Kind and Curious: What Fidgeting Can Teach Us About the Brain
Beyond Distracted
In this conversation, Joanne Seymon from Kaiko Fidgets opens up about the messy and beautiful reality of living and working with ADHD. From the early days of creating sensory tools for her son Kai to running a business that supports thousands of neurodivergent people, Jo shares what it’s like to balance creativity, chaos and compassion. We talk about imposter syndrome, the freedom that comes from dropping the mask, and why understanding the brain’s “bus driver” can completely change how we see focus and regulation. Jo also dives into topics rarely discussed, including ADHD in women,...
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Hiding or Thriving? What an ADHD Diagnosis Really Unlocks
Beyond Distracted
What happens when you finally have language for your life? In this episode of Beyond Distracted, psychologists Anthony Brown and Meagan Cooke are joined by Dr Oli Meredith – an AuDHD academic, public health researcher, and mindfulness practitioner – for a deeply human conversation about late diagnosis, grief, validation, and what it means to stop hiding. Oli shares her journey to an ADHD diagnosis in their 40s, following years of chronic fatigue, burnout, and misdiagnosis. Together, they explore how diagnosis can be profoundly validating even when the assessment process itself falls...
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ADHD, Hyperfocus and the Freedom of Being Yourself
Beyond Distracted
What if being completely alone in the wilderness was not terrifying… but restorative? In this episode of Beyond Distracted, hosts Anthony Brown and Meagan Cooke sit down with Krzysztof Wojtkowski, winner of Alone Australia Season 2, to explore what 64 days in the remote wilderness of Aotearoa New Zealand revealed about ADHD, masking, hyperfocus, and what it really means to feel at home in your own mind. For Krzysztof, the experience was not about survival at all costs. It was about calm. Quiet. And finally being able to take the mask off. Together, they unpack how neurodivergence shaped...
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Welcome to Beyond Distracted
Beyond Distracted
We often hear well-meaning advice from neurotypical voices about how neurodiverse people can live happy and successful lives. As psychologists with lived experience of neurodiversity we often wonder: would the advice be different if it came from neurodiverse people? In Beyond Distracted, we interview neurodiverse people who have found success in their fields not by masking who they are, but by embracing their unique ways of thinking, working, and being. We explore how they navigate their life and work, manage ADHD and what advice they offer to others hoping to do the same. Our goal is to...
info_outlineWe often hear well-meaning advice from neurotypical voices about how neurodiverse people can live happy and successful lives. As psychologists with lived experience of neurodiversity we often wonder: would the advice be different if it came from neurodiverse people?
In Beyond Distracted, we interview neurodiverse people who have found success in their fields not by masking who they are, but by embracing their unique ways of thinking, working, and being.
We explore how they navigate their life and work, manage ADHD and what advice they offer to others hoping to do the same.
Our goal is to challenge the stigma that still surrounds neurodiversity and demonstrate that with the right understanding and support, neurodiverse people can lead interesting, meaningful, and fulfilling lives.
For those newly diagnosed, their families, and the wider community, these stories offer hope, validation, and real-world insight from people who truly understand.
We hope that you enjoy this podcast.
Your hosts, Anthony Brown and Meagan Cooke
https://www.beyond-distracted.com/