Worth ≠ Grades | Katherine Perry on Dyslexia, Shame & Reclaiming Identity

“My ADHD diagnosis didn't just change my life. It saved my life.” What happens when you spend 38 years believing you're the problem, only to discover your brain has been working differently all along? In this powerful, funny, emotional and gloriously unfiltered episode of Thick No More, Jay is joined by Laura Mears-Reynolds, host of the hugely popular ADHD AF podcast, founder of the ADHDAF+ charity, and the woman behind the extraordinary Leopard Print Army. Diagnosed with severe combined-type ADHD at 38, Laura opens up about the years she spent masking, struggling with her mental health, feeling misunderstood and carrying shame that was never hers to carry. But this isn't just a conversation about diagnosis. We explore why ADHD is still missed in women, the complicated emotions of being diagnosed later in life, and whether calling ADHD a superpower really helps. Laura also shares how a podcast recorded at home grew into a movement, a charity and a community where people can finally feel they belong. And when Jay asks his signature closing question, “What does Thick No More mean to you?”, Laura gives an answer that captures everything this podcast stands for: “Shame eradication.” Expect laughter, tears, a few swear words and two people who know what it feels like to grow up believing they're not good enough. In this episode: ADHD diagnosis at 38 and the grief and relief that followed

Ever walked into the kitchen, grabbed something to eat and then realised you weren't even hungry? Or promised yourself you'd start eating better, exercising or getting into a routine on Monday… only for everything to fall apart by Wednesday? What if it's not simply a lack of willpower? This week on Thick No More, I'm joined by the brilliant ADHD coach Caitlyn Haselgrove for an honest, funny and sometimes very personal conversation about ADHD, food, dopamine and our complicated relationship with ourselves. We explore: Why ADHD can make our relationship with food so complicated.

Mandi Gosling: ADHD, Lost Years & the Courage to Be Yourself

At 10 years old, Bernadette Haigh was made to stand in front of a classroom of children and explain why she was repeating the school year. Her answer? “I can’t read.” The shame from that moment stayed with her for decades. Today, Bernadette is a proud dyslexic, mum, author, mentor and founder of Daring Dyslexic helping parents protect something that can so easily be lost when a child struggles at school: their belief in themselves. In this episode of Thick No More, Bernadette and I have a very personal conversation about growing up dyslexic, being labelled by education, bullying, parenting neurodivergent children and the damage that can be done when a child starts believing they're stupid. We also get into: • Why confidence can matter as much as academic intervention • The signs that a child's self-esteem may be disappearing • Why parents shouldn't blame themselves for spotting dyslexia late • Why Bernadette doesn't share school grades with her children • The pressure on parents to become advocates, educators and even legal experts • Whether calling dyslexia a “superpower” can sometimes do more harm than good • Why understanding your dyslexia can completely change the story you've been telling yourself And Bernadette shares the moment, aged 35, when she finally received her own dyslexia diagnosis and one thought immediately came into her head: “So I'm not stupid.” If you're dyslexic, raising a dyslexic child, teaching one, or supporting someone who is struggling to believe they're capable, this conversation matters. 🎙️ Thick No More with Jay Giddens Because learning to read matters. But making sure a child doesn't lose themselves along the way matters too.

At 31 years old, Lisa Marshall's life changed with a knock at the door. Her husband Alan had died by suicide. She was suddenly a widow and solo mum to three young children, trying to understand something that made no sense while somehow continuing to make packed lunches, do the food shopping, get the children to school and simply survive. Recorded on World Suicide Prevention Day, this episode of Thick No More is an incredibly open conversation about what happens after suicide to the people left behind. Lisa talks about the Alan she knew before his death: funny, kind, a brilliant dad, making plans for holidays, coaching his son's football team and even talking about what he wanted to do for his 40th birthday. There was no obvious goodbye. No carefully tied-up loose ends. And no note explaining why. Lisa describes the moment police arrived at her home, the shock of being told Alan wasn't coming back, and the unanswered questions that followed. We talk about something people rarely admit openly after suicide: anger. Can you desperately love somebody and still hate what they've done? Can you be furious with them for leaving? Can you blame yourself for not seeing something that nobody else saw either? And what happens when the “why?” you're searching for may never have an answer? Lisa also shares how speaking to people who had survived suicide attempts completely changed her understanding of suicide and challenged beliefs she herself once held. Then there were the children. Lisa talks incredibly honestly about having to tell her young sons their dad wasn't coming home, how differently they processed their grief and how one son's distress appeared through intense anger before autism was later identified. That opens another deeply personal conversation about autism, masking, neurodivergence, parenting and the behaviours we see on the outside versus what may actually be happening underneath. But this isn't an episode solely about death. It's also about living. Lisa remembers laughing just days after Alan died — and the guilt and disbelief that came with discovering she was still capable of it. We even get into dark humour, dating after bereavement and something called “widow's fire” — which definitely wasn't on my podcast bingo card. And we talk about why Lisa eventually created The Widow Diaries, the community she couldn't find when she desperately needed it herself, and the extraordinary messages she now receives from people who tell her that seeing her content made them reconsider ending their own lives. This conversation is raw. At times it's uncomfortable. At others, surprisingly funny. Because grief isn't one emotion. And surviving doesn't mean forgetting. Alan died. Lisa didn't. Living again doesn't mean loving him less. 🎙️ In this episode we talk about: • Suicide and the people left behind • World Suicide Prevention Day • The unanswered “why” after suicide • Anger, guilt, blame and rejection • Why suicidal distress doesn't always look like we expect • Parenting after the death of a partner • Explaining suicide to young children • Autism, masking and neurodivergence • How grief can appear through behaviour • Finding joy without feeling guilty • Dating and intimacy after bereavement • The Widow Diaries • Why talking openly about suicide matters • Finding purpose after unimaginable loss If this episode makes you think of somebody who needs to hear it, please send it to them. And if you're struggling yourself, please reach out to someone you trust or an appropriate crisis or suicide-prevention service where you live. You don't have to carry it alone. 🌶️ Thick No More — real stories, real people, real change.