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_outlineWhat 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 his time on Alone, why nature can feel more regulating than everyday life, and how ADHD can be both a powerful strength and a daily challenge. From hyperfocus and time blindness, to sleep struggles, productivity myths, and learning to accept yourself without apology, this is a deeply human conversation about living well with an ADHD brain.
In this episode, we explore:
- Why 64 days alone felt like a recharge rather than a battle
- ADHD, masking, and the relief of being able to just be yourself
- Hyperfocus as both a superpower and a double-edged sword
- Time blindness, routines, alarms, and finishing what you start
- The role of nature and green space in regulating the ADHD nervous system
- Sleep, sensory input, and why background noise can actually help
- Coming out as neurodivergent on national television and what happened next
- Supporting neurodivergent children with patience, understanding, and acceptance
- Busting the myth that ADHD is an attention deficit (spoiler - it’s not)
Key takeaway from this episode:
“It’s okay to be me.”
Krzysztof’s story is a reminder that ADHD is not something to fix or hide. It is something to understand, work with, and in many ways, celebrate.
Whether you are newly diagnosed, supporting someone who is neurodivergent, or simply curious about how different brains experience the world, this episode offers insight, compassion, and permission to stop trying to be a round peg in a square hole.