THE AUTISM ADHD PODCAST Neurodivergent Moms of Autistic & ADHD Kids: Your Burnout Makes Sense & It Didn't Start With Motherhood
I want to start with something I say to burned-out moms — and I mean it every single time I say it: Your burnout makes sense. Not the kind of "makes sense" that's just being nice. The kind that means there is a real, biological, neurological explanation for why you feel the way you feel. And it started long before you became a mom. That's a nervous system that was already running on empty — and finally hit its limit.
In this episode, I'm joined by Elizabeth LeForest — AuDHD somatic coach, trauma-informed practitioner, and someone who has lived this from the inside out. We go deep, and parts of this conversation hit very close to home for me personally.
What we talk about in this episode:
- Why neurodivergent moms are often already at their nervous system limit before motherhood even begins
- What the burnout cycle actually looks like for neurodivergent women
- The cascade effect: how chronic nervous system activation starts to affect your physical health, and why so many neurodivergent women end up with chronic illness, POTS, GI issues, fatigue, and pain that nobody can fully explain
- Why co-regulation with your autistic or ADHD child is nearly impossible when you've never experienced it yourself — and what to do about it
- The brain-body disconnect: why so many neurodivergent women stop trusting their bodies from a very young age — and what healing that actually looks like
- The intergenerational piece — why we end up saying the same things to our kids that were said to us, even when we desperately don't want to, and how to change the default setting
- Why anxiety in neurodivergent women is often a symptom of nervous system dysfunction — not a life sentence — and what Elizabeth sees happen when the nervous system actually heals
- What "rest and digest" is supposed to feel like — and why so many of us have never actually experienced it
- What happens to unprocessed emotions in your body, and why closing them changes everything — including your memory, your energy, and your mental load
- Why this work is in service to your child
This episode is for you if:
- You're a mom of autistic or ADHD kids who is burned out, exhausted, and wondering why nothing you try ever feels like enough
- You grew up neurodivergent — diagnosed or not — and were taught to push through, minimize your experience, and put everyone else first
- You're a therapist or counselor supporting neurodivergent families, and you want to understand what's really happening in the nervous systems of the moms you work with
- You've been told you have anxiety, depression, or chronic illness — and something in you has always wondered if there's more to the story
Sincerely, Holly Blanc Moses, The Mom/Neurodivergent Therapist
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About Holly Blanc Moses: Holly Blanc Moses is an AuDHD psychologist with 28 years of experience. She is a speaker, consultant, continuing education provider, and host of The Autism ADHD Podcast, Autism ADHD TV, and parent masterclasses.
About Elizabeth LeForest: Elizabeth LeForest is an AuDHD somatic coach and trauma-informed practitioner who supports neurodivergent women navigating anxiety, burnout, and chronic illness. Her work blends lived experience with a nervous system-centered approach designed specifically for neurodivergent women who are ready to stop surviving and start building lives that actually work for them. If you are interested in working with Elizabeth, you can contact her here.