What happens when you spend years believing you're not good at learning, only to discover that your brain works differently?

In this episode of That AuDHD Teacher, I'm joined by Paul McKee, a former teacher and online education entrepreneur who shares his experience of living with ADHD, navigating learning differences, and discovering how to work with his brain rather than against it.

Paul was labelled as struggling academically during childhood, despite being highly capable when learning was approached in a way that suited him. After years of figuring things out for himself, he received an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood and began to understand his experiences in a completely different light.

We talk about what it was like growing up misunderstood at school, how Paul discovered his own learning patterns, and why finding the right strategies can make such a difference. We also explore ADHD and sleep, the challenges of managing energy and focus, recognising similar traits in your children, and how understanding your neurodivergence can influence the way you approach work and entrepreneurship.

Paul also shares his journey from teaching and engineering into online education, including why he decided to make educational resources more accessible through his website, Free Worksheets.

Explore Paul's free educational resources: https://freeworksheets.com/

Free Worksheets provides worksheets for teachers, parents and homeschoolers, with resources created by teachers. Paul's goal is to help make educational resources accessible without the expensive paywalls that can make them difficult to access.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Paul's childhood experiences and his journey to an ADHD diagnosis as an adult

• Learning differences and why traditional education doesn't work for everyone

• Finding strategies that fit your individual ADHD brain

• ADHD, sleep difficulties and creating a sleep routine that works for you

• Recognising ADHD traits in your children and supporting them as they grow

• The relationship between ADHD, creativity, risk-taking and entrepreneurship

• Why understanding yourself matters more than following a one size fits all checklist

• Paul's mission to make educational resources freely available to teachers, parents and homeschoolers

  
  

This is a conversation about self understanding, challenging the assumptions we make about ability, and discovering that there isn't one right way to learn, work or navigate life.

If you enjoy honest conversations about ADHD, autism, AuDHD and neurodivergent experiences, follow That AuDHD Teacher for more episodes.

Hosted by Emily Sigglekow, a New Zealand early childhood teacher sharing conversations and reflections on life as a neurodivergent adult.

This episode shares personal experiences and is for informational purposes. Individual experiences of ADHD, sleep and treatment vary.

What happens when you discover you're autistic and have ADHD after spending decades trying to fit in?

In this episode of That AuDHD Teacher, I'm joined by Dr Amanda Wilson, an AuDHD orthodontist from Hawaii who received her autism and ADHD diagnosis at 51. We talk about late diagnosis, masking, autistic burnout and the complicated process of understanding yourself through a new lens.

Amanda shares what it was like growing up as a girl who was desperate to fit in, learning to hide the parts of herself that felt different, and looking back at childhood experiences that make much more sense now. We discuss the grief that can follow a late diagnosis, the friendships and relationships that change when you start unmasking, and the relief of finding people who understand you.

We also get into the realities of neurodivergent burnout, including losing the ability to speak, navigating workplaces that don't always understand you, and finding ways to work and communicate that better suit your brain. Amanda reflects on her experiences as an orthodontist, the challenges of being neurodivergent in a demanding career, and how creating content has given her a new outlet for purpose and joy.

This is an honest conversation about what it means to be a late diagnosed AuDHD woman, why masking can be so exhausting, and what can happen when you finally start giving yourself permission to be who you are.

If you've ever wondered why you've spent your life feeling different, pushed yourself to the point of burnout, or started re-examining your past after an ADHD or autism diagnosis, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, we discuss:
• Late diagnosed autism and ADHD (AuDHD)
• Childhood signs of autism and ADHD in girls
• Masking, people pleasing and the pressure to fit in
• Grief, identity and relationships after diagnosis
• Unmasking and why everyday things can become harder
• Autistic burnout and losing the ability to speak
• Neurodivergence, workplace challenges and career burnout
• Boundaries, self acceptance and finding your people
• Using creativity and technology to support neurodivergent communication

That AuDHD Teacher is a podcast hosted by Emily, an early childhood teacher from New Zealand exploring the realities of living with AuDHD, late diagnosis, identity and navigating a world that doesn't always make room for neurodivergent people.

If this episode resonates with you, follow That AuDHD Teacher and leave a rating or review to help other neurodivergent listeners find these conversations.

“But you don’t look autistic". If you’re an autistic or AuDHD adult, you may have heard this before. You may even have thought it about yourself.

In the first episode of Season 2 of That AuDHD Teacher, I’m talking about what autism can look like when it isn’t immediately visible to other people, and why being able to work, study, socialise, travel, communicate or appear “fine” doesn’t mean that being autistic is easy.

We’re talking about autism masking, late autism diagnosis, invisible autism, autistic adults and the assumptions we make about what an autistic person is supposed to look like.

I also reflect on my own experience of being diagnosed AuDHD later in life, and the strange experience of finally understanding yourself while still having other people question what they think they know about you.

Because there isn’t one way to look autistic. And there isn’t one way to be AuDHD.

Season 2 of That AuDHD Teacher is going beyond diagnosis and into what it actually means to live with an autistic and ADHD brain, including masking, PDA, meltdowns and shutdowns, alexithymia, late diagnosis grief, workplace accommodations, being an AuDHD teacher and much more.

If you’ve ever been told “you don’t seem autistic”, or wondered whether you could really be autistic because you don’t fit the stereotype, this episode is for you.