The Hidden 20%

Clinical neuroscientist and nutrition researcher Dr Miguel Toribio-Mateas returns to The Hidden 20% to challenge one of the most persistent myths in ADHD: that it’s just about the brain.

In this conversation, Ben and Dr Miguel explore ADHD through a whole-body lens - from nervous system regulation and eating patterns to capacity, sensory sensitivity and the gut–brain axis.

They unpack why food isn’t just fuel but a regulatory tool, why so many ADHDers struggle with inconsistent eating, and why “just eat better” advice often misses the point entirely. The conversation then goes deeper into why the same food can feel fine one day and intolerable the next, and how what we often label as “food sensitivities” may actually be linked to stress, overload and nervous system state.

Join us at hidden20.org/donate.
________

Host: Ben Branson
Production Manager: Phoebe De Leiburné
Video Editor: James Scriven
Social Media Manager: Charlie Young
Music: Jackson Greenberg
Head of Marketing: Kristen Fuller

00:00 Introduction: ADHD Beyond The Brain
01:42 Why ADHD Is a Nervous System Condition
05:18 Fight, Flight, Freeze: ADHD & Regulation
09:12 Why Food Impacts ADHD More Than You Think
13:40 ADHD Eating Patterns: Skipping, Binging & Dopamine
18:25 Why “Just Eat Better” Doesn’t Work for ADHD
22:10 Regulation Before Optimisation: Rethinking Food
26:30 Simple Food Changes That Support ADHD Brains
31:05 Food, Mood & Energy Crashes Explained
35:22 Why The Same Food Feels Different Day to Day
38:40 Understanding Capacity in ADHD
42:15 Sensory Sensitivity, Stress & The Body
45:50 The Gut–Brain Axis Explained Simply
49:10 “Food Sensitivities” vs Nervous System Overload
53:05 Stress, Digestion & ADHD Explained
56:10 What Actually Helps: Supporting Regulation First
59:30 Dr Miguel’s Green Dot Badge

The Hidden 20% is a charity founded by AuDHD entrepreneur, Ben Branson.

Our mission is simple: To change how the world sees neurodivergence.
No more stigma. No more shame. No more silence.

1 in 5 people are neurodivergent. That’s 1.6 billion of us - yet too many are still excluded, misunderstood, or left without support.

To break the cycle, we amplify voices, challenge myths, and keep showing up. Spotlighting stories, stats and hard truths. Smashing stereotypes through honest voices, creative campaigns and research that can’t be ignored.Every month, over 50,000 people turn to The Hidden 20% to feel safe, seen and to learn about brilliant brains.

With your support, we can reach further, grow louder, and keep fighting for the 1 in 5 who deserve more.

Join us at hidden20.org/donate.

Become a monthly donor.
Be part of our community where great minds think differently.

Brought to you by charity The Hidden 20% #1203348
______________

Follow & subscribe…

Website: www.hidden20.org
Instagram / TikTok / Youtube / X: @Hidden20charity
Ben Branson @seedlip_ben
Dr Miguel Toribio-Mateas @drmiguelmateas

If you'd like to support The Hidden 20%, you can buy a "green dot" badge at https://www.hidden20.org/thegreendot/p/badge. All proceeds go to the charity.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Executive Director at the RSPB, Emma Marsh, joins Ben for a conversation that connects leadership, late autism diagnosis, and the often-overlooked role of nature in how we regulate and function.

Diagnosed autistic in 2023, Emma reflects on what it means to navigate senior leadership as an autistic woman, the decision to disclose at work after years of masking, and how that moment reshaped both her identity and the way she leads.

Ben and Emma dive into the power of nature and how fundamental it is for neurodivergent brains. From birdsong and the dawn chorus to simple ways of reconnecting with the natural world, Emma explains why nature can feel like a reset for the nervous system in ways modern environments often can't.

They also explore why so many workplaces still unintentionally exclude neurodivergent people - and what it looks like to move beyond awareness into systems that actually support people and their brains.

Join us at hidden20.org/donate.
________

Host: Ben Branson
Production Manager: Phoebe De Leiburné
Video Editor: James Scriven
Social Media Manager: Charlie Young
Music: Jackson Greenberg
Head of Marketing: Kristen Fuller

The Hidden 20% is a charity founded by AuDHD entrepreneur, Ben Branson.

Our mission is simple: To change how the world sees neurodivergence.
No more stigma. No more shame. No more silence.

1 in 5 people are neurodivergent. That’s 1.6 billion of us - yet too many are still excluded, misunderstood, or left without support.

To break the cycle, we amplify voices, challenge myths, and keep showing up. Spotlighting stories, stats and hard truths. Smashing stereotypes through honest voices, creative campaigns and research that can’t be ignored.Every month, over 50,000 people turn to The Hidden 20% to feel safe, seen and to learn about brilliant brains.

With your support, we can reach further, grow louder, and keep fighting for the 1 in 5 who deserve more.

Join us at hidden20.org/donate.

Become a monthly donor.
Be part of our community where great minds think differently.

Brought to you by charity The Hidden 20% #1203348
______________

Follow & subscribe…

Website: www.hidden20.org
Instagram / TikTok / Youtube / X: @Hidden20charity
Ben Branson @seedlip_ben
Emma Marsh RSPB LinkedIn
http://www.rspb.org.uk/

If you'd like to support The Hidden 20%, you can buy a "green dot" badge at https://www.hidden20.org/thegreendot/p/badge. All proceeds go to the charity.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pablo Lambrechts, Architect and Director at L+ Architects, joins Ben to explore something most of us feel but rarely question - the impact our environment has on our nervous system.

Drawing on his work designing neurodiversity-informed spaces (including Google HQ), Pablo explains how light, sound, layout and materials can either support regulation or quietly work against it.

This isn’t about aesthetics - it’s about how spaces shape behaviour, focus and wellbeing. Together, they unpack biophilic design, and why many schools, workplaces and homes are unintentionally disabling for neurodivergent people.

Pablo also shares simple, practical changes that can make an immediate difference, without big budgets.

Join us at hidden20.org/donate.
________

Host: Ben Branson
Production Manager: Phoebe De Leiburné
Video Editor: James Scriven
Social Media Manager: Charlie Young
Music: Jackson Greenberg
Head of Marketing: Kristen Fuller

The Hidden 20% is a charity founded by AuDHD entrepreneur, Ben Branson.

Our mission is simple: To change how the world sees neurodivergence.
No more stigma. No more shame. No more silence.

1 in 5 people are neurodivergent. That’s 1.6 billion of us - yet too many are still excluded, misunderstood, or left without support.

To break the cycle, we amplify voices, challenge myths, and keep showing up. Spotlighting stories, stats and hard truths. Smashing stereotypes through honest voices, creative campaigns and research that can’t be ignored.Every month, over 50,000 people turn to The Hidden 20% to feel safe, seen and to learn about brilliant brains.

With your support, we can reach further, grow louder, and keep fighting for the 1 in 5 who deserve more.

Join us at hidden20.org/donate.

Become a monthly donor.
Be part of our community where great minds think differently.

Brought to you by charity The Hidden 20% #1203348
______________

Follow & subscribe…

Website: www.hidden20.org
Instagram / TikTok / Youtube / X: @Hidden20charity
Ben Branson @seedlip_ben
Pablo Lambrechts https://lplusarchitects.com/

If you'd like to support The Hidden 20%, you can buy a "green dot" badge at https://www.hidden20.org/thegreendot/p/badge. All proceeds go to the charity.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Ann Ozsivadjian, Clinical Psychologist specialising in autism, joins Ben to unpack the reality of mental health in neurodivergent children and adults - and why so much of it is misunderstood.

Drawing on decades of clinical experience, Ann explains how anxiety, depression and low self-esteem often sit on top of something deeper: emotional dysregulation, unmet needs and environments that don’t fit.

Together, they explore how this shows up in children and the long-term impact of being misunderstood early on.

They also break down the difference between meltdowns and shutdowns - what’s really happening beneath the surface, and how to respond with understanding, not judgment.

Join us at hidden20.org/donate.
________

Host: Ben Branson
Production Manager: Phoebe De Leiburné
Video Editor: James Scriven
Social Media Manager: Charlie Young
Music: Jackson Greenberg
Head of Marketing: Kristen Fuller

The Hidden 20% is a charity founded by AuDHD entrepreneur, Ben Branson.

Our mission is simple: To change how the world sees neurodivergence.
No more stigma. No more shame. No more silence.

1 in 5 people are neurodivergent. That’s 1.6 billion of us - yet too many are still excluded, misunderstood, or left without support.

To break the cycle, we amplify voices, challenge myths, and keep showing up. Spotlighting stories, stats and hard truths. Smashing stereotypes through honest voices, creative campaigns and research that can’t be ignored.Every month, over 50,000 people turn to The Hidden 20% to feel safe, seen and to learn about brilliant brains.

With your support, we can reach further, grow louder, and keep fighting for the 1 in 5 who deserve more.

Join us at hidden20.org/donate.

Become a monthly donor.
Be part of our community where great minds think differently.

Brought to you by charity The Hidden 20% #1203348
______________

Follow & subscribe…

Website: www.hidden20.org
Instagram / TikTok / Youtube / X: @Hidden20charity
Ben Branson @seedlip_ben
Dr Ann Ozsivadjian www.drannozsivadjian.co.uk

If you'd like to support The Hidden 20%, you can buy a "green dot" badge at https://www.hidden20.org/thegreendot/p/badge. All proceeds go to the charity.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Warda Farah, an autistic Independent Researcher and Speech & Language Therapist, joins Ben for a powerful conversation about identity, language and what happens when the systems designed to support you don’t see you properly.

Drawing on both lived experience and clinical insight, Warda reflects on leaving the NHS after recognising how standardised assessments were failing marginalised children - and why ideas of “normal” can exclude more than they help.

Together, they explore intersectionality, internalised ableism and the role language plays in shaping how we understand ourselves.

If you’ve ever felt unseen by systems, misunderstood by language, or caught between identities - this episode is for you.

Join us at hidden20.org/donate.
________

Host: Ben Branson
Production Manager: Phoebe De Leiburné
Video Editor: James Scriven
Social Media Manager: Charlie Young
Music: Jackson Greenberg
Head of Marketing: Kristen Fuller

The Hidden 20% is a charity founded by AuDHD entrepreneur, Ben Branson.

Our mission is simple: To change how the world sees neurodivergence.
No more stigma. No more shame. No more silence.

1 in 5 people are neurodivergent. That’s 1.6 billion of us - yet too many are still excluded, misunderstood, or left without support.

To break the cycle, we amplify voices, challenge myths, and keep showing up. Spotlighting stories, stats and hard truths. Smashing stereotypes through honest voices, creative campaigns and research that can’t be ignored.Every month, over 50,000 people turn to The Hidden 20% to feel safe, seen and to learn about brilliant brains.

With your support, we can reach further, grow louder, and keep fighting for the 1 in 5 who deserve more.

Join us at hidden20.org/donate.

Become a monthly donor.
Be part of our community where great minds think differently.

Brought to you by charity The Hidden 20% #1203348
______________

Follow & subscribe…

Website: www.hidden20.org
Instagram / TikTok / Youtube / X: @Hidden20charity
Ben Branson @seedlip_ben
Warda Farah linkedin.com/in/warda-farah-210235129

If you'd like to support The Hidden 20%, you can buy a "green dot" badge at https://www.hidden20.org/thegreendot/p/badge. All proceeds go to the charity.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.