“Laura Mears-Reynolds
is not just a founder;
she is the architect of a national reckoning...
After her own late diagnosis, Laura identified a systemic failure: a medical and societal "male-model" bias that left millions of women, trans, and non-binary individuals struggling in silence.
Laura's impact stems from her courage to be ‘the first.’ By sharing her lived experience with radical honesty, she dismantled the stigma of the "shame spiral" that many neurodivergent individuals of marginalised genders carry. She transformed her personal struggle into the ADHD AF movement, creating a cultural shorthand-the "Leopard Print Army"-that gave a voice to those told they were ‘too much,’ ‘too loud,’ or ‘too sensitive’ for a world built for neurotypical men.
Laura's leadership goes beyond awareness; it is about tangible structural change. She has: Pioneered Gender-Specific Support: Recognising that hormones, societal expectations, and domestic safety uniquely impact ADHD in women and n binary people, she built a framework of support that mainstream medicine still ignores.
Under her guidance, she has scaled peer-support groups from a podcast into a nationwide charity, providing immediate, free spaces for those abandoned by five-year+ NHS waiting lists.
Laura Mears-Reynolds is a pioneer who turned personal pain into a collective power. She didn't just start a charity; she ignited a civil rights movement for the neurodivergent community. Her work ensures that gender identity is never again a barrier to being seen, heard, and supported. She is the embodiment of the idea that when we design a world for the most marginalised, we create a better world for everyone….
Laura didn't just open a door for us; she kicked it down
and invited an entire generation to walk through it
with their heads held high."
- ADHD AF Listener's Patreon Member, April 2026
‘I went from the isolation of addiction to leading
an ADHDAF+ Support Group,
because Laura built a world where I finally felt like I belonged.
She didn't just give me help; she gave me a purpose…
For many of us, Laura Mears-Reynolds didn't just start a movement; she provided a reason to keep going. Before finding the ADHD AF online community, I was lost in the depths of addiction, using substances to quiet a neurodivergent brain I didn't understand. Like so many women and non-binary individuals, I was drowning in the shame of being ‘different’ in a world that only recognises ADHD in young boys. Laura was the first person to speak the truth about our lived experience, and that honesty quite literally saved my life.
Laura’s greatest achievement is the creation of spaces where unmasking is the norm. She transformed my isolation into a sense of belonging within the ‘Leopard Print Army.’ By leading with radical vulnerability, she gave me the permission I needed to stop ‘fixing’ myself and start understanding myself. This shift was the foundation of my recovery and my sobriety.
She moved the conversation away from clinical deficits and toward a shared identity that celebrates our intensity rather than
pathologising it.
What makes Laura’s leadership truly exceptional is how she empowers others to rise. Because of the spaces she’s built, I have been able to grow from someone seeking a lifeline into someone providing one.
Community Stewardship: Under her guidance, I have been empowered to help manage the online podcast listeners community, ensuring that others find the same judgement-free sanctuary that I did.
Local Impact: Facilitating an ADHDAF+ Charity Support Group has allowed me to bring Laura’s vision to life on the ground, creating physical spaces for connection that bypass the years-long barriers of the traditional healthcare system.
She has taken the "male-model" bias of ADHD and shattered it, replaced by a gender-informed framework of support. I am living proof that her work doesn't just raise awareness - it rescues people from the brink and gives them the tools to build a better world for others.
…Laura Mears-Reynolds is the heartbeat of a movement
that turns ‘broken’ individuals into community leaders."
- ADHDAF+ Charity Facilitator, May 2026
‘I have had the privilege of volunteering alongside Laura through ADHDAF+ charity, and I can say without hesitation that she is one of the most extraordinary people I have ever met…
As a woman in my mid-fifties who received a late ADHD diagnosis, I never thought something was wrong with me - I just felt different. Weird. Like somehow the problem was with everyone else. Laura was the first person who made complete sense of that feeling. She didn’t flinch at it. She just understood.
Laura pours her heart into supporting marginalised gender individuals navigating a late diagnosis - often at the point in their lives when they feel most lost, dismissed, and invisible.
She meets every single person exactly where they are. She listens without judgement, reflects back their worth, and helps them understand that their struggles were never a personal failing. She is humble, she is warm, and never - not once - condescending.
She has taken her message on the road literally producing and touring three shows for and about ADHD, entertaining, educating and uniting people in a way only someone with true passion and vision could.
What moves me most is this: Laura tells us something many of us have never been told. That we are not too much. Not too loud. Not too intense. She expands the space, holds the door open, and makes sure every single person has a voice.
Laura dedicates her life to ADHDAF+.
…These words are about a woman who gives everything,
asks for nothing, and changes lives every single day.’
- ADHDAF+ Charity Treasurer, April 2026
‘Before discovering the ADHDAF Podcast in January 2023 I just thought I was broken and bad at adulting…
I learnt that I actually have a neurodevelopmental condition and this can affect women in different ways to our male counterparts. This was the beginning of me understanding myself better, managing the debilitating symptoms of living with ADHD and finding my people.
This came at a time when I had separated from my now ex husband and was halfway through studying part-time for a degree as a single Mum of 3 young children and Laura’s podcast and community helped me profoundly.
I am now officially diagnosed and currently going through titration for medication.
The information, support and love I have received from Laura and the ADHDAF online community has been far greater than I could ever have imagined and I will be forever grateful to Laura for what she has done for our community.
Additionally all 3 of my children are now in pathways for both adhd and autism assessments which will hopefully mean they don't struggle through life like I did AND my sister and 3 of my best friends are also now diagnosed and its all thanks to the ADHDAF Podcast.
…Through the connections I have made at ADHDAF+ Groups and the Podcast Community I finally feel seen for the first time in 39 years.
Life isn't perfect but it's much more manageable.’
- ADHDAF+ London Group Attendee, May 2026
‘Laura’s podcast, online community and now ADHDAF+ Charity are a ‘leopard-print lifeline’
for those of us who have spent our lives feeling broken…
Before finding Laura, I felt lost. My confidence had crashed, and my world had become incredibly small. Her community changed everything; for the first time, I felt seen and less of a failure. Most importantly, Laura inspired me to move far out of my comfort zone and do things I never thought possible.
When I approached her about helping to set up a local group in my area, she encouraged me to become the facilitator. Alongside facilitating, I now manage and support the other facilitators for the ADHDAF+ charity, and we recently saw our highest volume of attendees yet - part of a mission that has already supported over 500+ people.
I am so grateful because I know I wouldn't be the person I am today without her. Through her, I have made incredible friendships and found a true sense of belonging. Despite her enormous workload, she is always so appreciative and grateful to the volunteers of the charity.
It is easy to forget that Laura manages all of this while navigating her own ADHD and significant personal challenges. Her dedication is staggering. She shows up for the community even when she is struggling herself, proving that being a role model isn't about being perfect—it’s about being authentic.
By sharing her raw challenges, she strips away the shame of struggling with ‘trivial’ things, allowing others to find their strength.
She leads through personal struggle showing us how to celebrate disgrace. Filling a massive gap in neurodivergent care, her ‘Renegade’ mission provides the support the traditional system ignores.
…Laura is a catalyst.
Her courage to be loud and vulnerable has empowered thousands - myself included - to stop apologising for being too much or not enough.’.’
- ADHDAF+ Group Coordinator and Bristol Group Facilitator, May 2026
‘Without the ADHDAF+ charity, ADHDAF podcast and its community of listeners I would not be here.
I would not be alive…
The understanding and support I’ve received from Laura’s work and that of the charity has been the thing that has got me through an incredibly difficult two years of my life.
I've been able to find community and acceptance and support to go through challenges with my career - I’ve been in a very toxic work environment, where I experienced prejudice - having my ADHD diagnosis weaponised against me.
…Without Laura’s podcast, and the charity
I don't think I would have made it through.’
- ADHDAF+ London Group Attendee, May 2026
‘Laura has a really powerful way of talking about the realities of ADHD
that makes the challenges impossible to ignore…
I don’t have ADHD myself, but attending an ADHDAF podcast live event led by Laura Mears‑Reynolds a couple of years ago was genuinely eye‑opening.
Through that event, I started to properly understand the scale of the crisis facing so many women and people of marginalised genders who have been misdiagnosed, dismissed or left without support for years. What struck me most was seeing people who had previously been struggling alone now feeling connected, informed and empowered - many of them for the first time.
I was especially impressed by the way Laura tackled some very difficult subjects with warmth, humour and honesty, and how she created a space that felt safe, welcoming and genuinely inclusive. It didn’t just raise awareness, it completely changed understanding, including my own.
Since then, I’ve found myself talking much more openly about ADHD and raising awareness in everyday life, and I felt inspired and confident enough to take on the role of Chair of the charity’s board.
Her impact goes far beyond those with a diagnosis, helping allies, professionals and leaders understand the reality and do better.’
…Laura leads with integrity, compassion and lived experience, and her work with ADHDAF+ is changing lives
as well as shifting the wider conversation around ADHD, gender and inclusion.’
- ADHDAF+ Chair of the Board of Trustees,
May 2026