Episode SummaryLiving with ADHD can affect far more than focus and productivity. It can influence anxiety, emotional well-being, relationships, nutrition, body image, and the ability to stay consistent with everyday goals. In this episode of Still Glowing Podcast, host Londelia McCoy-Scott sits down with Ashley Peterson, LPC, ADHD-CCSP, founder of Ashley Peterson Counseling Services and Millennial Eclectic Therapy, to explore ADHD, anxiety, stress, weight management, and body confidence.
Ashley explains how ADHD can present differently in adults and why it can often go undiagnosed in women. She discusses the connection between ADHD, anxiety, and depression, explaining how executive dysfunction, difficulty completing tasks, and negative self-talk can create a cycle that leaves people feeling overwhelmed or like they're not doing enough.
The conversation also explores Ashley's Millennial Eclectic Therapy framework and why traditional mental health approaches need to account for the realities of modern life, including social media, dating apps, constant connectivity, and technology. Ashley shares why understanding the whole person is essential and how psychoeducation can help people separate their diagnosis from their identity.
Ashley and Londelia also discuss the relationship between ADHD and weight management, including impulsive eating, dopamine-seeking behaviors, food noise, meal preparation, and the challenges of staying consistent. Rather than striving for perfection, Ashley encourages women to understand who they actually are, build systems that support their needs, and give themselves grace when things don't go perfectly.
They also explore how hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause can overlap with ADHD symptoms, anxiety, depression, and brain fog, making it difficult to know what's really happening. Ashley emphasizes the importance of working with qualified professionals who can properly assess symptoms, rule out other causes, and create an appropriate treatment plan.
Whether you're navigating ADHD, anxiety, body image concerns, menopause, or simply struggling to keep up with everything life demands, this conversation offers practical and compassionate insight into creating sustainable systems, accepting yourself, and learning to work with your brain instead of constantly fighting against it.
What You'll Learn- What ADHD looks like in both children and adults
- Why ADHD can go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed in women
- How ADHD, anxiety, and depression can create a cycle of overwhelm
- Why executive dysfunction is often mistaken for laziness or a lack of motivation
- How social media and technology are changing modern mental health
- What Millennial Eclectic Therapy is and why Ashley created it
- How to separate your diagnosis from your identity
- Why psychoeducation is an important part of ADHD treatment
- How ADHD can affect eating habits, food choices, and weight management
- Why meal preparation can reduce decision fatigue and impulsive eating
- How to build realistic systems around your individual ADHD needs
- How hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause can affect ADHD symptoms
- Why brain fog, anxiety, and depression can sometimes overlap with ADHD symptoms
- When it's important to seek professional assessment instead of self-diagnosing
- How chronic anxiety can influence body image and self-perception
- Why social media comparison can increase body insecurity
- How to recognize and reduce triggers that feed anxiety and insecurity
- Why perfection isn't necessary for sustainable progress
- How accepting your neurodivergence can make it easier to create effective strategies
- Practical ways to manage time blindness, distraction, and “side quests”
- Why giving yourself grace can be part of creating lasting change
About Ashley PetersonAshley Peterson, LPC, ADHD-CCSP is a licensed professional counselor and Certified ADHD Clinical Services Provider who specializes in ADHD, anxiety, depression, stress, neurodivergence, relationships, and identity. She is the founder of Ashley Peterson Counseling Services and creator of Millennial Eclectic Therapy, an integrative therapeutic framework designed to address the realities of modern life, including technology, social media, identity, and changing relationship dynamics. Her approach focuses on treating the whole person through personalized, culturally responsive, and practical care.
Connect with Ashley- Website: Ashley Peterson Counseling Services
- Millennial Eclectic Therapy: Millennial Eclectic Therapy
- Psychology Today: Ashley Peterson Counseling Services
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Still Glowing Podcast — conversations about body confidence, aging, healing, hormones, and what it truly means to feel at home in your body.
