We’re running a survey to see how podcasts help women with ADHD learn about mental health and health-related topics. Make your voice heard today.

A lot of adults with a late ADHD diagnosis can look back on their childhood and see clear signs that they had ADHD. But, it just didn’t get noticed at the time. It can be painful to think about where we would be if we’d had the diagnosis earlier.

This week on Tips from an ADHD Coach, Jaye talks about how it can be common for late-diagnosed adults, especially women, to feel overlooked, misunderstood, and somewhat cheated out of the life they could have had. Listen for some tips to help you through this grief.  

Related resources

• How do I emotionally prepare for ADHD diagnosis?
• ADHD in girls
• The 3 types of ADHD

Timestamps

(00:35) Alexis’ quote

(03:06) Why do women so often have their ADHD missed in childhood?

(07:15) What about the people whose siblings were diagnosed in childhood, but they were not?

(10:44) What can we do?

(14:01) Recap

For a transcript and more resources, visit the MissUnderstood page on Understood.

Have a challenge you’d like Jaye to talk about in an episode? Email or send a voice memo to us at [email protected].

Understood 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

We’re running a survey to see how podcasts help women with ADHD learn about mental health and health-related topics. Make your voice heard today.

People with ADHD can often get a bad rap for being “bad listeners.” So, instead of actually listening, we’re often focusing on: Do they know I'm listening? Am I making enough eye contact? Do I look engaged?

Host Cate Osborn chats with Understood.org Vice President of Expertise and licensed therapist Sarah Greenberg about  the listening strengths and weaknesses that can come with ADHD. They also unpack different modes of listening like listening to understand, listening to solve, and listening to connect.

Related resources

• How attention works
• From the ADHD Aha! podcast, “Why don’t you listen?” Paying attention vs. hearing (Peter’s story)

Timestamps

(00:41) Feeling self-conscious about our ability to listen with ADHD

(05:56) Different modes of listening

(07:40) Figuring out our listening strengths and weaknesses

(14:32) Anecdotal communication

(16:48) Asking what a person needs out of a conversation

(21:47) What can we do?

For a transcript and more resources, visit the Sorry, I Missed This page on Understood.org.

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

Understood 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

We’re running a survey to see how podcasts help women with ADHD learn about mental health and health-related topics. Make your voice heard today.

Hormonal changes during menopause can make managing ADHD symptoms more challenging, and their impact can vary from woman to woman.

In this episode, Dr. Monica Johnson breaks down the connection between ADHD and menopause. Hear how these two factors interact and influence each other. And get practical strategies for how to manage this life change. 

To get a transcript and check out more episodes, visit the MissUnderstood episode page at Understood.

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

Related resources

• A guide to hormones and ADHD
• ADHD and: Hormones

Timestamps

(00:38) What is menopause?

(06:59) How to manage menopause and ADHD

Understood 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

We’re running a survey to see how podcasts help women with ADHD learn about mental health and health-related topics. Make your voice heard today.

We’re back with another episode from our Hyperfocus field trip to San Diego. While we were at the APSARD (American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders) conference, one of the talks that really piqued our interest was on genetics and neurodevelopmental disorders, including ADHD. 

Genetic science is tough to understand. And, as you’ll hear in this interview, we had a lot to learn and a lot of questions. Is ADHD genetic? And if it is, what does that mean for people who have it? What does it mean for treatment? 

Luckily, Dr. Anne Arnett, a scientist at Boston Children’s Hospital and assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical school, was kind enough to brave a chilly, windy outdoor recording. In this conversation, she help us understand more about what we know (and what we don’t) about ADHD and genetics. 

Related resources

• Video: Dyscalculia, dyslexia, and genetics
• Can genetic testing help me find the right ADHD medication?
• Is ADHD hereditary?
• ADHD runs in the family (Michelle’s story)
• The Arnett Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital

Timestamps

(2:01) Is ADHD genetic?

(8:28) Genetic vs. environmental factors and ADHD co-morbidities

(11:50) What does the latest research mean for people with ADHD?

(13:55) Is there genetic testing for ADHD?

(18:56) Why bother with early detection?  

(21:44) Anne’s goals for her research

For a transcript and more resources, visit the Hyperfocus page on Understood.

We’d love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected].

Understood 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

We’re running a survey to see how podcasts help women with ADHD learn about mental health and health-related topics. Make your voice heard today.

People with ADHD have likely had to apologize for their ADHD traits more than once. So, it can be easy to fall into a habit of saying sorry all the time out of shame. Even before someone has brought up that we’ve done anything wrong.

This week on Tips from an ADHD Coach, Jaye talks about how people with ADHD, especially women, can fall into the habit of apologizing too much. Listen for some tips on how to turn these knee-jerk “sorries” into positive statements that explain what we really mean to say.

Related resources

• ADHD and feelings of remorse
• ADHD and shame

Timestamps

(00:34) Jordan’s quote

(02:46) Apologizing for how we show up in the world with ADHD

(04:48) Protecting ourselves by saying sorry before confronted

(07:25) What can we do to avoid saying sorry all the time?

(11:33) Recap

For a transcript and more resources, visit the MissUnderstood page on Understood.org

Have a challenge you’d like Jaye to talk about in an episode? Email or send a voice memo to us at [email protected].

Understood 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

We’re running a survey to see how podcasts help women with ADHD learn about mental health and health-related topics. Make your voice heard today.

Without community, ADHD can feel isolating and shameful. Like you’re the only one facing these challenges and “can’t get it together.” Community provides a space to share the wins and the embarrassing moments. And it can be especially helpful for women processing late diagnoses.

Host of the ADHDAF podcast and UK ADHD community builder, Laura Mears-Reynolds, visits the show to talk about how sharing experiences with others can ease shame, and create support. 

Related resources

• adhdasfemales.com
• The ADHD Women subreddit
• ADHD Support for Women by Understood.org’s Facebook group

Timestamps

(00:57) How do we find value in a community with ADHD?

(03:58) How did Laura get started building the ADHDAF community?

(09:39) Feeling alone in what you’re facing without community

(14:36) Being compassionate with others helps us be compassionate with ourselves

(18:14) Feeling isolated with ADHD

(19:56) How do I find community? How do I build it myself?

For a transcript and more resources, visit the MissUnderstood page on Understood.org

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

Understood 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

We’re running a survey to see how podcasts help women with ADHD learn about mental health and health-related topics. Make your voice heard today.

As women get older, they often notice changes in their body and mind that can be difficult to adjust to. And for women with ADHD, these changes can be even more challenging.

In this episode, Dr. Monica Johnson breaks down how ADHD uniquely impacts women as they age. Listen as she offers valuable insights on how to thrive with ADHD at any stage of life. And find out how small changes can lead to big improvements in daily well-being.

Related resources 

• ADHD and menopause
• A guide to hormones and ADHD
• ADHD and: Hormones

Timestamps

(00:41) What happens to the ADHD brain as you age? 

(03:35) How ADHD impacts aging in women

(06:53) How to manage challenges of aging

For a transcript of this episode and more resources, visit the MissUnderstood episode page on Understood.org.

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

Understood 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

We’re running a survey to see how podcasts help women with ADHD learn about mental health and health-related topics. Make your voice heard today.

Earlier this year, Hyperfocus took a field trip to San Diego for an ADHD conference called APSARD, which stands for the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (quite a mouthful).

A conference of ADHD professionals might not sound fascinating, but it was — and we learned a ton. But there was one person and one talk I really wanted to find: A keynote speech about how ADHD affects women’s bodies by Dr. Sandra Kooij. 

What Sandra is doing is something so sensible and radical: Looking at ADHD as a whole-body issue. Digging into how it can affect women’s hormones, our health, and especially our hearts. 

I find Sandra’s research fascinating and was thrilled when she agreed to sit down for a conversation with me. We didn’t waste any time and quickly set up a makeshift studio for this week’s episode of Hyperfocus. 

Also, a quick note on the audio this week: We had to record this episode outside the conference hotel, on a bustling patio full of ADHD professionals and some noisy birds. So, please forgive the extraneous sounds. 

Related resources

• MissUnderstood: The ADHD in Women Channel
• Did my ADHD make me more likely to have postpartum depression?
• ADHD Powerbank: Sandra’s video platform
• The Head, Heart, Hormones foundation (in dutch with translations) 
• Prevalence of hormone-related mood disorder symptoms in women with ADHD 
• The heart health and ADHD connection

Timestamps

(4:07) Swedish registry study data on diseases in people with ADHD

(7:06) ADHD and hormones  

(13:56) Cardiovascular disease in women

(20:21) Talking to your doctor about diseases related to ADHD

For a transcript of this episode and more resources, visit the Hyperfocus page on Understood.org.

We’d love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected]

Understood 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

Everyone tries out different hobbies from time to time. With ADHD, the intensity of these interests, and the number of interests we’ve abandoned, tend to be higher. 

This week on Tips from an ADHD Coach, Jaye talks about how people with ADHD might go hard on new interests and hobbies, then lose interest and move on to another one. Listen for some tips on how to combat the shame that can come with this.

Related resources

• What is the ADHD tax?

Timestamps

(00:46) Alex’s quote

(02:30) Why people with ADHD try and abandon hobbies often

(07:11) Comparing our work to others

(08:09) Monetizing hobbies

(09:33) Feeling guilty and ashamed about abandoning hobbies

(10:28) What can we do if we’ve had a history of abandoned hobbies?  

(13:58) Recap 

For a transcript and more resources, visit the MissUnderstood page on Understood.

Have a challenge you’d like Jaye to talk about in an episode? Email or send a voice memo to us at [email protected].

Understood 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

A lot of shame can come up when a person with ADHD is confronted about a mistake they’ve made. They might start to spiral into bad feelings, and negative self-talk, when really the person bringing up the mistake most likely wants to repair their relationship, and even strengthen their bond.

Host Cate Osborn chats to ADHD coach Jaye Lin about why this happens, and what we can do to “reverse the train” to stop the spiral. Jaye is the host of another show on the MissUnderstood podcast channel, Tips from an ADHD Coach. 

Related resources

• The MissUnderstood podcast channel (where you can find Jaye’s podcast, Tips from an ADHD Coach)
• ADHD and: Shame
• ADHD and emotions

Timestamps

(00:41) Being scared of making mistakes or showing ADHD traits

(04:38) “Reversing the train” instead of spiraling when someone brings up a mistake we’ve made

(08:23) Slipping into the shame spiral easily

(11:28) Directly addressing the damage caused by your actions, intentional or not

(15:51) The element of repair

(16:30) Perfectionism and internalized judgement

(20:28) Rejection sensitivity and how we react to things

(23:19) The “scary moment” when someone brings up your mistake

(25:55) Jaye’s last piece of advice

For a transcript and more resources, visit the Sorry, I Missed This page on Understood.

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

Understood 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