This question often arrives with a mix of relief and doubt. Relief, because something has finally clicked and the struggles with focus, overwhelm, exhaustion or emotional intensity suddenly make sense. And doubt, because you’ve managed for this long, so surely it can’t be ADHD… can it? For many women, especially in midlife, wondering […]
Should I get assessed for ADHD in midlife? A gentle guide for women Read More »
For many women, work has never just been about earning a living. It’s been about identity, safety, belonging, proving you’re capable and holding everything together. Being seen as reliable, intelligent and useful – even when it costs you more than anyone realises. If you’re autistic, ADHD or both (AuDHD), midlife can quietly unsettle all
ADHD, autism and work in midlife: navigating identity and self-worth Read More »
You’re in a conversation and someone says something that is plainly wrong. Not nuanced or debatable, just wrong. And instead of tilting your head, softening your tone, cushioning the truth so it lands gently, you say it. “That’s not correct.” No smile to soften it, no apology for saying the thing out loud or emotional
Why I don’t give a flying fajita! Read More »
The new autism research helping late-identified women make sense of a lifetime of masking For decades, autism was explained through one dominant idea: that autistic people were “mind-blind”. This theory suggested autistic individuals struggled to understand other people’s thoughts or emotions, shaping research, diagnosis, education and public perception for nearly forty years. Autism became
When understanding yourself changes everything with autism Read More »
I’ve written before about my own experience of friendships that have fallen away. It was a very personal piece – you can read it HERE if you’re interested. This time, though, I want to explore friendships and relationships more broadly, looking a little deeper at hormones, neurodivergence, and how, for many women in midlife, these
Friendships and relationships in midlife with ADHD or autism – what changes and why Read More »
Ageing. It’s one of those topics people whisper about, as though saying it too loudly might invite a wrinkle to appear on the spot. We’re surrounded by products, slogans and trends promising to reverse it, pause it or disguise it. But what if ageing wasn’t something to battle? What if it was something to lean
How do you feel about ageing? Read More »
If you’re autistic and/or ADHD and you’ve spent years collecting diagnoses that don’t seem connected – gut issues, dizziness, chronic pain, fatigue, inflammation – you’re not imagining patterns that aren’t there. For a long time, neurodivergence was framed almost entirely as a “brain thing”. Yet the nervous system isn’t just the brain. It includes
For many women, discovering the term AuDHD feels like someone has finally handed them a missing piece. Not a diagnosis they were searching for, necessarily, but a framework that explains why life has always felt intense, exhausting, contradictory, or strangely difficult to sustain – even when things looked fine from the outside. If you’re
AuDHD in women: why autism and ADHD are so often recognised after 40 Read More »
Many autistic women don’t grow up thinking there is anything fundamentally different about them. Instead, they believe they are too sensitive, anxious, intense, rigid and emotional – or simply not coping as well as they should. By adulthood, these beliefs are often deeply ingrained. So when autism is finally mentioned in midlife, it can feel
Hidden symptoms: why autistic women are often missed by GPs until midlife Read More »
Your brain is the central hub for everything you do – memory, focus, emotional balance, decision-making, even metabolism and how you age. But like every organ, it bears the wear and tear of daily life. Cognitive decline doesn’t usually arrive all at once; instead, it creeps in over decades of tiny choices – from how
Take charge of your brain health, the B.R.A.I.N way Read More »
