Have you had a bad experience talking about your ADHD with friends or family? Or, are you worried about sharing your ADHD diagnosis with friends and family, out of fear of how they would react?

This week on Tips from an ADHD Coach, Jaye talks about sharing our ADHD diagnoses with the people we love and what we can do to make those conversations go better.

Related resources

• What to do when someone doubts your ADHD diagnosis
• I’m letting go of the shame I felt about my ADHD and learning disabilities

Timestamps

(00:42) Kirby’s quote

(02:51) Unfortunately, it’s common to have a bad experience when sharing that you have ADHD

(05:36) Questions to ask yourself before having this conversation

(06:59) Setting time aside for this conversation, or asking for their full attention, not just a passing chat

(07:58) Front-loading our expectations for their response

(12:06) Work through the raw emotions of a diagnosis before having these conversations by doing some practice runs

(13:13) You don’t have to share your ADHD with someone if you don’t think they’ll respond well

(15:00) Recap

For a transcript and more resources, visit the Tips from an ADHD Coach show page on Understood.org.

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

Understood.org 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

Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.

ADHD and kink might seem like an unexpected pairing, but for a lot of people, they go hand in hand. From rituals that help with focus to play that taps into the need for stimulation, BDSM can be more than just fun — it can be a real tool for regulation and connection.

In this episode, host Cate Osborn chats with author and forensic sexologist Stefani Goerlich about how BDSM can actually support ADHD brains by offering structure, sensory input, and clear communication.

Related resources

• Stefani’s website, stefanigeorlich.com
• Stefani’s books

Timestamps

(02:46) The broad umbrella of ‘kink’

(04:16) Focusing on BDSM in particular, and breaking down the acronym

(08:38) Kink is always relational, only sometimes sexual

(09:48) Why might someone gravitate towards kink/BDSM?

(12:30) Common kink myths

(15:44) Power exchange, and consent as foreplay

(16:32) The benefits of BDSM/kink

(18:24) How kink can help with claiming agency

(21:10) How negotiated arrangements can take some of the strain off executive function challenges

(23:39) What to do when one partner is kinky, and one is not so much

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

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

Understood.org 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

Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.

For women with ADHD, asking for help can feel really hard, even when they need it. The pressures to be perfect and the fears of being judged can make staying quiet feel much easier. But reaching out can open the door to real support and relief.

Listen as Dr. J breaks down why asking for help is especially tough for women with ADHD. Then get her advice for ways to break the cycle, get the support you need, and how to feel less alone in the process.

Related resources

• ADHD and: The fear of failure
• How ADHD can affect your mental health
• MissUnderstood: The ADHD in Women Channel

Timestamps

(00:42) Why asking for help is a challenge for women with ADHD

(02:58) Strategies for asking for help

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

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

Understood.org 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

Have you changed careers or academic interests multiple times in your life? Do you find yourself thinking this next job is going to be the one that sticks, only to discover that you’re just as unhappy and unfulfilled in that role as all of the others before?

This week on Tips from an ADHD Coach, Jaye talks about how ADHD can nudge many of us to jump from job to job, and career to career.

Related resources

• ADHD burnout
• 5 ways ADHD can affect you at work

Timestamps

(00:42) Taylor’s quote

(02:45) Why ADHDers might have a long list of past college majors and jobs

(05:57) The burnout to quitting cycle

(08:58) What can we do about this?

(12:57) Recap

For a transcript and more resources, visit the Tips from an ADHD Coach show page on Understood.org.

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

Understood.org 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

Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.

In theory, online dating can feel like an easy, low-stakes solution to meeting people. But in practice, there are a few pitfalls that many fall into. With ADHD, dating apps can pose even more challenges and be an additional drag on your attention.

Clinical Psychologist Dr. Shauna Pollard visits the show to talk about what she’s noticed while working with ADHDers on online dating. Join this conversation on the dopamine chase that can happen while using dating apps, and setting boundaries with yourself.

Related resources

• Dr. Pollard’s website
• A dating coach talks ADHD and super-connecting
• ADHD and emotions

Timestamps

(01:58) ADHD and online dating challenges

(09:17) Hyperfocusing on dating, and how to slow down

(11:41) “Marketing yourself” on online dating, and how to show the whole picture of who you are

(14:01) Figure out your “filter” for online matches, and include offline dating in addition to online

(17:03) Snap judgements, biases, and discrimination

(19:02) Feeling overwhelmed? Do what feels best for you

(20:02) ADHD disclosure on dating profiles

(22:42) Best practices for ADHDers to build meaningful relationships

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 sorryimissedthis@understood.org.

Understood.org 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

Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.

Many women with ADHD get stuck in a never-ending cycle of burnout. Trying to manage work, family, and social commitments can feel overwhelming, leaving them tired and unable to keep up. This stress can make everyday tasks seem even more difficult and lead to feelings of frustration.

In this episode, Dr. J explains what burnout is and the ways it can appear in daily life. Listen as she breaks down the impact it can have on women with ADHD. Plus, get practical tips for recognizing early signs of burnout and how to stop it before it gets worse.

Related resources

• ADHD burnout
• How ADHD can affect your mental health
• Mental load: The invisible weight women with ADHD carry

Timestamps

(00:50) What is burnout?

(01:33) How ADHD impacts burnout

For a transcript and more resources, visit our episode page on Understood.org. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at podcast@understood.org.

Understood.org 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

Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.

If you follow ADHD news, you might’ve heard that diagnosis rates in women nearly doubled during the pandemic. Danielle Elliot was one of them, receiving her diagnosis just before she turned 37.

Danielle is also a science and health journalist. So, she did the thing that many reporters are inclined to do — she began investigating this big, new thing in her life and how it fit into the world around her.

As she dug in deeper, she landed on two big questions relating to the pandemic diagnosis boom: Why women? And why now? Her answers culminated in a new podcast from Understood.org called Climbing the Walls. It’s a six-episode series, and the first installment is out now.

This week on Hyperfocus, Danielle visits the show to talk about her ADHD experience and what it’s like reporting a story where you’re one of the characters.

Related resources

• Listen to Climbing the Walls
• I’m a journalist with ADHD. Here’s how I get it done.
• ADHD and women

Timestamps

(1:25) The origins of Danielle’s story

(7:50) Surprises during the reporting process

(12:05) What it felt like to get a diagnosis

(22:14) Danielle’s big takeaways from making the show

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

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

Understood.org 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

Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.

Many people with ADHD, especially women, consider themselves people pleasers. It can become a habit to start putting others first without thinking, even when it goes against what we really want. This can lead to some resentment down the line.

This week on Tips from an ADHD Coach, Jaye talks about how pleasing others all the time can turn from selfless into self-serving. Listen for tips on what to do if we’ve spent our whole lives trying to please others at a cost to ourselves.

Related resources

• ADHD and rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD)
• Setting boundaries in relationships with ADHD
• Core values exercise

Timestamps

(00:39) Laura’s quote

(03:08) ADHD and people pleasing

(07:49) When people pleasing changes from selfless to self-serving

(10:37) What can we do?

(13:25) Recap

For a transcript and more resources, visit the Tips from an ADHD Coach show page on Understood.org.

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

Understood.org 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