Masking to fit in and female friendship struggles

This week on the ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast, Kate is joined by Jennifer McKenzie, a somatic trauma therapist and holistic educator.

This week's episode covers something we haven't explored before: the impact of trauma, abuse, addiction and neurodivergence on the body resulting from years of masking, not fitting in, surviving and never quite feeling safe enough to stop.

Jennifer speaks openly about her trauma and surviving homelessness, addiction, domestic abuse, and rape, raising four children whilst living with chronic pain and disability, and receiving her AuDHD diagnosis later in life. Jennifer's approach to healing is unapologetic and rebellious, reminding us that recovery and self-improvement are possible for everyone, no matter where they start.

In this episode, we explore:

1. Jennifer's personal story, the labels she received growing up, and how her lived experience shaped her path and her purpose
2. How alcohol and substance use became a way of masking, functioning, and navigating a world that wasn't built for Jennifer
3. Why AuDHD women can be particularly vulnerable to risk-taking behaviours, manipulation, and abusive relationships
4. The impact of ADHD and autism on female relationships and the ongoing struggle for authentic connection
5. How trauma and pain live in the body, from posture and digestive issues to emotional weight and chronic pain
6. The role of fascia as the body's second nervous system, how it stores trauma, and its links to conditions like EDS
7. The power of movement and somatic therapy in nervous system regulation and genuine, embodied healing

For so many neurodivergent women, the trauma and pain they carry aren't just emotional. It lives in the body, in the nervous system. Jennifer's perspective offers real tools and a deeply compassionate belief that healing is always possible.

The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live Event Recording is here!

My first-ever ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live event sold out, and now the full experience is available to you wherever you are, whenever it feels right.

Alongside three neuro-affirming experts, we spent four hours exploring the questions that matter most to late-diagnosed women. Get lifetime access here!

Inside the ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live Recording, you'll find:

1. Kate Moryoussef on post-diagnosis growth and her gentle framework for what comes next
2. Dr Hannah Cullen on the neuroscience of ADHD and why your brain works the way it does
3. Hannah Miller on reconnecting with purpose through a neurodivergent lens
4. Adele Wimsett myth-busting on hormones, HRT, progesterone and perimenopause

Understand yourself more deeply, feel less alone, and finally access the expert knowledge you deserve. Because every woman with ADHD deserves access to the knowledge, expertise and understanding that for too long simply hasn't been available to us.

To get lifetime access for £44, click here.

Join the More Yourself Community - the doors are now open!

More Yourself is a compassionate space for late-diagnosed ADHD women to connect, reflect, learn and come home to who they really are. Sign up here!

Inside the More Yourself Membership, you’ll be able to:

1. Connect with like-minded women who understand you
2. Learn from guest experts and practical tools
3. Receive compassionate prompts & gentle reminders
4. Enjoy voice-note encouragement from Kate
5. Join flexible meet-ups and mentoring sessions
6. Access on-demand workshops and quarterly guest expert sessions

To join for £26 a month, click here. To join for £286 for a year (a whole month free!), click here.

We’ll also be walking through The ADHD Women’s Wellbeing Toolkit together, exploring nervous system regulation, burnout recovery, RSD, joy, hormones, and self-trust, so the book comes alive in a supportive community setting.

Today's episode sponsors:

If perimenopause has felt like the lid has come off your ADHD traits, today's podcast sponsor is for you. Adele Wimsett is a Women's Health Practitioner specialising in ADHD and perimenopause, helping women understand what's actually driving their anxiety, overwhelm, brain fog and burnout through a hormone-literate, nervous-system-led lens. Most women are managing symptoms without ever being told the hormonal piece, but having the correct knowledge and support around this can change everything.

Visit Adele's website for free resources or to book a clinic appointment: www.harmoniseyou.co.uk

Links and Resources:

1. Find my popular ADHD workshops and resources on my website [here].
2. Follow the podcast on Instagram: @adhd_womenswellbeing_pod
3. Find out more about Jennifer's work by visiting her website
4. You can also connect with Jennifer on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram (@iam_jennifermckenzie)
5. Download Jennifer's E-book for tips to connect more to yourself, your emotions, and heal mind, body, and soul.

Kate Moryoussef is a women's ADHD lifestyle and wellbeing coach and EFT practitioner who helps overwhelmed and unfulfilled newly diagnosed ADHD women find more calm, balance, hope, health, compassion, creativity and clarity.