Focus and Chill - productivity tactics for AuDHDers and other neurodivergent folks

For years, Catherine Lee believed she was lazy, unintelligent, and simply not trying hard enough. An ADHD diagnosis didn't change who she was. It changed the story she'd been telling herself her entire life. In this episode, Catherine shares her late ADHD diagnosis, how it transformed her self-esteem, and why understanding neurodiversity can create safer, more inclusive workplaces. We also explore...

Is planning becoming a distraction? William Cerdelli spent years building productivity systems, tweaking workflows, and optimizing how he worked, only to realize that sometimes the excitement of building the system was greater than actually doing the work. In this episode, we explore ADHD self-awareness, productivity traps, hyperfocus, energy management, startup building, and the lessons William l...

Ever realize your ‘normal’ isn’t everyone else’s normal? After being diagnosed with ADHD in college, Pip Scott-Allen later discovered he was autistic too. Looking back, a lot of the things he thought were “just quirks” suddenly started making sense, from only drinking out of red cups to avoiding certain clothing textures and carefully balancing food while eating. In this episode, Pip shares what i...

“It’s like being a car on a side street trying to enter a highway… and you just can’t get in.” Elaine Lee shares what it’s like struggling to enter conversations, missing social cues, and feeling out of sync in both work and relationships. After being diagnosed with ADHD, autism, and dyslexia later in life, she began to understand why communication had always felt so difficult. In this episode, we...

“I’ve only ever worked full-time for two years… and by the end of it, I was an absolute zombie and I couldn’t function.” Caitlin Hughes spent years trying to meet traditional expectations around work and productivity. But pushing herself into full-time work led to burnout, exhaustion, and losing the ability to function. In this episode, she shares how discovering her autism, ADHD, and giftedness c...

“I think I’ve always felt a bit like an alien… even in preschool I remember watching other kids like curious creatures.” Avalon McWha spent much of her childhood feeling different without knowing why. Behaviours like stimming or walking on tiptoes were explained away as “just a ballet moment,” and it wasn’t until later in life that she discovered she was autistic and ADHD. If you’ve ever felt like...

“My work’s my special interest… it’s just the way it works.” In this follow-up conversation, Gold returns to talk about autistic routines, sensory-friendly travel, evolving productivity habits, and what changes as you get older and learn to pace yourself. From choosing quieter hotels to letting go of perfectionism and learning to say no, this episode explores the small, practical adjustments that...

“I always felt a bit like an alien… I was different to everyone else and wasn’t really sure why.” Before her ADHD and autism diagnoses, Hannah Baden Hop kept hearing the same advice: just focus. But in the classroom, that instruction never made sense. In this episode, she shares what school was really like as a neurodivergent student, how understanding her brain changed her confidence, and why vis...

“ …you internalized that you’re doing something wrong because you don’t feel or act the way other people do. ” In this candid conversation, Reuben Schwartz shares what autistic burnout actually felt like behind the scenes, from years of sleep deprivation as a parent to the quiet habit of constantly judging himself for being different. If you’ve ever felt pressure to be “normal,” struggled with bur...

“I used to really get annoyed with myself for not being able to just be up and ready and start the day.  Now I know my brain works differently, and I’ve stopped punishing myself for it.” In this episode, Tania Gerard shares how ADHD self-awareness changed the way she treats herself, works, and lives. She talks openly about slower mornings, letting go of “normal,” hyperfocus, burnout, and the relie...

“I don't feel like I can do all the things that I used to do, and I'm still me. So this is very confusing.” Eliana Bravos shares what neurodivergent burnout actually felt like, how it disrupted her sense of self, and why pushing harder only made things worse. If you’ve experienced ADHD burnout, chronic overwhelm, identity loss, or the fear that you “can’t do what you used to anymore,” this episode...

Calm on the outside. Spiraling on the inside. Dilpreet Buxi shares what it was like to grow up masking anxiety, living with a constantly racing mind, and slowly realizing his nervous system works differently. If you struggle with chronic stress, masking, emotional dysregulation, or feeling “fine” while everything feels too much inside, this episode explores why stress begins in the body, how autis...

Time isn’t your greatest resource. Focused curiosity is. In this episode, Sridhar Dhanapalan shares how being late-diagnosed with autism and ADHD reshaped his approach to focus, motivation, emotional regulation, and productivity at work. We talk about “focused curiosity” as a core resource, hyperfocus as both a gift and risk, the role of purpose-driven alignment, and practical strategies like focu...

What if your biggest “flaws” were actually invisible load you’ve carried for years? Sam Perkins is the CEO of Cellular Agriculture Australia. He’s a proudly neurodivergent leader with 15+ years across academia, humanitarian work, and industry, and a PhD in aeronautical engineering. Sam now helps shape the future of food through policy, ecosystem building, and innovation. In this episode, Sam share...

Growing up neurodivergent can leave you believing you’re stupid or lazy — even when the real issue is the way school is structured. In this episode we interviewed Dr. Neil Alexander-Passe about the lived experience of dyslexia, school-based trauma, and how neurodivergent people make sense of education systems that weren’t designed for them. They discuss identity, learning differences, productivity...

What happens when a dyslexic engineer enters venture capital, climate tech, and leadership? In Ep 126, James Stewart shares how neurodiversity shaped his education, career, parenting, and his work at Always Carbon . James Stewart is a UK chartered mechanical engineer (Cambridge), MBA holder, angel investor, venture partner at Loyal VC, and CEO/co-founder of Always Carbon , a company focused on car...

What does ADHD actually feel like in your body and mind? Shira Levine was diagnosed in the 1980s — and describes the moment medication helped her feel grounded for the first time. Shira is a Silicon Valley–trained marketing and customer engagement strategist with decades of experience in retention, loyalty, and community-driven growth. Diagnosed with ADHD as a teenager in the 1980s, she brings a r...

What if nothing was ever wrong with you or your child, just misunderstood? In this episode, Laetitia Andrac shares how late autism and ADHD diagnosis reshaped her identity, parenting, and mission to build truly inclusive systems for neurodivergent children. Laetitia Andrac is a five-time founder, bestselling author, and CEO of Understanding Zoe, an AI-powered platform helping parents, educators, a...

“I’ve masked so much. I’m a chameleon. I didn’t even know who I was anymore.” In this episode, Aisling Smith explains how unmasking, self-knowledge, and better workplace design can transform both careers and confidence. Aisling Smith is an award-winning neurodiversity trainer, international speaker, and inclusion consultant. Late diagnosed autistic and ADHD, she works with organizations worldwide...

“I’m very good at starting things, then halfway through I ask: why am I doing this?” In this episode, Travis Alexander shares an honest conversation about career confusion, productivity struggles, and the long road to self-understanding after late diagnoses of autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. Together, we explore why work can feel harder without clear purpose, how masking shows up in careers and produc...

Burnout is your body telling you: stop. I’m going to make you stop. In this episode, Dr Tom Nicholson breaks down how productivity, overperformance, and even “success” can quietly become coping mechanisms that lead to burnout. Drawing from lived experience, academia, and clinical work, he explores how neurodivergent people can use their strengths without masking themselves into exhaustion. Dr Tom...

Understanding your neurodivergent brain isn’t about following one-size-fits-all solutions. In this episode, Yush Sztalkoper shares how experimentation, personalization, and a holistic approach helped her support herself and her neurodivergent children. From biohacking and genetics to AI tools that actually make daily life easier, this conversation explores what happens when you focus less on forci...

ADHD and high achievement don’t cancel each other out.   Gabriele Marini shares how his neurodevelopmental evaluation suggested he was “too smart” for ADHD, which led him to reflect on what ADHD really looks like in adults who appear successful from the outside. He opens up about the pressure to perform, the confusion around symptoms, and how finally understanding his brain allowed him to replace...

What if healing didn’t come from discipline, masking or “doing better,” but from kindness?  In this episode, Kyriakos Gold shares his story of unmasking after an autistic diagnosis and the life-changing shift from self-criticism to self-kindness. Instead of trying to live according to what research, experts or society prescribe, Kyriakos talks honestly about rebuilding life around what actually wo...

Ever wonder why building habits feels easy one week and impossible the next? In this episode, Australia’s Chief Habits Officer Claire Jackson joins Jeremy and Joey to break down why willpower doesn’t work for neurodivergent brains or neurotypical brains—and how habits stick when they’re built around energy, compassion and real dopamine needs, not perfection. Claire opens up about her ADHD journey,...