Julie Legg is joined by Randi-Lee Bowslaugh, a Canadian author, former competitive kickboxer, and mental health advocate. Diagnosed with autism later in life, Randi-Lee brings clarity to the lived and shared experiences that often fall between diagnostic cracks - emotional regulation struggles, sensory sensitivities, people-pleasing, and chronic exhaustion from masking.
This conversation highlights a growing reality: many women are missed, misdiagnosed, or misunderstood when it comes to ADHD and/or autism diagnosis. This episode is an, insightful listen for anyone exploring where they may sit on the neurodivergent spectrum - especially those who resonate with both ADHD and autism traits.
Key Points from the Episode:
- How a child’s diagnosis can be a mirror. Randi-Lee only began to explore her own neurodivergence after advocating for her daughter
- The overlapping traits of ADHD and autism in women, including:
- Emotional overwhelm
- Sensory sensitivities (noise, texture, unexpected touch)
- Social burnout and masking
- Executive dysfunction hidden behind high achievement
- Why so many women go undiagnosed due to people-pleasing, perfectionism, and internalised expectations
- Routines as lifelines – Randi-Lee shares how disrupting even small routines can completely throw off her sense of calm
- Her experience with depression, misdiagnosis, and the importance of treating co-occurring conditions alongside neurodivergence
- Creativity as expression and therapy – from writing books to producing an indie film based on her brother’s mental health journey
- A powerful reminder that “being different doesn’t mean being broken”
Links:
- LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randileebowslaugh/
- WEBSITE: http://www.rbwriting.ca
- AMAZON: https://amzn.to/3LNbuCy
- YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSTmVQUW8K8r1sBDchLyTwA?sub_confirmation=1
- FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/rbwriting
- INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/randileebowslaugh
- TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@randileebowslaugh
Thanks for listening.
📌 Don’t forget to subscribe for more tools for beautifully different brains.
🌐 WEBSITE: ADHDifference.nz
📷 INSTAGRAM: ADHDifference_podcast
📖 BOOK: The Missing Piece: A Woman's Guide to Understanding, Diagnosing and Living with ADHD
ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or ADHDifference. Read More
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.