Janine Defontaine

09/10/2026

Out of all the lightbulb moments post-diagnosis (ADHD & Autism), learning I was hypermobile too over the last year has been mind-blowing, especially as I recall so strongly in school being told how 'inflexible' I was...

Unpacking this now in my late 40s - putting pieces together and seeing why 'just working out', doing pilates, seeing the physio and chiro, or 'getting a massage' haven’t resolved the pain for me... and then learning all about proprioception and how to move my body through the world daily with a great exercise physio - it's making a real difference.

Hypermobility is something that comes up in conversation a lot, directly or indirectly, with my neurodivergent women and AFAB (assigned female at birth) clients. Together, we explore how this intersects with their sensory profile, movement, hormones, energy and capacity.

My wish is that nuggets of info like this are provided to people when they are diagnosed (or not long after). Learning you are neurodivergent is life-changing, but there are so many other physiological facets.

Nearly 80% of female adults with ADHD are hypermobile and individuals with ADHD are four times more likely to be hypermobile than their neurotypical peers. You might be thinking, What on earth does ADHD have to do with being bendy? New research suggests that hypermobility, a condition in which the joints have an unusually large range of motion, may be a common thread binding neurodivergence to a range of physical health problems. additu.de/bendy

05/10/2026

I was meant to be in Japan later this month.

Instead, I went to stay with Mum for a night at her place down south. A little road trip and a sleepover, a pub lunch, a change of scenery, and time together. Simplicity in the best way.

There was no passport.
Jostling airports.
Big itinerary with tickable ‘bucket list to do’s’.
Or gluten free digestive challenges...

It was the kind of small adventure that gave my brain something fresh to savour.

I’m still sad about the trip. After all, it’s been a dream of mine (and hubby’s) for years, and it WAS my big ‘goal’ for 2026. But Freya needs specialist care after her diabetes diagnosis, and staying close to home – and her - IS the right decision.

It would be easy for me to fall into a bit of a funk and motivational black holeright about now.

Instead, I'm making it my mission to find little ways to bring novelty and adventure into my October in a more gentle, less ‘hoards of people, navigating big cities and trying to sleep in different hotels’ way:

- Exploring everything Japanese Perth has to offer (including gluten free eatery goodness, gardens and a timely Japanese film festival!)

- Slow walks-and-brekkie catch-ups with people I haven’t seen in ages.

- Researching getting back into old hobbies, with a potential keyboard purchase on the horizon… (no impromptu ADHD purchases here, I am really ‘down the rabbit hole’ in an extensive cost-benefit decision process).

- Gentle sniffari's with Frey Frey around all of the poking and prodding and appointments.

And now, over to this month’s newsletter…

It’s about the importance of novelty for AuDHD brains - but in a capacity-friendly way.

It’s about how to find something different or novel to support you to get through your weeks and months, especially when things are a bit challenging or you’re having a hard time getting motivated ‘do the things’.

And it’s doing so without overwhelming the nervous system that has to carry you through the week.

Because sometimes the big adventure isn’t possible or doable.

But choosing your own adventure – whatever that might look like to you right now – is.

Check it out here: https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/1843479/emails/199924256988989082

And if you’d like to receive my monthly reflections direct to your inbox, subscribe here: https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/1843479/167658539015210365/share

07/09/2026

It can be challenging for ADHD brains to stop and take a moment to mark anything.

We're onto the next thing before the cake's cut or are so caught up in the weeds of pushing through, getting things done and just surviving that the moment passes us entirely.

So, every year, I build in a pause on purpose for my birthday.

AKA the "annual celebration of Janine," this year’s festivities kicked off with a frocked-up high tea at a gorgeous little vintage tearoom in the Swan Valley. And it featured the most impressive freshly baked scone I’ve ever seen, so much so I had to double-check with the waitress that it was actually gluten free!

A deliberate celebration is an intentional pause, built into the calendar on purpose. And it can look different for each and every one of us.

For me this year, it also included a week off, no work, no external demands, space to breathe, experience joy and to rest and restore me.

I wrote about the why in this month's newsletter — the birth week concept, the ADHD logic behind it, and what my brain needed this year:

https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/1843479/emails/197377587604883431

And if it resonates, you can subscribe to my monthly email here:

https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/1843479/167658539015210365/share

01/09/2026

I may be 49 this week but really, I'm a big kid — especially if you put a brownie (all gluten free) in front of me!

Thank you to everyone who joined me for the "annual celebration of Janine" - the kind wishes, pressies, outings to new and old faves like (LOVED the gf high tea), more records for my offline listening collection, and so many joyous memories.
Not everyone is pictured here (respecting privacy), but I love you all 💖

And now for a week off to rest, reset, restore and just be 🧘‍♀️
(I really did enjoy some amazing gf food this week.)

P.S. more on the why behind this celebration in my monthly newsletter this Sunday - subscribe here: https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/1843479/167658539015210365/share

12/08/2026

I recently developed a simple worksheet for a client, and figured someone else's brain might need it too!

It's a short, 2-page plain-English explainer on spoon theory and energy accounting — why some days a shower is a triumph (don't get me started about adding 'washing hair' to that list), why pushing through borrows energy from tomorrow (at brutal interest rates), and a simple way to start noticing what drains and restores you.

Because you can't work with your capacity if you don't know where your energy is going. And sometimes the most useful question isn't "how do I get it all done?" — it's:

What's one small change or demand you can take off your plate right now?

[You can read more and download it here: https://janinedefontaine.com/spoon-theory-energy-accounting-adhd-audhd/].

17/07/2026

I wrote a blog post about beating the "Sunday Scaries" years before my ADHD diagnosis.

Reading it back now, it screams undiagnosed ADHD. It's all: plan more, prep ahead, time-block your week on Sunday arvo, tick everything off on Monday.

So I've rewritten it — and my thinking has shifted a fair bit.

Here's the thing the old advice misses: for a lot of Neurodivergent brains, the Sunday dread isn't a problem you can plan your way out of. It's about what the week ahead is asking of you.

Anticipatory anxiety running the worst-case reel at 9pm (or 3am for the perimenopausal brain).

The executive-function weight of holding every deadline, appointment and "thing I said I'd do" all at once.

The gear change from weekend freedom back into a full pile of "have to."

The old fix — spend Sunday getting ahead — can quietly turn your one genuine day of rest into another list of demands. And for a nervous system that's already running hot, that's the opposite of what you need.

So the reframe I offer now isn't "optimise your Sunday."

It's "protect it."

And deliberately doing less.

If Sunday nights are consistently rough, that's worth getting curious about. It might be telling you something about your capacity that's worth listening to.

🔗 https://janinedefontaine.com/slow-sundays-a-gentler-take-on-the-sunday-scaries/

07/07/2026

Last Friday I took the day off and went to the movies with my mum.

We saw Minions vs Monsters. We giggled. We cackled. We laughed a little too loudly (as we are known to do). And mum had planned a surprise: she was buying me minions. I insisted on seeing the movie first so I could choose my minion properly (this is called due diligence).

I walked out with Henry AND James. I'm late 40-something and I own plush minions now. Zero shame (I love those rambunctious little yellow guys!).

A few years ago I'd have talked myself out of the whole day. Too indulgent. Not productive. 'I have so much to do'.

These days I know better: fun is allowed to be small and silly and it counts.

After a run of hard months, that Friday mattered more than any productive one would have. It was also really nourishing (thanks, Mum!)

What's the smallest, silliest thing that's brought you joy lately?

17/06/2026

If your brain wants to curl up in a ball and become a weighted blanket, this one’s for you.

Winter has well and truly arrived, and my ADHD/AuDHD brain has entered hibernation mode.

The cold is rude.
The dark mornings? Uncalled for.
The transitions are dramatic.
The sensory stuff is sensory-ing.

Side eye to the woolly cardigan I put on today that has been itching my neck for hours, while I have mostly ignored it, despite knowing full well I’ll probably end up with red claw marks later.

Could I take it off? Yes.
Have I? No.
Why? Great question. Please submit it to the executive function department, currently offline for maintenance.

Lunch today was packet soup.
Was it fancy? No.
Was it warm? Yes.
Did I need to be heated from the inside out? Absolutely.

This is your reminder that winter hibernation mode doesn’t mean you’re lazy.

Sometimes your capacity has shifted, and your expectations haven’t caught up yet.

So instead of asking, “Why can’t I do the thing?”

Try:

“What’s the smallest version of this that still counts?”

Shower too hard? Wash your face.
Exercise too much? Do one stretch.
Cooking impossible? Packet soup counts (or my personal fave - grilled cheese on toast).
Admin overwhelming? Open one email. Just opening it counts.

Freya, my rescue Doberman and unofficial VA, would like to add that she also has opinions about textures, baths and being asked to transition before she is emotionally prepared.

So, she gets it.

What’s your winter brain making weirdly hard right now? Freya and I are accepting submissions!

Pictured: me, still wearing the itchy cardigan. Because apparently taking it off was too many steps.

08/06/2026

This is Freya and me during my recent time off, after her diabetes diagnosis, meditating together on the bed.

Not exactly a glossy “content creation” moment.

But maybe that’s the point.

I’ve been thinking a lot about visibility, writing, marketing, and how to stay connected without self-combusting — especially as someone with an AuDHD brain that can go all-in, disappear into the mist, then return like I’ve been hiding in a cupboard.

So I’ve started writing again.

Not with a grand comeback.
Not with a 12-part content strategy.
Absolutely not with a Reel.

Just reflections.

My first new blog post is called Visible, But Not Combusting — about returning to writing, staying visible without burning out, and building a more sustainable relationship with creativity, marketing, and neurodivergent identity.

Check it out here: https://janinedefontaine.com/visible-but-not-combusting/

14/05/2026

This week I had the privilege of delivering two Neurodiversity workshops for MIFWA.

Monday: Supporting Neurodivergent Staff — a 2-hour workshop for people leaders. Eight managers showing up genuinely curious, asking honest questions, and leaving with real things to take back to their teams, like ‘Checking in with people who go under the radar’ and ‘Being more curious and open to different brains’.

Thursday: Thriving at Work — Neurodivergent Style. A 3-hour session for peer workers and staff. Twelve people. Feedback like 'mask less' and the value in ‘real conversations’ and people sharing their lived experiences … that I'll be sitting with for a while.

Across both sessions, what stood out most wasn’t just the strategies or frameworks — it was the honesty and openness in the room.

We talked about things like:

• overwhelm and burnout
• masking and exhaustion
• unclear expectations and hidden labour
• capacity vs capability
• sustainable ways of working
• practical supports that actually help

But we also talked about strengths, self-understanding, flexibility, curiosity, and the importance of creating workplaces where people feel safe to work differently.

Personally, I left both workshops feeling incredibly grateful. AND I'm not wiped out, brain-fried. or non-verbal. I'm feeling tired but also pretty damn uplifted!

Working with MIFWA always feels like coming home — I’ve worked with them for a number of years across my career in varying capacities. And it really lifted my heart to see some familiar faces in the room :)

Thank you again to everyone who attended, contributed and supported so generously.

Two workshops. Twenty people. One very full heart 💝