What happens when the way your brain works finally has a name — and that name is ADHD… but getting there comes with missteps and harm?

In Episode 15 of Use Your Fear, hosts Michelle & Whitney sit down with Rylan for a raw and honest conversation about late ADHD diagnosis, misdiagnosis, and the emotional toll of being overlooked because you “looked fine on paper.”

Rylan shares how she wasn’t diagnosed with ADHD as a child because she had good grades and was highly active in sports — a common experience for women whose symptoms don’t fit the stereotype. As an adult, she was misdiagnosed and prescribed a medication that significantly worsened her symptoms, leading to severe manic episodes and a year of emotional instability.

In this episode, Rylan opens up about the fear, grief, and confusion that came with those experiences, and how she’s learning to navigate life as a mom, wife, and overthinker while rebuilding trust in her body, her mind, and the medical system.

We talk about:

• How “good grades” and sports masked ADHD in childhood
• The real consequences of misdiagnosis
• Medication that intensified symptoms and triggered manic episodes
• Living with constant mental noise and overthinking
• Fear as spiraling thoughts, self-doubt, and rumination
• Learning self-compassion while still holding yourself accountable
• Using fear as a compass instead of a cage

This episode highlights the invisible labor of neurodivergent moms, the danger of dismissing symptoms based on performance, and the courage it takes to keep advocating for yourself when fear feels nonstop.

💛 Fear doesn’t mean stop. It means look closer.

🎧 If you’ve ever felt unheard, overwhelmed by your own mind, or exhausted from trying to “function” — this conversation is for you.

👇 Like, subscribe, and share with someone who needs to feel seen.

#UseYourFearPodcast #ADHDWomen #LateDiagnosis #Misdiagnosis #ManicEpisodes #NeurodivergentMoms #MentalHealthPodcast #Overthinking #HighFunctioning #FearAndGrowth

Part 2: Turning Fear Into (Autism) Advocacy

In Part 2 of Turning Fear Into (Autism) Advocacy, Meredith Williams returns to share the next chapter of her journey — one that took her all the way to the Texas Capitol to speak directly with legislators about House Bill 6 (HB 6) and the rights of students with disabilities.

Meredith opens up about:

• What it was really like walking into the Capitol to advocate for her son
• How she found the courage to speak to lawmakers face-to-face
• Why HB 6 matters for families and students with disabilities
• The advice every parent should hear after receiving an autism diagnosis
• The resources she wishes she had known about sooner
• And what she would do differently if she could go back (including getting a medical diagnosis earlier)

This episode is for any parent navigating fear, any educator who wants to do better, and anyone committed to making schools safer and more supportive for neurodivergent kids.

💙 If you're a parent, caregiver, educator, or advocate — this conversation is for you.

👇 RESOURCES MENTIONED

• https://www.autismspeaks.org
• https://www.easterseals.com
• https://www.texasautismsociety.org
• https://autismsociety.org
• https://disabilityrightstx.org/en/home/
• https://www.templegrandin.com

🔔 Subscribe for more stories about turning fear into power, purpose, and community.

🎧 Listen now or watch on YouTube

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🌐 Visit useyourfear.com

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#AutismAdvocacy #HouseBill6 #UseYourFearPodcast #AutismAwareness #Neurodiversity #TexasLegislature #ParentingJourney #AdvocacyMatters #DisabilityRights #AutismResources #SpecialEducation #ParentingThroughFear

What happens when a mother’s fear becomes her fuel? 💙

In Part 1 of Turning Fear Into (Autism) Advocacy, we talk with Meredith — a mom who went from navigating her son’s autism and epilepsy diagnoses to standing up for change at the state level.

Meredith opens up about:

• The early fears after hearing her son’s diagnosis

• The struggle of getting only 25 days of therapy a year

• Facing “mom guilt” after learning he also had epilepsy

• And how one painful school incident pushed her to become an advocate for kids like her son.

🎧 Tune in to hear how she found her voice — and how fear became the driving force behind her advocacy.

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🌐 Visit useyourfear.com

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Part 2 continues their journey to the Texas State Capitol 🏛️

#UseYourFearPodcast #AutismAcceptance #Neurodiversity #ParentingThroughFear #MomAdvocate #AutismAwareness #EpilepsyAwareness #AdvocacyMatters #PodcastCommunity