Neurodivergent Money Management | ADHD, Budgeting, Debt-free, Savings, Income, Executive Function,

Esther Bangura | ADHD & Neurodivergent Executive Function Finance Expert
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

Are you constantly spending to cope with stress, even after promising yourself you wouldn't? Does opening bills, letters, or financial reminders instantly trigger overwhelm or shame? Is sticking to a budget a struggle, even though you know you earn enough? Do money thoughts leave you feeling guilty, anxious, or like you're always “behind” in life? If that sounds like you, you’re in the right place. Neurodivergent Money Management is the podcast that helps you finally feel calmer, clearer, and more in control of your finances. Here, you’ll learn how to: ✨ pay off debt without shame ✨ budget in a way your brain can actually follow ✨ reduce emotional and impulsive spending ✨ build savings you can rely on ✨ feel genuinely less anxious about money I’m Esther Bangura, your host — financial coach for neurodivergent adults. I spent years trapped in a vicious debt cycle, constantly overspending, constantly stressed, and constantly feeling like I was failing at something everyone else seemed to manage easily. It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult that everything finally made sense. I tried all the same things you’ve probably tried too — strict budget spreadsheets, colour-coded tracking apps, discipline, willpower, “no-spend days.” None of it worked. Not because I wasn’t trying hard enough, but because I was using systems built for neurotypical brains. Everything changed when I realised I needed to: 💛 manage my anxiety around money 💛 interrupt stress-spending before it spirals 💛 build a money routine that works with my brain, not against it When I did that, I reduced my stress spending, became more organised with my finances, and eventually became completely debt-free. And now? I’m here to help you do the same. Neurodivergent Money Management features both solo teaching episodes and guest interviews, covering ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia through a shame-free, brain-friendly money lens. If you’re ready to get 1:1 support to understand your money stressors, reframe your anxiety around money, and finally become debt-free — Apply for 1:1 Neurodivergent and Money Coaching. Your brain works differently. Your money can too.

  1. 18h ago

    99 | Dyspraxia and Budgeting: How to Finish the Budget You Keep Starting

    Dyspraxia and budgeting: how to finish a budget when interruptions keep sending you back to the start, using 1 page and 5 boxes. For dyspraxic adults and anyone with ADHD who keeps starting over. You sit down to write your budget. The statement will not download. The kids need you. And next time, you start again from the top. This episode gives you a simple way to finish a budget, 1 job at a time, even when you keep getting interrupted and when working memory is not playing the game. In this episode, Esther Bangura, financial coach for neurodivergent adults, explains why so many dyspraxic adults have started a budget several times and never finished one. Budgeting is 5 jobs in a row, and an interruption wipes both what you were doing and where you were up to. Esther shares her own story from her years as a project manager, the hidden interruptions inside a budget, and a 1 page method that holds your place so your working memory does not have to.   Highlights Why a budget is really 5 jobs, and why interruptions send you back to the start. The 3 kinds of interruptions: outside, inside the budget, and the thoughts nobody sees. The 1 page, 5 box method, and how to mark where you stopped so you can pick back up.   Work with me Ninety minute one to one coaching session. We take the thing you have been circling and get it done together, so you leave with it finished rather than planned. Bring whatever numbers you have found so far, and we find the rest together. https://estherbangura.com/coaching   Links and resources   PocketSmith, the budgeting app I use myself and with my clients: get 50% off the Foundation Monthly plan for the first two months https://my.pocketsmith.com/redeem?tap_a=77627-d2024d&ref=mzjlndb&code=50OFFPREMIUM-F4RG This is an affiliate link. If you sign up through it I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I use myself and with my clients.   The ND Money Insider, my weekly newsletter https://estherbangura.com/newsletter   The Neurodivergence and Money Report https://estherbangura.com/nd-money-report   Questions, feedback or reviews https://estherbangura.com/ask   Related episodes 83 | Neurodivergent Budgeting: The 7 Budgeting Categories I Use With Every Client   18 | ADHD Budgeting: Why Every System You Try Falls Apart (And What to Do Instead)

  2. 2d ago

    98 | ADHD and Executive Dysfunction: Only Have 5 Minutes for Your Money Day?

    ADHD and executive dysfunction can make a money system stop after a few weeks. Here is how to keep your Money Day going when you only have 5 minutes, without starting over. You notice you have skipped your money check in.   2 days, then a week. Quietly, you decide it is over, and you will start again next month. Learn how to build a 5 minute version of your money system, so a low week means switching down instead of giving up.   In this episode, Esther Bangura, financial coach for neurodivergent adults, explains what executive dysfunction is in plain language, and why discipline, motivation and building habits work differently with ADHD. She shares how her own Friday Money Day keeps running on low capacity days, with gears from 5 minutes to 3 hours, and how it handles starting, planning, switching and changing the plan in advance. In her survey of 279 neurodivergent adults in the UK, 80 per cent said they overspend when they are stressed. You will also hear how to find your own 5 minute list by noticing which small money tasks leave you calm and in control.   Highlights   What executive dysfunction is, and why discipline, motivation and habits take a different route with ADHD. How one Money Day can have gears, from 5 minutes to 3 hours, so a low week does not end the system. How to find your own 5 minute list by noticing which small money tasks leave you calm and in control.   Work with me If you are tired of starting over every month, I would love to work with you. Ninety minute one to one coaching session. We build your Money Day and your 5 minute list together, and set up anything that needs setting up, so you leave with it finished rather than planned. https://estherbangura.com/coaching   Links and resources   PocketSmith, the budgeting app I use myself and with my clients. Get 50% off the PocketSmith Foundation Monthly plan for the first two months: https://my.pocketsmith.com/redeem?tap_a=77627-d2024d&ref=mzjlndb&code=50OFFPREMIUM-F4RG This is an affiliate link. If you sign up through it I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I use myself and with my clients. I am an official PocketSmith coach, listed in their coaching directory as a neurodivergent money coach. If signing up is easy but setting it up is the part that never happens, that is exactly the kind of thing we do together in a session. The ND Money Insider, my weekly newsletter. This week it includes my full Money Day list, from 5 minutes to an hour. https://estherbangura.com/newsletter   The Neurodivergence and Money Report, the full findings from my research with 279 neurodivergent adults in the UK. https://estherbangura.com/nd-money-report   Questions, feedback or reviews https://estherbangura.com/ask   Related episodes   95 | ADHD and Budgeting: How to Build a Spending Plan (The Preparation Nobody Talks About)   81 | Burnout Proof Your Money: The Neurodivergent System That Keeps Your Bills Paid When Your Capacity Hits Zero   47 | Executive Dysfunction + Automation | Tools That Do the Work for Your Brain

  3. Oct 14

    97 | Dyslexia and Executive Function: The Reading Support You Get at Work and Never Get With Money

    Dyslexia and executive function: why you avoid financial admin like bills and mortgage paperwork, and how to get a second reader for the reading you have always done alone. At work, someone checks the figures before anything goes out. At home, the mortgage renewal pack sits on the table. Is it the 4th or the 14th? Nobody is there to ask. Why listen: you will understand why that paperwork keeps going back in the envelope, and leave with one free way to check your reading at home.   Esther Bangura, financial coach for neurodivergent adults, explains why dyslexic adults so often put off financial admin, from bills to mortgage renewals, and why it has far more to do with reading and executive function than with laziness. Many dyslexic professionals have built reliable reading support at work: a colleague who checks, software that reads back, formal adjustments. At home, financial paperwork is often the highest stakes reading they ever do, and nobody checks it. Esther shares what research says about dyslexia and reading numbers, how working memory comes into it, and how the same avoidance looks different with ADHD, autism, dyspraxia and dyscalculia. In her survey of 279 neurodivergent adults in the UK, 76 per cent said they procrastinate on financial admin.   Highlights Why avoiding financial admin with dyslexia is often a reasonable response to reading alone, rather than laziness. What research says about dyslexia and reading numbers, and how executive function and working memory make dense paperwork harder. How to use the read aloud tool already on your phone as a second reader, and what to do when the jargon still does not make sense.   Work with me One client came to me wanting to get her financial house in order. In her first session we went through her financial documents together, and she went on to chase lost pension investments, get refunds back and set up a weekly money day she now enjoys. In my ninety minute one to one coaching session I am your second reader: we take the thing you have been circling and get it done together, so you leave with it finished rather than planned. https://estherbangura.com/coaching   Links and resources   PocketSmith, the budgeting app I use myself and with my clients. Get 50% off the PocketSmith Foundation Monthly plan for the first two months: https://my.pocketsmith.com/redeem?tap_a=77627-d2024d&ref=mzjlndb&code=50OFFPREMIUM-F4RG This is an affiliate link. If you sign up through it I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I use myself and with my clients.   The ND Money Insider, my weekly newsletter https://estherbangura.com/newsletter   The Neurodivergence and Money Report, the full findings from my research with 279 neurodivergent adults in the UK https://estherbangura.com/nd-money-report   Questions, feedback or reviews https://estherbangura.com/ask   Related episodes 79 | Struggling to Face Your Debt Letters? How to Get Debt-Free as a Dyslexic Adult 64 | Dyslexia and Mortgages: Navigating Complex Financial Systems with Rosemary Ndekwu 51 | Dyslexia Money Management: Three Dyslexia-Friendly Money Solutions

  4. Oct 12

    96 | Dyscalculia and Savings: Stop Counting Pounds, Start Counting Nights

    Dyscalculia and savings: how to save for a holiday, a car or an emergency fund when the number never lands, by counting nights, rides and weeks instead of pounds or dollars. You open your savings pot. You see the target. And you feel nothing at all. It could be a lot or a little. You honestly cannot tell. So you close the app and promise yourself you will deal with it next month. You will learn one simple way to save that takes the heaviness out of the numbers. In this episode, Esther Bangura, financial coach for neurodivergent adults, explains why savings goals so often fall apart for dyscalculic brains, and why it is not a lack of discipline. In her survey of 279 neurodivergent adults, about 73 per cent said shame affects how they manage money, and for many people with dyscalculia, often alongside dyslexia and ADHD, that shame began in a maths lesson long before the first bank account. She shares why planning ahead, tracking across accounts and financial apps can feel so overwhelming, then walks through a practical savings method: name the goal by the thing, give it a picture, and count nights, rides or weeks instead of pounds or dollars, with worked examples for a holiday, a car and an emergency fund.   Highlights Why a savings target written as a number never feels like progress for many dyscalculic brains, and where the shame really starts. The count the thing method: naming your savings pot, adding a photo, and counting down nights or rides instead of money. Why an emergency fund is the hardest goal to picture, and how counting weeks of breathing room makes it real.   Work with me If you keep pushing your savings goal to next year and quietly wondering what is wrong with you, nothing is. You were never given a way to save that makes sense to your brain. Ninety minute one to one coaching session. We work out the number underneath your nights, rides or weeks together and set up your first transfer while we are in the session, so you leave with your savings started rather than planned. estherbangura.com/coaching   Links and resources PocketSmith The budgeting app I use myself and with my clients. 50% off the Foundation Monthly plan for the first two months. https://my.pocketsmith.com/redeem?tap_a=77627-d2024d&ref=mzjlndb&code=50OFFPREMIUM-F4RG Affiliate link, at no extra cost to you. The ND Money Insider, my weekly newsletter estherbangura.com/newsletter The Neurodivergence and Money Report The full findings from my research with 279 neurodivergent adults in the UK. estherbangura.com/nd-money-report Questions, feedback or reviews estherbangura.com/ask   Related episodes 89 | Debt Payoff Strategies for Dyscalculia: When Numbers Never Feel Real!   74 | Sick of Spreadsheets That Don't Work for Dyscalculia? Try Budgeting in Words Instead   70 | How To Build £1000 Savings With A Neurodivergent Brain Using 8 Steps

  5. Oct 7

    95 | ADHD and Budgeting: How to Build a Spending Plan (The Preparation Nobody Talks About)

    ADHD and budgeting: how to build a budget or spending plan that actually holds, starting with the expense list and the preparation most budgeting advice skips, for ADHD adults and for dyslexic, dyspraxic and autistic adults who recognise the same pattern. You downloaded the spreadsheet. You signed up to the app. And then you sat there thinking, now what? This episode walks you through the 5 stages Esther uses to build a budget with her coaching clients, from the first expense list to following the plan. Esther Bangura, financial coach for neurodivergent adults, official PocketSmith coach and winner of the neurodivergent and money coaching Big Ideas award, explains why a budget and a spending plan are the same thing, and why ADHD budgeting so often falls apart: unrealistic numbers, expecting the tool to do the work, skipping the preparation, and building alone. She shares how she has used one simple budgeting system for years to build an emergency fund, save for her home and pay off debt, and why executive function makes the preparation stage the one most people skip. You will learn how to start an expense list, notice where your money really goes, build your plan around your real numbers, and make one decision at a time.   Highlights   Why a budget and a spending plan are the same thing, and the 4 real reasons ADHD budgets fall apart The 2 decision blockers that leave you stuck, and why you do not need more discipline The 5 stages of building a budget: Prepare, Notice, Build, Decide, Follow, starting with your expense list   CTA — Take the Next Step   Book a 90 minute one to one coaching session with Esther: estherbangura.com/coaching Get 50% off the PocketSmith Foundation Monthly plan for the first two months: https://my.pocketsmith.com/redeem?tap_a=77627-d2024d&ref=mzjlndb&code=50OFFPREMIUM-F4RG This is an affiliate link, which means Esther may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Esther is an official PocketSmith coach, listed in their coaching directory as a neurodivergent money coach. Read the ND Money Report: estherbangura.com/nd-money-report Questions, feedback and reviews: estherbangura.com/ask   Related episodes   83 | Neurodivergent Budgeting: The 7 Budgeting Categories I Use With Every Client   35 | Why Budgeting Feels Impossible for ADHD Brains and How to Fix It   47 | Executive Dysfunction + Automation | Tools That Do the Work for Your Brain   53 | What Is A ADHD, Neurodivergent & Money Coaching Session Really like

  6. Oct 5

    94 | Autistic Burnout and Money: The Quiet Signs It Is Affecting Your Finances

    Autistic burnout and money: how to spot the signs autistic burnout is affecting your finances, your budgeting and your savings, and what to do when you are already in it. Maybe you used to love budgeting. You built the spreadsheet, saved every payday and knew your balance to the pound, and now you cannot remember the last time you opened any of it. This episode helps you recognise autistic burnout in your finances early, and gives you one small plan you can follow even when you feel you have nothing left. In this episode, Esther Bangura, financial coach for neurodivergent adults, explains what autistic burnout is and why research suggests it is different from work burnout and from depression, even though it is often misdiagnosed as depression. She shares why managing money becomes a job nobody hired you for when you are autistic and burning out, the money skills that often go first, and the quiet signs in your spending, savings and income that are easy to take for granted. You will also learn the Minimum Money Month, a simple way to protect your essential bills and let everything else wait while you recover.   Highlights What autistic burnout is, what the research says, and why it is so often mistaken for depression. The money skills that slip first and the quiet signs in your finances that look like normal life. The Minimum Money Month: how to write your must list, automate it, and check in for 10 minutes a week. CTA — Take the Next Step 👉Book a 90 minute one to one coaching session with Esther: estherbangura.com/coaching 🎁PocketSmith, the budgeting app Esther uses: Get 50% off the PocketSmith Foundation Monthly plan for the first two months: https://my.pocketsmith.com/redeem?tap_a=77627-d2024d&ref=mzjlndb&code=50OFFPREMIUM-F4RG (This is an affiliate link. If you sign up, Esther may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.) 🔗Read the ND Money Report: estherbangura.com/nd-money-report ❓Send questions, feedback and reviews: estherbangura.com/ask   Support at work Access to Work (UK): gov.uk/access-to-work   Free debt help UK: StepChange 0800 138 1111, stepchange.org UK: National Debtline 0808 808 4000, nationaldebtline.org UK: Citizens Advice, citizensadvice.org.uk UK: MoneyHelper 0800 011 3797, moneyhelper.org.uk US: National Foundation for Credit Counseling 800 388 2227, nfcc.org   If you are struggling right now UK and Ireland: Samaritans, call 116 123, free, any time US: call or text 988 Tommys Miscarriage Support: https://www.tommys.org/baby-loss-support/miscarriage-information-and-support    Related episodes 81 | Burnout Proof Your Money: The Neurodivergent System That Keeps Your Bills Paid When Your Capacity Hits Zero 49 | Nervous System Regulation Before Budgeting: Executive Dysfunction Hack 65 |  Autism: Why Bills Feel Unbearable (Paperwork, and Nervous System Dysregulation) 92 | Access to Work for ADHD, Autism and Dyslexia: What It Pays For, Who Can Apply and How It Works

  7. Sep 30

    93 | Self-Employed With ADHD? How to Finally Complete Your Access to Work Application

    How to apply for Access to Work when you are self employed with ADHD, dyslexia or dyspraxia: the questions the application asks, example answers, what you need before you start, and how long the wait really is. You have known about Access to Work for months. You have opened the form, looked at the first question, and closed the tab again. And then felt bad about closing it. In this episode, Esther Bangura, financial coach for neurodivergent adults, shares her own Access to Work application as a self employed business owner with ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia, and walks you through it question by question, so the form stops being a mystery.  She explains what to gather before you start, including your UTR if you are self employed, and goes through the real questions on the form, from how your conditions affect you at work, to specialist equipment, to asking for a support worker or an ADHD coach. You will hear example answers written for 2 made up people, an employee and a self employed business owner, and the 3 rules that make any answer stronger. Esther also shares how long she waited, what happened when she chased, and the simple executive dysfunction fix that finally got her application sent: 1 hour with a body double. This is Part 2 of 2. Part 1, episode 92, explains what Access to Work is and what it pays for.   Highlights The questions the Access to Work application actually asks, with example answers for an employee and a self employed business owner. How to ask for a support worker or an ADHD coach, and the 3 rules that make any answer stronger. What happened when Esther chased after 8 months, and the body double hour that got her application done in one sitting.   CTA — Take the Next Step Book a 90 minute one to one coaching session: estherbangura.com/coaching Get 50% off the PocketSmith Foundation Monthly plan for the first two months: https://my.pocketsmith.com/redeem?tap_a=77627-d2024d&ref=mzjlndb&code=50OFFPREMIUM-F4RG This is an affiliate link. If you sign up, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Free ND Money Report: estherbangura.com/nd-money-report Questions, feedback and reviews: estherbangura.com/ask   Access to Work Apply and check the current rules: https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work Access to Work helpline: 0800 121 7479, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Relay UK (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone): 18001 then 0800 121 7479. BSL video relay service available through gov.uk. Northern Ireland has its own scheme, Access to Work (NI), run by the Department for Communities: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/access-work-ni-practical-help-work   Outside the UK US: Job Accommodation Network, askjan.org. Your state Vocational Rehabilitation service. Australia: Employment Assistance Fund through JobAccess, jobaccess.gov.au Rules and schemes change and differ by country. Always check a reputable website or your local services.   Related episodes 92 | Access to Work for ADHD, Autism and Dyslexia: What It Pays For, Who Can Apply and How It Works 9 | The Hidden Cost of Overwhelm: How Stress Spending Starts For Neurodivergents 91 | ADHD Income and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD): Why You Don't Ask for More Money 84 | Neurodivergent Business Owners: Why the Money Side Feels So Much Harder

  8. Sep 28

    92 | Could Access to Work Pay for Your ADHD Support? What You Need to Know

    Access to Work for ADHD, autism and dyslexia explained: what the grant pays for, who can apply, how long it takes, and whether Access to Work can fund coaching, software or a support worker at work This episode tells you exactly what Access to Work is, whether it applies to you, and what to gather before you apply. Esther Bangura, financial coach for neurodivergent adults, walks through the UK Access to Work scheme for ADHD, autistic and dyslexic adults: what the grant can pay for, including assistive software, a support worker and coaching, who can apply as an employee or a self employed person, and the executive dysfunction that keeps capable people from applying at all. She covers the current waiting times using the latest House of Commons Library figures, shares her own 8 month wait honestly, and gives the full Before You Apply list so gathering your information takes 1 hour instead of 3 months. Part 1 of 2. Part 2 publishes Thursday 1 October.   Highlights What Access to Work is, who can apply, and why gov.uk naming autism, ADHD and dyslexia matters more than you think. What the grant can pay for, including coaching, and the honest limits on what anyone can promise you. The real waiting times, and the Before You Apply list to gather this week   CTA — Take the Next Step Book a 90 minute one to one coaching session: estherbangura.com/coaching Get 50% off the PocketSmith Foundation Monthly plan for the first two months: https://my.pocketsmith.com/redeem?tap_a=77627-d2024d&ref=mzjlndb&code=50OFFPREMIUM-F4RG (affiliate link, I use PocketSmith myself and with clients) The free ND Money Report, my research with 279 neurodivergent adults: estherbangura.com/nd-money-report Questions, feedback and reviews: estherbangura.com/ask Links and resources Access to Work on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work Access to Work NI: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/access-work-ni-practical-help-work House of Commons Library briefing on Access to Work, 26 June 2026: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06666/ US, Job Accommodation Network: https://askjan.org/ Australia, JobAccess: https://www.jobaccess.gov.au/   The before you apply List Your National Insurance number Your UTR, if you are self employed Your workplace address and postcode, and a workplace contact, if you are employed Your job title, hours and the days you work Three ways your condition affects your work. Set a timer for 5 minutes and answer one question: what is true right now about my working day? What support you think would help Then book 1 hour with someone and do it alongside them if starting feels hard.   Related episodes EP93 | Self-Employed With ADHD? How to Finally Complete Your Access to Work Application EP75 | The Neurodivergent Tax: What Being ADHD, Autistic or Dyslexic Really Costs You Every Year EP84 | Neurodivergent Business Owners: Why the Money Side Feels So Much Harder EP53 | What Is A ADHD, Neurodivergent & Money Coaching Session Really like

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Are you constantly spending to cope with stress, even after promising yourself you wouldn't? Does opening bills, letters, or financial reminders instantly trigger overwhelm or shame? Is sticking to a budget a struggle, even though you know you earn enough? Do money thoughts leave you feeling guilty, anxious, or like you're always “behind” in life? If that sounds like you, you’re in the right place. Neurodivergent Money Management is the podcast that helps you finally feel calmer, clearer, and more in control of your finances. Here, you’ll learn how to: ✨ pay off debt without shame ✨ budget in a way your brain can actually follow ✨ reduce emotional and impulsive spending ✨ build savings you can rely on ✨ feel genuinely less anxious about money I’m Esther Bangura, your host — financial coach for neurodivergent adults. I spent years trapped in a vicious debt cycle, constantly overspending, constantly stressed, and constantly feeling like I was failing at something everyone else seemed to manage easily. It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult that everything finally made sense. I tried all the same things you’ve probably tried too — strict budget spreadsheets, colour-coded tracking apps, discipline, willpower, “no-spend days.” None of it worked. Not because I wasn’t trying hard enough, but because I was using systems built for neurotypical brains. Everything changed when I realised I needed to: 💛 manage my anxiety around money 💛 interrupt stress-spending before it spirals 💛 build a money routine that works with my brain, not against it When I did that, I reduced my stress spending, became more organised with my finances, and eventually became completely debt-free. And now? I’m here to help you do the same. Neurodivergent Money Management features both solo teaching episodes and guest interviews, covering ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia through a shame-free, brain-friendly money lens. If you’re ready to get 1:1 support to understand your money stressors, reframe your anxiety around money, and finally become debt-free — Apply for 1:1 Neurodivergent and Money Coaching. Your brain works differently. Your money can too.

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