She Drew Rainbows Everywhere: AuDHD, Late Diagnosis & Self-Compassion — with Brianna Thomas

<p>🎙️ EPISODE TITLE</p><p><br /></p><p>She Drew Rainbows Everywhere: AuDHD, Late Diagnosis &amp; Self-Compassion — with Brianna Thomas</p><p><br /></p><p>✨ IN THIS EPISODE</p><p>Hello and welcome back to Talking Twaddle.</p><p>This week Joanne is joined by Brianna Thomas — AuDHD psychologist, Certified Synergetic Play Therapist, and co-director of the Psych Hive in Canberra — for a conversation that somehow goes in every direction and lands exactly where it needs to.</p><p>Together they unpack what happens when you finally get words for things you've been carrying for years. The things that felt hard but impossible to explain. The patterns you noticed but couldn't name. The parts of yourself that you assumed were personality flaws, overwhelm, laziness, or simply “how life is.”</p><p>Because diagnosis rarely arrives as one neat moment where everything suddenly makes sense. Sometimes it brings understanding and sadness at exactly the same time. Relief and mourning. Validation and anger. Joy and overwhelm. It can feel like finally seeing yourself clearly while also grieving the years spent trying to fit into spaces that were never designed with you in mind.</p><p>The conversation also dives into Bri’s PhD research around neurodiversity-affirming autism assessments, imposter syndrome, and one unexpectedly iconic character who appears midway through the episode:</p><p>Pam.</p><p>Yes. Pam.</p><p>Pam emerged during Internal Family Systems (IFS) training and apparently runs the creative director’s office inside Bri’s brain. Depending on who you ask, Pam may also be responsible for multiple projects happening simultaneously, seventeen tabs being open at once, and potentially this entire podcast episode.</p><p>If you've ever felt like you were doing a lot and couldn’t quite explain why, Pam might be someone you recognise.</p><p><br /></p><p>🧠 WHAT WE TALK ABOUT</p><p>• ~00:05:00 — Bri's ADHD diagnosis process: a psychiatrist, a very old form, and the phrase "darling, you definitely have inattentive ADHD"</p><p>• ~00:11:00 — How the autism realisation followed ADHD medication — and the stims that finally had permission to exist</p><p>• ~00:13:00 — The emotional rollercoaster after diagnosis: relief, grief, and the part that suddenly realises this is for life</p><p>• ~00:16:00 — How diagnosis changed Bri's relationship and gave both people language for the mismatches that had always been there</p><p>• ~00:20:00 — Bri's PhD research into neurodiversity-affirming autism assessments and the imposter syndrome that somehow still appears</p><p>• ~00:33:00 — Meeting Pam: the IFS part who runs the creative department and possibly several parallel universes</p><p>💬 MEMORABLE MOMENTS</p><p>"I feel like I started living after that. Like before that it's like I was here but I was just struggling in every way."<br />— Brianna Thomas</p><p>"It's not that we're not easy to love, it's just that sometimes we're hard to live with."<br />— Joanne</p><p>📚 RESOURCES + MENTIONS</p><p>• AuDHD IRL Podcast + Psych Hive:<br /><a href="https://thepsychhive.com/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://thepsychhive.com/</a></p><p>• MAGUS Assessment Tool — neurodiversity-affirming autism assessment for older children and adults</p><p>• ADOS Assessment — behavioural observation tool used with young children</p><p>• Internal Family Systems (IFS) — a framework for understanding different parts of how your mind works</p><p>• BBMe Completely:<br /><a href="https://betterbeingme.com.au" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://betterbeingme.com.au</a></p><p>Guest Instagram:<br />@brianna_thomas_psych<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/brianna_thomas_psych/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/brianna_thomas_psych/</a></p><p>Guest Website:<br /><a href="https://thepsychhive.com/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://thepsychhive.com/</a></p><p>🎧 LISTEN + SUBSCRIBE</p><p>Apple Podcasts: