I Have ADHD Podcast

Have you ever told someone you have ADHD…only for them to question whether you really do?

In this episode, I’m talking about what happens when our diagnoses, experiences, emotions, and even our own understanding of ourselves are repeatedly invalidated.

I recently learned about traumatic invalidation—when your environment repeatedly communicates that your emotions, experiences, or characteristics are unreasonable, unacceptable, or wrong. And WOW did this hit home.

For so many of us with ADHD, being questioned about our diagnosis isn’t an isolated experience. It lands on top of years of being told we’re too sensitive, lazy, dramatic, not trying hard enough, or just need to “apply ourselves.”

We’re talking about validation, self-trust, why you may constantly feel like you have to defend yourself, and how to decide who is safe enough to receive your vulnerability.

Most importantly: your diagnosis and lived experience are not up for a vote.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Want help with your ADHD? Join FOCUSED!

Have questions for Kristen? Call 1.833.281.2343

Hang out with Kristen on Instagram and TikTok

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Love this clip? Check out the full episode: Episode #404: There’s No Rush: Getting Out of Fight-or-Flight with Jenna Free

Listen to the full conversation in the original episode HERE.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What if the problem isn’t that you need better boundaries…but that you keep pretending you don’t have limits?

In this coaching conversation, I’m talking with Claire, a children’s book illustrator who has spent years saying yes to too much, working nights and weekends, relying on hyperfocus to get everything done, and eventually burning herself out.

We unpack why ADHD hyperfocus isn’t always the “superpower” people make it out to be—and how constantly overriding your own capacity can cost you your health, relationships, creativity, and trust in yourself.

We also talk about the beliefs we inherit from our families about work, success, money, and rest—and what it looks like to consciously break the agreements that no longer serve us.

If you’re constantly overcommitting now and assuming Future You will somehow figure it out, this conversation is for you.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Want help with your ADHD? Join FOCUSED!

Have questions for Kristen? Call 1.833.281.2343

Hang out with Kristen on Instagram and TikTok

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Love this clip? Check out the full episode: Episode #402: When Traditional Parenting Fails: Raising Strong-Willed Kids

Listen to the full conversation in the original episode HERE.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With You’re Not in Trouble getting ready to make its way into the world, I am feeling the vulnerability that comes with putting so much of myself into a book. So instead of waiting for people to “find her out,” I'm putting it all on the table.

I share five things you may not know about me—from unconventional choices I've made to support my ADHD, to my Christian faith and complicated feelings about homeschooling, to the questions I have about the connection between ADHD and trauma.

And then there’s the one I've never shared publicly before: I wrote a book about healthy relationships…and haven't spoken to my parents in more than three years.

This is a vulnerable conversation about ADHD, trauma, faith, family, estrangement, relationships, and what it means to stop hiding the parts of yourself you’re afraid others might judge.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Want help with your ADHD? Join FOCUSED!

Have questions for Kristen? Call 1.833.281.2343

Hang out with Kristen on Instagram and TikTok

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Love this clip? Check out the full episode: Episode #400: Too Many Ideas, Not Enough Follow-Through? Listen to This

Listen to the full conversation in the original episode HERE.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when you stop trying to force your ADHD brain to function like everyone else’s?

In this live Q&A episode, Kristen answers listener questions about some of the messiest parts of life with ADHD: perfectionism, working memory, parenting, emotional regulation, self-forgiveness, relationships, burnout, and the pressure to “do it all.”

Kristen explains why perfectionism can actually be a form of self-protection, why you need to stop expecting your brain to remember everything, and how making things easier for yourself isn’t cheating—it’s smart ADHD accommodation.

She also dives into the importance of self-compassion when you don’t follow through, why supporting your own ADHD is essential when parenting an ADHD child, and why she firmly rejects the idea that ADHD is a “superpower.”

ADHD can be deeply impairing. Naming that reality doesn’t diminish your strengths—it gives you an explanation for your struggles and a roadmap for getting the support you deserve.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Want help with your ADHD? Join FOCUSED!

Have questions for Kristen? Call 1.833.281.2343

Hang out with Kristen on Instagram and TikTok

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Love this clip? Check out the full episode: Episode #398: Virgin River’s Benjamin Hollingsworth Opens Up About ADHD for the First Time Ever

Listen to the full conversation in the original episode HERE.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when two ADHDers sit down with almost no agenda and start talking? You get a little bit of everything—and somehow, it all comes back to ADHD.

Kristen is joined by longtime FOCUSED member Matt Ciciarelli for a candid conversation about the very real (and sometimes hilarious) ways ADHD shows up in everyday life.

They get into using AI as an ADHD support tool, the difference between asking for help and outsourcing your thinking, finding a career that actually works with your ADHD brain, and why hyperfocus seems readily available for the things we WANT to do…but disappears when something feels heavy, boring, or shame-filled.

Matt also shares what he’s learned about work, finances, gluten-free living, and finally finding a job that fits his brain.

Plus, Kristen and Matt react to the controversial documentary The Great ADHD Myth.

It’s honest, funny, a little chaotic—and very ADHD.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Want help with your ADHD? Join FOCUSED!

Have questions for Kristen? Call 1.833.281.2343

Hang out with Kristen on Instagram and TikTok

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If overwhelm makes you want to shut down, hide, procrastinate—or somehow try to do everything at once—this episode is for you.

Kristen breaks down why ADHD overwhelm isn’t simply a productivity problem and why “trying harder” or finally getting caught up usually doesn’t create the relief we’re looking for.

You’ll learn how ADHD impacts your capacity, executive functioning, emotional regulation, and nervous system—and why all of that can make everyday life feel like 10 things are screaming at you at the same volume.

Kristen also introduces the first step of her STOP Method: See What’s Happening. Instead of immediately trying to fix your overwhelm, you’ll learn how to recognize what’s happening without piling on shame, judgment, or blame.

See it. Don’t solve it.

Want to go deeper? Kristen is teaching the full STOP Method throughout September inside FOCUSED, her monthly ADHD coaching membership.

Learn more and join at ihaveadhd.com/focused.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.