The Body Grievers® Club 80. How ADHD Can Impact Your Body Image with Dani Bryant
In this episode of The Body Grievers Club, Bri sits down with therapist, drama therapist, and creative arts therapist Danny Bryant—a fat, neurospicy clinician from upstate New York and one of Bri’s dear friends. Together they unpack the messy, beautiful intersection of neurodivergence, ADHD, body image, and body liberation.
Bri and Danny talk about what it means to work with your brain instead of against it—how perfectionism, masking, and executive dysfunction show up in everything from laundry to therapy notes. They explore the grief that comes with realizing your brain (and body) may never operate like everyone else’s, and how to build systems, compassion, and community around that truth.
They also dig into the overlap between body liberation and neurodivergence, from shame and self-blame to the ways capitalism, ableism, and diet culture all demand conformity. Expect laughter, tangents, and a lot of “same, same” moments as they name what’s hard, hilarious, and healing about existing in a brain and body that don’t fit the mold.
If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re “just lazy” or living in a world not built for you, this conversation will remind you: you’re not broken. You’re living in a system that wasn’t designed with you in mind. And you deserve care that honors both your body and your brain.
TIMESTAMPS:
05:00 Interrupting, hyperfocus, and why voice memos help our brains
13:10 Pandemic clarity, fidgets, and “something’s off” → assessment
16:00 Bri’s “wait, do I have ADHD?” moment in real life
18:30 Executive dysfunction: notes, laundry, and tasks-within-tasks
22:10 Systems that fit you: redefining “done,” micro-steps, and dopamine
25:10 Burnout cycles, urgency mode, and freeze vs. rest
27:50 Missed diagnoses in women/AFAB folks + masking as survival
30:40 ADLs with compassion: showers, brushing teeth, and ritual > routine
33:10 Habit stacking, duplicates (chargers everywhere), and shame as the enemy
36:00 All-or-nothing thinking, internalized ableism, and seeing ADHD as disability
39:00 Curiosity > criticism: Finch, allowances, novelty, and changing what no longer works
41:50 Interoception, meds, intuitive eating adaptations, and sleep/circadian quirks
45:00 Energy rhythms, gray-scale phone, capacity planning, and Mondays vs. Fridays
47:30 Boundaries, FOMO parts, and letting people be disappointed (community = annoyance sometimes)
50:10 Assessing “stay home or go?”—facts, context, and momentum vs. depletion
52:00 Culture check: conformity pressures (thinness, ableism) and finding your people
54:00 GLP-1s vs. stimulants: safety, autonomy, and why changing size ≠ changing beliefs
56:00 Spectrum ≠ line: the “pie chart” view + how presentation varies widely
RESOURCES:
Mentioned in this episode:
Love Dani Donovan's art and writing on ADHD:
Comics: https://www.adhddd.com/comics/
The Anti-Planner: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/122842465-the-anti-planner
KC Davis's Strugglecare: https://www.strugglecare.com/resources
A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD: Embrace Neurodiversity, Live Boldly, and Break Through Barriers by Sari Solden and Michelle Frank:
Gifted kid with ADHD essay:
https://blackgirllostkeys.com/adhd/double-trouble-navigating-life-as-a-gifted-kid-with-adhd/
This person is writing about Neurocomplexity in a interesting way:
https://lindseymackereth.substack.com/
ADHD & Nutrition
WANT MORE OF DANI BRYANT?
* Instagram: @danibtherapy
* Website: www.danibryant.com
WANT MORE OF BRI?
*Instagram: @bodyimagewithbri
*Website: https://bodyimagewithbri.com/
*Bri’s Free Resource: 7-Step Guide to Shift Body Grief to Radical Body Acceptance