Why did nobody tell me it wasn't me?

This episode welcomes Emily Hanlon AKA The Playful Psychologist - developmental psychologist, mum and fellow ADHDer for a conversation about what happens when ADHD meets motherhood. motherhood didn’t suddenly make your ADHD “worse", motherhood came for all the systems that were helping you function. We unpack what it is about motherhood that can suddenly expose an ADHD brain that seemed to be coping perfectly well before. Why becoming someone else’s executive functioning system at exactly the time your own is under enormous pressure can feel completely overwhelming. The sensory load. The interruptions. The task switching. The invisible mental load. The emotional regulation. The loss of autonomy and recovery time. And the particular mindfuck of being a woman who may have spent years believing she was organised, capable and coping… only to become a mother and suddenly wonder where that version of herself went. We also talk about what happens when our children’s dysregulation dysregulates us, the grief of not being the mother we imagined we would be, and the pressure ADHD mums can feel to simply become “better” at tolerating a version of motherhood that may not actually work for their brains. Rather than asking neurodivergent mothers to keep trying harder to fit themselves into systems that aren’t working…What if we changed the systems? An honest, validating and wonderfully nuanced conversation about ADHD, motherhood, identity, shame, executive functioning and finding ways to mother that actually work with your brain. **FIND EMILY / THE PLAYFUL PSYCHOLOGIST** Instagram: @theplayfulpsychologist Website: The Playful Psychologist Em has an incredible library of practical, evidence-based resources for parents, educators and clinicians, including downloadable tools and guides, parenting resources, courses and workshops, her Parent Portal and plenty of free content through her blog. If this episode hit home, Em also has resources specifically exploring ADHD in motherhood and the mental load of ADHD: including what happens when the systems that once supported an ADHD brain stop working. You can explore Em’s resources, courses and support at The Playful Psychologist, or follow @theplayfulpsychologist on Instagram. And if this episode made you think of another mum whose systems have completely fallen apart since having kids, send it to her!! You can find more of us here:  **WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME THIS? | LIVE IN BONDI** We’re taking the conversations from this series **out of your headphones and into a room full of women.** 💛 Join us on **Friday 23 October at Bondi Beach** for *Why Did Nobody Tell Me This? LIVE*  a day of honest conversations, psychology, science, lived experience, incredible experts, connection, beautiful food and plenty of *“oh my god, ME TOO”* moments. This isn’t a day about how to be a better mum. **It’s a day about you, the woman who became one.** Part education. Part connection. Part exhale. GET YOUR TICKETS HERE 🎟️⁠  https://events.humanitix.com/why-did-nobody-tell-me-this **Our Online Psychology practice:** Did you know we have online appointments available with our amazing therapists Lisa or Maddie. Learn more here https://thepsychcollaborative.com.au ***The Thriving Therapists:*** To connect with a safe and supportive community of like-minded therapists, head to our Thriving Therapists Facebook group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/224252457083630/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF Or find us on our Instagram: ...