On Saturday the 5th of September 2026, Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services hosted our fourth annual neurodivergent women’s seminar, and our first dedicated to the AuDHD experience. Beyond the Mask explored the often-overlooked intersection of autism and ADHD in women, a group so frequently underdiagnosed because of gender bias and a lifetime of masking. Building on the success of Breaking Barriers in 2024, and ADHD & Women seminar in 2025 we moved to a new venue this year at The Cannington Exhibition Centre & Showgrounds, to accommodate the demand, and it did not disappoint.
We were once again incredibly lucky to have generous, experienced presenters donate their time to our event, half of whom returned for the third year running to support us! Von Kilpatrick from Amherst Psychology opened with a session on “Disentangling from self-doubt” unpacking imposter syndrome in AuDHD women with the kind of honesty that comes from having lived it herself. Dr Theresa Kidd and Dr Miriam Kirby from The Kidd Clinic led an interactive session on “Neurodivergent Burnout”, exploring masking, identity and sustainable rhythms of life. New supporters of the event, Natalee Blakemore from Diversum Health Group and Dr Bethany Reynolds gave us two conversational sessions on “The intersection of autism and ADHD with fluctuating hormones”, and on “ADHD & medications”, bringing lived experience and clinical knowledge together in a way that felt genuinely balanced, they also managed to keep an afternoon audience truly engaged – not an easy feat. Dr Michele Toner OAM was a crowd favourite and spoke to “The Dopamine vs Dullness Dance”, a practical look at building routines that work with an ADHD brain rather than against it. Attendees were also thrilled to be able to purchase Dr Toner’s book at the exhibitor section during breaks.
It is always hard to evaluate a day when you are this personally invested in it, but from where I was standing what a day. There was laughter, there were tears, and there was that unmistakable feeling of a room full of women realising they were not the only ones who experienced the world this way. People told us they felt accepted and understood, some for the first time in fifty years. We saw fidget toys out, people moving and stretching between sessions, people ducking out to the quiet space when they needed to, knitting while listening, sitting on the yoga mats & cushions we provided and a room that felt genuinely safe to unmask in. That is exactly what we set out to create.
One attendee, late diagnosed and at her first ever seminar, told us “I felt accepted and embraced for my neurotype after spending 50-plus years feeling rejected, not fitting into society. I didn’t want to leave, it felt like such a safe space.”
Another said the whole day, planning included, just made sense to how her brain works “It felt like the entire event, including the planning and information beforehand, was built for how my brain works, and I didn’t have to take on much or any mental load in planning my day.”
We also put a lot of thought this year into the attendee booklet sent out ahead of the seminar, and making attendees comfortable in the space and it was wonderful to hear how much that mattered. Several attendees told us it helped them manage the anticipation and sensory unknowns of the day before they even walked in the door, from knowing the agenda and layout in advance to seeing photos of the venue itself. One attendee said the booklet answered “all the little questions inside my head so I could attend without ruminating over the what ifs the night before/day of,” while another described it as “a great addition that wasn’t provided at previous events,” adding that “whoever wrote it understands how my brain works, how info in it can reduce anxiety and help actually get us to the event on the day.” That kind of feedback tells us this is a detail worth carrying into every future seminar.
We are thrilled to share that we hit our fundraising target for the day, raising nearly $27,000.00 toward our client hardship fund. This will directly cover the gap fee for 500 therapy sessions for women, children and families in our community who could not otherwise afford the support they need. None of that happens without the generosity of our speakers, our sponsors, our volunteers and everyone who bought a ticket, so thank you.
An enormous thank you to Rotary Southern Districts, who once again had members volunteering their time throughout the day – we wouldn’t have enough hand-on-deck if it weren’t for Rotary & Inner Wheel Gosnells who did am amazing job of catering our event for the third year, providing delicious morning and afternoon teas. Thank you also to Brianna from Lens Legacy Creative Co, who volunteered her time as our event photographer and captured the whole day beautifully and was a pleasure to work with.
Our Generous Sponsors
We are so grateful to every one of this year’s sponsors. Their support is what allows us to reach and inform as many women as possible, whilst raising vital funds for our clients in need to access low cost and free therapy
Thank You to Our Raffle Donors
As a not-for-profit, every dollar raised on the day goes straight back into supporting our community, and our raffle donors help us raise even more. Thank you to:
We learned a lot from this year’s seminar and, as always, we will take that feedback on board to make next year’s event even better. Thank you to everyone who gave up their Saturday to come along, to unmask for the day, and to celebrate neurodivergence with us.
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