What I Wish I'd Known Earlier About ADHD, Burnout and Saying No

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What if the conversation you needed to hear wasn't one Kate was leading, but one where she was being asked the questions for a change?

Welcome back to a More Yourself Monday episode. This week I'm sharing a conversation I had as a guest on the Limited Time Only podcast, hosted by Esther Stanford and Susie Riddell. It's a beautifully produced show that feels like a proper chin wag over a cup of tea, and I had such a good time talking to them.

In this conversation, we go into some topics that don't always get as much space on the main podcast: what my life looked like before diagnosis, the shame that came with finally getting those answers, and the very real experience of sensory overload and limited social batteries. We also talk about how burnout can creep in quietly rather than arriving all at once, how hormones and perimenopause can amplify everything, and why decompression and downtime aren't luxuries; they're necessities.

I hope you find it as useful and validating to listen to as I found it to record.

In this episode, we cover:

What Kate's life looked like before her ADHD diagnosis at 40, and how her daughter's struggles during the pandemic finally connected the dots

Why the initial reaction to diagnosis is so often shame rather than relief, and how that shifts over time

Sensory sensitivities, limited social batteries and why understanding these is so freeing

Why ADHD and trauma are deeply interlinked, but trauma does not cause ADHD

How fluctuating hormones and perimenopause amplify ADHD traits, and why this hits neurodivergent women harder

What ADHD burnout actually looks and feels like when it builds slowly rather than arriving all at once