Unpacking the Complexities of ADHD, Stress, Pain and Hypermobility with Nick Potter

In this week’s episode of The ADHD Women’s Wellbeing Podcast, we’re joined by Nick Potter, consultant osteopath and head of health and wellbeing at Brevan Howard Asset Management.

Nick brings a fresh perspective on what’s really going on in our bodies, especially for neurodivergent women navigating stress, sensory overload, pain, and misdiagnosis.

We talk about how the brain processes pain, why hypermobility might be affecting your nervous system more than you think, and the powerful link between chronic conditions like fatigue, fibromyalgia, migraines, and hormonal symptoms and ADHD.

Key takeaways:

• What proprioception is and why ADHD women need to understand it
• The science behind pain perception and why your brain might interpret things as worse than they are
• How hypermobility and collagen differences affect proprioception (a unspoken 6th sense)
• Why neurodivergent women experience more chronic fatigue, pain, and hormonal symptoms
• The emotional relief and reduced pain that come with a proper diagnosis
• The body budget theory: how burnout happens when your energy runs low, and what to do about it
• How childhood stress and trauma can change the way your nervous system responds to the world
• Using HRV (heart rate variability) as a signal for stress, illness or burnout
• The additional stress women go through from having an additional hormone (the womb), and its impact on health
• The importance of using anxiety and fear as a signal, not something to ignore
• Simple, free tools to support your nervous system, such as resistance training, breathwork, and rest

This is an empowering and validating episode which explains why your body feels like it's constantly in overdrive and help you connect the dots between your body and brain in a whole new way.

My new book, The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit, is now available, grab your copy here!

Timestamps:

• 08:16: Understanding Pain and Neurodivergence
• 11:13: Understanding Hypermobility and the Brain
• 18:22: Understanding Burnout and Chronic Stress
• 26:45: Understanding Women's Health and Sensitivity
• 36:06: Starting the Day Right: Awakening the Body and Mind
• 38:26: The Importance of Movement in Cultural Practices

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

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

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

• Connect with like-minded women who understand you
• Learn from guest experts and practical tools
• Receive compassionate prompts & gentle reminders
• Enjoy voice-note encouragement from Kate
• Join flexible meet-ups and mentoring sessions
• 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.

Links and Resources:

• Find my popular ADHD workshops and resources on my website [here].
• Follow the podcast on Instagram: @adhd_womenswellbeing_pod
• Check out Backbone Clinic's Instagram (@backboneclinic)
• Read Nick's The Meaning of Pain

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.