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This episode is a proper, unfiltered conversation between Maddy and Lucy Power about neurodivergence, trauma, identity, and what it really means to be yourself in a world that constantly tries to put you in a box.

From ADHD and autism to trauma responses, masking, queerness, and visibility—this is a deep, honest, sometimes funny, sometimes heavy chat about how our experiences shape who we are… and how we can start reclaiming that.

There are big conversations here. Real life. Real stories. And a lot of “oh shit, that makes sense.”

🧠 What We Talk About

• Lucy’s journey into ADHD diagnosis later in life
• The overlap between trauma and neurodivergence
• Why so many neurodivergent people carry trauma
• How trauma gets “stuck” and shows up in everyday life
• Masking, identity, and feeling like you don’t fit
• The pressure to conform to societal expectations
• Queerness, visibility, and living authentically
• Parenting, identity, and supporting neurodivergent kids
• The impact of cancel culture and social rejection
• Nervous system dysregulation and reactive behaviour
• What it actually means to be radically authentic

🔥 Key Takeaways

• Trauma isn’t just what happened, it’s how your body holds it
• Neurodivergence and trauma can look very similar
• You’re not “too much”—you’ve just been unsupported
• Masking disconnects you from who you really are
• Identity is often a story we’ve been taught, not the truth
• Being yourself in a world that doesn’t get you is an act of rebellion
• You can build a life and business that actually fits who you are

💬 Real Talk Moments

• Maddy sharing her personal experiences with trauma, grief, and ADHD
• Lucy opening up about late diagnosis and queerness
• Honest chat about feeling excluded and self-protection responses
• The reality of raising neurodivergent kids and navigating identity
• A raw moment around grief and loss mid-recording

💥 What Lucy is “Mad About”

Lucy shares what truly fires her up:

• The way society treats trans people
• The impact of capitalism on wellbeing
• Global injustice and inequality
• And her deep passion for trauma work and transactional analysis

🧩 About Lucy

Lucy is a psychotherapeutic coach specialising in:

• Trauma
• Neurodivergence
• Transactional Analysis
• Radical authenticity

She helps people understand themselves on a deeper level and unlearn the layers that stop them from being who they truly are.

🌍 Connect with Lucy

• Instagram: @IamLucyPower
• Facebook: Lucy Power
• LinkedIn: Lucy Power
• Email: lucy@iamlucypower.com

📲 Connect with Maddy

• Instagram: Maddy Talks Money
• TikTok: Mad About Money Official
• Book: Mad About Money

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Mad About with Maddy Alexander-Grout
Episode: Internalised Ableism, Burnout & Owning Your Soundtrack

💥 What this episode is about

This is a real, honest chat about internalised ableism — what it is, how it shows up, and why so many neurodivergent and disabled people end up pushing themselves to breaking point trying to “keep up.”

Maddy shares what this has looked like in her own life, from burnout and overworking to navigating new health challenges, and why learning your limits is actually where your power starts.

🧠 In this episode, we cover:

• What internalised ableism actually means (and how it sneaks in)
• Why calling yourself “lazy” is complete bullshit
• The pressure to act “normal” in business and life
• Burnout, guilt, and the toxic productivity trap
• Learning your capacity and working with your energy, not against it
• Why rest is not something you need to earn
• The importance of boundaries, even in your business
• How community can help you unlearn ableist thinking
• The reality of advocating for yourself (and why it’s so hard)
• Accepting new diagnoses and evolving health challenges

🔥 Key takeaways

• You are not broken. Your brain just works differently.
• “Should” belongs in the fuck it bucket
• Pushing through burnout is not strength, it’s self-abandonment
• Your worth is not measured by productivity
• You are allowed to do things in a way that actually works for you
• Support is not a weakness, it’s a strategy

🎧 Maddy’s real-life moments in this episode

• Navigating multiple chronic conditions and new diagnoses
• Coaching clients from bed on low-energy days
• Using a walking stick for the first time and dealing with the mindset around it
• Letting her community step in and support her
• Having honest conversations with her kids about her limits

🌈 Big message

Owning your “soundtrack” means accepting every part of you — your brain, your body, your limits, and your strengths.

When you stop trying to fit into a world that wasn’t designed for you, you can finally start building one that is.

🧩 Resources & mentions

• Access to Work (UK) – Government support for disabled people in employment
• The Maddyverse – Free community for neurodivergent and chronically ill humans
• The Core – Paid membership focused on money, life, business, and support

💬 Final thought

You don’t have to prove your worth by burning out.

You get to build a life and business that actually fits you.

📲 Connect with Maddy

• Instagram: Maddy Talks Money
• TikTok: Mad About Money Official
• More: Maddy Alexander-Grout

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In this episode of Mad About, I’m joined by the brilliant Sophie Jane Lee, coach for voice, visibility and strategy, and author of Beyond Palatable: A Manifesto for Unapologetic Women.

We chat about Sophie’s journey from running a successful business on paper while struggling deeply underneath it all, to doing the hard inner work that helped her step into who she really is.

We get into:
✨ success vs actually feeling successful
✨ self-worth, self-sabotage and healing
✨ the drama triangle: victim, prosecutor and rescuer
✨ people pleasing, boundaries and nervous system responses
✨ neurodivergence, relationships and being misunderstood
✨ finding the right rooms, the right people and the right way to show up
✨ pregnancy, business and why “hard” doesn’t have to define everything

This is a really honest, funny, powerful conversation about accountability, self-expression, healing, and what it means to stop abandoning yourself.

Sophie’s book is out now and available from all major bookshops, on Kindle, and soon on audiobook.

Follow Sophie:
Instagram: @electricpeachstudios
LinkedIn: Sophie Jane Lee
Book: beyondpalatable.com

Follow me:
Instagram: @maddytalksmoney
TikTok: @madaboutmoneyofficial
Everywhere else: Maddy Alexander-Grout

If you enjoyed this episode, hit subscribe, leave a review, share it with a friend, and let me know in the comments if this conversation resonated with you.

#podcast #neurodiversity #boundaries #peoplepleasing #visibility #selfworth #healing #womeninbusiness #adhd #autism #madaboutpodcast

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