYou can see the effort they’re putting in — even if others can’tyou’re trying to explain your child to the school and not being heardYou feel stuck between what you see… and what they report 📬 Check out my Free Resources on Schools: The School Complaint & Escalation Guide for Parents https://adhdmums.com.au/product/school-complaint-escalation-guide/ 📬 Check out my Paid Resource on Schools: When School Looks Fine But Isn’t Understanding Burnout, Masking & School Can’t Making School Work: A Parent’s Guide to Neurodivergent Kids and the System School Advocacy Hub of Resourceshttps://adhdmums.com.au/advocacy/ 📬 Listener Questions & Community 🎙️ Ask a Listener Question (voice) Voice notes are preferred when possible — hearing your voice helps add context — but you’re very welcome to submit a written question instead. Send me a WhatsApp voice message here: https://wa.me/61403457313 ✍️ Ask a Listener Question https://form.jotform.com/251238118486864 👥 Join the ADHD Mums Facebook Group For community, shared language, and conversations with other mums who get it. https://www.facebook.com/groups/adhdmumspodcast

    ١٤ د
  2. When School Feels Too Much Too Early — Expectation Creep Explained

    قبل يومين

    When School Feels Too Much Too Early — Expectation Creep Explained

    If you’ve ever sat in a school meeting hearing what’s ‘expected’… and thought ‘this feels like too much… too early’ — this episode is for you. Because sometimes it’s not subtle. It’s that quiet moment where something doesn’t sit right… but you’re told it’s normal. In this episode, we unpack what’s really happening when school expectations keep creeping up — academically, behaviourally, socially — and why so many kids are being asked to meet standards that don’t actually match where they are. 💭 This episode is for you if: – You’ve thought ‘this feels too much for their age’ – Your child is struggling, but you know they’re capable – You’ve been told ‘this is just how school is now’ – Your child is falling behind quickly and can’t catch up – You’re noticing stress, resistance, or shutdown around school – You’re questioning whether the system is actually the issue 🎧 Related Episodes When School Becomes the Trauma – School Series https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/s2-ep2-school-series-when-school-becomes-the-trauma-what-no-one-tells-adhd-parents/ Here’s the part most people don’t say out loud: If it feels too big… too fast… too much… that doesn’t automatically mean your child is the problem. Sometimes it means the expectations have moved and no one stopped to check who they were leaving behind. For more about Dr. Rebecca English https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/r.english 📬 Check out my Free Resources on Schools: The School Choice Kit https://adhdmums.com.au/product/the-school-choice-kit/ The School Complaint & Escalation Guide for Parents https://adhdmums.com.au/product/school-complaint-escalation-guide/ 📬 Check out my Paid Resource on Schools: Making School Work – Parent Guide ($20) https://adhdmums.com.au/product/making-school-work-parent-guide/ School Advocacy Hub of Resourceshttps://adhdmums.com.au/advocacy/ 📬 Listener Questions & Community 🎙️ Ask a Listener Question (voice) Voice notes are preferred when possible — hearing your voice helps add context — but you’re very welcome to submit a written question instead. Send me a WhatsApp voice message here: https://wa.me/61403457313 ✍️ Ask a Listener Question (written) https://form.jotform.com/251238118486864 👥 Join the ADHD Mums Facebook Group For community, shared language, and conversations with other mums who get it. https://www.facebook.com/groups/adhdmumspodcast

    ٢٣ د
  3. 98. When You Say ‘Can We Talk’ — And It Blows Up Straight Away

    ١٥ أبريل

    98. When You Say ‘Can We Talk’ — And It Blows Up Straight Away

    If you’ve ever said ‘can we just talk about something?’ and it escalates before you’ve even said the thing — this episode is for you. Because it’s not the conversation that’s blowing up. It’s what happens in the seconds before it even starts. In this episode, we unpack that exact moment — the one where you’re trying to keep it calm, keep it small, keep it ‘not a big deal’… and somehow it still turns into tension, shutdown, or a full spiral. The urgency you feel to resolve it. The resistance you feel coming back. And how quickly that turns into ‘why do I make things like this?’ 🧠 What We Cover in This Episode: Why ‘can we talk?’ can trigger a reaction before anything is saidWhat’s actually happening when one person moves in and the other pulls awayThe demand-withdraw pattern (and why it escalates so fast)Why urgency to resolve something doesn’t land as ‘small’ to the other personHow unfinished conversations sit in your body all dayWhy it feels impossible to just ‘leave it’What happens when both people are trying to regulate — in opposite waysHow effort builds with zero progress (and why that feels so heavy)Why this quickly turns into ‘I’m too much’ or ‘I make things hard’The difference between a communication problem… and a timing collision 💭 This episode is for you if: You feel a strong need to resolve things straight awayYou struggle to leave conversations unfinishedYou’ve been told ‘not right now’ and felt it land hardYou replay conversations that never even really happenedYou feel responsible for fixing the tension in relationshipsYou’ve thought ‘why do I make things escalate?’ 🎁 Free Resource ADHD Self-Test https://adhdmums.com.au/adhd-self-test/ If you’ve ever wondered ‘why does this feel so intense for me?’ this is a helpful place to start. 🎧 Related Episodes Why You Keep Waking at 3am — And It’s Not Just Anxiety https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/episode-26-why-you-keep-waking-at-3am-and-its-not-just-anxiety/ Why You’re Bad at Asking for Help and What to Do Instead https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/episode-18-quick-reset-why-youre-bad-at-asking-for-help-and-what-to-do-inste Why Self-Care Feels Like Another Task https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/episode-22-quick-reset-why-self-care-feels-like-another-f****g-task/

    ٩ د
  4. 97. The Invisible Job: Being the One Who Holds Everything Together

    ١٣ أبريل

    97. The Invisible Job: Being the One Who Holds Everything Together

    If you’ve ever stepped away for five minutes… come back… and everything has already escalated — this episode is for you. Because it’s not just the moment. It’s the feeling that if you’re not there… it doesn’t hold. And somehow you’ve become the thing that keeps everything from tipping over. In this episode, we unpack the invisible role so many ADHD mums carry — the one where you’re not just part of the family… you’re the one holding it together. The one who reads the room. Softens the tone. Finds the compromise. And slowly realises… nothing really runs without you. 🧠 What We Cover in This Episode: What emotional labour actually looks like inside a familyHow you become the ‘regulation’ in the room without realising itWhy things escalate faster when you step away (and what that creates)The difference between helping… and holding the entire system togetherHow hypervigilance turns into a full-time roleWhy your nervous system never fully switches offWhat happens when everyone starts relying on you to stabilise thingsThe hidden cost of always stepping in ‘because you can’Why burnout here isn’t about one moment — it’s repetitionHow this shifts from a behaviour… into an identity 💭 This episode is for you if: You feel like you can’t fully leave, even when you leaveThings escalate quickly when you’re not thereYou’re the one who smooths, translates, and fixesYou feel responsible for how everyone interactsYou’re exhausted, but can’t explain exactly whyYou’ve wondered ‘am I too much… or just too involved?’ 🎁 Free Resource ADHD Self-Test https://adhdmums.com.au/adhd-self-test/ If you’ve ever thought ‘why does everything seem to land on me?’ this is a helpful place to start. 🎧 Related Episodes Too Exhausted to Be the Parent You Want to Be https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/too-exhausted-to-be-the-parent-you-want-to-be Why You’re Bad at Asking for Help and What to Do Instead https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/episode-18-quick-reset-why-youre-bad-at-asking-for-help-and-what-to-do-inste When You Can’t Relax Even When It’s Quiet https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/why-adhd-mums-cant-relax/ Why Self-Care Feels Like Another Task https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/episode-22-quick-reset-why-self-care-feels-like-another-f****g-task/ 📬 Listener Questions & Community 🎙️ Ask a Listener Question (voice) Voice notes are preferred when possible — hearing your voice helps add context — but you’re very welcome to submit a written question instead. Send me a WhatsApp voice message here: https://wa.me/61403457313 ✍️ Ask a Listener Question (written) https://form.jotform.com/251238118486864 👥 Join the ADHD Mums Facebook Group For community, shared language, and conversations with other mums who get it. https://www.facebook.com/groups/adhdmumspodcast

    ١٦ د
  5. 96. When You Keep Starting the Same Thing — And It Never Gets Finished

    ٦ أبريل

    96. When You Keep Starting the Same Thing — And It Never Gets Finished

    In this episode, we unpack the invisible load of trying to do something simple inside a day that won’t hold it. The interruptions, the split attention, the constant restarting — and how quickly that gets turned into ‘I’m the problem.’ From the outside, it looks like nothing happened. But inside it? You were doing that one task over and over again. 🧠 What We Cover in This Episode: Why ‘simple tasks’ don’t stay simple in real lifeWhat constant interruptions actually do to your brainHow restarting a task repeatedly drains more than doing it onceWhy your brain doesn’t register effort — only completionThe invisible load of managing kids, conflict, and tasks at the same timeWhat happens when attention keeps getting split before anything finishesWhy it feels like ‘I did nothing today’ when you were actually working all dayHow small tasks turn into identity stories like ‘I can’t follow through’The difference between a task not getting done… and never having the conditions to be doneWhy school holidays amplify this pattern 💭 This episode is for you if: You start the same task multiple times and never finish itYou feel exhausted but can’t point to what you actually completedYou’ve thought ‘this shouldn’t be this hard’You manage kids, tasks, and emotions all at onceYou feel like you’re constantly behind, even on small thingsYou’ve labelled yourself as disorganised or bad at follow-through 🎁 Free Resource ADHD Self-Test https://adhdmums.com.au/adhd-self-test/ 🎧 Related Episodes Too Exhausted to Be the Parent You Want to Be https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/too-exhausted-to-be-the-parent-you-want-to-be Why You’re Bad at Asking for Help and What to Do Instead https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/episode-18-quick-reset-why-youre-bad-at-asking-for-help-and-what-to-do-inste 📬 Listener Questions & Community 🎙️ Ask a Listener Question (voice) Voice notes are preferred when possible — hearing your voice helps add context — but you’re very welcome to submit a written question instead. Send me a WhatsApp voice message here: https://wa.me/61403457313 ✍️ Ask a Listener Question (written) https://form.jotform.com/251238118486864 👥 Join the ADHD Mums Facebook Group For community, shared language, and conversations with other mums who get it. https://www.facebook.com/groups/adhdmumspodcast

    ١٥ د
  6. 95. When You Make Yourself the Joke — And It Turns Into ‘That’s Just Who I Am’

    ١ أبريل

    95. When You Make Yourself the Joke — And It Turns Into ‘That’s Just Who I Am’

    In this episode, we unpack the very real (and very common) experience of showing up already stretched… masking it with humour… and then internalising the entire thing as a personality flaw. The jokes land. People laugh. It looks like you’re coping. But underneath it — something else is happening. 🧠 What We Cover in This Episode: What’s actually happening when you default to self-deprecating humourWhy ‘being funny about it’ can be a form of real-time regulationHow overwhelm gets rewritten as ‘this is just who I am’The hidden role of impression management in social situationsWhy you leave interactions replaying everything you saidWhat ‘cognitive downplaying’ looks like in everyday lifeHow overcommitment + pressure turns into identity, not contextWhy nothing changes when you minimise what’s actually too muchThe moment it shifts from ‘this doesn’t work for me’ to ‘I am the problem’What it looks like to move the pressure off you — and back onto the situation 💭 This episode is for you if: You make jokes when you’re actually overwhelmedYou leave social situations thinking ‘I did it again’You overcommit, then feel trapped in itYou replay what you said and cringe laterYou’ve labelled yourself as ‘too much’, ‘chaotic’, or ‘bad at follow-through’You feel like you have to manage how others see you 🎁 Free Resource ADHD Self-Test https://adhdmums.com.au/adhd-self-test/ If you’ve ever thought ‘is this just my personality… or something else?’ this is a helpful place to start. 🎧 Related Episodes No, I Can’t Meditate. I’m Too Busy Dissociating https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/episode-47-quick-reset-no-i-cant-meditate-im-too-busy-disassociating/ Why You’re Bad at Asking for Help and What to Do Instead https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/episode-18-quick-reset-why-youre-bad-at-asking-for-help-and-what-to-do-inste .📬 Listener Questions & Community 🎙️ Ask a Listener Question (voice) Voice notes are preferred when possible — hearing your voice helps add context — but you’re very welcome to submit a written question instead. Send me a WhatsApp voice message here: https://wa.me/61403457313 ✍️ Ask a Listener Question (written) https://form.jotform.com/251238118486864 👥 Join the ADHD Mums Facebook Group For community, shared language, and conversations with other mums who get it. https://www.facebook.com/groups/adhdmumspodcast

    ١١ د
  7. 94. When a Group Chat Goes in Circles — And You Leave Feeling Like You’re the Problem

    ٣٠ مارس

    94. When a Group Chat Goes in Circles — And You Leave Feeling Like You’re the Problem

    If you’ve ever left a group chat replaying everything you said… and everything you didn’t… and somehow landed on ‘that felt off… was that me?’ this episode is for you. Because this isn’t just about group chats. Or school committees. Or awkward conversations that go nowhere. It’s about what happens when everyone in the room is solving a different problem… and no one realises it. In this episode, we unpack the kind of interaction that looks normal on the surface — calm, polite, ‘reasonable’ — but leaves you carrying it for hours (or days). The replaying, the second-guessing, the quiet shift into ‘I must have handled that wrong.’ And why that feeling doesn’t mean what you think it means. 🧠 What We Cover in This Episode: Why some conversations go in circles and never actually resolveWhat’s really happening when everyone sounds ‘right’ but nothing landsHow different brains track completely different things in the same conversationWhy tension builds even when no one is being openly confrontationalThe moment a conversation stops being about the topic — and becomes about identityWhy you leave interactions with a version of yourself you didn’t walk in withHow group chats split into side conversations (and why that regulates people)The hidden role of fairness, meaning, effort, and threat in communicationWhy your brain keeps replaying it later — even when it’s ‘over’What it actually means when something feels ‘off’ (and why that matters) 💭 This episode is for you if: You replay conversations long after they’ve finishedYou leave group chats feeling uncomfortable but can’t explain whyYou’ve thought ‘did I make that worse?’You pick up on tension that others seem to missYou feel responsible for smoothing things over (even when you didn’t start it)You carry interactions into your night, your drive, your quiet moments 🎁 Free Resource ADHD Self-Test https://adhdmums.com.au/adhd-self-test/ If you’ve ever wondered ‘Why do I experience conversations like this?’ this is a helpful starting point. 🎧 Related Episodes Why You Keep Waking at 3am — And It’s Not Just Anxiety https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/episode-26-why-you-keep-waking-at-3am-and-its-not-just-anxiety/ Why You’re Bad at Asking for Help and What to Do Instead https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/episode-18-quick-reset-why-youre-bad-at-asking-for-help-and-what-to-do-inste Too Exhausted to Be the Parent You Want to Be https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/too-exhausted-to-be-the-parent-you-want-to-be

    ١٤ د
  8. 93. When You Remove the Stress — And Start Wondering What’s Wrong With You

    ٢٥ مارس

    93. When You Remove the Stress — And Start Wondering What’s Wrong With You

    If you’ve removed the pressure… stepped back… even taken a break… and you still feel on edge — this episode is for you. Because this is the part no one explains. When nothing is ‘wrong’ anymore… but your body is still acting like it is. In this episode, we unpack what happens when stress isn’t the thing driving your anxiety — and why removing the load doesn’t always create relief. If you’ve ever wondered ‘is this just who I am?’ this conversation will shift how you see it. 🧠 What We Cover in This Episode: What it means when anxiety doesn’t go away after removing pressureWhy ‘just rest’ doesn’t work for everyoneThe moment you realise it’s not the situation — it’s the patternHow your nervous system can run rules that don’t match your current lifeThe difference between stress-based overwhelm and pattern-based overwhelmWhy unclear expectations quietly keep you in a constant state of alertWhat ‘predictive patterns’ look like in real life (and why they stick)Why insight alone doesn’t change how your body respondsWhat actually helps your system settle — and why it’s not what you think 💭 This episode is for you if: You’ve reduced stress but still feel constantly ‘on’You’ve wondered ‘why am I like this?’Rest doesn’t seem to touch the feeling in your bodyYou feel worse when things are quiet, not betterYou carry a constant mental load even when nothing urgent is happeningYou feel immediate relief when things are clearly defined 🎁 Free Resource ADHD Self-Test https://adhdmums.com.au/adhd-self-test/ If you’re sitting in that space of ‘is this anxiety… or something else?’ this is the clearest place to start. 🎧 Related Episodes CONFESSIONS: Things I Can’t Say at the Playground https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/episode-55-confessions-things-i-cant-say-at-the-playground/ Camouflaging ADHD & Autistic Traits in Girls (with Millie Carr) https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/replay-s1-episode-41-camouflaging-adhd-autistic-traits-in-girls-with-millie-carr-re-release/ 📬 Listener Questions & Community 🎙️ Ask a Listener Question (voice) Voice notes are preferred when possible — hearing your voice helps add context — but you’re very welcome to submit a written question instead. Send me a WhatsApp voice message here: https://wa.me/61403457313 ✍️ Ask a Listener Question (written) https://form.jotform.com/251238118486864 👥 Join the ADHD Mums Facebook Group For community, shared language, and conversations with other mums who get it. https://www.facebook.com/groups/adhdmumspodcast

    ٩ د
مشاهدة الكل (٢٦٥)

التقييمات والمراجعات

٤٫٢
من ٥
‫٦ من التقييمات‬

حول

Being a mum is hard enough. Being a mum with ADHD — or raising neurodivergent kids is a whole different level. ADHD Mums is the unfiltered, science-meets-reality podcast hosted by Jane McFadden, educational neuroscientist, advocate, and mother of three. This isn’t another polished parenting show with 'ten easy tips.' It’s real stories, confessions we’re not supposed to say out loud, and the research that explains why so many of us are running on empty. Every week you’ll hear: 🎙️ Confessions — raw, anonymous truths from mums navigating rage, burnout, and survival. 🧠 Expert insights — from neuroscientists, clinicians, and policy leaders on ADHD, autism, and mental health. 💬 Advocacy in action — exposing ADHD medication shortages, NDIS red tape, and the hidden costs mothers carry. With over 1 million downloads already tuning in from across the world, the podcast has already influenced ADHD reforms in Australia, been featured in national media, and pushed politicians to answer the questions mothers are asking. If you’ve ever screamed in the car, forgotten every form until the night before, or wondered if you’re the only one falling apart — this podcast is your proof that you’re not broken, you’re just telling the truth.

المعلومات

  • صناع العمل
    Jane McFadden
  • سنوات النشاط
    ٢٠٢٣ - ٢٠٢٦
  • الحلقات
    ٢٦٥
  • التقييم
    فاضح
  • حقوق النشر
    © 2025 Jane McFadden
  • موقع البرنامج على الويب
    ADHD Mums

قد يعجبك أيضًا