AuDHD IRL

About AuDHD IRL

AuDHD IRL is a podcast about what it really looks like to be autistic + ADHD, beyond the hot takes and productivity hacks. Each episode feels like a cuppa with someone a few steps ahead on the journey (who’s tripped over it a few times). We talk honestly about it all, with laughter, tasteful swearing, and lots of self-compassion. This isn’t about fixing yourself. It’s about understanding your brain, finding language for your experience, and feeling less alone while you figure things out in real life. Come as you are. Stay as long as you like. From Ngunnawal and Ngambri lands/knowledge/love.

Publisher

Bri Thomas

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

25 Jan 2026

Latest episode

19 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

31 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   19 Jul 2026

   Ep30. AuDHD IRL Season Finale - Bri's wife interviews her

   Content warning: Casual swearing throughout, and a very enthusiastic dog. Summary: Season 1 has officially wrapped, and for the finale I handed the mic over to the person who knows me best: my wife, Beth. We recorded this one from our actual living room (dog included), and she grilled me on everything from my podcasting process to what it's really like living with someone whose interests take up "square footage" in every room of the house. We cover: How I actually pick my guests (hint: you have to be AuDHD and genuinely obsessed with something) The gear, the chaos, and why "episode one" is actually a five-minute trailer A lightning round of season highlights, including my favourite line from the whole season (thank you, Morgz: "Grandma does not matter more than people") What I'd do differently next time, including building an AuDHD advisory group for feedback A sneak peek at Season 2 Beth's honest take on living with a monotropic brain and a hyperfocus project that ate six months of our living room This one's less interview, more the two of us being honest about what this season has actually been like. If you've made it through all 29 episodes plus the trailer, thank you. Tell me your favourite episode, your favourite moment, or what you want from Season 2. I read every single message. Takeaways: Season 1 wrapped: 30 episodes (29 + trailer + bonus), 27 guests Guest criteria: AuDHD + genuinely passionate about a topic Season 2 is coming, with some new voices in the mix Feedback keeps this show going, so reach out

2. 

   12 Jul 2026

   Ep.29 AuDHD, Burnout Prevention & Self-Compassion

   Content warning: Burnout, chronic health struggles, mental illness, brief references to domestic violence and the strain of single parenting. Summary: In this episode, Bri sits down with Dr Hayley D Quinn — mindset and wellbeing coach, speaker, author, former clinical psychologist, host of the Welcome to Self Unmasked podcast, and past president of Compassionate Mind Australia — to talk about burnout prevention and the power of a compassionate relationship with yourself. Hayley shares her late AuDHD diagnosis, her own significant burnout in 2016, and how discovering Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) changed the way she relates to herself. Together, Bri and Hayley unpack the early warning signs of burnout, why neurotypical recovery advice ("just get out more") can push neurodivergent people further into burnout, and what real burnout prevention looks like: knowing yourself, building in breaks, and treating yourself the way you'd treat a small child you love. They dig into the three flows of compassion (giving, receiving, and self-compassion), why receiving is often the hardest one, and practical ways to start — hand-on-heart check-ins, compassionate letter writing, and asking yourself one simple question. Takeaways: Burnout doesn't always look like collapse. It can look like "everything's fine at work" but nothing left for anyone once you're home, social withdrawal, or things that used to feel easy suddenly feeling hard. Neurotypical burnout advice (get out more, push through, stay busy) can push neurodivergent people deeper into burnout — recovery has to be tailored to your neurotype. There are three flows of compassion: giving it out, receiving it from others, and offering it to yourself. Most of us are strong on the first and shakiest on the other two. A compassionate relationship with yourself isn't about letting yourself off the hook. It takes courage, wisdom, and strength. Tone matters as much as words — "you're doing your best" lands completely differently depending on the warmth behind it. If a coping strategy doesn't work, that's not failure. It's just data. Try it: ask yourself "what's one small thing I could change, that I likely can change, to make my life more enjoyable?" Follow Hayley: Dr Hayley D Quinn is at www.drhayleydquinn.com (https://drhayleydquinn.com/), on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/drhayleydquinn/), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/DrHayleyDQuinnBrisbane) & LinkedIn. Hayley's podcast: Welcome to Self Unmasked (https://drhayleydquinn.com/podcasts/) Hayley's book: From Self Neglect to Self Compassion (https://drhayleydquinn.com/product/book/)(includes 8 guided compassion meditations via QR code)

3. 

   11 Jul 2026

   Bonus Episode: AuDHD, Friends and Conferences

   Content warning: brief mentions of trauma, PTSD, dissociative identity disorder, chronic illness and healthcare self-advocacy, and online hatred directed at trans people. Nothing graphic. Look after yourself! Summary:This one's a bit different. Bri grabbed Emily and Jade, her Psych Hive co-directors and real-life mates, for two quick check-ins recorded live from NATCA (the Neurodivergence Affirming Therapists Conference Australia) in Melbourne. Part one is end of day one, part two is the exhausted-but-glowing wrap after day two, where Jade and Bri also gave their own talk on self-care. Along the way: spirit animal introductions (Jade's a lemur, Emily's a cheetah, Bri's a labrador who eats shoes, don't ask), a mid-conference "missing person" scare, and a genuinely lovely rundown of what stuck with them from two days of neuroaffirming research and practice. Takeaways: Day one, the panel on neurodivergence and medical co-occurrences hit hard: capacity is finite, and the people with the most medical complexity carry the heaviest self-advocacy load. Systems like NDIS and Medicare help some, but the burden of proving your needs still falls on the most disabled. A talk on trans marginalisation and online hatred, and one on intergenerational trauma from undiagnosed neurodivergence, both circled the same idea: othering breaks connection, and disconnection is where distress grows. Research on masking and mental health found the harm isn't masking itself, it's what masking does to your sense of self: feeling "less than" and losing a clear identity. The quote that stuck: "I am wrong." Day two opened with Nick Walker's keynote touched on human flourishing and a genuinely useful reframe: instead of pathology paradigm versus neurodiversity paradigm, think pathology paradigm versus neuronormative paradigm. Some forms of neurodivergence (like PTSD) can genuinely benefit from treatment when the person wants that. Others (like autism) are actively harmed by attempts to cure them. ADHD medication got reframed as an accommodation rather than a cure, since the traits come straight back off it. A talk on echolalia reframed it as authentic communication rather than "just stimming", it can carry a feeling, a need, a want, or be a bid for connection. There's even a version where people echo movements or emotions, not just words. The through-line for both of them: connection, not categorisation, is what actually helps people flourish. They close with a quick word on Psych Hive resources (the OCD guide, the PDA parent guide, the AuDHD books for adults and for parents, free webinars and downloads) and two prize draws running through the AuDHD IRL and Psych Hive email lists. Jade and Emily will be back to talk about building a neuroaffirming practice and being allies. You can find Jade and Emily on instagram at @thepsychhive and their resources through the website www.thepsychhive.com.

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Spotify

5.0 / 5

12 ratings

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Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.