Highly Functional

About Highly Functional

This is safe space for those who are the quietly prescribed, professionally exhausted, and chronically curious. For professionals managing burnout, anxiety, or neurodivergence who use medicinal cannabis but feel they can't talk about it, Highly Functional is the podcast that treats their experience with intelligence, evidence, and zero judgement. Hosted by Sarah, a TGA-approved patient, backed by peer-reviewed research and lived experience. Not medical advice — talk to your GP.

Publisher

Sarah from lutruwita/Tasmania

Category

health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 May 2026

Latest episode

12 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

24 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   12 Oct 2026

   24. Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History: Medicine, Mutual Aid & the Case Against Compliance

   Medicinal cannabis is now a huge commercial market in Australia, but the people who risked everything to supply it first were often women giving it away for free. So who is this system built for, and who paid for it to exist? 🌿 What we cover Jenny Hallam (https://open.spotify.com/episode/5M7a3pmki5eQ6zM10mIcMi?si=Kz5-yYcbQeKz1Xc7KJ_Vtg), Brownie Mary and Valerie Corral: the legacy healers who came before the legal market The Women’s Co-operative Guild, and what “basket power” has to do with medicine Why patients pay $200–$600 a month, and what Epidiolex shows is possible Tasmanian Botanics, Astrid and Little Green Pharma/Cannatrek: a market consolidating fast Fair Go Grocers and the question of a public supplier for medicine The Commons Model: five guardrails for a fairer system Good Girl Syndrome, plus this month’s Burnout Book Club pick: Kropotkin’s Anarchist Communism: Its Basis and Principles Because joy is a form of resistance, and a little bit pissed off is a good place to start. SHOW NOTES AusCannaPodcast (Christina McMullan): “I Wasn’t a Hero, I Was Pissed Off,” with Jenny Hallam (https://open.spotify.com/episode/5M7a3pmki5eQ6zM10mIcMi?si=Kz5-yYcbQeKz1Xc7KJ_Vtg) ABC News (Nov 2019): Jenny Hallam spared a conviction, good behaviour bond Journal of Cannabis Research (2026): review of Australia’s medicinal cannabis market, out-of-pocket costs and PBS listing of Epidiolex Health Expectations (2025): patient and carer submissions to the Senate inquiry on access barriers ABC News (Sept 2026) and Cannabiz: Yongji Health and Tasmanian Botanics Co-operative Heritage Trust: history of the Women’s Co-operative Guild Green Institute: Fair Go Grocers Peter Kropotkin (1887): Anarchist Communism: Its Basis and Principles Disclaimer: This episode is educational commentary and my personal opinion, not medical or legal advice. Medicinal cannabis is a prescription medication in Australia, and supplying cannabis outside the TGA scheme is illegal. Please speak with your GP or an authorised prescriber about your own health. Connect with the Show: Have thoughts on this episode or want to share your story? Email: highlyfunctionalpodcast@protonmail.com (mailto:highlyfunctionalpodcast@protonmail.com) Instagram: DM me @highlyfunctionalpodcast

2. 

   5 Oct 2026

   23. The Advocate's Tax — When the Fight Is the Job

   What happens when advocacy stops being a choice and becomes the price of admission for care? This week: advocacy burnout, the hidden administrative load on people with disability and patients, what Tasmania's medicinal cannabis driving defence shows about unpaid advocacy, why mutual aid isn't charity, and a Burnout Book Club pick. 🌿 A name for the unpaid labour of self-advocacy 🌿 Activist burnout and the "culture of martyrdom" 🌿 NDIS administrative burden and who carries it 🌿 Tasmania's driving defence, interstate prescribing changes, and the latest NSW reform 🌿 Mutual aid vs charity 🌿 Burnout Book Club: Mutual Aid by Dean Spade Research and books Gorski, P.C. & Chen, C. (2015). "'Frayed All Over': The Causes and Consequences of Activist Burnout Among Social Justice Education Activists." Educational Studies, 51(5), 385–405. doi:10.1080/00131946.2015.1075989. Carey, G., Malbon, E. & Blackwell, J. (2021). "Administering inequality? The National Disability Insurance Scheme and administrative burdens on individuals." Australian Journal of Public Administration, 80(4). Yates, S., Carey, G., Malbon, E. & Hargrave, J. (2022). "'Faceless monster, secret society': Women's experiences navigating the administrative burden of Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme." Health & Social Care in the Community. doi:10.1111/hsc.13669. Herd, P. & Moynihan, D. (2019). Administrative Burden: Policymaking by Other Means. Russell Sage Foundation. McCartney, D., Arkell, T.R., Irwin, C. & McGregor, I.S. (2021). "Determining the magnitude and duration of acute Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC)-induced driving and cognitive impairment: A systematic and meta-analytic review." Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 126, 175–193. Spade, D. (2020). Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next). Verso. See also Spade, D. (2020), "Solidarity Not Charity: Mutual Aid for Mobilization and Survival," Social Text, 38(1), 131–151. Law and government sources Road Safety (Alcohol and Drugs) Act 1970 (Tas), s 6A(2). Tasmanian Department of Health: Medicinal cannabis information for patients and the general public; Interstate prescribing in Tasmania (commenced 16 February 2026). health.tas.gov.au NSW Government: "Minns Labor Government's medicinal cannabis driving reforms pass NSW Parliament" (Road Transport Legislation Amendment (Medical Cannabis and Driving Offences) Bill 2026, passed 17 September 2026; AAP/The Examiner (18 September 2026): "State sets agenda on medicinal cannabis drivers." Tasmanian Greens MPs, media release, 31 January 2025. Advocacy history ABC News (25 February 2016), "Campaigners welcome progress as medicinal cannabis legislation passes in federal Parliament." Cannabiz (November 2023), "'It's time to hand the baton over': Lucy Haslam steps down as AMCA chair." Learn more / community Drive Change: drivechangemc.org.au Disclaimer: This episode is educational commentary only and does not constitute medical or legal advice. Medicinal cannabis is a prescription medication in Australia. Please speak with your GP or a qualified healthcare professional regarding your own health, medication, or driving concerns, and seek legal advice for your state or territory. Connect with the Show: Have thoughts on this episode or want to share your story? Email: highlyfunctionalpodcast@protonmail.com (mailto:highlyfunctionalpodcast@protonmail.com) Instagram: DM me @highlyfunctionalpodcast A sneak peek at what I'm building: Highly Functional Medicine Journal — because guessing gets expensive. Buy it here: Highly Functional Medicine Journal, Etsy Australia (https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/4542996459/highly-functional-medicine-journal)

3. 

   28 Sept 2026

   22. Missed, Masked & Medicated: ADHD, Autism & Medicinal Cannabis

   Part One is why so many women and gender-diverse people carry a late ADHD or autism diagnosis, the "Masking Tax" that comes with decades of performing fine, and how eerily similar trauma symptoms can look to neurodivergence on paper — hypervigilance, scanning a room, the lot. Part Two picks up where that leaves a lot of us: reaching for medicinal cannabis to cope, often years before any diagnosis, and asking honestly whether the evidence backs that up or whether it's vibes wearing a lab coat. Australia's exploding millennial ADHD prescribing numbers, the newest CBD trial out of Deakin University, ABC News (2026, April). "Australian women have overtaken men in prescribing rates for ADHD medication," analysis of UNSW dispensing data, FY2017–FY2024. Aran, A., Harel, M., Cassuto, H., Polyansky, L., Schnapp, A., Wattad, N., et al. (2021). "Cannabinoid treatment for autism: A proof-of-concept randomized trial." Molecular Autism, 12(1), 6. "Autism, ADHD, and Complex PTSD — A Clinical Perspective on Overlap, Assessment, and Recovery." (2026). Brainz Magazine. Brabete, A.C., Greaves, L., Hemsing, N., & Stinson, J. (2020). "Sex- and Gender-Based Analysis in Cannabis Treatment Outcomes: A Systematic Review." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(3), 872. Cairns, E.A., Benson, M.J., Bedoya-Pérez, M.A., Macphail, S.L., Mohan, A., Cohen, R., Sachdev, P.S., & McGregor, I.S. (2023). "Medicinal cannabis for psychiatry-related conditions: an overview of current Australian prescribing." Frontiers in Pharmacology, 14, 1142680. Cooper, R.E., Williams, E., Seegobin, S., Tye, C., Kuntsi, J., & Asherson, P. (2017). "Cannabinoids in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A randomised-controlled trial." European Neuropsychopharmacology, 27(8), 795–808. Craddock, E. (2024). "Being a Woman Is 100% Significant to My Experiences of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism..." Qualitative Health Research, 34(14), 1442–1455. Deakin University (2026, March). "Cannabidiol (CBD) shows benefits for autistic children." Media release. Efron, D., Freeman, J.L., Cranswick, N., Payne, J.M., Mulraney, M., Prakash, C., Lee, K.J., Taylor, K., & Williams, K. (2021). "A pilot randomised placebo-controlled trial of cannabidiol to reduce severe behavioural problems in children and adolescents with intellectual disability." British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 87(2), 436–446. "Gender differences in autism prevalence: origins of bias and its current scientific relevance." (2026). Frontiers in Psychiatry. Karhson, D.S., LaFrance, E.M., & Cuttler, C. (2025). "Acute effects of cannabis on core and co-occurring features associated with autism spectrum disorder in adults." Scientific Reports, 15(1), 39849. Mitchell, J.T., Sweitzer, M.M., Tunno, A.M., Kollins, S.H., & McClernon, F.J. (2016). "'I Use Weed for My ADHD': A Qualitative Analysis of Online Forum Discussions on Cannabis Use and ADHD." PLOS ONE, 11(5), e0156614. Parrella, N.-F., Hill, A.T., Enticott, P.G., Botha, T., Catchlove, S., Downey, L., & Ford, T.C. (2026). "Effects of Cannabidiol on Social Relating, Anxiety, and Parental Stress in Autistic Children: A Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial." Autism Research, 19(2), e70159. Parrella, N.-F., quoted in PsyPost (2026, March). "New trial suggests CBD oil could lower anxiety in autistic children and reduce parenting stress." PTSD UK. "Can PTSD be mistaken for ADHD?"

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Spotify

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