A podcast for neurodivergent women, hosted by clinical psychologist Monique Mitchelson and clinical neuropsychologist Michelle Livock. Covering Autism to ADHD and everything in between, we aim to educate and inspire women who think differently.
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For our final episode for Season 7, we’re thrilled to welcome clinical psychologist and lived-experience speaker, Lumen Gorrie (they / them), to speak with us about gender diversity. Lumen is a queer, trans, multiply neurodivergent, chronically ill, and disabled person based in Naarm. Lumen is passionate about neurodivergence, gender, queerness, disability and accessibility, making systemic change, and (in their words) neuroqueering the heck out of things! We cover a lot in this chunky ep! Inclu...
This week Monique chats with Avril Fazel about living in regional, rural, and remote areas as a neurodivergent person. Avril lives on the lands of Kuungkari, Bidjera and Inningai peoples, between the rural towns of Blackall and Tambo in outback Queensland. She identifies as intersectional feminist with lived experiences in mental illness and neurodivergence, and her social discourse is influenced by her backgrounds in education, community work, and being a local grazier. We hope you enjoy this b...
In this week’s episode we’ll be discussing family violence and domestic abuse. These are important conversations, but they can also be distressing or triggering for some listeners. If this episode feels too difficult to listen to right now, please take care of yourself and consider coming back to it when you feel ready—or just skipping it altogether. And if you or someone you know is currently experiencing domestic abuse, please know that you're not alone and that support is available. We’ve inc...
This week Monique welcomes Arnikka de Kort to the podcast, to chat about breastfeeding and infant sleep. Arnikka is an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), Neonatal Nurse and Founder of SuckleBubs - a space that reimagines how women and babies are supported in the early weeks of newborn life. She is also the creator of In Bloom - a postpartum and breastfeeding mentorship program guiding mothers through their transition to motherhood, from pregnancy and into postpartum. Dra...
On this week’s episode Monique chats with two amazing guests – Specialist GP Dr Megan Thomas (she / they) and Clinical Psychologist Bianca Comfort (she / her) – about Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), and Mast Cell Activation Disorder (MCAS). Dr Megan is a queer, disabled, neurodivergent doctor with lived experience of EDS, POTS, MCAS, and related conditions. She is a GP Specialist and one of the Founding Directors of Connected Health Alliance, an ED...
Hey everyone, just a heads up that in this episode Jessica mentions times in her life when she was suicidal. If this brings up anything for you, please reach out to someone you trust, or contact one of the support lines we’ve included in the show notes. Take care of yourselves, and feel free to pause or skip this one if you need to. This week we are chatting to Jessica Horner about neurodivergent stories. Jessica is a proudly AuDHD and disabled woman and she works as a policy advisor with People...
This week Monique chats with Sienna Macalister (they/them), who listeners may know by their Instagram handle @sienna.stims, about being an Autistic person with high support needs. Sienna is a non-binary, ‘unreliably speaking’ Autistic advocate, diagnosed with Autism Level 3. They are multiply neurodivergent and have a number of co-occurring health conditions, including Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), and Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1). Sienna is pa...
On today’s episode we are deeply honoured to have Dr Michelle Garnett speaking with us about neurodivergence in the teen years, as well as her own life experience as a neurodivergent woman. Dr Garnett is a clinical psychologist, author, and late-diagnosed AuDHDer, and she has worked in the autistic community for over 30 years. Listeners would likely know her as the co-founder of Attwood & Garnett Events , with Professor Tony Attwood. Dr Garnett is a leading voice in neuro-affirming care, res...
We’re super excited to bring you this week’s episode with Senior Clinical Neuropsychologist, Simone Mangelsdorf-Collett (she/her). We chat with Simone about Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) – or, as Simone puts it “the most common disorder you’ve never heard of”. Simone specialises in FND, neurodegenerative syndromes, and movement disorders, and practices out of Yarra City Psychology in Richmond, Melbourne. She is experienced in both ends of patient care, including assessment and diagnosis...
This week Monique chats with Sharen Lui. Sharen is a neurodivergent Educational and Developmental Psychologist, and the Director of Sprout Psychology Melbourne . Sharen specialises in neurodivergence within Asian communities, supporting families with assessments, therapy, and culturally responsive mental health support. Sharen and Monique cover: What neurodivergence means to Sharen and the driving force behind establishing Sprout Psychology in Melbourne. Sharen’s path to discovering her own neur...
On this week’s episode we chat with Sari González and Becka Koritz – co-founders of Radical Learning – about unschooling and alternative models of education. Sari and Becka are mums to neurodivergent unschoolers, youth rights advocates, and agile learning facilitators who challenge conventional education and parenting. Through their business, Radical Learning , and their podcast, Radical Learning Talks , they support parents and educators in unlearning control-based approaches to education and e...
We’re kicking off Season 7 with a deep dive into learning and memory – this one’s for the nerds out there! We cover: Four stages of memory: perceiving, encoding, retaining, and retrieving. What can affect perceiving and encoding; the ‘front end’ of memory. Different types of memory, including working memory, short term memory, long term memory, and different kinds of long-term memory. What can affect our longer-term memory. Learning and memory in neurodivergent brains. The impact of hormonal cha...
We are back with Season 7 of the podcast on March 24th! In the meantime, we both have some online training for professionals. Check out Michelle’s training on providing meaningful and theraputic Assessment Feedback for psychologists , running online on the 28th Feb, and Monique’s training on the Square Model – Supporting Neurodivergent Folks in Therapy , running online on the 12th-14th March. Both trainings can be attended live or watched later. See you in a month for Season 7! ~ Michelle and Mo...
For our final episode of Season 6 we are thrilled to welcome Australian actor and vocalist Clare Bowen to the podcast, to chat with us about her experiences as an Autistic and ADHD woman. Clare has been in a number of wonderful films, series, and theatre productions both here in Australia and internationally, with her most recognizable role being Scarlett O’Connor in the American TV series, NASHVILLE. Clare is also a globally touring musician, and she currently makes music with her husband, Bran...
This week Monique interviews Dr. Jamie Marich (she/they) about dissociation. Jamie is a clinical trauma specialist, EMDR Consultant, expressive artist, recovery advocate, and author of many excellent books, including ‘Dissociation Made Simple’, and their latest book ‘You Lied to Me About God’ – a memoir of spiritual abuse and recovery. She is a queer woman in long-term recovery from an addictive disorder and lives with dissociative identities. Jamie unites all of these elements in their mission ...
On today’s episode we’re excited to welcome Dr. Megan Anna Neff to the podcast to chat with us about neurodivergence and self-care. Megan is a clinical psychologist, author, and the founder of Neurodivergent Insights. She’s written Self-Care for Autistic People and has a new book on autistic burnout coming soon. Megan discovered her own neurodivergence at 37, which sparked her passion for raising awareness around non-stereotypical presentations of autism and ADHD. Through her work, she creates r...
This week on the pod we chat with Marie Masse (pronounced ‘moss’) about special interests and creativity. Marie is part of our little ND Woman Pod team, and she has been the creative genius behind pretty much everything except the actual episodes themselves, so if you follow us on socials, or you’ve checked out our website, or you’ve downloaded one of our gorgeous PDF episode articles, you’ve definitely seen her work! Marie is a late-identified 2e AuDHDer with two neurodivergent kids, navigating...
Today’s guest is Jess Rowlings. Jess is the CEO and co-founder of Next Level Collaboration, as well as a qualified speech and language therapist. She also works as a researcher at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, and previously Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. Jess is an adult diagnosed AuDHDer and has a lifelong love of games, both of which inform her work and research. As a researcher, she is passionate about the use of digital games-based learning to promote inclusion and a s...
This week Monique interviews Professor Sandra Thom-Jones about aging as an autistic person. Sandra is an autistic author, artisan, academic, and advocate. She provides consultancy services to education, employment, and healthcare providers, and supports for autistic people, through her consultancy ‘Autistic Professor’. Sandra is the author of Growing in to Autism, and she has undertaken numerous research projects in partnership with the autistic community on the experiences of autistic people a...
Content warning: This episode discusses grooming and sexual assault. Some listeners may decide to skip this one. This week Monique interviews fellow psychologist Anna Clarke on grooming. As a multiply neurodivergent psychologist, EMDR therapist, and play therapist, Anna is passionate about supporting care teams with a trauma-informed, neurodivergent-affirming lens, and they are experienced in working with survivors of sexual assault and family violence. On this episode Monique and Anna unpack th...
This week we speak with Penny Moodie about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Penny is a writer, OCD advocate, and mum of three little people. She is the author of ‘ The Joy Thief: How OCD steals your happiness – and how to get it back ’ and the co-creator the website soocd.com.au , which is packed with information on OCD and how to get support. In this episode Penny very generously shares her personal experience with OCD, and she takes us through the ‘why’ of OCD and the strategies and treatm...
On today’s episode Monique interviews Liam Spicer about grief and loss. Listeners will notice that Liam is not a neurodivergent woman , but we’ve decided to make an exception this time as Liam is an expert in the area of neurodivergence and grief. Liam is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology, and he’s a Psychologist, EMDR Consultant, and Accredited Schema Therapist based in Launceston, Tasmania. He is also an Autistic ADHDer, and is passionate about training, research, and collaboration with other ne...
This episode features clinical nutritionist Margo White, discussing her neuro-affirming approach to working with eating disorders in neurodivergent populations. She shares her personal journey with neurodivergence and an eating disorder, highlighting how sensory differences, executive functioning, and interoception impact eating. The discussion covers specific conditions like ARFID, Anorexia, and Binge Eating Disorder, emphasizing compassionate and individualized support over traditional, often harmful, approaches.
This week Monique chats with Dr Hayley Kelly about entrepreneurship. Hayley is a clinical psychologist, CEO, and Founder of Therapists Rising. Her goal is to transform the mental health landscape by helping therapists build sustainable and impactful businesses. Diagnosed with Autism and ADHD later in life, she brings a unique, neuroaffirming approach to entrepreneurship, inspiring mental health professionals to embrace innovation, creativity, and resilience in their practices. This episode is ja...
We kick off Season 6 with a chunky episode about being childfree, and share our personal experiences on this topic. This was a really meaningful and important topic for us – we hope you find it useful! We cover: The cultural and normative context of motherhood Understanding your desire for or against motherhood and what are the complexities and nuances in this. Ruby Warrington’s ‘Motherhood Spectrum’ Reasons why you might not want to be a mother – both in general and factors specific to neurodiv...
For our final episode of the season we welcome Sonny Jane Wise to the podcast, to share their wisdom on all things neurodivergence. This is a fabulous ep to start with if you’re new to the neurodiversity affirming model, and also if you’ve been here a while! Sonny Jane is a trans, multiply neurodivergent & disabled public speaker, advocate and author. Sonny was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD as a child and grew up only hearing a deficit narrative about their neurodivergence. Since then, they...
We are thrilled to have Rosemary Richings on the podcast today, to chat with us about her experience of dyspraxia. Rosemary is a writer , editor , and public speaker specialising in disability and neurodiversity, and she is the author of Stumbling Through Space and Time: Living Life With Dyspraxia . Rosemary is on the board of trustees of Dyspraxic Me, a charity for dyspraxic young adults. In this episode we cover: What is dyspraxia? How is dyspraxia diagnosed? Rosemary’s experience of dyspraxia...
In this week's episode we chat about compassionate practice. We have both been super keen to do an episode on compassion for a while now, given compassion is a core tenant of our practice. In this ep we went through some of the core features of compassion, how this can be used therapeutically, and developing self-compassion. We loved putting this episode together for you! We cover: What is compassion and what are the benefits of compassionate practice? What does it mean to be in an active state ...
Today on the show Monique interviews Rebecca Gannon. Rebecca is a Neurodivergent Psychologist with a Masters in Educational and Developmental Psychology. Their clinical work focuses on Autism and ADHD assessment for adults as well as supervising other Psychologists and allied health professionals in neuroaffirming practice skills. Rebecca is Aboriginal, a parent, a partner, and their long-standing special interest just happens to be Autism. On this episode Monique and Rebecca cover: Rebecca’s ex...
In this week’s episode we are thrilled to chat to Michelle Marques about her experience with depression and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, plus a million other things. Michelle is an Autistic and ADHD writer with a background in journalism and a Master’s in African American studies. Her writing and research focuses on gender, sexuality, race, neurodiversity, and pop culture. We chat about: Michelle’s experience of learning about her neurodivergence and the hidden cost of ADHD for high achiev...
