In school, a teacher made Rakia Reynolds push her desk all the way to the principal’s office for getting in trouble. Rakia had undiagnosed ADHD. She was energetic, creative, and the class clown. Rakia is now a businesswoman and creative leader with diagnosed ADHD — a diagnosis that she never shared publicly… until now.  Hear from Rakia, the founder and executive director of Skai Blue Media, on why she shied away from talking about her ADHD until now. Did a level of success make it feel...

Em Schulz thought they were just lazy growing up. Years later, after discovering that not everyone’s TikTok was full of ADHD tips that “weirdly work,” they realized they might have ADHD. Em is a paranormal investigator (aka ghost hunter) and co-host of the “And That’s Why We Drink” podcast. Em and Laura chat about ghosts and ghosting, as in ghosting relationships — a not uncommon ADHD behavior. And Em shares their take on whether people believe less in ghosts or ADHD.

Growing up as a Black girl with undiagnosed ADHD, Kayla Sanders learned very early that getting into trouble was not an option. Kayla was imaginative, playful, and extremely bright. She was also hyperactive, which was occasionally mistaken for disobedience.  One incident in particular in the first grade left a lasting mark on Kayla. From then on out, Kayla did everything she could to avoid causing trouble for her hard-working, loving mom. She pushed down her hyperactivity and masked her...

Patricia Sung was diagnosed with ADHD in her first year of college. It wasn’t until she became a mother, and other people relied on her, that she realized just how much ADHD affected her. Patricia now hosts the “Motherhood in ADHD” podcast. Join Patricia and host Laura Key as they talk about managing emotions with ADHD. Patricia explains the concept of “raging” — that moment when you go from 99 to 100 and emotions boil over. She also shares strategies that can help. 

Matthew Raghunauth always felt like he was a little lazy and sluggish — that’s just how he was. Then the time came to return to office after the pandemic, and he really started struggling at work. He questioned why he would put things off so much. He was scared to mess up, and afraid that his colleagues would think he’s a bad employee.  Matthew is an artist and UX designer who was diagnosed with ADHD about a year and a half ago. Join Laura and Matthew as they talk about this ADHD fear of...

Farah Jamil had to stand up for herself when two health care providers told her she couldn’t have ADHD. The reasons cited? One thought she was too smart, charming, and cared for to have ADHD. The other seemed to question whether ADHD was even real. Fortunately, Farah has strong self-advocacy skills that allowed her to debunk these myths in real time.  Farah is an executive coach, ADHD life coach, and the founder of the community groups “Muslim ADHDers” and “Interfaith ADHDers.” Listen as...

How to ADHD creator Jessica McCabe has been the source of many ADHD “aha” moments — so what were her ADHD “aha” moments?  Jessica was diagnosed when she was 12 years old but didn’t start to look into what ADHD meant for her until she was 32. Taking ADHD medication felt like putting on glasses — experiencing the world as everyone else did. But she didn’t have the skills and strategies to cope with ADHD. So, she started making YouTube videos...and the rest is history. Listen in as Jessica...

Dr. Monica Johnson joins Laura to talk about a topic that comes up a lot on ADHD Aha!: ADHD and trauma. She explains how trauma and ADHD can look alike and whether ADHD can lead to trauma. Dr. J, as she’s known, also talks about misdiagnosis, treatment, and how to support someone who’s struggling.  Get more helpful insights from Dr. J on “ADHD and...,” a podcast in our “MissUnderstood” channel for women with ADHD.  This episode contains discussion about trauma, PTSD, and examples of...

Breon and Dan Gummel are a mixed-neurodiversity married couple. After about 5 years of marriage, Breon was diagnosed with ADHD. The conflicts they’d been having as a couple took on a new shape. The more they both learned about ADHD, the better they understood each other. Now, they’ve founded an ADHD community called ADHDinner. This is where people with ADHD, and their close ones, can come together for a meal, and share their experiences. You can create your own wherever you live with their...

Leadership and career coach Phoebe Gavin was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age. Phoebe’s mom was her number one advocate. She never made Phoebe feel like there was something wrong with her, and that’s followed her to this day. Now, she works with clients to empower them in the same way.  Phoebe takes us through serving in the military, to fashion school, to starting a business with ADHD. She shares career tips when you have ADHD and her journey navigating ADHD and PTSD.

As women, it can feel like we have to do it all, yet not be “too much.” Add ADHD stigma and shame on top, and it can feel impossible. Good thing we have Tracy Otsuka to remind us that no one has ever made a difference by being “too little.”  Tracy is an ADHD coach, the host of the “ADHD for Smart Ass Women” podcast, and author of the book with the same name! In this episode, host Laura Key and Tracy talk about how her son’s diagnosis led to her own, the need for an ADHD cookbook, and...

Jesse Anderson wishes he’d had an ADHD manual when he was first diagnosed as an adult, so he wrote one. Before he was diagnosed, he never considered having ADHD himself. After his wife encouraged him to look into it more, his trouble with remembering to do things, time management, and anger started to take a different shape in his mind. Today, Jesse is an ADHD advocate, writer, speaker, and author of the book “Extra Focus: The Quick Start Guide to Adult ADHD.” Join host Laura Key and Jesse...

When William Curb learned he had ADHD (and wasn’t just lazy), he felt empowered to build coping skills. Now, he hosts the “Hacking Your ADHD” podcast where he talks about ADHD supports, workarounds, and more. In this bonus episode, host Laura Key and William talk about ADHD and emotions and his favorite ADHD hacks. Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. Learn more at Understood.org. And if you...

ADHD coach and creator Caren Magill was diagnosed with ADHD in 2020, during the pandemic. Caren gets real about her experience as a teen girl with undiagnosed ADHD: dropping out of high school, smoking, having poor self-care, and being a “messy kid.” She also shares how she manages her ADHD through fitness, sleep, and meditation. Caren is also the host of It’s “The ADHD-Friendly Show” podcast. Listen as she shares what she’s hearing from women with ADHD about overwhelm, and approaching...

Casey McQuiston, best-selling author of “Red, White and Royal Blue,” grew up in a neurodivergent family and was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age. Still, they had trouble coping, and in high school, English teachers gave them an intervention for “not trying hard enough.” Casey is the author of multiple books in the queer romance genre. Casey chats with Laura about how ADHD influences their writing. They also share a sneak peek of their upcoming book The Pairing, coming out August 2024. ...

What makes being a mom with ADHD so hard? Navigating executive functions and emotional labor, for one. And feeling burned out when burnout isn’t an option — because there’s always something else that needs your very limited attention! Talking about it with someone who just “gets it” is such a relief. In this episode, Laura talks to her friend and colleague Rae Jacobson, also a mom with ADHD. Listen to their conversation and insights on this bonus Mother’s Day episode. Understood.org is...

Ellyce Fulmore had structures in place her whole life that kept her ADHD hidden. When the pandemic hit, those structures disappeared. Doing basic daily tasks — things like cooking and running errands — got really hard. Then she went down a research rabbit hole on ADHD in women and asked for an ADHD evaluation. Before the pandemic, Ellyce had been struggling with impulsive spending. It made her feel like she was in control when really the spending was controlling her. Now, she’s the author...

ADHD coach Jaye Lin is no stranger to ADHD burnout. As an Asian American former gifted kid with undiagnosed ADHD, her parents thought she was just being lazy and not applying herself. This pressure and shame followed until her 20s, when her anxiety peaked while she was working at a high-pressure job. Jaye’s therapist thought she was drug-seeking when she wanted to be screened for ADHD. Now, Jaye builds communities and helps others prioritize what’s important when tunnel vision takes over...

In 2016, Paulette Perhach wrote a piece proclaiming that all women need an emergency fund — what she calls an “f-off fund.” But when she struggled to secure an emergency fund for herself, she suspected she might have ADHD. Paulette, a successful author and writing coach, put off the evaluation because she couldn’t afford the $260 price tag. In this episode of “ADHD Aha!,” Paulette talks about her trouble with impulse buying and online shopping. She shares her family’s history with money...

As a child, David Flink was told to “just try harder.”  But David wasn’t lazy. He was trying as hard as he could.  After being diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia in the 5th grade, David went to a school that taught him to “try smarter” instead. There he learned to pick paths that work better for his brain.  Today, David is an author, advocate, and speaker. He’s also the founder and chief empowerment officer of Eye to Eye, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving experiences for...

Peter Jones used to feel better about saying he had a hearing problem rather than considering ADHD. When he was a child in the 90s, adults thought his “listening problem” was because he couldn’t hear. Turns out, Peter does have some trouble hearing lower frequencies, but that didn’t explain his other symptoms. Now, Peter knows he has ADHD and is not afraid to say it. On this episode, Host Laura Key and Peter discuss what it means when a child is “listening,” and how auditory processing...

ADHD coach Emily Weinberg is no stranger to analysis paralysis. Before she was diagnosed, she thought she was just lazy, and that she couldn’t have ADHD since she wasn’t hyperactive. But whenever she was being “unproductive,” she was actually just frozen. She was stuck thinking about the list of things to do mounting in her head. When she first spoke to a psychiatrist about ADHD, Emily was told that “she just seemed like an anxious mom with young kids.” So her ADHD was missed, which happens...

Growing up, Carol Blumenstein was labeled an unteachable student. She was terrified to read during class, and school only brought huge anxiety. Luckily, her mom believed in her in a way teachers didn’t. She put Carol in community college courses and pushed her to turn her frustration into motivation. Carol didn’t know she had ADHD and dyslexia until she saw her own children — all five of them — struggle with the same things she did when she was little. But this time the issues were...

Back when he was a criminal defense lawyer, Ernest Anemone related to one of his clients: An impulsive, irritable teenage boy who burned down the penalty box of a hockey rink. But what Ernie related to wasn’t just the ADHD behaviors. It was the teen’s feeling of having no control over his own life. Now, Ernie is an actor, filmmaker, and executive coach for Fortune 500 companies. Growing up, Ernie felt like he had no agency. He knew he didn’t have the type of focus society favored. But he...