In this episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott explore the overlap — and important differences — between executive dysfunction and pathological demand avoidance (PDA), and why both can make everyday tasks feel overwhelming.

They unpack how executive dysfunction is linked to planning, organisation, and overload, while PDA is driven by anxiety, autonomy, and threat responses — and why, in real life, the two often collide. Through personal examples, they explore why getting started, following through, or responding to demands can feel impossible, even when you want to do the thing.

Jordan and Simon reflect on how fear of failure, shame, trauma, and being told to “just do it” can intensify paralysis rather than help. They also discuss how misunderstanding these patterns leads to judgment — at home, at work, and in childhood — instead of support.

Rather than offering quick fixes, the conversation focuses on reducing pressure, understanding what’s really happening in the nervous system, and finding supportive ways to move forward.

They discuss:

• What executive dysfunction and PDA are — and how they differ
• Why do they often show up together
• Anxiety, autonomy, and threat responses
• Task paralysis and avoidance
• Fear of failure and internalised shame
• Every day struggles like hygiene, work, and leaving the house
• Why increasing pressure makes things worse
• What actually helps instead

A validating conversation about why simple tasks can feel so hard — and how understanding, compassion, and the right support can make a real difference.

Our Sponsors:

🧠 RTN Diagnostics - Right to Choose – Autism & ADHD Assessments (UK)

🧘‍♀️ Ashley Bentley – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy

• → https://bit.ly/ashleynde

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Resilience is often misunderstood.

It’s not about pushing through at all costs, pretending you’re fine, or never getting overwhelmed — especially if you’re sensitive or neurodivergent. Real resilience is something far more human, far more embodied.

In this episode of Mindful Mondays, we explore what resilience actually looks like in the nervous system — the ability to move through challenge, to feel the squeeze of life, and to gently find our way back.

Drawing on neuroscience, somatic wisdom, Buddhism, psychology, and lived experience, we explore:

Why resilience is about movement, not perfection

How discomfort can become meaningful rather than overwhelming

The role of contrast - squeeze and release - in nervous system flexibility

Why resistance, not discomfort itself, often creates suffering

Emotional complexity as a strength, not a flaw

How sensitive and neurodivergent nervous systems can learn to “bounce back” with kindness

Why acceptance can create a deeper baseline peace, even during hard times

You’ll also be guided through a gentle squeeze-and-release meditation designed to help your body experience resilience directly - not as an idea, but as a felt sense.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re “too sensitive,” slow to recover, or worn down by life’s demands, this episode is an invitation to reframe resilience - not as something you force, but something you cultivate through care, curiosity, and self-trust.

You don’t have to harden to survive.

You’re allowed to soften - and still be strong.

Our Sponsors:

🧠 RTN Diagnostics - Right to Choose – Autism & ADHD Assessments (UK)

🧘‍♀️ Ashley Bentley – Integrative Coaching, Breathwork & Hypnotherapy

• → https://bit.ly/ashleynde

🔗 Stay Connected

• Instagram: @theneurodivergentexperiencepod
• Facebook: The Neurodivergent Experience & Jordan's Facebook page
• YouTube: @TheNeurodivergentExperience
• TikTok: @neurodivergentexperience

❤️ Support the Show

If this episode resonated with you:

✅ Follow or Subscribe to The Neurodivergent Experience

⭐ Leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

🔔 Turn on notifications for new weekly episodes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

⚠️This episode includes discussion of suicide, mental health crises, and systemic failures in neurodivergent healthcare. Listener discretion is advised, and we encourage you to prioritise your wellbeing while listening ⚠️.

In this Hot Topic episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, Jordan James and Simon Scott respond to reports that the NHS is once again restricting access to ADHD assessments in an attempt to save money — often without informing GPs or patients already waiting.

They unpack how limiting assessments don’t just delay diagnosis, but actively block access to support, accommodations, medication, and self-understanding, particularly for Autistic and ADHD people who already struggle to advocate for themselves. Drawing on their own late diagnoses, Jordan and Simon explain how years without recognition lead to mislabelling, shame, burnout, and serious mental health harm.

The conversation then turns to the real-world consequences of these delays, including a Guardian report detailing the death of a young man who fell through the cracks of the assessment and shared-care system. Jordan and Simon speak openly about grief, anger, and fear — and why framing ADHD as “not life-threatening” ignores the reality of emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, chronic stress, and suicide risk.

This episode has a clear message: withholding diagnosis and treatment is not neutral — it is dangerous.

They discuss:

• NHS limits on ADHD assessments and lack of transparency
• Long waiting times and being stuck between child and adult services
• Why diagnosis is a gateway to support, not a label
• ADHD medication, emotional regulation, and quality of life
• Why ADHD can be life-threatening
• Suicide risk, burnout, and drowning in unregulated thoughts
• The cost of denying support vs investing in people

A raw, emotional, and urgent conversation about assessment delays, systemic failure, and the very real human cost of treating neurodivergent care as optional.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.