Rae Jacobson has been friends with Katherine Martinelli since they were 6. In the classroom, they were polar opposites: Katherine, a star student; Rae, scrambling and struggling with then-undiagnosed ADHD and dyscalculia. 

As they grew older, they both became mothers and professional writers and editors. Rae got diagnosed and found the support and systems that worked for her. 

When, well into their 30s, Katherine called to say she'd been diagnosed with ADHD, Rae was shocked: “My queen of competence has ADHD?”

On this episode of Hyperfocus, Rae digs into what made her and Katherine’s ADHD experiences so vastly different. 

Related resources

• ADHD and women: The essentials
• “Understood Explains” podcast: ADHD diagnosis in adults
• How ADHD is diagnosed in adults
• “In It” podcast: When your child’s diagnosis leads to your own (podcast)

Timestamps

• (03:56) Martinelli’s diagnosis
• (07:27) Memories of Rae in school
• (11:39) Hyperfocusing and other early signs
• (15:39) “Am I an ADHD imposter?”

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the Hyperfocus podcast page at Understood.org

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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

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