Episode 177 with Ali Barton.

“When I have gut feelings about things, you can't change my mind. It drives other people bonkers, but I trust my gut deeply.”

Ali is a licensed mental health counselor in private practice just outside of Boston. She works primarily with women in their 20s through 50s, with ADHD, anxiety, disordered eating/eating disorders, parenting stressors, and relational conflicts. She is also a mom of two children with ADHD, and is passionate about advocating for more awareness around neurodiversity. 

We talk about the different presentations of ADHD in women, and how Ali’s sister, Emily, helped her discover her own ADHD. We also talk about Ali’s life-threatening health challenges during her pregnancy, her heart transplant 5 months after her first child was born, and the book about the experience. In retrospect, she realizes that her issues with executive function (especially cognitive flexibility) are what helped her decide to remain pregnant and give birth to her son. 

We discuss how Ali’s work with clients has changed since her own diagnosis, and we talk about trusting your gut feelings and intuition, even when others may not understand.

Website: allisonbartonlmhc.com

Links & Resources:

• Against Doctor’s Orders by Ali Weinberg Barton
• Episode 122 with Emily Weinberg

- - - - - 

Episode Sponsor:

Llama Life now has an iOS app! Llama Life is a simple and flexible way to keep you focused throughout your day. Download the new iOS app for a free trial and start enjoying that llama life for yourself!

- - - - - 

Episode edited by E Podcast Productions

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

- - - - -

Small group coaching with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

- - - - -

Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

- - - - -

Order the “Hey, it’s ADHD!” course: www.womenandadhd.com/adhdcourse

- - - - -

Did you love this episode? Click here to pledge a one-time donation to the podcast!

- - - - -

If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD and you’d like to apply to be a guest on this podcast, visit womenandadhd.com/podcastguest.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/women-and-adhd/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Episode 176 with Dr. Amy Marschall.

“We tend to frame neurodivergence not as ‘How are you doing?” but ‘What problems are you causing for the adults around you?’ If you’re not causing problems, then you must be fine.”

Dr. Marschall has been a licensed psychologist since 2016. She’s a clinical advisor for ADHD Online, and currently owns a private practice, RMH-Therapy. Her clinical specializations include trauma-informed care, neurodiversity-affirming care, rural mental health, and telemental health.

Dr. Marschall is the author of several books, including her most recent children’s book about Slipper, a neurodivergent penguin, and the soon-to-be-released A Clinicians Guide to Supporting Autistic Clients.

We discuss what the term “neurodiversity affirming” means when it comes to the treatment of Autism and ADHD, and we discuss the ways in which Dr. Marschall is working to make elemental health more accessible for neurodivergent clients.

We talk about some of the challenges she faced when seeking her own diagnosis of Autism a few years ago, and we talk about the current and future landscape of telemental health, and how to find accessible, ethical online therapy.

Website: resiliencymentalhealth.com

Twitter: @DrAmyPsyD

Links & Resources:

• Slipper the Penguin: A Story About Embracing Neurodivergence by Dr. Amy Marschall
• Dr. Marschall's Slipper stuffies on Etsy
• Pre-order A Clinicians Guide to Supporting Autistic Clients by Dr. Amy Marschall
• Read Dr. Marschall’s blog about North Dakota’s Autism database
• Follow Supernova Momma
• A Change for Better

- - - - - 

Episode Sponsor:

Llama Life now has an iOS app! Llama Life is a simple and flexible way to keep you focused throughout your day. Download the new iOS app for a free trial and start enjoying that llama life for yourself!

- - - - - 

Episode edited by E Podcast Productions

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

- - - - -

Small group coaching with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

- - - - -

Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

- - - - -

Order the “Hey, it’s ADHD!” course: www.womenandadhd.com/adhdcourse

- - - - -

Did you love this episode? Click here to pledge a one-time donation to the podcast!

- - - - -

If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD and you’d like to apply to be a guest on this podcast, visit womenandadhd.com/podcastguest.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/women-and-adhd/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Episode 175 with Connie Tu.

“In many ways I miss my old mask because it worked for so many years. This new mask is taking a lot of work to build.”

Connie lives in Bradford in Northern England and has spent the last 10 years as a skilled body artist in the medium of natural henna and ethically-sourced jagua. She received a dual diagnosis of Autism and ADHD about a year ago. 

Connie was one of my Instagram followers who answered my call for “regular” guests because she definitely didn’t see herself as an ADHD success story. She is currently trying to run her creative business, while parenting two neurodivergent teens and maintaining her marriage. 

We talk about her journey to diagnosis and her experiences with untangling her internalized ableism. Connie also talks about her experiences with PDA (pathological demand avoidance), childhood masking, feeling different, and the pressure to be white passing. And we discuss the pressure to model healthy emotional regulation as parents of neurodivergent teens.

And, inspired by Sonny Jane Wise’s new book “We’re All Neurodiverse,” Connie makes the case for renaming ADHD to “capitalistically challenged” — and I’m definitely here for it!

Website: createdbyconnie.co.uk

Instagram: @createdbyconnie

Links & Resources:

Connie’s Caught Red-Handed Podcast episode

We're All Neurodiverse by Sonny Jane Wise

- - - - - 

Episode edited by E Podcast Productions

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

- - - - -

Small group coaching with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

- - - - -

Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

- - - - -

Order the “Hey, it’s ADHD!” course: www.womenandadhd.com/adhdcourse

- - - - -

Did you love this episode? Click here to pledge a one-time donation to the podcast!

- - - - -

If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD and you’d like to apply to be a guest on this podcast, visit womenandadhd.com/podcastguest.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/women-and-adhd/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Episode 174 with Yasemin Bahar.

“One of the great things about being neurodivergent is thinking outside the box and questioning things. When you're told ’2 + 2 = 4,’ you ask why. Why is it not 5?”

Yasemin is a female-assigned intersex person living in Turkey. They have their BA & MA in psychology, and they co-founded the İnter Dayanışma Türkiye (Inter Solidarity Turkey) initiative, which focuses on personal empowerment and professional development for intersex individuals in Turkey.

We talk about the high rate of ADHD among intersex adults, and we discuss some of the commonalities of feeling “othered” and living outside of societal norms. We also discuss our theories as to why neurodivergent thinkers tend to think outside the box and how this may or may not relate to the prevalence of co-occurring mood disorders and gender nonconformity.

Website: interdayanisma.org

Instagram: @interdayanisma

Links & Resources:

Mental Health of a Large Group of Adults With Disorders of Sex Development in Six European Countries

- - - - - 

Episode edited by E Podcast Productions

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

- - - - -

Small group coaching with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

- - - - -

Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

- - - - -

Order the “Hey, it’s ADHD!” course: www.womenandadhd.com/adhdcourse

- - - - -

Did you love this episode? Click here to pledge a one-time donation to the podcast!

- - - - -

If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD and you’d like to apply to be a guest on this podcast, visit womenandadhd.com/podcastguest.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/women-and-adhd/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Episode 173 with Cynthia Hammer.

“Why are we being diagnosed at 50 with a condition we’ve had since birth? We need better ways to diagnose it sooner.”

Cynthia was diagnosed with inattentive ADHD in 1992 when she was 49. At the time, she thought she was the only adult in the U.S. who had this disorder, but quickly learned she was not alone. She founded ADD Resources, a non-profit organization that focused on helping adults recognize their ADHD and learn how to improve their lives, which she ran for 15 years before retiring. 

During the COVID lockdown at the age of 78, Cynthia wrote her first book, “Living with Inattentive ADHD: Climbing the Circular Staircase of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” and founded a new non-profit called the Inattentive ADHD Coalition. Creating this non-profit felt imperative to Cynthia after she learned that 30% of those with ADHD have inattentive presentation and they are significantly less likely to be diagnosed and treated in childhood.  

We talk about Cynthia’s journey to diagnosis and her commitment to educating families and doctors on the signs of inattentive ADHD in childhood and the importance of an early diagnosis and support systems that can help reduce the long-term negative impacts of undiagnosed ADHD.

At the age of 80, Cynthia is still out there tirelessly working to educate others about inattentive ADHD and achieve her goal of having all girls screened for ADHD before they finish the second grade. 

Did you go undiagnosed for too long and want to help others to have an earlier diagnosis? Head to iadhd.org/connect to volunteer with the Inattentive ADHD Coalition.

Website: www.iadhd.org

Instagram: @inattentiveadhdcoalition

Links & Resources:

Living with Inattentive ADHD: Climbing the Circular Staircase of Attention Deficit Disorder by Cynthia Hammer

Inattentive ADHD Coalition YouTube channel

Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale

- - - - - 

Episode edited by E Podcast Productions

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

- - - - -

Small group coaching with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

- - - - -

Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

- - - - -

Order the “Hey, it’s ADHD!” course: www.womenandadhd.com/adhdcourse

- - - - -

Did you love this episode? Click here to pledge a one-time donation to the podcast!

- - - - -

If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD and you’d like to apply to be a guest on this podcast, visit womenandadhd.com/podcastguest.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/women-and-adhd/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Episode 172 with Heather Jean Ransom.

“It feels so detached when I say ‘I have ADHD’ because it is part of me. I can't discern it from myself. I am ADHD.”

Heather Jean was born in England and now lives in Germany with her husband and two daughters. She was diagnosed last year with ADHD at the age of 47. 

We talk about her journey to diagnosis after a leave of absence due to chronic pain and fibromyalgia, and we discuss the frustrations many of us have felt describing our lived experience and endless rabbit-hole research findings to clinicians, only to discover we know much more than they do about neurodivergence and suddenly we’re in the position of having to convince the “expert” to take you seriously.

Heather Jean does an amazing job of describing what it’s like to have ADHD, Autism, and chronic pain. We talk about spoons and spoon theory — if you’re not familiar with the term, I’ve put a link in the episode show notes that gives a nice quick primer on the concept of spoons.

We also talk about alternative names for ADHD (Heather Jean and her daughter came up with some fantastic ones!) and the inherent difficulty in finding a name that accurately reflects the condition when so many of our experiences are so different from the DSM and from each other. 

And, of course, we talk about Scrat from Ice Age, who really should be the official ADHD mascot — you’ll love Heather Jean’s SCRAT acronym as an alternate name for ADHD!

Links & Resources:

Gemma Wilson: Chronic pain, fibromyalgia & ADHD

Pain and Prejudice: How the Medical System Ignores Women―And What We Can Do About It by Gabrielle Jackson

Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity by Devon Price

What Is Spoon Theory? (VeryWell Health)

The Spoon Theory by Christine Miserandino

- - - - -

Episode edited by E Podcast Productions

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

- - - - -

Small group coaching with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

- - - - -

Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

- - - - -

Order the “Hey, it’s ADHD!” course: www.womenandadhd.com/adhdcourse

- - - - -

Did you love this episode? Click here to pledge a one-time donation to the podcast!

- - - - -

If you are a woman diagnosed with ADHD and you’d like to apply to be a guest on this podcast, visit womenandadhd.com/podcastguest.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/women-and-adhd/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Episode 171 with Gilly Kahn.

“In school, my arms were constantly tattooed with pen marks and reminders. Post-it notes have been my friend since Day One.”

Gilly is a licensed clinical psychologist working in a private group practice in the Atlanta area. She specializes in individual and group therapy focusing on neurodiversity, anxiety, and depression in youth. 

Gilly gravitated toward working with children and teens with ADHD and Autism because, in her opinion, there is no better or wiser company. She eventually connected the dots in her own life and received an adult diagnosis of ADHD. She is now writing a book about ADHD and has recently started blogging for ADDitude Magazine.

Gilly and I talk about the crossover between ADHD and migraines, as well as the impact of ADHD on emotional regulation. We also talk about the struggles to recognize and quantify ADHD in girls, and how her practice as a psychologist has changed since her diagnosis.

Websites: Anxiety Specialists of Atlanta; ADDitude Magazine

Instagram: @drgillykahn

Links & Resources:

Migraine by Maria Konnikova

- - - - - 

Episode edited by E Podcast Productions

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

- - - - -

Small group coaching with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

- - - - -

Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

- - - - -

Order the “Hey, it’s ADHD!” course: www.womenandadhd.com/adhdcourse

- - - - -

Did you love this episode? Click here to pledge a one-time donation to the podcast!

- - - - -

If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD and you’d like to apply to be a guest on this podcast, visit womenandadhd.com/podcastguest.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/women-and-adhd/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Episode 170 with Lotta Borg Skoglund.

“We miss the girls. Then they grow up and struggle and scream until they finally get a diagnosis, only to get a prescription and get abandoned again.”

Lotta is a senior physician and associate professor of psychiatry at Uppsala University in Sweden. Lotta’s work centers on ADHD and women as well as how hormones impact the mental health of girls and women. She has authored several books, including “ADHD Girls to Women: Getting on the Radar,” which was released in English in 2023. 

Lotta has years of experience in healthcare, working in both primary care and specialized psychiatry, and her list of academic and professional accomplishments is a mile long. She helped to create the GODDESS ADHD research group, which stands for Gender-informed research to Overcome Diagnostic Delay and Emotional dysregulation through Self-awareness and Self-efficacy in female ADHD. She is also one of the founders of Letterlife, a science- and evidence-based app that provides girls and women with ADHD insight and power over how their everyday life is affected by hormones, ADHD symptoms, and other lifestyle factors.

Lotta and I talk all about the profound lack of research around women, hormones, and ADHD, as well as the incredible work she is doing in Scandinavia and beyond to even the playing field. We also talk about the biological differences between the male and female brains and why that contributes to the lack of diagnoses for girls. And we discuss how girls and women are being abandoned by the medical system, even after their diagnosis.

Website: www.borgskoglund.se

Instagram: @lottaborgskoglund

Links & Resources:

Letterlife app

ADHD Girls to Women by Lotta Borg Skoglund

(Use code WAPOD20 to get 20% off the book when you purchase directly from the publisher at jkp.com.)

- - - - - 

Episode Sponsors:

This episode is sponsored by Factor. Make your life easier and enjoy delicious, hassle-free meals with Factor. Get 50% off your order at factormeals.com/womenadhd50 and use the code WOMENADHD50. 

- - - - -

Episode edited by E Podcast Productions

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

- - - - -

Small group coaching with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

- - - - -

Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

- - - - -

Order the “Hey, it’s ADHD!” course: www.womenandadhd.com/adhdcourse

- - - - -

Did you love this episode? Click here to pledge a one-time donation to the podcast!

- - - - -

If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD and you’d like to apply to be a guest on this podcast, visit womenandadhd.com/podcastguest.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/women-and-adhd/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Episode 169 with Tracy Otsuka.

“I have this thing, I call them ‘word holes,’ where all of a sudden I'll be talking and I’ll forget a simple word. It's like there's a hole in my brain and the word just kind of goes in there and I can't access it.”

Tracy is a certified ADHD coach and the host of the popular ADHD for Smart Ass Women podcast. Over the past decade, she has empowered millions of listeners to see their neurodivergence as a strength, not a weakness. We talk about her inspiration for starting her podcast and the incredible impact it has had on the ADHD community (including myself!). 

We also talk all about her brand new book, ADHD for Smart Ass Women, which was just released at the end of 2023. And we talk about the power of positivity for the ADHD brain, and how to begin to take those first tiny steps toward living your dream. Tracy offers some incredible insight and advice for women with ADHD who might be struggling right now or feeling unsupported — if that’s you, then you do not want to miss this interview. 

I’m such a fan and Tracy has been at the top of my “dream guest” list since I started this podcast, so I’m thrilled that I finally got this chance to sit down with her to thank her for all she’s done for our community and chat with her about being a smart ass ADHD woman!

Websites: www.tracyotsuka.com; adhdforsmartwomen.com/book

Instagram: @tracyotsuka

Links & Resources:

ADHD For Smart Ass Women by Tracy Otsuka

ADHD For Smart Ass Women Facebook group

Denise Duffield-Thomas, Money Mindset Mentor: https://www.denisedt.com

Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez

- - - - - 

Episode Sponsors:

This episode is sponsored by Factor. Make your life easier and enjoy delicious, hassle-free meals with Factor. Get 50% off your order at factormeals.com/womenadhd50 and use the code WOMENADHD50. 

- - - - -

Episode edited by E Podcast Productions

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

- - - - -

Small group coaching with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

- - - - -

Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

- - - - -

Order the “Hey, it’s ADHD!” course: www.womenandadhd.com/adhdcourse

- - - - -

Did you love this episode? Click here to pledge a one-time donation to the podcast!

- - - - -

If you are a woman diagnosed with ADHD and you’d like to apply to be a guest on this podcast, visit womenandadhd.com/podcastguest.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/women-and-adhd/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Episode 168 with Korra O’Neill.

“I take a lot of pride in thinking about how my ancestors were probably the warriors who protected the village and took care of everybody in a way not everybody's brain can handle.”

Korra is a queer AuDHD period biohacker and co-founder of Unleash Your Superpowers. Diagnosed at the age of 29, she now uses her understanding of period science, neurodivergence, and queer theory to help thousands of people feel empowered by the body they're in.

Korra also co-authored the book “Your Toolbox To Unleash Your Super Powers,” a menstruating human’s guide to biohacking & hormonal harmony, and created the Superpowers Planner. This gorgeous calendar not only helps you track your phases, but gives helpful tips for movement and nutrition based on your phases.

We talk about how our menstrual cycles affect our ADHD symptoms, what foods align best with our different phases, and lots of other ways to naturally support our hormones.

And, I want to add that at one point in this episode I am desperately trying to remember the name of an author and just couldn’t for the life of me remember her name — I’m sure many of you can relate — anyway, the woman I’m talking about is Kate Northrup, who is the daughter of Dr. Christiane Northrup.

Anyway, you’ll want to grab a pen and paper for this episode — this was a super helpful conversation that I for one plan to revisit often since I’m endlessly confused by our hormones and our different menstrual phases.

Website: unleash-your-superpowers.com

Tiktok: @unleashyoursuperpowers

Instagram: @unleashyoursuperpowers

Links:

Korra’s book: https://unleash-your-superpowers.com/superpowers-book

Korra’s planner: https://unleash-your-superpowers.com/our-planner

Food For Your Phases: https://unleash-your-superpowers.com/food-for-your-phases

- - - - -

Episode edited by E Podcast Productions

Find the transcript of this episode at www.womenandadhd.com/transcripts

- - - - -

Women & ADHD small group coaching: www.womenandadhd.com/groupcoaching

- - - - -

Work 1-on-1 with Katy: www.womenandadhd.com/coaching

- - - - -

Order the “Hey, it’s ADHD!” course: www.womenandadhd.com/adhdcourse

- - - - -

Did you love this episode? Click here to pledge a one-time donation to the podcast!

- - - - -

If you are a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD and you’d like to apply to be a guest on this podcast, visit womenandadhd.com/podcastguest.

Instagram: @womenandadhdpodcast

Tiktok: @womenandadhdpodcast

Twitter: @womenandadhd

Facebook: @womenandadhd

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/women-and-adhd/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy