Ever felt like you’re gliding on the surface while paddling like mad underneath? Christina shares what a late ADHD diagnosis revealed about masking, invisible effort, and why looking calm on the surface often means below the waterline.

Tired of the “neurodiversity as superpower” cliché? We dig into real role models, disclosure, and accommodations that work in education and beyond, not just on paper.

From gothic literature to lab life, Christina unpacks how early “quirky” interests, pattern-seeking, and hyperfocus later aligned with a research career built on variety, problem-solving, and intellectual intensity. We talk about food routines, late diagnosis, and the quiet cost of fitting in. Hear an honest account of neurodiversity at work.

What if the label you avoided for years became the key to designing a life that finally fits? That’s the pivot Christina shares as we trace her path from literary goth kid to scientist, from a winter move to Norway to a late ADHD diagnosis that reframed effort, energy, and why trying harder did not always fix the problem. It’s not a story about becoming someone new. It’s a story about getting the language and leverage to ask for what works.

We talk about the hidden cost of masking and why appearing calm and competent often conceals heavy, invisible cognitive labour. Christina opens up about food and consistency: forgetting to eat during the day, relying on predictable textures just to get calories in, and how that pulled her toward ultra-processed snacks. She shares how she rebuilt routines using low-decision, higher-nutrition swaps that supported focus without turning every choice into a willpower test. We unpack the link between physical health and attention, and how small guardrails around sleep, movement, and structured meals can stabilise the mind.

We also talk about the “D-word”, disclosure, a loaded word that can be the bridge to reasonable adjustments. Seeing a colleague speak openly about neurodivergence gave Christina permission to do the same, and we explore how that honesty challenges networking culture, performative professionalism, and the pressure to conform. We push past the “neurodiversity as superpower” cliché to reflect on the importance of authentic role models who talk honestly about both strengths and friction.

In education, we discuss neurodivergent students and staff as “the canary in the coal mine”. If instructions are unambiguous, deadlines consistent, expectations explicit, and novelty designed in rather than accidental, everyone benefits. We share practical ways to reduce cognitive load, make feedback more actionable, and engineer learning environments where attention is supported rather than assumed.

If you’re navigating a late ADHD diagnosis, supporting a neurodivergent colleague or student, or quietly rethinking your own routines, this conversation offers candid insights and small, workable changes you can test this week.

A tidy desk isn’t the story. Rosie, a third-year biochemistry student, opens up about the reality of OCD: intrusive thoughts that hit like alarms, compulsions that promise relief and steal time, and the slow, deliberate work of exposure therapy that teaches the brain to stop demanding rituals. We pull apart the myths and look at what day-to-day life actually feels like when your mind whispers “what if” at the worst possible times.

You’ll hear how driving became a minefield of doubt, how health anxiety fed a late-night Google loop, and why reassurance—whether from friends, managers, or search results—can quietly make OCD stronger. Rosie shares practical tools from therapy: naming the intrusive voice to reduce its authority, exposure and response prevention for contamination fears, and the discipline of not checking even when anxiety peaks. We also dig into system barriers that delay formal diagnosis, the cost of being misunderstood at work or uni, and the importance of language-why “I have OCD” matters, and why “I’m so OCD” jokes lands so badly. There’s no sugar-coating, and there’s no hopelessness either. Instead, we talk strategy: how to manage flare-ups, design a career that respects mental health limits, and reclaim study hours from rumination. If you care about mental health, neurodiversity, or supporting someone who lives with OCD, this conversation offers clear takeaways, humane insight, and resources like OCD Action to keep learning. If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a review with one thing you learned—your notes help others find these stories.

Hello, welcome to my podcast (fireside chats), this is a introduction rather than a trailer, a little bit about me but mostly about why I'm doing what I'm doing. I hope you enjoy what you hear. I hope you learn from what you hear, please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to take part in the podcast going forward, or please let other people know who you think might value being a part of this process.

neurodiversedialogues@gmail.com