I've been overthinking it
Surprise, surprise + something new(ish)
Pre-S: I help quiet, introverted, sensitive women who have, or think they have, ADHD (maybe with autism too) to understand their brains and build inner calm and confidence to be their true selves. Take a look at the Quiet ADHD Club, I made it especially for you.
Hi lovely,
I used to write these letters to you via a newsletter delivery service like Mailchimp or Mailerlite. And that’s how I saw them – as a letter written by me to you. Since moving here to Substack a few years ago how I feel about these letters has slowly changed. A creeping confusion set in because, as long as they’re registered on Substack, anyone can read these letters as a post on the Substack app or website.
It all feels much more public, because it is, and so that intimacy has been lost. A comment I used to regularly get was how my letters felt personal, as if we were sat on a couch together having a chat. I loved that’s how they were received because that’s how I felt writing them.
But now it feels more to me like I’m sat in a public space, with people all around me walking by, glancing over, stopping to listen and then move on as I write this letter and read it out loud simultaneously. It makes me self-conscious and second guess myself – it’s all rather discombobulating.
So, knowing I can tell myself stories I went looking for facts. Turns out that more than 90% of you read these letters in your email. That means I was indeed getting myself into knots thinking that somehow I was megaphoning my writing out into the world when nothing of the sort was happening!
So, while I’m still considering moving this newsletter back to somewhere like Mailerlite, for now I’m going to quit overthinking and get on with writing what I want to write to you, lovely reader.
Introducing the Quiet ADHD Podcast
Now, I have news! Fitting for a newsletter. After eight years (I launched way back in 2018 when podcasts weren’t the thing they are now and were all about audio, no visualising going on) and 170 episodes I have changed the name from Pressing Pause podcast to the Quiet ADHD Podcast!
This is what I’ve been talking about for quite a while now so it seems right to change the name. And, with some very enthusiastic responses it makes me wonder why I didn’t think of doing it earlier. Sometimes you really can’t see the wood for the trees (is this a globally known saying or a British thing?).
Episodes from 169 and earlier still have mention of Pressing Pause in the opening introduction but 170 onwards it’s all Quiet ADHD Podcast. (FYI I’ve been getting some lovely comments about ep 170 – Three ways knowing about my ADHD has changed how I live, you can listen here.) Nothing else changes, you can still listen as you always have, it’s just the image on your podcast player will look like this now:
My current plan is to continue with bitesize (10mins-ish) solo episodes although from episode 171 we’re having a Better Read Book Fest special season where I’m interviewing the authors who are speaking at the Festival in October (more on that below).
This has me wondering whether to play with the format from solo eps of just me talking to interviews discussing ADHD, or a mixture of the two? What do you think?
There won’t be any sudden changes as I have the episodes with the Better Read Book Fest authors running into September (these conversations are SO good) but it’s something I’m just going to ponder for a while.
Cultivating Joy Project
Over in the Quiet ADHD Club we’ve been making July joyful. A lot of air time is given to the difficulties and challenges of life as a late-discovered ADHDer and understandably so. Learning why we think, feel and behave the way we do and what can help us to live in a way that feels more true to ourselves is hugely valuable.
What’s also essential in helping us to live in a way that feels authentically us is to make space for joy. For what feels good and energising and uplifting and light and fun!
Many late-discovered ADHDers, particularly the sensitive deep feelers and thinkers among us, have taken criticism to heart, have strived and worked relentlessly to meet expectations, to try to feel good enough for decades. Which has meant for much of your life you’ve not felt that making space for joy was really allowed – how can you consider your own joy when others think you’re disappointing, when you should be better?
So in the latest Exploration we’ve been challenging this with our Cultivating Joy Project! And the joy (see what I did there?) of the Quiet ADHD Club is that everything lives in the Club so although the live version has finished you can join and access the Project along with all the other resources in the Club whenever you like. No need to wait, it’s all there for you right now.
And, to make it more straight forward and accessible I’ve made Club membership annual. With an annual membership you can relax knowing that you have all the time you need to make use of the Club resources and available support whenever and however you like.
Plus you no longer have to think about monthly payments going out of your account and with one annual payment of £99/$133 (that’s just £1.90/$2.56 a week!) you’re done ✅ everything in the Club available to you for a year.
So, if you’d like to finally find an online home where your quiet ADHD is seen, validated and accepted, where you can find understanding, guidance, support and community, I’d love to welcome you into the Quiet ADHD Club.
Better Read Book Fest
Somehow we’re only 10 weeks away from Better Read Book Fest – how is that possible?!
Better Read Book Fest is the UK’s first literary festival dedicated entirely to wellbeing books and their authors and it’s happening on Saturday 3 October in Abergavenny, south Wales.
It is going to be such a special day with author interviews, panel discussions, Q&As, and you’ll be able to buy the authors’ books and get them signed. If you want to come be a part of this inaugural, unique day find out more and get your ticket at betterreadbookfest.com. Be assured, if you’re wondering if you can come alone there are lots of women who are doing exactly that so you won’t, in fact, be alone!
And if you can’t come you can listen to my conversations with the authors in the special Better Read Book Fest season of the Quiet ADHD Podcast, beginning on Wednesday 29 July with Suzy Reading, author of How to Be Selfish and many more books.
Thanks for being here, and thanks for reading.
Until next time,
🧡 Introverted, sensitive, have or think you have ADHD?
Come take a look at the Quiet ADHD Club, it’s a space I made for you to find understanding, guidance, support and community with quiet, late-discovered women like you.
💜 Personal support through 1:1 coaching
I can support you to work with your brain, embrace your nature and your strengths, and thrive in a calm and joyful life of your design through one-to-one coaching.
We can work on things like managing emotions, self-belief, habits, practical strategies and tools, so that you feel more regulated, focused, confident and free to be yourself.
To find out more about my personal support click the button below.