2021 is not going away quietly—it wants to give 2020 a run for the money. In need of some optimism, Moira talks about things big and small we can be proud of, ways to regain trust in our own judgment and use that to help make sense of our lives. She found some sneaky patterns that she plans to leave in 2021 and shares what support she is relying on too.

Time and energy are limited resources that many of us struggle with, especially when we have ADHD--they can seem elusive and slippery, never quite under our control. We can understand how we experience both, how it matters for our day-to-day life, and consider some ideas to try for a more ADHD friendly life. 

 The last two years have been challenging for all of us, and getting through December can be hard when we live in a world that goes on 24/7. We often forget that human beings deserve care and rest, to be able to thrive and not just push through. What if there was a way to try differently instead of harder? Moira's spent many years thinking about this and observing what goes on around her at this time of year and has tried many, many coping strategies including house and petting sitting. This...

Moira finally got a hopeful result about a medication adjustment AFTER TWO YEARS. This episode is about the process she went through, how much effort it took, how we can help each other, and why to not give up. We're worth it. There is also some info from a few doctors about medications too. 

Moira and Coach Natalie Stark cover a lot of ground in this episode! How the word queer is important for many reasons, how not living and living in a van were both ways to have an ADHDFL (friendly life), the importance of access to treatment for ADHD, and why Natalie credits going to the hospital and therapy with saving herself from suicidal ideation and coaching with feeling worthy of building a life that she wants to live.

We can’t have an ADHDFL when we’re running on empty, it requires capacity and breaking the cycles we get into. One way? Paying the ADHD tax upfront how we want.   When you have ADHD we quickly learn that help or understanding of our challenges isn’t always easy to get. Sometimes the way forward is to know how to give ourselves what we need, to have a more satisfying life. With knowledge comes power and when we feel empowered it makes it easier to be curious about trying different. Moira...

Moira shares experiences and examples from the last three years, including healing from a brain injury, about how we can rebuild trust in ourselves by using our own lived experiences to make decisions in our own best interests (she may have shot herself in the foot a few times in the past).  She discusses ways to build an ADHD Friendly Lifestyle using both our strengths and challenges to help create a world that works for, not against us, tossing us a few reminders along the way about what we...

This episode is a bit different, Moira didn't come up with any of it. She does have a few comments here and there but instead, she is sharing Canada's Centre for ADHD Advocacy paper calling for better understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and support of women and girls with ADHD. If you ever wanted one episode or document to share with someone, a loved one, a medical professional, anyone about how and why Women and Girls with ADHD deserve better, and how to go about it, this is it.

Change is coming, whether we like it or not! If you thought ADHD was running the show, it ain't got nothing on our hormones but it doesn’t have to be chaos all round. It turns out it’s not so mysterious or unpredictable, even in perimenopause. Moira shares in detail the process she used to better understand her daily experiences—moods, energy, medication side effects, and both her ADHD and menstrual symptoms and then what might be done with that self-understanding. Her first step was to do...

When things don't go as planned it can feel like everything is a bust.  That's how Moira remembered summer 2021, then by looking back in a few unique ways, she discovered that the story in her head is only part of her story. Moira explores her surprising shift from a  dumpster fire of a summer to one full of wins complete with a silver lining she almost completely missed.

What can we do when finding ourselves stuck and not able to get going to do the things we need to? Moira's been struggling with that too.  Moira & Marisol are going through the mud and coming out the other side with some clarity, a plan, excitement and we hope, some inspiration for you too. 

No matter when you were diagnosed, most of us are on a journey with accepting our ADHD that is varied as we are. We differ in how much we want or can learn about our brains. We all benefit from a treatment plan and untreated ADHD has an impact all over our lives. Today we are talking about why, and how to get started on a treatment plan that puts you at the center of it. 

What we can do to increase the chances of getting an accurate diagnosis?

The stress of constantly expecting criticism, feeling ashamed, frantic, and being unable to explain why our brain won't listen to us can become the narrative in our lives that drowns out everything else. ADHD remains under-recognized, misunderstood, and mistreated—especially in women. Today we’re talking about common misperceptions and the ways ADHD can present differently in women.

Moira & Marisol are back to answer listener questions about ADHD in women and girls which leads to sharing having babies with ADHD,  what ADHD was like in their toddler daughters, and why they are grateful their daughters' were diagnosed as children.  They also discuss motivation, when getting started seems impossible, and give some examples of how are more likely to show up on time, remember to pick up kids from daycare, and even show up for dinner. 

It's summer, the season of lightness and play, it's been a tough ride lately. How do you want to enjoy this time of year? Moira shares how to and why it's a good idea to make the livin' easy for an ADHD friendly summer.

Living a more ADHD friendly lifestyle is a journey towards being genuinely ourselves in a way that is truly fulfilling. We can be smart, talented, and successful in some ways, and struggle greatly in others. We can experiment with the version of us who shows up in different situations and be curious about the messages around us. Having a community of people who support, understand, and accept ADHD, lowers our stress level and shame, can serve as a mirror, and helps grow our acceptance.

How easy is it to unapologetically do the things or create a life that works for you? Hard to do when we are beating ourselves up or trying to fit into other people's expectations. Being authentic requires self-acceptance and self-compassion. Moira shares how she's struggled including losing it, waiting, shame spirals, perfectionism, and changing things up. When things go awry, let's try asking, "what happened?" instead of "what's wrong?" and see where it gets us. She covers a number of ADHD...

The outtakes were so good, I couldn’t leave them out. Just like your favorite show’s outtake reel, these pieces may seem a bit more disjointed than a regular episode, I’ll use musical cues for when we switch topics. We start off lightly sharing our struggles with the question, “how are you?”, and then Roxie goes deep sharing how learning at 12 yo her father was black called into question her identity and ultimately helped her find pride. Then Roxie puts me into the hot seat asking me a few...

ADHD Coach Roxie Martin shares her decades-long journey to diagnosis at 50, and what it was like for her as a new mom with a suspicion of having ADHD. Her desperation led her to the ADHD reWired Community (ArC), and self-acceptance. Moira and Roxie both speak about how transformative being a part of the ArC is for them, as members, mentors, and now coaches. Their growth in self-worth and joy are big pieces in their ADHD Friendly Lifestyle.

We cover a lot here--why medications are a pillar of successful treatment, and no longer a last resort, how to figure out if ADHD medications are working for you,  when to consider a non-stimulant, and what to expect with side effects. Plus, 2 tools can be used in the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of ADHD. For my fellow monthly cyclers, there’s some help with our individual monthly experiences, week by week, to make informed decisions for our health and well-being.

What's the biggest issue for half the adult population with ADHD? Our hormones, and how they show up every day--in our monthly cycles and everywhere else too. How many even know there is a direct link between the changing nature of our ADHD symptoms and a menstrual cycle? Come hear Moira drop some of the knowledge that led to her  "cutting edge" rep. 

Self-compassion and ADHD don’t always come together easily BUT treating ourselves better, when we have ADHD, improves motivation, problem-solving, persistence, and getting along with others. There are proven ideas, actions, and strategies just for people with ADHD whose biggest consistency may be inconsistency, will make mistakes, and are more than likely listening to this with a heavy dose of skepticism. Self-compassion helps with stress, self-criticism, and living with an ADHD brain. 

What do a Canadian and a Texan have in common? When you both are moms with late-diagnosed ADHD, turns out a lot. Marisol and Moira met through ADHD reWired Coaching and Accountability Groups. They appreciate each other’s sense of humor, intelligence, kindness, and passion for living a more ADHD friendly life. Oh, and their willingness to tell random people how they felt having an ADHD diagnosis and trying medication! Check out our first episode answering listener questions, with both...

We are talking about why and how we can develop acceptance and how that will help us make changes to have the life we want.  Our challenges with ADHD can feel front and center in our lives, almost like it is running the show. We try treatment with medications, strategies, and behavior changes. yet very few of us feel we are making enough or lasting change. How can we change that? It takes understanding and accepting our brains as they are. Instead of trying to fix ourselves, what about...