Pause Purpose Play – Details, episodes & analysis

Black Friday is basically engineered to hijack an ADHD brain.

 Countdown timers, flashing banners, urgency emails — it’s the perfect storm for impulsive buying and dopamine-driven decisions.

In this short solo episode, Clinical Psychologist and ADHD specialist Michaela Thomas shares three quick, compassionate strategies to help you navigate Black Friday with intention, self-trust, and calm, rather than getting pulled into impulsive spending.

You’ll learn how to pause before you buy, check your emotional state, and create a tiny, intentional “YES list” that keeps you grounded instead of overwhelmed.

Whether you’ve overspent before or simply want to approach the season with more steadiness, this episode offers practical tools you can use today — without shame, restriction, or perfectionism.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why Black Friday is especially triggering for ADHD brains
• How urgency and dopamine hijack your decision-making
• The 10-second pause that protects you from impulsive buys
• How to spot when you’re “emotion spending” vs. choosing consciously
• How a micro 3-item “intentional yes” list keeps you grounded
• How to honour your needs and your values during the sales

If you struggle with impulsivity, emotional regulation or burnout…

You’re not alone — and you’re not broken.

 These tendencies are part of your wiring, not a personal flaw.

You might need support in learning to slow down for long enough to notice how you feel so you can regulate your emotions and nervous system.

Connect with Michaela:

• Instagram: @the_thomas_connection
• Website: thethomasconnection.co.uk

Join the newsletter for tools on slowing down with compassion on www.thethomasconnection.co.uk/newsletter

What happens when midlife hormones, ADHD traits, and the demands of running a business all collide? For many women, it’s the beginning of a powerful - and often messy - transformation and evolution.

In this episode of the Pause Purpose Play podcast, Clinical Psychologist Michaela Thomas speaks with Candice Mason, founder of Mother Cuppa Tea, about the realities of female entrepreneurship, hormone upheaval, and navigating neurodivergence in midlife.

Candice shares her candid journey through endometriosis, peri-menopause symptoms, and building a product-based business from the ground up. Together, Michaela and Candice explore the pressures of social media visibility, the emotional load behind brand growth, and the overlap between ADHD traits and entrepreneurial resilience.

You’ll hear:

• Candice’s journey into launching Mother Cuppa Tea and being loved by Fearne Cotton!

• How ADHD shows up in entrepreneurship - the strengths and the struggles

• Why self-compassion matters when you’re juggling hormones, business, and visibility

• Behind-the-scenes realities of running and growing a wellness brand

• Candice’s recent win - being selected by Mary Portas for a high-impact pop-up retail opportunity

This is an honest, warm conversation about ambition, identity, and wellbeing - and how to build a business without burning yourself out.

💛 Connect with Candice: Website: www.mothercuppatea.com  Instagram: www.instagram.com/mother_cuppatea

✨ Connect with Michaela: Website: www.thethomasconnection.co.uk Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_thomas_connection

📘 Download Michaela’s free guide: 👉 Calm the Overwhelm – your grounding companion for busy, neurodivergent minds www.thethomasconnection.co.uk/calm 

What if the very parts of you you’ve been trying to hide are the ones that make you most human - and most approachable? 

In this episode of the Pause Purpose Play podcast, I explore the beauty of embracing imperfections and chaos, no longer hiding your true self, inspired by the K-Pop Demon Hunters movie and its powerful soundtrack.

We live in a world that pressures us to appear perfect - polished, put together, and always “on.” But the truth is, it’s in the cracks and the broken pieces that real connection and authenticity live.

I’ll share why unmasking matters, how music and movies can help us see ourselves differently, and how you can begin to show up more fully as YOU.

I also talk about the Reset experience and the Golden in-person event in London, where you can find tools, community, and support for navigating ADHD, perfectionism, and self-acceptance.

Episode Breakdown

• 00:16 The Pressure of Perfection

• 00:40 Embracing Chaos and Unmasking

• 01:06 The Power of Music and Movies

• 02:42 The Beauty in Brokenness

• 06:13 Join the Reset Experience

• 08:09 The Golden Event

🔗 Links for reference:

• The Reset: www.thethomasconnection.co.uk/reset

• Golden in-person event in London: https://thethomasconnection.thrivecart.com/goldeninpersonevent/

Today's episode is all about the pressure of perfectionism! I'm joined by Thomas Curran, a psychology professor at the London School of Economics and the author of The Perfection Trap. Thomas has spent a lot of time uncovering how societal pressures are a big driving force of perfectionism. Today, Thomas explains how personality traits are linked to perfectionism and how this can impact mental health.

We’ll delve into some of the pressures that lead to it and debunk misconceptions surrounding perfectionism and look at how it affects our lives and overall performance. Highlights: 

(12:38) It’s about trying to repair what you think is an imperfect self 

(14:59) Success is like a bottomless pit 

(19:27) Perfectionistic fantasies 

(26:01) Looking at the world from a different lens 

(28:26) It’s not healthy to be obsessive 

(36:20) Trying to overcompensate 

(41:25) You have to exist in a period of unknown

(55:00) It’s about leaving something in the world 

You can connect with Thomas here

Twitter: @thom_curran;

LinkedIn: thom-curran

You can find my FREE masterclass - How to Burn Bright Without Burning Out HERE. You can book a clarity call with me, to work on shame through compassion HERE.

Today we’re exploring an emotion.

That ‘cringe’ emotion. 

That hiding-behind-a-pillow emotion.

That fear-of-being-judged-by-others emotion. 

Shame. 

Join me today, and learn to soothe shame with compassion and connection. 

Here are the highlights: (2:12) Shame and guilt (5:20) Fitting in (10:43) Peace with the past (14:20) Burning bright

You can find my FREE masterclass - How to Burn Bright Without Burning Out HERE. You can book a clarity call with me, to work on shame through compassion HERE.

In this episode, I will share something I haven't shared on this podcast before.

My hope is that you will feel seen. I want to boldly unmask what has been happening in my life and how I am evolving because I know you might be experiencing something similar.

Join me as I open up about self-worth, self-compassion, and neurodiversity.

Highlights: 

(02:04) An evolution of growth 

(04:17) It’s nobody's fault!

(06:40) Sense of liberation 

(07:54) 5 hours of free coaching 

(12:08) Things you need to get started 

(13:15) Realise that you are not alone!

If you want to be part of the ADHD/perfectionism focus group and receive a free 1:1 session, reach out to me on info@thethomasconnection.co.uk 

If you want to join my waiting list to be the first to hear about my offerings for perfectionistic, anxious ADHDers, enter your details here: www.thethomasconnection.co.uk/ADHD

Burn Bright masterclass: 

https://thethomasconnection.lpages.co/burnbright  

As mothers especially, we lack compassion for ourselves, and we don't implement self-care even though we know it's good for us and, better yet, that we deserve it!

We should not ignore our needs because we are meeting everyone else's. All this does is drain us. We can choose to change! This episode looks at the necessary self-care and then looks at the tips for inviting more nourishing self-care into our day-to-day routines.

Highlights: 

(02:08) You have no time for you when

(08:51) Which version of yourself will your children see? 

(09:53) What are your warning signs? 

(10:38) Yes but…

(11:04) Get a pocket of pause

(11:37) Doing self care can be small!

(13:54) Create your own rhythm You can download my free worksheet, Calm the Overwhelm, here: www.thethomasconnection.co.uk/calm  

Join us at the event I am hosting together with Sam Dhu, a recent guest on the podcast. Read more here: Nourishing You » Powered by ThriveCart 

Order my book, The Lasting Connection – develop love and compassion for yourself and your partner here: www.thethomasconnection.co.uk/thelastingconnection

Sometimes life can be tough. We all experience hard knocks, and it always feels everything comes at you at once. 

It can be overwhelming – I get it, and I am hear for you! 

In this episode we are going to talk about how you can tackle those hard knocks with compassion and strength, so that you come out of the other side better than ever. 

The brutal truth is that hard knocks are not easy to just grin and bear. They challenge us and they can get the worst out of us. Just remember: you can’t control what happens to you, but you can control how you respond to it. 

Let’s get through this together! 

Highlights from this episode: 

(03:43) Reframing hard knocks as learning experiences 

(05:32) Hard knocks at work 

(09:5) Finding your feet when technology fails you 

(11:26) Speaking to yourself with grace 

https://thethomasconnection.thrivecart.com/nourishing-you/ 

https://thethomasconnection.lpages.co/burnbright/

Do you give yourself the permission to look after yourself? In this week’s episode, I’m having a deep chat with my old colleague and friend, Sam Dhu. Sam Dhu is a Psychotherapist, Coach & Facilitator of Permission. Mum to seven-year-old, Amelie and baby Frankie, and passionate advocate for being radically kind and compassionate to yourself.

We're tackling self-worth, permission, societal pressures and letting go of perfection. It's not just about the pay check, it's about meaningful work that truly makes you happy.

Plus, we have a special announcement about our upcoming event in central London on August 12th!

Can't wait for you to hear this episode! Let's dive in.

https://thethomasconnection.thrivecart.com/nourishing-you/

You can find Sam on Instagram @samanthadhu and on her website, https://courses.samanthadhu.com.au/courses/the-permission-granted-experience-2023

Highlights:

(7.30) The link between perfectionism and self-worth. 

(10.17) The cycle between stagnation and procrastination.

(15:57) The connection between success and worth. 

(19:37) You don’t need to be exceptional to make an impact. 

(25.48) The inner critic and inner bully. 

(29.05) The importance of self-compassion and self-worth. 

How do you prepare for a period of stress? 

And more importantly, how do you recharge your batteries after a stressful event? 

It is so important to know how to decompress, so in this episode I talk through some of the things you can do to bookend those stressful periods, whether it’s a one-off event or a high pressure job. 

  Highlights: 

(01:51) Practice what you teach 

(04:07) Making space for rest and recovery 

(05:42) Burn bright without burning out 

(07:23) The three questions to ask yourself 

(09:16) Stress peaks vs periods of stress  Come along to my beautiful in person event with my friend Sam Dhu, Nourishing You, in London on the 12th of August: https://thethomasconnection.thrivecart.com/nourishing-you/

Watch the replay of the FREE masterclass for ambitious female entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs wanting to create more impact in the world, with less impact on themselves: Burn Bright without Burning Out thethomasconnection.lpages.co/burnbright