ADHD Aha!

• My full-circle ADHD experience (Laura’s story, continued)

  We’re running a survey to see how podcasts help women with ADHD learn about mental health and health-related topics. Make your voice heard today.On this 100th episode of ADHD Aha!, host Laura Key looks back on the powerful conversations she’s had with guests from all walks of life about their unique ADHD experiences. She also opens up about a deeply personal new chapter: her 9-year-old daughter’s recent ADHD diagnosis. Laura reflects on what this milestone means for her both as a mom and a person with ADHD.   Joining Laura is her friend, co-worker, and Hyperfocus podcast host, Rae Jacobson. Together, they explore how Laura’s understanding of ADHD has evolved over the course of the show — and how she’s navigating the emotions of raising a child who shares her diagnosis.Related resourcesADHD, anxiety, and perfectionism (Laura’s story)ADHD in girlsMy child with ADHD can’t fall asleep. But I’m so tired. What can I do?Timestamps(00:50) What has it been like making 100 episodes of ADHD Aha!?(03:03) Laura’s daughter’s diagnoses, and being a mom with ADHD(08:21) Laura’s daughter’s ADHD and anxiety evaluation(10:51) Sleep and ADHD parenting challenges(12:19) Feeling the pressure to be a “perfect ADHD mom”(14:14) How hard it can be to be a kid with ADHD(16:40) Keeping ADHD mom perfectionism in check(20:58) Has Laura’s outlook on ADHD changed throughout making this show? For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! page on Understood.Want to share your “aha” moment? We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected]. 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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• Love and grief with ADHD (Steve Wesley’s story)

  We’re running a survey to see how podcasts help women with ADHD learn about mental health and health-related topics. Make your voice heard today.Steve Wesley makes videos about ADHD to create a legacy for his family. As a single dad with ADHD, he worries he’s not doing enough to support his two sons, who also have ADHD. He hopes the videos will serve as proof one day that he really was trying.Steve’s late wife was “the calendar” of the family. She kept everything on track. When she passed away, it was up to Steve to manage everything and teach his sons the executive function skills that he struggles with so much himself.Join this emotional conversation between Steve and host Laura Key about parenting and coping with death with ADHD.Related resourcesCheck out Steve’s YouTube channel, Steve with ADHDADHD and coping with grief: 8 ways to help your childADHD and emotionsTimestamps(01:00) Steve’s “aha” moment, and accepting his diagnosis(05:03) ADHD, emotions, and grieving the loss of his wife(10:57) Adjusting to being a single parent as a widower(13:48) Why did Steve start his YouTube channel for his family?(18:38) ADHD: Superpower or curse?(23:27) What would Steve’s wife be proud of him for today?For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! page on Understood.Want to share your “aha” moment? We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected]. 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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• Afraid to be the “crazy wife” with ADHD (Sela Carsen’s story)

  We’re running a survey to see how podcasts help women with ADHD learn about mental health and health-related topics. Make your voice heard today.Romance author Sela Carsen saw herself in her daughter’s ADHD evaluation 20 years ago. But she didn’t request an evaluation for herself until just 4 years ago. She was afraid that having ADHD would have a negative effect on her husband’s military career — that she’d be the “crazy wife.” Once Sela was finally diagnosed with ADHD, she had a big sense of relief. She felt capable in her job as an author, and that she “didn’t have to hate herself so much” anymore. Hear this conversation with Sela and host Laura Key as they chat about ADHD shame, Gen X’s outlook on mental health, and neurodivergent book characters. Related resourcesADHD and: ProcrastinationADHD and caffeineUnderstood.org Neurodiversity at Work Survey: Focus on Generation ZTimestamps(01:46) When did Sela start to notice signs of ADHD in herself?  (03:48) Why Sela didn’t pursue an ADHD evaluation while her husband was in active duty(05:46) How ADHD symptoms affected her life while she was undiagnosed  (08:55) Finally seeking an ADHD evaluation(14:11) Neurodivergent story characters(17:45) How being Gen X changes how you approach ADHD(20:24) What’s next for Sela?For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! page on Understood.Want to share your “aha” moment? We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected]. 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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• Sensory overload and self-advocacy with ADHD (Margaux Joffe’s story)

  We’re running a survey to see how podcasts help women with ADHD learn about mental health and health-related topics. Make your voice heard today.Margaux Joffe’s “aha” moment came during a shopping trip to IKEA with her mom. She had an intense sensory overload experience, which her mom later suggested could be ADHD-related. Margaux, who’d been diagnosed with anxiety and depression as a teenager, had never considered ADHD.She was diagnosed with ADHD at age 29. In the years since, she’s become a global advocate for neurodiversity and accessibility. Check out her conversation with host Laura Key about justice sensitivity, workplace accommodations, and self-harm in undiagnosed women. Related resourcesADHD and sensory overloadADHD and depressionUnderstood.org’s 2024 Neurodiversity at Work Survey Fact SheetMargaux’s website, margauxjoffe.comTimestamps(01:55) Margaux’s IKEA story, and “aha” moment(07:34) Sensory sensitivity and ADHD(09:03) Undiagnosed ADHD leading to anxiety and depression(12:38) Breaking down during transitional periods(14:16) Being told she was just “too much” as a child(18:44) What has she learned in the 10 years since being diagnosed?(21:12) What has she learned through working with other women with ADHD?(23:29) Self-advocacy and disclosure at work(26:35) What’s Margaux up to now?For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! page on Understood.Want to share your “aha” moment? We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected]. 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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• Rejection sensitivity and ADHD as an Emmy-winning comedy writer (Dan McCoy’s story)

  We’re running a survey to see how podcasts help women with ADHD learn about mental health and health-related topics. Make your voice heard today.Dan McCoy understood better his mood swings, fear of rejection, and hyperfocus when he was diagnosed with ADHD last year. He got an ADHD evaluation after reading an article his brother wrote about being on the autism spectrum. Dan is a comedy writer who’s won two Emmy awards for his work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He also co-hosts the movie podcast, The Flop House. Dan explains how comedy writing can be exposure therapy for rejection, and how he’s coping with managing emotions. Related resourcesADHD and rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD)ADHD and mood swingsDan’s podcast, The Flop HouseTimestamps(01:24) Dan’s recent ADHD diagnosis(03:55) Recognizing emotions and burnout from masking(06:40) The “Boom Bust” ADHD energy cycle(08:05) Would it have been helpful to have an ADHD diagnosis as a child?(11:26) Rejection sensitivity and comedy writing(15:32) Does ADHD make you funny?(19:34) Are people considerate of ADHD characteristics?(22:34) What is Dan working on?For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! page on UnderstoodWant to share your “aha” moment? We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected]. 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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