In this solo episode of the Heart Led Soul Fed podcast, host Christine J. Gold speaks directly to sensitive, intuitive, and neurodivergent listeners, especially women in their late twenties to mid‑thirties. She opens by thanking her audience, sharing surprising analytics about age and geographic demographics, and emphasizing the podcast’s purpose as a gentle, nervous‑system‑aware space. Gold then delivers six core lessons she wishes she had known before turning 35 and receiving her ADHD diagnosis at 52. 1. Reframe laziness – She explains that what feels like laziness is actually an invisible neurological load, manifested somatically, and urges listeners to honor their bodies through somatic practices. 2. People‑pleasing ≠ kindness – She discusses how people‑pleasing develops as a survival strategy, especially in corporate settings, and stresses the importance of boundaries, speaking up, and using HR or an “Exit Plan” blueprint. 3. Burnout is a nervous‑system problem – Burnout is framed not as a productivity flaw but as a mis‑wired nervous system that signals danger when over‑producing, leading to illness and masking. 4. Safety silences intuition – When the nervous system feels unsafe, intuition quiets; she links this to mediumship, hormonal health, and the need for nervous‑system regulation. 5. Success should not require self‑sacrifice – Success is personal; she advocates body‑doubling, focusing on one task well, and rejecting societal ladders that demand constant hustle. 6. Healing is evolution, not reinvention – Healing involves embracing the inner child, releasing shame and guilt, and viewing oneself as “perfectly imperfect,” illustrated with the Japanese Kintsugi metaphor. Gold concludes with calls to action: follow the podcast, share the episode, join her weekly email list, and explore her coaching, yoga certification, retreats, and free Exit Plan resources. The episode blends personal narrative, practical advice, and a compassionate tone aimed at empowering neurodivergent women to regulate their nervous systems and redefine success.
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Welcome. You're listening to a space created for sensitive, intuitive, and neurodivergent nervous systems. This is a place for empaths, cycle breakers, healers, and anyone who has learned to survive by staying quiet, staying small, or staying strong. Here we move gently. We don't rush healing. We don't bypass the body. You're invited to listen in the way that feels safest for you. You can pause, breathe, move, or come back later. Your nervous system sets the pace here. Let's begin.
What I wish I knew about ADHD before 35. Hello, beautiful souls, and welcome to the Heart Led Soul Fed. I'm your host, Christine J Gold. And before we dive into today's conversation, I wanna take a moment and simply say thank you. I've recently spent some time looking through my podcast analytics. I know, and I discovered something that genuinely surprised me. When I launched this podcast in 2018, I imagined I'd mostly be speaking to women in midlife who are ready to leave corporate and build a life that felt more aligned. But it turns out many of you are finding these conversations much earlier, and I'm I am so grateful that you have this wisdom way before I did. Uh, to the women listening between the ages of 28 and 34, very specific, thank you. You are now the largest age group tuning into this podcast, and that honestly fills me with so much hope. My deepest wish is these conversations help you trust yourself sooner, than I trusted myself, like I said, that you won't spend decades believing you have to work harder and grind and hustle and mask more or prove your worth through exhaustion and titles and certifications and fitting into places you were never meant to fit in. If this episode helps even one woman avoid years of burnout, then every conversation is worth it. And there was one more surprise that completely warmed my heart. Nearly 30% of my listeners are tuning in from Japan. Japan. Now, you know that I did visit Japan. I have a good friend, Julia, in Nagano. And to everyone listening in Japan, arigato gozaimasu. Hopefully I pronounced that right. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Japan has become a place that's incredibly meaningful to me. Every visit has taught me something about slowing down, honoring traditions, being present, and finding beauty in simplicity. Knowing these conversations are reaching you from across the Pacific means more than I can put into words. And whether you're listening during your commute, while walking through your neighborhood, relaxing with a cup of tea, or winding down after a long day, thank you for welcoming me into your life. And to everyone listening from the United States and Canada and Everywhere else around the world, thank you for making Heart Led Soul Fed part of your journey. Now, this podcast may begin with my voice, but it has become something bigger than me. It's becoming a community of women choosing to live differently, women learning to regulate their nervous systems instead of pushing through, women discovering that success doesn't have to come at the expense of their wellbeing. Yes. I'm so grateful you're here. Now let's talk about something I wish someone had told me before I turned 35. Would I be listening?
I don't know.
Because if I had understood ADHD earlier, it would've changed the way that I saw myself. Not because my brain would've changed, but because my story would have. For years, I thought I was disorganized, too emotional, too sensitive, too inconsistent, Too much. I wasn't. I was trying to navigate a world that rewarded neurotypical ways of thinking while quietly believing there was something wrong with mine. Today, I want to share the lessons I wish someone had sat me down and told me the real deal when I was in my 20s and 30s, because maybe you're 30 years old and listening right now, or maybe you're 58. Either way, I think these lessons arrive exactly when we're ready to hear them. Let's begin. So yes, I think it's really, really important to look at so many aspects. Now, I'm not going to go back and— I mean, it's good to do an inventory of our lives, but I don't want any of us to go back and be like, oh, I wish I did this, I wish I did that differently, because it actually brought you to where you are right now. Right? Right. And the fact that you're already preloaded is amazing. And even the children that are entering this world right now, they are preloaded to where I am right now. So they are like 50 years with the intuition and the wisdom and the downloads. And, you know, I call them crystalline children, indigos, rainbows. So really, the first thing is, number one, you were never lazy. Let's get rid of that word lazy, like it's a bad thing. Laxadaisal, or, you know, not motivated, or, you know, you could call it hermiting. I love doing hermiting or creating a hermitage or a sanctuary. That's what we really need to look at more is you were carrying an invisible neurological load. Now, many times, and maybe you can tell me in the comments or share a story with me later, but it carried in my shoulders. My massage therapist, like, look at me, or, you know, your shoulders are touching your ears, Christine. That's where I would carry my stress or my white knuckling or my survival, my victimhood, right? And it's not invisible because it does actually become in the body, right? We have to be very mindful of that. And that's why I love somatic practices because let's just think of animals here for a minute. They may fight or, you know, have— I watch squirrels, there's an example, out my window and they're like crazy tumbling and chasing each other and they look like they're having a big old fight and then they shake it off and then they walk away or they run away or they go up the tree, done. Whereas us humans, we carry attachments, we carry weights, we carry resentments. Here we go, resentments, forgiveness. A lot of people I hear, oh, I'm not, they don't deserve my forgiveness. It's not something that they deserve, it's for you, not for them. Now I understand not everybody's ready, that's fine, But maybe this sparks something good. Lesson 2: People pleasing is not kindness. Oh my gosh, it's not. You know, they say just be kind, but that doesn't mean you're a welcome mat where everybody can walk all over you, right? And I get that people pleasing is survival and you learn this at a young age. Or this may be in corporate, ooh, right? The wolves come out and they start to see how you how much you do, and everything is tied to how much you do, and then they keep adding on more and more and more until you say something. And then hopefully you're working in a place that respects your mental health and your boundaries and how much work you can actually do. And it's also important to speak up for yourself. And if you're noticing you're, you're getting a lot of pushback, or you're so difficult, you don't go along to get along— that's another one I can't stand— you know, they're, they're trying to fit you into a mold and I will take it even further that if you're over 50, they don't want you because they can't— you're not moldable anymore and you speak up and you have a voice. Well, they don't like that, especially the toxic corporations. Anyways, it really does start from the CEO top down. Number 3, and I will say going back to 2, sorry, please document everything that happens and go to HR. And HR is there to protect you. But if you're noticing it's not happening, then that's why I created the Exit Plan. It's a blueprint. It's a map to get you out of wherever you are. If you want that, I will link that below, or you can comment and I'll send that to you. It's completely free. I wish I had that map, that blueprint, after 30 jobs. Anyways, lesson 3: burnout isn't a productivity problem. You got to be more productive. You have to do more because if you do more, then and you're somebody and it looks like you're doing lots of things. You're busy, busy doing what? You know, this is a nervous system problem. Your nervous system has been wired in the wrong way, meaning it's all about production and productivity and like talking to Lesson 2, the more you do, the more you do, the more you do, the better you are, the better you are, the better you feel. No, the worse you feel, the more sick you feel. The case of the Sundays where you're like, oh, I have to go to work on Monday. If you're feeling that, that's your body signaling something. You're going to be going into burnout. You're going to have a disease of some kind. Maybe you have an addiction of some kind to mask and mask. That's part of it, masking what really is going on in here, in the heart and the soul. So let's work. Let's really look at that, please. Lesson 4, my favorite number. Your intuition gets quieter when your nervous system feels safe. Safe or sorry, when you feel unsafe, your intuition gets quieter. Yes, duh. That's why I get a I have a lot of people coming to me and I have an Art of Mediumship Masterclass. It's a half-day intensive. And I'm sure I'll be running it throughout the year. So don't panic. It'll most likely go online somewhere as a course. If that's of interest to you, because here's the thing, like animals, they are tuned in, they are grounded, their intuition is spot on. They get it. The gut, the animal instincts. Yes. But when our nervous system is off and we're burned out or we're exhausted or we're perpetually on the hamster wheel and we're chasing a proverbial golden carrot, it's really hard to tell if it's you or you second-guess yourself, you miss opportunities. You, you, I also see this as well. Those people are, I have to protect myself. So then I never go out anywhere. Because the outside world is dangerous and crazy and whatever else that conversation is. So that's why I love teaching intuition development and mediumship and psychic development and nervous system regulation, because it's all connected and interconnected. And as you get older, your hormones change. And if you are not regulated and you're all over the place, your hormones will be too. And ladies, I do not want you to go through perimenopause and menopausal hell. Facts. Lesson 5: Success isn't worth sacrificing yourself. It's not. And your version of success is different from somebody else, so don't go looking and comparing because that steals from you. That steals energy from you. That steals focus. And when you have ADHD and maybe a smidge of autism like me, I thought— I can't remember the gentleman's name, his first name is Ian, but he says, do you always feel like you're starting over every week? I was like, oh my God, yes. So that's why I have tools and I like to practice body doubling because then more can get done when you're surrounded by people who are in that same frame of mind, in that same heart space. It's beautiful and do one thing really well every day, not 10, no, because then you're again, you're sacrificing your energy. Your joy, your— and success is not, you know, oh, I gotta climb the ladder, the corporate ladder, or whatever that ladder is, the stairway to heaven, whatever you want to call that. No, it's not worth sacrificing anymore. Please stop. Lesson 6: Healing isn't becoming somebody new. Oh, I don't like myself. I don't love myself. I'm very critical of myself. This is an investigation to especially the inner child. There's that inner child. Somebody had posted about, are you aware of your inner child? A lot of people are like, oh yes, oh yes. And I feel that's so beautiful because we're recognizing that our inner child is so important. Um, and you don't need to become somebody new and flashy and, you know, buy new wardrobe and get a new, like, completely do a makeover. And if you want to do that, that's great, but that would be for you. And healing is evolving. It is always evolving. We are the evolution of What we used to be, and it's really about, you know, finally becoming yourself, loving yourself authentically and with compassion and healing shame and guilt. Those are really the roots of it all, is the shame, you know, I'm not good enough, the shame that you let your family down, the shame that you should be here already, the shame that maybe you're not able to conceive a child, the guilt that you're not a good enough mother, a good enough wife, a good enough employee. Like, we have got to drop all of these things and just be you, because there's no one else in the world like you. Remember that. And you are beautiful just the way you are. And as a former perfectionist, here's the twist: we are imperfect perfectly. Perfectly imperfect and perfectly perfect. See how this works? And it reminds me of the Japanese Knees practice where you— though all those broken pieces with a bit of gold, you put them all back together. So wow, if you're listening in your 20s and 30s, please don't wait for rock bottom to choose yourself. Uh-uh, no, don't do it. And if you're listening later in life, it's never too late. I graduated at 52. I also found out I was ADHD at 52. There is still so much life Waiting for you. And if today's conversation resonated with you, I'd love for you to follow the podcast, share the episode, and I've got little— I've got Henry here to say hello. Henry, the beautiful kitty, senior kitty. Please share this episode with another woman who needs to hear that she's not broken. And if you're rebuilding after burnout, visit ChristineJGold.com to Explore coaching, yoga— yes, I just got my 200-hour certification, whoop whoop— retreats, and more resources to support your journey. Thank you so much for being here. I love you. Until next time.
Thank you for listening. If this episode resonated, join my weekly emails for support and guidance for sensitive, intuitive, and neurodivergent nervous systems. And if you feel called to work with me, I would be honored to connect with you. The link is in the show notes.
