Inside the Mind, Beyond the Desk

What happens when you spend years trying to understand why everyday life feels harder or different for you? In this episode, Karen and Áine explore the psychological impact of undiagnosed neurodivergence and what it can mean to receive a diagnosis in adulthood. They discuss how years of misunderstanding your own needs can shape confidence, relationships and mental health, alongside the relief, gri...

Why are some tasks easy to start while others feel almost impossible? In this episode of Inside the Mind: Beyond the Desk , we explore the neuroscience of productivity and what is actually happening in the brain when we plan, start, focus and follow through. We look at motivation, attention, executive functioning, reward and energy, and why productivity is about much more than willpower or better...

What happens when hormone health, brain health and everyday life collide? In this episode of Inside the Mind: Beyond the Desk , Dr Áine O’Dea, Occupational Therapist, joins  Professor Mary Ryan, Consultant Endocrinologist , for a fascinating conversation about hormones, menopause, the busy brain, and how changes in our bodies can affect how we think, feel, and function. They explore brain fog and...

Dyspraxia is often talked about in terms of coordination, but its impact can reach far beyond movement. In this episode of Inside the Mind: Beyond the Desk , we explore dyspraxia , also known as Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), and what it can look like in everyday life. We discuss coordination, organisation, planning, fatigue, confidence and the extra effort that can go into tasks other...

Why do some days leave us completely drained, even when we haven’t done that much? In this episode of Inside the Mind: Beyond the Desk , we explore energy management and why managing your capacity can be just as important as managing your time. We talk about recognising what drains and restores us, planning around our energy rather than constantly pushing through, and finding more realistic ways t...

Ever sat down to do one thing and looked up three hours later wondering where the time went? In this episode of Inside the Mind: Beyond the Desk , we’re talking about hyperfocus : that intense state of concentration where everything else seems to disappear. We explore why hyperfocus is often associated with ADHD and other neurodivergent brains, what might be happening with attention and motivation...

Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, often shortened to RSD, describes the intense emotional distress some people experience in response to criticism, rejection, disappointment or the feeling that they have let someone down. In this episode, we explore why a small comment, change in tone or unanswered message can sometimes feel so painful, particularly for people with ADHD and other neurodivergent profi...

Decision Fatigue: Why Your Brain Feels Done Before the Day Begins How many decisions have you made before 9 a.m.? What to wear. What to eat. Where the missing school shoes are. Whether to answer that email now or later. By the time the day has properly started, your brain may already be running on empty. In this episode of Inside the Mind: Beyond the Desk , we explore decision fatigue, the mental...

Getting things done is not always about motivation or trying harder. For many people, the real challenge is starting, knowing where to begin, staying focused, and managing the overwhelm that can come with everyday tasks. In this episode, we explore task initiation, procrastination, planning, prioritising, and executive functioning through a psychology-informed lens. We look at why tasks can feel m...

Why does time seem to disappear, deadlines creep up unexpectedly, and even simple tasks take longer than planned? In this episode, we explore the reality of time management for neurodivergent adults and anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by competing demands. We unpack concepts such as time blindness, executive functioning, task initiation, procrastination, and the challenge of balancing priorit...

Working memory is the brain’s ability to hold information in mind long enough to use it. It helps us follow instructions, keep track of conversations, remember what we walked into a room to do, organise tasks, and connect one step to the next. In this episode of Inside the Mind: Beyond the Desk , we explore working memory from a psychology and therapy-informed perspective. We look at what working...

Masking is not simply pretending. Often, it is a way of staying safe, fitting in, or avoiding judgement. But over time, constantly monitoring yourself can become exhausting. In this episode, we explore what masking is, why people do it, and the psychological cost of always “holding it together”. We look at masking through a therapy-informed lens, including neurodivergence, anxiety, emotional regul...

Why do some days feel manageable while others feel overwhelming, even when the demands look the same? In this episode of Inside the Mind: Beyond the Desk , Chartered Psychologist Karen Beckett and Occupational Therapist Dr Áine O’Dea explore sensory regulation and how the brain and nervous system respond to everyday demands. Sensory regulation refers to the ways our bodies and brains manage incomi...

What does psychological wellbeing actually mean in everyday life and work? In this episode of Inside the Mind: Beyond the Desk , Chartered Psychologist Karen Beckett and Occupational Therapist Dr Áine O’Dea explore the foundations of psychological wellbeing and why it matters more than ever in modern workplaces and daily life. Psychological wellbeing is often reduced to ideas of happiness or stres...

The Sensory Environment How much does the environment around us shape how we think, work and regulate ourselves? In this episode of Inside the Mind: Beyond the Desk , Chartered Psychologist Karen Beckett and Occupational Therapist Dr Áine O’Dea explore the powerful role that sensory environments play in attention, wellbeing and performance. Many people underestimate how strongly factors such as li...

Neurodiversity describes the natural differences in how human brains think, process information, regulate attention, and respond to the world around them. In this opening episode of Inside the Mind: Beyond the Desk , Chartered Psychologist Karen Beckett and Occupational Therapist Dr Áine O’Dea introduce the concept of neurodiversity and explore what it means in everyday working life. Together, the...

Neurodiversity describes the natural differences in how human brains think, process information, regulate attention, and respond to the world around them. In this opening episode of Inside the Mind: Beyond the Desk , Chartered Psychologist Karen Beckett and Occupational Therapist Dr Áine O’Dea introduce the concept of neurodiversity and explore what it means in everyday working life. Together, the...