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. 

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Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give