The ADHD Channel for Women

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Latest Episodes:

ADHD and aging Mar 11, 2025

Show notes

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

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 podcast@understood.org.

Understood is a nonprofit where millions of people who are navigating neurodivergence find clear guidance, practical tools, and people who get it. To help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/podcast-donate.

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Head, heart, hormones — why women’s ADHD care should treat the whole person | Hyperfocus Mar 06, 2025

Show notes

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

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 hyperfocus@understood.org

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Changing hobbies | Tips from an ADHD Coach Mar 04, 2025

Show notes

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 adhdcoachtips@understood.org.

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The ADHD shame spiral from making mistakes in relationships | Sorry, I Missed This Feb 27, 2025

Show notes

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 sorryimissedthis@understood.org.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

ADHD and: Self-care Feb 25, 2025

Show notes

For many women with ADHD, self-care is usually the last thing they think about. It’s hard to focus on taking care of yourself when you have so many things to juggle.

Listen as Dr. Monica Johnson dives into the unique challenges women with ADHD face when it comes to self-care. Find out why it can feel so hard to find time for yourself and how ADHD makes it even more difficult. And get practical strategies for how to reclaim your time and make self-care a priority.

Related resources

Timestamps

(00:49) What is self-care?

(01:45) Types of self-care

(05:17) How to overcome self-care challenges

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 podcast@understood.org.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

“Who are we missing?” One doctor’s lifelong fight for women with ADHD | Hyperfocus Feb 20, 2025

Show notes

Dr. Kathleen Nadeau is someone who I’d call one of the godmothers of ADHD in women. She was one of the first people to stand up to the medical establishment and say, “Yes, ADHD affects women and girls, and we need to do something about it.”

She persisted against the gatekeepers who’d call her and her peers “ADHD wannabes,” responding to their dismissal by writing books, conducting research, and being fierce advocates.

Dr. Nadeau is also one of my personal heroes, and someone I’ve looked up to for years. That’s all to say: I’m very excited to share with you this week’s episode of Hyperfocus.

Listen or watch as we discuss the history of ADHD in women and girls, what the DSM misses on ADHD, gender inequality in the medical community, and more.

Related resources

Timestamps

(1:55) Dr. Nadeau’s early days and “ADHD wannabes”

(14:33) How should we diagnose ADHD in women?

(16:30) Women being shut out of the medical establishment

(20:25) “Ask the women”

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

We’d love to hear from you. Email us at podcast@understood.org.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

ADHD meds at risk? Unpacking the new executive order, DEA proposal | Hyperfocus Feb 19, 2025

Show notes

ADHD medications have been in the news a lot lately, especially stimulants.

In this bonus episode of Hyperfocus, host and mental health journalist Rae Jacobson talks about two U.S. policy items that could affect people with ADHD.

First, an executive order from February 13 established the “Make America Healthy Again Commission.” The executive order specifically mentions ADHD and the rise in diagnoses and medication usage among children.

The order also requires the commission to “assess the prevalence of and threat posed by the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, stimulants, and weight-loss drugs.”

Dr. Andy Kahn, a licensed psychologist, joins Rae to discuss the notion that people with ADHD, especially kids, are overmedicated.

Plus, Rae discusses proposed regulatory changes for controlled substances, including ADHD stimulants.

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) issued its proposal on January 17, before the current administration took office. If accepted, the proposed changes would affect telehealth prescriptions for ADHD stimulant medications. The DEA is accepting comments through March 18.

Related resources

Timestamps

(0:38) What does the new executive order say about ADHD?

(4:04) What does “overmedicated” mean today?

(6:08) On stigma and ADHD

(9:56) What is the new DEA telehealth proposal?

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

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at hyperfocus@understood.org.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Needing perfect conditions to get started | Tips from an ADHD Coach Feb 18, 2025

Show notes

Do you find yourself holding off on starting something because you’re waiting for the conditions to be perfect? Do these perfect conditions ever happen?

This week on Tips from an ADHD Coach, Jaye talks about how sometimes with ADHD we put off something we think is important, because we’re waiting for a perfect solution, or perfect conditions, which may never come. Listen for some tips to jumpstart yourself, even when it doesn’t feel like the perfect time.

Related resources

Timestamps

(00:49) Listener Leanne’s email

(01:49) Going through Leanne’s valid challenges

(03:46) Inability to get started because of too many barriers to be successful

(04:46) ADHD factors that make us feel like we need perfect conditions to do something

(08:19) What can we do when we get into this perfectionist trap?

(13:12) 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 adhdcoachtips@understood.org.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Navigating emotional intimacy with ADHD | Sorry, I Missed This Feb 13, 2025

Show notes

Emotional intimacy is about sharing an emotional connection and presence with yourself and other people. But a lot of ADHD traits, and lived experiences, can get in the way. This could be due to trouble with emotional regulation, the emotional labor it takes to feel believed, masking, and more.

Michelle Frank is a clinical psychologist and the co-author of A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD. Listen to this conversation exploring how shame can be a roadblock to emotional intimacy, and how this intimacy can look different within every relationship.

Related resources

Michelle’s book, A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD by Sari Solden and Michelle Frank

Timestamps

(02:46) What is emotional intimacy?

(04:14) Barriers to emotional intimacy with ADHD

(09:33) Shame and ADHD

(15:29) What steps can we take to build emotional intimacy?

(17:28) Sitting in uncomfortable feelings, and rejection sensitivity

(20:48) People pleasing versus building authentic connections

(22:36) What about when we’re in a relationship without emotional intimacy?

(28:41) Where can you find Michelle?

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

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at sorryimissedthis@understood.org.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

ADHD and: Oversharing Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

For many women with ADHD, oversharing is more than just a social misstep. It’s a response that often feels automatic. And it can be quite difficult to get under control.

In this episode of ADHD and, watch as Dr. Monica Johnson explains the link between ADHD and oversharing. Find out why oversharing happens so often for some women with ADHD, sometimes without them even realizing it. And get strategies to better manage those urges to share a little too much information.

Related resources

Timestamps

(01:10) What is oversharing?

(04:00) Why women with ADHD overshare

(11:35) How to manage oversharing

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

We love to hear from our listeners. Email us at podcast@understood.org.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.