ADHD Aha!

In 2016, Paulette Perhach wrote a piece proclaiming that all women need an emergency fund — what she calls an “f-off fund.” But when she struggled to secure an emergency fund for herself, she suspected she might have ADHD. Paulette, a successful author and writing coach, put off the evaluation because she couldn’t afford the $260 price tag.

In this episode of ADHD Aha!, Paulette talks about her trouble with impulse buying and online shopping. She shares her family’s history with money issues, including bankruptcy. And she and Laura have an emotional exchange about the ADHD tax.  

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the ADHD Aha! podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

• What is the ADHD tax?
• ADHD and managing money
• Paulette in the New York Times: “For women with money issues, an ADHD diagnosis can be revelatory” 
• See more of Paulette’s writing on her website.

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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As a child, David Flink was told to “just try harder.”  But David wasn’t lazy. He was trying as hard as he could.   

After being diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia in the 5th grade, David went to a school that taught him to “try smarter” instead. There he learned to pick paths that work better for his brain.   

Today, David is an author, advocate, and speaker. He’s also the founder and chief empowerment officer of Eye to Eye, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving experiences for students with learning differences. Host Laura Key and David discuss how Eye to Eye was born, and bust some age-old ADHD myths.   

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the ADHD Aha! podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

• David’s article, “Why just try harder” is a myth
• How having mentors can help kids who learn and think differently
• Eye to Eye’s website

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.

Peter Jones used to feel better about saying he had a hearing problem rather than considering ADHD. When he was a child in the 90s, adults thought his “listening problem” was because he couldn’t hear. Turns out, Peter does have some trouble hearing lower frequencies, but that didn’t explain his other symptoms.  

Now, Peter knows he has ADHD and is not afraid to say it. On this episode, Host Laura Key and Peter discuss what it means when a child is “listening,” and how auditory processing comes into play.  

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the ADHD Aha! podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

• The difference between auditory processing disorder and ADHD
• What’s the difference between inattention and distractibility?
• Why some kids don’t listen

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.

ADHD coach Emily Weinberg is no stranger to analysis paralysis. Before she was diagnosed, she thought she was just lazy, and that she couldn’t have ADHD since she wasn’t hyperactive. But whenever she was being “unproductive,” she was actually just frozen. She was stuck thinking about the list of things to do mounting in her head.

When she first spoke to a psychiatrist about ADHD, Emily was told that “she just seemed like an anxious mom with young kids.” So her ADHD was missed, which happens for so many women. Since then, Emily has worked hard to understand herself better, and now she empowers others to do the same.

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the ADHD Aha! podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

• ADHD and “analysis paralysis”
• ADHD and the myth of laziness
• Emily’s ADHD coaching website, ADHDwithemily.com

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.

Growing up, Carol Blumenstein was labeled an unteachable student. She was terrified to read during class, and school only brought huge anxiety. Luckily, her mom believed in her in a way teachers didn’t. She put Carol in community college courses and pushed her to turn her frustration into motivation.

Carol didn’t know she had ADHD and dyslexia until she saw her own children — all five of them — struggle with the same things she did when she was little. But this time the issues were addressed and they were understood by their teachers.

Now, Carol’s kids have founded their own organization, KidsRead2Kids, which provides free video audiobooks read by kids for kids and other helpful resources.

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the ADHD Aha! podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

• Video: Why do ADHD and dyslexia co-occur so often?
• Dyslexia and anxiety in kids
• ADHD and anxiety
• Carol’s family’s organization, KidsRead2Kids

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.

Back when he was a criminal defense lawyer, Ernest Anemone related to one of his clients: An impulsive, irritable teenage boy who burned down the penalty box of a hockey rink. But what Ernie related to wasn’t just the ADHD behaviors. It was the teen’s feeling of having no control over his own life.  

Now, Ernie is an actor, filmmaker, and executive coach for Fortune 500 companies. Growing up, Ernie felt like he had no agency. He knew he didn’t have the type of focus society favored. But he was (and continues to be) good in a crisis. Ernie can focus — one could argue — when it really matters.

Also in this episode, the embarrassment and shame that comes with executive dysfunction. And is ADHD really an attention “deficit”?    

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the ADHD Aha! podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

• ADHD and hyperfocus
• Hyperactivity in teens with ADHD: What it can look like
• How attention works

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.

ADHD and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms can look similar in many ways. And together, they can morph into what guest Hannah Harris Green calls “a trauma ball of blame that’s hard to untangle.”

Hannah is a podcast producer, journalist, and writer who works in public radio. She talked about ADHD and PTSD on KCRW’s Bodies podcast, which she produced. (It’s an incredible episode. Link below.) She shares her ADHD diagnosis story here and talks about her Venn diagram of ADHD and PTSD behaviors (insomnia, trouble focusing, and more). Also in this episode: a “fall from grace” when school got harder. Plus, adding ADHD to an already layered identity.

Hannah’s episode on the Bodies podcast: https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/bodies/adhd-women-ptsd-executive-function-messy

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the ADHD Aha! podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

• 6 ways ADHD and PTSD can look alike
• ADHD and sleep problems in kids
• Hannah’s episode on the Bodies podcast
• Resources for sexual assault survivors at rainn.org

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.

Everyone with ADHD has trouble with executive function in some way — and these challenges can make the transition to adulthood especially hard.

Today, we’re sharing an episode of the In It podcast called “Adulting and executive function skills.” Clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Karen Wilson shares common executive function challenges young adults face in the real world. Get her expert advice on how to help young adults with ADHD cope with the demands of college or that first job.  

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the In It podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

• Life after high school: Tips to get your child ready
• Executive function challenges and learning: 6 ways to help your child after high school
• Everyday challenges for people who struggle with executive function

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 the hair twirling that always gives it away. After silently coping for years, Livingston Steele can spot the signs of ADHD, and the anxiety it can cause. He’d been working here at Understood.org for about a year when he was officially diagnosed.

Livingston talks about his perfectionism and what led him to get evaluated for ADHD. He also shares how ADHD helped him build empathy for his brothers (who also have ADHD), and for himself.

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the ADHD Aha! podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

• ADHD and perfectionism
• Is ADHD hereditary?
• ADHD and anxiety

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.

Need organization and decluttering tips? Wendy Zanders has tips for days. She also has ADHD. We don’t usually associate strong organization skills with ADHD. And yet, Wendy is a decluttering coach with ADHD. She moved to the United States from Trinidad and Tobago at 14. At first, she struggled to keep up with her classes. But then she discovered her secret weapon: hyperfocusing on cleaning to de-stress and bring focus to her school life.

Today, Wendy is a United States veteran, business owner, and mom of 2 kids who also have ADHD. When her son was being evaluated, she recognized her own symptoms in him. Find out how Wendy helps other families tackle clutter, and how having ADHD brings empathy to her work.

To find a transcript for this episode and more resources, visit the episode page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

• Check out Wendy’s website: yourdecluttercoach.com
• ADHD and messiness
• 4 ways I stay organized with ADHD

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.