Autism

Sharon smiling at camera

From chaos and confusion to peace and purpose: how sobriety, menopause and late-discovered ADHD changed my life

Reflecting on how sobriety, menopause and understanding my neurodivergent brain helped me build a more authentic life I’ve been thinking recently about how strange life can be sometimes. If someone had told me ten years ago that choosing sobriety, navigating menopause and discovering that I am both ADHD and autistic would eventually lead me towards

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Sharon looking relaxed on holiday

Why we struggle to celebrate ourselves: Recognising strengths after late-discovered ADHD and autism

How years of self-criticism can make it difficult to recognise what we’re doing well Since writing my previous article about discovering ADHD and autism during menopause, I’ve found myself reflecting on what came afterwards. Not the diagnoses themselves, but the process of beginning to see myself differently. Recently, I was asked a question that, on

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Sharon wearing headphones looking pensive

Late-discovered ADHD and autism in menopause: My journey from survival to purpose

How menopause became the beginning of understanding myself for the first time   For much of my life, I thought I was simply struggling more than everyone else. I was the woman who held everything together on the outside whilst quietly battling chaos on the inside. I was raising children, working hard, supporting everyone around

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Sharon sitting at an outdoor bench

What does “neurotypical” actually mean?

Late diagnosis, societal expectations, and the uncomfortable question at the centre of the neurodiversity conversation We talk a lot about neurodivergence now: ADHD, autism, masking, burnout, sensory overload, executive dysfunction. And rightly so because awareness matters as does language and understanding ourselves. But lately, I’ve found myself circling a different question entirely: What even is

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Sharon with her daughter

What my daughter saw that I couldn’t: late-discovered neurodivergence and breaking generational cycles

Reflections on late-discovered ADHD and autism, motherhood, intergenerational trauma and healing within families. There’s something very strange about writing a book about your life. Not because of the writing itself, although that can be emotional enough, but because at some point the people who know you best begin reading parts of you that perhaps they’ve

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Sharon leaning against a fence

My ADHD diagnosis explained a lot… but not everything

There’s a sentence I hear often from women in midlife: “My ADHD diagnosis explained so much… but there are still pieces that don’t quite fit.” For many women, receiving an ADHD diagnosis can feel life-changing. Suddenly there is language for the overwhelm, procrastination, emotional intensity, burnout and exhaustion that may have been present for decades.

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Angry woman shouting

Post-menopause, AuDHD and rage – what the hell is going on? 

I’m a post-menopause AuDHD woman and I am so bloody angry.  My tolerance has dropped through the floor. Things that I used to be able to brush off now feel unbearable. I’m snapping more easily, holding onto frustration for longer, and feeling this constant simmering rage that I can’t seem to shift. I’m angry at my parents, my children and my husband. I’m angry at Donald Trump and about the state

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Neurodivergent sleep and menopause: Why sleep feels so hard (and what actually helps)

If getting to sleep – or waking up – feels like a battle, I want to start by saying this gently: it might not be a “you problem”. I see this so often with the women I work with, especially those who are neurodivergent. You try the routines, read the advice and you know what

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