ADHDifference

Drawing on my conversation with psychotherapist Karen Dwyer-Tesoriero, this episode explores why so many adults with ADHD carry an inner critic that didn't originate with them. It introduces the concept of "legacy burdens" — negative beliefs inherited through years of criticism, comparison, and misunderstanding — and shares practical strategies to separate your true identity from th...

A diagnosis can bring enormous relief by explaining years of confusion, but it is most helpful when it becomes a tool for understanding rather than a label that defines identity. Drawing on insights from ADHD coach Carol Siege, this episode explores the strategy of using a diagnosis as a compass — providing direction, self-awareness, and practical support while leaving room for growth, strengths,...

ADHDers often approach self-improvement by attempting complete life overhauls, but lasting change is more likely when small positive behaviours are attached to routines that already exist.  Drawing on insights from psychologist Matthew Campbell, this episode explores the strategy of "stacking" — connecting healthy actions to established habits so they require less motivation, less memory...

Julie Legg explores one of the most powerful relationship frameworks ever developed: The Four Horsemen of the Relationship Apocalypse. Originally created by relationship researchers Drs. John and Julie Gottman, these four communication patterns can quietly erode connection and, if left unchecked, predict relationship breakdown. Drawing on insights from clinical psychologist and ADHD-specialised co...

Julie Legg explores the relationship between ADHD, dopamine, and digital overwhelm — and why our brains can become so easily pulled into scrolling, notifications, and constant stimulation. Rather than framing phone use as laziness or lack of discipline, this episode reframes it through the lens of dopamine seeking, emotional regulation, and ADHD tax. It also offers gentle, practical strategies to...

Julie Legg explores the idea of “Lean In” — a perspective shared by Dr. Jack Hinman that reframes anxiety not as something dangerous, but as something deeply human. Rather than escaping discomfort, this strategy encourages us to gently move toward connection, growth, and co-regulation. Backed by research into emotional regulation and nervous system responses in ADHD, this episode explores why avoi...

Julie Legg explores The Greater Arc Perspective — a grounding mindset inspired by a conversation with Ariel-Paul Saunders. Rather than viewing ourselves in isolation, this perspective invites us to zoom out and recognise that we are part of something much larger: generations before us, generations after us, and the unfolding human story we all contribute to. For ADHDers, where emotions and urgency...

Ever tried to focus… and the silence feels too loud, but the noise feels overwhelming? That in-between state — restless, distracted, unable to land — is something many ADHDers know well. Julie Legg explores The Music Scape Method, a practical approach to using sound as a tool for focus, calm, and regulation. Inspired by a conversation with Meredith Jones, this strategy isn’t about playing your fav...

ADHD brains are brilliant at generating ideas — fast, creative, and often all at once. But when one idea leads to another, and another, it can quickly become overwhelming. Too many possibilities… and no clear direction. In this ADHDifference Strategies episode, Julie Legg introduces the concept of “Forrest Gumping” — a simple mindset shift inspired by a conversation with Douglas Katz. Rather than...

Julie Legg explores The Drama Triangle — a powerful framework that helps make sense of our reactions in emotionally charged moments. Originally developed by Stephen Karpman and brought into the ADHD conversation by Bex O’Malley, this tool highlights three common roles we can fall into: Victim, Rescuer, and Persecutor. With ADHD, where emotional responses can feel fast, intense, and hard to shift,...

Julie Legg explores how many of our emotional reactions (especially anxiety and hesitation) are not about the present moment at all, but are driven by old predictions the brain learned in the past. Drawing on insights from Brian DesRoches, the episode introduces the concept of memory reconsolidation, the brain’s ability to update outdated emotional patterns when it experiences something different...

Julie Legg speaks with psychotherapist Dr. Katie Brzozowski about the inner critic, where it comes from, why it can feel so loud for ADHDers, and how it shapes the way we see ourselves. Katie explains how a lifetime of correction, criticism, and misunderstanding can become internalised, turning into the harsh self-talk many ADHDers carry into adulthood. These “tapes” often resurface during moments...

Julie Legg speaks with therapist Jennifer Noll Sparks, creator of the Create the Win System — a practical, science-informed approach designed to help people move through overwhelm and take meaningful action, even on the hardest days. Drawing from both her professional background and lived experience, Jennifer unpacks why so many ADHDers feel stuck... not from laziness, but from nervous system dysr...

Julie Legg is joined by Kamy Moussavi, former engineer and founder of Step Together, who brings a powerful and personal perspective to the conversation around ADHD, emotional eating, and the brain’s relationship with food. Kamy shares his own childhood experience with obesity, restrictive dieting, and undiagnosed ADHD, revealing how traditional approaches like calorie counting failed to address th...

Julie Legg speaks with Tiara Brumberg, certified ADHD coach, entrepreneur, and founder of The Middle Coaching . Tiara lives and breathes the realities of ADHD both professionally and personally — as a mum to three children with ADHD, a partner to a husband with ADHD, and an ADHDer herself. Together, they explore what Tiara calls the “messy middle” — the real-life space where executive functioning...

Julie Legg speaks with Dominic Carubba, a former U.S. Army officer, sales leader, and ADHD coach who was diagnosed later in life after decades of high performance that masked a quiet erosion of self-trust. Dominic shares how ADHD can drive overcomplication, overthinking, and constant attempts to compensate for perceived shortcomings. Even when life looks successful from the outside, internally man...

Julie Legg speaks with psychotherapist and author Brian DesRoches ( Living a Trigger-Free Life ), whose work focuses on the neuroscience of emotional learning and a process called memory reconsolidation. Brian explains why so many people struggle with recurring triggers, self-sabotage, and emotional patterns even after years of insight or therapy. Rather than simply managing reactions or trying to...

Julie Legg speaks with Ryan Turner — motocross rider, recruiter, content creator, and founder of Dopamine Hunters. After receiving his ADHD diagnosis in adulthood, Ryan began reflecting on a lifetime of intensity, stimulation-seeking, and relentless energy that had previously felt chaotic and misunderstood. Through motocross and other high-adrenaline pursuits, Ryan discovered that the environments...

Julie Legg speaks with accountant, financial educator, podcast host, and author of ADHD Money , Tina Mathams. Together they unpack the emotional side of money for ADHDers — the impulsive spending, the avoidance, the shame, and the cycle of guilt that can quietly spiral into financial overwhelm. Tina shares her personal story of hitting financial rock bottom while undiagnosed, and how understanding...

Julie Legg speaks with psychotherapist Karen Dwyer-Tesoriero, who specialises in adult ADHD, complex trauma, and attachment. With over 25 years in social work and psychotherapy, Karen brings both professional expertise and lived experience to the conversation after discovering her own ADHD later in life through her son’s diagnosis. Together, they discuss powerful overlap between ADHD and trauma, p...

Julie Legg chats with Douglas Katz — West Point graduate, Army veteran, inventor — about receiving an ADHD diagnosis in his 50s and how that moment reframed his entire life. Rather than seeing ADHD as something to “manage” or suppress, Douglas began to recognise how his urgency-driven thinking, rapid problem-solving, and constant scanning for stimuli had actually fuelled his success in the militar...

Julie Legg is joined by Kit Slocum, neurodiversity lead and learning experience designer at Flown. With a background in psychology and behavioural neuroscience, and lived experience of ADHD, Kit brings both science and compassion to the conversation about focus, productivity, and nervous system regulation. From going from failing grades to straight A’s after receiving accommodations, to questionin...

Julie Legg sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Matt Campbell, co-creator of the Our Primal Five framework, to explore why self-care feels so hard especially for ADHDers and why the basics matter more than we realise. Rather than promoting productivity hacks or aesthetic routines, Matt brings the conversation back to foundational human needs: sleep, sunlight, movement, social connection, and m...

Julie Legg speaks with registered therapeutic counsellor Ariel-Paul Saunders, who brings a relational, intergenerational lens to understanding ADHD. Diagnosed at 38, Ariel began questioning the traditional medical narrative after recognising that his most significant struggles with focus and regulation didn’t begin in childhood, but emerged following a major relational rupture in early adulthood....

Julie Legg is joined by Nika Brunet Milunovic, social worker, researcher, and founder of Calm Nest Collective. Nika shares how years working in the events and creative industries exposed a disconnect between how environments are designed and how human nervous systems actually function. Drawing on her lived experience as a late-diagnosed neurodivergent woman, as well as her academic research, Nika...