Neurocomplex Conversations Episode with Sophie Willow

I've included a Google Drive link to read the full transcript below if that's your jam🍇🍓🫐 (vs. Substack's auto-transcript that's being difficult!)

PLUS » this conversation also has a video version to watch! 🎉 (see below)

Hey friends — I'm so excited to share this deeply vulnerable + real conversation with you!

In this episode, I'm joined by Sophie Willow: a writer, creative, and neurodivergent human who courageously shares her journey of self-discovery. We talk about how coming off birth control became an unexpected doorway to understanding ADHD + autism, the exhaustion of masking, and what it means to finally give yourself permission to be authentically you.

Sophie also opens up about creating her "Build Your Kind Routine" course (now officially launched + called “Build Your Own Supportive Structures” — see below for more details!), the art of working with your energy rather than against it, and why Substack became a sanctuary for authentic sharing when other platforms felt too performative.

This is one of those raw, beautifully human conversations that happened on a lower energy day — and somehow that made it even more awesome. It's a reminder that our most authentic selves often emerge not when we're polished + perfect, but when we're simply brave enough to show up as we are.

Conversations like this illuminate the often hidden journey of late neurodivergent identification — the relief, the grief, the unraveling of who you thought you were supposed to be. They're exactly why Neurocomplex Conversations exists: to create space for the messy, non-linear path of self-discovery, and to remind those still figuring it out that they're not alone in the questioning.

Later-in-life neurodivergent self-discovery through PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) + coming off birth control

The journey from masking to authentic self-expression

Energy management + working with your capacity, not against it

Building sustainable creative work + "kind routines" for ADHD/autism

Finding safe community spaces for neurodivergent voices

The courage of showing up authentically on low-energy days

Creating ways to support others from our own experiences

Sophie is a writer, artist and mentor sharing her lived experiences as a self-identified AuDHD woman. She writes 'The Art of Feeling it All' on Substack - a welcoming space for neurodivergent women + non-binary people who are cultivating a life of deeper alignment through self-compassion, courage and creativity. She recently released her first zine, titled 'A Guide to Reframing and Releasing PMDD', and has just launched an online course which supports neurodivergent people to create their own supportive structures based on flexibility, capacity and their values, not guilt.

Sophie’s Zine, A Guide to Reframing and Releasing PMDD » https://buymeacoffee.com/sophiewillow/e/387103

Build Your Own Supportive Structures is a nourishing 4-week container for people who are done with rigidity, but still want a gentle sense of rhythm. In this course, Sophie shares her process for creating personal structures based on self-care and flexibility - not perfection, so that you can reimagine your days and weeks in a way that aligns with your values, life-circumstances and energy levels, too. If you're ready for routines and rituals that move with you, rather than boxing you in, this space is for you.

🌈Note: in honor of Sophie’s debut course launch + supporting the sign-up window for those interested, this episode is being released ahead of schedule on a no-pod-drop week. Just another way to uplift other neurodivergent creators in this space!

Ellie Middleton, AuDHD writer, creator, consultant (author of Unmasked) » https://www.weareunmasked.com/ellie

Discussions of PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder)

Brief mentions of birth control + menstrual cycle experiences

Experiences w/ burnout + low energy periods

Challenges w/ late neurodivergent identification + disclosure

🎧 Listen to the episode (at the top of the post) 📚 Read the full transcript: ⬇️click here⬇️

▶️ Or watch the video version below ⬇️

🎶 A quick note on the music: The track you hear at the beginning + end of each episode is “EONA” by Rockot, found on Pixabay. I love the layered, grounded, reflective vibe — it just felt right.

If you’re feeling a yes in your body — maybe you’d like to be a guest sometime, or you know someone whose story deserves to be heard — I’d love to hear from you.

👉🏻 Click here to share your interest or make a recommendation

If this conversation resonated, I’d love for you to share it with someone who might feel seen by it too — or drop a comment below about what landed for you. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a conversation! 😎

Thanks for listening/reading/watching, reflecting, and helping build this space with me. 💛

You’re part of a growing wildflower field here. I’m grateful to be sharing space with you.🦋

🫱🏿‍🫲🏻A Note on Community: This is a space built on curiosity, respect, and care. If you’re moved to comment, thank you for doing so with kindness — for me, for my guest, and for others who may be reading vulnerably. Let’s make this a place where it’s safe to be real. 💛

📍Land Acknowledgment: I currently live + record + create on the ancestral homelands of the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) people. With gratitude, I honor their stories, strength, and stewardship of this land.👣

📷Photos: all pictures by me unless otherwise noted 😎

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