Creating Calm ADHD Spaces: How Design Can be Both Thoughtful & Neuroaffirming

In this episode of the ADHD Women’s Wellbeing Podcast, Kate is joined by Dr Kati Peditto, Founding Researcher at the Built Experience Lab and a leading voice in neuroaffirming design - an approach that centres lived experience and views neurodivergence as an identity to be supported, not a problem to be solved.

As an Autistic woman with ADHD, Kati brings both lived experience and research insight to a conversation many late-diagnosed women will recognise, the quiet, everyday ways our environments can either support our nervous systems or leave us feeling overwhelmed, exhausted and “too much”.

Together, they explore the hidden impacts of our built environments and the origins of common design practices, as well as the design assumptions made and their contribution to stress, burnout, and self-doubt for neurodivergent women.

This episode offers validation, language and practical ways to think differently about your environment and your needs.

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

In this episode, we explore:

1. What neuroaffirming design is and the assumptions built into most spaces
2. The difference between neuroinclusive and neuroaffirming
3. Why standard accessibility checklists often miss neurodivergent needs
4. Common sensory challenges: fluorescent lighting, noise, acoustics, open-plan offices, and lack of windows
5. How open-plan design and modern workplaces impact attention, energy and regulation
6. Why sensory rooms can become a tick-box rather than true inclusion
7. The importance of choice, control and agency based on your sensory profile
8. What neuroaffirming workplaces and schools could look like in practice
9. The role managers and leaders play in creating supportive environments
10. Understanding cognitive accessibility and how to audit your space
11. Moving beyond one-size-fits-all design to support individual needs

Kati is currently writing a book that explores how the hidden curriculum of our built environments impacts neurodivergent individuals and how spaces can be designed to foster true flourishing. Find out more information via her website www.katipeditto.com

Timestamps:

1. 00:01 - Introduction to the ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast
2. 07:23 - Understanding Neuroaffirming Design
3. 19:01 - The Evolution of Workspaces
4. 23:59 - The Impact of Environment on Wellbeing
5. 37:38 - Cognitive Accessibility and Design

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

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

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

1. Connect with like-minded women who understand you
2. Learn from guest experts and practical tools
3. Receive compassionate prompts & gentle reminders
4. Enjoy voice-note encouragement from Kate
5. Join flexible meet-ups and mentoring sessions
6. 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:

1. Find my popular ADHD workshops and resources on my website [here].
2. Follow the podcast on Instagram: @adhd_womenswellbeing_pod
3. Contact Kati through her website
4. Connect with Kati on LinkedIn (Kati Peditto PhD) or on Instagram (@pedittophd)

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.