Celeste Barber on ADHD, Bullying, Boundaries and the Battle with Social Media

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This is one of the most raw and refreshingly honest conversations I have had on Beautiful Inside. Celeste Barber, comedian, actor and global social media phenomenon, sat down with me to talk about what it actually takes to stay sane, grounded and authentic in a world obsessed with perfection. She opens up about her childhood battles with bullying and ADHD, how she has learned to quiet her inner critic (a voice she calls "Becky"), and why setting boundaries with fans and social media is vital for her mental health. From raising her boys without gaming or social media to navigating fame entirely on her own terms, Celeste is as sharp and funny as she is deeply human. It is a must-watch for anyone who has ever wrestled with people-pleasing, burnout, or that little voice that says you are not enough.

Celeste on Parenting & Screens

"My kids don't have social media. They don't have games. I fought with them from the beginning, from when they could pick it up. I just never gave it to them to start with."

Celeste has taken a firm stance on screens at home, even when it means her boys miss out on the digital chatter that connects their peers.

"My son had Snapchat because I didn't realise what it was. I thought it was a texting service, and he deleted it himself. He said it was just 'dink dink dink dink dink!', driving him crazy."

She laughs, but she is serious about the mental health impact of devices.

"Those machines are monsters and the men that made them are monsters. They made this addictive drug for kids, and now their own kids don't have them."

At dinner with friends, her boys pull out UNO cards while other kids stay glued to their screens, and, surprisingly, everyone joins in.

"It's a flex now," she grins. "The cool kids don't have social media."

Celeste on Social Media & Burnout

"Burnout is so real. And even more so now because of phones. Because of social media. Because you're not allowed to stop."

Celeste reflects on the pressure of being "always on" when your presence is your business.

"If you stop, you lose followers, you lose income, you lose relevance. I don't really subscribe to that. I've been doing social media for a decade, I've built my following slowly. My audience are the tits, women who feel forgotten or invisible and see my stuff and go, 'brilliant, that makes me feel better.'"

Her audience may be her strength, but she has learned to protect her energy fiercely.

Celeste on Boundaries & Fame

"People always want more, a selfie, a video, a FaceTime with their auntie. I'm like, 'I'm just actually with my kids.' It's never enough."

Fame, she says, is a double-edged sword.

"Who likes letting people down? Especially my audience, who've gotten me here. But I only have so much bandwidth. I curate what I put out, it's authentic, but not everything."

Celeste is candid about her relationship with visibility.

"I don't want to be famous. I hate it. I just wanted to be an actor. Back in the day that was fine, you could just be an actor. Now everyone's everywhere all the time. I don't want to be that."

Celeste on Bullying & Resilience

"School was shit. I was bullied a lot. But I found my purpose young, acting, dancing, performing, that made life beautiful."

That early creative spark was her lifeline.

"I could handle six hours of hell at school because I knew I was going to dancing after."

"I was undiagnosed ADHD, loud, dramatic. That's annoying to other 13-year-old girls. They just decided one day that they hated me. I'd sit alone and write jokes. Someone once said to me, 'You're really resilient, aren't you?' And I went, 'Yeah, f*** I am.' But I don't subscribe to the idea that being bullied builds character. There needs to be more done in schools."

Celeste on Inner Voices & Therapy

"I name my inner critic. Her name's Becky. When that negative voice comes in, I go, 'Hey Becky, I know you're trying to help, but we're not doing that today. You can sit down.'"

She has been in therapy since she was sixteen and calls it life-changing.

"Talking about things really helps. I use what I learn in therapy for acting too, character study starts with self-study."

"Music changes my makeup on a cellular level. When I walk, I listen to Janet Jackson and imagine myself dancing at Madison Square Garden. It's my form of meditation."

Interview by Sigourney Cantelo. Filmed in a suite at The Mondrian on the Gold Coast. Sigourney wears a pinstripe suit jacket and pants by Perri Cutten. Image by Corrie Bond for Body + Soul.

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