I had the pleasure of sitting down with actress, singer, songwriter, and filmmaker Bethany Joy Lenz to discuss her journey with ADHD. Bethany opened up about how she went undiagnosed until adulthood and the relief she finally felt once she understood how her brain worked differently.

In our conversation, Bethany opens up about living undiagnosed for so long, pushing through challenges on willpower alone, and the incredible relief she felt once she understood how her brain worked differently. Even with a packed schedule juggling acting, music, a lifestyle newspaper, podcast, and motherhood, Bethany has found more peace and success by learning how to manage her ADHD. She shares her story so others may see themselves and know they are not alone. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Bethany Joy Lenz is best known for playing Haley James Scott on One Tree Hill. Since the show, she has continued acting while also pursuing music and creative projects like her lifestyle newspaper Modern Vintage News.

Episode Highlights

[01:52] - How Bethany discovered she likely had ADHD.

[03:16] - The relief of diagnosis after years of feeling something was wrong.

[04:46] - Bethany got an official diagnosis 6 months after self-diagnosing.

[05:30] - How medication helped Bethany's focus and feeling overwhelmed.

[07:19] - Playing to strengths and not beating yourself up over weaknesses.

[08:39] - Being careful with medication due to addiction history.

[09:30] - Managing friend expectations and communicating neurodivergence.

[13:00] - ADHD symptoms can look so different yet still recognize each other.

[15:30] - Never struggled to memorize scripts thanks to hyperfocus.

[18:37] - Remembering facts/data hard because of dyscalculia.

[19:52] - Timers, limits, scheduling help juggle everything.

[22:26] - High control groups prey on neurodivergent people.

[27:55] - Hard to distinguish narcissist traits vs ADHD challenges.

[31:57] - Brooke’s EMDR experience and feeling emotions.

[35:35] - Compartmentalizing emotions when acting vs everyday life.

[38:07] - What Bethany's cooking: Modern Vintage Newspaper and ‘Strawberries’ Song.

Connect with Bethany Joy Lenz:

·         Modern Vintage News Lifestyle Newspaper: https://www.modernvintagenews.com/ 

·         Drama Queens Podcast

·         Strawberries Song

·         Instagram: @msbethanyjoylenz and @modernvintagenews

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Successful with ADHD. If you enjoyed this conversation, please +FOLLOW the podcast on your favorite platform and leave a review to let us know your thoughts.

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