ADHD Aha!

Sari Solden is a psychotherapist, author, and a true trailblazer for women with ADHD. In this episode, she talks about discovering her own ADHD while helping shape the growing field of adult ADHD in the 1990s. She shares openly about her struggles with shame, working memory, and the pressure of trying to meet society’s expectations of what a woman “should” be. She also reflects on lessons learned from the many women she has worked with over the years.

Sari takes us behind the scenes of her early meetings with other ADHD experts at a time when adult ADHD was just starting to be recognized. She’s the author of several books, including “Women with Attention Deficit Disorder,” which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Through her pioneering work, Sari gave voice to countless women whose struggles were long misunderstood or overlooked.

Related resources

• Hear Sari on “Climbing the Walls,” our podcast about the rise of ADHD diagnoses in women
• A deeper dive on ADHD and shame
• What is working memory?

For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! show page on Understood.org. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at [email protected] or record a message for us here. 

Understood is a nonprofit where millions of people who are navigating neurodivergence find clear guidance, practical tools, and people who get it. To help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/podcast-donate.

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When Erica Shoemate gave birth to her daughter Nia, she was told Nia wouldn’t survive. But today, Nia is 7 years old — and that traumatic birth became a turning point in Erica’s life. 

Erica shares how her postpartum experience led to diagnoses of anxiety and PTSD, and eventually ADHD. A former national security analyst turned maternal health strategist and policy advocate, Erica reflects on the layered stigma of mental health in the Black community. She also talks with Laura about ADHD and hormones. And she shares the comment her husband made that sparked her ADHD evaluation.

Related resources

• Erica’s website, www.ericalshoemate.com
• A guide to ADHD and hormones
• From the Hyperfocus podcast: Did my ADHD make me more likely to have postpartum depression? 
• ADHD and pregnancy

Timestamps

(00:00) Intro 

(02:09) How Erica’s pregnancy journey led to her ADHD diagnosis 

(10:07) What Erica’s diagnosis has taught her about herself

(16:10) Why Erica speaks openly about her ADHD diagnosis 

(21:26) Erica’s maternal health advocacy work

For a transcript and more resources, visit the “ADHD Aha!” show page on Understood.org. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at [email protected] or record a message for us here. 

Understood is a nonprofit where millions of people who are navigating neurodivergence find clear guidance, practical tools, and people who get it. To help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/podcast-donate.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s one thing to wonder if you have ADHD. It’s another to read how your loved ones see it in you. 

Host Laura Key talks with writer, director, and performer Kate Hammer, who was born in Canada and now lives in Scotland. Kate shares her experience navigating the U.K.’s ADHD evaluation process, which includes personal letters from family and friends, and the complex emotions it brought up. 

She also discusses her short film, Bear, a surreal, funny, and poignant look at how ADHD can shadow your every move. In the film, a woman on her way to a job interview is followed by a bumbling bear — clumsy, loud, and impossible to ignore. The Bear represents ADHD in all its disruptive, intrusive glory. Kate talks about why she chose to visualize ADHD this way, how humor helps her process, and what it means to turn something invisible into something you can’t ignore.

Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(01:03) The UK ADHD evaluation process

(07:26) What ADHD traits cause Kate shame and guilt? 

(08:44) Kate’s short film Bear

(16:58) Validating the challenges of ADHD through her short film

(21:27) Kate’s ADHD aha! moment(s)

(23:05) Outro and credits

We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at [email protected] or record a message for us here. 

Understood is a nonprofit where millions of people who are navigating neurodivergence find clear guidance, practical tools, and people who get it. To help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/podcast-donate.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Magician and speaker John Michael Hinton grew up full of energy. As a kid, he lived abroad and stood out for his high energy. His parents noticed early on that caffeine seemed to calm him down, a clue that something deeper might be going on.

John Michael — who performs a few magic tricks in the episode! — talks with host Laura Key about how things fell apart academically in his freshman year of high school, leading to a 1.7 GPA. An ADHD diagnosis helped him get the support he needed. The biggest turning point came thanks to a mentor who encouraged him to stop living in “Ready, FIRE, Aim” mode and start thinking “Ready, AIM, Fire.” 

Now a husband and father of three (all with ADHD, too), John Michael explains how ADHD fuels his creativity, curiosity, and performance style.

Related resources

• John Michael’s website, www.johnmichaelhinton.com
• ADHD and creativity 
• ADHD and rejection sensitive dysphoria 

Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(01:01) Growing up undiagnosed while moving around internationally, and being diagnosed in the states as a teenager

(06:19) College, rejection sensitivity dysphoria, and creativity

(09:01) Magic trick break #1

(11:15) ADHD and performing magic on stage

(13:15) Being remembered as the “weird kid” and using mentors to mature

(16:12) “Ready, aim, fire” instead of “Ready, fire, aim”  

(17:50) Magic trick break #2 

(19:15) Incorporating ADHD into his magic acts

(21:13) Home life with an entire ADHD family

(22:42) A message to all the other “spazzes” out there

(25:19) Outro and credits

For a transcript and more resources, visit the “ADHD Aha!” show page on Understood.org. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at 

[email protected] or record a message for us here.

Understood is a nonprofit where millions of people who are navigating neurodivergence find clear guidance, practical tools, and people who get it. To help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/podcast-donate.

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For most of her life, Jiyoung An believed her struggles came down to laziness or lack of effort. Even after her ADHD diagnosis less than a year ago, she questioned whether she was just making excuses and using ADHD “as a crutch.”

In this week’s episode, Jiyoung shares how her perspective has changed. She’s unlearning internalized shame and now sees her brain for what it truly is: different, not broken. 

Related resources

• What is growth mindset?
• What does thriving with ADHD actually look like?

Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(00:46) What was happening before Jiyoung sought out an ADHD evaluation this year?

(03:00) Jiyoung’s 3 different psychiatrists’ opinions

(04:24) Falling into hustle culture before diagnosis, and being hard on herself

(07:24) Jiyoung’s journey to accepting her ADHD label

(11:07) How frustrating it can be to not have solutions to all of her ADHD challenges

(13:08) Perfectionism and comparing yourself to others

(16:50) Jiyoung’s experience growing up with undiagnosed ADHD

(19:25) Noticing ADHD in her little sister

(21:22) What ADHD traits Jiyoung struggles with the most

(25:08) Credits

We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at [email protected] or record a message for us here

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Understood is a nonprofit where millions of people who are navigating neurodivergence find clear guidance, practical tools, and people who get it. To help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/podcast-donate.

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Marc Almodovar was diagnosed with ADHD at 16, after he took it upon himself to ask for help. But it wasn’t until a painful breakup in his early 20s that he began to confront the emotional toll of hiding his struggles.

In this episode, Marc talks with host Laura Key about the toxic messages men receive around emotions and strength, the myths he’s had to unlearn, and the power of unmasking. He also shares how those realizations led him to found the Men’s ADHD Support Group — a space for men to talk openly about mental health, identity, and ADHD without shame.

Related resources

• The Men’s ADHD Support Group
• What is self-advocacy?

Timestamps

(01:42) Masculinity and ADHD

(08:37) Marc’s ADHD diagnosis at 16

(13:03) Fully understanding his ADHD in his early 20s

(15:43) How did Marc “marry” his ADHD?

(17:03) What are some of the signs of ADHD that men overlook the most?

(17:52) Creating the ADHD Men’s support group, and what’s next

(19:53) How to reframe a negative self talk cycle

For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! show page on Understood.org. 

We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at [email protected] or record a message for us here.

Understood is a nonprofit where millions of people who are navigating neurodivergence find clear guidance, practical tools, and people who get it. To help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/podcast-donate.

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Laura Mears-Reynolds had reached a breaking point with anxiety and depression—until she realized something deeper was going on. She didn’t feel safe in her own hands, and she knew she needed help. What she didn’t know? ADHD was at the root of it all.

The UK-based host of the ADHD AF podcast joins ADHD Aha! to share how understanding her brain finally helped her shed shame, find self-acceptance, and build a thriving community. Her message is clear: You’re not broken—and you’re definitely not alone.

Related resources

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• Laura’s podcast and community website, adhdasfemales.com
• ADHD and depression
• ADHD and anxiety

Timestamps

(02:37) The most ADHD thing that’s happened this week

(03:29) Laura’s ADHD diagnosis story, and crisis point

(07:20) Identifying as naive and overly trusting

(10:18) Laura’s ADHD “aha” moments

(13:02) A constant level of chaos, and assuming (what ended up being) ADHD symptoms were from partying a lot

(15:18) The “little” ADHD things that add up and cause shame

(17:27) Struggling with the “ADHD superpower” narrative

(19:50) How would life have been different with an earlier diagnosis?

(21:21) How Laura’s life has changed since her diagnosis, and creating the ADHD AF podcast

For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! show page on Understood.org. 

We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at [email protected] or record a message for us here. 

Understood is a nonprofit where millions of people who are navigating neurodivergence find clear guidance, practical tools, and people who get it. To help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/podcast-donate.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nikki Daye, a school psychologist and ADHD advocate, grew up in the foster care system. She was diagnosed with ADHD as a child, but her medical records were eventually lost. As she got older, her ADHD diagnosis wasn’t considered. Instead, her symptoms were misdiagnosed as anxiety, PTSD, and bipolar disorder. 

While her ADHD diagnosis was “lost in translation,” Nikki spent a lot of time feeling misunderstood and unsupported. It wasn’t until adulthood that she finally got the clarity she needed. Now, she’s using her experience to advocate for kids with ADHD, including her own daughter.

Related resources

• 6 ways ADHD and PTSD can look alike
• ADHD and trauma

Timestamps

(01:18) Nikki’s first ADHD diagnosis as a teenager

(03:30) Nikki’s experience with echolalia 

(05:27) ADHD treatment, speculating other diagnoses, and medical records being lost while in foster care

(09:11) “Aging out” of her ADHD diagnosis, and coming back to it

(15:08) Nikki’s intersectional “aha” moments 

(20:33) Nikki’s work helping kids like her, and her daughter

For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! show page on Understood.org. 

We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at [email protected] or record a message for us here. 

Understood is a nonprofit where millions of people who are navigating neurodivergence find clear guidance, practical tools, and people who get it. To help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/podcast-donate.

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Shane Thrapp always felt different. As an adult, he found out he has both ADHD and autism — two parts of his brain that sometimes work against each other. 

In this episode, Shane shares the weight of masking his symptoms, and how society’s ideas about “real men” can make it even harder to speak up. Today, Shane is helping other men with ADHD as the Operations Director of the Men’s ADHD Support Group. He’s on a mission to show that being yourself shows more strength than pretending to be someone you’re not.

Related resources

• What is AuDHD?
• The Men’s ADHD Support Group

Timestamps

(01:19) Shane’s ADHD and autism diagnoses story

(05:48) The three-way battle between ADHD and autism

(09:12) How is Shane as a boss? 

(10:21) Learning social cues, trying on identities, and societal expectations

(15:04) The Men’s ADHD Support Group, and building a community that supports each other in healthy ways

(18:34) The biggest misconceptions about men with ADHD

(21:38) Building a world that’s better for his children

For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! Show page on Understood.org. 

We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at [email protected] or record a message for us here. 

Understood is a nonprofit where millions of people who are navigating neurodivergence find clear guidance, practical tools, and people who get it. To help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/podcast-donate.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Danielle Elliot was considering breaking up with her partner...and then he broke up with her first. Danielle had a “big, out of character” reaction: By 4am that night she was packed and ready to leave. The whole experience left her feeling unsettled. Why had she reacted that way? That sparked a deep dive into rejection sensitivity and ADHD.

Danielle is a health and science journalist who’s now asking a bigger question: Why are so many women being diagnosed with ADHD — and why now?

She explores this in Understood.org’s new limited-series podcast, Climbing the Walls. Listen to Danielle’s personal story here — then check out Climbing the Walls on your podcast platform of choice. 

Related resources

• Listen to the Climbing the Walls podcast
• ADHD and rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD)
• ADHD breakups: Impulsive texts and overthinking regrets, from Sorry, I Missed This

Timestamps

(01:26) Danielle’s pandemic diagnosis after a strong reaction to a break up

(08:26) Danielle’s need to travel

(12:15) Danielle’s relationship with relationships, and rejection

(16:02) Hosting Understood.org’s Climbing the Walls podcast

For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! show page on Understood.org. 

We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at [email protected], or record a message for us here. 

Understood is a nonprofit where millions of people who are navigating neurodivergence find clear guidance, practical tools, and people who get it. To help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/podcast-donate.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.