Episode 15

Needing Space and Still Loving People with Alice Bramhill

What if needing space does not mean you love people any less?

In this episode, Tanya and Emma sit down with Alice Bramhill, a registered mental health nurse, interpersonal psychotherapist and neurodivergent coach, to talk about relationships, retreat and the quiet courage of knowing yourself.

Episode 13

Neurodivergent Marriages and Partnerships

Tanya and Emma sit down for an honest, unscripted conversation about what happens to a marriage or partnership when one or both parents are neurodivergent, and when a child moves into burnout.

Episode 12

Rupture and Repair: Healing the Cracks in Our Relationships

Most of us grew up believing that a good relationship never has disagreements, conflict, or angry words.

In this episode, Tanya and Emma sit with the opposite idea: that rupture is inevitable, and the real skill we were never taught is repair.

Episode 11

Insight Isn’t Immunity: Understanding, Feeling, and the Parts of Us Still Learning to Trust Ourselves

This week Tanya sits down with Emma for a wandering,honest conversation about the gap between understanding something and actually feeling it.

Episode 10

When Trauma and Neurodivergence Get Tangled Together

In this episode, Tanya sits down with Emma for a conversation that goes right to the heart of a question so many parents in this community carry quietly: "Is it trauma, or is it neurodivergence?"

Episode 9

Why Fairness Matters So Much: Justice, PDA and the Nervous System

Why do some people seem able to let things go while others feel deeply affected by unfairness, injustice, or double standards?

In this episode of Meltdowns, Menopause and Magic, Tanya and Emma explore the powerful relationship between neurodivergence, fairness, social justice, and nervous system activation.

Episode 8

When Support Hurts: Burnout, Belonging and Trusting Ourselves Again

In this episode of Menopause, Meltdowns and Magic, Tanya and Emma explore a complicated topic for many neurodivergent families:

What happens when the “support” being offered actually causes more harm?

Together, they unpack the long middle of burnout recovery, that messy, uncertain stage where things may appear to be improving on the surface, while nervous systems are still overwhelmed underneath.

Episode 7

What Matters Most: Pressure, Parenting, and Repair

In this deeply honest episode of Menopause, Meltdowns and Magic, Tanya and Emma explore the invisible pressure many parents carry to keep pushing through, even when their nervous systems, relationships, and families are asking for something gentler.

Episode 6

The Hidden Struggles of Neurodivergent Friendships

Friendship can feel complicated, especially for neurodivergent women navigating masking, burnout, grief, and identity shifts.

In this deeply honest conversation, we explore how our experiences of friendship have been shaped over time—from early moments of exclusion and heartbreak, to high-masking personas, to the quiet unravelling that often comes with burnout, sobriety, or late diagnosis.

Episode 5

Supporting Trans and Gender Diverse Children with Chris McAllister

In this heartfelt and deeply human conversation, we are joined by comedian and content creator Chris McAllister, The Trans Comedian, who shares his journey of gender exploration, identity, and finding joy through humour.

Together, we explore what it means to support trans and gender diverse children in a world that can feel both affirming and challenging.

Episode 4

When Self-Help Harms: Rethinking Growth, Safety, and Healing

In this honest and layered conversation, we explore the often-unquestioned world of self-help, personal development, and “growth” culture, and gently ask:

What happens when the very tools meant to help us… actually harm us?

Episode 3

When Lived Experience Is Dismissed: Autism, Masking & Why This Conversation Matters

In this episode, Tanya and Emma gently unpack a recent and controversial article by Uta Frith, which has stirred deep conversation within the neurodivergent community.

Episode 2

The Poly Vagal Hoo Ha

In this episode, Tanya Valentin and Emma Gilmour explore the conversation currently unfolding in the wellness and neuroscience communities around polyvagal theory and recent critiques of the model.

Episode 1

Midlife Momentum, Neurodivergence & Doing Life Your Own Way with Lisa Corduff

In this very first episode of Meltdowns, Menopause and Magic, Tanya and Emma sit down with author, coach and long-time entrepreneur Lisa Corduff for a deeply honest conversation about midlife, neurodivergence, grief, identity, and the pressure to live life “the right way.”

Episode 0

Meet Emma and Tanya

Welcome to Menopause, Meltdowns and Magic.

In this first episode, Emma Gilmour and Tanya Valentin introduce themselves and share what this podcast is really about — the conversations we’re having, the stories we’re telling, and what you can expect from this space.